Sowing the Dao in a Light Field

"He is even more diligent than before!" Yuan Tiangang thought. On the Nai River Bridge, the sorrowful old man queued behind numerous ghosts, his face etched with misery, looking even more sorrowful than before. Who knew how much time passed, but it was finally his turn. Granny Meng saw who it was, and her hand couldn't help trembling again. "Granny, strain ten bowls of tea. Make the broth thick." The sorrowful old man frowned deeply and added, "I want the first brew. None of that second or third brewing." Granny Meng could not hold back from saying, "Didn't the Emissary come yesterday? Why come again today? And where is the Emissary's umbrella?" The sorrowful old man sighed, making no mention of the green paper umbrella. "Last time, your tea was watered down; it couldn't do anything to him. This time is different. With ten bowls of the first brew, the seal will be reinforced." Granny Meng laughed in sheer outrage. "There is no such thing as a first or second brew with my tea! The medicinal potency is always the same! This brew of mine is also called the Soul-Bewildering Soup. Drinking my tea will wash all memories from your soul, making you forget the past and plunging you into the mystery of the womb—more innocent than an infant! There is no reason anyone could drink my tea and still retain their memories!" The sorrowful old man replied, "Words mean nothing. After he drank your tea, he was more energized than ever, even a bit overexcited." Granny Meng's fury flared. "Impossible! If it cannot bewilder his soul, I'll let you smash my golden reputation to pieces!" The sorrowful old man repeated, "Ten bowls of tea. Make the broth thick." Granny Meng gritted her teeth and glared at him. After a moment, she said helplessly, "Ten bowls of tea? Are you feeding an elephant? Even if you carry ten bowls of tea in front of him, he still has to drink it. Besides, you took my tea bowls last time. Where are my bowls?" The sorrowful old man lined up ten tea bowls in midair and said, "Ten bowls. I have a way to make him drink them." Granny Meng had no choice but to pour the tea. "If you truly cannot seal him, what does the Emissary plan to do?" The sorrowful old man was silent for a moment, then said, "Then I can only report that the target has escaped confinement, and await disposition from above." Granny Meng shuddered and spoke no more. After a short while, the sorrowful old man slowly walked off the Nai River Bridge and vanished into the boundless darkness. *** Mount Wuwang, Qinyan Cave, within the Mud Pill Palace. The bronze bell was in a foul mood. Originally, the reverberations of its tolling should have shaken Xu Ying's soul out of his body, leaving the body where it was. Now, absurdly enough, when the bell chimed, Xu Ying's body was sent flying out while his soul stayed behind in place. The cause of this predicament was none other than a certain someone swallowing far too many Myriad Spirits Pills. The indestructible primordial spirits had flooded his soul, making it astonishingly robust! Xu Ying looked down at his hands, only to see a milky-white glow shining from his palms—jade bones and icy skin, completely unlike a body of flesh and blood! He looked at his body, which shone brilliantly, inch-long rays of fine light beaming outward from within! "I am my soul?" Xu Ying suddenly felt a burning heat on his left shoulder. Turning his head, he saw a clump of flame burning there, emitting a faint, spectral glow. He looked toward his right shoulder—there was a clump of flame there as well! He tilted his head back, only to see another flame hovering above his head, burning even more vigorously! The great bronze bell said, "These are the three clusters of yang fire of the human body. Once forged into one, they become Samadhi true fire—the utmost hardness and utmost yang, capable of incinerating all things." "But..." Xu Ying pointed at the bull demons. "Why is their yang fire different from mine?" Those bull demons were trembling as they gazed at his soul, cowering together as though terrified of him. Xu Ying could even see the souls inside the bull demons. They possessed souls too, similar in size to their bodies, but completely devoid of brilliance like his! They also had three clusters of yang fire, which seemed quite vigorous at a glance, yet flickered and wavered at the slightest breeze, looking as if they might be snuffed out at any moment. They were nothing like his three fires, which were utterly steady and unyielding to the wind! The bronze bell said, "So that's how it is. No wonder these bull demons submitted to you. Your soul is too strong. When they whipped you with the soul-thrashing whip, you didn't feel pain—the whip did! If you were to whip someone else with it, you could probably unleash three to four times its power! Your soul's current attainment has likely surpassed city gods and vice prefects, nearing that of a ghost king! These bull demons probably mistook you for a ghost king, which is why they pledged their allegiance to you!" "A ghost king?" Xu Ying was startled. Wouldn't that make him Great Ghost King Xu? But wasn't he supposed to be Great Demon King Xu? "Your three clusters of yang fire were tempered by the Pure Yang anomalous fire, which is why they are so pure and unaffected by wind. But their sheer