Chapter Forty-Two: The Union of the Orthodox and the Unorthodox, the Special Great Circulation

Back in the viewing stands, after taking his seat once more, Xuanxu looked at Chang'anzu as he strolled back, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety.

The relief came from Chang'anzu bringing honor to the sect.
The anxiety arose because he had brought too much honor.

Achieving remarkable success at the Dao Debate Pass was naturally a good thing.
Yet moderation is key in all matters; capturing the runner-up position, for a disciple born from a minor background, carried as many disadvantages as advantages.

The towering tree takes the brunt of the forest's wind.
Chang'anzu's path ahead was fraught with unpredictable fortune and misfortune.

The Heaven and Earth Academy assisted the Divine Court in governing the Taoist sects while also handling secular affairs. Once he entered the academy, he would inevitably enter the mundane world, where the vanity and jealousy of worldly people could completely destroy a person.

With gain came loss; while the Qizhen Temple's fame would soar thanks to Chang'anzu, it might also find it difficult to remain aloof from worldly entanglements.

Yet Xuanxu felt no blame toward Chang'anzu. Instead, offering a few words of encouragement, he told him to rest promptly, well aware that this matter could not be blamed on the young disciple.

Xuanyang chuckled softly, leaning over to Xuanxu and saying, "Senior Brother, do not be vexed. Chang'anzu has rendered a great service this time."

"The unique nature of Cloud Sky Peak is clear to both of us. Surrounded by drifting mists, practitioners remain hidden from one another, and until the very final moment, no one knows their true ranking. One can only press onward with all their might, striving and fighting for every inch."

"Moreover, that peak holds wondrous opportunities. Such chances are hard to come by and must be seized, lest one regrets it deeply when it is too late."

"Were it you or me, we would likely have acted just like Chang'anzu, unwilling to let such good fortune slip away."

"Chang'anzu capturing the runner-up spot brings both fortune and misfortune to our Qizhen Temple, but with Senior Brother here, the benefits ultimately outweigh the drawbacks."

Glancing sideways at Xuanyang, Xuanxu gave a cold snort. "Do you take me for someone who lacks all sense of right and wrong, someone so petty-minded in your eyes?"

Xuanyang offered an awkward smile and immediately shrank back.

Considering that this simple-minded junior brother was speaking on Chang'anzu's behalf, he would let him off the hook for now.

Shortly after, a profound look came into Xuanxu's eyes as his thoughts drifted away. He understood everything Xuanyang had said, both spoken and implied.

Senior Brother Xuanming had not intended to conceal anything from him, speaking with complete candor not long after achieving the True Human realm.

In the senior brother's words, as the abbot, only by having a clear understanding of the sect's inner and outer strengths could one handle affairs with ease and cause the mountain gate to flourish.

Outwardly, the Qizhen Temple appeared to be a minor Taoist lineage, but in truth, it already possessed the potential to become a major sect.

Even so, Xuanxu remained worried.

True Humans also had tiers, with vast chasms in strength. He feared his senior brother might not be able to shield Chang'anzu from the coming storms.

***

"Ah, let it be!"

"What comes must be accepted as it is."

Misfortune is the prop of fortune, and fortune is the hiding place of misfortune.
The Heavenly Dao is ever-changing, and the human path is unpredictable; who could guarantee this was not the best arrangement?

Perhaps for the Qizhen Temple, this was an opportunity to soar straight into the skies.

***

Floating Cloud Mountain, Qizhen Temple, Scripture Depository.

Xuanming remained unaware of Chang'anzu's stunning feat at Cloud Sky Peak. Putting away a scroll of scriptures, he rubbed the space between his brows. Gazing out the window to relieve his eye strain while watching the sunset on the horizon, his thoughts turned to Xuanxu and his traveling party.

"The Dao Origin Grand Assembly officially commenced today; the dao debate trials on Cloud Sky Peak must have concluded by now."

"I wonder what kind of results Chang'anzu achieved?"

Before training the lad, Xuanming had inquired about the details of the Dao Origin Grand Assembly with Junior Brother Xuanxu. While marveling at the wondrous nature of Cloud Sky Peak, he had tailored Chang'anzu's training with precise targets in mind.

Presumably, as long as the boy did not falter, he should secure a decent ranking, with placing in the top hundred posing no great problem.

Stepping out of the Scripture Depository, the melodious cry of a deer echoed. A highly spirited fawn trotted over, pressed its neck gently against his robes, and then circled around him, acting playfully and coquettishly.

Squatting down, Xuanming stroked the deer's head, feeling a sense of ease. Ever since coming out of seclusion, he had kept this deer by his side.

A mount ought to be raised from youth.

Every day, Xuanming used his magical power to cleanse the fawn's meridians and sinews, tempering its bones and flesh, feeding it the breath of the sun and moon, and gathering the freshest grass from the mountain peak.

His magical power was unique, carrying the characteristics of primal chaos and remaining entirely peerless. In merely half a month, the deer had begun to display extraordinary traits—its spiritual awareness was sharper, its bones and muscles stronger, and both its stature and speed completely surpassed its twin sister born at the same time.

That's right, a sister!

What Xuanyang had received was a doe, and compared to its master, this little doe felt a closer affinity to Changning.

