Chapter 43 of 100

Chapter 43

16 min read3,948 words

PS: Second update, one more to go, aiming for the charts, thanks.

On the 15th day of the first month in the fourth year of Emperor Renzong's reign.

A baby was born, but neither of his parents were ordinary. The father was a wolf demon who had attained great power, comparable to a terrestrial immortal, while the mother was the holy maiden of the Xuanxin Dao Sect. In the world of cultivation, the rules of the secular world still applied.

Human and demon paths diverge, and a human-demon romance was even more taboo. Across the nine provinces, the Daoist sects united to capture and kill the wolf demon. The holy maiden was branded a heretic and pursued by the Daoist sects. On that night, she gave birth to a baby, but the Daoists discovered her whereabouts and pursued her. She committed suicide by the Yangtze River at Dongting Lake, and the baby went missing. The Daoists searched for years but found no trace of the child and eventually gave up.

"Back when your mother was the holy maiden of the Xuanxin Dao Sect, she once did me a great favor. However, when your parents had their troubles, I was merely a novice Daoist who had just started cultivating. Alas, the path of immortality is difficult. Even now, I am only at the Essence Refinement stage. If it weren't for your anger at the city gate, which stirred the demonic aura, I wouldn't have noticed."

After recounting Ning Wuxie's background, the Daoist sighed lightly, seemingly lamenting the twists of fate and the misfortunes of life. He had spent his entire life seeking the Dao but couldn't even step through the threshold, a source of great shame.

"Is cultivation really that difficult?" Ning Wushuang couldn't help but ask from the side.

The Daoist smiled bitterly and said, "Difficult? It's more than just difficult. Throughout history, how many geniuses have there been, and how many have truly attained immortality?"

Seemingly trying to guide them, the Daoist slowly explained, "Daoist cultivation has four stages: Essence Refinement, Qi Refinement, Spirit Refinement, and Dao Refinement. I cultivate a Dao technique passed down from the Grand Daoist of Taiqing. It took me fifty years to reach the Essence Refinement stage. Essence Refinement involves transforming the body's primordial and true qi into a refined essence, cleansing the marrow and meridians, removing impurities. A strong essence means a vigorous spirit. In the secular world, what many martial artists call the 'innate realm' is the Essence Refinement stage."

"Shi Zhixuan and the wine-drinking monk, who have some connection to immortality, are also at the Essence Refinement stage. At this stage, the body is several times stronger than an ordinary person, with heightened senses. If one can transform the internal essence into a clear qi and release it from the top of the head, allowing the spirit to wander outside the body, that is the Qi Refinement stage. At this stage, one can control magical treasures and flying swords, killing from a distance. Some powerful martial artists in the secular world, with their minds unobstructed, can also reach this stage, known as the Grandmaster level. In the current Tang Dynasty, Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin are at the Grandmaster level. Your demonic aura, which you awakened, is also a form of qi, so you are likely at the Qi Refinement stage!"

Ning Wuxie listened quietly. He wasn't immersed in the Daoist's story; he would naturally uncover the truth about his parents and seek revenge without the Daoist's prompting.

Although he had obtained the *Taiyin Technique*, he was a self-taught cultivator without systematic knowledge, and he was unclear about many things. The *Taiyin Technique* didn't mention what the Daoist was explaining.

He nodded slightly, "I should be at the Qi Refinement stage."

Having a guide on the path of cultivation can save one from many detours.

"As for Qi Refinement to Spirit Refinement, I'm not very clear either. In ancient times, there were powerful qi cultivators like Xu Fu and Pengzu. They ate morning dew and evening light, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the primordial qi of heaven and earth. They could ride the wind and travel through the air, truly the methods of immortals.

"According to legend, at the Qi Refinement stage, the yin and yang qi converge in the Purple Mansion, maintaining unity and forming the Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir. When the Golden Elixir is complete and merges with the soul, it is the Spirit Refinement stage. At this stage, one can exist without a physical body, with the soul remaining even after death. One can cultivate supernatural abilities, such as shrinking the earth to an inch, making distant places seem close, and becoming a terrestrial immortal.

