After returning to his room, Ling Xiaodong sat cross-legged on the couch.
He assumed the standard Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture, silently reciting the Ice Heart Mantra in his mind:
If the heart is as clear as ice, the sky falling won’t startle;
All changes remain steady, spirit joyful and qi tranquil;
Forget the self and guard the One, the six senses firmly settled…
Nothing inside or out, mind and spirit bright and pure!
After repeating the chant several times, he finally calmed himself completely.
He slowly opened his eyes. Although the bright full moon shone outside the window, the room remained dim.
Ling Xiaodong did not light a candle. He pressed his right hand’s index and middle fingers together, curling the other three fingers tightly—this was the Daoist Sword Finger gesture for spellcasting.
He held the sword finger upright between his eyes.
“Heaven’s law is pure, earth’s law is spiritual; Yin and Yang bind essence, water spirit manifests form, spiritual light gathers water, connecting heaven and earth, laws carry forth, Yin-Yang’s mirror, true form quickly appears, true form swiftly revealed!”
In an instant, the black irises and whites of his eyes blended together, transforming into a Taiji (Yin-Yang) symbol that slowly rotated within his eyes.
The pitch-dark room immediately became as bright as day to Ling Xiaodong’s sight, every detail clear as crystal.
Satisfied, Ling Xiaodong nodded and took from under the bed a stack of papers, beginning to read carefully.
These sheets were discovered three months ago when he cleaned his master’s room, hidden in a secret box inside the couch compartment.
The secret box contained two books in total.
One was titled “The Great Joy of Heaven and Earth’s Yin-Yang Union” (天地阴阳交.欢大乐赋), complete with illustrations. Its pages were yellowed and slightly curled at the corners, as if frequently read.
The other was “Taiqing Jiuxuan” (太清九玄). Ling Xiaodong usually memorized books at a glance, but even after one reading of this one, it remained hazy and unclear—this piqued his interest.
Considering his master had hidden this book together with “The Great Joy of Heaven and Earth’s Yin-Yang Union,” it was certain she didn’t want him to see it.
So he secretly copied it once. After several days of study, he realized it seemed to be a cultivation technique.
The book recorded the Ten Realms of Daoism, stating:
“One Origin, Two Forces, Three Talents of Heaven,
Four Symbols, Yin-Yang, Five Elements between,
Six Directions, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams manifest,
Nine Palaces contain the Immortals of Ten Directions.”
This referred to the Ten Realms of Daoism.
Wuji gives birth to the One Origin; the One Origin is the Great Beginning. One Origin generates the Two Forces, all things bear Yin and embrace Yang; one Yin, one Yang, this is the Dao.
Ling Xiaodong had already broken through the realms of One Origin and Two Forces in just two months.
Upon reaching the Two Forces realm, he could learn some beginner Dao techniques recorded in the book; his previous night-vision incantation was one such technique.
Now, he was only one step away from the Three Talents realm.
Ling Xiaodong put down the papers and sat where the moonlight could reach him, resuming the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture.
The Three Talents represent Heaven, Earth, and Man; the Three Lights are the Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Heaven births one thing that transforms into Three Talents, resonating Yin and Yang to bind the sacred embryo.
To step into the Three Talents realm, one must absorb the essence of the Sun and Moon’s radiance, resonate with the transformations of Heaven and Earth’s Yin and Yang, and embrace a strand of primordial purple qi arriving from the East as day and night alternate.
Time passed bit by bit; outside, birds began to chirp in the forest, the moon set, and dawn brightened the East.
Ling Xiaodong’s tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open—now was the moment!
Strands of primordial purple qi surged like tides from the eastern horizon, rushing westward at incredible speed.
Following the cultivation method in the book, Ling Xiaodong inhaled a strand of the primordial purple qi with each breath. It circulated through his Microcosmic Orbit: starting from the lower dantian, moving up the Governing Vessel, then down the Conception Vessel, crossing the Three Passes to connect them. Heart and kidney intertwined, water and fire achieved harmony.
“Success!”
Ling Xiaodong clenched his fists and shouted excitedly.
He extended his right index finger and drew a circle in the empty air. The Yin-Yang Taiji symbol appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by the glowing characters for Heaven, Earth, and Man, rotating along with the Taiji.
Ling Xiaodong suddenly felt his senses sharpen, his mind calm and joyful. The world reappeared before him in a brand-new way, as if he could now communicate with Heaven and Earth and understand fate’s principles.
“I’m a genius! Ha ha ha ha!”
Thrilled, Ling Xiaodong jumped off the bed, hands on hips, laughing toward the sky.
Suddenly, bang! The door to his room was kicked open. The already dilapidated wooden door hung half off its frame, swaying precariously.
