Wood Element Spiritual Charm

"He who speaks of heaven must be grounded in humanity. He who speaks of humanity must be rooted in heaven."

Within the Mountain Moving Hall of the Floating Hill Temple, the old Daoist, clad in his robes, sat at the head of the table. Two newly accepted junior disciples sat below, listening as he expounded the Dao.

The old Daoist's voice was leisurely.

Yet, within this leisureliness, there was a hint of weakness, different from his state on the road before returning to the Daoist temple.

"Therefore, heaven has four seasons, the sun and moon push each other, cold and heat alternate, their cycles turning. Harmony becomes rain, anger becomes wind, dispersal becomes dew, chaos becomes fog, condensation becomes frost and snow, standing becomes [??? - unclear term, likely referring to a state of being or phenomenon], these are the constant principles of heaven. Humans have four limbs and five organs, one awakening and one slumber, breathing in and out, essence flowing back and forth, becoming circulation and nourishment, manifesting as complexion and appearance, expressed as sound, these too are the constant principles of humans.

"This means that those who are good at speaking of the heavenly Dao must connect it to humanity, and those who are good at speaking of human affairs must base themselves on the heavenly Dao. In cultivation, it means that cultivators use their own changes and thoughts to perceive heaven and earth, and at the same time, they must constantly use the laws and changes of heaven and earth to adjust themselves. Heaven and humanity correspond, the two are inherently connected.

"Cough cough..."

He was likely explaining the correspondence between humans and heaven and earth.

This was the Dao that Cloud Crane Taoist was teaching them.

It was considered one of the prerequisite courses for cultivation.

The old Daoist spoke slowly, the sun gradually rising higher.

It was clearly visible that the old Daoist was somewhat fatigued.

"That's all for today."

"Yes, Master."

"Is there anything you didn't understand?"

"We understood most of it, it just needs to be savored slowly."

"That's good."

The old Daoist nodded repeatedly and then said to them:

"Right, your master is getting old. In recent days, I've been more muddled than clear-headed. Coincidentally, during the previous grand ceremony, Immortal Source Temple also recruited about ten disciples. They will specifically teach disciples to read and write. Our two temples' founders were originally close friends, and later became old acquaintances. Qing Yao, you don't know how to read, so you'll go to Immortal Source Temple and study with their disciples. Remember to be diligent."

"Understood, Master."

Junior Sister nodded solemnly.

"Lin Jue, you know how to read, but you must also know that learning knowledge is easy, but learning the Dao is difficult. When the Abbot of Immortal Source Temple lectures his disciples, I will also ask you to attend. Don't be shy. The Dao, as spoken by everyone, is different. If you want to go far, only listening to me will be too narrow. Wang Ji Zi also has some insights in this regard." Cloud Crane Taoist said, chuckling, "If they teach magic, don't be too reserved. Listen to whatever you can."

"Understood."

Lin Jue also agreed.

On Floating Hill Peak.

In the mountain forest, there were often sounds of branches being cut and old wood being broken, and voices speaking. If one was close, they could hear the sounds of zither and flute from the Daoist temple. If one was farther away, they could only occasionally hear the flute, played by Fourth Senior Brother when he was in the mountains, interacting with birds and beasts during his leisure time.

"Brother Tree, Brother Tree, the branches below you don't get sunlight and waste nutrients. I'll trim them for you and use them as firewood."

"Brother, why are you talking to a tree while chopping firewood?"

"Entertaining myself..."

As Lin Jue spoke, he swung down the knife in his hand.

Chopping firewood was originally Lin Jue's task, but Junior Sister refused to let him do it alone and always followed him. Whenever he chopped down firewood, she would naturally carry it away, sorting and bundling it by dryness and thickness.

After chopping firewood and bringing it back to the Daoist temple, the two of them went together, one carrying a shoulder pole and the other a back basket.

The little fox cub followed behind them.

This had been the case for several days.

Besides chopping firewood, they also had to fetch water.

An unknown amount of water had been spilled on the small path from the Daoist temple to the spring. Still, the two of them walked one after the other, one carrying a large half-bucket and the other a small half-bucket. Junior Sister would follow him when he walked, and even if she couldn't carry it, she would grit her teeth and wait for him to stop and rest before she would stop. Walking together, resting together, the little fox also continued to run back and forth behind them, running countless trips.

In addition, every morning they recited scriptures, cultivated their qi in the temple, and in the evening went to the mountain behind them to practice breathing exercises. It was quite a leisurely life. At such times, Junior Sister would either be listening to Master's teachings or doing other chores.

Initially, Lin Jue thought that Junior Sister was trying to impress, or that she was close to him and insisted on being with him, or that she wanted to help him share some of the heavy work.

