The hundreds of sect rules seemed complicated, but they amounted to little more than honoring teachers, respecting the Dao, protecting mortals, and the like. The most prominent part of the guide for entering the sect was a map of Suspended Azure of the Empty Mountain, but most of it was marked as restricted areas; less than a tenth of the places were labeled, which were the spots new disciples were permitted to visit.
Within the valley stood a dining hall and a hall of chores, catering to all the daily needs of the disciples. Wei Yuan had toiled all day and was already feeling hungry; on top of that, he had a hearty appetite, and boys his age were least able to endure hunger. Yet out of curiosity, Wei Yuan picked up that bottle of Qi-Ingesting Pills.
Unstopping the pill bottle, a faint, sweet fragrance immediately wafted to his nose. Wei Yuan tipped out a fingertip-sized, creamy yellow pill with a pale azure band encircling its middle. According to the sect guide, swallowing this Qi-Ingesting Pill would stave off the need for food for three days, requiring only a little fresh water to drink. Moreover, the pill did not merely ward off hunger; it also enhanced physical functions, feeling somewhat like an art of providence, only with less potent effects.
Wei Yuan tilted his head back and swallowed the Qi-Ingesting Pill. A moment later, a warm sensation rose in his belly, sweeping away all his hunger. His mind cleared considerably as well, feeling keen and lightning-sharp.
Toward dusk, Zhang Sheng hurried over, and master and disciple began their evening lessons.
Over the past three years, the two hours following dinner had always been set aside for evening study, during which Zhang Sheng mainly answered questions and resolved doubts. Today, however, was different: this was Wei Yuan's first official cultivation lesson.
Once master and disciple were seated in the cultivation room, Zhang Sheng lit a stick of incense. A light fragrance swiftly diffused through the air, and Wei Yuan instantly felt his thoughts quicken even further, as though he had just awakened from a sound sleep, his mind exceptionally agile and bright.
Zhang Sheng said, "The worldly only know to extol how wonderful immortals are, yet they do not know how long and arduous the immortal path is, nor how many perish along the way. Today, I will speak to you of the matters of the immortal houses.
"Since antiquity, there has never been just a single path to immortality. Over the ten thousand years that followed, descendants continually weeded through the old to bring forth the new, creating countless paths of the Dao. In our Daoist Palace alone, there are six roads to ascend to immortality and three thousand gates of myriad wonders. The Confucian and Buddhist paths have somewhat fewer, but not by much. As for the methods of the diverse schools, they are even more numerous, beyond count.
"On the path of ascending to immortality, the major realms can be divided into five: Body Casting, Dao Foundation, dharma idol, Scenery Command, and Unity. The Dao Foundation is also called the beginning of ascension, while Unity is the gate to true immortality. This holds true across all sects and schools. Our Daoist Palace considers the physical body a vessel for crossing the sea; if one wishes to form a Dao Foundation, one must first forge this mortal flesh into a Dao sprout and immortal embryo—this is Body Casting. Within Body Casting, there are several minor stages. Different schools divide them differently, but they ultimately come down to four aspects: flesh, blood, bone, and spirit.
"Once Body Casting reaches great completion, it naturally stirs a resonance with heaven and earth, uniting the immortal embryo with the world to cast the Dao Foundation. This is the very first cornerstone laid on the path of ascending to immortality, the true beginning of cultivation—hence why it is called the beginning of ascension. Because each person's cultivation method and providence differ, their immortal embryos vary as well. Add to that the differences in celestial timing, prevailing circumstances, and earth ley lines when the Dao Foundation is formed, and the resulting Dao Foundations are infinitely varied. One could say no two are alike; even fellow disciples from the same master, casting their foundations just months apart, might end up with completely different Dao Foundations.
"Speaking of Dao Foundations, there is much more to be said. Merely among the officially recorded major categories of Dao Foundations, there are easily eight hundred, if not a thousand. Even within the same category, there are subtle differences. For instance, if two Dao Foundations both take the shape of an ancient bell, whether it is purple or crimson, or whether it belongs to the element of metal or fire, makes a difference. Whether the bell bears bird-and-insect script or mountain-and-river patterns also affects its efficacy. Just as arts have superior and inferior qualities, Dao Foundations naturally have tiers of strength. Over hundreds and thousands of years, our predecessors classified the common Dao Foundations into three ranks: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal.
"Mortal-rank Dao Foundations are the most ordinary and numerous. For example, common implements among object types, such as tables, chairs, stools, pots, bowls, and ladles; the most fundamental Qi of the Five Elements; or ordinary birds and beasts among living creatures. Although Mortal-rank Dao Foundations are not strong, they come in many varieties, and certain rare ones can have miraculous uses in specific situations, so one cannot simply write them off as weak. However, a major reason common Dao Foundations are relegated to the Mortal rank is that the hope of forming a dharma idol from them is exceedingly slim.
"Earth-rank Dao Foundations are far rarer. Only those that substantially increase the chances of forming a dharma idol, or possess special functions, are placed in this category. For instance, various weapons among object types basically belong to the Earth rank. While such Dao Foundations may not necessarily offer a high probability of forming a dharma idol, they often confer outstanding combat prowess, and thus are classified as Earth rank. Or consider Five Elements Dao Foundations: if the primordial Qi of the Five Elements manifests as spirit beasts of their respective elements, that qualifies as Earth rank. Yin-yang Dao Foundations are exceptionally rare and immensely powerful once formed, so even their rudimentary two Qi of yin and yang are Earth rank.