"Your father was once such a demon king with great powers. As for the stages above, that is the realm of immortals, which I am not familiar with. However, I've heard that after cultivating the Golden Elixir, there are three calamities. Surviving them makes one a Great Ethereal Immortal, but failing means eternal destruction, a terrifying fate."

Ning Wuxie nodded slightly. In his previous life, he had read *Journey to the West*, where Master Subhuti also mentioned these calamities when enlightening Sun Wukong. When Sun Wukong overcame the three calamities, the heavens shook and the spirits were startled. It might have been exaggerated, but overcoming the calamities was clearly not easy.

However, Ning Wuxie overlooked the difference between the Daoist's "dodging" and his own "overcoming" the calamities, which nearly cost him his life later. This is a story for another time.

The Daoist continued, "According to legend, in ancient times, the world was divided into four great continents. The place we are in is the Eastern Continent of Shengshen, the land of terrestrial immortals. If one attains immortality, one can ascend to the heavens and enter the broader four great continents. Unfortunately, since the Qin Dynasty, few have achieved this in the land of terrestrial immortals."

The Daoist then told Ning Wuxie about some of the Daoist sects in the land of terrestrial immortals and warned him to be cautious and not reveal his identity, lest he invite disaster.

After the Daoist left, Ning Wushuang also went out, leaving Ning Wuxie to rest and recuperate alone.

Lying in bed, Ning Wuxie's thoughts were in turmoil. The information the Daoist provided was very useful. The land of terrestrial immortals was a small world created from fragments of the primordial chaos, connected to the Eastern Continent of Shengshen.

No wonder, after Tang Sanzang reached the Five Elements Mountain, the demons and monsters gradually increased.

Ning Wuxie recalled the Five Elements Mountain, also known as the Two Realms Mountain, and speculated that the "two realms" might not only refer to the boundary between the Eastern Continent of Shengshen and the Western Continent of Niuhu, but also the boundary between the land of terrestrial immortals and the Eastern Continent of Shengshen. After the Five Elements Mountain collapsed, the land of terrestrial immortals was completely isolated from the Eastern Continent of Shengshen, forming its own small world, and the methods of cultivation gradually disappeared, giving rise to other civilizations.

"If what the Daoist said is true, Sun Wukong was at the Great Ethereal Immortal stage when he wreaked havoc in Heaven. *Journey to the West* indeed has some secrets. It might even be a grand conspiracy. I wonder if Sun Wukong has become stronger after being suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years?"

Ning Wuxie pondered whether he should go and see Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, his favorite character from childhood. It would be a great pity not to meet him.

"Later generations say that the Five Elements Mountain suppressed Sun Wukong, preventing his cultivation from advancing, and even causing it to regress. However, this is not the case. In the Western Continent of Niuhu, powerful demons are everywhere, and even the Heavenly Court and Mount Lingjiu dare not act recklessly. There must be some great figures who make these immortals and buddhas wary. Sun Wukong didn't become weaker; his opponents were just too powerful. The Tightening Headband might have played a role, but to say he became weaker is impossible."

Ning Wuxie took a deep breath. These were just his speculations. The specific situation would have to be seen.

He made up his mind that after the county examination, he would go to see the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, under the Five Elements Mountain.

With this thought, Ning Wuxie endured the pain, sat in a meditative posture, and began to circulate the *Taiyin Technique*. The heart fire ignited, and warm divine light spread, healing his wounds. The medicine was a spiritual herb provided by the Daoist, not as good as the Zhu Fruit but far superior to ordinary herbs.

The medicinal power was gradually extracted, and the wounds slowly healed. Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you retreat. After a fierce battle, Ning Wuxie had gained deep insights. Combined with the Daoist's words and the *Taiyin Technique*, he had gained some understanding of cultivation.

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