Chapter Thirty-Four: One Hundred Twenty-Nine Thousand Six Hundred Types of Spiritual Energy

Heaven and earth are born from primal energy; all things are born from heaven and earth.

It must be understood, as the Daoist texts once stated:

Primal energy arises within the boundless, outside the nether darkness, born from the void. Within the void, it is born from the Great Nothing. The Great Nothing shifts, and the Three Qi shine forth. The Three Qi mingle in chaos, born of the Great Emptiness, establishing the void, and through the void, establishing nothingness; from nothingness arises being, and from being, emptiness is formed. Through the transformation of emptiness and nothingness, the natural arises from the void.

It is also known as spiritual energy, as the Golden Mother, as the Prime Root, as the Great Carrier that responds from nothingness to create being, as the Supreme Essence of the Mysterious Heaven.

During the stage of Embryonic Breath, this was of little consequence, but once one achieves Qi Refinement, the entire view of heaven and earth changes dramatically.

With a glance, Chen Heng could see countless clusters of energy of various shapes and sizes filling the space around him—sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, coming together and breaking apart without pattern.

“I wonder what nature the ‘Primordial True Qi’ possesses? The method only mentions, ‘Dragon and Heaven shine clearly; all truths are encompassed,’ and then passes over the matter, as if nothing more need be said, and any further elaboration would be a waste of ink and words, an unnecessary embellishment.”

Seated on the meditation mat, Chen Heng drew a wisp of golden-red spiritual energy into his palm, twirling it around his fingertips, deep in thought.

It must be known that the distribution of spiritual energy in heaven and earth is uneven; where there is more, there must elsewhere be less. There is no such thing as universal equality in this, nor even among people, let alone in the vast and lofty heavens.

It is like the Eight Sects of the Mysterious Gate and the Six Demon Sects, each occupying a spiritual cavern, where the abundance of spiritual vitality is simply astonishing—beyond imagination!

A spiritual cavern is almost the ultimate place for gathering and absorbing spiritual energy in this world. At every moment, it breathes in and out vast quantities of spiritual energy from the void. Even ordinary folk living nearby, untouched by cultivation, are subtly nourished in body, free from sickness and disaster, living out their natural lives in peace. For a cultivator, if they can practice there, with immeasurable spiritual energy as their resource, their progress will be meteoric, leaving ordinary cultivators far behind.

Mount Yang, of course, cannot compare to such a place as a spiritual cavern; it falls far short and is not even noteworthy among the southern lands where spiritual energy is scarce—utterly insignificant.

Yet, in Rong State, among the mundane world, Mount Yang barely suffices as a dwelling for a Qi Refiner.

In the Embryonic Breath stage, Chen Heng only felt this place was similar to Little Gan Mountain—living here made one’s body light and at ease, breath smooth and pleasant. But once he attained Qi Refinement and opened the bridge between his inner and outer worlds, he could truly refine spiritual energy and use the vitality of this place for his own cultivation.

Yet, spiritual energy in the world comes in many attributes: pure, turbid, yang, gentle, fierce, yin, clean, transformative, pure, cold, simple, winding, firm, responsive, and so on.

Altogether, there are 129,600 distinct natures.

The first step in Qi Refinement is gathering energy.

This step is crucial and must not be neglected.

For ultimately, the art of Qi Refinement is to transform one’s Embryonic Breath into True Qi, and finally lay the foundation of the Dao.

True Qi also comes in various natures—some blazing and yang, some turbid and yin, some spiritual and clear, some thick and heavy.

For example, the “Gold Ingot True Qi” of the Xuan Zhen Sect requires one to gather spiritual energy of the metal and sharp attributes during the gathering stage in order to begin refinement and bolster the Embryonic Breath.

If, during gathering, one absorbs spiritual energy of opposing attributes such as cold, dark, heavy, or turbid, not only will it be impossible to refine, but it may even harm one’s cultivation.

Therefore—

How to gather the correct energy is a profound skill in itself...