vigor doesn't come from the anomalous fire—it's because you ate too many Myriad Spirits Pills!" The bronze bell sneered, "Your soul is on the verge of solidifying, turning into a soul composed of indestructible primordial spirit, making your three ethereal souls, seven corporeal souls, and physical body look terribly weak in comparison. These three clusters of yang fire are burning your vital energy on one end and your refined essence on the other. Vital energy comes from the flesh, while essence comes from the divine soul. In other words, these three clusters of yang fire have lit you like a candle! You must cultivate a technique to temper your body with your soul as soon as possible, or your own three fires will burn you to ashes!" Xu Ying's heart gave a jolt as he realized the gravity of the situation. Having a soul at the level of a ghost king without the cultivation base of one was definitely not a good thing! It was like earning only two copper coins a day while spending four—spending more than he earned would soon leave him utterly destitute. The bronze bell urged, "You have only just entered the Pass-Breaching stage. With your Weilu mystic pass unsealed, you open the gateway to Qi refinement and the grand path to the Heavenly River. This realm bridges life and death and comprehends yin and yang, using the waters of the Heavenly River to nourish the five viscera and six entrails, strengthening the physique. On the other hand, it also opens the Heavenly Mountains within your body, allowing you to courageously ascend and advance to the next realm. This so-called bridging of life and death and comprehending of yin and yang means you can now adjust and cultivate your own soul." With a resonant chime, it drove Xu Ying's soul back into his body, saying with great earnestness, "Do you think I urge you to cultivate merely to steal your vital blood? Not entirely. My goal is to keep you diligent so you can raise your cultivation and stand on your own two feet sooner—only then can I steal even more vital blood!" After offering its earnest counsel, it added, "Rest early. You still have to cultivate first thing tomorrow morning." Xu Ying took out a Myriad Spirits Pill and tossed it to Yuan Qi. "I saved one for you." Yuan Qi was both surprised and delighted, yet somewhat frightened. He whispered, "Lord Bell, if I take this Myriad Spirits Pill, will my soul burn like Ah Ying's?" The bronze bell said, "No. After you swallow it, your soul will likely become stronger than these bull demons'." Yuan Qi hastily swallowed the spirit pill. Xu Ying was exhausted from the long day as well. After filling his belly with some wild game, he soon drifted off into a deep sleep. In the dead of night, several bull demons transformed into yellow oxen, sprawling on the floor of the Mud Pill Palace to doze. Suddenly, the cliff wall behind the palace split open, and a white-bone skeleton stepped out from the rock. The moment the bull demons caught sight of the skeleton, they fell unconscious, losing all awareness. Floating up without a sound, the white-bone skeleton entered the Mud Pill Palace and arrived at Xu Ying's quarters. At that moment, the bronze bell hovered above Xu Ying. Sensing something amiss, it was about to chime and wake Xu Ying when suddenly its mind blurred, its divine sense scrambled, and it plunged into unconsciousness. The bronze bell dropped from above, nearly crashing onto Xu Ying, but the white-bone skeleton lightly raised a hand, causing the bell to drift aside. The white-bone skeleton leaned forward, extending a withered finger toward the center of Xu Ying's brow. Right then, an anomalous fire surged out from between Xu Ying's brows, blazing brilliantly as it swept toward the skeleton, filling the room with firelight! "Qingbi, you would oppose me too?" Startled, the white-bone skeleton dissolved into a wisp of blue smoke and vanished. The Pure Yang anomalous fire snapped back, and the flames filling the room vanished completely as the little flame retreated into Xu Ying's body and concealed itself once more. The bronze bell clattered onto the floor and suddenly awoke. Bewildered, it said, "Strange, how did I fall asleep? Wasn't I hovering above Ah Ying to protect his soul and suppress the three-yang true fire in his body?" It had been worried that Xu Ying's true fire burned too hot, which might cause premature decay of his soul and physique, so while Xu Ying slept, it had continued to suppress the three flames of yang fire on his shoulders and head. Xu Ying was also awakened by the noise, but seeing that nothing was wrong, he went back to sleep. The next day, before dawn had even broken, the bronze bell began tolling loudly, making Xu Ying see stars. The bell was even more diligent than he was, flying into his room one moment to clang a few times, then darting into Yuan Qi's room the next to bang around loudly, clamoring for them to do their morning lessons. Even the bull demons were awakened by the racket, yawning with bleary eyes. To wash his face, Xu Ying jumped into the water and took a bath, swimming all the way out of Qinyan Cave. He stretched lazily, put on his trousers and clothes, and began his day's cultivation. In the distance, several female demons peeked shyly in his direction. The youth now radiated a masculine scent that was very