Chapter 3

The chill of early spring still lingered.

The white blossoms clung to the branches, and the late plum flowers had yet to fully wither.

The cold light fell upon the stone steps, casting flickering shadows.

Chen Yan, wearing a scholar's cap and a blue robe, sat by the small window. The light shone down, illuminating his forehead, which was as clear and smooth as jade.

The jade-like glow on his forehead was a sign that he had reached a certain level in the practice of the "Six Jia Shangyuan Gong," indicating that his primordial yang was beginning to stir.

Clearly, with the guidance of a superior technique and a continuous diet of meat, in less than a month, he had not only restored his body, which had been weakened by the shaman's spell, but also improved it.

"It's just a matter of a catalyst now."

Chen Yan thought for a moment, then stood up, spread out a large sheet of paper, and began to write with a flourish.

Upon closer inspection, his steps, as he moved back and forth, were like a giant carp emerging from the water, as if they were naturally formed.

His body swayed rhythmically, like leaves rustling in the wind, like the moon shining on green vines, like cold water flowing from a stream, like flowers blooming under a rock. Every movement and gesture resonated with the harmony of heaven and earth.

This was the transformation of the Great Yin, the true form of the Six Jia.

With continuous practice, one could strengthen the body, transform the tendons, forge the bones, condense the marrow, and solidify the essence, all in accordance with the laws of nature.

The fine tip of the brush moved continuously, making a rustling sound. Frosty stones, white sand, purple water, and moss marks leaped onto the paper, creating a vivid and lively scene.

At this moment, Chen Yan felt himself enter an indescribable realm, his body and mind at peace, his spirit nourished, his thoughts neither present nor absent, his mind neither active nor inactive. His heart was within his body, while his soul soared to the heavens.

Faintly, Chen Yan sensed that a mysterious acupoint in his dantian was slowly opening, resembling a lotus, round at the top and pointed at the bottom. An incredible vitality was brewing and boiling within.

An hour later, the landscape painting was complete. The mountains were high, the moon small, the jade peaks blooming, the vines hanging like curtains, and the people appearing as flowers.

It was truly extraordinary, transcendent, and powerful, with a rugged and vibrant energy, the green color penetrating the eyebrows.

"One mountain, one water, this is the Dao."

Chen Yan stared at the painting, a smile on his face. He took a small seal from the desk and stamped it on the painting.

Crack,

The bottom of the seal was pale yellow, exquisitely ancient.

Rustle,

The small seal fell, and the paper moved without wind, emitting a clear sound, the ink fragrance wafting.

"It's at this moment."

Chen Yan's mind was enlightened, his body lying flat, half awake and half asleep.

With thoughts and without thoughts, with existence and without existence, thinking without thinking, not thinking while thinking; existing without existing, not existing while existing. In a state of confusion and silence, his mind and breath synchronized, interdependent.

In a daze, in a state of emptiness and clarity.

Chen Yan maintained the last bit of clarity in his mind, as if he had transformed into an infant returning to the womb. His entire being was in a state of confusion, without thoughts or existence, merging with the world, transcending the distinction between the sacred and the mundane.

He didn't know how long it had been until his intention and spirit merged, his breathing and spirit in harmony, his mind and spirit at peace.

Without thoughts, the spirit naturally returned, then descended to the dantian, stirring the primordial essence.

Rumble,

At some point, Chen Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils deep. Warmth arose in his abdomen, followed by a fiery heat in his dantian, full of vitality. Then, true qi was generated, gentle and continuous.

The true qi flowed from the dantian to the meridians, nourishing the flesh and blood, covering the tendons and bones, emitting a clear sound like gold and jade.

"This is the Dao."

Chen Yan sighed in admiration, pushed open the window, and looked at the pines, cypresses, and snow-covered bamboo in front of him, and the green mountains a hundred miles away. He felt a vivid and vibrant vitality that he had never experienced before.

There was nothing else, just reality.

No longer in a state of confusion, no longer lost and helpless, he saw the truth directly, the essence of all things.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan composed a song with composure, "Capturing the primordial yang to secure the gate of life, opening the door to the mountain is natural. If someone asks me about the way of cultivation, seeking truth is not beyond the heavens."

