Chapter Four Initial Enlightenment (Part 2)

  Ji Ruocheng let out a soft sigh, he looked up and gazed out the window, seeing a bright moon hanging from the tip of the western wing's paulownia tree, it was already the second half of the night. He forced himself to be spirited, opening the "Tao Te Ching" in front of him, but drowsiness surged up wave after wave, he couldn't hold on for more than two pages before almost falling asleep with his head on the table. He took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out a small pill of spiritual nourishment, and swallowed it with his head thrown back. In just an instant, Ji Ruocheng felt a warm sensation spreading from his lower abdomen to his four limbs and hundred joints, feeling incredibly comfortable, his ears and eyes also cleared up. He roused his spirits, reopened the "Tao Te Ching", and began reading page after page.

  At this time, the sky was near dawn, and the Taichang Palace was quiet, with only Yunfeng Daoist standing on a stone bridge, looking far away at the house where Ji Ruocheng lived. Seeing that Ji Ruocheng's room had been lit all night, the window frame reflected the silhouette of him sitting upright, he couldn't help but smile slightly, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.

  As his figure disappeared into the woods, morning light poured down.

  Time flies like an arrow, and the north wind rises again. From the moment I stepped into the Tai Shang Dao De Palace, three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

  This three-month period, Ji Ruochen read diligently every day, sleeping less than an hour each day. Fortunately, the Nourishing Spirit Pill given by Ziyang True Person was very effective, and taking one pill could make him energetic for several days, which supported him to continue. He practiced Ziyang True Person's mantra morning and evening, and after a month, he had some feelings, in two months his true yuan moved, and in three months, he understood yin and yang, and had achieved some small success. After studying the method of absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, Ji Ruochen's energy gradually increased, and later on, he didn't need to rely much on the medicinal power of the Nourishing Spirit Pill to support his nighttime reading. However, after three months, the bottle of Nourishing Spirit Pill given by Ziyang True Person was also taken cleanly.

  In the first month, Ji Ruochen had already met the Seven True Men, but at that time he was not yet fully literate. The introductory breathing method taught by Zi Yang True Man was all he knew, so the seven true men couldn't teach him anything new and could only wait for Ji Ruochen to complete his basic studies before proceeding. Ji Ruochen worked hard, completing in three months what normally took children two years to learn, with Yun Feng Dao Chang guiding him day and night.

  If one were to speak of cleverness, Ji Ruoxue's talent was not considered the best in the Dao De Sect, but his perseverance and diligence earned him the silent nod of approval from the eight True Persons.

  Ji Ruocheng had already recognized the characters and laid a preliminary foundation, so on this day, Ziyang True Person Zheng gave him a volume of "Taiqing Zhisheng Jue", saying that the true yuan is the origin of all things, and asked him to practice diligently, not to neglect his homework. From then on, Ji Ruocheng officially stepped onto the path of Golden Elixir, the path of ascension.

  The Three Pure Ones' scripture is actually profound and vast. The first three realms of the Nine Levels of Taiqing are for building foundations, the middle three realms are for entering the gate. Before completing the first six realms, all disciples of various sects study in the Palace of Supreme Virtue and Morality, with a unified transmission from the Dharma Master to instruct and enlighten these novice disciples. After completing the entrance, these disciples can return to their respective sects to receive guidance from their own masters. From then on, the direction of cultivation for disciples of various sects gradually became different.

  Ji Ruocheng had already begun his apprenticeship and naturally attended classes with the new disciples in the Tai Shang Dao De Zong. However, he had an advantage that others did not - every first half of the month, he would receive personal instruction from Zi Yang Zhen Ren on the San Qing Zhen Jing, while in the second half of the month, Qi Mai Zhen Ren would take turns teaching him Daoist spells and incantations, as well as the art of alchemy. Ji Ruocheng was overjoyed to be learning so many new skills, like a poor boy who had stumbled upon a treasure trove, and he didn't care about the saying "being greedy will lead to mediocrity". As long as Qi Mai Zhen Ren was willing to teach him, he would swallow everything whole, even learning some miscellaneous skills such as setting up altars to summon spirits and divination. In reality, everything that Qi Mai Zhen Ren taught him was his own specialty, each with great power, although for now, he could only teach Ji Ruocheng the basics. Still, it couldn't be compared to ordinary miscellaneous studies.

