Chapter 303: The Primordial Gate, Master Peng Chuan!

……

This year, you have reached fifty-one autumns; once again, the autumn wind rises, and the persimmon groves atop Mount Zhongnan are draped in fiery red.

With the destiny of late-blooming talent enhancing you, your cultivation speed far surpasses what it once was.

Moreover, the vast auspicious energy from Yan lands flows like a celestial river woven from brocade, reversing upward in a mighty torrent, nourishing your body.

You gaze toward Yan lands, where it seems as if the entire cosmos has become the greatest furnace, surging with cinnabar qi.

In recent years, the auspicious energy of Yan lands has grown ever richer, its five hues gradually fading, leaving only crimson and white intertwined.

It refines heaven and earth, returning the essence to nourish itself.

With the combined power of late-blooming talent and Yan's auspicious energy, your cultivation advances a thousand li a day—just days of practice equal months of prior toil!

Since breaking through to Grand Master, you have become aware of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

In less than a year, you have quietly reached the threshold of the Primordial State—the next realm beyond Grand Master.

Among the vast scriptures of the Three Truths Sect, only the book "Primordial Art" records the path to this realm.

It emphasizes opening the meridians and awakening the spirit.

The nine primary meridians—eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and the front and rear orifices—are each a gateway to heaven and earth's secrets; beneath each primary meridian lie nine subtle acupoints, which must be refined one by one to penetrate the mystery and draw primordial qi into the body, strengthening oneself.

To open each meridian, one must first gently nourish it with true qi, slowly unblocking it until it expands naturally, while meticulously refining the nine associated acupoints.

The nine meridians are intrinsically one with the five viscera and six bowels; refining the meridians is refining the internal organs.

The eye meridian is closely linked to the liver, enhancing vision to pierce illusions and accelerating recovery.

The ear meridian connects to the kidneys, vastly increasing hearing and acuity; the nose meridian links to the lungs, sharpening smell and filtering impurities from primordial qi, accelerating cultivation and restoring true qi with remarkable efficacy.

As for the mouth meridian, it is tied to the heart; when the viscera are fully tempered, the seven orifices naturally connect, forming an initial inner cosmos, self-contained and endlessly cyclical.

As for the front and rear orifices, they are the exits of impurity; opening them completes the nine meridians, fully realizing the inner cosmos, filling the body with abundant true qi capable of external release.

When all nine meridians open, the inner cosmos is unblocked, energy is abundant, primordial qi is stored within, the secret gate opens, and the internal cycle is perfected—that is the Primordial State.

You have now opened seven meridians; only two remain to be unlocked before you achieve the Primordial State.

You estimate it will take several more months to complete it.

As you prepared to leave the Living Dead Tomb, you noticed another letter from the Yan Prince's mansion had arrived at Mount Zhongnan, quietly placed in the basket by the door—you did not open it.

In recent years, official documents have piled up on your desk.

Among the seven disciples under Lu Yu, each possesses unique talent; Feng Zhuoping dislikes martial arts and is obsessed with governance, pursuing the path of pacifying the state and securing the realm—he is meticulous, flawless, and rarely errs, so you entrusted him with these documents, and over the years he has grown ever more adept.

Whenever important documents require handling, he carefully reviews them to ensure accuracy.

For documents requiring the official seal, he solemnly retrieves your personal seal and presses it gently.

Documents bearing your personal seal are immediately dispatched by swift horse out of the mountain.

This is the folk saying: "Policy originates from Zhongnan."

Orders are enforced without exception, reaching far and wide.

Within the Yan Prince's mansion, there is a great seal, kept by the two senior ministers Liu Wen and Dou Gu.

Today, every decree issued by Yan lands bears the Yan Prince's seal.

Yet every document sent to Mount Zhongnan bears the private seal inscribed "Shenzhou."

The people of Yan lands know the Yan Prince does not reside in his mansion—he lives on Mount Zhongnan.

This private seal bearing the characters "Shenzhou" is even more revered among the people than the Yan Prince's royal seal.

You slowly stepped out of the Living Dead Tomb.

