Chapter 66: Persistence and Abandonment

  Two years, an extremely short period of time for Taoism, was enough to change the faces of countless people.

  Xiao Qiu suddenly opened his eyes to see soft snowflakes gently falling, and a thin layer had already accumulated on the ground. Another year was about to pass, and in just eleven months, he would end his cultivation at Yang Shen Peak and head to his desired department, where under the guidance of the First Seat, he would condense his energy into a dan and learn true magic.

  Mo Xingqiu, once considered the most troublesome of Pongshan's disciples, became "well-behaved" after a trip to Laozu Peak in Huatong Santian: he got up on time every day, ate neatly, had continuous and concentrated thoughts in the morning, studied various sciences diligently in the afternoon, and no longer went mountain climbing in the evening, but instead did his evening exercises like other disciples.

  The only difference was that he didn't like to practice alone in his room, and three times a day, morning, noon, and night, he would definitely run to the Half Moon Forest, first practicing a set of strange bone-tempering fist techniques, then sitting on a large rock to meditate.

  He jumped onto the ground, brushed off the snowflakes on his head and shoulders, and was about to go to the dining hall for breakfast when he ran into his fellow townsman Guan Jinwu.

  Guan Jinwu was slender and small, with a high bun and long hairpins, his compact facial features always looked thoughtful and serious, but somewhat comical. He was genuinely obsessed with cultivation, but his progress was not very fast. After more than two years, he had only opened up the seven orifices, which put him at a mid-to-high level among all the disciples. This made him extremely anxious, and he often pestered Xiao Qiu with questions.

  "Little Autumn, have you finished your morning exercises?" Guan Jinwu closely followed Little Autumn, not waiting for a response before continuing to speak on his own, "Tell me again about the feeling of breaking through the Three Fields, I feel like I'm about to break through my Lower Dantian."

  "Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll help you pass." Xia Qiu didn't dislike Guan Jinwu, it's just that he had said the same thing too many times, and he felt a bit redundant.

  "But I still feel uneasy, you tell me a bit and I can be at ease." Guan Jinwu admitted that he was thinking too much, but couldn't help it.

  "Alright." Xia Qiu nodded helplessly, sometimes he quite liked Jinwu's serious attitude. Daliang was also enlightened but had not yet passed the barrier, and was not anxious at all, but rather very satisfied.

  "The lower dan Tian is where the Qi Hai resides. From now on, the internal elixir will reside here for a long time. After breaking through, it can contain the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the body possesses mysterious power."

  "Hmm." Although he was very familiar with this introduction, Guan Jinwu still listened very seriously.

  "Those who first enter the lower dan tian often make a mistake, absorbing too much spiritual energy with no way to release it, just like a dam that accumulates too much water and bursts, leading to destruction and death."

  "Uh-huh, I will never make this mistake."

  "The calamity of the lower dan Tian is called the earth calamity. At that time, the spiritual energy will surge in greatly, and it is necessary to open up the seven orifices to ensure a smooth flow of energy in and out. The most important thing is that the body must not move; one movement and all previous efforts will be lost."

  "Mmm, don't move."

  "The lower dan tian palace responds to the seven orifices, communicating with heaven and earth, can temporarily contain excess spiritual energy. After the golden elixir is formed, it must also be passed through the palace of the heart to open the passageway. Those who are easily disturbed by thoughts are forbidden from practicing the Tao. Only by storing thoughts can one protect oneself. The calamity of the palace of the heart is also called the zei calamity, which is exactly opposite to the earth calamity. If the spiritual energy in the body cannot be stopped from constantly leaking out through the palace of the heart, it will also be a waste of previous efforts. When passing through the calamity, one must close the seven orifices and hold one's breath for several hours or even days."

  "It's really tough." Guan Jinwu let out a sigh, although his lower dantian was still not open, he had already started to feel anxious in his heart. "I truly hope I can be like Little Autumn Brother, having a dream that transcends multiple lifetimes, and everyone will be envious to death when talking about it."

  Xiao Qiu smiled and said, "He'd rather go through his tribulation like an ordinary disciple, it's more reassuring in his heart. 'You have all the teachings to take care of you, it's much safer than dreaming.'"

  "And also, Mudan Palace hasn't been mentioned yet."

