A Dreamwoven Book

After reading Han Sha's letter, Chen Qing furrowed his brows.

Chen Qing's senior brother had taken two disciples in all. Han Sha was the first, and with his good Root Bone and keen intelligence, he had been seen as Hidden Star Gate's hope for bringing glory to the sect.

"Looks like he really is a clever one." Chen Qing set the letter down. "The formation had stopped running, and I hadn't the heart to use a talisman to keep watch. That's how he managed to slip away."

In the letter, Han Sha bluntly said that Hidden Star Gate was nothing more than a Rogue Cultivator lineage, with no connection to the Central Spirit Continent. The Life's True Solution, the Sea and Mountain Scroll, which they had struggled to lay a foundation in hopes of obtaining, was incomplete. It could neither grant long life nor aid cultivation; it could not even strengthen the body. Now that the sect leader had passed away, the sect was on the verge of collapse, with no future to speak of. Only by joining another sect could he truly set foot on the path of cultivation.

At the end, he had emphasized that only by truly setting foot on the path of cultivation could one be said to have inherited his master's legacy!

"Truly set foot on the path of cultivation?"

Seeing this, Chen Qing shook his head to himself.

Secret arts and true teachings were rare in the mortal world; the Dao was hard as metal and stone, and needed the furnace's fire to temper it.

Besides, if his senior brother hadn't saved him, Han Sha would have been nothing but an orphan from a fishing village. He would have had no chance to encounter the profound sect's secret arts or the Life's True Solution; he might not even have survived, let alone cultivated. If the remnant scroll weren't precious, how could Hidden Star Gate have founded a sect?

One must understand that cultivation methods had often been honed over hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years. Even those created in recent years had their own origins and lineages. They accumulated the wisdom and hard-won attempts of generations of cultivators. Every word was distilled from the blood and tears of past mistakes. They might seem to contain only a few characters, but every one was a pearl of wisdom, imbued with centuries of insight and annotation.

"The Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll can take one to the great completion of Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment—in other words, the great completion of the Second Realm—and grant a lifespan of two hundred years. That's already a long life, and it can also increase one's vitality and strength. Besides that, Grandmaster left behind a secret manual, saying it could break through to a higher realm. It just requires greater talent. The old man wouldn't have lied to me about that..."

At this thought, Chen Qing suddenly grew wary.

"Still, what he said may be true, but much of the insight in the letter went beyond Han Sha's understanding. It seems an outsider had already made contact with him. I don't know whether they saw his exceptional talent and Root Bone and meant to lure him away, or whether they had some other scheme, with ill intentions hidden beneath the surface."

He was mulling things over when—

"Martial uncle, is what Han Sha wrote in his letter true?"

The earnest youth's question interrupted Chen Qing's thoughts.

The youth was named Fang Da'ao. Chen Qing's second senior brother had rescued him from a tsunami. After a head injury left him with amnesia, he had been given a new name, taken his rescuer's surname, and accepted as a disciple. His talent was ordinary, but his heart was pure, and he had made the fastest progress in cultivation. In three years, he had laid a solid foundation and was about to begin formally studying the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll.

Now he pressed Chen Qing in a low voice, looking utterly lost. "I used to boast to the villagers about our sect's teachings. If they were all lies, how can my master rest in peace? How can I show my face in this world?"

Your thinking's a little off, and your Dao Heart is rather fragile, too!

But he was his senior brother's last disciple, after all. He was young, and he had suffered one upheaval after another...

Chen Qing thought to himself, "Qu Xiaoyao is young enough that I can excuse it, but Fang Da'ao has just heard the truth at the worst possible time. He might take it badly. His heart is pure, and he's stubborn—once he makes up his mind, he won't let go. Master, oh, Master. If you'd just told him the truth from the start, given Da'ao's nature, he might well have accepted it. But instead, things have come to this."

Enough. He'd steady them first, then sort things out little by little. Otherwise, he had only just become sect leader today, and the sect might already scatter like monkeys when the tree fell.

As he thought, an idea suddenly struck him: the Dao Mark inscription method described in the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record.

"Da'ao and Xiaoyao are both members of Hidden Star Gate, and they're my martial nephews, so they count as my disciples too. Perhaps I can test the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record on them? It might also comfort Da'ao and ease his grief."

With that thought, Chen Qing said, "As for our lineage, it does exist. It's said to be connected to the Central Spirit Continent."

