Chapter 37: The Foundation of the Dao

That night, after Liu Hongyu returned, Zhuang Lin remained seated on the veranda of the academy.

Liu Hongyu’s cultivation was diligent, and his progress was gratifying; within a few months, he had reached the second realm of Spirit Initiation. Although Zhuang Lin was not entirely familiar with the general efficiency of cultivation, judging from the information on the Heavenly Dao Seal he had perceived through his lineage’s legacy, an immortal cultivator of average aptitude—after being observed and tested by their master—would typically take one to three years to progress from beginning their training to completing the opening of their orifices. Reaching this stage in just one year already qualified one as having excellent talent and disposition.

*Is my eldest disciple truly a one-in-a-million cultivation genius?*

Zhuang Lin felt he could not be used as a reference, as he was inherently a True Human; all the barriers of the initial realms were as nothing before him. However, seeing his disciple work so hard, the master himself felt a degree of pressure, ensuring he did not slacken in his own practice.

Fortunately, this pressure was minimal. Given his overwhelming advantage in realm, and perhaps because his own aptitude was not lacking, he had long since achieved the circulation of pure Yang energy through his meridians. With his mind clear of delusions, he was naturally poised to take the third step: Receiving the Stars and Guiding the Moon.

Of course, before this, there was one crucial step—it could be considered the early phase of the third step, or the final byproduct of the second. According to the remnants of his lineage’s information and Zhuang Lin’s own synthesis, this step was the true threshold between the mortal and the immortal.

If delusions are not broken, the furnace cannot be kindled.

Zhuang Lin had been stalled before this hurdle for over a decade. It was not out of fear, but a desire to complete this step in the best possible state, or perhaps waiting for the right opportunity. Tonight, with the red light circulating through the valley, presented a fine opportunity.

Without impatience, anxiety, or extraneous thoughts, his mind became as a calm lake, gradually expanding until it seemed to cover the entire Hidden Immortal Valley. It even faintly spilled out beyond the valley into the Shennongjia Nature Reserve, and overflowed from the other side into the Ancient Jin Forest. Zhuang Lin paid no mind to this, perhaps viewing it as a test.

Since ancient times, even as spiritual energy withered, the stars of the heavens seemed eternal and unchanging. In Zhuang Lin’s state of mind, his consciousness was like that lake filling the valley. As his heart grew quieter, the ripples ceased, and his mind-lake became a vast, perfect mirror. At this moment, the bright moon hung in the sky, the stars filled the firmament, and this beautiful scene was reflected within Zhuang Lin’s heart.

No, there were two bright moons!

The moon of the past and the moon of the present!

Time itself seemed slightly anomalous; one moon was the brilliant orb of deep night, the other the pale white moon of the dawn! One was pure lunar essence, the other like a faint solar glow.

Zhuang Lin’s heart trembled, yet he did not cease his movements. The lunar essence from these two temporal planes descended simultaneously—more from the present, less from the past—creating a magical effect that he could not fully grasp.

Then, his mind settled. Gradually, the power of the stars across the heavens seemed to condense into a mist, then into water droplets, and finally into rain falling into that vast lake. At this moment, ripples spread everywhere. Zhuang Lin opened his eyes in a trance, as if he were standing among the stars, within reach of them.

In his current state of cultivation, this was a critical juncture—a moment that, perhaps, every cultivator would only encounter once in a lifetime. As he sensed the power of the stars and countless points of starlight fell into the lake, he reached out to touch the radiance of the celestial firmament. The pure Yang energy within him surged, and the stars of the heavens seemed to converge toward the focal point of his consciousness.

At this moment, light swirled, Yin and Yang intersected, and the vast lake churned with towering waves. Unlike what Zhuang Lin had anticipated, the radiance of the two moons manifested in his consciousness as two distinct poles—one bright, one dark—merging with the Yin and Yang energy above and below.

A profound, slowly rotating Taiji symbol appeared in the sky!

*Rumble—*

A sound like celestial thunder echoed through his consciousness. Within that lake, a mountain peak broke through the waves, rising higher and higher until it touched the Yin-Yang Taiji in the heavens. During this process, a surge of demonic energy welled up in his heart, bringing with it ugly visions of greed, anger, and delusion.

