Chapter 54 Innate Essence, A Speck of Primordial True Intent

The bright moon sinks below the dark firmament, while the golden crow ascends the azure sky.

The next day, at the Inquiring Dao Academy, having refined the morning’s purple qi of the sun, Xuanming opened his eyes and gazed far into the fiery red sun hanging in the eastern firmament, feeling quite pleased.

Through yesterday’s discourse on the Dao, his spiritual attainment had progressed; after digesting the insights overnight, he had advanced even further. Once he completely integrated these realizations into his own foundation, his spiritual attainment would rise yet again, perhaps allowing him a deeper glimpse into the mysteries of the Xiantian realm.

If so, he would be even more confident in next year’s Dao assembly.

The reason Xuanming had set the date for the discourse was that spiritual attainment and actual cultivation base were distinct, not entirely identical.

The two were akin to a root and a tree: spiritual attainment was the root, while the cultivation base was the tree. A deep root did not necessarily guarantee a luxuriant tree, but a luxuriant tree inevitably possessed deep roots. In other words, spiritual attainment represented depth, whereas the cultivation base represented height.

Height manifested outwardly, growing upward for all to see.
Depth remained hidden within, extending downward, difficult to detect.

Yet depth determined height; just as a ten-thousand-foot tower rises from the flat earth, a three-story building might possess a five-story foundation.

Naturally, everything must have its limits, otherwise an imbalance would occur.

Qi refinement was a major realm in itself, which set an upper boundary—the imbalance between spiritual attainment and cultivation base could not cross this line.

Within half a year, relying on his own comprehension and the blessing of the Huangting Dao qi, Xuanming was confident he could elevate his spiritual attainment to the Xiantian perfection, or even the Jindan realm.

Even if this were revealed during the Dao assembly, the risks would be minimal. This was because the level of one’s spiritual attainment was primarily tied to the strength of one’s comprehension. It would help him avoid physical confrontations, prevent others from drawing unnecessary connections, and lower the risk of exposing the Hundun Foundation Establishment Technique. At the same time, it would solve difficult problems, earn him more insights into Qi refinement and Daoist scriptures, and accumulate materials for his own creation of a cultivation method—achieving multiple goals at once.

It would be even better if, before spring arrived next year, Xuanming could independently create the Xiantian Chapter of the *Hundun One-Qi Technique* and advance into the Xiantian realm.

Even if the worst-case scenario occurred afterward—such as a Jindan cultivator breaking the rules and making a covert move against him—as long as he could withstand it openly and fairly, it would not arouse excessive suspicion.

For this very reason, Xuanming dedicated the coming years even more single-mindedly to comprehending the Dao and cultivating himself: pondering insights, digesting gains, practicing the sword and techniques, studying calligraphy and refining talismans, observing scriptures and realizing the Dao...

His life was fulfilling and busy; busyness brought peace of mind. He placed greater emphasis on insights and the comprehension of the Dao, while the practice of Dharma powers and divine abilities took second place. After all, matters had their priorities, and the primary and secondary must remain distinct.

No matter how busy he was, every morning and evening, Xuanming would stroll through the mountain forests, observing the heavens and the earth, paying attention to all things, and taking nature as his teacher.

He would watch the azure ox lying among the flowers, and gaze at the white crane perching on the tall pine. Mountain fruits fell in the rain, while insects hummed beneath the lamp.

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Time flowed gently, and the years passed in peace.

Seven days later, a thunderstorm had just cleared.

Mountain mists drifted lazily, leaving the air damp and humid.

Amidst the half-light and shadow upon Hidden Dao Peak, the white-haired old Daoist sat cross-legged on the mountain peak. The peach-wood sword flew back, automatically resting horizontally across his knees, while the horsetail whisk descended to rest in the palm of his right hand. After contemplating the thunderstorm, unlike in the past, Xuanming did not rise to leave; instead, his gaze remained fixed upward, looking unblinkingly at the sun and moon.

The setting moon sank westward while the rising sun ascended eastward.

Observing the intertwining spectacle of the sun and moon, a thought stirred in his heart. He circulated the Hundun technique, drawing forth the purple qi of the great sun and the lunar essence of the moon.

As these two streams of energy merged into the mysterious pass and poured respectively into the solar and lunar talismans, the two talismans—which had remained entirely dormant ever since entering his Niwan Palace—finally underwent a transformation.

The runes circulated, their auras resonating with one another.

The solar character and the lunar character each began to radiate their own brilliance.

Placed respectively on the left and right sides of the *Huangting Outer Scenery Scripture*, the two talismans generated a mutual attraction, slowly drawing closer to each other.

This change invigorated Xuanming’s spirit. He concentrated entirely on observing and comprehending the phenomenon, soon becoming enveloped in an arcane and mystical aura.

Within the boundless and hazy Niwan Palace, as the distance between the two talismans shrank, they transformed into a sun and a moon.

