Chapter 43

A month passed quickly.

This month brought little change: he still rose early to recite scriptures, chopped wood and fetched water, and in his spare time visited his second master’s alchemy chamber to watch him refine pills and listen to his teachings on pillcraft. The Immortal Source Temple held three lectures, and Lin Jue attended them all. Additionally, the temple offered lessons every other day to teach young Daoists how to read characters; Lin Jue went for two days, found they were teaching only the most basic literacy, and stopped going—leaving only his little sister to attend alone.

In the second month after arriving at the temple, Lin Jue and the others began practicing the Yin-Yang Spirit Method.

Daoist Yunhe and the eldest disciple taught them together.

“If you can sense the Yin and Yang energies, draw them into your body. Within a single day, Yin and Yang cannot be evenly divided—you must use the weaker energy to draw the stronger. Near noon, Yang is strong and Yin is weak, so use Yin to draw Yang; near midnight, Yin is strong and Yang is weak, so use Yang to draw Yin. Remember, remember: use as much weak energy as the strong energy you draw—balance is essential.”

“Within a day, the greatest disparity between Yin and Yang yields the least spiritual resonance; the smallest disparity yields the most.”

“Your cultivation is still low—do not be greedy. Practice only at midnight and noon.”

“Remember! Balance Yin and Yang!”

“If you’re greedy, hah—when I was young, I sought rapid progress, lost balance, and never corrected it. Now I’ve shortened my life, and my whole body feels uncomfortable.”

These words kept entering Lin Jue’s ears.

Yet Lin Jue sat cross-legged in Banshipoint Hall, eyes closed, deeply sensing, his mind as still as water—filled only with Daoist Yunhe’s words and the chaotic spiritual resonance of the heavens.

Amid the chaos, take only Yin and Yang.

It was noon now: Yang energy surged fiercely, like an ocean of flame covering the world. The mountains and forests outside glowed bright, and only cicadas dared to sing. In contrast, Yin energy was extremely weak—barely perceptible unless one paid close attention in this blinding radiance.

After struggling to sense it, he used that single thread of Yin to pry loose an equal thread of Yang, drawing both into his body.

If he took one thread of Yin, then later took one thread of Yang, it was laborious. But if he took one thread of Yin and immediately pried loose an equal thread of Yang, drawing them in together, it felt utterly natural.

Perhaps because Yin and Yang were inherently linked.

This method was clever.

Clever and stable—hard to unbalance.

His little sister sat beside him, frowning deeply.

The little fox cub dared not enter Banshipoint Hall; it still huddled at the threshold, waiting for them. It had grown a little taller this month, yet still instinctively crouched behind the step. Listening to the sounds inside, its jet-black round eyes often showed signs of thought—sometimes tilting its head, sometimes scratching, sometimes yawning and curling up to nap, or staring at passing cats, occasionally getting swatted.

How long passed, no one knew.

“Enough.”

“Huh…”

Lin Jue opened his eyes.

They held contemplation, and sudden understanding.

His little sister opened her eyes too—but they were blank.

“Brother, did you draw in any spiritual resonance?”

“I did.”

“Ah?” The little sister froze, then grew anxious. “Why did it take me so long just to sense Yin-Yang spiritual resonance, yet I still can’t draw it into my body at all?”

“Lin Jue has practiced the Nourishing Qi Method—he already has a foundation. Besides, the Nourishing Qi Method’s breathing and guiding techniques inherently involve Yin-Yang spiritual resonance. Naturally, success comes easier.” The eldest disciple spoke gently, “You sensed the presence of Yin-Yang energy and spiritual resonance on your first try—that’s already extraordinary. Don’t lose heart. Master took you into the temple because your talent is exceptional. You’ve recited the Yin-Yang Scripture for a month—there must be progress. I’m certain you’ll succeed in drawing spiritual resonance within a few days.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t compare yourself! Comparison breeds discouragement! Discouragement breeds greed! Greed invites disaster!” Daoist Yunhe spoke with rare seriousness, “Do you still remember the wolf companion we met on the road?”