Zhuang Lin, caught in this mysterious vibration, was distracted by the movement, but for him, such manifestations were trivial—like an adult watching a flat cartoon character attempt to strike his knee; it was laughable. With a single righteous thought, the vast energy of heaven and earth surged forth like the rising sun, instantly incinerating all filth into nothingness.

Everything returned to peace, and Zhuang Lin’s focus returned to the mountain. All primordial energy swirled above, the pure Yang within him and the starlight from the heavens merged, and the summit was wreathed in light and crackling thunder. As the halo expanded, it formed a glow encircling the mountain. At the center of the summit, where the glow originated, stood a massive, burning furnace, its surface etched with rivers, mountains, and stars, containing both Yin and Yang.

Zhuang Lin slowly opened his eyes in the physical world, a shimmer of Taiji’s Yin and Yang light flickering and vanishing within his pupils.

The Immortal Furnace had manifested; the Dao foundation was complete!

Now, a single glance at the sky allowed him to perceive the starlight as clearly as he felt spiritual energy. This was the true Star-Moon Realm. It could contain the solar essence, accept the lunar radiance, gather starlight, and harvest the essence of all things—and it did so through natural attraction, not mere plunder.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the light of the sun, moon, and stars, the essence of all things flowed into him... this was the power of heaven and earth acting in unison! In other words, while the degree might vary, this was, in the true sense, an immortal cultivator recognized by the heavens.

***

In the valley’s clinic, Liu Hongyu, who had already fallen asleep, drifted into a dream. He dreamt he was standing at a window looking into the distance, seeing his master’s figure become infinitely tall, as if his body filled the entire valley. Then, his master looked up and reached out to touch the stars... Even in a dream, the sight brought Liu Hongyu a sense of incomparable shock.

***

The next morning, Liu Hongyu rose early. By the time Old Master Mu woke up, he had already prepared breakfast and finished eating. There were no lessons today, and tomorrow was a day off, so he did not need to rise early, but Liu Hongyu had his own plans. After greeting Old Master Mu and the sleepy-eyed Xiao Wen, he stepped out.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and with the excitement of the wedding the night before, most people in the Hidden Immortal Valley were still asleep; the entire valley was quiet. Liu Hongyu walked with a light step, accompanied only by the valley dogs that trotted up to wag their tails in greeting. Though the valley was quiet, he knew some were already awake—his master, for instance, and Brother Fu and the others.

At the academy, Zhuang Lin had already finished his practice. After a perfunctory wash, he stood on the high veranda, looking toward the eastern edge of the valley. A magnificent rooster flapped its wings, climbing from the valley floor to the top of the ridge, finally standing on a high rock on the eastern side.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

The crow was high and powerful, echoing throughout the valley, prompting many other roosters to join in. Then, the sunlight began to spill over into the Hidden Immortal Valley. Zhuang Lin, with his exceptional vision, watched with interest as the rooster finished its crowing and began preening its feathers in the morning light.

In the years they had raised poultry in the valley, this rooster had clearly become different; it crowed punctually at sunrise, unlike its peers who sometimes crowed neurotically in the middle of the night. Among the pure Yang things of the world, if one were to speak of animals, none compared to the tiger, the deer, and the rooster! Zhuang Lin mused that if the owner ever intended to eat this bird, he would have to save it, whether by trading for it or using the money promised by the Liu family.

On the road below, Liu Hongyu heard the crowing and looked up at the ridge, thinking to himself that this rooster would surely make a delicious stir-fry or soup. He quickly dismissed the thought and broke into a light jog. In the threshing ground in the center of the valley, a group led by Fu Zeyang was exercising.

"Brother Fu!" Liu Hongyu called out, stepping into the area.

"Oh, Young Master Liu is here!" Fu Zeyang replied, his hands and feet never stopping, his movements fierce and powerful. Others were practicing alongside him, some following his lead, others exercising with family. They all exchanged greetings with Liu Hongyu as he approached Fu Zeyang.

Liu Hongyu watched Fu Zeyang practice, the latter remaining focused until he finished his routine.

"Would Young Master Liu like to practice?"

"No, I shall wait for the Master to arrive and join him!"

"Warm up first. The Master is far stronger than you; you won't be able to keep up with his rhythm!"

