Chapter 47

On this day, Wei Yuan suddenly realized he had been at Tai Chu Palace for a full year. Had it not been for his daily morning classes, he might have forgotten whether he was human or Jade Toad—truth be told, he spent more time absorbing lunar radiance than anything else.

The sky was already dark, the bright moon rising, a faint chill in the evening breeze; tall trees cast mottled shadows across the lonely courtyard. It was a scene of poignant beauty, but Wei Yuan looked at the moon and felt like vomiting.

Yet, how could he mark the anniversary of his immortal path the same as any other day?

Wei Yuan placed cups and dishes on the stone table in the courtyard, poured clear water into a teacup, and set a single Qi-Intake Pill in the center of the plate—this was his anniversary feast. The last time he had tasted human food was at Bao Yun’s banquet; since then, he had eaten nothing but plain rice for a full year.

This year had been extremely arduous.

The pocket money given to him by True Person Fenhai had long been spent, and Wei Yuan now owed Qisi Hall over two thousand taels. On top of that, there were unavoidable expenses for his studies he could not defer, so he borrowed from Bao Yun’s public account—accumulating several thousand taels in debt over the year. Altogether, Wei Yuan was over ten thousand taels in debt—a modest achievement, in its own way.

This year had been especially lonely.

Since meeting True Person Fenhai, Wei Yuan had seen Zhang Sheng fewer than a dozen times, totaling less than half a day. Outside of classes, he spent nearly all his time sitting atop a massive rock, staring blankly at the full moon. Oh, for a Jade Toad, sitting and lying were essentially the same posture.

Absorbing lunar radiance? Now Wei Yuan could do it even while asleep.

This year had been crushing in pressure.

At this point, whether he worked hard or not hardly mattered—there were only twelve hours in a day, and no amount of effort could conjure an extra one.

Looking back on the past year, it took but a single thought to recall everything.

Wei Yuan sighed softly, sat beside the table, raised his cup first in tribute to Wei Youcai far away in Yongzhou, then to Zhang Sheng, drained it in one gulp, picked up the Qi-Intake Pill, assumed a bold and heroic stance, and swallowed it with a toss of his head.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Sheng’s voice suddenly came from behind.

Wei Yuan was so startled the Qi-Intake Pill lodged in his throat—neither going down nor coming up.

He turned to see Zhang Sheng’s expressionless face, and his cheeks burned hot; a surge of blood rushed to his head, and he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself alive.

Zhang Sheng simply stared at Wei Yuan until his face turned from red to purple, as if he were about to spit blood—then suddenly smiled.

Wei Yuan instantly felt the ten-thousand-zhang mountain crushing his chest vanish without a trace; joy surged through him. He could no longer remember how long it had been since he’d seen his master smile.

Zhang Sheng glanced at the teacup and the neatly arranged empty dishes on the table, and Wei Yuan’s face flushed red again.

There were two pairs of chopsticks on the table.

Zhang Sheng could no longer contain himself—he burst into loud laughter, making Wei Yuan want to bash his head against a wall.

Zhang Sheng laughed until his stomach ached and he could barely stand upright, then forced himself to sober and said, “The Ancestor has divined the heavenly fate and determined that your cultivation has reached completion today—he has specifically ordered me to take you to Tianqing Hall.”

“Cultivation complete?!” Wei Yuan was overjoyed.

For a full year, Wei Yuan had swallowed lunar radiance until he nearly forgot he was human. Though the dark shadow in the moon still looked exactly as it had at first, since the Ancestor said his cultivation was complete, it must be true.

Zhang Sheng had said “Ancestor,” not “Master’s Master”—in Tianqing Hall, “Ancestor” could only mean Xuan Yue Zhenjun.

An Ancestor’s summons could not be delayed. Zhang Sheng summoned his flying sword and lifted Wei Yuan into the air. But he couldn’t stop laughing—his sword wobbled, rising and falling erratically.

Every time Zhang Sheng laughed, Wei Yuan wanted to jump off the sword.

Mid-flight, Zhang Sheng suddenly said, “Today marks your first year in the palace—it’s a day worth remembering.”