  Two months passed in a hurry, and Ji Ruochen had already exhausted all his strength. However, cultivating the Tao was different from reading books. He tried to do everything at once, but ended up wasting a lot of spiritual energy every day, which actually hindered his practice of "Taiqing Zhisheng Jue". The eyesight of Qi Mo Ren was so sharp that as soon as his true yuan slowed down, he was immediately noticed.

  It's just that the seven true people are secretly competing fiercely, and no one wants Ji Ruochen to waste his efforts in the studies he has taught himself. Moreover, after five years, when the sect's big exam is completed, Ji Ruochen can choose a lineage to join on his own, which is what the true people really care about.

  It was said that for two days, Ji Rufeng had been receiving guidance from the True Person of the Supreme Virtue and Moral Character. As soon as the sky brightened, he was already waiting in a dan room at one corner of the Taishang Dao De Palace. Before long, the door of the dan room opened, and the True Person of the Supreme Virtue and Moral Character entered with four Taoist boys leading the way. The True Person of the Supreme Virtue and Moral Character was not tall, with two curved crescent-shaped eyebrows, a pair of slender phoenix eyes, fair and plump, full of harmony, looking like a middle-aged merchant from a wealthy family.

  Ji Ruocheng hastily stood up, bowed after the courtesy, Gu Shouzhēn waved his hand to let the Daoist servants retreat, and walked slowly to Ji Ruocheng's face, carefully examining his complexion.

  After a long while, Gu Shouzhēn smiled and said: "Ruò Chén, your recent progress in cultivating the True Essence is not as rapid as before. Have you encountered some difficulties? Don't hesitate to speak up, let's see if I can help you."

  In Ji Ruochen's mind, the two secular True Men, Gu Shouzhēn and Rú Chūnfēng, were easy to get close to. Zhang Jingxiao was extraordinary and transcendent, with a subtle and unobtrusive demeanor, making him more pleasant to be around than the five ordained True Men. At this moment, since Gu Shouzhēn asked, he hesitated for a moment before saying: "Master Gu, in these two months, the seven Masters taught me too many Daoist methods. I spend most of my time studying new Daoist techniques and spells every day, so I don't have much time for meditation and breath control."

  He nodded and said, "That's it. You're just starting to cultivate the Taoist path, and you should focus on practicing the Taiqing scriptures as your main priority, supplemented by one or two other Daoist studies. However, the other true immortals will definitely not let you give up the Daoist methods they have taught you, so your progress will actually be slower. How about this? I have a Longhua Dan here that will greatly benefit your cultivation of yuanqi and foundation-building. When you get back, find a quiet place to take it, and after seven days of diligent practice and refining the medicinal properties, you'll have completed half of the Taiqing Zhi Sheng Jue realm."

  As they spoke, Gu Shouzhēn took out a pure silver box from his bosom, on which were densely engraved with inscriptions to seal the medicinal properties and prevent leakage. Gu Shouzhēn handed the silver box over to Ji Ruòchén and also passed on an oral formula, instructing him that after taking the medicine, he must follow the formula in order to fully refine the medicinal properties.

  Ji Ruochen was both shocked and delighted, he was extremely good at observing expressions, just by looking at Gu Shouzheng's solemn expression and the decoration of this dragon and flower medicine box, it can be inferred that this medicine is precious. Ji Ruochen's joy was written all over his face, he hastily took the spiritual medicine, repeatedly thanked Gu Shouzheng, under the excitement, even somewhat incoherent.

