Chapter 183: Descending Mount Zhongnan, Taiping Daoist (Two-in-one!)

【You make up your mind to cultivate "Primordial Art" and "Refining Heaven Hand."】

【Since you crossed the threshold of the Great Grandmaster and caught a glimpse of the "Primordial Art" realm, the universe within your body has been surging. The newly born Primordial true qi inner strength and the profound true qi forged by the former "Great Great Huangting" are like rivers going their separate ways, each occupying its own territory, like two purely different forces confronting each other, silently opposing each other within your body.】

【Within the inner world, the two strands of true qi are like two fierce tigers with bulging eyes occupying the mountain, glaring at each other, roaring endlessly.】

【They cannot fuse!】

【Fortunately, you have already entered the Primordial Realm and can quietly resolve this discordant qi within your own inner world; otherwise, your inner breath would have been in chaos, with endless future troubles.】

【Unexpectedly!】

【The "Great Great Huangting," which was regarded as a good companion for cultivation transition within the Sanzhen Sect, turned out to be a stumbling block on the path forward after stepping into the Primordial threshold.】

【To seek the true meaning of "Primordial Art," one must first break and then establish, scattering all the cultivation of a lifetime of "Great Great Huangting."】

【Within your body, an indescribable aura quietly surges; it is the true qi condensed from years of hard cultivation of Great Great Huangting, but at this moment, it retreats like a tide, slowly dissipating.】

【Scattering cultivation!】

【Your cultivation, in this silent and soundless manner, slips from the Primordial Realm, falling all the way to the Grandmaster Realm, in just the time of a stick of incense.】

【Three hours later, as the last strand of true qi in the inner world dissipates, you lose all your cultivation.】

【No more cultivation!】

【After losing your cultivation, you seem to be more closely connected with all things in heaven and earth; you have broken the barriers of heaven and earth and can feel the leaping of spiritual energy between heaven and earth, clearly and truly.】

【You begin to cultivate according to the methods of "Primordial Art" and "Refining Heaven Hand."】

【This practice makes you intoxicated; "Primordial Art" and "Refining Heaven Hand" were originally two completely different paths of cultivation.】

【The pure white-as-snow Primordial true qi and the fiery-as-fire Refining Heaven qi were distinct at first, but gradually, they seemed to be pulled by invisible silk threads, slowly fusing and weaving together an unprecedented strange scene.】

【The fusion of spring snow!】

【Even more strangely, the auspicious clouds of fortune from the distant Yan territory quietly descended, perfectly fusing with the crimson qi of the Refining Heaven Hand, the three complementing each other, slowly merging into one.】

【The inner world is like having three divine birds of different sizes emitting golden light, circling around.】

【As if adding colorful clouds into a crimson dyeing vat, rendering another color.】

【Finally, it slowly synthesized into a pure white color, extremely transparent, without a single impurity!】

【In this incredible fusion, you slowly became immersed in it!】

【Within ten days, you did not eat anything at all.】

【You sat motionless on the stone cliff, with birds even resting on your shoulders, under the wind and rain.】

【Like a stone statue!】

【Lu Yu came out of seclusion after seven days, and after coming out, he guarded by your side with Liu Liu Jinchan.】

【Your breathing is long, your heartbeat is slow, and you seem to have entered a state of Zen.】

【Liu Liu Jinchan, seeing this from the side, sighed at your state: "Shenzhou, you really have great courage to scatter all the cultivation of 'Great Great Huangting' and choose to re-cultivate!"】

【Asking himself, he does not have the courage to discard his cultivation and re-cultivate.】

【Although "Primordial Art" has a very fast cultivation speed, it also requires one or two years of hard work; in the current era of great martial arts, such a choice cannot be considered wise.】

【Lu Yu laughed: "Master, don't worry; my brother does everything with careful consideration."】

【The tenth day!】

【The first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, and a ray of golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on your lapels and Daoist robe.】

【At this moment, when the sun rises and all things wake up, it is the time when the spiritual energy of the day is most abundant, and it is the best time for cultivation.】

【Your whole body naturally begins to attract the spiritual energy around you; they are like tiny specks of light, floating lightly beside you!】

