A Toast to the Moon

The Fierce Tiger Mountain God extended a peaceful invitation, his voice unable to be drowned out by the roaring wind or the rustling forest.

At this moment, the mountain soared, clouds descended, and the sea of clouds collided with the qi, causing the white clouds to churn and surge like an ocean. An endless stream of wind flowed outwards from a central point, powerful and vast. As Qi WuHuo stood up, he saw wisps of cloud and mist drifting outwards with the wind.

Countless clouds converged to form a cloud bridge spanning dozens of miles.

One end lay in the deepest part, where the Mountain God had broken through his seclusion.

The other end happened to land at Qi WuHuo's feet.

It flowed and shifted, without a physical form.

Qi WuHuo bid farewell to Elder Tao and the others, and under their envious gazes, stepped onto the cloud bridge.

The wisps of cloud and mist looked incredibly ethereal, as if unable to support even a feather, but when Qi WuHuo stepped on them, they were surprisingly firm. Just as he was about to take a step forward, the cloud bridge suddenly shifted, flowing and surging, and in an instant, it sped forward. Its speed was like a swift bird, yet it was incredibly stable.

Qi WuHuo looked back. There was no town, no worldly dust, only the moon high in the sky and the vast, clear sea of clouds.

Riding the clouds and mist, it was nothing more than this.

The road of the mortal world is long, the clouds in the sky are short.

As the clouds dispersed, Qi WuHuo stood steadily on the mountain peak. Glancing around, he saw a figure in front of him, with their back to him. The Mountain God wore a loose, dark blue robe, a jade belt around his waist, and stood with his hands behind his back. The gentle breeze billowed his sleeves, and the moon was full in the sky, making him seem unlike a mortal. Qi WuHuo stopped, not speaking, nor moving forward.

Man and god stood there, quietly observing the mountains and rivers under the night sky.

They saw the clouds, the moonlight, the mountains, and the mortal world.

"What a wonderful view. I've watched it here for three hundred years."

"Looking at it again now, it's exactly the same as when I first saw it."

The Mountain God sighed, then turned and smiled, looking at Qi WuHuo.

Qi WuHuo saw that his eyes were bright, his aura deep, and his black hair fell down, with streaks of white at his temples.

He didn't have the appearance of a handsome immortal, but rather the majestic aura of a divine being.

Qi WuHuo felt that the man before him was perfectly rounded and harmonious, almost impossible to discern his aura.

He stood there, seemingly indistinguishable from the surrounding world.

Such a state was far beyond Qi WuHuo's understanding. He knew that the Mountain God had successfully broken through.

He was also happy for the Mountain God, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Congratulations, Dao Fellow, on your cultivation breakthrough."

The Mountain God smiled and invited him to sit. He poured Qi WuHuo a cup of Spiritual Liquid and said, "My breakthrough today is all thanks to your kindness. I wanted to prepare a gift for you, but I couldn't think of anything suitable."

"If I were to teach you any techniques, my meager cultivation would only be embarrassing."

"So, after much thought, I can only let you witness it during my breakthrough."

"Well, consider it an invitation to be my Dharma protector, how about that?"

"Dharma protector?"

During this time, Qi WuHuo had been discussing cultivation common sense with the Mountain God, Elder Tao, Shen Hongxue, and Luo Yizhen.

After descending the mountain, he had been studying the scroll [Record of Becoming Immortal].

He already knew that observing a cultivator of the Mountain God's realm breaking through would be greatly beneficial to him.

When the Mountain God said this, he was merely hoping that Qi WuHuo wouldn't take it too seriously, and wouldn't consider it a fated encounter he had arranged for him, but rather a simple invitation between friends. A smile appeared on Qi WuHuo's face:

"Okay."

The young man replied, "I'll be here."

The Mountain God burst into laughter.

His laughter gradually grew louder and more commanding, yet it wasn't jarring. Instead, it held a sense of encompassing all things, of looking down upon heaven and earth with ease and grandeur. Essence, energy, and spirit – these three are the foundation of life and all things, and at this moment, they blazed with extreme intensity on the Mountain God, becoming ever more brilliant.

"I have the Great Dao, please behold!"

Qi WuHuo clearly saw the materialization of essence, energy, and spirit on the Mountain God.

Moreover, this materialization wasn't a sudden burst, but a gradual ascent, culminating in perfection.

It was as if the path of cultivation was being re-enacted.

The Mountain God chanted loudly, but his voice did not reach any ears.

"People always say, 'Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown,' but this is also a misinterpretation. Flowers are radiance, like the light of the sun and moon!"

"The Three Radiance are: Primordial Essence as Jade Radiance, Primordial Qi as Gold Radiance, and Primordial Spirit as Nine Radiance."

"'Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown' does not mean actual flowers forming on the crown. Are you and I plants or flower spirits to have such a thing? If so, wouldn't we need to bear fruit? And then have it snatched by a monkey? That's wrong."

"This so-called 'Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown' is merely a Daoist cultivation term."

"It refers to the Three Treasures – essence, energy, and spirit – returning to their origin, becoming indistinguishable."

"One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, three gives birth to all things."

"And I return to One!"

"This is the crucial point of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown!"

