Meeting Ye

White Cloud Temple stood outside Xibianmen in Jingcheng. It was the ancestral seat of the Quanzhen Dragon Gate Sect and was known as "the foremost sacred grove of Quanzhen." It held an exalted position in the hearts of countless Daoist believers.

White Cloud Temple had once been Tianchang Temple of the Tang Dynasty. Records stated that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had built it to "purify his heart and revere the Dao," enshrining Laozi within.

There was a reason this place had once served as one of Daoism's ancestral seats. Jingcheng had been the ancient capital of six dynasties, with a Dragon Vein beneath the earth. Nourished by Earth Essence Qi, this place could aid cultivation.

But with the coming of the End of Dharma, the Earth Essence Qi had not been entirely cut off, yet it had thinned to the extreme. Moreover, Hua was on the verge of soaring, and White Cloud Temple stood amid a bustling urban district, assailed by the countless distractions of the mortal world. It was exceedingly difficult to cultivate here in peace, so true Daoists had long since vanished from this place.

Beyond White Cloud Temple's main gate, towering ancient trees spread their branches like canopies, casting vast patches of shade and concealing the temple's towers and walls amid tranquil peace. At once, one felt calm and settled, as though all six senses had been cleansed away.

Two stone lions crouched before the gate like seated Heavenly Gods, imposing and majestic as they guarded the entrance. The main gate had three arched doorways arranged side by side, the central one tall and broad, the two on either side low and narrow.

Double eaves and soaring arches crowned the gate, its gray stone and blue tiles resembling a city gate tower. The surrounding walls were carved with flowers and beasts in exquisite, masterful detail, breathtaking to behold.

A finely carved gourd-shaped incense burner, roughly two meters tall, stood before the hall. Wisps of incense smoke rose from within it, seeming capable of carrying one into the immortal realm, stirring longing in all who saw it.

Before Lingguan Hall, a stone spirit turtle lay on either side. Their necks stretched toward the sky, great inscribed steles resting upon their backs as they guarded the hall entrance.

"Layman Yan, rest assured. The young master is devoted to the Dao and wishes to further his studies here at White Cloud Temple. Naturally, we will take good care of him."

Before Lingguan Hall, Yan Kuan's family respectfully raised incense to their foreheads, bowed three times toward the burner, and inserted the incense into it. Beside them stood the Daoist masters of White Cloud Temple, all wearing smiles.

The tourism industry had yet to develop in this era, and the past few years had been the height of scientific materialism, when demons and monsters were to be denounced and overthrown. White Cloud Temple's finances were therefore not in good shape.

At this time, the basic requirements for leaving home to cultivate the Dao or practice Buddhism were not high. It was not like later generations, when one needed a bachelor's degree or the like. Yan Kuan was young, so the requirements for him were even more lenient.

White Cloud Temple's current abbot had recognized at a glance that Yan Kuan was fated for the Dao. That fate was probably worth eighteen thousand yuan.

The Yan Family had money, and they also had some connections in both Hong Kong and the mainland. Many of the Daoists remaining at White Cloud Temple were not ascetics, so Yan Kuan's family smoothly obtained a small courtyard within the temple.

"Son, is there something special about this courtyard? If you want to become a Daoist, wouldn't it be better to live beside Jade Emperor Hall or Lingguan Hall? There's more space over there too. This place is so remote."

Yan Kuan paced back and forth in the courtyard without immediately answering his parents' question. He extended his powerful divine sense and swept over every inch of ground, finally locating the formation node he needed.

An ancient formation had been arranged beneath White Cloud Temple, linked to the earth vein. Strands of violet dragon qi rose from it. This special Earth Essence Dragon Qi benefited cultivation, but it was far too thin and could not compare to the underground palace of the Jiujiang Dragon-Sparrow Branch.

Yet heaven and earth were now barren, spiritual qi scarce. The aid offered by a few strands of Earth Essence Dragon Qi simply could not withstand the influence of the rolling mortal world. In such an environment, what cultivation could one speak of? What Dao could one pursue? It could only be abandoned.

