Chapter 99: How to Awaken the Sorrow of Parting

To create a new cultivation technique, the general process is much like writing an essay. First, understand the principles and basic framework of the Heavenly Frenzy; this step Wei Yuan has already completed. Second, consult other aura techniques and Dao-base methods, gather diverse insights, absorb the strengths of many schools, and establish a clear direction. Third, write the technique. Fourth, test the new technique and identify flaws. Finally, return to step two or one based on the problems found, repeating the entire process.

Now Wei Yuan’s task was the second step. Since repairing the spirit vein seemed a massive undertaking with no clear timeline, he rose and went to the Bosithall.

The Bosithall for Dao-base cultivators was far larger than that for Foundation Establishment, consisting of nine grand halls and pavilions. Though Wei Yuan had no Immortal Silver, he possessed abundant Merit Points, so he paid with Merit Points to enter the Bosithall. Under the guidance of a clerical Daoist, he located the sections for aura techniques and Dao-base methods, carefully selected over a dozen texts, and sat down to study them closely.

The Dao-base Bosithall imposed no limit on the number of texts one could borrow and provided numerous reading desks within. These desks were magical artifacts with a calming, spirit-nourishing effect—sitting on them allowed one to read for three days without fatigue. Additionally, the Dao-base Bosithall charged by the day; those wishing to study long-term were provided free Spirit-Intake Pills.

Wei Yuan read through each technique and secret art, unaware that three hours had passed. He returned this batch to its place, selected another twenty or so texts, and continued reading. Thus, a full day and night passed, and Wei Yuan had finished reading over fifty aura techniques.

After taking a Spirit-Intake Pill, Wei Yuan fetched another pile of Dao-base methods and resumed his study.

By the time he finished reading a hundred aura techniques and Dao-base methods, Wei Yuan had developed a general direction in mind. Though still somewhat vague, the path ahead had now been found.

At this moment, Wei Yuan finally understood why the Immortal Sect’s comprehensive examination included a literary test. Most of these aura techniques and methods had been collected by the Tai Chu Palace from outside, preserved largely in their original form—so they contained languages from many eras, many using obscure, deliberately mystifying terminology. Though scholars had carefully proofread and removed errors and overly archaic words during cataloging, overall, these ancient and medieval techniques remained difficult to comprehend.

If one lacked literary competence, one could not even understand the most basic technique, let alone innovate or forge a new Dao path.

Thus Wei Yuan continued reading text after text, walking deeper into the endless shelves.

In the Heavenly Craft Hall, a dark-skinned, burly cultivator frowned at the robed Daoist before him: “To repair the entire mountain’s Spirit Gathering Array, ninety thousand Immortal Silver is nowhere near enough—not to mention adding a new tributary vein. This job will cost at least one hundred fifty thousand!”

The robed Daoist spoke softly: “His Immortal Majesty believes the palace’s recent expenditures are heavy, and hopes the Heavenly Craft Hall can shoulder some of the burden—this time, no profit is to be made.”

The burly cultivator glared: “Work for free? Do the disciples in this hall not need to cultivate? Do they not consume provisions? Are we to be the only ones starved while the Heavenly Mechanism Hall and Creation View grow fat? We’re already destitute—this is unacceptable!”

The robed Daoist showed no irritation: “The Creation View sells its pills at high prices, but each cultivator pays out of pocket—the palace has no say. The same goes for the Heavenly Mechanism Hall. But most of your work is paid directly by the palace—that’s the difference.”

The burly cultivator snorted heavily: “One hundred thousand, no less! Or don’t blame me for being unreasonable!”

“Agreed.”

Seeing the robed Daoist agree without hesitation, the burly cultivator realized he’d just undersold himself. He grumbled: “I’m warning you now—if the Spirit Gathering Array breaks again after this repair, we’ll need to replace many components and materials, and it won’t be this price!”

“Of course I understand.”

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

After reading countless techniques and secret arts, Wei Yuan’s accumulated knowledge finally bore fruit; his vision of what the Heavenly Frenzy should be became increasingly clear. One day, he suddenly had a profound insight, took up paper and brush, and began writing furiously. Moments later, a vast, flowing set of cultivation verses appeared on the page—the Dao-base chapter of the Heavenly Frenzy!

