Chapter 124: The Imperial Lord of Eastern Splendor

A few days later, Cheng Xinzhan arrived once again at the gates of the Sanqing Palace.

Among the junior disciples, he was undoubtedly the one who frequented the Sanqing Palace the most. Ji Hehe was still sitting cross-legged, eyes closed in deep meditation.

"Xinzhan is here. Why stay outside? Come in."

"Yes."

Cheng Xinzhan responded and stepped into the palace, sitting down opposite Ji Hehe.

"What brings you here, Xinzhan?" Ji Hehe asked kindly.

"Sect Master, I have come to seek guidance on my cultivation."

Ji Hehe was slightly surprised. Why would he come to him for cultivation matters instead of asking Wen Sukong or Shi Tongxuan? However, he did not show it and continued in a gentle, soft voice, "Please, speak."

Cheng Xinzhan asked, "I have now opened four palaces, with only the Wood Palace remaining. I wonder if the Sect Master could instruct me."

Ji Hehe smiled upon hearing this. "You are not asking me how to open the Wood Palace; you are asking me how to choose the Inner Landscape Deity for it, aren't you?"

He knew that Xinzhan walked a path that was both broad and profound in the study of the Yellow Court Inner Landscape. This was due to both his natural talent and his fortuitous encounters. Within the sect, let alone those in the first or second realms, many in the third or fourth realms had not even manifested an Inner Landscape Deity, and those who had rarely possessed such a distinguished foundation as Xinzhan’s.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. If he were simply relying on breathing exercises and the gradual accumulation of energy to open the palace, he would not have needed to ask this question.

Ji Hehe nodded, then shook his head. "Your Fire Palace deity is the Mao-Ri Star Official, the Gold Palace deity is the Golden Qilin, the Earth Palace deity is Prince Bingling, and the Water Palace deity is the Supreme Yin Sovereign. The Wood Palace deity would normally be easy to decide, but if you want it to stand on par with the other four, it becomes difficult."

Cheng Xinzhan laughed and said, "That is why I specifically ask for the Sect Master's guidance."

Ji Hehe chuckled. After a moment of thought, he spoke, "As for Wood deities, there is the Wood Constellation among the twenty-eight mansions, and the Wood Virtue Star Official among the Five Virtue Star Officials. If we look further afield, there is the Eastern Mengzhang Divine Lord among the Four Symbols, the Azure Emperor among the Five Emperors, and the Eastern King Wood Duke among the Yin-Yang deities. Do you have any ideas?"

Cheng Xinzhan replied, "Sect Master, my thoughts are as follows: Among the twenty-eight mansions, I already have the Mao-Ri Mansion, which is a top-tier star official. Among the Five Virtues and Seven Luminaries, I have the Supreme Yin Sovereign, also a deity of the highest order. I have not yet manifested a deity from the Four Symbols, but I do possess the sacred beast Qilin. As for the Five Emperors, they are lords of humanity, and the karmic ties of the mortal world are too heavy; I dare not contemplate them. Thus, only the Eastern King Wood Duke seems appropriate.

"Furthermore, Sect Master, I opened my palaces in the order of Yang Fire, Yin Gold, Yang Earth, and Yin Water. Following the sequence of Yin-Yang alternation, it perfectly aligns with the Yang-instrument of Jia-Wood, making the Yang deity Wood Duke a perfect fit!"

Cheng Xinzhan smiled.

"Hmm." Ji Hehe nodded. This boy spoke with substance and his discernment had grown significantly. "Wood Duke... Ziyan Mountain has a shrine dedicated to him..."

"Wait! You rascal!" Ji Hehe realized something and pointed at Cheng Xinzhan, laughing. "You, you were aiming for Wood Duke from the very beginning, weren't you? You came to me just so the Sect Master would put in a good word for you at Ziyan Mountain?"

Cheng Xinzhan gave an embarrassed smile; that was indeed his intention.

Ji Hehe laughed heartily, feeling happy. This boy had brought a "monumental matter" to the sect, and he had been wondering how to reward him; now, the boy had proposed it himself.

Wait? Ji Hehe glanced at Xinzhan. Was this child doing it on purpose? Otherwise, if he only wanted to learn the techniques of Ziyan Mountain, he wouldn't need to come to the Sect Master. Let alone Shi Tongxuan, even Wen Sukong would have been enough. Hadn't Wen Sukong been the one to handle the arrangements when he went to Shuji Mountain before?

