Chapter 1

Li Zhichang was an orphan from birth. The people in his clan believed that he had brought about the death of his parents, and thus did not want to raise him. Fortunately, an old Taoist priest passed by and, for reasons unknown, took him away. The old Taoist seemed to know some of the elders in Li Zhichang's clan and faced no trouble. The age of the Taoist was unknown, but Li Zhichang had heard many stories about the Republican era from him, all of which the old Taoist had personally experienced. In his youth, the Taoist had traveled far and wide, and later, as his senior brother did not take any disciples, he returned to Wudang Mountain to inherit the Taoist tradition, which was during the Reform and Opening-up period.

After that, the Taoist lived on Wudang Mountain, teaching Li Zhichang. According to the Taoist, his lineage was a branch of the Neijia (Internal) martial arts that originated from the Zhongnan Mountains at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It belonged to the Quanzhen Longmen Sect and had always had few disciples, with only Li Zhichang remaining after the old Taoist passed away ten years ago.

Having experienced the last glimmers of the late Qing and Republican eras, Neijia martial arts had long declined. Even Cheng Tinghua, who had reached the pinnacle of Baguazhang, was still killed by gunfire. However, to prevent the ancestral lineage from being lost, Li Zhichang was strictly trained by his master from a young age to practice the Neijia martial arts of his lineage.

After the great master Sun Lutang visited Wudang, Shaolin, and studied Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taijiquan, the sectarian prejudices in the martial arts world gradually diminished over the past hundred years. With the development of modern information, Li Zhichang's skills were a synthesis of the best from various schools. Unfortunately, in today's world where money is supreme, Li Zhichang's unparalleled martial arts skills were of no use.

Because he was the only one left in his lineage, unlike other Neijia schools with many disciples who supported each other and succeeded in transforming into social celebrities, Li Zhichang had also intended to keep up with the times. He had planned to develop a cultural industry using the ancestral property and thousand-year-old traditions, responding to the national call to contribute to the country's GDP. However, having entered the Taoist path at a young age and disliking secular affairs, he found it troublesome to teach a few external disciples (who did not receive the true teachings). He then returned to seclusion in the mountains, becoming a true Taoist.

Neijia martial arts and medicine are inseparable. Like Wong Fei-hung, who was skilled in both martial arts and medicine, Li Zhichang's understanding of the human body deepened as his martial arts skills improved, making his medical skills more proficient.

Wudang Mountain has always been visited by many nobles. After accidentally saving a noble's life, Li Zhichang's reputation grew. With the noble's support, he treated many high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants, becoming a part of the upper echelons of society. At a young age, he entered the Taoist Association, achieving what his master had never reached.

After being tempered by the secular world, Li Zhichang found life increasingly dull and saw fame and wealth as fleeting. He gradually understood the principle of "not here, not there, not in the middle." His skills advanced rapidly, and in recent years, he naturally cultivated his qi and blood to the point of "freedom and unpredictability." After a hundred days of seclusion, he could successfully embrace the dan, entering an unknown realm and gaining the qualification to unravel the mysteries of life and death. However, although he had the qualification to embrace the dan, the hundred-day seclusion, known as the "dead pass," was extremely difficult, as the saying "ten thousand ghosts find it hard to become saints" aptly describes.

Since the founding of the lineage, no one had reached Li Zhichang's current level. The path ahead was unknown, and in the current era of martial arts decline, it was difficult to find people to exchange ideas with. Li Zhichang could only rely on his intuition, finish his secular affairs, and adjust his mindset. Over half a year, he traveled through the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, sensing the geography, the sun, the moon, and the stars, harmonizing with the four seasons and controlling the six qi. Unconsciously, he grasped the spiritual realm of the unity of heaven, earth, and humanity. One day, he came to the Zhongnan Mountains, and a sudden inspiration led him to find a cave on a steep peak. After sealing the cave entrance with a large stone, he began his seclusion.

Before the creation of heaven and earth, there was something formless and perfect. Silent and empty, it stands alone and unchanging, pervading all things without effort. It can be the mother of the universe. We do not know its name, but we call it "the Way" and "the Great." The Great is boundless, and it returns to the origin. In a sealed cave in the Zhongnan Mountains, Li Zhichang embraced the essence and maintained unity, gradually feeling the vibrant life force of all things. He seemed to hear the sounds of the mountains, trees, clouds, and the changes in the magnetic field, feeling the Earth's rotation and remembering everything that happened to him. The Dharma is empty, and the five aggregates are illusions; time lost its meaning. As Li Zhichang's mind was about to merge into nothingness, a massive magnetic storm occurred, disrupting global electronic devices. This coincided with a significant solar flare, which, although unnoticed by ordinary people, greatly affected Li Zhichang, who was at a critical point of heaven and human interaction.

Li Zhichang could not help but sigh, "It is the will of heaven and fate." His body seemed to become a black hole, absorbing ions, rays, and energy. Finally, his entire consciousness was sucked into a suddenly appearing black hole. After an unknown period, Li Zhichang regained consciousness, finding himself a naked infant lying on the snow, with a long sword in a black sheath beside him. This sword was a magical weapon forged by his lineage's ancestor, a symbol of the lineage's leadership, and a tool for transcending at the end of one's life.

The sword hilt was inscribed with two small seal characters, "Wuchang" (Impermanence). Li Zhichang's disciples were not true successors; they were only taught a few exercises for health and strength, so they did not have the qualifications to inherit the sword. Li Zhichang understood that this time, embracing the dan was a matter of life or death. If he failed, his lineage would be cut off, and the sword would lose its meaning. Now, although he did not succeed in embracing the dan, he was unharmed, and this experience was unprecedented.

After an unknown incident, Li Zhichang became an infant again, which was quite unusual. Returning to an infant's body, the feeling of helplessness would drive ordinary people mad, but Li Zhichang found it somewhat novel. He recognized most of the plants around him, which were common on Earth. Unfortunately, he was like a newborn, able to think and perceive but unable to act independently. Li Zhichang knew that in the wilderness, he would inevitably encounter tigers, leopards, and wolves, and even without these, he could not withstand heavy rain or intense sunlight. However, there was always a way out, and he decided to focus on his current physical condition. The Tao Te Ching says, "Can you concentrate your qi and become as supple as a baby?" Li Zhichang calmed his qi, entered a meditative state, and gained wisdom. His mind was like a clear mirror, and he could sense everything within a hundred meters, even the sound of a spider spinning a web twenty meters away, almost achieving supernatural abilities.

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