The moment he finished the final character, Wei Yuan felt a subtle resonance, as if he had touched something formless in heaven and earth. He gazed out the window and sensed that the Empty Valley Hanging Green seemed half as vivid, the wind stronger—but no other unusual signs appeared.

Wei Yuan turned his gaze back and suddenly noticed a young Daoist standing before his desk, clad in black robes, reading the newly written Dao-base chapter of the Heavenly Frenzy.

After silently finishing, the robed Daoist praised: “At your young age, to innovate so boldly is rare enough—but even rarer is the grandeur of your vision, the will to reshape heaven and earth.”

Wei Yuan could not fathom the robed Daoist’s cultivation base—he knew the man’s realm far surpassed his own. He rose respectfully: “A crude draft—please, Elder, offer your guidance.”

The robed Daoist shook his head: “I cannot guide you. My heart is too skewed—I’d only mislead you. First, the matter at hand: I serve under Master Pei, handling minor affairs. I’ve come here on his command to assign you a task.”

The task had finally arrived. Wei Yuan stood at attention, listening.

“This is no place to speak. Come to your quarters.”

Wei Yuan returned the borrowed texts and followed the robed Daoist out of the Bosithall, returning to his dwelling. The cave now overflowed with spiritual energy—after a month of repairs, the spirit vein had been restored.

The robed Daoist placed two jade tablets before Wei Yuan. One depicted a young female cultivator. She appeared under twenty, her large eyes sparkling with mischief, a finger pressed to her lips, as if plotting some trick.

The robed Daoist said: “Since you wish to hone yourself against alien races, travel to the Shattered Zone west of Ningzhou, find her, and bring her back. If you cannot bring her back alive, bring back what she carries. This tablet contains the mission details—you may study them later. Also, this journey carries unpredictable risks. To ensure your safety, the palace has specially granted you a magical belt. It is usable at Dao-base, contains a pocket space, and holds a divine thought of an Immortal Lord—equivalent to a single strike from a Law-Form True Person. Use it well, and it can save your life.”

“Oh, by the way, there are some small items inside the belt—use them as you see fit.”

After explaining the details, the robed Daoist vanished. Wei Yuan saw no movement, no trace of how he left.

Finally, he could interact with an alien race—though this time it was the Wu Yu, not the Liao. But all alien races must be slain; which came first mattered little.

Wei Yuan first studied the woman’s image. The jade tablet’s depiction was lifelike—not only could he view it from every angle, but it could manifest as if she stood before him. Even the flutter of her sleeves and strands of hair responded to his spiritual sense, astonishingly vivid. The image also carried a trace of her Primordial Spirit aura—so even if she changed clothes or her face was scarred, he would not mistake her.

Wei Yuan memorized her appearance and aura, then picked up the second jade tablet to read.

The woman’s name was Yun Feifei, twenty-four years old, Dao-base realm, her cultivation between Foundation Solidification and Awakening—possibly even at Awakening. She came from a minor sect called Lan Shen Palace. This sect’s origins traced back to Tai Chu Palace. Four hundred years ago, a Tai Chu disciple named Yun Xihé ventured west into Ningzhou, gained a breakthrough, cultivated a Law Form, and left Tai Chu to found Lan Shen Palace. Lan Shen Palace primarily followed the incense-and-deity path, incompatible with Tai Chu’s Daoist orthodoxy.

After founding Lan Shen Palace, Yun Xihé lived another fifty years. For the next three centuries, four successive palace masters all achieved profound cultivation, just barely below Yu Jing. Thus, they held firm in the alien-encircled west of Ningzhou.

But three years ago, the Wu Yu launched a massive invasion of Ningxi. The human forces suffered a crushing defeat; over six thousand li of territory fell to the Wu Yu. One cave heaven shattered, six minor sects destroyed—including Lan Shen Palace. Later, humans counterattacked and reclaimed the land—but within three months, they suffered repeated defeats and were forced to retreat again to Yunzhou. The Wu Yu, too, suffered heavy losses, withdrew to their original lands, and left the region empty once more.

