Encounter Ye

White Cloud Temple is located outside Xibianmen in Jingcheng. As the ancestral court of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, it enjoys the reputation of being the 'First Forest of Quanzhen.' In the hearts of the vast majority of Daoist followers, it holds an exalted status.

The predecessor of White Cloud Temple was the Tianchang Temple of the Tang Dynasty. According to records, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang built this temple to 'purify his heart and revere the Dao,' offering sacrifices to Laozi.

In the past, it was no accident that this place served as an ancestral court of Daoism. Jingcheng, as an ancient capital of six dynasties, had a dragon vein beneath it. Here, Earth Essence nourished the land, aiding cultivation.

But with the arrival of the End of Dharma, although the Earth Essence Qi had not completely dried up, it had thinned to an extreme degree. Moreover, as China was on the verge of a great rise, White Cloud Temple was situated in a bustling urban district. The overwhelming mundane world pressed in from all sides, making it extremely difficult to cultivate in stillness. Thus, this place had long since lost any true cultivators.

Beyond the mountain gate of White Cloud Temple, ancient trees towered with canopies spreading like umbrellas, casting a vast swath of shade. They shrouded the temple walls and buildings in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere, instantly bringing a sense of calm and stability to the heart, as if all six senses were cleansed.

At the front gate, two stone lions crouched like celestial guardians, majestic and imposing, protecting the entrance. The main gate consisted of three arched doors arranged in a line side by side. The central one was tall and wide, while the two on the sides were low and narrow.

Above the gate, layered eaves and flying brackets rose, with gray stone and green tiles resembling a city gate tower. The walls beside the gate were carved with flowers and beasts, a masterpiece of craftsmanship, exquisite and breathtaking.

A finely carved, two-meter-tall gourd-shaped incense burner stood in the hall, with curling smoke rising from it. It seemed as if one could ascend to the immortal realm on that smoke, evoking a sense of wonder.

In front of the Lingguan Hall, two stone spirit turtles lay on either side, their necks stretched toward the sky. On their backs, they carried inscribed steles of famous calligraphy, guarding the hall's entrance.

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

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

In this era, tourism had not yet developed. Coupled with the prevalence of scientism in previous years, where all manner of ghosts and gods were to be overthrown, the economic situation of White Cloud Temple was rather poor.

At this time, the basic requirements for becoming a monk or cultivating the Dao were not high—unlike later generations, where a bachelor's degree was needed. Yan Kuan was young, so the conditions were even more relaxed for him.

The current abbot of White Cloud Temple saw at a glance that Yan Kuan had an affinity with the Dao. This affinity, it turned out, was roughly an affinity of eighteen thousand yuan.

The Yan family had money, and they also had some connections in Hong Kong and the mainland. Moreover, most of the Daoists remaining at White Cloud Temple were not ascetic cultivators. Thus, Yan Kuan's family smoothly obtained a small courtyard within the temple.

"Son, is there anything special about this courtyard? If you want to be a Daoist, wouldn't it be better to live near the Jade Emperor Hall or the Lingguan Hall? Those places are bigger. This one is so out of the way."

Yan Kuan paced back and forth in the courtyard, not immediately answering his parents' question. He extended his powerful divine sense, sweeping over every inch of the land, and finally confirmed the location of the formation nodes he needed.

Beneath White Cloud Temple, an ancient formation was laid out, connected to the earth vein. Wisps of purple dragon energy rose up. This special kind of Earth Essence dragon energy was beneficial for cultivation, but unfortunately, it was too thin—incomparable to the underground palace of the Jiujiang Dragon Sparrow Branch.

Now, with the world dried up and spiritual energy scarce, a mere trace of Earth Essence dragon energy could not withstand the influence of the rolling mundane world. In such an environment, what cultivation could be discussed? What Dao could be pursued? Thus, it had been abandoned.

Although the Quanzhen Sect was still a major faction in the cultivation world, White Cloud Temple, this ancestral court of Quanzhen, no longer had a single person with true Daoist attainment. The true adepts of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect had long since departed, leaving only ordinary followers and the temple itself. This was also why Yan Kuan's family could move in so easily.

"This is the place."

Yan Kuan suddenly strode a few steps across the room and groped at the wall for a moment. The outline of a doorway appeared before him. He pushed lightly, and a sealed-off courtyard revealed itself to the family.

Inside the small courtyard, it was empty and silent. At the center lay an eight-trigram medicinal garden, overgrown with weeds. Beside it stood a thatched hut containing a few scattered meditation cushions. Wisps of purple energy rose within the courtyard, but before they could fly out, they were dispersed by the mundane atmosphere.

"This is the secret spiritual ground of White Cloud Temple—the Essence of the Violet Dragon Vein. But alas, in this environment of boundless mundane world, cultivation is difficult!"

Yan Kuan shook his head as he spoke, then leaped lightly to the front of the eight-trigram medicinal garden. With a slight raise of his hand, a few medicinal herbs remaining among the weeds flew out. Then a sheet of flame descended, and the overgrown weeds instantly turned yellow and black, turning to ashes in moments.

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

Yan Qiang and Xiao Lin stared at the scene before them, their worldview completely shattered. Their generation were devout believers in the religion of science, the main force in overthrowing ghosts and gods.

Originally, when Yan Kuan told them yesterday that he wanted to cultivate the Dao and even produced a box of spiritual medicine that seemed no ordinary thing, that had already shaken their worldview. But they still thought that the cultivators Yan Kuan spoke of were at most martial arts experts who could walk on walls, or perhaps more mysterious qigong masters.

But this scene before them—their own son could actually control flames. That huge medicinal garden, poof, turned into scorched earth in an instant. This was too incredible.

"This is a Fire Dao Divine Power. Ordinary cultivators cannot achieve this."

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

"Alas! The Earth Essence dragon energy here is too thin. I wonder how many will survive."

After carefully planting the spiritual medicine seeds, Yan Kuan turned around. Old Comrade Yan and Ms. Xiao had by now accepted everything that had shattered their worldview, silently submitting to their son's arrangements. Yan Kuan's status in the family rose once more, truly becoming the head of the household.

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

These Daoist classics contained no cultivation methods, but they held the thoughts and ideas of the Daoist ancestors. These Daoist texts, passed down to the world, could be read by any mortal. They had no detailed techniques, but they provided great direction. They were treasures of the Dao and a precious inheritance.

"Little Yezi, slow down!"

Yan Kuan had just finished reading a volume of the Huangting when his heart stirred. He pushed open the window and saw a little boy, supported by a woman who was presumably his mother, stumbling up the steps. The boy was impatient, his small hands and feet moving quickly, nearly falling several times.

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

Behind Little Yezi and his mother was another young woman, about the same age as Little Yezi's mother. She looked at Little Yezi with a hint of envy in her eyes.

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

Yan Kuan's gaze casually swept over the lively child. Suddenly, his mind stirred. He noticed that the child's blood and qi were very vigorous, much stronger than ordinary children. Moreover, the mother's earlier address to the child also made him think of some other things.