Early autumn brought chilly mist; after years of cultivation, you no longer feel the sting of cold, especially since becoming a Grand Master and opening numerous meridians—spiritual energy now nourishes your entire body, and you have forgotten the seasons.

Now, a single leap carries you five or six zhang; with a flick of your wrist, a pebble can snap a tree trunk.

Far beyond ordinary humans!

Yet you still wear a Daoist robe—it has become habit.

On Mount Zhongnan, the entire mountain blazes with crimson leaves; this year, the persimmon trees and other fruit trees have grown unusually robust, heavy with sweet, delicious fruit.

You began your cultivation—these ten years, rain or shine, never once slackened.

The path of cultivation is like rowing upstream; if you do not advance, you retreat. You know this well, so every step is firm and resolute.

You resumed your stance training; the mighty auspicious energy from the northern lands began gathering around you.

You breathed slowly; as the Primordial Art activated, spiritual energy flowed like fine streams, converging to nourish your body, solidifying your cultivation further.

When you finished, you opened your eyes and saw two figures beside you.

One wore a Daoist robe, smiling, a red mole on his forehead faintly glowing in the morning light—his entire being ethereal and transcendent, like an immortal walking among mortals.

It was Lu Yu!

He stood effortlessly atop a blade of grass, light as air, yet the fragile blade did not bend beneath his weight.

Had it not been for the crimson-white auspicious energy from Yan lands, ceaselessly flowing and enveloping Mount Zhongnan, and your deep familiarity with it, you would never have noticed Lu Yu within it.

Normally, you sense absolutely no trace of him—he merges with the surrounding trees, and even if you look directly, you overlook him.

You could not help but marvel: though your own cultivation has advanced swiftly these years, Lu Yu's progress seems even more astonishing.

He is now fifty, yet his appearance grows ever younger—even more youthful than his seven disciples.

Beside Lu Yu stood an elderly man, vigorous and robust, with a large belly, a fan tucked at his waist, and a face beaming with joy.

You could not help but smile, a hint of warmth on your lips, and said:

"Master, when did you return?"

This was your long-absent master, Liu Jinchan, the wandering immortal.

Liu Jinchan chuckled: "I arrived last night. Knowing you, Shenzhou, would be diligently cultivating, I did not wish to disturb you, so I went first to You'an."

You studied him closely and noticed your master had aged considerably.

His white hair stood out starkly, a sharp contrast to Lu Yu's youthful appearance.

This stirred within you an even stronger resolve—the crimson-white auspicious energy nearby trembled faintly.

Yet this energy could be seen by you alone—even Lu Yu, the strongest among you, could not perceive it.

Liu Jinchan said with quiet satisfaction: "Shenzhou, I never imagined that in just a few years, you would break through to Grand Master—you are among the few in all the land."

"Alas, Master will likely never reach the Grand Master realm in this lifetime."

You smiled gently and comforted him: "Master, why grieve over this? Though you have not reached Grand Master, you have two disciples who have."

Hearing this, Liu Jinchan laughed heartily—as if he had truly let go of his attachment.

The three of you returned to the main hall of Mount Zhongnan. The disciples respectfully served tea, and soon the hall fell silent, leaving only the three of you.

Liu Jinchan's expression turned solemn. From his robe, he withdrew an ancient, yellowed book and placed it gently before you and Lu Yu.

Lu Yu curiously opened the cover and saw bold characters inscribed: "Peng Chuan's Notes."

"Peng Chuan"—the name stirred a faint memory in your mind.

You recalled: he was the Ninth Patriarch of the Three Truths Sect, revered as the Northern Patriarch of the Three Truths, the one who truly spread the sect's teachings in the north and compiled the "Great Yellow Court Scripture."

He mastered yin-yang arts and the occult arts of Qimen Dunjia, and was the third patriarch in Three Truths records to break through to Grand Master; folk tales widely tell of his daytime ascension.

Peng Chuan flourished during the reign of Emperor Jing of Daqing, and was close friends with the great scholar Zhu Fuzi.

Emperor Jing's era was the only time in three thousand years when spiritual energy revived!

(End of Chapter)