Yin Yang Spiritual Law (Seeking Monthly Votes)

One month passed quickly.

There wasn't much change in life during this month. It was still waking up early to chant scriptures, chop wood, and fetch water. During leisure time, Lin Jue would go to Second Senior Brother's alchemy room to watch him refine pills and listen to him talk about the Dao of Alchemy. Immortal Source Temple held three lectures on the Dao, and Lin Jue naturally attended all of them. Additionally, Immortal Source Temple held a class every other day to teach the young Taoist priests how to recognize characters. Lin Jue attended for two days but found they were teaching very basic characters, so he stopped going. Only Junior Sister continued to attend.

In the second month of their time at the temple, Lin Jue and the other disciple began cultivating the Yin Yang Spiritual Law.

Cloud Crane Taoist and Senior Brother taught them together.

"If you can sense the Yin and Yang Qi, then guide the Yin and Yang Qi into your body. During the day, it is difficult to balance Yin and Yang, so you must use weak Qi to guide strong Qi. Near noon, Yang Qi is strong and Yin Qi is weak, so use Yin Qi to guide Yang Qi. Near midnight, Yin Qi is strong and Yang Qi is weak, so use Yang Qi to guide Yin Qi. Remember, remember, guide as much strong Qi as the weak Qi you have, and it must be balanced.

"Throughout the day, when the difference between Yin and Yang Qi is greatest, the Spiritual Charm gathered is the least. When the difference is smallest, the Spiritual Charm gathered is the most.

"Your cultivation is still low, so you cannot be greedy. You must cultivate at midnight and noon.

"Remember! Yin and Yang must be balanced!

"If you are greedy, hehe, when I was young, I was greedy for speed, and my Yin and Yang became unbalanced. I couldn't fix it. Not only did I shorten my lifespan, but my whole body felt uncomfortable."

These words continuously entered Lin Jue's ears.

Lin Jue sat cross-legged in the Mountain Moving Hall, his eyes closed, carefully sensing. His mind was as still as water, and his thoughts were filled only with Cloud Crane Taoist's words and the myriad of chaotic Spiritual Charm in the sky.

Chaotic Spiritual Charm, take only Yin and Yang.

It was currently noon, and Yang Qi was extremely strong, like a blazing inferno covering the entire world. The mountain forest outside the room was illuminated brightly, and only the cicadas dared to make a sound. In contrast, Yin Qi was extremely weak, almost imperceptible in the blazing light if one wasn't careful and attentive.

After finally sensing it, he used this wisp of Yin Qi to leverage an equal wisp of Yang Qi and guide it into his body.

If he tried to take a wisp of Yin Qi alone, and then take a wisp of Yang Qi afterward, it would be quite troublesome. However, if he took a wisp of Yin Qi and immediately leveraged an equal wisp of Yang Qi to enter the body simultaneously, it felt very natural.

Perhaps it was because Yin and Yang were meant to be together.

This method was indeed ingenious.

Ingenious and stable, not prone to imbalance.

Junior Sister sat beside him, her brow furrowed.

The little fox cub dared not enter the Mountain Moving Hall and still cowered at the doorway, waiting for them. It had grown a bit this month, becoming taller, but it still habitually hid behind the threshold. Listening to the sounds from inside, its pair of pitch-black round eyes often showed a thoughtful expression. It would occasionally tilt its head, scratch an itch, yawn and lie down to sleep, or stare at a passing cat, sometimes receiving a slap.

After an unknown amount of time.

"Alright."

"Hoo..."

Lin Jue opened his eyes.

His eyes held contemplation and enlightenment.

Junior Sister also opened her eyes, but hers were filled with confusion.

"Senior Brother, did you manage to draw in Spiritual Charm?"

"I drew it in."

"Ah?" Junior Sister looked somewhat stunned, and then a little flustered. "Why did it take me so long to sense the Yin and Yang Spiritual Charm, but I couldn't draw it into my body no matter what?"

"Lin Jue has practiced the Qi Nourishing Method, so he already has a foundation. Moreover, when practicing the breathing and guidance of the Qi Nourishing Method, there is already Yin and Yang Spiritual Charm. It's natural that he succeeded easily," Senior Brother said gently from the side. "It's already extremely rare that you could sense the existence of Yin and Yang Qi and Spiritual Charm on your first try. Don't be discouraged. Master accepted you into the temple, so your talent must be exceptional. You've also chanted the Yin Yang Scripture for a month, so you must have gained something. I believe you'll succeed in drawing in Spiritual Charm within a few days."