Wei Yuan froze, suddenly feeling his nose grow stiff with emotion—he hadn’t expected Zhang Sheng to remember. Over the past year, he’d seen his master only once a month, and he’d nearly convinced himself his teacher had abandoned him.

Wei Yuan had grown much taller this year—he now stood above Zhang Sheng’s nose, so head-patting was no longer convenient. Zhang Sheng patted his shoulder and said gently, “Foolish child, the immortal path is long. You and I have many years ahead.”

Wei Yuan’s nose grew stiff again, his eyes dry.

The flying sword swayed like a drunkard, but it remembered the way, and finally arrived at the main hall of Tianqing Hall.

The main hall of Tianqing Hall stood eighty-eight zhang tall, far grander than the side pavilion where True Person Fenhai resided. As Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng stood in the great hall, a warm, resonant voice came from above: “You are Wei Yuan? Show me your contemplation diagram.”

Wei Yuan sat cross-legged. The cultivation method was etched into his bones—he hadn’t even entered meditation before the diagram appeared in his mind; the Jade Toad eagerly gulped down a mouthful of lunar radiance!

At this moment, the contemplation diagram did not merely appear in Wei Yuan’s mind—it manifested in full scale at the center of Tianqing Hall.

A massive boulder appeared in the center of the hall, upon which coiled a terrifying Jade Toad nearly a hundred zhang long—its head brushing the ceiling, the full moon now hanging just beyond the roof!

Could the vast main hall of Tianqing Hall not contain a single contemplation diagram?!

The hall fell utterly silent.

Finally, Xuan Yue Zhenjun’s voice spoke again: “Wei Yuan, you have practiced the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Diagram for three hundred and sixty-five days, but you must not expand further. I shall teach you a method to immediately enter Foundation Establishment—go to the side hall and cultivate.”

Wei Yuan rose as instructed and went to the side hall. He was not at all surprised by the diagram in the main hall—he thought about the Toad every day; there was nothing remarkable to see.

After Wei Yuan left, six figures appeared in the hall, including True Person Fenhai. The True Persons stared at the towering Jade Toad in silence.

The hall suddenly vanished, revealing the complete contemplation diagram—everyone now seemed to stand in empty space. Xuan Yue Zhenjun had used his divine power to dissolve the hall so they could see the full diagram.

Xuan Yue Zhenjun asked: “Zhang Sheng, you are his master—do you know how far he has come?”

Zhang Sheng replied: “I am busy every day, only visiting once a month to give guidance. At first, I thought the diagram was a bit large, but after seeing it often, I grew accustomed. Besides, Wei Yuan’s cultivation had no errors, so I did not interfere.”

“Then what have you been so busy with?” Xuan Yue Zhenjun’s tone carried a hint of reproach.

Zhang Sheng glanced casually at True Person Fenhai, then said, “Nothing.”

Xuan Yue Zhenjun did not press further, but said: “Though celestial fortune still flows from beyond, Wei Yuan has drawn upon it for three hundred and sixty-five days. Excess is as harmful as deficiency—it must cease.”

In the vast full moon, the dark shadow appeared especially clear. Those with shallow cultivation sensed nothing, but the True Persons present all felt a creeping unease.

One True Person said: “Celestial fortune from beyond is fundamentally different from our world’s qi. By converting it into his own foundation, isn’t Wei Yuan essentially stealing?”

Xuan Yue Zhenjun said: “That is precisely my concern. I shall personally seal the channel of celestial fortune.”

Another True Person suddenly spoke: “After three hundred and sixty-five days of being drained, the shadow has

The other True Persons only then grasped this point, and all drew a sharp breath.

A slender thread of lunar radiance descended from the air—it was the signature Dao art of the True Lord of the Crescent Moon. The lunar radiance fell upon the full moon in the visualization diagram, causing the shadow within the moon to blur and gradually vanish.

As the shadow within the moon dissolved, all the True Persons inexplicably exhaled in relief, feeling as though they had escaped a mortal peril. Yet just then, the shadow suddenly expanded at great speed, spilling outright from the full moon, and from within it emerged a bird-headed creature with three eyes!

It immediately scanned the great hall, then fixed its gaze upon Zhang Sheng.

(End of Chapter)