He also thought that Junior Sister didn't want him to be diligent while she appeared idle and had nothing to do in the eyes of their Master and Senior Brothers.

Perhaps all of these were true, yet none of them seemed entirely accurate.

After a few days, Lin Jue slowly began to see clearly and ponder the meaning of it all—

This Junior Sister seemed to really like doing chores?

Even when she saw Senior Brother digging outside the Daoist temple, or saw Third Senior Brother moving his wine jars, she would go and proactively help out for a bit, even if she couldn't help, she would pretend to be busy.

It was quite interesting.

A few days later—

Lin Jue was summoned to Second Senior Brother's alchemy room.

Second Senior Brother's alchemy room was likely passed down from a predecessor. It was a small pavilion located diagonally behind the Daoist temple. As soon as he entered, a wave of heat washed over him.

The pavilion was as tall as an ordinary two-story building, but it was actually only one story. In the center was an alchemy furnace, and a yin-yang fish diagram was carved on the floor. On the shelves behind the pavilion were many bottles and jars. Second Senior Brother sat cross-legged. Behind him was a zither stand and a guqin. It was likely that when waiting for the pill to be refined, he would play the zither for entertainment when bored. The zither music often heard in the Daoist temple came from here.

"Little Junior Brother is here?"

"Senior Brother."

"I've refined the Five Elements Spiritual Charm, separating it into two portions: Earth and Wood. They're in these bottles." Second Senior Brother picked up two bottles. He had first extracted the Earth Wood Essence and dissolved it in Spiritual Water for preservation, then purified the spiritual liquid. Only then could he materialize the ethereal Five Elements Spiritual Charm and condense it into a pill. "It's a shame we don't cultivate Five Elements Spiritual Law. Otherwise, consuming the Spiritual Charm could boost our cultivation. For us, it can only enhance our perception of the Five Elements."

"Just consuming it is enough?"

Lin Jue took the two porcelain bottles.

Though called Five Elements, there were actually only Earth and Wood portions.

"Consuming it is enough, but it's best not to take them at the same time, lest the Spiritual Charms become muddled. And they can't be stored for long. Although the Sacred Spring Water can hold the Spiritual Charm of heaven and earth, the Spiritual Charm is inherently ethereal and will continuously dissipate," Second Senior Brother said. "Also, Spiritual Charm cannot be absorbed by humans. Consuming it will merely be within your body, making you feel as if you are in a place brimming with rich and profound Spiritual Charm. After consuming it, you must use your heart to perceive."

"Got it."

Lin Jue couldn't help but frown. He decided to consume one of them as soon as he returned. Then, he took out two pieces of Peach Gum from his bosom: "Does Senior Brother know what these are for?"

"What is this?"

"Peach Gum."

"It possesses Spiritual Charm; it must be extraordinary," Second Senior Brother said. "This kind of thing can also be used for alchemy, taken together with the Wood Element Spiritual Charm. However, I don't have a compatible pill recipe for it, so it would be a waste. But this kind of thing can also be eaten directly, so just eat it directly."

"Eat it directly? Won't that be an even greater waste?"

"If we're talking about efficacy, it's naturally inferior, but you can't say it like that either," Second Senior Brother said calmly. "It can be eaten as is. If you insist on refining it into a pill, isn't that another kind of waste?"

"..."

Lin Jue felt something was wrong, yet also felt he was right.

"Understood."

So Lin Jue put away the Peach Gum, took the two small bottles, and returned to his room.

The little fox naturally followed him.

"Creak~"

Lin Jue closed the door and bent down to pick it up.

"Fourth Senior Brother said you might be descended from a fox demon. Are you?"

"Mmm mmm..."

A soft sound came from its mouth.

"Whether you are or not, it's been several days, and Fourth Senior Brother hasn't found your parents. You'll have to stay with me. You can go back when your parents come looking for you."

"Mmm mmm..."

After a few days, it had become very familiar with Lin Jue. It lay obediently in his hand, its tail curled up to protect its vital parts. Besides looking at him and wriggling helplessly from side to side, there was nothing else unusual.

Lin Jue couldn't help but smile upon seeing this. "But don't worry too much. This place is just as unfamiliar to me."

The little fox continued to make soft sounds, not answering.

Lin Jue didn't say anything else.

Fourth Senior Brother was playing the flute somewhere. The melodious notes drifted into the room, faint and ethereal.

These Taoist priests are too idle.

Lin Jue cast aside his distracting thoughts and sat down cross-legged by the bed. With his back against the bed for support, he took out the two small bottles.