Although the Quanzhen Sect remained a major sect in the cultivation world, not a single person with true Cultivation remained at White Cloud Temple, this ancestral seat of Quanzhen. The true cultivators of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect had long departed, leaving behind only ordinary disciples and the temple itself. That was also why Yan Kuan's family had been able to move in so easily.

"This is the place."

Yan Kuan suddenly took two quick steps across the doorway and felt around the wall for a moment. The outline of a doorway appeared before them. With a slight push, he revealed a sealed-off small courtyard before the family.

The courtyard was empty and silent. At its center stood a Bagua-shaped herb garden, overgrown with weeds. Beside it was a Thatched Cottage containing a few scattered Cushions. Strands of Purple Qi rose within the courtyard, only to be scattered by the aura of the mortal world before they could even leave it.

"This is White Cloud Temple's hidden spiritual ground. The Essence of the Violet Dragon Vein. What a pity—cultivation is difficult amid the countless distractions of the mortal world!"

Yan Kuan spoke as he shook his head, then leaped through the air and landed before the Bagua herb garden. With a casual lift of his hand, several medicinal herbs that had survived amid the weeds flew out. Then a sheet of flame descended, and the overgrown weeds instantly withered and blackened, turning to ash moments later.

"S-Son, what are you...?"

Yan Qiang and Xiao Lin stared at the scene before them, their worldview utterly shattered. Their generation had been faithful believers in the Divine Church of science, the main force behind denouncing demons and monsters.

When Yan Kuan had told them yesterday that he wished to cultivate the Dao and produced a box of spirit medicine that looked anything but ordinary, it had already dealt their worldview a heavy blow. Still, they had assumed that the Daoists he spoke of were, at most, martial arts masters who could run across rooftops and leap over walls, or perhaps even more mysterious qigong masters.

But now, before their very eyes, their son could actually control flames. Such a large herb garden had turned into scorched earth with a puff. It was simply unbelievable.

"This is a Fire Dao Divine Power. Ordinary Daoists can't do this."

Yan Kuan explained casually, then scattered handful after handful of spirit medicine seeds. These were all gains from his trip to Jiujiang.

"Alas! The Earth Essence Dragon Qi here is too thin. I wonder how many of them will survive."

Only after carefully planting the spirit medicine seeds did Yan Kuan turn around. Old Yan and Ms. Xiao had by now accepted everything that had shattered their worldview and silently followed their son's arrangements. Yan Kuan's status within the family rose once more, and he truly became the head of the household.

Within White Cloud Temple, Yan Kuan sat cross-legged in a hall, carefully reciting Daoist classics. These days, he had read Nanhua, studied Yinfu, perused Wenshi, and recited Dongxuan, constantly adjusting his own state in preparation for his coming breakthrough.

These Daoist classics contained no cultivation methods, but they held the thoughts and ideas of Daoists of old. These Daoist texts had been passed down through the world for all mortals to read. Though they contained no detailed techniques, they provided a broad direction. They were treasures of the Dao and a precious inheritance.

"Little Yezi, slow down."

Yan Kuan had just finished reading a scroll of Huangting when he suddenly sensed something and pushed open the window. He saw a little boy being supported by a woman who was presumably his mother as he stumbled toward the steps. The boy was rather impatient, his little hands and feet moving rapidly, and he nearly fell several times.

"Sister Ye, your Little Yezi really is lively. My Old Liu thinks about having a child every day. If I could give him a child like Little Yezi, he'd probably be so happy he'd smile even in his dreams."

Behind Little Yezi and his mother was another young married woman about the same age as his mother. Her gaze toward Little Yezi carried a trace of envy.

"His blood and qi are this abundant? Ye? Could it be..."

Yan Kuan's gaze casually swept over the lively child, and his heart suddenly stirred. He noticed that the boy's blood and qi were exceptionally vigorous, far stronger than an ordinary child's. Moreover, the way his mother had addressed him earlier made Yan Kuan think of something else.