Within the Heart Prohibition Temple, everyone close to Yu Ci knew that this young manâdeeply favored by the temple masterâhad been in a rather foul mood these past couple of days, growing unusually silent. It seemed heâd hit a bottleneck in his training. But that wasnât really a problem; on the path of cultivation, is everything ever smooth sailing?
Thus, when acquaintances met, they exchanged a few words of consolation and said no more.
In fact, what Yu Ci was focused on now was entirely different from what they imaginedâand it was an extremely troublesome matter:
The Divine Map, was gone!
On the small table before him, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror stood upright and proper. Its flawless, round form showed no sign of damage, and its surface shone as if freshly polished; a hazy blue light emanated from it, casting a chill in its reflection.
After a long session of regulated breathing and calming his mind, Yu Ci opened his eyes, stared at the treasured mirror, and focused his thoughts:
âDivine Map!â
A circle of bluish mist suddenly spread out, making the roomâs light and shadows flickerâbut that was all.
Yu Ci let out a long sigh. His numerous attempts over the past two days had all yielded the same result, and he was growing increasingly composed. Over these days, he observed that in the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror the effect of transforming true qi during the sacrificial refinement remained unchanged; only the Divine Map, as if it were a mere illusion, had vanished without a trace.
This seemed to be a lingering aftereffect of his battle with Nan Songzi. However, after two days of sacrificial refinement, Yu Ci felt that even if there had been an issue at the time, the current state of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was perfectly normalâno, even somewhat better than before. After all, having ingested such a monstrous creature as nourishment, the exchange of qi during refinement was noticeably more vigorous, and the effect even more pronounced.
Of course, his own condition was fine; that minor internal injury had healed today, leaving him in prime form.
Under these circumstances, with the Divine Map still not appearing, the problem could only lie in the connection between the twoâthe link that allowed Yu Ci and the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror to communicate and thus activate the Divine Map had been severed amid that dayâs continuous upheavals. For the past two days, Yu Ci had been trying to reestablish it, but with little success.
Yet his silenceâor rather, his contemplative moodâwas not solely due to this setback. Had he been preoccupied only with the current frustration, his twelve years of wandering would have long since eroded his lofty ambitions; there would have been no Yu Ci of today.
In fact, Yu Ci had been pondering some words spoken by Elder daoist Yu Zhouâthe words he had once dismissed when he returned to the temple, in the plum grove of the Western Garden.
At that time, the elder remarked that having a heart undisturbed by external matters was certainly commendable, but in the pursuit of immortality it was a grave mistake. He then expounded on the notions of âfish and dragonsâ and âchoices and sacrificesâ to prove his point. Yet in the end, the elder never managed to convince him; on the contrary, in a fit of pique his words had stirred painful memories, causing him to lose his composure and leave abruptly.
Even now, Yu Ci still found much to be unconvinced about in the elderâs theory, which seemed to lack genuine heartfelt conviction. However, after his battle with Nan Songzi he had no choice but to admit that, at least regarding external objects, the elderâs ideas were far more realistic and perceptive than his own.
The influence of external objects was much greaterâby farâthan he had imagined.
One by one, he arranged various items on the table.
The Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, the Pure Yang Talisman Sword⌠These were the items he used frequently. Without the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, there would be no Divine Mapâno âimitated Innate True Qiâ; without the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, he would have long since perished in the Sky Rift Valley, not to mention his previous means of repelling Nan Songziâs soul-shattering attacks; as for the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, he wielded that lethal weapon with great easeâwithout it, when facing an enemy, would he first have to spend time condensing a Seven Star Talisman Sword?
As for the Iron Claws, which he had only used once, it had directly saved his life. (G: the grappling hook will be changed to Iron Claws.)
Moreover, the treasure he had just obtained from Nan Songzi was truly a marvelâlike purple smoke and warm jadeâthe prized possession of the Myriad Cosmos Sect, and immensely useful in cultivation. The red gauze possessed by the Yin Demon, too, was no ordinary thing; after all, it was a magical implement.
These itemsâfor self-defense, for slaying enemies, for cultivationâeach had its own unique purpose, and when used appropriately each could yield tremendous results.
However, all along he had not devoted much thought to these itemsâincluding those mysterious objects still gathering dust in his storage ring. The most typical examples were the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror and the Iron Claws. With the former, he had treated the daily sacrificial refinement as mere routine, never bothering to delve deeper into the mechanism behind the formation of the Divine Map; as for the latter, needless to say, if it hadnât been for Nan Songziâs threats, he would have completely forgotten about that treasure.
Such a situation undoubtedly called for introspection.
Yu Ci was not the type of obsessive person who ignored the influence of external objects, nor had he reached a state of being utterly unmoved by them; he simply maintained an inner standard to distinguish for himself what was primary and what was secondary, what was indispensable and what could be abandoned.
Previously, Yu Ci had believed that the art of immortality and his own cultivation were primaryâthings he must strive forâwhile external implements were comparatively unimportant.
Now, he still held that the art of immortality and his personal cultivation were paramount, and he saw nothing wrong with focusing solely on his training; but perhaps he needed to devote some energy to familiarizing himself with the properties of the various magical implements he possessed and to establishing a more solid connection with them.
At the very least, if another sudden situation were to arise on the mountain path, he would be far better prepared to respond calmly.
But one reality was also before him: cultivation required wholehearted dedication. Even in his current state of deep immersionâmeticulously studying the âPrimordial Origin Qi Techniqueââhe felt time fly by. A single meditation session would take two or three hours, and performing an exercise in the âVoid Within the Mindâ took another two or three hours; coupled with the sacrificial refinement of the treasured mirror and the practice of talisman techniques, a twelve-hour day passed in the blink of an eye, making him wish he could split one day into two. Under such circumstances, where would he find the energy to attend to other matters?