All Qi Refiners, when gathering energy, proceed with the utmost caution, carefully distinguishing from among the 129,600 types of spiritual energy to select only what is needed.

Hence, the stage of Qi Refinement is divided into nine levels. There are no real barriers; as long as one’s Embryonic Breath is strengthened to the limit, it can be transformed into True Qi, forging the foundation of the Dao.

Even so, it is rare for anyone to progress rapidly and effortlessly at this stage.

For the first hurdle is to find a place rich in spiritual energy. Even disciples of great sects, practicing in spiritual caverns without such worries, still must expend effort distinguishing and gathering the right energies from among the 129,600 varieties.

Thus, in a single day’s cultivation, perhaps eighty percent of the time is spent just on gathering the proper energy...

Yet, in the “Divine Chamber’s Discourse on the Primordial True Canon,” there is no mention of what attribute the “Primordial True Qi” possesses. It merely states, “Dragon and Heaven shine clearly; all truths are encompassed,” and leaves it at that, without even a detailed gathering method.

Chen Heng could only experiment, sending that wisp of golden-fire spiritual energy into his body, circulating the Qi Refinement art, allowing his Embryonic Breath to grind and refine it.

“Hmm?”

There was not the slightest resistance. As the golden-fire energy was absorbed, his Embryonic Breath grew stronger.

“So, it’s of the gold and fire attribute? No, let me try again...”

Chen Heng drew in a thread of thick, dark spiritual energy and refined it as well, with the same result—his Embryonic Breath increased once more.

Mysterious, constant, transformative, steadfast, yang, extreme, bright...

After several trials, Chen Heng’s doubts vanished, and he burst out laughing, his face radiating satisfaction.

What is the Primordial True Qi?

In a word: Dragon and Heaven shine clearly; all truths are encompassed!

All forms of spiritual energy can be refined, regardless of attribute or nature!

This meant that Chen Heng did not need to laboriously select and gather energy like other Qi Refiners. As long as there was enough spiritual energy, he could advance his cultivation through all nine levels of Qi Refinement, then lay down the foundation of the Dao!

“So this is a superior Qi Refinement art? Only today do I understand the value of such a method! With 129,600 kinds of spiritual energy at my disposal, how could I ever fear failing on the Great Path?”

With a sigh, Chen Heng opened his heart and ceased all restraint, immediately drawing all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth toward himself.

Thus, from the first light of dawn to the moon’s zenith, from the blazing sun to the star-studded night, Chen Heng immersed his entire spirit in cultivation, until he suddenly felt a sluggishness in the circulation of his method. Turning his senses outward, he realized that the limited spiritual energy in this mountain had been completely exhausted by him.

“Mount Yang... Truly a mortal land, limited after all. I wonder if in this life I shall ever have the chance to cultivate within a spiritual cavern.”

A trace of regret flickered through Chen Heng’s heart.

He drew a Universe Pouch from his sleeve, poured out all the talisman coins within, took one in hand, and began to refine it.

Talisman coins are also forged from spiritual energy, and their attribute is the most gentle “primal,” suitable for nearly all cultivators.

To cultivate using talisman coins is extravagant, but with the Abyss ahead and formidable foes before him, Chen Heng could not afford to be frugal.

Though the Qi Refinement art allowed him to command all 129,600 types of spiritual energy, making him nearly unmatched among his peers, it was not so formidable for a high master of the arts.

The Purple Mansion stage opens the “palace within and beyond the body,” with the power to purify spiritual energy; as for the Golden Core, all energies fuse together—heaven bestows a Dao body.

In the contest of immortals, every rapid step leads to further speed!

With a solid foundation, as long as cultivation can be advanced, a little expense is but a trivial matter.

As Chen Heng continued to strengthen his Embryonic Breath,

At the very same moment,

In the Southern Chan Prefecture, within the Innate Demon Sect,

A handsome Daoist in purple robes and a golden crown suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. He gazed toward the direction of Eastern Mi Prefecture, silently calculating on his fingers; then a mysterious smile appeared on his face:

“Heh, the Primordial True Qi!”