He had thought of the fact that I was agonizing over a reward? Thinking of this, he felt even happier. This was truly the material of a Sect Master!

"Very well, very well. You may go to Ziyan Mountain now; I will speak with the Mountain Master there." Ji Hehe said with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

"Why, is there something else?" Ji Hehe asked, seeing that Cheng Xinzhan had not left after finishing his request.

Cheng Xinzhan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sect Master, forgive my presumption, but is the Green Chi of the Songlu Lake related to the Slaying of the Flood Dragon in Shu? And why is the Green Chi here at our Sanqing Mountain?"

Having returned to the sect after two years, and with the matters of the Five Palace Mountains concluded, he had naturally gone to see the Green Chi. The fact that the Green Chi still could not speak made him suspect that it wasn't due to laziness in refining its throat bone, but that it had been injured and was unable to speak. He decided to take this opportunity to ask the Sect Master.

Ji Hehe fell silent for a moment; he had not expected Xinzhan to ask this question at this time.

After a brief pause, Ji Hehe said, "Indeed, the Green Chi comes from Shu. Her father was a close friend of the great Shu zither master, Lei Xian, and the owner of the zither treasure 'Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow,' known as Gu Yi."

As expected. Cheng Xinzhan knew he had guessed correctly.

"The Green Chi was brought back by Jingsong," Ji Hehe said.

Cheng Xinzhan was surprised; it was Mountain Master Ying of the Toujian Mountain. But he had visited the Green Chi many times and had never encountered Mountain Master Ying.

"I heard from Jingsong that it was the year Madam Miaoyi of Emei was breaking through from the fourth to the fifth realm. Her disciples were preparing congratulatory gifts for her and, for some reason, set their sights on the 'Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow' in Gu Yi's possession.

"However, there was only one 'Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow,' but the Emei disciples were numerous. Moreover, Shu is home to many flood dragons, and there has always been a rumor that they possess many treasures. That was the cause of that Slaying of the Flood Dragon in Shu."

Cheng Xinzhan found it hard to believe. They slaughtered the flood dragons of an entire region just to collect gifts? What kind of logic was that?

A cold expression appeared on the corner of Ji Hehe's mouth. "During the Slaying, the flood dragons naturally used water to resist. Thus, the Dao of Shu proclaimed that they were slaying the dragons to control the flooding, and the momentum grew ever greater. Jingsong was in Shu at the time and witnessed the waters of the Three Gorges dyed red with dragon blood. As the saying goes: 'The Way of Heaven diminishes the excessive to supplement the insufficient, but the Way of Man diminishes the insufficient to serve the excessive.' They treat as a golden rule what the Dao Ancestor discarded; what a wanton creation of karmic sin!"

Cheng Xinzhan clenched his fists.

"Jingsong met the fleeing Gu Yi by a river. One must ask, Gu Yi was a musician famous for many years in Shu; how could he possibly stir up trouble? Jingsong drew his sword to help, but there were too many disciples from the Shu path. Gu Yi entrusted his young daughter and the precious zither to Jingsong and stayed behind to block the pursuers. Whether he lived or died, Jingsong does not know.

"After Jingsong returned to the mountain, he told me about this, and I kept the young Chi, raising her in the mountains without saying a word to the outside world. The young Chi is sensible; she suffered grave injuries and was terrified, so she usually only cultivates at the bottom of the lake and never appears. That is why I was so surprised that you were able to befriend her."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded; he now understood the full scope of the matter.

"A gentleman's revenge is never too late, and when one sees injustice on the road, one should draw one's sword. But that sword must be sharp enough," Ji Hehe advised.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded in acknowledgment and took his leave.

Ji Hehe sat where he was, tapping his fingers on his knees. He thought that since this child had performed such a great service, he could now openly discuss the Five-Element Dharma Sword that he had previously ordered the Weaponry Institute to forge for him.

The Fire-Element sword should be coming out of the furnace soon. Following that, many things would no longer need to be limited to the Sect Master's secret treasury; they could be drawn from the sect's main treasury, and the remaining four swords could be forged together.

Regardless of anything else, he could not mistreat such a fine child.

***

Cheng Xinzhan emerged from the Flying Immortal Terrace of Ziyan Mountain; he had obtained what he wanted.

A contemplation diagram: "Portrait of the Great Dao Lord Eastern Flower Wood Duke Riding a Raft to the Sea."