  Xiao Qiu exhaled, "The Upper Dan Tian's Mud Ball Palace is where the ancestral gods' souls reside. Those who are enlightened can open their heavenly eyes to directly see the great Dao's secret texts and perceive the spiritual energy. The tribulation of the Mud Ball Palace is called the Heavenly Tribulation, the last and most difficult one among the three Dans. Those who are half-enlightened will have their Wu Wei heavenly eyes opened, like an old person with blurry vision, everything they see is unclear. Those who are fully enlightened will have their Wu Lou heavenly eyes opened, everything is clear before their eyes."

  Xiao Qiu didn't say anything more, Guan Jinwu knew what was going on and asked in a low voice: "Brother Xiao Qiu, can you still not remember how you survived the heavenly tribulation back then in your dream?"

  Xiao Qiu couldn't recall, in the past two years, he remembered most of the scenes when he was thinking about the cave, and the process of several times of calamity was still vivid, but only the last few days of Mudan Palace Tianjie's calamity, how did he pass it, he just couldn't remember.

  Liu Guangbao Jian acknowledged that Xiao Qiu had already broken through the three fields, but he was clear that his heavenly tribulation had not been completed, and he still only had the Wu Wei Tian Mu, rather than the higher level of Wu Lou Tian Mu, because he still couldn't see clearly the small characters inside the ancestral temple.

  "It doesn't matter if you can't remember, anyway, you've already passed the calamity." Guan Jinwu comforted, suddenly remembering something and excitedly said: "Xiao Qiuge, have you heard? Zhou Ping failed to pass the land calamity and was sent to 'Zhiyong Suo', haha, this time he can't blame others for disturbing him, it's just that he himself is not capable."

  "It's none of your business what others do." Xia Qiu said lightly. Zhou Ping had been harboring a grudge against Bi Wu for his defeat, but he took the lesson to heart and no longer provoked him openly, instead secretly spreading rumors that Xia Qiu had passed through the gateway with the help of the demon kind, and that the truth would eventually come out and he would be stripped of his Taoist roots by the sect master.

  For the past two years, Xiao Qiu has not fought with anyone again, focusing on cultivation and no longer thinking about the truth of Yangshen Peak. He only occasionally feels the constant pulling force, at the cost of being more inclined to follow the law of heaven in his cultivation, as the art of reversing heaven is too difficult and he cannot get the guidance of Douchi.

  Xiao Qiu didn't seem interested, so Guan Jinwu immediately changed the subject. "I wonder what kind of teacher this new one is. Hopefully not like Wu Daoshi, who can't even recite scriptures smoothly and makes it hard for us to concentrate."

  There are many rumors about the new Taoist priest who is about to take office, saying that he was invited from another Taoist sect, specializing in teaching Daoist scriptures that Pangshan is not good at. Xia Qiu had nothing to say about this, and just nodded.

  In the dining hall, Da Liangchong Xiaoqiu beckoned with his hand. Everyone else was quietly waiting for dinner to start, but he jumped up and down, loudly saying: "The female disciples of Luanzhu Mountain are coming again, I don't know how this batch will be this year, last year's were just average."

  In two years, Dalang has grown into a tall and sturdy fifteen-year-old boy. He had once been diligent in his cultivation, working harder than most people, successfully opening up the seven apertures. However, for the past ten months, he had made no progress in his cultivation, feeling frustrated for half a year before changing into a different person - completely giving up on his pursuit of cultivation.

  Shen Hao, sitting opposite him, let out a cold laugh. His eyes became even more narrow and he was even more silent. He had already opened up his lower dantian and jing palace, and successfully passed through the earth and marsh tribulations. He was now using all his strength to attack the mud ball palace. But someone like Guan Jinwu didn't dare ask him casually, "You really aren't in a hurry, you have the leisure to pay attention to Luanshan Mountain."

  "There's nothing to worry about, at worst I'll just go to the labor camp, learning a trade will still allow me to support my family, and who knows, maybe I'll even be sent to the capital to work, that would be even better." Unlike those disciples who were forced to go to the labor camp, Dalang was delighted and motivated by this, it was a new goal he had set for himself.

  The situation of other young people in the same table as Ye Lin Town is similar to that of Da Liang: they have opened up several holes, but there has been no major progress for a long time, and they are wavering between persistence and giving up.

  Shen Hao shook his head helplessly and felt that Da Liang had started something bad. He asked Xiao Qiu, "Have you heard about Zhou Ping's situation?"