As the Mountain God spoke, the extremely dense Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence converged, transforming into a point of spiritual light. This light then merged with the Primordial Spirit, becoming one and entering the space between the eyebrows. From then on, the foundation was established, and the distinction between postnatal essence, energy, and spirit vanished, becoming a unified whole. The entire process was unhurried and natural.

The Mountain God had clearly succeeded in this step. Summoning Qi WuHuo was merely to fully demonstrate the path to reaching his current stage.

Qi WuHuo imprinted the intricate details of this flow and transformation of essence, energy, and spirit into his mind.

Such a brilliant and magnificent scene, once witnessed, would be almost impossible to forget.

Lost in thought for a long time, he slowly came back to himself. As he was about to express his thanks, the Mountain God pulled his arm and sat him down, smiling, "We are friends, and it feels like we've known each other forever. There's no need for such formalities."

"Come, let's drink."

He took out some wine, then suddenly tapped his forehead and laughed, "I almost forgot, you're still young, you probably haven't drunk alcohol before, have you?"

"Come, come, this Spiritual Liquid only tastes like wine and won't get you drunk. You can try it."

"The taste is quite good."

Qi WuHuo sensed the Mountain God's joy after his breakthrough, as well as his intention to depart. He didn't say much.

The Mountain God had mentioned over a month ago that he would travel after breaking through.

An hour of idle chat.

The two finished a jar of Spiritual Liquid.

The moonlight was bright and cold. The Mountain God sighed, "I've been cultivating in this mountain for three hundred years. I thought I would die here, but I never expected such an opportunity. The Mountain God's talisman is on the stone platform behind me. You can take it if you wish, or give it to someone else. I've already made arrangements for the Huang Jing and the other mountain spirits. You just need to focus on cultivating your heart."

Qi WuHuo held his wine, his posture still upright, sitting on the bluestone and gazing at the sea of clouds. He asked, "Are you leaving?"

The Mountain God laughed heartily, "What need is there for people like us to be bound by trivial matters?"

"Shouldn't we send me off with laughter when we part, instead of crying and whimpering?!"

"Once the intention is set, the separation has begun."

"It's already too late to leave, there's no difference."

"Better today, tonight."

Qi WuHuo asked, "Where are you going next?"

The Mountain God replied, "I'm going to roam the four directions, see many worlds, and also cultivate."

The blue-robed youth fell silent for a moment, various thoughts swirling in his mind. Finally, he asked, "What's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yes, if I don't know your name, and we part today, won't we never see each other again?"

The Mountain God raised a cup of wine to the bright moon and smiled:

"My name? I'm just a tiger in the mountains, what human name could I have?"

"When I was young, I hunted beasts in the mountains and ate their flesh and blood."

"If not for this opportunity, how would I have had the chance to cultivate?"

"Are you interested in hearing my story?"

He drank wine facing the moon, his long robe stirring slightly. Little by little, he slowly told Qi WuHuo about his past.

He spoke of how he was once a Fierce Tiger in the mountains, how he swallowed Huang Jing and embarked on the path of cultivation, how he wandered ignorantly in the human world, how he met a friend, wielded his sword to help the weak, and forged a great reputation. He also spoke of how he encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, chose to bid farewell to his Dao Fellow, came to this mountain, and cultivated for three hundred years without breaking through.

As he recounted his past, he slowly finished the wine in his cup.

Finally, even the wine in the wine pot was gone.

He casually picked up the wine jar and clinked it with Qi WuHuo.

The moonlight spilled down, falling upon both of them.

The Mountain God rested one foot on the bluestone, his hand casually extended beyond the cliff. Unlike the youth who sat upright even now, his green robe fluttered in the wind, unrestrained and at ease. Qi WuHuo sat quietly, and he too spoke of his past. Unconsciously, time passed. The Mountain God shook the nearly empty wine jar and said with a carefree air, "It's time to go."

"We'll probably meet again somewhere else."

He stood up, his sleeves falling. Carrying his spear in one hand and the wine pot in the other, he walked out of the cliff with his back to Qi WuHuo. Without using any magical power, he stepped through the void. Just as he was about to leave, bathed in the moonlight, he suddenly heard the sound of a zither from behind him. He turned around and saw the youth take out his zither and begin to play.

The zither music was ancient, like wind rustling through a pine forest.

The Mountain God froze, sensing the farewell. He then tilted his head back and drank, the wine pot not small, and he finished it in one gulp.

Today, he was no longer the Mountain God.

He casually tossed the wine pot aside and sighed with emotion for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"A hundred years of mortal dust, three feet of earth; today, I finally see the green mountains!"

The green mountains are me.

The green mountains are not me.

"Hahahaha, I'm off!"

"WuHuo, one day, if you hear a Fierce Tiger roaring in the Myriad Phenomena Jade Palace in the northwest celestial domain, its roar shaking the heavens and earth."

"That will be me!"

"In this life's cultivation."

"I shall be the Great Sage!"

With one step, clouds surged across the four directions!

The zither music had not yet ended when Qi WuHuo found that the Mountain God's figure was no longer before him. Only the moonlight was clear and bright, and the clouds and wind stirred in all directions.