Chapter 20

Yonglu Mountain was relatively free-spirited as a cultivation sect. In simpler terms, it followed a laissez-faire approach: a disciple’s progress relied one part on mentorship, four parts on innate talent, and five parts on self-discipline. After all, even when cultivating with identical techniques, no two paths or outcomes could ever be exactly alike.

From Wen Xu’s observations during his brief time in the cultivation world, the practice of cultivation was highly personal. From Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Primordial Infant, Soul Transformation, Fusion, and eventually the Transcendent Stage—just a step away from ascension—there were clear and distinct stages with well-defined boundaries. Unlike scholarly pursuits, where one’s level of attainment wasn’t immediately discernible at a glance, cultivation offered a more transparent measure of progress.

Thus, cultivation was inherently fair; provided one maintained the right mindset and diligently practiced, advancement through realms flowed naturally like water finding its course.

Of course, these insights were just Wen Xu’s initial theoretical reflections after a few days. As for how actual cultivation would unfold, he, being merely a frail scholar, found it challenging to envision without firsthand experience. Moreover, he still couldn’t pinpoint when exactly his sea of qi had opened.

Wen Xu composed himself, recalling that he had already received his Inner Disciple token. Perhaps due to seniority, intricate array patterns were engraved on the back of his token. When he collected it from Primal Opening Peak, the frank expressions of fellow disciples around him were impossible to miss.

Wen Xu promptly decided that until he reached the Golden Core stage, it would be best to keep a low profile.

Gouchun Peak was situated rather remotely, but its concentration of spiritual energy rivaled any other main peak. Wen Xu’s limited cultivation couldn’t withstand the intense cold at the summit for long, so he chose to establish his immortal’s cave halfway up the mountain.

This mid-slope area conveniently featured a recessed nook sheltered from wind and snow. Despite Shizun’s somewhat unreliable demeanor as a dragon, the entry gift he bestowed was genuinely practical: a portable immortal’s cave. With just a touch of spiritual energy, it could instantly transform into a spacious dwelling on any chosen spot.

Over these past few days, Wen Xu had witnessed numerous divine abilities, so this revelation didn’t entirely surprise him—well, okay, he was still quite astonished, but being reserved by nature, he managed not to show it outwardly.

Fortunately, when activating the portable immortal’s cave, he was alone on the scene.

Wen Xu had a strong territorial instinct. First, using the newly learned Cleaning Technique, he meticulously swept both inside and outside the cave. Then, he inventoried his meager belongings. The advantage of having a storage ring meant he could carry even his home with him, unlike in the Mortal Realm where he could only travel with a few cherished books and writing supplies.

Wen Xu spread out the contents of his storage ring on the ground. He had a total of 103,560 spirit stones: 100,000 given by Shizun, 2,000 from the shared rewards of the mountain trial, and the remaining thousand-plus were his stipend as an Inner Disciple. This higher amount was likely due to his seniority, doubling what a typical Inner Disciple would receive.

Of course, compared to the hundred thousand, one thousand wasn’t much, but Wen Xu didn’t intend to touch those ten thousand spirit stones unless he reached dire straits.

Apart from the spirit stones, there were some paper talismans—not many, all stuffed into his hands by Bian Chunzhou—and a folding fan. At the time, he hadn’t realized its significance, but now he knew that the person who gifted him the fan was Zheng Jin, the True Monarch from Artificing Peak.

Carefully storing everything away, Wen Xu finally reached for the last two jade slips lying on the ground.

He was already well-versed in reading jade slips; he had pored over Elder Zhan’s “Introduction to Cultivation” hundreds of times. The adage “a book read a hundred times reveals its meaning” held true even within the cultivation world.

At least now, with this foundational knowledge, Wen Xu could confidently answer questions about the cultivation realm with ease.

By channeling spiritual energy into each jade slip, Wen Xu quickly discovered that one contained Shizun’s stored attack, capable of defending against threats up to the Tribulation stage. In essence, it served as his life-saving charm—a clear indication that Shizun was well aware of the cultivation world’s abundance of “old acquaintances.”