“That wolf demon? Of course.”

“Do you remember how his crow brother was smarter—but it was the wolf who attained enlightenment, while the crow never did?” The old Daoist said, “Cultivation also depends on fate. A touch of ambition is fine—use it in practicing techniques. But on the Dao itself, better to follow nature’s flow.”

“Understood.”

The little sister nodded seriously.

Lin Jue couldn’t help wondering: what kind of person could possess both ambition and a sense of natural flow—and perfectly allocate each to separate pursuits?

“Master, I heard the Yin-Yang Spirit Method can extend life?” Lin Jue, returning from his thoughts, asked.

“Any spirit method can extend life. Fewer illnesses, better health, dying peacefully in old age—it naturally prolongs life.” Daoist Yunhe said, “To truly exceed your predetermined lifespan, you must refine the Yin-Yang Spirit Method to profound depth—and maintain perfect balance.”

“Are you profound?”

“I was young and reckless—I lost balance, and never regained it. How could I be called profound?” Daoist Yunhe shook his head humbly.

“How many years can it extend?”

“The Daoist knows not.”

“Could it lead to immortality?”

“Cultivation methods are cultivation methods. Immortality requires an immortality method. Looking through history, only in ancient times did anyone seek immortality solely through Daoist cultivation.”

“Then what methods grant immortality?”

Lin Jue remained seated, earnestly asking.

“There are many immortality methods—hard and easy, true and false, real and illusory—it depends on how you define them.” Daoist Yunhe looked at his disciple, sighed faintly, then continued, “For example, those who enter the divine register, join the celestial ranks, transcend their original lifespan. Though they cannot match heaven and earth in longevity, as long as incense offerings endure and the Nine Heavens remain unshattered, they endure. Is that not immortality?”

“… ” Lin Jue pondered, said nothing, then asked, “Are there others?”

“Become a ghost after death, avoid reincarnation, cultivate into a great ghost or ghost immortal. Though you lose your human body and all human emotions, you still endure—until heaven and earth change, or someone destroys you. Is that immortality as you envision it?”

“Any others?”

“Some demon cultivators have methods—stealing human Yang life to forge into pills, using demonic arts to constantly swap bodies, patching themselves together. They endure. Is that immortality?”

“Is there no other righteous, unbound path to immortality?”

“Immortality without aging? Hard. Freedom without restraint? Hard. Immortality without aging AND freedom without restraint? Hard, hard, hard.” Daoist Yunhe sighed repeatedly.

“Is there truly none?”

“There is one—what you asked for when you climbed the mountain: the Immortal Dao.”

“Please, Master, instruct me.”

Lin Jue’s expression sharpened, his request sincere.

“Immortal and immortal—people always pair these words. But if you seek it, you must distinguish them.”

“Disciple listens with utmost attention.”

“There are countless celestial beings—but what is a celestial being? The soldiers guarding the Heavenly Gates, the guardian spirits assigned to True Masters of Talismans, the attendants of immortals, the dancing fairy maidens—all these are ‘immortals’ others aspire to become. But to achieve immortality without aging and freedom without restraint, only the ancient True Immortals of legend can do it.”

“Ancient True Immortals?”

“In ancient times, human cultivators were numerous, and paths to immortality were many: some attained it through arduous practice, some through virtue and divine appointment, some through refining pills and ascending to heaven. Only those who pierced heaven and earth could be called True Immortals.” Daoist Yunhe said, “Later, all these True Immortals ascended to the Nine Heavens, built celestial realms, and became the various Heavenly Lords and ancient gods. If you become an ancient True Immortal, equal to them, you will naturally achieve immortality without aging and freedom without restraint. But since ancient times, few have been able to cultivate great power and attain True Immortality in this world.”

Lin Jue silently memorized it.

Seeing this, Daoist Yunhe sighed, waved his hand, and rose to leave:

“Today’s practice ends here. The Yin-Yang Spirit Method isn’t just about drawing Yin and Yang; the Five Elements Spirit Method isn’t just about cultivating the Five Elements. Now that you’ve learned the Yin-Yang Spirit Method, go into the mountains daily to sense heaven and earth, gather more spiritual resonance. You may linger here a while longer—remember, don’t rush. Don’t unbalance Yin and Yang.”