At the doorway stood Yue Yingying, her phoenix eyes wide open.
Her hair was a bit messy, her clothes disheveled, revealing glimpses of pure white undergarments beneath. A few strands of hair clung to her lips, giving her a somewhat unwell appearance.
Ling Xiaodong inwardly cursed—just as his thoughts cleared and he was absorbed, his secret study of the sect’s forbidden techniques had been discovered. Was his master here to purge the problem?
“Ling Xiaodong! What mischief are you causing? It’s early morning, can’t you let people sleep? Don’t you see it’s barely the third watch of the night?”
Yue Yingying’s morning temper was fierce, but Ling Xiaodong relaxed.
Not because of the sect’s secret arts.
Her phoenix eyes suddenly narrowed into slits as she stepped inside and scrutinized Ling Xiaodong from head to toe, astonished:
“You’ve already reached the Three Talents realm?”
It was over—he’d been found out. Ling Xiaodong bitterly admitted:
“Disciple secretly studied the sect’s secret arts, please punish your disciple, Master.”
Yue Yingying’s moist eyes brimmed with confusion. Frowning, she said:
“What sect… secret arts? Do we have something like that in our Daoist Sect? Aren’t all the Dao techniques on the bookshelf for you to study yourself? More like—why are you only just opening your insight now?”
Now it was Ling Xiaodong’s turn to be puzzled. He asked:
“The book hidden in the secret box under the bed…”
A spark of insight lit up Ling Xiaodong’s mind, recalling his master’s forgetful nature.
She liked to toss books around after reading. This Taiqing Jiuxuan didn’t seem originally hidden in the box, probably just tossed in casually.
So the only book his master hid in the secret box was…
Looking up, Yue Yingying’s face instantly went pale, then rosy clouds bloomed along her slender white neck, climbing up to her delicate earlobes.
Her gaze flickered around nervously, her eyes darting about. Stammering, she said:
“I… I hid it because you’re still young and I fear you might stray from the path. This is a Daoist classic—Yin and Yang union is natural human principle. An isolated Yin cannot grow, a lone Yang cannot give birth. Male and female union follows Heaven’s law. Besides, Confucius said: ‘Food and sex are human nature.’ I… I…”
Ling Xiaodong found his master’s increasingly ridiculous explanation somewhat endearing and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Yue Yingying, seeing her disciple mock her, blushed with embarrassment and anger.
She grabbed a broom from the corner of the wall, no longer bothering to explain. She was determined to teach this disciple what happens when one challenges a master’s dignity.
Seeing the situation turning bad, Ling Xiaodong quickly leapt out the door.
“Ah, Master, I just remembered I have to go borrow money at Qingfeng Daoist Sect today. It’s getting late, I’ll go first!”
Then he dashed away like a shadow.
Yue Yingying threw the broom fiercely at his retreating back, scolding:
“Unfilial disciple! If you’ve got the guts, don’t come back!”
The whistling wind rushed past his ears as the scenery sped backwards.
Ling Xiaodong leapt through the woods, lightly stepping on a leaf as if weightless, flying forward several yards with ease.
This wasn’t the power of Taiqing Jiuxuan. The Ten Realms of Daoism indeed grant mystical abilities beyond ordinary people: divining heavenly secrets, calling down thunder, forming formations, refining immortality pills, crafting talismans, opening the heavenly eye, and more. But the body remained flesh and blood; no matter how profound the cultivation, it couldn’t enhance physical strength or agility.
Yet Ling Xiaodong was as light as a swallow and possessed immense strength. He once fought a bear barehanded and rescued Xiaoyan, who was lost in the forest.
He didn’t know where these abilities came from.
He only vaguely remembered a man and woman bringing him down the mountain to find a master, but before that he had no memories—not even where he came from or who his parents were.
“This is it.”
Ling Xiaodong leapt down from a tree and landed on the stone steps.
Looking up, orderly stone steps led straight to the Daoist Sect at the mountain’s peak. Even from halfway up the mountain, one could faintly see the elegant plaque above the mountain gate bearing three graceful characters—Qingfeng Daoist Sect!
Though he had visited many times before, Ling Xiaodong couldn’t help but compare this grand mountain gate to his own muddy path and dilapidated courtyard, sighing:
“They really have money!”
Following the steps upward, he soon arrived before the imposing gates of Qingfeng Daoist Sect.
A young girl sweeping the ground froze when she saw Ling Xiaodong, then excitedly screamed.
She dropped her broom and ran inside, calling out:
“Daoist Ling is here! Daoist Ling is here!”
Ling Xiaodong chuckled and rubbed his nose, pleased that his reputation was still good, then stepped over the threshold and entered the sect.
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