The terrace was empty and still, stars hung low, and the wind blew high.
Mo Chuan casually found a secluded corner, sat down cross-legged, half-closed his eyes, and carefully recalled Juezhen Zi's teachings and scriptures.
Three Scenery Daoist Magic summoned the essences of the Three Lights of Sun, Moon, and Stars, and thus gave rise to three forms.
They were:
Jade Sun Summoning, Luminous Moon Seizing, and Seven Spirits Guiding Stars.
Tonight, the moon shone bright and clear, with stars scattered across the sky. It was the perfect time to cultivate the two forms of "Luminous Moon Seizing" and "Seven Spirits Guiding Stars."
The specific details of cultivation were further divided into two stages:
Unawakened and introductory.
Unawakened referred to those who had never cultivated Three Scenery Daoist Magic, who could not sense the essences of the sun, moon, and stars, and thus needed to follow the Contemplation Dao.
They contemplated the Three Lights of Sun, Moon, and Stars, imitated them, drew them in through the mouth and swallowed them, coordinating this with actions such as holding their breath, knocking their teeth together, and swallowing saliva. They cultivated in a manner of "knowing that it was so, yet not knowing why it was so."
Once one successfully inhaled and exhaled the first breath of sun, moon, and star essence, one was considered to have entered the gate. One could then follow the Qi Refining Dao, using that breath of essence to draw upon the Three Lights of Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Mo Chuan was currently unawakened, so he had to follow the Contemplation Dao.
It was somewhat similar to visualization techniques.
Yet it was not baseless imagining. Instead, one needed to empty one's thoughts and, in a hazy state of unknowing, inhale and exhale the essence.
To quote the scripture of Three Scenery Daoist Magic: "Vast emptiness, supreme harmony qi; inhale and exhale the streaming rosy dew; fetal breath stills the hundred passes; in sparse solitude, fathom the three conveniences..."
Mo Chuan did not dare go off track. His every movement followed Juezhen Zi's teachings. Before he knew it, his thoughts had drifted into emptiness, and time flowed like water.
Half-dreaming and half-awake, he suddenly felt a chill in his throat. He abruptly opened his eyes, and the haziness in his heart vanished.
That trace of coolness in his throat not only did not disappear, but grew ever clearer.
When he projected his will toward it, he could vaguely sense something without a fixed shape.
Like qi, like light.
It gathered in his chest and slowly seeped into his spirit and soul.
I've entered the gate!
Mo Chuan was delighted and tried to control that wisp of moon radiance.
At first, the moon radiance remained unmoving as a mountain. But as his consciousness persistently reached toward it, it gradually became active. At last, it moved with his thoughts, coursing through his body and nourishing his soul.
"Is this Three Scenery Daoist Magic? It really is miraculous!"
After controlling it for a while, Mo Chuan then attempted to draw in moonlight.
Unlike his previous hazy confusion, this time, with the moon radiance he had drawn into his body, he successfully perceived the moonlight spilling between heaven and earth.
Guided by the moon radiance, it gathered into a stream and slowly flowed into his body.
"Luminous Moon Seizing—this form can be considered introductory now."
Mo Chuan let out a long breath. He did not greedily seek too much, instead turning to cultivate "Seven Spirits Guiding Stars."
The so-called Seven Spirits were the Big Dipper.
This method was similar to the Star Worship Technique.
However, it used only the Big Dipper as a ladle, dipping into and scooping up the stellar radiance of the heavens.
The Dharma Seal was exceedingly dull, but fortunately Juezhen Zi had translated it into plain language and explained it thoroughly, making it easy enough to cultivate.
Perhaps because his divine soul had swallowed incense offerings and grown quite strong, Mo Chuan entered meditation with remarkable ease.
Before long, he bit down on a mouthful of starlight and formally entered the gate.
As for the Jade Sun Summoning form, he would need to wait until daytime.
With the successful experience of "Luminous Moon Seizing" and "Seven Spirits Guiding Stars," Jade Sun Summoning would be there for the taking!
And that was indeed the case.
Early the next morning, after cultivating through the night, Mo Chuan took advantage of the gentle morning sun and switched to cultivating Jade Sun Summoning.
In less than half an hour, he had entered the gate. It was astonishingly fast.
Having entered the gate of Three Scenery Daoist Magic, Mo Chuan was overjoyed. After breathing and circulating qi for a while to consolidate his gains, he happily descended from the terrace to eat breakfast.
While eating breakfast, he opened the online shopping platform again and bought some supplies.
Three Scenery Daoist Magic could also seal the Three Lights of Sun, Moon, and Stars within talismans.
They were also called Jade Sun Talismans, Luminous Moon Talismans, and Seven Spirits Talismans.
