The instant Huang Tian broke through to the Golden Core, the rain outside ceased, and the skies cleared.
The heavens looked as though they had been thoroughly washed clean, revealing an utterly clear and profound azure blue.
The dense, lead-gray storm clouds dispersed completely, leaving only wisps of drifting clouds ignited by the reappearing brilliant sun. Stained in layers of gold and orange-red, they resembled fluffy mounds of burning fleece.
Whenever a high wind stirred, the clouds drifted like flowing silk scarves or swan plumage, gracefully unfurling across the sky.
Warm sunlight slanted through the window, resting upon the brown wooden desk and imparting a touch of gentle tranquility.
Huang Tian stood up, walked over to the desk, and poured himself a cup of warm water. He then sat before his computer and opened his inbox. Inside lay an email from the journal *Inventiones Mathematicae*.
"It got accepted..."
A smile touched the corners of his lips. He clicked into the submission portal, where the words "Completed-accept..." were indeed displayed.
This meant the paper he had submitted required no further revisions and was scheduled for publication.
Essentially, either this month or next, his paper would appear in the journal's new issue, ready for countless researchers to study, analyze, and discuss.
Slowly drinking the warm water from his cup, he found himself in high spirits. He closed the laptop, placed the cup back on the desk, retrieved his keys from the drawer, and unhurriedly headed downstairs.
Stepping out of the residential building, he was greeted by the crisp, cool air that followed the storm. He mounted his electric scooter and ambled along the street, the idle chatter of passing pedestrians drifting into his ears.
"The weather here in Chang City really changes on a dime! Just a while ago, the sun was blazing, then came that torrential downpour, and now it hasn't even been long and it's sunny again. Ridiculous..."
"There's so much water pooling on the ground. What a pain—hope my shoes don't get soaked."
"It feels great after the rain. I love this post-rain air. One deep breath and you feel refreshed all over."
"I hate after it rains. Everything feels sticky. I'd rather curl under a blanket during a heavy downpour, watch shows, or just sleep. It's so cozy."
"It's already January, chilly to begin with, and the rain just made the streets colder. Don't drag me out shopping next time; my hands are so cold they're going numb."
"Come on, the colder it gets, the more you need to get out and move around! Besides, we haven't hit the coldest stretch yet. That won't happen until a month or so from now around New Year's. Wonder if it'll snow then?"
"Stop running! There are puddles everywhere—don't slip! If you get your clothes dirty, you're getting a spanking!"
"Kids are just mischievous. You've got to discipline them properly. No need to hit him, just make him stand in the corner, or he'll never learn..."
"..."
It was mid-afternoon, and the brief, violent downpour had instead given the city a fresh, vibrant look.
Vehicles bustled along the road, car horns and the gentle honks of electric scooters weaving together in harmony.
Lining both sides of the street were shops of every kind—clothing boutiques, jewelers, bakeries... Pedestrians bustled past in droves, and long lines had formed outside a couple of newly opened milk tea shops, where young men and women browsed their phones while chatting with friends.
The air was laden with the faint, earthy scent of damp soil, the fresh fragrance of fruit, and the savory aromas wafting from various restaurants. It breathed a palpable sense of life—as if this was what real living truly felt like.
*Beep beep~*
Riding his electric scooter, Huang Tian had no particular destination in mind. He simply drifted aimlessly wherever the wheels took him, going wherever his whim led. Whenever he saw a lively crowd, he paused by the roadside to watch; whenever a new shop caught his eye, he wandered over to take a look.
For instance, passing a newly opened Mixue, he dropped in and casually bought a cup of warm milk tea, standing beneath a roadside tree and sipping it through his straw.
After finishing his milk tea, he climbed back onto his scooter and leisurely drifted with the flow of traffic. He cruised for a long while until the sun began to sink westward, draping heaven and earth in golden splendor. Only then did he ride back to his residential building, park the scooter, and cross the street to enter a small eatery bearing a sign that read "Jar-Simmered Soup."
"Boss, give me an order of... stir-fried rice noodles with beef, and a jar of black-bone chicken soup with Chinese yam."
"Coming right up!"
Finding a relatively clean table to sit down, Huang Tian glanced around, feeling a mild touch of sentimentality.
The jar-simmered soup shop had opened only recently. Before this, the premises had belonged to the Shihui Restaurant, where he used to order wooden-bucket rice with stir-fried pork and dried tofu skin.
That restaurant had indeed changed hands after all.
Still, though the pork and tofu skin rice he had not yet grown tired of was gone, the jar-simmered soup had arrived to take its place.
"Here you go, young man, your fried noodles and jar soup." The apron-wearing proprietor brought over the meal.
Picking up his chopsticks, Huang Tian first took a bite of the stir-fried noodles. The rice noodles were tender yet springy and smooth, with a pleasant mild spice. The beef was tender, carrying a faint, fragrant char from the wok.