"Oh..."

"Do not compare yourselves! Comparison leads to discouragement! Discouragement leads to greed! Greed leads to mistakes!" Cloud Crane Taoist said with rare seriousness. "Do you still remember the Wolf Daoist friend we met on the road?"

"That Wolf Demon? I remember."

"Do you remember that his Brother Crow was originally smarter than him, but in the end, he was the one who attained enlightenment and became a demon, while his Brother Crow couldn't become a demon for a long time?" the old Daoist said. "The path of cultivation also depends on fate and affinity. Having some ambition in your heart is good, use it for practicing magic. For cultivating the Dao, it's best to go with the flow."

"Understood."

Junior Sister nodded earnestly.

Lin Jue couldn't help but wonder, what kind of person could possess both ambition and a willingness to go with the flow, and perfectly allocate them to two different things?

"Master, I heard that cultivating the Yin Yang Spiritual Law can extend lifespan?" Lin Jue withdrew his contemplative gaze and asked.

"Any Spiritual Law can extend lifespan. If you get sick less, take care of your body, and die of old age, you will naturally live longer," Cloud Crane Taoist said. "If you insist on extending your lifespan beyond your originally destined maximum lifespan, you must cultivate the Yin Yang Spiritual Law to a profound level without losing balance."

"Is Master considered profound?"

"I was young and reckless, and my Yin and Yang became unbalanced. Since it's unbalanced, how can it be considered profound?" Cloud Crane Taoist said, shaking his head humbly.

"Then how many years can it extend lifespan?"

"This poor Daoist doesn't know."

"Is it possible to achieve immortality?"

"Cultivation methods are cultivation methods. Immortality requires immortal methods. Looking back through history, just wanting to achieve immortality through cultivation alone would take us back to ancient times."

"Then what are the methods for achieving immortality?"

Lin Jue remained seated on the ground, earnestly inquiring.

"There are many methods for achieving immortality, some difficult, some easy, some true, some false, some real, some illusory. It depends on how you categorize them," Cloud Crane Taoist said, looking at his disciple with a sigh, but continuing. "For example, entering the divine ranks and being listed among the immortals allows one to transcend their original lifespan. While it's difficult to live as long as heaven and earth, as long as the incense offerings continue and the Nine Heavens remain unbroken, one can live for hundreds or thousands of years. Don't you think this is a form of immortality?"

"..." Lin Jue pondered, but did not answer. Instead, he asked again, "Are there others?"

"Becoming a ghost after death, not entering the cycle of reincarnation, cultivating into a great ghost, or a ghost immortal. Although you lose your human body and many emotions and sensations, you can still achieve longevity until the world changes or you are eliminated by someone. Do you consider this immortality?"

"Anything else?"

"There are various methods used by demonic cultivators, such as refining people's lifespans into elixirs or constantly changing bodies using demonic arts. They can make do and live for a long time. What do you think, is that longevity?"

"Are there no other upright and unfettered paths to longevity?"

"Achieving immortality, difficult. Living freely and unrestrained, difficult. Achieving immortality and living freely and unrestrained, difficult, difficult, difficult." Cloud Crane Taoist sighed several times.

"Is there really none?"

"There is, and that is the immortal path you requested when you came up the mountain."

"Please enlighten me, Master."

Lin Jue's expression sharpened, and he sincerely asked for guidance.

"Immortal path and longevity, people often put these two phrases together, but since you are asking, we must distinguish them."

"Your disciple will listen attentively."

"There are many Immortals in the world, but what is an Immortal? The guards at the heavenly gate, the guardian Immortals assigned to True Persons of the Talisman School, the attendants of Immortals, the dancing celestial maidens—these are all Immortals, the kind others wish to become! However, if you wish to achieve immortality and live freely and unrestrained, then there are only the Ancient True Immortals of legend."

"Ancient True Immortals?"

"In ancient times, there were many cultivators in the human world, and many paths to becoming an Immortal. Some achieved immortality through arduous cultivation, some were deified through virtue, some ascended to heaven by refining elixirs. Only those who could connect heaven and earth could be called True Immortals," Cloud Crane Taoist said. "Later, these True Immortals all went to the Ninth Heaven, built immortal realms, and transformed into various Celestial Venerables and Ancient Gods. If you could become an Ancient True Immortal and be their equal, you would naturally achieve immortality and live freely and unrestrained. But since ancient times, it has been very difficult for anyone in the world to cultivate to such great power and attain True Immortal status."