【You slowly stretch out your palms, and on those slender and powerful hands, faint firelight begins to jump at your fingertips. This firelight was initially just a candle flame, but as time passed, it gradually strengthened, finally turning into a raging flame.】

【This flame did not last long before it slowly shrank again.】

【Like a fiery red charcoal burning fiercely on both hands.】

【Liu Liu Jinchan exclaimed in surprise: "Third level of Refining Heaven Hand?"】

【"Sealing Flame!"】

【"Refining Heaven Hand" has six levels, layer by layer; the first level, "Firewood," is the beginning of cultivation, only needing to gather heat in the palm, and paper, branches, and clothing placed on the hand will ignite without fire, capable of igniting subtle objects.】

【The second level, "Southern Candle," goes a step further; the heat in the hand steams, enough to form an open flame, making the surrounding space dry and hot, as if being beside an oil pan.】

【The third level, "Sealing Flame," can gather a ball of flame in the hand, squeezing it layer by layer, and the temperature in the hand is like being in a furnace.】

【Lu Yu also nodded with a smile: "It is indeed the third level of realm."】

【Liu Liu Jinchan had doubts in her heart; what she didn't understand was that you clearly had no cultivation at this moment, yet you could display the third level of the Refining Heaven Hand.】

【Lu Yu gave the answer: "This is thanks to the mystery of the second level above Primordial, 'Unity of Object and Self'."】

【In this realm, the practitioner can adjust the inner world and seek the state where the resonance with the outer world is strongest. Once the realm where the inner and outer worlds initially intersect is reached, one can swallow and spit out the primordial qi of heaven and earth, and even slightly mobilize the power of heaven and earth.】

【At this moment!】

【Your body seems to have undergone earth-shaking changes; your aura is like a river breaking its banks, swift and incomparable, and in just a very short time, you broke through the barrier of the Grandmaster Realm.】

【This change left Liu Liu Jinchan dumbfounded, almost unable to believe his eyes, and he muttered to himself:】

【"Entering Grandmaster in an instant... this... how is this possible!"】

【Lu Yu felt the spiritual energy within a radius of several miles being mobilized, and a smile also appeared on his face.】

【As the morning light of the second day appeared and the sun gradually climbed to the center of the sky, your cultivation fluctuated like a tide, and finally, your aura steadily stayed at the Primordial Realm.】

【Scattering all cultivation, ten days of work, returning to the Primordial Realm, breaking through to the third level, the profound realm of "Unity of Object and Self."】

【You slowly opened your eyes, and with a thought, a ball of crimson flame condensed in your palm.】

【When you waved it gently, the raging fire instantly dissipated, replaced by a strand of pure white spiritual energy; it was soft and pure, and it was the unique spiritual energy produced after the perfect fusion of "Primordial Art," "Refining Heaven Hand," and the fortune of the Yan territory.】

【Refining Heaven Hand seems to have had an extraordinary evolution; in the past, you absorbed the rolling fortune from the Yan territory and often felt it difficult to fully digest, but now with the assistance of Refining Heaven Hand, this process is ten times faster, making your cultivation progress by leaps and bounds.】

【Refining Heaven Hand, the two words "Refining Heaven," seem to have a deeper meaning.】

【Not only that, the flames released by Refining Heaven Hand only need a moment to exhaust all your spiritual energy, but after you reach the realm of "Unity of Object and Self," you can mobilize the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to provide energy for the flames, greatly reducing the consumption of your own spiritual energy.】

【After entering the Heavenly Human Realm, the inner and outer worlds will be completely integrated, and by then, spiritual energy will be inexhaustible and endless.】

【The path of cultivation is long and arduous.】

【At this time, the hunger from your belly came; even a strong person in the Primordial Realm cannot completely get rid of the dependence on grain. Although you can absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, some nourishment needed in life still needs to be obtained from food.】

【Lu Yu saw this and smiled: "Brother, let's go down and eat!"】

【After you heard this, you looked at Master Liu Liu Jinchan, and a flash of interest suddenly appeared on your face; the two of you looked at each other and smiled.】

【Then, each of you pulled one of Liu Liu Jinchan's arms and jumped down from the top of the cliff, leaving only a series of Liu Liu Jinchan's exclamations echoing in the air, as well as Lu Yu's laughter.】