  He saw Gu Shou's delighted expression and laughed, saying: "Although we don't have a formal master-disciple relationship, I've taught you in reality. What does it matter if Master Shu gives you some things? It's getting late, today Master Shu will explain the Shocking Hexagram to you. Don't think that divination is just a heterodox and miscellaneous study, it's not like that. To measure the heavenly mechanism, to know good or bad fortune, that's something that can only be achieved after possessing great spiritual power. Moreover, this hexagram is also the foundation of many Taoist methods. If you master the easy-to-learn yet difficult-to-perfect art of the hexagrams, then with just a thought, you'll know whether it's good or bad fortune. At that time, you'll be able to take advantage of opportunities and avoid harm, whether in your daily activities or when competing with others, wouldn't that be invincible?"

  Ji Ruocheng's eyes lit up, and he said: "Master Gu, if that's the case, then in the future when I'm competing with others in sword fighting, if I can calculate it with my fingers, won't I be able to know where my opponent will strike and thus have a surefire way to win?"

  Gu Shou Zhen lost his smile and said: "You think it's that easy! As a cultivator, comparing swordsmanship to those mortal warriors is like asking for trouble. By the time you finish this incantation, who knows how many holes will be pierced through your body by flying swords? The best strategy would be to calculate the auspiciousness of the battle beforehand. If the omens are extremely inauspicious and there's a risk of bloodshed, why bother fighting at all? It's better to retreat and live to fight another day."

  Ji Ru nodded slightly. Gu Shou's true answer, although slightly disappointing to him, had another consideration in his heart. He was not just diligent and hardworking in the study of divination, but was actually crazy about it, which made Gu Shou so happy that he couldn't close his mouth, and suddenly felt that there was great hope for him to join their ranks five years later.

  Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Ji Ruocheng only felt that the yin-yang fish and trigrams in his mind were swirling around. He packed up his things and bid farewell to Gu Zhenren with some reluctance, leaving the Dan room. At this time, the sky was already late, and after dinner, Yun Feng Daozhang would escort him back to Tai Chang Palace. At this time, Ji Ruocheng could often walk out dozens of feet alone on the suspension bridge connecting the two peaks.

  "Time flies like dust!"

  Ji Ruocheng stopped in his tracks and turned around, only to see a young Taoist priest of eleven or twelve years old beckoning him over.

  "Are you Ji Ruochen? Cloud Wind Shifu is currently in the South Dan room, he's looking for you on some matter, I'll take you there." The little Taoist said quickly.

  Ji Ruocheng was slightly stunned, and the past cloud wind path was long. Everything was done personally, never entrusting others to handle matters. His life was extremely simple, and from head to toe, not a single decent magic tool could be seen on him. Ji Ruocheng had also never seen him practice swordsmanship or Taoist techniques, so he always thought that Yunfeng was just a low-ranking guest Daoist.

  That little Taoist saw Ji Ruocheng slightly hesitant, and immediately urged him in a loud voice. Ji Ruocheng saw the anxious look on that little Taoist's face, and the cunning glint in his eyes, and suddenly felt a slight movement in his heart, already knowing that something was not right. However, Ji Ruocheng had seen many fat sheep before? This little Taoist had a bit of sinister intentions written all over his face, and for him, it was really an extremely easy-to-deal-with fat sheep. In just one moment, Ji Ruocheng seemed to have returned to the Dragon Gate Inn, and in an instant, he had already thought through many ideas in his mind.

  Ji Ruochen saw that this little Taoist priest didn't have any ulterior motives, and his slyness was written all over his face. He also knew that the rules of the Taishang Dao Palace were strict, and he had just entered the palace, so he was cautious in everything he did, and had never had a conflict with anyone before. So he thought that this young Taoist priest couldn't play many tricks on him, at most he would gang up with some people to bully him as a newcomer. Ji Ruochen grew up fighting with wild dogs and wolves, what kind of childish game could scare him?