This method was recorded in the "Supreme Hidden Book" and had many particular requirements:
Jade Sun Talismans were written in vermilion on green paper and stored in a crimson-blue pouch.
Luminous Moon Talismans were written in orpiment on green paper and stored in a yellow brocade pouch.
Seven Spirits Talismans were written in tea-white on green paper and stored in a pouch of hundred grasses.
The green paper here was not paper colored green, but the paper used for imperial edicts, "green paper and purple clay," also called Black Gold Paper.
Juezhen Zi had not taught the way of these Three Scenery talismans. He had merely given them advance notice, telling his disciples to make preparations.
So Mo Chuan did not know the details either. After searching online for half the day and ending up more lost than before, he simply bought a little of everything, whether it seemed relevant or not.
After this round of purchases, he checked how much money he had left and was instantly dumbfounded.
"Damn it, at this rate, I'll be eating dirt in less than ten days or half a month, won't I?"
"That old Daoist Juezhen really was right... Wealth is the foundation that supports the body, the source that nourishes life, the provisions for cultivating the Dao! Without money, you can't take even a single step!"
Mo Chuan scratched his head. After thinking it over, he decided to worry about it when he truly ran out of money!
How could working a job be as interesting as cultivating the Dao?
On the way back after breakfast, he looked as though he had pulled an all-nighter, his eyes narrowed and his steps unsteady.
In truth, he was using Jade Sun Summoning to inhale and exhale sun radiance.
During this time, both Fu Luan Temple and Yunji Temple began their morning lessons.
Amid curling incense smoke, Mo Chuan used one pair of eyes to watch two Daoist halls.
One had only a master and disciple, sparse and few; the other was filled with Daoists chanting scriptures like roaring waves. The contrast was rather amusing!
Oh, right—Tianbao Temple also had a thread of incense offerings. But no one had been preaching scriptures these past few days, so Mo Chuan could not be bothered to pay attention.
The Buddhist cultivation methods—with their arhats, bodhisattvas, and divisions of spiritual natures—left him thoroughly bewildered. He figured that once he was tired of wielding the butcher's blade someday, he could go become a Buddha.
That night, Juezhen Zi once again kept watch over the hall at midnight, preaching scriptures and expounding the Dao.
Unfortunately, he did not speak of the Three Scenery talismans Mo Chuan had been eagerly anticipating. Instead, he carefully explained the cultivation details of Three Scenery Daoist Magic.
For the first time, Mo Chuan experienced the joy of being a top student.
He had never imagined that Three Scenery Daoist Magic contained so many twists and turns, so many gates and thresholds.
The disciples of Yunji truly came in every variety imaginable. All manner of unbelievable circumstances had occurred.
Things like, "When cultivating Luminous Moon Seizing, the moon emerged from the chest, making the chest swell with unbearable pain";
Or, "The ears heard hallucinations, and one suspected immortals were transmitting a method";
Or even, "Moon radiance entered the body like a fish entering a pond, thrashing and rolling without rest";
They were bizarre in every conceivable way. Mo Chuan was left agape, while also faintly realizing what a reckless act it had been to cultivate alone.
If anything abnormal happened, he feared he could suffer qi deviation.
At that point, even if he cried to heaven, heaven would not answer; even if he called to earth, earth would not respond!
Fortunately, the ignorant knew no fear. He had actually crossed the most difficult threshold of cultivation—entering the hall and passing through the gate—with ease.
Mo Chuan guessed that his smooth sailing might have something to do with consuming incense offerings.
Or perhaps it was related to his innate Xian Body.
In any case, he had learned almost nothing new during the first half of the night. It had merely been a matter of reviewing the old to learn the new.
After Juezhen Zi finished teaching, Mo Chuan lifted his foot, preparing to return to the terrace and cultivate Three Scenery Daoist Magic again.
Unexpectedly, three wisps of illusory incense offerings drifted over, crossing the boundary between two realms.
Looking through the incense offerings as though through a mirror, Mo Chuan raised his brows.
It was Huang Buyu, the Yellowhide Immortal he had encountered when he first obtained the Sacrificial Dao Furnace!
It looked almost human, dressed in a green robe and cloak. Its claws clasped three offering sticks of incense as it knelt before a prayer mat in the Chen family ancestral hall, earnestly making an offering sacrifice.
Several freshly gathered wild fruits lay on the offering table, each a different color and rather adorable.
"Rogue Cultivator Huang Buyu of the mountains and wilds pays respects to Immortal Mo of the Nine Netherworlds! I disturb you late at night because I truly have doubts in cultivation and fear entering the crooked path. I beg the Immortal to point out the way through the maze. Huang Buyu is willing to remain at your side and obey all commands."
Thanks to fellow Daoists "One Hundred Ninety-Seven You" and "Southern Mountain God" for the tips!
Before you continue