Carriages came and went, and pedestrians streamed through the streets. Amid the bustling red dust of the city, Qi WuHuo slowed his steps and looked back without thinking.
For some reason, his Heavenly Nature had just seemed to stir with a faint anomaly.
The Daoist path cultivated both nature and life. Nature was the Primordial Spirit, which stood above the Aware Spirit—the faculties gained through acquired knowledge and learning.
The Primordial Spirit knew nothing and saw nothing, yet could govern creation. The Aware Spirit was keen and perceptive, responding without pause.
Cultivation was a matter of clarity. Thus, whenever an anomaly involving oneself arose, one's Primordial Spirit naturally sensed it. This was called a sudden stirring of the heart, foreknowledge of what had yet to happen. Only cultivators whose minds were clouded, trapped in the Eight Hardships and unable to free themselves, had Primordial Spirits no longer considered pure and had fallen into the state of a [stubborn heart]. They no longer possessed such an ability—or rather, even if their Primordial Spirits still sensed something, they could no longer perceive it.
What a pity.
"Is someone with a karmic connection to me here?"
The young Daoist turned and searched the bustling street.
The red dust flowed like a river. Earlier, his Primordial Spirit had turned naturally, sensing something of its own accord. But now, as he deliberately searched, he had acted with intent and fallen to the lesser way. His Primordial Spirit no longer gave him the same feeling as before. So he withdrew his gaze and smiled freely at himself. "If there is a karmic connection, then one day we'll meet. There's no need to cling to it."
The young Daoist tossed the last piece of steamed bun into his mouth, slowly chewed and swallowed it, and filled his