  He immediately remembered that when he was first entrusted with the task of identifying fat sheep, the shopkeeper had said: "When a fat sheep first enters the store, it is most important to understand his background. You have to lower your posture and think of ways to get close to him. Whatever you say, start from flattering him. If it's a man, praise him as a hero; if it's a woman, compliment her on her beauty. Don't be afraid of being too flattering! The fat sheep will laugh and look down on you, naturally their guard will also disappear. Once you flatter the fat sheep enough, they will often boast a few words, and once they open their mouths, they will reveal their secrets in just a few sentences. At that time, it's easy to trick them with tea, water, medicine, or a stick. I used to be like this too, back then, how many heroes were among the fat sheep coming and going from the south to the north, weren't they all defeated by me?...

  Ji Ruochen smiled faintly, and followed the little Taoist priest on his way. He also wanted to see what kind of situation would unfold ahead, and who would try to teach him a lesson. Once he had identified his enemy, he could avoid mistakenly hurting other innocent people in the future. So he didn't say anything, but just followed the little Taoist priest along the way.

  As he walked, the little Taoist's demeanor became somewhat evasive, deliberately avoiding places with people and heading towards secluded areas. When they reached a crossroads, the little Taoist turned around and took the small path to the left. Although the South Dan House was remote and rarely visited by disciples, Ji Ruochen had followed Zi Yun True Person to learn about the alchemy of the dan furnace and had been there once before. He clearly remembered that from this crossroads, he should have continued straight ahead.

  Two people, one in front and one behind, suddenly turned around a side door and came to a grassland. As soon as Ji Ruochen stepped out of the side door, his eyes were suddenly blinded by a bright light, making him dizzy for a moment. Ji Ruochen narrowed his eyes, and only then did he see that there were more than ten boys, either Taoist or secular, surrounding a small girl with a delicate face like a bunch of stars around the moon. They all looked to be eleven or twelve years old. One of the little Taoists held up a purple gold pagoda in his hand, and countless small windows on the pagoda emitted rays of light, illuminating the entire grassland as bright as daylight.

  The girl pointed at Ji Ruochen and shouted, "Are you the eighteen-year-old Ji Ruochen who can't even read?" The surrounding children burst into laughter, pointing and discussing among themselves.

  The girl was sweet and pretty, with a clear and melodious voice that was very pleasant to listen to. However, she was obviously spoiled and arrogant, speaking in a haughty and overbearing manner. Ji Ruochen saw that her clothes were extremely luxurious and knew that this kind of girl must have a background, possibly being the relative or friend of some noble person. This kind of child was best not provoked, and since he had recognized the situation, Ji Ruochen did not want to stir up trouble, turning around to leave.

  Before he could even turn around, a childish voice suddenly rang out from behind him: "Yin Yin is asking you something! You haven't answered yet, and you're already thinking of leaving?" The voice had barely fallen when Ji Ruochen felt an unstoppable force strike his back. He immediately found himself flying through the air, sliding over several meters before heavily crashing to the ground not far from the little girl's feet. The surrounding area was once again filled with a burst of laughter.

  This fall was extremely severe, and Ji Rufei only felt that his limbs were scattered all over the place, with no part of him not in pain. However, it was his lower back that had been pushed to a numbness, heavy and dull, having lost all sensation. Obviously, the person who had done this had used the true yuan of the earth element from the five elements.

  That little girl snorted, coldly laughing: "So your skills are also so poor, it seems you haven't even passed the first layer of Taiqing Zhisheng Realm. I really don't understand what's good about you, why Father values you so much!"

  Ji Ruochen smiled wryly, gritting his teeth to endure the pain on his body. He slowly stood up with difficulty. These children may be talented and have cultivated Taoist techniques, but they are still young and their minds are not yet fully developed. When bullying others, they use methods no different from ordinary street children. He turned his head to look back and saw that the one who had pushed him was the little Taoist priest who had brought him here. Ji Ruochen knew that this push by the little Taoist priest had used true yuan to transform external force, which was already a second-level Ling Sheng realm technique.