The two-year war shattered the spirit veins of thousands of li, disrupted heavenly patterns, and scattered fragments of the shattered cave heaven across the land, creating countless deadly zones. These fragments were no treasures—they were graves of cultivators. The region’s spiritual energy might take a hundred years to recover, hence its name: the Shattered Zone—now worthless.

This war was a full-scale conflict between humans and the Wu Yu, involving the two major vassal states of Xi Jin and Zhao Guo. Major sects all participated to varying degrees, their alliances tangled and chaotic. After the Wu Yu withdrew, neither Xi Jin nor Zhao Guo had the strength or interest to take control. And since the Wu Yu could return at any moment, no sects wished to establish their own mountain gates. Thus, thousands of li became a lawless land, devoid of rules or order.

Originally, Tai Chu Palace treated this region like any battlefield. But recently, a surviving disciple of Lan Shen Palace sent a message claiming their founding ancestor had left a great opportunity, to be returned to Tai Chu Palace in exchange for the right of several bloodline descendants to rejoin. The message revealed nothing about the nature of the opportunity, only that the clue lay with Yun Feifei—find her, bring her back, and the truth would be known. The mission dossier gave no details on the opportunity or what Yun Feifei carried. But clearly, this opportunity was extraordinary—otherwise, an Immortal Lord would not have personally set the trap. Such a vital mission would never rest solely on Wei Yuan, a newly minted Dao-base novice. There were surely other hidden agents—Wei Yuan just didn’t know if he was the visible pawn or the secret one.

After reading the dossier, Wei Yuan examined the belt. It was an ordinary silk sash, with a jade clasp at the center and no extra ornamentation. But the true core of the artifact was not the prominent jade clasp—it was an unremarkable thread within. When activated with Dao power, it could store items roughly three feet square, and contained a divine thought of the Immortal Lord—its strike equivalent to a Law-Form True Person’s attack.

Being an Immortal Lord’s divine thought, it possessed many marvels beyond mere power. First, even a True Lord’s spiritual sense could not detect any anomaly in the belt—only Wei Yuan could perceive it. Second, once activated, it automatically targeted the strongest nearby cultivator posing the greatest threat to Wei Yuan—even if he were unconscious. Third, its activation left no warning, its speed like lightning, immune to any defense artifact or array below True Lord level. In other words, the strike always landed—no matter how closely an enemy stood facing him, fully alert, it would still strike like a surprise.

Wei Yuan immediately fastened the belt, then examined each small item inside.

His departure was scheduled for seven days hence. Before leaving, Wei Yuan planned to visit Zhang Sheng and ask for his feedback on the Dao-base chapter of the Heavenly Frenzy, to see if any improvements were needed.

The sky had darkened, so Wei Yuan decided to cultivate for the night and visit Zhang Sheng in the morning. Entering the cultivation chamber, he sat cross-legged, lost in emptiness, and drew in a deep breath.

Inhale…

This time, he drew in the breath to its absolute limit—far beyond his expectation. The spiritual energy filled his entire mind-sea, raining down in misty droplets, nourishing the parched, lifeless earth.

Exhale. Wei Yuan breathed out, then inhaled again.

Inhale………………………

Unaware, within the mountain’s spirit vein, a new vein had split off, directly connecting to Wei Yuan’s cultivation chamber. This new vein was nearly as thick as all the others combined—and it was anchored directly to the mountain’s root vein.

!

In Wei Yuan’s mind-sea, the rain continued, spiritual energy transforming into tiny sparks of life, seeping into the earth. When accumulated enough, life would sprout—what changes would follow? But now, Wei Yuan sensed the life within Yu Shan growing more vibrant, absorbing the spiritual essence from the rain.

Yet beneath the meditation cushion, the newly formed vein began to dim. The surging spiritual energy could not keep pace with consumption, gradually thinning, then drying up. Since this vein connected directly to the mountain’s main vein, its depletion meant the main vein’s spiritual energy was also draining.

Thus, the Spirit Gathering Array reappeared, flickering once—then the mountain’s spiritual energy cut off again! Numerous dwellings erupted in chaos; several disciples who had just entered meditation broke out, nearly suffering qi deviation.

Wei Yuan was jolted awake by a suffocating sensation, as if drowning. He probed his spiritual sense into the spirit vein—he understood again: spiritual energy had dried up. Having experienced this twice before, he now knew the problem lay with himself.