Qu Xiaoyao let out a sigh of relief.

Fang Da'ao hesitated before asking, "Martial uncle, even if we do have a lineage, I'm dull-witted, and junior sister Xiaoyao is still young. Han Sha was the most talented among us, yet he left. Can our sect ever rise again?"

Our sect has never truly risen. How can it rise again?

But since he'd already opened the door, Chen Qing went on, "Since ancient times, people have risen again after losing all their wealth, and nations have revived even after their lands were conquered and their families destroyed. Our sect's cultivation method still exists, and its disciples remain. Why can't we?"

Fang Da'ao's eyes lit up, but he misunderstood. "So you mean that when our Hidden Star Gate first established itself in the Central Spirit Continent, it had a Restoration Patriarch who brought the sect back to life?"

When did I ever say that? I haven't even started making things up, and you've already imagined all that?

But Fang Da'ao had perked up again, and the story had gained a little more detail, so Chen Qing played along. "Perhaps." He mused to himself, If the Grand Void Record doesn't change, I can't keep inventing patriarchs next time.

"I knew it! Our mountain gate truly has an immortal lineage! The Sea and Mountain Scroll contains the foundation of long life! Han Sha will regret leaving without a word!" Fang Da'ao looked toward the mountain gate, his spirits restored somewhat. "Granduncle once said that those who lightly cast aside an immortal opportunity may burn incense and pray all they like, but it's no better than carving a mark on a boat to find a sword lost overboard—only regret will remain."

Qu Xiaoyao asked softly, "If Senior Brother Han leaves, won't the sect's true teachings leak out?"

"Oh!" Fang Da'ao suddenly realized. "You're right! We have to go after him!" He was about to set off.

"No need." Chen Qing raised a hand to stop him. "The Qi Guiding Technique he learned isn't unique to our sect. But since he learned it from Hidden Star Gate, we should reclaim it. For now, though, there's too much to do. You two should rest first. Once I've put things in order, I'll go look for him myself."

He considered the matter to himself. Han Sha's sudden departure was suspicious. He might have been in contact with someone. Perhaps it had something to do with the Sea Abyss Temple he'd mentioned. He couldn't let his two martial nephews risk their lives again.

"Besides, the formation needs to be set up again, but we have only nine Spirit Marrow stones left. Even if we use them all, the formation won't last a month. And the South Sea blood tax is due soon, so we need to set some aside. As for Han Sha..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I can't let him become an ingrate. If he won't leave with dignity, then as his martial uncle, I'll have to help him find some."

With that, Chen Qing went to the main hall and set out his master's memorial tablet.

Then he looked at the four tablets on the altar—for the founding patriarch, his two senior uncles, and his master—and bowed before saying, "Your disciple, Chen Qing, now serving as sect leader of Hidden Star Gate, hereby expels Han Sha from the sect for leaving without a word, betraying the sect, and joining another. I ask all the elders who came before us to bear witness!"

After that, he fetched paper and brush and wrote an Expulsion Notice.

"Your martial uncle is quite cautious."

At the foot of Misty Gorge Mountain, several figures lingered. The thin youth Han Sha stood among them, looking frightened. A man in white robes stood before him, gazing up at the mountain with greed in his eyes.

"Too bad I couldn't lure him down the mountain. Otherwise, I could have forced him to reveal the cultivation method and stripped him of his medicines and treasures." The man in white licked his lips. "Decades of accumulated wealth at Misty Gorge Mountain must amount to quite a lot."

A woman in green chuckled. "Are you worried about the formation on the mountain, senior brother? It's only a small Rogue Cultivator sect that's lost the protection of a Second Realm cultivator. If we ask an elder to step in, breaking the formation would be child's play."

"Foolish! If an elder steps in, what will be left for us?" The man in white shook his head with a laugh. "Besides, all the sects along the southern coast are constrained by the Crimson Flame Blood Alliance. Misty Gorge Mountain pays the blood tax, so we can't just break in." He gave a sinister smile. "But since someone has offered to join us, we can come back and make our demands once we've learned what this mountain is worth." As he spoke, he cast a meaningful glance at Han Sha.

Han Sha trembled. "Didn't you say earlier, Lord Liu, that you saw my good Root Bone and couldn't bear to see it go to waste, so..."