  That little Taoist smiled and walked up to Ji Ruochen, saying: "You'd better be honest with me, I have Ming Xin, don't think about escaping."

  Ji Ruocheng smiled wryly. That little girl was obviously from a noble family, which was fine, but if she helped to inflate the arrogance of this Ming Xin guy who bullied others with his power, it would be trouble later on. Ji Ruocheng had been struggling at death's door since he was young, and he had a naturally fierce and courageous spirit. So when he looked at that little girl, it seemed like he wanted to say something, but just as everyone was watching and listening, Ji Ruocheng suddenly turned around and punched Ming Xin, the little Daoist priest, hard in the stomach! Ming Xin's face turned white in an instant, his hands clutching his abdomen, and he rolled onto the ground.

  A group of young people saw this, and with a shout, they rushed down together. In just a few moves, they knocked Ji Ruochen to the ground. Ji Ruochen didn't resist, only using his hands to protect his head and face, allowing those children to kick and punch him. These children were not very old, but they had all been practicing for several years. Their fists and feet were imbued with true yuan, each one different, making them a complete set of the five elements and four symbols. Each hit made Ji Ruochen feel pain deep in his bones. Seeing that Ji Ruochen didn't struggle or resist, didn't cry out, they gradually felt a chill in their hearts. They also feared that if they hit him too hard, it would lead to trouble, so they slowly stopped.

  Ji Ruocheng grunted and struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily. Although he tried his best to protect his head and face, the children didn't know their own strength, so he took a few hard hits on the face, and his eye corners were also swollen.

  That little girl, although arrogant, seeing that his face was damaged, also had some fear in her heart, and shouted: "Ji Ruochen! I ask you, did my father give you a Purple Mist Soul-Stabilizing Cauldron?"

  "Zixia Town Soul Tripod?" Ji Ruochen was taken aback, and then remembered that Jingxiao Zhenren had indeed given him a small purple tripod and several pieces of dark incense a few days ago, instructing him to use the tripod to burn incense while meditating. He said: "Jingxiao Zhenren did give me a purple tripod..."

  Before he could finish, the little girl angrily said: "The Zixia Town Soul Tripod has always been something I used, but Father gave it to you! What's so good about you that makes Father value you like this? Don't waste words, today we'll have a swordsmanship contest. If you win, the Zixia Town Soul Tripod will be yours, if you lose, return it to me!"

  At this time, a little Taoist walked up beside him and handed two wooden swords to the two men. Ji Ruochen didn't want to cause more trouble at this moment, so he didn't take the wooden sword and just said: "Since the Zixia Town Soul Cauldron is yours, I'll return it to you."

  The boss had once told him, "Heaven's way is cyclical, and retribution will not be late. That's why the ancients said that a gentleman takes revenge, even if it's ten years later. Even if there's something you can't swallow at the time, you have to let it go, but it doesn't matter. We'll wait patiently, and one day he'll fall into my hands." The boss had devoted his whole life to running the black shop, so whenever he encountered someone who was hard to deal with, he would take it as a great shame and vow to make an enemy of that person for life.

  Ji Ruoxiao had been paying attention to the shopkeeper's words since he was young, and he remembered every single sentence. Therefore, he just wanted to settle the current matter first, wait until later when he understood the situation clearly, and after standing firm on his moral ground, then take revenge. As long as he waited for some time, wouldn't this group of fat sheep still be his prey?

  But the little girl didn't want to let him off, with a swing of her wooden sword, she shouted: "What do you mean by this? I, Zhang Yin-yin, am not someone who bullies others relying on my power! Since I want the Purple Mist Town's Soul Cauldron, I must rely on my own abilities to take it back! Today, you have no choice but to compete with me!"

  Ji Ruochen was at his wit's end, and could only bitterly smile as he accepted the sword, planning to randomly parry a few times before admitting defeat. As soon as the wooden sword was in his hand, he suddenly covered his mouth with his sleeve and began coughing violently.