Entering the Inquiry Courtyard and finishing his evening meal just as the new moon rose, Xuanming sat before a desk inside a thatched cottage. The fawn curled up by his feet as he picked up an ancient jade slip, reading, contemplating, and pondering it with intense concentration.

This was the original manuscript of the *Records and Cultivation Insights of the Four Images True Human*, consisting of three volumes. It recorded his experiences, both major and minor, over two hundred years, his insights into Taoist cultivation, and his visions for advancing from Qi Refining to the Innate realm.

This item was safeguarded by successive abbots; only abridged copies existed in the Scripture Depository, and only Taoists who had touched the threshold of Qi Refining were qualified to access the far more precious original manuscripts.

Over these past few days, Xuanming had been reviewing them.

Aside from drawing nourishment from them to nurture his own Great Dao, he placed his primary focus on the theories of the Innate realm.

Limited by the transmission of cultivation techniques, Xuanming's understanding of the Qi Refining realm was constrained, causing the *Primal Chaos Qi Refining Art* to extend only as far as the greater heavenly cycle chapter. If he wished to progress further, he had to invent subsequent chapters for Qi Refining.

Although the Four Images True Human had only attained the cultivation of the greater heavenly cycle, he had encountered numerous fellow practitioners and even obtained remnant texts of the Innate realm. This gave him a profound understanding of the Innate Qi Refining realm, and his insights and hypotheses pointed out a clear direction for Xuanming to create his own techniques.

This was also the reason why he had delayed opening the *Jade Scripture of the Yellow Court's Outer Scenery* for the third time.

The *Yellow Court Scripture* consisted of true scriptures of the Great Dao, cultivating the primordial spirit and inner deities, unlocking the hidden gateways of the physical form, and housing numerous cultivation methods within. It allowed the physical form and the spirit to merge with the Dao, placing equal emphasis on the cultivation of both nature and life.

In the legends of his past life, countless Taoists had comprehended superior cultivation methods from the *Yellow Court Scripture*, building from nothing, transforming the illusory into the real, overcoming every hardship to achieve the Dao and become immortals.

The Dao produces One, One produces Two, Two produces Three, and Three produces all things.

Within the Taoist tradition, the number three was profound, corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower Yellow Court scriptures, and even more closely aligning with the true essence of the Three Powers.

Having engaged with the *Yellow Court Scripture* for a long time, Xuanming understood a great deal of information, one piece being that the three volumes of the *Yellow Court Scripture* could only grant supreme fortune upon the first three readings and comprehensions.

At all other times, one had to rely on the accumulation of drop-by-drop insights, slowly gathering them into rivers, lakes, and seas.

Sharpening the axe does not delay the work of woodcutting. He needed to make ample preparations to maximize the third great fortune of the *Jade Scripture of the Yellow Court's Outer Scenery*. Perhaps then he could perfect the *Primal Chaos Qi Art* to the completion of Qi Refining, sparing him from worrying about cultivation methods for a long time to come.

***

An hour later, Xuanming stepped out of the thatched cottage.

Levitating to cross-leg on the crown of a sturdy, ancient pine tree, he circulated his heavenly cycles to harvest the lunar essence of the Great Yin.

The moonlight was hazy and brilliant. Vast amounts of lunar essence were drawn downward, swirling around his entire body as he absorbed them. Due to the sheer density, a phantom image of a crescent moon condensed beside him.

The moonlight was cool and aloof, casting a bright silver radiance. His white hair resembled carved ice and jade, glowing with a crystalline sheen. Sitting cross-legged amidst it all, Xuanming looked like an immortal dwelling within the moon—transcendent, ethereal, and untainted by mortal dust.

The ancient pine enjoyed proximity to the water and was first to catch the moon, bathed in moonlight to receive its fortune. The fawn below the tree, wagging its tail in excitement, also caught a share of the benefits, breathing in the lunar essence deeply and exhaling turbid air. The refreshing, invigorating sensation caused it to emit a comfortable cry.

atop the ancient pine, Xuanming focused intently on piercing his meridians.

The greater heavenly cycle was divided into the eight extraordinary meridians and the twelve regular meridians. With different techniques came different heavenly cycles.

The *Primal Chaos Qi Art*, however, embraced all rivers into the sea, being all-inclusive and eclectic. It simultaneously accommodated the strengths of both the extraordinary and regular meridians, uniting the regular and the extraordinary to supplement one another. It was much like the intertwining of yin and yang and the transformation of heaven and earth, connecting the upper and lower parts of the human body and linking the front and back to form an even more wondrous and grand circulatory cycle.

Three and a half months ago, Xuanming had successfully broken through his realm, building up momentum through accumulated effort. Aside from the conception and governing vessels, he had directly struck through four of the eight extraordinary meridians in one go. Tonight, he breached yet another meridian, leaving only the final one to match the completion of the greater heavenly cycle achieved by other practitioners.

Roughly half an hour later, Xuanming concluded his practice and returned to the thatched cottage, lying down on his side to sleep. With every breath he took, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth swirled into mist, beneath which the little deer curled up to slumber, similarly inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy.

Just as Xuanming rested peacefully, quite a few people in Fengyang County were kept awake, stirred into a frenzy because of him.