The setting sun and the new moon, the waning moon and the rising sun; their descents and ascents corresponded to one another, their risings and fallings followed an orderly sequence. The sun and moon cycled endlessly, day and night alternated, the ancient and the modern connected, echoing each other.

In the end, the solar and lunar talismans met above the *Huangting Outer Scenery Jade Scripture*. After spinning seven times, the two half-talismans fused back into a single, complete talisman, and the character for "Brightness" (Ming) reappeared.

Its aura was abstruse, its celestial phenomenon mystical.

Day and night were no longer distinct, yet the contrast between light and darkness was intense.

Disregarding the *Huangting Scripture*, the area surrounding the Brightness talisman was dim and chaotic, pitch-black and profound. The entire Niwan Palace darkened as if a lamp had been extinguished—mysterious, silent, and terrifying.

Yet in the next instant, the Brightness talisman burst forth with a translucent glow, becoming the sole source of light within the darkness.

If the darkness were a great river, the Brightness talisman was an isolated island in the midst of that river, standing as the only exception, bringing hope, warmth, and tranquility.

Witnessing this scene with his own eyes, a flash of inspiration flickered across Xuanming’s mind like a comet streaking hurriedly across the night sky. He vaguely comprehended something, yet when he tried to ponder it closely, he found nothing at all.

Fortunately, he possessed an open and magnanimous disposition and did not force it. Since the insight had visited him once, there was a high probability it would return in the future. Some matters happened in twos if they happened once; the fact that he failed to grasp it just now meant his cultivation was still lacking in certain aspects, making it difficult for him to hold onto that particular realization.

To attain it was his fortune; to miss it was his fate.

Fortunately, there were other gains to be had.

Xuanming gathered his mind and focused entirely on comprehending the mysteries of the Brightness talisman. His understanding of the Dao of Yin and Yang grew progressively deeper, and he even caught a glimpse of the true meaning of Hundun within this talisman.

"Brightness" meant that the sun and moon traveled together to create light.
The sun represented day and Yang; the moon represented night and Yin.

When combined, they formed brightness, erasing the cycle of day and night, dissolving the separation of Yin and Yang. Water and fire achieved harmony, light and darkness embraced, living and perishing together.

This "Brightness" formed a complete circle, becoming the sole bright spot amidst the darkness.

Xuanming attempted to inject a sliver of Huangting qi into the Brightness talisman. Like a drop of water falling into a pan of boiling oil, the Brightness talisman suddenly surged with talismanic runes.

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In the silent darkness, a single point burst forth with dazzling light. Light and darkness collided, triggering a grand explosion.

A three-foot illusory world was born amidst the explosion; a world of light came into being within the darkness. The darkness compressed the world, while the single point of light filling the cosmos abruptly split apart, transforming into the two qi of Yin and Yang, which in turn derived the sun and the moon.

Yin and Yang suppressed the darkness. With each rise and fall of the sun and moon, the boundaries of the world grew firmer by a fraction, and the heavens and earth grew brighter by a measure.

The great sun was utmost Yang, grand and unconstrained; thus, when it appeared, it banished the darkness and brought light to the world. The clear moon was utmost Yin, deep and tranquil as still water; thus, when it appeared, it illuminated the night sky, casting light within the dark.

Xuanming’s mind and soul shook violently. All manner of principles and insights rushed toward him like a surging tide. Gazing at the three-foot illusory world and recalling the scene he had just witnessed, a thought stirred in his mind once more.

The world shattered, and the three-foot illusory world dissolved back into the Brightness talisman. The only difference was that this time, the Brightness talisman emitted a gloomy, secluded light, turning into a black orb, while the surrounding space was filled with light.

A sliver of Huangting qi was injected into the Brightness talisman once more. In an instant, the black orb erupted; a black hole devoured the light, and amidst the intertwining of light and darkness, the three-foot illusory world was recreated.

Light compressed darkness, the sun and moon were born, and the heavens and earth were cast in shadow. With each rise and fall of the sun and moon, the dark sun blocked the light, and the dark moon stained the brightness black.

At this moment, Xuanming’s spiritual perception was exceptionally active, and his spirit was immensely exhilarated:

He had comprehended it!

All kinds of principles intertwined, and streams of thought surged.

As it turned out, the Xiantian state was the essence of all things in the universe. Since the origins of things differed, their Xiantian essences differed as well.

Stone stools and tables versus jagged mountain peaks—their essence was earth.
Bookshelves and bed frames versus towering trees and blooming grass—their essence was wood.

While the factors influencing postnatal essence were varied and numerous, the Xiantian essence could only be determined by one's origin, possessing absolute uniqueness.

All things are difficult at the beginning. Once he grasped this point, comprehending and digesting the remaining principles became twice as effective with half the effort, proceeding at a rapid pace.

Xuanming quickly knocked open the gate of the Xiantian realm, and his spiritual attainment stepped into the Xiantian stage. Yet he did not stop there; although his progress slowed down, it continued to rise. The reason for this was related to the lingering Hundun principles he had comprehended.