He checked the time: this cultivation session had lasted four full hours, leaving only half an hour before his scheduled visit to Zhang Sheng. He rose, took the copied Dao-base chapter of the Heavenly Frenzy, and silently recited it, pondering possible improvements.

Before achieving Dao-base, the Heavenly Frenzy could only empower and control one living thing outside himself—and not a human or any race with naturally strong soul. Now that he had forged his Dao-base, his Primordial Spirit was vastly stronger—he could now empower multiple living things, from several to dozens, depending on the amount of aura empowered and the depth of control.

Additionally, when Wei Yuan himself was empowered by the Heavenly Frenzy, all his physical and spiritual functions increased by fifty percent. Now, with his enhanced body and Primordial Spirit, the original version of the Heavenly Frenzy could only boost him by thirty percent. Moreover, while activating the Heavenly Frenzy, Wei Yuan temporarily replaced his own aura with external aura—his status elevated immensely, rendering all aura-based techniques—calculation, tracking, pulling, deception—ineffective against him.

The Dao-base chapter of the Heavenly Frenzy allowed finer control over aura: for example, with a single horse, one could choose a slight boost for greatly extended duration, or a massive short-term surge—after which the horse would exhaust its vitality and die.

Half an hour later, Zhang Sheng held the Dao-base chapter of the Heavenly Frenzy that Wei Yuan had written, reading silently.

After reading it several times, Zhang Sheng looked up at the disciple now taller than himself.

Zhang Sheng smiled warmly: “You’ve grasped the true essence of this technique. Even rarer is the grandeur of your vision—your ambition rivals my own when I first created it. That is the true rarity. Many possess cultivation but lack the heart—they live small, petty lives, and always fail before reaching the summit. To cultivate the Dao, if one lacks the heart to stand equal with heaven and earth, how can one ever endure with them?”

Zhang Sheng set down the jade tablet: “I have no corrections or guidance to offer. As you use this technique in the future, refine it yourself. This path is yours alone—how far you walk depends only on you.”

Wei Yuan nodded.

“I will submit this technique on your behalf—it will earn you some Merit Points, though since only you can use it, the reward won’t be large.”

Wei Yuan knew this well. Tai Chu Palace valued practicality—techniques like the Heavenly Frenzy, unique and solitary, held far less value than the six standard Foundation Establishment methods.

Next, Wei Yuan spoke of the mission. He could not reveal specifics, but the general nature could be discussed. Since an Immortal Lord had set the trap, Zhang Sheng had no objections. His own injuries had not yet healed—he could not accompany Wei Yuan. Besides, having forged his Dao-base and passed the Great Examination, Wei Yuan had officially entered the Immortal Path and should begin training alone.

When Zhang Sheng first forged his Dao-base, he descended the mountain alone, endured countless deadly battles. After achieving Dao-base, he began his quest to find the Dragon Veins—and ended up finding Wei Yuan.

Zhang Sheng suddenly felt a pang. Without realizing it, the little child had grown ready to fly from the nest. In this moment, a strange sadness arose.

Zhang Sheng never showed emotion. He patted Wei Yuan’s shoulder calmly: “Be careful.”

He paused, then added: “Above all, preserve your life. Don’t be reckless.”

Wei Yuan nodded again.

Zhang Sheng thought again, added: “If you truly cannot win, remember to come find me.”

Wei Yuan nodded earnestly. Zhang Sheng still felt uneasy. He searched his mind for more advice—but there was nothing else to say. Yet he felt he should say more.

Now he had to raise his hand just to pat his shoulder—his head was too high to reach… Zhang Sheng suddenly understood how Wei Youcai had felt ten years ago.

“You still have several days before departure. If you encounter any cultivation problems, come ask me anytime,” Zhang Sheng said.

Wei Yuan did have one question: “Master, you said the Immortal Sword Li Shang was awakened during Foundation Establishment. I’ve always wondered—given your nature, how did you ever attain that state of heaven and earth in sorrow?”

“What’s hard about that? Just…” Zhang Sheng paused mid-sentence, then decided to tell his disciple the truth:

“…by being melodramatic.”

(End of Chapter)