After several bites of noodles, he picked up the spoon and took a sip of the soup. The broth was rich and velvety without being greasy, brimming with aroma. The chicken had long been stewed to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, slipping cleanly from the bone at the gentlest bite. The meat was thoroughly infused with the savory broth, while the yam pieces were soft and dense, accented by the delicate sweetness of a few goji berries.
"Tastes good."
Although fasting from worldly food had long become effortless at his level of cultivation, indulging in tasty delicacies now and then remained a distinct pleasure.
After finishing the stir-fried noodles and soup, Huang Tian paid the bill and stepped out. Standing by the roadside, he looked up into the vast sky. By now, only the faintest golden twilight lingered on the horizon as night descended. The starlight was cool and clear, and the moonlight was soft and mild.
Neon lights flickered on both sides of the street. Pedestrians strolled between light and shadow, their silhouettes dancing under the streetlamps and shop displays.
Taking a gentle breath, Huang Tian unhurriedly walked into the residential building, climbed to the third floor, and returned to his apartment. He boiled water, took a hot bath, and then reclined comfortably upon his soft bed.
"*Phew~* Not a bad day at all."
Leaning half-propped against the headboard, he stirred his intent, and all manner of voices instantly resonated in his ears.
"Hmm, no black voice lines..."
When people who bore extreme hatred and wished to kill him mentioned his name, it manifested as a black voice line.
When people who were close and familiar mentioned him, it manifested as a teal voice line.
Here on Blue Star, no one wished for his death, so naturally, no black voice lines appeared.
After observing a few teal voice lines for a moment, he shifted his focus toward the ordinary, colorless voice lines.
Having observed them for a short while, his gaze suddenly focused.
"My supernatural ability... has changed again?!"
His sight tracked along an unremarkable voice line and "looked" across. In an instant, space and time intertwined, heaven and earth spun, and a scene unfolded before his eyes:
Mianyun Temple in Chuan Province.
Having finished his evening prayers, Daoist Shanjing clasped his hands behind his back and strolled out of the main hall, ambling down a gravel pathway.
Rounding a corner, a brightly lit room came into view. This was the temple's tea room.
A warm yellow glow emanated from inside, and the silhouettes of several young people were cast upon the window. Before he even drew close, laughter drifted out.
Daoist Shanjing walked over slowly and pushed the door open, greeted by a rush of warm air.
The tea room was not large and was simply furnished. Gathered around a long table sat two young men and three young women.
A young man wearing glasses sat on a chair, sipping from a bowl of tea, the rising steam fogging his lenses. Another young man with a buzz cut had his head lowered, browsing silent short videos on his phone.
The three young women, bundled in thick winter clothing, sat huddled together, laughing and bantering.
"Enjoying tea and conversation here, benefactors?" Daoist Shanjing said with an amiable smile.
Mianyun Temple not only housed Daoist priests but also accepted ordinary people seeking lodging.
It cost sixty yuan a day for a double room, meals with the Daoists included. If someone desired absolute quiet, they could opt for a single room at one hundred yuan a day, also including three meals.
Many young people were willing to stay at Daoist temples for various reasons. Some sought to experience a tranquil, natural lifestyle; others wanted to escape worldly troubles; still others were battling depression and came to reside in the temple for a period to mend their state of mind.
These five young people were temple guests staying for precisely such reasons.
"Hello, Daoist."
"Finished your evening prayers, Daoist? Come sit and have some tea with us. It's so cold out, nobody feels like moving. Having tea and chatting feels just right."
Seeing Daoist Shanjing, the five greeted him with smiles. The buzz-cut youth even pulled up a chair from the corner.
"Thank you, I can manage myself."
Daoist Shanjing voiced his thanks and sat beside the long table. A slender, delicate young woman poured him a cup of tea.
"I bought these tea leaves online myself—they're quite cheap. To be honest, I can't really tell good tea from bad. As long as it warms the stomach and carries a bit of aroma, it's good enough for me," the slender girl said bashfully.
Daoist Shanjing thanked her once more, took the cup, and blew gently across the surface with a smile. "To tell the truth, I know little about tea either. All the tea in our temple is purchased in bulk by Senior Brother Shanzhu. To me, so long as it's drinkable, it serves its purpose."
Hearing him mention Daoist Shanzhu, several of them chuckled. Because that Daoist name happened to be the name of a fruit—mangosteen—they privately referred to him as the Fruit Daoist. Of course, this was merely affectionate teasing, devoid of any malice.
The six sat together chatting about anything and everything. After a while, the buzz-cut youth suddenly asked with curiosity, "Daoist, when I was in the temple library earlier today, I think I saw the name Zhang Jiao in one of the books. Was he part of the Daoist tradition as well?"
All eyes turned toward Daoist Shanjing. No one was a stranger to the name Zhang Jiao. Setting aside the historically monumental Yellow Turban Rebellion, countless modern Three Kingdoms television dramas and video games featured him prominently.
