Chapter 421 - What A Magnificent Tea
“So quick?” Jun Sixie exclaimed in shock.
It had only been less than five years since Zhong Yue became a Qi Practitioner. Yet, in such a short time, he had risen from Spirit Nurturing all the way to Inner Core, and he was now even half a step away from Heavenly Dharma!
Does he need to be so fast?
Is this really happening?
Jun Sixie felt her heart pounding helplessly; she was the Water Innate Spirit Body, her cultivation progress could be said as half the effort, twice the result. She was extraordinarily gifted in her own right, but even so, she spent over ten years in the Inner Core level!
But her cultivation speed was still considered incredibly fast compared to the Qi Practitioners!
But just how long had Zhong Yue been in the Inner Core level? Two years at most. How could he already be on the cusp of stepping into Heavenly Dharma?
Was the Innate Sun Spirit Body really that strong?
Little did she know that Zhong Yue didn't have the Innate Sun Spirit Body or any kind of exceptional physique for that matter.
He only had the fortune to condense a sun spirit in the sun that was no weaker than one that someone who had the Innate Sun Spirit Body would condense.
Stepping into the Heavenly Dharma level was a natural progression for him. His foundation was more than stable enough for him to break through to the next level. It was only that his attainments in the Heavenly Dharma's Avatar that were lacking; otherwise, he would already be in the Heavenly Dharma level.
Despite Swords Gate having quite a few Heavenly Dharma elders and even a few magnates, none could have guided him through this part of his cultivation journey. After all, he walked his own path, and it was completely dependent on him to break through to Heavenly Dharma.
Zhong Yue returned to the Seal Suppression Hall and spent most of his time on trying to break through to Heavenly Dharma, comprehending on his insights and deducing his own cultivation technique for the Heavenly Dharma level. At some other time, he would walk around Swords Gate with Qiu Jin'er and travel around the Great Wilderness.
Unbeknownst to him, two months had passed in the blink of an eye. They returned to the Zhong Shan Clan and were warmly welcomed by the clansmen.
Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er also visited the Qiu Tan Clan. This one of the ten great clans and its name was derived from the altar-shaped hill on which the clan lived (Qiu - hill, Tan - altar).
Unexpectedly, the whole Qiu Tan Clan was incredibly excited at their arrival. The clansmen held a feast and started a bonfire under the starry sky to welcome them. And after the party, the clan elders allocated them to a single room, much to their embarrassment.
One day, Zhong Yue was sitting quietly in the lotus position. His Yuan Shen was continually undulated in size continuously as he tried to cast out his Avatar, attempting to break through. But much to his frustration, it was to no avail.
No one was there to provide guidance, and he could only rely on himself. Even when he asked Xin Huo, the little flame declined to answer and only said to figure it out himself.
"Jin'er, accompany me on a walk."
Qiu Jin'er nodded, and they left the Seal Suppression Hall to amble around Swords Gate.
Zhong Yue was vexed at the difficulty of breaking through to the Heavenly Dharma level. Even the idyllic scenery now appeared dull and monotonous to him. Qiu Jin'er knew that his absent-mindedness was due to his troubles in his cultivation. She figured the most she could do for him right now was to accompany him calmly and quietly.
The two strolled around Swords Gate they somehow, they reached the front of Ting Lanyue's cave dwelling. Ting Lanyue quickly went out to greet them with a warm smile, and she welcomed them in, "How is that the two of you have such free time to come and visit me? Come sit, sit!"
"Senior Martial Sister Ting, I'm sorry if our uninvited visit has interrupted you," Zhong Yue smiled and replied.
Ting Lanyue then laughed and said, "Don't call me senior martial sister. You are now a hall master. I should be me calling junior martial uncle."
Zhong Yue shook his head, "We became Qi Practitioners at the same time, and senior martial sister has taken care of me during our early days. You will always be my senior martial sister."
The three of them joyfully passed the time in Ting Lanyue's cave dwelling. The place was really beautiful – there was a miniature mountain, a small river, and also a grassy field that was adorned with vibrantly colorful flowers. This cave dwelling would most probably be a secret realm left behind by a magnate cultivator.
Zhong Yue then suddenly stopped and stood in the front of a blooming flower with colorful petals. Ting Lanyue noticed this and quickly whispered to Qiu Jin'er, "Jin'er, what's wrong with Junior Martial Uncle Zhong?"
Qiu Jin'er shook her head and whispered back, "Senior martial brother has reached a bottleneck, he can't break through no matter how hard he tries."
Suddenly, Zhong Yue let out a soft exclamation as he vacantly stared at the flower. It felt like as if each of the petals on the blooming flower was a small world, and on these petals were a myriad of tiny bugs crawling on it, scuttling around with purpose.
Each petal had thousands of the tiny bugs on them, and they each resembled a small kingdom. In between these bug kingdoms, they would often wage wars against one another.
“This flower is called the Shi Qi Flower.”
Ting Lanyue then smiled and introduced, "The bugs on the petals are the Jia Bugs. Appreciating the flower itself is also an appreciation of the bugs. Sometimes, I would look at it for entire days at a time."
“Shi Qi Flower, Jie Bugs?”
Zhong Yue felt the signs of enlightenment, and he surged out the divine third eye and closely stared at the flower. Immediately, the flower appeared incredibly big, and the bugs were magnified to the size of men in his view.
These little bugs were building their home on the petals, living their lives, and each had their own emotions. It felt as if there were no differences between them and the sentient life of the larger world.