He suddenly understood why, in legend, it was common for exceptionally formidable cultivators to seclude themselves for ten, eight, or even a hundred years at a timeâperhaps, in their eyes, time was an even more pressing matter.
Now, he needed to find a way to balance both aspects while ensuring efficiency⌠not to be distracted, but to manage both simultaneously!
In this way, he leapt from the âsmallâ problem of the Divine Map and immediately found himself confronting a âbigâ problem. Though both were problems, Yu Ciâs contemplation had shifted from that of a âsmall pondâ to that of the âoceanââa difference in both depth and breadth of thought that was on an entirely different level.
Time passed in silent contemplation. Yu Ci sensed the changing light outside and began putting away the various items on his desk. Earlier in the morning, Bao Guang had informed him that Yu Zhou had something to discuss with him around this time, so Yu Ci prepared to head over.
When he stepped into Yu Zhouâs study, Yu Zhou was fiddling with a fist-sized square seal, lost in thought. Seeing Yu Ci enter, he placed the seal on the table beside a jade slip.
“Daoist Master.” Yu Ciâs gaze swept over the items before he greeted him.
“Sit.”
Yu Zhou had always been informal when discussing swordsmanship with him, so Yu Ci did not stand on ceremony and sat on the wooden stool by the table.
The old daoist carefully examined his expression for a long moment before speaking. “Youâve been training hard lately, but donât overdo it. The way of cultivation requires balanceârigid yet flexible. Thereâs no need to push yourself into suffering.”
Clearly, the old daoist had misunderstood. Since Yu Ci found it difficult to explain the matter of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror and the Iron Claws, he chose to keep his battle with Nan Songzi a secret. The illusion formation that day had been meticulously concealed, and with over ten miles between them, no one in the temple had noticed. So, he only gave a vague response. Despite the awkwardness, he felt deeply grateful.
Yu Zhou had never been one to harp on matters, so he quickly moved on to the main topic. “The passage between realms in Sky Rift Valley has been sealed.”
Yu Ci, having been immersed in training for days, momentarily struggled to connect his thoughts to current events. He hesitated before breaking into a smile. “Thatâs good news.”
“It is indeed good news. Additionally, the hunt for demons inside and outside the valley is nearing its end. Now, itâs just a matter of sweeping up the remnants. There wonât be any major operations in the near future.”
Seeing Yu Ci deep in thought, the old daoist paused briefly before continuing. “The sect has decided to recall disciples from various locations, leaving only a few stationed at key points. Cliff City houses a million civiliansâif anything were to go wrong, the consequences would be catastrophic. It is a place of utmost importance.”
Yu Ci nodded. “Senior Brother Li is there…”
“Li You is indeed a talented individual, but he has yet to refine his Core, so he canât hold the situation on his own. The primary responsibility falls on Senior Brother Xie.” Yu Zhou added with a chuckle, “That said, Li You has already sent a letter to the sect, stating that he is at a critical juncture in stabilizing his cultivation and forming his Core Refinement. He requested to return to the mountain gate for secluded training. The sect had Senior Brother Xie confirm his situation, and it has been approved.”
Yu Ci also laughed. He wasnât sure how much truth there was in Li Youâs request, but one thing was certainâhis lively and mischievous senior brother had finally found a way to escape.
The old daoist had more to say. “With that, Senior Brother Xie will be left alone in Cliff City. I greatly admire his cultivation and swordsmanshipâhaving him stationed there ensures that the demons and scoundrels wonât dare act recklessly. However, to be frank, Senior Brother Xie is reclusive and independent. Without someone to mediate, he will absolutely have no patience for dealing with the people of the city. To be cautious, since Li You has returned to the mountain, we must send someone else to assist.”
Yu Ci blinked, immediately understanding the old daoistâs implication. Sure enough, Yu Zhou continued, “Are you interested?”
“Me?”
Yu Ci shook his head repeatedly before chuckling. “That wonât work. If I go to Cliff City, I can only imagine what kind of reaction the Sun Light Sect would have.”
“Wouldnât that be interesting?”
Yu Zhou smiled, but his words carried a chilling undertone. “If Jin Huan knows his place, all the better. But if he insists on being stubborn, he should remember that Senior Brother Xieâs reputation for âfavoring kin over reasonâ is not without merit.”
Yu Ci was taken aback.
Seeing his reaction, the old daoist laughed. “If you go to Cliff City, you will be representing the Rifting Earth Sect. Others will have to change the way they look at you, and you yourself must shift your perspective as well. In the vast region surrounding the mountain gate, spanning tens of thousands of miles, the Rifting Earth Sect is heaven, earth, and ruler. This is an undeniable fact, and no one is permitted to challenge it. Without such resolve and decisiveness, how could the sect have stood strong for tens of thousands of years?”
It sounded like persuasion, but he did not press Yu Ci for an immediate decision.
“Cultivation is, of course, the priority. It depends on your plans. You are currently at a critical junctureâif you can break through in one decisive effort, that would be ideal. Delaying too long could dull your edge. Remember, cultivation sometimes requires seeking in stillness and patience, but other times, it must be pursued amidst chaos and upheaval. I am merely suggesting that if you find yourself lost in endless contemplation with no clear path forward, changing your environment might bring new insights.”
So, in the end, it all came back to cultivationâthis was the old daoistâs true intention.
Yu Ci understood and responded seriously, promising to consider it carefully.
At this moment, the old daoist brought up another matter. “As for the inquiry I made on your behalf regarding insights into the âPrimordial Origin Qi Techniqueâ from Junior Brother Qianbao, I have some information. He actually has a rather ingenious method.”
“A method?”
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