A scroll of wood-element scriptures: "Precious Proclamation of the Eastern Flower Emperor on the Jia-Yi Azure Void One-Qi."

This scene reminded him of when he first began consuming Qi, searching bitterly through the archives of Xiao Wan Mountain, only to be short on funds and having to painfully spend one hundred and fifty taels of silver to buy the "Rubbing of the White Tiger Seven Mansions," which was his first glimpse of the Mao-Ri Star Official.

That was six years ago.

***

Just after returning to Mingzhi Mountain, he was called over by his master.

Cheng Xinzhan could clearly feel that ever since he returned to the sect two years ago and reported that his Uncle-Master was still alive, the smiles on his master's face had increased significantly. She no longer carried that look of bitterness and heavy melancholy as before.

"I can tell, every time you leave the sect, you always stir up some big trouble," Wen Sukong said with a smile as she looked at Cheng Xinzhan.

The first time he left, a new evil spirit was born in the southwest, and this disciple returned with his meridians damaged by the evil energy, his life in danger.

The second time he left, he encountered the ascension of a Corpse Immortal and brought back fragments of news from the Heavenly Realm.

The third time he left, he became famous throughout the world at the Sword Fighting Assembly, befriended the Master of the Returning Pearl Tower, and offended the wife of the Emei Sect Master.

The fourth time he left, he happened to encounter the birth of the Blood Demon of West Kunlun, was urgently transferred there, nearly got captured by the third realm, gained exposure among both righteous and demonic paths, and brought back news of Suxing.

The fifth time he left, he went to West Kunlun and only returned after two and a half years, bringing back the Ginseng Fruit Tree upon his return.

As a result, his name was even more prominent within the sect than some of the Daoist successors, and he was regarded by the Sect Master as a successor; outside the sect, he caused Dragon Tiger Mountain to delay its Dharma Assembly just to wait for him.

Cheng Xinzhan could only offer a wry smile in response.

"The date for the Dragon and Tiger Dharma Assembly is set for Qingming next year," Wen Sukong said.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. The Sect Master had already told him the day he returned to the sect, and he had agreed.

"I called you here because you are about to master the Five Elements; it is time to teach you some Yin-Yang techniques."

Cheng Xinzhan was delighted; there were new spells to learn.

"Thank you, Master. By the way, I have already obtained the Wood Duke contemplation diagram from Ziyan Mountain through the Sect Master. I should be able to strike for the second realm within the next year or two."

He had naturally consulted with his master about contemplating the Wood Duke, and she had been very supportive.

Wen Sukong smiled at this. "Even if it takes until next year, that is reaching the second realm in seven years. You should have a place on the Nandou Palace-Crushing Ranking."

Cheng Xinzhan also smiled. That was not very important to him anymore. Back when he first started consuming Qi, the prize money from being on the ranking had made life much easier for him as a registered disciple. But after his subsequent trips, especially after befriending the Eleventh Lady and eliminating demons in West Kunlun, he no longer worried about money.

Moreover, the sect was never short of geniuses who broke through realms. He only managed to be fifth in the Six-Breath Qi Consumption, and he might not even make the list this time for the seven-year breakthrough.

"I told you when you were consuming Qi that the cultivation of Mingzhi Mountain is complex—Yin, Yang, Five Elements, Wind, and Thunder—we know a little bit of everything. But the foundation of it all lies in Yin-Yang and Life-Death."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded; he remembered this well.

"The Way of Yin is manifested in Corpse-Raising and Soul-Raising. I have already taught you both of these arts: the 'Qingfu Rebirth Scripture' and the 'Secret Edict of the Longevity Embryonic Origin Manifesting Spirit.' You usually control the bamboo body with your soul-spirit and the physical body with your corporeal-spirit; that is essentially practicing these two techniques.

"As for Wind techniques, they are all in the 'Heavenly Gang and Earth Xun Human Spirit Manifesting Scripture' and the 'Secret Talisman of Invoking Wind and Transporting Luck,' so I won't say more.

"As for Thunder techniques, Mingzhi Mountain doesn't have anything special; you would certainly be more comprehensive learning the Five Thunders at Shuji Mountain.

"The secret tradition of Mingzhi Mountain that you don't know yet is the Way of Pure Yang."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan's eyes brightened.