Even without opening the caps, he could faintly sense the Spiritual Charm within. One felt heavy and steady, even feeling weighty in his hand. The other was full of life, making him feel refreshed with just a breath.

He then opened the stoppers.

Inside were ethereal wisps of air and light.

They looked quite wondrous and dreamlike.

Lin Jue dared not look for too long. He took the bottle of Wood Element Spiritual Charm and put the other one back, thinking that if the Wood Element Spiritual Charm took too long to digest, to avoid wasting it, he would give it to Junior Sister--

Since that girl had worked hard to help him fetch half a bucket of Sacred Spring Water, and he couldn't use the Earth Element Spiritual Charm for now, what was wrong with sharing half of it with her?

As soon as the thought of being magnanimous arose, he stopped hesitating and dilly-dallying. He tilted his head back and swallowed it in one gulp.

Instantly, his mind buzzed.

Everything in the room, even the room itself, seemed to be moving further away. Lin Jue suddenly felt as if he wasn't in the room at all, but in a dense forest, surrounded by rich Spiritual Charm. Although it was profoundly mysterious, it was also ethereal and elusive, requiring him to perceive it with his heart.

Lin Jue closed his eyes and remained silent, merging with it.

This was the Spiritual Charm nurtured by the mountains and forests.

The little fox curled up in a corner of the room. The futon in the corner was its nest. Just like every night, it raised its head, its pair of dark, round eyes staring intently at Lin Jue, observing him with curiosity.

Sometimes it tilted its head to the side, as if in thought.

Outside, it had started raining at some point.

This was not uncommon.

It was said that on Mount Yi, there was only one sunny day in every three or four days. At other times, it was either foggy or rainy, and more often than not, both fog and rain came together.

Just like today.

The exposed granite on the mountain was instantly soaked by the rain. The rain stirred up mountain mist, obscuring the Taoist temple below the mountain, leaving only a pitifully small corner visible. It also hid the strange peaks, bizarre rocks, and ancient pine trees within the mountain.

The wind blew, and the mist dispersed. The distinct particles within the mist could be seen clearly. It was summer, and the ancient pine trees covering the mountain were full of pine pollen, orange-red in color, resembling rice grains. The rain and mist easily soaked through them.

However, most of these ancient pine trees were rooted in rock crevices, always lacking soil. It was the nourishment from this rain and mist that allowed them to survive.

Thus, the ancient pine trees greedily absorbed moisture, transmitting it down through their leaves. They rooted themselves even more forcefully, even splitting the mountain rocks. The wild grass in the mountains also drank its fill. The bellflowers appeared even more delicate after being wet by the rain, and some that were originally flower buds opened their petals with the drifting rain and mist.

With the help of this Spiritual Charm, with the help of this rain and drifting mist, Lin Jue seemed to be able to feel all of this.

He didn't know how long it had been before he opened his eyes.

Two pieces of Peach Gum appeared in his hand.

Second Senior Brother might have had a point. Peach Gum itself was edible. To refine it into the same old, swallow-in-one-gulp pills, even if the efficacy increased, was a waste to some extent. Perhaps this was also a state of mind, also a perspective.

Lin Jue perhaps should pick a time to cook it into a snow fungus and peach gum soup. But not now.

He suddenly felt that he needed it.

So he swallowed it directly in one gulp.

Another Spiritual Charm bloomed within his body, like an old tree flowering, like peach branches bearing fruit, like spring sprouting. It had no major effect, only allowing him to inexplicably experience this process.

Sometimes, in a daze, he felt like he had become a tree himself.

He finally opened his eyes again.

The little fox had left the cushion and was lying in front of him, tilting its head and staring directly at him.

Lin Jue met its gaze, remaining seated and still.

He seemed to still be immersed in the previous realization, or perhaps he was simply lost in thought.

"Dong..."

A bell chimed.

Lin Jue got up and walked out.

The little fox immediately followed him.

But as soon as he reached out to open the door, he stopped. After thinking for a moment, he took another small step forward until his forehead and the tip of his nose were close to the door panel.

"..."

Lin Jue took a deep breath, held his breath, calmed his mind, cast aside distractions, and harmonized with it. He silently recited, "Harmony is unity with things," and then took another step forward.

"..."

There was no sound, no collision.

There seemed to be resistance, but it wasn't hard.

It was as if he had taken a step forward through a curtain of wind and water.

When Lin Jue turned around, he was already outside the door. The wooden door behind him was still closed tightly. He could gradually hear the little fox cub, unable to see him, first utter a confused "En?", then frantically start to make small whimpering sounds.

The Wood Escape technique had actually worked.

He had actually passed through the door.

Lin Jue stood at the doorway, savoring the feeling.

This sensation was truly captivating.