Upper, Middle, and Lower: Three Mahayana Opportunities

Qi WuHuo only wrote these four lines, then he put down his brush.

The old man stroked his beard and softly recited the couplet, or perhaps it should be called four lines of poetry. He felt the words were simple and unadorned, yet exuded an effortless immortal aura. Suddenly, he chuckled to himself, a hint of joy in his laughter. "One shouldn't speak too definitively, after all," he said.

"WuHuo, did you write this?"

Qi WuHuo shook his head and frankly replied, "I don't have that kind of talent."

"I saw this in a dream. It was a poem written by someone called Qinglian Jushi. I haven't heard any other poems from him. It should work as a couplet too."

The old man stroked his beard and smiled.

"Good."

Then, with a hint of regret, he added, "It seems I can't give you this pill then."

With a sweep of his sleeve, the old man gathered the Longevity Elixir from the table. He then reached back into his sleeve and produced an item. It was a scroll, ancient in its material, with characters that were all the same as those on the Mountain God Talisman Seal. They resembled swirling clouds, ever-changing, as if displaying the profound principles of the Mystic Gate.

The characters undulated, seeming as if they would fly directly out of the scroll, transforming into birds, clouds, moonlight, and more.

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Since that is the case, I shall give this to you."

"This is the foremost of all dharmas. Those who cultivate it can reach Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Facing the Origin."

"It allows one to grasp heavenly secrets, understand all things, and know of change."

"It is a supernatural ability, a Marvelous Dharma, free and profound."

"If you cultivate it, you can achieve the status of a True Person of the Current Era within a hundred years. If you are willing to accept the Heavenly Emperor's Edict, you could also become an Immortal Official. That would be the end of it. As your cultivation progresses, if you endure hardship and have further opportunities, you might later be called a Star Lord or Primordial Lady. It's not impossible for people to build Dao Fields to worship you in the mortal world. At that point, you would be truly free and at ease, roaming the Northern Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening, how about that?"

It was a direct transmission of a Daoist Scripture and Daoist Magic.

Such a classic, even within the major Daoist Sects of the current human world, would be considered a top-tier core inheritance.

If the pill from before represented the freedom of one person, then this scripture could establish a thousand-year lineage.

Now, it was placed directly before Qi WuHuo.

Qi WuHuo naturally desired the scroll, but he still asked, "Are you satisfied, old man?"

The old man stroked his beard for a long time, then replied with a smile, "The immortal aura is pervasive; these are not words that mortals could write."

"But ultimately, it's written from the perspective of an individual. To me, the immortal aura is sufficient, but it still feels like something written by a gifted disciple. It's fine as a personal collection, but as my Daoist couplet, it lacks a certain grandeur."

The young man was puzzled.

The old man replied with a calm smile:

"The world is vast, from ancient times to the present, no one has dared to claim."

"Grant me eternal life."

Qi WuHuo opened his mouth, and suddenly felt that this line of poetry was also inappropriate.

"And mere grandeur is not enough. Some Daoist sects in the human world write various couplets above their mountain gates, for example, this one..."

The old man casually tapped his finger.

A drop of water flew out of the teacup and transformed into an image. Instantly, the scene shifted, and it felt as if they were on a mountaintop. Qi WuHuo was stunned. He looked around and saw towering mountains, with radiant auspicious clouds in the sky, like a place inhabited by immortals. Figures transformed into streaks of light, moving with lightning speed. At the highest point of these clouds, there was a Daoist temple, simple and ordinary, with a couplet in front of it.

Qi WuHuo's eyes widened as he looked around.

On his usually composed face, a hint of youthful eagerness appeared.

The old man smiled and said, "You try it."

Qi WuHuo didn't yet understand the meaning of these words when he felt a mysterious sensation, as if he could control the image conjured by this drop of water. He instinctively moved his Primordial Spirit, and the image instantly zoomed in, crossing the layers of mystical mountaintops and the Daoist temple, arriving before the simple temple.

Inside, someone was meditating.

And in front of it was a couplet.

The Dao penetrates Yin and Yang, the Three Realms are spiritually connected, managing the earth's core. Clouds cross Mount Tai, ten thousand mountains bow in reverence to the Heavenly Venerable!