"Above the Earth rank is the Heaven rank. Heaven-rank Dao Foundations are extraordinarily scarce; every possessor is a potential True Person of the Dharma Idol realm, highly prized by any sect. Examples among objects include state regalia and ritual sacrificial vessels, which are tied to the great destiny of the human race and unobtainable by anyone not blessed with immense providence. Other examples include divine beasts of the Five Elements, unusual manifestations of yin and yang, and various gods and fiends from the eclectic schools."
Having said so much in one breath, Zhang Sheng paused to let Wei Yuan digest it.
Wei Yuan's state of mind at this moment was truly photographic. A book that would take a mortal child a month or ten days to memorize, he could now commit firmly to memory with a single read. Though Zhang Sheng had spoken at such length, Wei Yuan retained every word. Half of this was due to Wei Yuan's natural intellect, while the other half was the combined credit of the Qi-Ingesting Pill, the small courtyard, and the mountain gate's array formation.
Recalling everything Zhang Sheng had just explained, Wei Yuan asked curiously, "Master, what is your Dao Foundation?"
Zhang Sheng smiled faintly. "When your master paid respects upon entering the sect, I received the Patriarch's favor and was gifted two strands of sword qi. During Body Casting, I gained further insights of my own, so the Dao Foundation I forged was three immortal swords. Under normal circumstances, a single immortal sword qualifies for the Heaven rank. Your master's Dao Foundation differs from the norm, so it does not fall into any rank."
Wei Yuan understood the moment he heard it: above the Heaven rank was a transcendent grade, and Zhang Sheng belonged to that transcendent grade. His master's modesty was, as always, unparalleled.
After finishing his explanation of Dao Foundations, because the subsequent realms were still far beyond Wei Yuan, Zhang Sheng said no more on the matter and began formally imparting cultivation methods.
What Zhang Sheng imparted was naturally the lineage of True Monarch Xuanyue of their own Sky Azure Hall. However, True Monarch Xuanyue served concurrently as the hall master of both Sky Azure Hall and Water Moon Hall, having cultivated two major lineages at once: primarily Sky Azure Hall's Sovereign Time Scripture of the Pure Heaven Orthodoxy, supplemented by Water Moon Hall's Lunar Chapter of Moon Essence and Ten Thousand Manifestations.
In the cultivation world, cultivation arts of the Body Casting realm were the most numerous. Many minor sects possessed only a single scripture that barely allowed one to cast a Dao Foundation, yet they could establish an entire sect upon it. Most rogue cultivators roaming the wilderness could not even achieve a Dao Foundation.
The Palace of Grand Beginning had countless Dao paths, and its Body Casting cultivation arts were as plentiful as the stars. Yet after generations of revisions by the sect's predecessors—winnowing away the chaff, preserving the essence, and tempering them through thousands of trials—they had been compiled into six foundational arts for disciples of differing aptitudes and providences. In terms of sheer quality, these six foundational arts had long surpassed the ancient methods of the individual halls. Thus, each hall currently used the foundational arts to complete Body Casting, only returning to their respective lineages when preparing to cast a Dao Foundation.
The halls of the Palace of Grand Beginning were far more than mere names; each had been conditioned into an environment uniquely suited to cultivating its specific path. For example, with the Sovereign Time Scripture of the Pure Heaven Orthodoxy that Zhang Sheng specialized in, condensing a dharma idol within Sky Azure Hall increased the success rate by a full twenty percent.
Also cultivating the Pure Heaven Orthodoxy, Zhang Sheng's master, Perfected Fenhai, had instead taken the Five Elements path. His formed dharma idol was Heavenly Fire Boils the Sea, a rare and abnormal manifestation where water and fire conflicted. The advantage was astounding combat prowess; whenever Perfected Fenhai argued reason with others at the drop of a hat, this sea-boiling method was what he relied upon. The drawback was that its power proved difficult to control, making it all too easy to strike with excessive force by accident. Many of the grudges Perfected Fenhai had accumulated in the past stemmed from this very reason.
Subtle distinctions still existed among the six foundational Body Casting arts, and their efficacies differed. Zhang Sheng had deliberated long and hard over which one to choose for Wei Yuan's Body Casting. Originally, considering Wei Yuan's calm, steady demeanor, he had selected the Earth Origin Scripture, which built solid foundations but required the most patient, grinding effort. Yet just as he was about to impart it, for reasons unknown, Zhang Sheng suddenly recalled the scene on the day Wei Yuan was born. His heart shuddered, and he decided to switch to the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Chart.
Among the six foundational arts, the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Chart was tied most closely to providence, capable of drawing a portion of providence into one's foundation to perfect it. However, providence was fickle and unpredictable, capable of yielding good or ill results, making cultivation far less stable than with the Earth Origin Scripture. Disciples who focused on the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Chart were typically blessed with great auspicious providence, such as Li Zhi. Yet Wei Yuan's providence hailed from beyond the heavens, its nature indistinguishable even to Zhang Sheng. Choosing this art was, to some degree, a gamble.
Chapter 30