enticing to female demons. Yet how could female demons compare to the fun of cultivation? Yuan Qi and the bull demons exited Qinyan Cave and began their day's cultivation as well. Yuan Qi was pondering the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique and asked Xu Ying how to cultivate it. While circulating his guiding technique, Xu Ying deciphered the scriptures: "The so-called Awakening of Insects refers to the sudden clap of spring thunder, the ascent of yang qi, and all living things sprouting and competing to flourish. This technique is a method for forging the Pure Yang Qi of dragon and snake and transforming the physical body." As he explained, he demonstrated in practice; by the time he finished explaining once, he had already practiced the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique once through. Yuan Qi gained tremendous insight, grasping seventy to eighty percent of the technique, and was filled with deep admiration: *Ah Ying might not be as patient as the white-robed Nuo immortal, but he truly is a great teacher. When he explains it, I understand immediately.* Xu Ying then explained the other scroll, the True Cultivation of the Ba Snake, saying, "The True Cultivation of the Ba Snake is about the way of changing size. It contains extraordinary methods of shedding and transformation, which can be cultivated in tandem with the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique." Once again, he explained while practicing. After cycling through it once, he had also finished explaining the True Cultivation of the Ba Snake. Practicing while explaining also allowed him to cross-reference and verify whether he had misunderstood anything. The bronze bell was also breathing and respiring nearby. Seeing Xu Ying expound the two techniques with crystalline clarity, thoroughly mastering them after a single read, it was astonished. *This kid doesn't seem to be as simple as an ordinary snake catcher. How could an ordinary snake catcher explain a Qi Refiner's techniques so thoroughly after reading them just once?* Although the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique and the True Cultivation of the Ba Snake were more suitable for Yuan Qi to cultivate, both were Qi Refiner techniques. Qi Refiner techniques were far more obscure than those of Nuo masters; while they were not undecipherable, they certainly could not be deciphered with such effortless ease as Xu Ying had shown. *Does this mean when I scammed him, I hit the jackpot?* The bronze bell felt a surge of excitement. *I truly am favored by Heaven's mandate, blessed with incredible luck!* Having finished his explanation, Xu Ying suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, and another profoundly esoteric passage of scripture surged into his mind. It was the continuation of the Taiyi Guiding Technique, vastly more obscure than either the Dragon Snake Awakening Technique or the True Cultivation of the Ba Snake, yet he understood its meaning quite naturally. With a slight shift of intent, he mobilized the vital energy in his body according to the mental mnemonic of the Taiyi Guiding Technique and sent his divine sense into the Realm of Xiyi. Instantly, clouds churned and winds shifted within the Realm of Xiyi, fleecy clouds morphing like shifting dogs, as if the sun and moon were shuttlecocks weaving through time and the vicissitudes of ages were flowing past. In the outside world, Yuan Qi and the bull demons looked up into the sky. In the sky, a one-mu light field grew brighter and brighter as sunlight gathered like a tempest and poured into the field. The rice seedlings within seemed alive, absorbing the sunlight and slowly growing. It appeared slow, but in fact, the seedlings shot up in just a few breaths. Then, the seedlings in this one-mu light field headed and blossomed, quickly bearing heavy seeds. "Lord Bell, have you ever seen a cultivation method like this?" Yuan Qi asked in a murmur. The bronze bell was also somewhat dazed and replied, "Never." Before its words faded, the seedlings in the light field matured, and golden seeds flew out one after another, falling toward Xu Ying's body like a shower of light! Yuan Qi attempted to intercept a golden seed. When it fell into his body, it instantly dissolved into rich vital energy, dense with intense yang qi! "It looks like a rice seed, but a Pure Yang rice seed!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Rice seed, rice seed..." The bronze bell murmured repeatedly, then suddenly cried out, "I know now! It's not a rice seed—it's a Dao seed! Sowing the Dao in a light field, planting a lotus in fire—this is a technique that points straight to the Great Dao! But... but..." It was thoroughly baffled. A technique pointing straight to the Great Dao was something even its former master had never obtained. How could Xu Ying, a mere snake catcher from the backwoods, possess such a technique? It had witnessed Xu Ying conjuring the light field and the seedlings during his cultivation, and it had seen the seedlings mature into Dao seeds that entered Xu Ying's body, but as to when Xu Ying had learned such an extraordinary technique, it was utterly in the dark. *At this cultivation speed of his, my injuries should heal even faster!* Delighted, the bronze bell cast its doubts to the back of its mind.