Watching his expression, Wen Sukong chuckled and said, "Actually, Pure Yang is not a unique secret technique of Mingzhi Mountain. The Way of Pure Yang originated with the Wood Duke, also known as the Eastern Flower Emperor. The Eastern Flower Emperor passed the Dao to the Immortal Han Zhongli, who passed it to Lu Dongbin, the Ancestor Lu, who then popularized it and passed down the lineage of Zhongnan Mountain.

"The Pure Yang we study at Mingzhi Mountain was taught by Immortal Zhongli. After Ancestor Lu became famous, a monumental work was released called the 'Taiyi Golden Flower Core Philosophy,' of which Mingzhi Mountain also has a copied version passed down through generations."

Wen Sukong took out a golden book, handed it to Cheng Xinzhan, and reminded him with a smile, "Just like the previous ones, you may only read this while in the mountains; do not take it with you when you leave."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and accepted the golden book.

Wen Sukong continued, "The Great Dao of Pure Yang and the Great Dao of Inner Alchemy are inseparable. What we call 'Pure Yang' is treating the human body as an elixir, refining away all Yin dross to return to pure Qian."

"Master, what is 'Yin dross,' and how does one refine it away?"

Wen Sukong replied, "The book says: 'The one true spirit, once fallen into the Purple Palace, divides into soul and corporeal-spirit. The soul is Yang, a light and clear energy obtained from the Great Void. The corporeal-spirit is Yin, a heavy and turbid energy attached to the physical heart. The soul loves movement and is life; the corporeal-spirit loves stillness and looks toward death. To refine away all Yin corporeal-spirit is to become Pure Yang.'"

Cheng Xinzhan was startled. It was true that the soul was Yang and the corporeal-spirit was Yin, and that the soul moved while the corporeal-spirit was still. But to refine away all the corporeal-spirit because of this—was that not a bit extreme? He asked, "Master, perhaps I misunderstood, but is this 'Pure Yang' about refining 'Yang' to the extreme, or completely eliminating 'Yin'? If it is the latter, isn't that a bit extreme?"

Wen Sukong looked at her disciple with approval. She nodded and said, "Regarding the Pure Yang technique, there are four things I must explain to you."

Cheng Xinzhan listened respectfully.

"First, although the Pure Yang tradition passed down to us at Mingzhi Mountain from Immortal Zhongli also involves refining Yin dross, it has not reached the point of refining away all Yin corporeal-spirit to leave only the Yang soul. Therefore, it is unclear whether the method of completely discarding the Yin corporeal-spirit proposed in the 'Taiyi Golden Flower Core Philosophy' was written by Ancestor Lu himself, or by his descendants or disciples under his name.

"Second, as the saying goes, 'Listen to both sides to be enlightened; listen to one side to be blinded.' The Great Dao of Pure Yang is not the only true path. Asking you to learn Pure Yang does not mean you should discard everything you have learned before to leave only Pure Yang.

"Third, the 'Taiyi Golden Flower Core Philosophy' is still an extremely profound scripture. Its discussions on the Heavenly Heart, Returning the Light, the Original Spirit, and the Knowing Spirit are worth their weight in gold. Its theories and cultivation methods regarding the three treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit being supported by the Five Elements to form the three phases of Essence-Water, Spirit-Fire, and Intention-Earth are truly groundbreaking. I believe this single method alone is enough to establish a sect. Even the parts of the book that teach how to refine away the Yin corporeal-spirit are infinitely mysterious. You don't have to practice them, but you can learn from them by analogy, at the very least to refine your three souls and seven corporeal-spirits and sweep away impure thoughts.

"Fourth, our methods at Mingzhi Mountain for raising corpses and souls are biased toward Yin. Over time, this is not good for either the spirit or the body. Therefore, the Pure Yang technique is more like a protective method for Mingzhi Mountain disciples. With Pure Yang in your heart, you preserve your original spirit from being extinguished, allowing you to practice Yin methods without concern. This is also a form of Yin-Yang balance."

Cheng Xinzhan was enlightened and bowed in agreement.

"This 'Pure Yang Annotations and Derived Techniques' contains the insights of the past masters of Mingzhi Mountain. Study it carefully." Wen Sukong handed him a jade slip.

Cheng Xinzhan accepted it.

"I have taught you all the foundational techniques of Mingzhi Mountain. What kind of fruit you will bear in the future depends on your own cultivation."

Cheng Xinzhan bowed low.