  Xiao Qiu sat down beside Da Liang, "He's too impatient."

  "He stayed at Yangshen Peak for five years and couldn't help but feel anxious. Moreover, Xin Yutao was also sent to the Zhiyong Temple."

  "Xin Yu Tao?" Xiao Qiu was slightly surprised, he hadn't asked the prince for guidance in a long time. "Didn't he already break through his lower dantian and jing palace?"

  "It's fake." Shen Hao said coldly, his bad impression of Xin Yutao had never changed. "He actually sneaked in a few talismans and used one every time he encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, thus opening up his meridians and passing through the gates. He was discovered by Doucheng last night and was sent away directly."

  "Can Qigong also be faked?" Xia Qiu thought it was unbelievable. "Can't the Flowing Light Treasure Mirror tell?"

  "Who knows, Fu Lu has its own magical effect. Xin Yu Tao must have brought a lot from the palace, but unfortunately, it can only deceive for a while, not forever."

  Xin Yutao was not in favor at the palace, and Xiao Qiu was well aware of this, but he didn't say much about it.

  Dah Ryong didn't care about Xin Yu Tao, he was thinking about what would happen after leaving Yang Shen Peak. "Today's guests are all here to teach the Dao Ke that is not available in Pong San. I hope it's the Yin Yang Ke. It's said that ordinary people like Yin Yang Daoshi the most. For fortune-telling, guarding spirits, and building houses, they all have to find them. 'Golden mouth opens, gold and silver come' - that's what they say about Yin Yang Daoshi."

  Everyone at the table was laughing, while others were more and more ascetic in their cultivation, only Dah Ryong was an exception. Since he gave up on the idea of condensing his energy into a pill, he couldn't wait to return to secular life. "What's so funny?" He said loudly with some annoyance, "Wait till I move into a big house and eat meat every day, while you guys fail in your cultivation, then you'll know who has foresight."

  Seven young men in Yelin Town are already old apprentices. No matter what Da Liang says, there will be no one like Zhou Ping who dares to speak out and scold in the dining hall.

  On the way to Si Zu Hall, Shen Hao walked beside Xiao Qiu and said in a low voice, "You should find time to help Fang Fang, she has been stuck at the lower dan tian for almost half a year and hasn't made any progress."

  "There's nothing I can do to help, and Fangfang has her own ideas." Xia Qiu wasn't worried about Fangfang at all. They didn't have many opportunities to meet in private, but he knew that Fangfang would definitely break through the Three Fields, it was just a matter of time. She would become an extraordinary female Taoist in the future, this was beyond doubt. At the age of 14 or 15, her understanding of many cultivation methods had already far surpassed that of her peers. Sometimes Xia Qiu even had to seek help from her.

  "Don't you want to go with Fangfang to Laozufeng to learn Tao?" Shen Hao showed a hint of puzzlement, "In three years, it will be over and you can leave."

  Xiao Qiu smiled, "No need to rush, there's still almost a year left. Fang Fang is making gradual progress, and who knows, by the time she condenses her energy into a dan, she might be faster than us."

  In Si Zu Hall, Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang nodded at each other, and on most days, this was the only way they communicated.

  Hundreds of disciples were already seated on the meditation mats, and Xiao Qiu was no longer the last one. Behind him, those new disciples who had just entered Yangshen Peak for a month were whispering about the newly arrived Du Jiao.

  Xindu Jiao appeared on time, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, and all the disciples couldn't help but turn their heads to look at her.

  Many disciples actually knew her.

  "My name is Sun Yulü, I come from Luán Jiāng Shān. I am your teacher of the Lamp and Candle Department. In the next year, you will follow me to learn about the method of capturing souls and refining spirits. However, the old rules remain unchanged, and in the morning, you still need to cultivate and think."

  Sun Yulü's chanting skills were quite good, and the Pangsanshi disciples who knew little about lamp science soon threw away their curiosity and entered a state of contemplation.

  Xiao Qiu's meditation had become very proficient and could be done continuously for the entire morning without interruption, but today was a bit strange, he tried several times but couldn't clear his mind.

  Sun Yulü walked up to him, speaking in two different tones, one reciting scriptures and the other asking: "Top-notch disciples are always in high demand, have you thought about which department you want to go to?"

  Xiao Qiu was taken aback and didn't understand what her choice had to do with the people from Luan Jing Shan.

  (Collection needed, recommended)