"I remember Zhang Jiao seemed to have founded... that Tai—the Way of Peace, wasn't it called?" one of the young women piped up.
Daoist Shanjing nodded. "Zhang Jiao can indeed be counted among the Daoist tradition. He founded the Way of Peace, which revered the *Classic of Great Peace* as its canonical scripture, venerated 'Zhonghuang Taiyi' as its supreme deity, and advocated the establishment of an age of Great Peace.
"However, his uprising ultimately failed, and coupled with various other historical factors, Zhang Jiao's standing within Daoism became rather awkward..."
The youths showed understanding. The buzz-cut youth pressed on, "Then... that Donghuang—no, Zhonghuang Taiyi—what kind of deity is that? Is it the same as Donghuang Taiyi?"
"Zhonghuang Taiyi and Donghuang Taiyi are certainly different. The latter was the supreme, most revered deity worshipped by the State of Chu during the pre-Qin era."
Daoist Shanjing shook his head. "As for Zhonghuang Taiyi, you could also call it Zhonghuang Tai-Yi—using the character for 'One.'
"Taiyi generally denotes the supreme, most exalted deity. Certain ancient texts record that 'Taiyi resides in the Northern Polar Star of the Ziwei Palace,' and 'Of the celestial polar stars in the central palace, the brightest is where Taiyi regularly resides.'
"Around the Qin and Han dynasties, Taiyi was regarded as the Great Emperor of Heaven or the North Pole Heavenly Emperor of the Ziwei Palace, the supreme god governing the four cardinal directions.
"The two characters 'Zhonghuang'—meaning Central Yellow—were prefixed by Zhang Jiao, likely related to the Theory of the Five Virtues.
"Emperor Guangwu of Eastern Han, Liu Xiu, claimed to rule under the Virtue of Fire. According to the generation cycle of the Five Elements, Fire generates Earth. Among the Five Elements, Earth occupies the center, and its corresponding color is yellow, which was considered an omen of supreme fortune.
"The Way of Peace regarded Earth as auspicious, revered Zhonghuang Taiyi, and favored the color yellow. This subtly implied that Zhang Jiao's Way of Peace, governed by the Virtue of Earth, was destined to supplant the Eastern Han Dynasty, which was governed by the Virtue of Fire."
"That is roughly the origin of Zhonghuang Taiyi." Daoist Shanjing took a sip of tea. "According to the Way of Peace, Zhonghuang Taiyi held a status higher and more exalted than even the Five Emperors, though that was merely one school of thought.
"Well, when it comes to which god is more exalted, every tradition offers its own claim. One says Donghuang Taiyi is superior, another claims Nüwa is supreme. It mostly comes down to which belief gathers the most followers; once enough people believe, it becomes mainstream."
The youths nodded in agreement. Indeed, when it came to gods, everyone had their own version. Since true immortals and deities did not exist in this world anyway, how could one truly rank them in order of prestige?
As the group chatted away, back in the apartment, Huang Tian's eyes shone with unusual brilliance. None of the six people with Daoist Shanjing had uttered the name "Huang Tian."
They had only mentioned "Zhonghuang Taiyi."
*Could it be that after my true body achieved the Golden Core, my supernatural ability evolved once more? Now, even when someone utters a corresponding title or moniker, I can perceive it?*
He fell deep into thought. *Perhaps the change doesn't stop there. I should test it further...*
Pondering a moment, he focused his mind and attempted to channel a sliver of his power across the voice line.
*Whoosh~*
Inside the tea room, a chill breeze swept through, causing Daoist Shanjing to shiver.
"Strange. Where did that wind come from?"
He touched the back of his neck, feeling a chilly sensation.
The buzz-cut youth stood up in confusion and walked over to the door. "The door is closed tight, and the windows are shut too..."
"Could it be..." The round-faced girl with glasses looked apprehensive.
The slender girl gave her arm a speechless pat. "What are you imagining? There are no spooky things in this world. Besides, we're in a Daoist temple, not out in the wilderness, and there are so many of us here—including the Daoist himself. What's there to be scared of?"
Hearing that, the round-faced girl smiled sheepishly.
Daoist Shanjing waved a hand. "Don't overthink it. We must believe in science. That breeze probably leaked through a gap in the window."
Hearing the words "we must believe in science" come from the mouth of a Daoist priest, all five youths could barely hold back their chuckles.
"Drink tea, drink tea." Daoist Shanjing raised his tea bowl. "In this freezing weather, drinking something hot feels wonderful."
The five laughed, lifted their tea bowls, and sipped slowly.
Back in the apartment, Huang Tian's eyes gleamed brightly. "I can genuinely transmit power across!"
However, the power transferred across was noticeably attenuated.
The spiritual energy he had just mobilized should have stirred up a gust of wind, yet in the tea room, it had merely manifested as a gentle breeze.
He pondered inwardly. *Could it be related to distance? The closer the distance, the less the power attenuates; the farther the distance, the more it fades?*
Chapter 151