“Understood.”

Lin Jue sat a while longer, savoring the feeling, then rose and walked out.

The little fox cub fixed its gaze on him. When Daoist Yunhe and the eldest disciple emerged, it didn’t move—only watched them, studying who they were. But the moment Lin Jue stepped out, it whimpered, trotted forward on tiny steps, and followed.

“Are you listening too?”

“How much did you understand?”

“… ”

Lin Jue walked, speaking casually to it.

Back in his room, he opened the ancient book.

A new page had appeared: “Ingestion.”

Ingestion was a method created by alchemists to aid in taking pills.

The book’s description matched what his second master said: some pills are violently potent, some hard to digest, some even poisonous—they require ingestion techniques to fully activate their effects and avoid poisoning. Many mortals, ignorant of this, swallow pills at random. Lucky ones survive; unlucky ones die quickly.

Especially since most pills involve lead, mercury, gold, silver, cinnabar, and powdered stone.

In detail, it boils down to two essentials: “harmonizing” and “neutralizing.” The claim that practicing ingestion makes one immune to poison is merely a side effect of the neutralizing technique.

Harmonizing relies on internal Qi to balance medicinal properties. Neutralizing requires not only internal Qi but also long-term practice consuming toxins. Precisely because Lin Jue had practiced the Nourishing Qi Method and the temple taught “Medicine,” his second master said he could begin practicing ingestion early—he wouldn’t easily die from poison, and even if he collapsed, his fifth brother would heal him.

It was, frankly, miserable.

Yet the book explained this method in far greater detail.

At this moment, another page had appeared:

The Original Yin-Yang Method: Minor Yin-Yang Method.

The Great Yin-Yang Dao is profound beyond profundity, wondrous beyond wonder. Cultivators forever struggle with balance—hence the distinction between Minor Yin-Yang Method and Great Yin-Yang Method.

The ancient sages wrote the “Yin-Yang Scripture,” explaining Yin-Yang energy and the principle of balance. Later generations studied and annotated it, gradually uncovering the essence of the Yin-Yang Spirit Method. Yet Yin and Yang energy cannot be evenly divided within a single day, so all Yin-Yang Spirit Methods without exception draw balanced energy—either using the weak to draw the strong, or carefully taking energy at dawn and dusk. Each has its own method, all serving the word “balance.”

Later, great cultivators painstakingly discovered the Great Yin-Yang Method.

The Great Yin-Yang Method draws Yin and Yang energy together—within a day, total Yin and Yang drawn need only be balanced, not constantly balanced. Hence, it is called the Great Yin-Yang Method.

The former is slow, the latter fast; the former stable, the latter urgent.

This method, originating from Xiang’s annotations to the “Original Meaning of Yin-Yang,” is commonly called the Yin-Yang Original Method, or Xiang’s Yin-Yang. It cultivates slowly, cautiously, steadily—belonging to the Minor Yin-Yang Method.

Lin Jue stared, stunned.

It reminded him of the folk “Fire-Averting Art,” divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Could the Yin-Yang Spirit Method also have such distinctions?

One method requires perfect balance with every thread of spiritual resonance drawn—so the amount drawn depends not on the strong energy, but on the weak. Cultivation efficiency is low. The other ignores all this entirely—drawing Yin and Yang energy together each time. In the Yin-Yang Spirit Method of Fuxiu Temple, in the method Lin Jue had just learned, in the “Original Meaning of Yin-Yang,” this was considered extremely dangerous and taboo.

Lin Jue did not know the principle behind it, nor how the great cultivator had avoided its dangers, nor what profound mysteries lay within—unfortunately, it was not recorded here.

After a moment’s thought, he pinched the page.

Even the Minor Yin-Yang Method was explained in astonishing detail—it felt as if listening to the Dao itself, entranced and spellbound.

Night passed without notice.