"That makes sense. I shall warm up then!" Liu Hongyu began to move. His master had taught him that cultivation should not be restricted by form, and that any useful path should be respected and appropriately borrowed; martial arts were quite good, and convenient for traversing the mortal world.

Fu Zeyang nodded. Since returning from the Jin Dynasty, Master Zhuang had often come to the threshing ground to exchange techniques. About a month ago, Young Master Liu had started coming as well, and he learned very quickly.

As Liu Hongyu exercised, he chatted with Fu Zeyang. "Brother Fu, you must be skilled in many types of fist techniques, right?"

Fu Zeyang wiped his sweat with a cloth and smiled. "People like us must know a little of everything. Aside from my specialties—Tongbei and Baji—I have dabbled in Taiji, Xingyi, and the Ziran school. I am also proficient in the four main weapons: sword, saber, spear, and staff..."

"Oh, Brother Fu is truly remarkable!" Liu Hongyu flattered him, though it was clearly a lead-in to another topic. "Do you feel that practicing martial arts here in the valley is particularly refreshing?"

Fu Zeyang thought for a moment; it was true. Since coming to the Hidden Immortal Valley, he felt the bottlenecks he had faced for years had loosened, and his constitution had improved. He quickly reacted, however, and laughed. "Hahaha, what nonsense! I have lived in the valley since I was a child, but it has indeed always been refreshing..."

"Uh, yes, quite right..." Liu Hongyu laughed along, then asked, "We went outside last time. If—and I mean if—there were an opportunity to go out in the future, would you choose to stay or leave, Brother Fu?"

Liu Hongyu asked this with great seriousness, but Fu Zeyang grew nervous. *Is this fellow planning to run off again?*

"Sigh, Young Master Liu, this is my home. You know what Mr. Yuanyuan said; the outside world is chaotic and nowhere near as good as living in seclusion here!"

Liu Hongyu frowned slightly. It was hard to gauge his intent. He recalled what his master had said, stopped warming up, and stood by, looking troubled. "You know I am an outsider. At first, I was quite happy here, but now I occasionally want to go back and see. It is not that the Hidden Immortal Valley is bad, but that I was a bit childish before... If Brother Fu were to visit the places I have lived, you would know that the outside world is also very exciting..."

Fu Zeyang looked at Liu Hongyu, feeling a flicker of joy, but also an inexplicable feeling that diluted it. It was complex, yet not so complex.

"Young Master Liu is homesick..." Fu Zeyang looked at the rising sun. "Perhaps the outside world is exciting; I have dreamt of it myself. But perhaps it is not as good as it is here... Your thoughts are natural, being able to repent for your past!"

Fu Zeyang had reacted just in time; he had nearly been led astray by Young Master Liu. If the others in the valley knew, they would surely resent him. Hearing this, Liu Hongyu smiled knowingly. He naturally hoped that the people he valued would remain in the valley.

After chatting with Fu Zeyang, Liu Hongyu spoke with others until Zhuang Lin arrived. After greeting everyone, Zhuang Lin began a set of Taiji. It appeared to be an ordinary routine, but today, in Zhuang Lin’s hands, it was extraordinary. Not to mention Liu Hongyu, even the others felt a magnetic pull, though they dismissed it as an illusion upon closer inspection.

Zhuang Lin drew circles as he practiced. If anyone had looked closely at the surroundings of the threshing ground, they would have seen the wind sweeping fallen leaves and twigs into a faint, circular pillar.

When Zhuang Lin finished, everyone gathered around. Fu Zeyang exclaimed sincerely, "Master Zhuang, even if you did not teach and only practiced martial arts, you would surely be a grandmaster one day!"

"Indeed! Even my great-grandfather did not practice as well as you, Master!"

"My father is the same! Master, are you here to mock those of us who have practiced since childhood?"

"Hahahaha, you are all too kind. I am merely practicing for health..." Zhuang Lin smiled and responded to everyone, then looked at Liu Hongyu. He had seen some of his movements earlier and said, "Hongyu, in all things, too much is as bad as too little. Let things take their natural course!"

Liu Hongyu composed his expression and bowed, "Yes, Master, I understand!"

As for the title "disciple," no one found it strange; to them, it made little difference whether a student at the academy called himself a student or a disciple before his master.