Chapter 35: The First Realm of Cultivation (Please Recommend and Bookmark)

Ma Yuan’s face was clouded with worry. In order to block Fan Ling’s palm strike, he’d actually suffered some injuries. The Dual Essence Spirit-Healing Talisman couldn’t restore him at once—it would take time to recover.

Arriving at the Literary Courtyard, Gu Yi invited him to sit and poured him a cup of water.

“This matter should be told to you as well… You did find me someone named Xie Yiyi, but unfortunately, it’s just a coincidence of names.”

“A coincidence of names?!” Ma Yuan nearly smashed his teacup on the table, his composure instantly shattering. “How could that be? The place matches, the time matches, the name matches, and in the end, it’s all for nothing? That’s bad enough, but Master, you’ve gone and offended Fan Ling because of this!”

“I don’t think I offended him. To be precise, he’s the one who’s offended me.”

Ma Yuan had thought something serious was coming, but when he heard this, his anger deflated. “Is this really the time to joke with me?”

“I’ll handle this myself. You needn’t worry too much,” Gu Yi said, laying out a sheet of paper and picking up his brush. “I told you, you did well with the Xie Yiyi matter. Regardless of the outcome, I promised to teach you my Spirit-Binding Talisman. I’ll demonstrate it now—watch closely.”

Ma Yuan was beside himself with anxiety. “Master, can you focus on what’s important? This isn’t the time to learn a talisman! This is about you!”

“You don’t want to learn? If I’m gravely wounded three days from now, even if I survive, I’ll need time to recover. If you don’t learn it now, it’ll be ages before you get another chance.”

Ma Yuan was taken aback—he clearly hadn’t considered that possibility.

Gu Yi didn’t expect perfection from others; everyone harbors some selfishness. “Pay close attention…”

“Wait!” Bald Ma grabbed his hand, stubbornly playing the hero. “I refuse. Now’s the time to figure out how to deal with Fan Ling. There’ll be time for talismans later!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure!”

“You’re the type who’d rather suffer than lose face. Sooner or later you’ll pay for that pride.”

“Tch! Can’t you say something nice about me for once?”

If he wasn’t going to learn for now, so be it. The difficulty of this Talisman Cage was such that, with Ma Yuan’s aptitude, he’d need years to master it—three more days or less made little difference.

Gu Yi rolled his eyes. “If you’re not learning now, come closer. I have something to ask of you. Go and…”

As Ma Yuan listened, his eyes grew wider and wider, until his mouth could have fit five eggs at once. “Why are you asking me to do this? Isn’t it a little foolish?”

“Just go. Why all the fuss? Are you going or not?”

What more could Ma Yuan say? He’d go, though he thought it odd. Before leaving, a thought occurred to him, and he asked cautiously, “Um… Master, if you’re bedridden from a beating, you can still teach me how to write spirit talismans, right?”

Gu Yi fell silent.

…

Night fell over Luyang City, and thousands of lights flickered on.

Mistress Ye had learned all the details by now; where she once worried over one thing, she now worried over two.

Xiao Yue’er held a lantern for her as she, wrapped in fox fur, made her way along the curved gallery toward the Literary Courtyard.

Though she’d been ill these past days, she was finally recovering. Perhaps it was because she had matters weighing on her mind—taking a deep breath, she felt slightly better.

Peering through the branches of a plum tree, she saw Gu Yi sitting by the bed, eyes closed. The wavering lantern light cast his young face in flickering shadow.

To her, Gu Yi was not a cultivator, but in that state, who could say? She thought to turn and leave, but Gu Yi called out to her.

“Mistress, is there something you need?”

She took the lantern from Xiao Yue’er. “You may go. Rest early. I’m fine; I wish to speak with him alone.”

Xiao Yue’er curtsied and withdrew, closing the door behind her.

Seeing Mistress Ye’s attire, Gu Yi guessed she was feeling the cold and shut the window, adding a rug to the divan.

He’d often wondered what an elegant lady in old attire looked like. In some way, Mistress Ye’s sickly state seemed to fit that image.

“Though today brought much trouble, what I wish to ask most is this… You seem perfectly at ease, but I’m not so sure. How will you face the coming battle behind the Rain Pavilion? I’ve heard that Palm Envoy Fan Ling is at the peak of the Spirit-Guarding Realm.”

“‘Peak’ is a misleading term,” Gu Yi said, seeing her confusion and explaining further. “Cultivation is divided into Tranquility, Resolute Heart, and Spirit-Guarding… Commonly, each realm is described as having an ‘entry’ and a ‘peak,’ sometimes even a ‘mid-stage,’ or nearly at ‘Return to Simplicity.’ Such expressions are permissible in conversation.

But in terms of actual strength, they’re imprecise.”

“For example… Mistress, is your cooking better now, or was it better before you fell ill?”

“Before, of course,” she replied softly.

“Exactly. There are factors like neglected practice, or one’s mood. Cultivation is about understanding oneself and the world. Even with clear stages, people can be muddled; something understood today may be lost tomorrow.”

“But even if I’m not at my best, my dishes are still delicious.”

“I know. Fan Ling, no matter what, is in the Spirit-Guarding Realm, but he’s far from the peak, and even farther from Returning to Simplicity. When people are irritable, they lose focus. When they neglect practice, their bodies grow sluggish. That palm strike today told me he hasn’t used it in a long time.”

Mistress Ye listened, half-understanding. “How did you come to this insight?”

Gu Yi laughed heartily. “Once, I dared tackle triple integrals; now, I can’t even factor quadratics. You may not understand, but suffice it to say, ‘peak’ is only achieved through constant diligence—let up for a moment, and you slip.”

She gazed at him deeply. “Since you recognized Ten Bends of Clear Water Sun, I knew you weren’t an ordinary youth. But even if you’re right and Fan Ling isn’t at the peak, does that mean he’ll lose to you? How strong are you, truly? And… what really worries me is…”

“Fan Ling said the Immortal Cultivation Academy will never accept you, no matter what.”

“I heard him—he did say that.”

“I’m confused. They all say you aren’t a cultivator, but people on Changning Street saw you perform techniques. So are you a cultivator or not?”

Gu Yi slowly extended his forefinger. With a sudden sound, a blossom of spiritual energy spun forth like a flower in bloom. The breath of the courtyard’s flowers and grasses became perceptible, the whispers of trees audible, a halo of light emanated, vibrant and unceasing.

“Mountains and rivers take form from energy; all living things are refined by energy. Cultivation begins with energy, and phenomena arise from it. Rain and wind have their causes, the mighty Yangtze its source; mortals know nothing, mistaking it for nature.

Then an ancient sage, aided by the divine, sensed the energy and found the Way. Thus was the world blessed. Yet spiritual energy moves through heaven and earth, ethereal and untouchable. What then? The answer: ‘Nothing is more manifest than the hidden; nothing is more hidden than the manifest.’ Discover the truth, know that long journeys begin near at hand, that to rise high one must start low, that myriad layers of cultivation begin with settling the energy. The first realm of cultivation… is called Tranquility.”

Buzz!

The spiraling petals at his fingertip suddenly whirled faster, giving off a thin, piercing ring. The lantern flame was snuffed by the wind, the courtyard grew still, a breeze rising, leaves swirling, branches shaking, the light swelling until it could not be looked upon.

Mistress Ye shielded her eyes, her heart thunderstruck by the marvel unfolding before her.