"Of course I value you." The man in white suddenly grabbed Han Sha's chin and forced him to look up. "But if you don't tell me everything about Misty Gorge Mountain's teachings and secrets, how can I teach you according to your abilities?" He abruptly flung Han Sha's face aside. "And from now on, I'm your master. Respect your teacher. Understand?"

Han Sha staggered backward.

The man in white said coolly, "Remember, you're a member of Sea Abyss Temple now. You're far nobler than those lowly mountain Rogue Cultivators! You need to think bigger. Understand?"

"I understand, I understand..."

"Good."

The man in white nodded with satisfaction. After giving Han Sha a stern dressing-down, he offered him a sweetener. "In a little while, an expert from Mystic Chess Academy will come to the southern coast. He likes to guide the younger generation of cultivators. They say one sentence from a true master is worth ten thousand volumes of false teachings. You've spent years at Misty Gorge Mountain and learned only those few pitiful tricks. But one lesson from him could save you at least five years of hard work! Perform well, and you might get the chance."

"Yes, Master!" Han Sha's face flushed red, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"The mortal world is full of distractions. I can't cultivate properly."

Night had fallen. After a busy day, Chen Qing gazed up at the bright moon and sighed. Then he forced himself to sit upright, cast aside worldly distractions, visualized the Sea and Mountain, and breathed in the moonlight.

"Draw breath into the Dantian beneath the chamber; swallow the fluids and take in Qi to open the six viscera..."

Before long, a faint radiance shone from three inches below his navel. A rushing sound rose from his whole body as his blood and Qi surged, and a fresh, grassy fragrance spread around him.

Golden light flashed from the Yellow Court, and his blood and Qi surged like mercury.

This was the sign of reaching great completion in the First Realm.

The Yellow Court said, "The inner person of the Yellow Court wears brocade; purple radiance flies on cloud-like skirts."

The Yellow Court Palace was the Lower Dantian. The first cultivation realm required one to open and nourish the Lower Dantian. Upon reaching great completion, blood and Qi surged through the body, drawing in acquired Qi from all over and gathering it in the Dantian to "raise clouds"—that is, to brew true breath, the inner Qi.

Ever since the world had changed and the Central Continent had sunk beneath the waves, the spiritual Qi and resources between heaven and earth had grown increasingly scarce. Without spirit veins or spirit points, unorthodox cultivators could only accumulate meager amounts of spiritual Qi within their bodies when the sun and moon shone together, then refine it.

After cycling his Qi through the circuits of heaven, his fatigue eased a little.

"The Yellow Court has formed its cloud canopy, but to break through and enter the Second Realm of Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment, I still need Five Elements Spiritual Items. The sect has only wood and earth attributes left; I'm still short three."

As he thought, he lay down, but immediately sat back up and took out a yellow talisman. Forming a hand seal, he chanted, "Celestial star patrols the heavens; warning signs shine clear! Hurry!"

The talisman floated above the courtyard, its vermilion markings glowing faintly as it lit up the grounds.

"This talisman will last for three hours. Wake me when the time's up."

Once everything was arranged, he lay down again and slowly fell asleep. He returned to the hazy white fog, intending to think through the day's events and infer what might happen next. He also needed to check whether the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record had changed.

When he reached the stone platform, Chen Qing immediately opened the book and leafed through it quickly. On the first page, he saw that seven ink marks had disappeared, leaving ten. He turned from the beginning to the end, then back to the middle, because a new line of text had appeared there:

"Once, when the sect was on the brink of collapse, the founding patriarch■■ alone propped up its tottering halls, restored its Dao lineage, and renewed the foundation of long life. Later generations revered him as the Restoration Patriarch and offered incense to him for all time."

This looked so familiar. Wasn't it exactly the Restoration Patriarch Fang Da'ao had imagined?

"My guess was right!" Chen Qing suddenly understood. "So this is how you wield the brush! I make it up, he believes it, and seven Dao Marks are spent. Seven turning points in a life—enough to string together the biography of a fictional figure!"

Chen Qing had suspected that this was a profound sect's true teaching that cultivated one's life and nature through dreams. Now that all the conditions were in place, his heart leapt with excitement. He couldn't be bothered with anything else. Eagerly, he touched the writing with his fingertip and silently said, "I wish to enter the dream."

In an instant, a gale rose, swept up his dream-self, and hurled him into the words and lines of the book.

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