The other jade slip held a cultivation technique.

Generally speaking, cultivators could not progress through mere improvisation; akin to martial artists, they required specific techniques to guide their practice. Naturally, these techniques varied in quality.

Rankings ranged from Heaven to Earth, with Heavenly-grade being the highest and Earthly-grade the lowest. However, even an Earthly-grade technique, if mastered to its fullest extent and comprehended deeply, could still enable ascension. The perceived quality largely depended on a cultivator’s individual fortune, aptitude, and intuitive understanding.

Typically, cultivation techniques aligned with a practitioner’s spiritual roots. For instance, Bian Chunzhou possessed a Water-Fire Spiritual Root, so he could only cultivate water or fire-based techniques. Fortunately, while Water-Fire Spiritual Roots were rare, they weren’t unheard of. Yonglu Mountain, being vast and influential, had managed to find at least a couple of suitable water-fire techniques after diligent searching.

Wen Xu, possessing a Variant Wind Elemental Spiritual Root, should naturally follow a technique centered around wind. Yet strangely enough, the cultivation method personally handed to him by Divine Venerable Cheng Wei had absolutely nothing to do with wind.

It was titled: Manifestation of Myriad Things Art.

Wen Xu had naturally read the Dao De Jing, including this verse: “By reaching utmost emptiness and maintaining deep tranquility, all things unfold, revealing their cyclical nature.” In simpler terms, it meant striving to achieve the greatest inner stillness while steadfastly preserving that state of calm. Through this, one could observe the cycles of life, death, and rebirth for all beings in the universe.

The phrase “all things unfold” refers to the vigorous growth and flourishing of everything under heaven. At first glance, such a concept seemed more suited to those with single wood elemental spiritual roots, rather than wind… It appeared somewhat mismatched.

However, mastery comes before method. Wen Xu was merely a novice, barely scratching the surface, whereas his shizun not only possessed a Divine Dragon’s body but also cultivated at the Fusion Stage. There was no way he would casually assign any random cultivation technique without purpose.

Composing himself, Wen Xu continued reading the art within the jade slip using his spiritual energy.

To be honest, the content of the Manifestation of Myriad Things Art was profoundly complex and difficult to comprehend. Despite Wen Xu being a candidate of scholarly merit and having studied numerous ancient texts, his exposure to Daoist teachings was limited. Consequently, he found it challenging to fully grasp the concepts presented.

He couldn’t resist fetching pen and ink, intending to transcribe the text. Yet every time he put pen to paper, he felt…that there was no need, that writing it down would somehow diminish its essence. As if once these words were committed to parchment, they would lose their magic, their vitality—the very essence of myriad things unfolding—

Wen Xu suddenly paused, struck with a realization. Could “the manifestation of myriad things” simply refer to all living beings in this world? Or could it also imply that even words have their time to flourish and thrive?

He looked down at the ink slowly spreading on the paper, his mind abruptly going blank. Then, a question—an exceedingly simple one—emerged:

In our realm, be it within or beyond the cultivation world, when does the Manifestation of Myriad Things truly begin?

Gradually, an answer formed in his thoughts:

With the first breeze of spring during the beginning of the season.

“The spring wind first awakens the garden’s plum blossoms, Cherry, apricot, peach, and pear follow suit. Deep within village fields, mustard flowers and elm pods appear, Each proclaiming, ‘The spring wind comes for me.’”

Only the arrival of the spring breeze signifies the onset of spring, when nature reawakens. It is only after the first gentle gusts of spring that growth begins anew.

It was the spring breeze—the warm, invigorating spring breeze.

Wen Xu set down his brush; there was no longer any need to write. Just moments ago, he had finally grasped the fundamental concept of the Manifestation of Myriad Things Art.

Wind can influence all living things.

Before he could even assume the five-point meditation posture, Wen Xu entered his first profound enlightenment about wind.