【Today is the fourth day of the eighth month.】

【On the sixteenth of the eighth month, Enter Yanjing will hold the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony!】

【The second day!】

【Lu Yu's seven disciples returned to the mountain early; this time, the Seven Sons of Zhongnan went to Enter Yanjing together.】

【They had never walked the martial arts world with their martial uncle, and Yang Su was particularly excited; this had always been his long-cherished wish.】

【The seven were waiting in the main hall early.】

【Originally, the fifth brother Yang Su's wife was also going to go together; she was born in the Demon Sect and liked liveliness, but she was pregnant this year, so she was stopped by everyone.】

【Liu Liu Jinchan chose to stay on the mountain; Mount Zhongnan always needed a teacher to sit in town.】

【Early morning!】

【The nine of you bid farewell to Liu Liu Jinchan and began to descend the mountain; there were still a group of little Daoists in the Sanzhen Sect looking forward at the door, full of envy.】

【If they could go on a trip to the martial arts world with the two grand-martial uncles Lu Yu and Lu Chen, how good would that be! Maybe they would be famous in the martial arts world tomorrow!】

【Compared to the hard cultivation on the mountain, they preferred the martial arts world outside.】

【"Go, go, why aren't you doing your homework yet!"】

【A group of little Daoists scattered in a rush!】

【Liu Liu Jinchan stood on the steps outside the main hall, looking at the backs of your party.】

【Lu Yu sometimes descends Mount Zhongnan, and he has a great reputation in the martial arts world.】

【Every time he descends the mountain, the Demon Sect in the martial arts world is terrified, and he is known for "sweeping away demons" when descending the mountain.】

【You, however, have not been out once in ten years, always staying in the Tomb of the Living Dead on Mount Zhongnan.】

【Liu Liu Jinchan muttered: "The Prince of Yan has descended Mount Zhongnan again; what kind of wind and clouds will this world stir up!"】

【"The White Horse Alliance is over; will the four nations and the Yan territory still be calm?"】

【"The prophecy of martial arts shattering the void left by the Sanzhen Sect—which disciple will it finally fall upon?"】

【Liu Liu Jinchan did not expect that the two disciples he took in the Northern territory back then had already become figures who determined the situation of the world and the martial arts world.】

…………

…………

The Yuetang Jiang He is one of the four great water channels in the world.

It crosses Li Qian Yuan, the Yan territory, and Daqing from north to south, and finally enters the sea at the junction of the Chu and Han states.

The names in each country are also different!

Li Qian Yuan calls it the "Yuexiang Jiang He," which originates from the north side of the Tengji Mountain, the highest mountain in Li Qian Yuan, in the Chazarijiagen Mountain Range; in Li Qian Yuan, it means "the sun's wife, the moon," and it is also the origin of the Li Qian Yuan royal court.

Daqing calls it the "Yuetang Jiang He."

And when the Yuetang Jiang He flows into the territory of the State of Han, it is given a new name—"Taiping Jiang He."

The origin of this name is closely related to the Taiping Sect with a long history in the State of Han.

Legend has it that the founder of the Taiping Sect was born from this river, without father or mother, and was later adopted by local fishermen and raised to adulthood, named "Li Taiping"!

After Li Taiping grew up, he founded the Taiping Sect, and the teachings were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and widely respected by believers.

To commemorate this founder and his birthplace, this river was renamed Taiping Jiang He under the esteem of a group of believers.

The State of Han has a history of nearly a thousand years, and it can never bypass this great Daoist sect.

Initially, the authorization of the Emperor of the State of Han had to be authorized by the Taiping Sect.

The leader of the Taiping Sect also calls himself the "Heavenly Master."

The place where the Taiping Sect was founded is located on a water stream peak beside the middle reaches of the Taiping Jiang He.

There is only one rope to pass back and forth, and ordinary people cannot enter at all; if they are not careful, they will fall into the rushing river.

Only Grandmasters in the martial arts world can walk freely on the rope.

A Daoist temple is built on it, named "Shousui Temple."

This is the ancestral court of the Taiping Sect; the believers of the Taiping Sect are the most widespread among the Daoists, but the disciples who have received true registers are fewer than those of the Sanzhen Sect.