In less than a month since recovering his memories from his previous life, Chen Yan had finally advanced to the Sensory Realm through a rare enlightenment, transforming essence into qi, with true qi like a dragon.

"True qi,"

Chen Yan's heart stirred, sensing the fine, thread-like true qi within his body, secretly delighted. With true qi, he could now perform simple spells.

"Sky Horse Diagram,"

Chen Yan took a few steps to the desk, unrolled the scroll, and the black-and-white千里马 (thousand-mile horse) leaped onto the paper, its neighing becoming increasingly clear.

"It's you."

Chen Yan had a plan in mind. He set up a simple altar in the courtyard, drawing the先天八卦 (先天八卦) (Primal Eight Trigrams), earth, fire, wind, and water, with the yin and yang rotating.

"Go,"

After everything was in place, Chen Yan waved his hand and threw the Sky Horse Diagram onto the altar.

"Command,"

Chen Yan took a step to the left, as if stepping on the Seven Stars, forming a treasure seal with his hands, and recited a spell, "Mysterious water essence, shining in eight directions, the body and spirit are arrayed, all appearing in form, seeing through ten thousand miles, reaching the nine spirits."

The steps, hand seal, and spell combined into a single technique.

Buzz,

In the next moment, the Sky Horse Diagram emitted a silent tremor, rippling out in layers.

"Command,"

Chen Yan continued, stepping, forming seals, and reciting spells, circling the altar, stepping on the Seven Stars, combining the Eight Trigrams, forming the Nine Palaces.

Buzz, buzz,

The Sky Horse Diagram on the altar moved more vigorously, the sound of the horse's neighing as if right in his ear.

"Supreme cultivation of the soul, transforming qi into form."

Chen Yan's expression was calm, the three elements unified, drawing upon the mysterious power from the void, descending to the altar, and merging into the Sky Horse Diagram.

"Whoosh,"

After a full half-hour, Chen Yan finally stopped, steam rising from his head like mist.

In his previous realm, such a soul-cultivation spell would have been effortless for Chen Yan, his thoughts naturally forming the spell, drawing upon the mysterious power from the void.

But now, at the Sensory Realm, Chen Yan could only勉强 (barely) perform the spell with the help of the altar, requiring the combination of the spell, hand seal, and steps, and the time and effort required were unimaginable.

"As long as it succeeds."

Chen Yan exhaled a breath of turbid air, his gaze fixed on the altar.

Rustle,

After ten breaths, the Sky Horse Diagram on the altar moved without wind, forming a substantial vortex above it, with specks of light floating inside, as if forming the Southern Dipper constellation.

The Southern Dipper governs life, and the Great Yin transforms life.

"Neigh, neigh,"

As the constellation formed, the joyful neighing of the horse grew louder and clearer, reaching nine times. Then, a beam of light rose, and a horse leaped out of the scroll, black with white markings, but with a scorched tail.

"Neigh, neigh,"

The horse approached Chen Yan, its large head rubbing against his feet, appearing very affectionate.

"Good, good,"

Chen Yan stroked the horse's mane, which felt very good, no different from a normal horse.

"It seems this scroll is not simple."

Chen Yan took the scroll, nodded, and realized that for it to give birth to such a celestial horse, it must be extraordinary.

Ordinary horse spirits, when they appeared, were always cold and lifeless, with no warmth. But this celestial horse was different, like a true thousand-mile horse.

The difference could not be attributed to his soul-cultivation spell but to the scroll in his hand.

"It seems it was passed down from my ancestors."

Chen Yan squinted his eyes, his thoughts turning. At this moment, he realized that his deceased parents were not ordinary wealthy landowners.

Without mentioning the mysterious Sky Horse Diagram, the fact that the original Chen Yan could withstand the shaman's spell for nearly three months was already quite extraordinary.

Such a situation could not be explained by natural talent alone; it must have been due to subsequent cultivation.

"Unfortunately, I only focused on reading books in the past, without any other pursuits."

Chen Yan paced back and forth, but the memories of his parents were vague, and he had only focused on reading, practicing calligraphy, and painting in the past, so he couldn't recall many clues.

"I'll think about it later."

Chen Yan put away the Sky Horse Diagram, looked at the sky, and was surprised, "It's this late, why hasn't Yingzi come back yet?"