“You do whatever you want, I will make some tea for us.” Ting Lanyue then turned and left to prepare the teas.
Zhong Yue seemed oblivious to her words he stood still and continued observing the little bugs. A thought flashed across his mind, and a realization dawned on him, In the eyes of these bugs, the flower is their whole world. Their lives are restricted by this flower, and they remain oblivious to how big the world actually is. However, to me, they are just small creatures that live on a single flower. Our boundless sky and seemingly infinite world may be the same ... everything is a matter of perspective and relativity.
If these bugs could see through their own world and walk out from the flower, they would know, and they would see a greater world. But sadly, they couldn't. They couldn't see a sky higher than their imaginations, nor could they measure the earth wider than the small flower on which they lived. They were fated to never reach out to a greater world….
The bugs can't learn how high is the sky, or how wide the earth is, but us Qi Practitioners can. We can come to understand the true limits of the sky, and we can learn how wide the earth really is. We are inherently part of heaven and earth, and yet, we can transcend them.
He finally understood that no matter how deep his insights were on Heavenly Dharma techniques, he still wouldn't be able to become a Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioner. He needed to become part of the heaven and earth – he needed to comprehend the essence of heaven and earth.
“The tea is ready.”
Ting Lanyue brought the tea over, and she smiled, "Have a cup of tea, this is our You Ting Clan's renowned tea, The Bi Luo…"
Zhong Yue thanked her, and just as he was about to take a sip, he suddenly smiled and stopped. The two ladies were shocked as they then saw that his Yuan Shen had left his mortal body. The young man was still holding a cup of tea in his hand, and the teacup was just a few inches away from his smiling face. The tips of his mouth curled upward, and his eyes were staring at the Shi Qi Flower, but his Yuan Shen was nowhere to be found!
“This…”
Ting Lanyue was shocked and frightened, “Where is Junior Martial Uncle Zhong’s Yuan Shen!?”
Qiu Jin'er locked down her brow, and she looked up at the sky. Zhong Yue's Yuan Shen was already out of her vicinity, and she then said, "Relax, Senior Martial Sister Ting. He must be enlightened and is out to attain something he had just understood. We will just take care of his mortal body. He will be back soon."
The two ladies then sat down and continued to enjoy their tea.
As the final vestiges of light faded from the sky to welcome the night, Ting Lanyue couldn't help but show a little concern. "The mortal body will die if the Yuan Shen leaves the body for too long!"
Qiu Jin’er then answered, “Senior martial brother’s arcane energy is abundant, it should be fine.”
Another two days passed and Zhong Yue was still yet to return. At this point, even Qiu Jin'er was starting to get anxious. However, Zhong Yue's mortal body still appeared fine, and his body was still bursting with vitality. His heart still pounded energetically despite the absence of his Yuan Shen.
The two ladies waited for another ten days, and Zhong Yue's Yuan Shen was still yet to return. The anxiety and trepidation continued to mount in within the hearts of the two ladies, while Zhong Yue's body still showed no adverse signs, indicating that his Yuan Shen was still safe.
…
Zhong Yue had been to many places: the lightning zone in the high skies, the underground sea beneath the earth, the magma flowing underneath the volcano, and the bottom of the ocean floor were simply a few of the pitstops along his journey.
He had been to the core of the volcano, bathing in lava, and followed their path as they erupted into the sky.
He had turned into a bizarre mountain, fusing his Yuan Shen into a high mountain and was the mountain for over ten days.
He then flew up to the sky and into the lightning zone, turning himself into a flash of Pure Yang lightning. He swam around in the lightning zone and danced among the electric sea.
He had also flown into the West Barren, fusing himself into a godly statue. He received the worship of the West Barren celestial race. Not only that, but he had also fused with a pig to live a few days of life in the pigsty.
He became an ant, moving on the ground and fought with the other ants for territories.
He was a flower, plucked from the grass by a young girl. She placed the flower on her head and pranced among the cattle. Her joyful laughter echoed throughout the idyllic grasslands.
Finally, Zhong Yue traveled to the core of the Ancestral Star, listening to the sounds created as the planet slowly rotated about its axis. He infused his thoughts into the sounds, and it felt like as if the planet was teaching him about the fundamental principles that drove the world.
He became part of the heavens, the earth, and the world!
Tens of days passed before he flew out of the planet's core. He shot up into the sky and rammed right into the Pure Yang lightning zone.
The Pure Yang lightnings got getting stronger as he flew higher, but none of the lightning struck at him. They all simply flashed past the sides of his body.
After a long time, he flew out from the lightning zone and shot out of the atmosphere to arrive at the moon. He waved his limbs happily as he danced on the moon.
…
In Ting Lanyue's cave dwelling, the two ladies had been waiting for over a month, and their hearts were currently plunged into a bottomless abyss of anxiety. Finally, as Ting Lanyue was unable to bear it any longer, she stood up from her seat and said, "This isn't working, I will ask the headmaster to come over!"
Just as she spoke, a curtain of dazzling rays slowly descended onto her cave dwelling, falling into her backyard.
The two ladies then quickly rushed over and saw Zhong Yue still standing in front of the withered flower with his hand still holding the empty teacup whose tea had long since vaporized.
Zhong Yue then turned around and looked at the two ladies, smiling and praising, "What a magnificent tea."
Qiu Jin'er and Ting Lanyue's visions were blurred. The young man before them somehow appeared to be as grand as the sky and as broad as the earth!