This generation only has eight or nine people!

The Daoist temple is not big!

In the garden of Shousui Temple, there is a ginkgo tree that is said to have lived for more than seven hundred years.

It is tall and straight, with lush branches and leaves; looking up at night, one can only see a bright moon hanging on the treetops.

Every autumn, it is a tree of golden yellow, which is very beautiful.

However, for the little Daoists in the sect, it is indeed annoying; when the autumn wind blows, it falls with a rustle, and the fallen leaves are really hard to sweep!

Two little Daoists got up early to practice martial arts; they still had four senior brothers above them who had already descended the mountain, leaving only the two of them.

Only by reaching the Grandmaster Realm can one descend the mountain and pass through that iron lock.

The iron lock is seventy or eighty zhang long, and below it is a roaring waterfall; if one goes down, most people will not survive.

Large ships dare not go either; there are sinkholes and undercurrents in the river, and if one is not careful, the ship will be destroyed and people will die!

If you want to go out, there is only one way!

Practice martial arts honestly and cross the iron lock.

As for whether the world outside is good or not, the two little Daoists do not know; they were adopted by their master since they were young and have not seen the colorful world outside.

They only know!

Several senior brothers desperately wanted to go out, and since they went out, they never came back.

They don't think of their "junior brothers" anymore!

The two little Daoists were a bit worried.

The little Daoist also asked his master, "If the iron lock breaks, what should we do?"

They don't want to spend their whole lives in this Shousui Temple.

The old Daoist laughed and said, "Just fly over!"

The little Daoist curled his lips and walked away with a broom.

"Disciple is talking to you seriously, Master, you are just bragging!"

Seventy or eighty zhang, how can a person fly over!

Today is also a coincidence!

The two little Daoists took their brooms and pushed open the door.

They saw!

A tall old Daoist, draped in a hemp Daoist robe, wearing a lotus crown on his head, with gray hair, eyebrows, and beard, but his face was still purple-red, looking spirited.

This is their master "Xuan Son of Heaven," the temple master of Shousui Temple.

There are only three people in the temple, two disciples and one master.

The two little Daoists were not in a hurry, looked at each other, smiled, hugged their brooms, and watched their master sweep the floor.

Xuan Son of Heaven looked at his two disciples and shouted:

"Why don't you come and help!"

The two then went to sweep unhurriedly.

The little Daoist suggested:

"Master, why don't you cut down this tree? It drops leaves every day, it's very annoying."

Xuan Son of Heaven stroked his beard and said:

"Your senior brothers asked the same thing back then; guess what happened?"

The little Daoist probed: "They were beaten!"

"You know, and you still ask!"

The little Daoist said resentfully: "Haha, this was planted by the Taiping founder back then, it cannot be cut, it cannot be cut!"

"The seven-hundred-year-old ancient tree is very precious, it cannot be cut."

The two of them had been beaten by their master many times, so they were still a bit afraid.

After the three finished sweeping, the old Daoist had already prepared two bowls of vegetarian meals.

The two Daoists had strange expressions; usually, the two of them prepared them.

What happened today!

The old Daoist said: "Master is going down the mountain this time?"

The little Daoist knew that every year or two, the master would go down the mountain once and return after a few days.

But today he swept the courtyard and made vegetarian meals.

It was strange!

The old Daoist urged:

"After eating, go do your homework!"

The quick-witted little Daoist noticed the difference and asked:

"Master, you aren't going down the mountain to fight, are you? Are you afraid of losing?"

If it were usual!

The master would laugh and say: "I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back and send the opponent away, and I'll have to perform funeral rites for them!"

Unexpectedly!

This time the old Daoist nodded gently.

The two were greatly surprised!

"Go, go!"

The old Daoist drove the two away and looked up at this tall ginkgo tree.

Lush branches and leaves, golden yellow leaves.

The old Daoist said to himself leisurely:

"I planted this tree myself when I stepped into martial arts back then; I didn't expect it to be so tall now."

"Shousui Temple, guarding peace for the world, no one can ascend!"

"Lu Chen, I originally didn't want to kill you, but you shouldn't have reached this step!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 184 =====