“Aiya, my little disciple has quite the aptitude indeed! Finally, someone to carry on my Manifestation of Myriad Things Art.” Divine Venerable Cheng Wei gleefully took a sip from his cup, but alas, the wine lacked its usual flavor. Ah, blame it on spending too much time atop this mountain; his stock of fine spirits was nearly depleted.

Bian Chunzhou encountered his first hurdle on the cultivation path, and this formidable barrier…

It was incredibly challenging!

He never imagined that lack of knowledge would be his downfall! Was this even fair? Did it make sense? As a university student from a prestigious 985 institution, subjects like mathematics, physics, and chemistry were second nature to him—but this—

What kind of gibberish is this?! Do these words have any logical connection? Consider them closely, really ponder: The combination of terms within these cultivation techniques is as incompatible as his Water-Fire Spirit Root, don’t you think?!

“What’s wrong with you? You seem so dispirited.”

On Yonglu Mountain stood a massive Techniques Pavilion, located at the highest point of Disciples Peak. It housed over a hundred thousand volumes of various cultivation methods, including even those suited for Water-Fire Spiritual Roots—of which Bian Chunzhou managed to unearth four.

Following his personal preference, he chose the manual titled “Harmony of Water and Fire.”

The term “Harmony of Water and Fire” actually stems from one of the trigrams in divination lore. In the Ji Ji trigram, Kan represents water above while Li symbolizes fire below, signifying their harmonious interplay—the union of water and fire serving mutual purpose.

Despite Bian Chunzhou’s literary background, as he delved further into this book on Water-Fire knowledge, he found it…utterly incomprehensible. The descriptions were excessively abstract and fanciful, depicting water and fire as elusive yet tangible entities.

How could someone with a science-oriented mind grasp this? Should he conduct experiments to understand it better?

“Enough said, these cultivation techniques are just too difficult.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Zui wore a sympathetic expression. “I feel you.”

“You can’t make sense of it either?”

Chen Zui admitted candidly, “Just this morning, Shizun reprimanded me.”

Bian Chunzhou felt like bursting into tears alongside his friend—it was truly overwhelming. Does the cultivation world have any tutoring classes for literature? I’d enroll, okay? Isn’t that enough?! How can anyone write cultivation techniques so convoluted no one can understand them?

“I got scolded by Shizun too,” Chen Zui lamented, nearly sobbing. “Shizun is so fierce!” Yet, despite everything, he couldn’t bring himself to dislike him.

Chen Zui took three steps back, somewhat disdainfully. “Don’t wipe your tears on me; you’re dirty.”

“You dare call me dirty! Do you remember who had such a messy beard back then? Anyone would’ve thought—”

“Thought what?”

Bian Chunzhou wiped away imaginary tears. “It’s nothing. I’ve decided to attend the lecture at Six-Sermons Peak later. Maybe hearing more teachings will help me gain some insight into cultivation techniques.”

“That makes sense; I’ll go with you.”

“Should we invite Wen Xu as well?” Bian Chunzhou pondered for a moment before drawing a simple communication talisman, which was, thus far, the only rudimentary charm he had managed to learn.

“Ah, he hasn’t replied—it must be because he’s busy.” Bian Chunzhou pulled Chen Zui towards the door. “Let’s secure our spots first. If Wen Xu sees the message and wants to join, there should still be room for him.”

Securing seats like university students—now that’s his—

“So many people!” Bian Chunzhou looked up at the thronging crowd and sought information from a nearby Shixiong. He learned that today’s lecture at Pill Peak would be delivered by Daoist Sui Yuan, who had obtained the Ambergris King Grass fifty years ago. Now possessing a golden core, his teachings could invariably benefit those in Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages.

“The disciples with wood or water elemental spiritual roots are all seated upfront. Since you didn’t arrive early, now we can only sit at the very back,” the Shixiong remarked.

Bian Chunzhou remained silent, feeling somewhat crestfallen.