The grandeur was immense.

As Qi WuHuo's Primordial Spirit controlled the image, it circled above the Daoist temple. He saw flowers bloom and fall, and waves of azure mist. He was overjoyed, but ultimately his cultivation was insufficient. As he tried to get closer to read the couplet, he lost control.

A trace of his aura leaked out.

Instantly, the drop of water could no longer maintain its perfect form and burst apart.

As it burst, Qi WuHuo seemed to see the Daoist meditating within the temple awaken, about to open his eyes.

However, Qi WuHuo didn't see him open his eyes before the scene shattered. He felt as if he were falling from the highest heavens, seeing all things abandon him, the clouds and auspicious light collapsing. His face paled slightly. With a sweep of his sleeve, even the white paper with the written poem on the table fluttered down, as if it had truly fallen into the sea of clouds, the azure waves, and the Daoist temple.

Qi WuHuo almost thought he would fall too. He instinctively reached out and grabbed the old man's sleeve, but suddenly felt a coolness on his forehead. He suddenly awoke; it was just that drop of tea water falling.

The old man burst into laughter.

The young man's face flushed slightly. He let go of the old man's sleeve and said, "I'm just a little... afraid of heights."

In front of the old man, he couldn't help but reveal his youthful essence, spirit, and energy. He raised his hands and haphazardly wiped his forehead, then sat up straight and properly. Forcing a composed expression, he avoided looking at anything, but the tips of his ears were bright red.

"Just a little, a tiny bit."

The old man burst into laughter, pointing at him.

"Impressive, impressive!"

"I've never seen a Mountain God afraid of heights."

Qi WuHuo's lips moved, unsure of what to say.

The old man skipped over this, no longer teasing the precocious youth. He stroked his beard and smiled.

"You saw that couplet earlier. Many Daoist lineages in the mortal realm have that style."

"They either worship the Celestial Venerables or pay homage to the Nine Heavens. It's not that it's bad, I just don't particularly like it."

"It's like having tons of gold and silver at home and having to announce it to the world."

"If it's not that style, then it's like [Great Mounts cleave the primordial chaos, watching the purple heavens rise, golden halls aflame, a few clear bells forever ringing in the ear][Gentle breezes blend reason and principle, understanding the ephemeral nature of hegemonic ambition, immortal traces vanish like water, a thousand autumns of righteous paths always linger in the heart]—not free and easy enough."

"It needs to be serene and composed, with an immortal air, yet not overly complicated and boring."

"Can WuHuo achieve this?"

"Especially from my own perspective."

The elder looked at him playfully, posing quite the challenge.

However, this scroll of scripture was meant to be given to him in earnest, enough to serve as his protection.

The young man thought for a moment and suddenly said, "I can."

The old man was surprised.

Qi WuHuo recalled slightly, still seeing the characters from his dream.

In a story from the dream, there was a Daoist named Zhenyuanzi who had written a couplet.

That was just something seen in a dream; the words in the story were illusory, not real. It should be acceptable.

Though the old man possessed vast supernatural abilities, he was no less formidable.

Qi WuHuo picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

The old man was surprised. Stroking his beard, he lowered his gaze and saw the characters the youth had written. He then began to read aloud:

"Immortal's Mansion of Eternal Life."

"Daoist of Heavenly Longevity."

Was it overbearing? Not at all. It merely spoke of an ordinary Daoist.

But the sense of composure, the unhurried narration, the grand spirit, and the vast immortal aura almost filled the paper.

Eternal life, longevity equal to heaven.

It was merely the life of an ordinary Daoist.

The writing wasn't as good as the previous poem, but the spirit was truly that of a high-ranking Daoist master.

Composed.

Majestic.

The old man stroked his beard and recited it several times, then burst into laughter. "Good, excellent!"

"I like it very much!"

"It seems I can't give you this scroll of scripture anymore, hahaha."

The old man reached out and took back the scroll of Daoist scripture. Then, he placed his hand on Qi WuHuo's head, overjoyed.

"Now, I shall remember your name too!"

"In three days, I am going to meet someone."

"At that time."

"WuHuo, you will accompany me."

"I won't give you elixirs, nor bestow upon you methods. The gift I give you is a connection, how about that?!"