  Zhang Yin-yin frowned and said, "What's going on? You're not even competing yet and you want to pretend to be dead?" The several boys looked at each other, all of them looking somewhat guilty. Just now when they were punching and kicking, there were a few times when they had used their inner strength.

  Ji Ruochen quietly wiped away the fresh blood on his lips with his sleeve, and with a slight swing of his wooden sword, he said calmly: "It doesn't matter, let's get started!"

  Zhang Yin nodded, placed the wooden sword at her brow, murmured a sword mantra, and suddenly let out a clear cry. The wooden sword emitted a faint blue aura, shooting towards Ji Ruochen like lightning with thunderous rumblings!

  Ji Ruochen was shocked, and for a moment he only felt a green light in front of him, unable to see the movement of the wooden sword. He could only randomly swing his sword to block it. His arm suddenly shook, and the wooden sword flew out of his hand. Immediately after, his chest felt like it had been hit by an extremely heavy iron hammer, and everything went black before him. Suddenly, a mouthful of blood spurted out!

  In a daze, Ji Ruochen's eyes suddenly regained their sight, and he took in everything around him. However, he couldn't hear any sounds; the entire world had become eerily quiet and slow to an extreme degree!

  He watched as the green light on Zhang Yin's wooden sword grew stronger and stronger, at first it was her controlling the sword, but later it was the sword controlling her; he watched as Zhang Yin's eyes changed from confusion to shock and finally to fear. She could no longer control the wooden sword in her hand, although the sword had no edge, its power was enough to pierce through Ji Ruochen's chest and abdomen!

  Ji Ruochen's eyes saw the wooden sword suddenly turn entirely green, and before the blade even arrived, the powerful energy attached to it had already sent his body flying! Just as the blade was about to strike him, the wooden sword suddenly shifted, pointing at the cyan stone pendant on Ji Ruochen's chest.

  At this time, everything Ji Ruochen saw and thought was slow beyond belief.

  The green stone was struck by the wooden sword, and a layer of colorful light emerged, slowly spreading outwards like ripples. The wooden sword was drawn in by this light, and its green glow suddenly intensified before shattering into countless wood fibers that floated in mid-air. Each fiber slowly split again into even finer fibers, repeating the process until, in an instant, the entire wooden sword had transformed into a ball of green mist.

  At this time, Ji Ruochen's body was only one foot off the ground, and fresh blood had just begun to flow from the corner of his mouth. For some reason, his spirit suddenly connected with the bluestone. In Ji Ruochen's spiritual awareness, the bluestone was like a calm lake, deep and bottomless. The lake occasionally spat out a large bubble, which upon closer inspection turned out to be mysterious characters, resembling ancient oracle bones but not quite. However, when those ancient characters floated up from the lake in succession, their meaning would naturally emerge from Ji Ruochen's spiritual awareness, and the feeling at that moment was truly ineffable.

  That mass of green gas seemed to be drawn by Ji Ruoxuan's mind, splitting off a strand that entered his body. The remaining majority churned and surged wildly before suddenly transforming into a green whirlwind that violently swept towards all directions, sending Zhang Yinyin flying backward as well.

  A faint, crisp sound came from somewhere, shattering the silent world that Ji Ruochen saw. It was only then that he felt a wave of nausea in his chest, and a mouthful of blood finally spurted out. Afterwards, his vision went black, and all he felt was his body floating lightly, as if on cloud nine. In his daze, Ji Ruochen seemed to hear a cacophony of wailing voices and cries of pain, but then the world fell silent again, and no more sounds could be heard.

  But the hundreds of ancient great seals that emerged from the Qing stone were arranged in Ji Ruocheng's divine consciousness, eventually forming a magical formula. He didn't recognize any of these characters, yet the meaning of the entire formula was imprinted on his consciousness as if he had been born with an understanding of it.

  The name of this immortal formula is Separation Formula.