Lin Jue silently committed it to memory.

Seeing this, Cloud Crane Taoist sighed, waved his hand, and stood up, walking outside:

"Today's cultivation ends here. The Yin Yang Spiritual Law is not just about taking in Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements Spiritual Law is not just about cultivating the Five Elements. Since you have learned the Yin Yang Spiritual Law, you can go into the mountains to cultivate daily, feel the world, and gather more Spiritual Charm. You can all reflect here for a while longer. Remember, do not be too hasty, and do not let Yin and Yang become unbalanced."

"Understood."

Lin Jue sat for a while longer, savoring the feeling from earlier, then stood up and walked out.

The little fox cub had taken a liking to him. Cloud Crane Taoist and Senior Brother came out, and it didn't move, merely tilting its head to observe who they were. Seeing Lin Jue emerge, it let out a soft whine and trotted after him.

"Were you listening too?"

"How much did you understand?"

"..."

Lin Jue spoke to it casually as he walked.

Back in his room, he opened the ancient book.

A new page, "Eating," had already appeared.

Eating, in itself, was a method created by Taoists of the elixir path to aid in the consumption of elixirs.

What the book said was similar to what Second Senior Brother had said. Some elixirs were potent, some were difficult to digest, and some even had inherent toxicity. They had to be supplemented with the method of Eating to allow the elixirs to function fully or even to avoid being poisoned. Many mortals couldn't cultivate and didn't understand this path. They would casually swallow elixirs, and if they were lucky, fine, but if they were unlucky, they could easily be poisoned to death.

Especially since most elixirs were related to things like lead, mercury, gold, silver, cinnabar, and stone powder.

To elaborate, it essentially involved two key points: "harmonizing" and "dissolving." The claim that practicing "Eating" made one immune to poisons was merely an added benefit of the "dissolving" method.

Harmonizing relied on internal spiritual energy to blend the properties of the elixirs. Dissolving relied on internal spiritual energy as well as the long-term practice of consuming poisons. It was precisely because Lin Jue had practiced the Qi Nourishing Method and the temple had a "medical art" that Second Senior Brother said he could practice Eating in advance—meaning he wouldn't be easily poisoned to death, and even if he were, Fifth Senior Brother would be there to treat him.

It sounded quite taxing.

As for this method, the book described it in great detail.

At this point, another page had been added to the book:

Yin Yang Original Method, Lesser Yin Yang Method.

The Great Way of Yin Yang is profound and wondrous. Cultivators often struggle with the difficulty of balance, hence the distinction between the Lesser Yin Yang Method and the Greater Yin Yang Method.

The ancient sages authored the Yin Yang Scripture, which explained the principles of Yin and Yang energy and equilibrium. Later generations studied and annotated it, gradually grasping the essence of the Yin Yang Spiritual Law. However, it was difficult to divide Yin and Yang energy equally within a single day. Therefore, all these Yin Yang Spiritual Laws invariably aimed for an equal division of energy, either by drawing in a small amount to influence a larger one, or by carefully taking it in during dawn and dusk. In short, each had its own method, all revolving around the concept of balance.

Later, great cultivators painstakingly explored and gradually developed the Greater Yin Yang Method.

The Greater Yin Yang Method draws upon Yin and Yang energy simultaneously. An equal division of Yin and Yang energy within a day is sufficient, without needing constant equalization, hence it is called the Greater Yin Yang Method.

The former is slow while the latter is fast; the former is stable while the latter is rapid.

This method, originating from the Yin Yang Original Meaning annotated by Daoist surnamed Xiang, is often called the Yin Yang Original Method, also known as Xiang's Yin Yang. Its cultivation is not fast, but it is cautious and steady, belonging to the category of Lesser Yin Yang Method.

Lin Jue looked at it and was taken aback.

This reminded him of the Fire-Repelling Technique in the marketplace, which was divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. He hadn't expected the Yin Yang Spiritual Law to have similar distinctions.

With the former, every trace of Spiritual Charm drawn into the body had to be balanced. Therefore, the amount of Spiritual Charm drawn was not determined by the stronger energy but by the weaker energy, and the cultivation efficiency was not very high. The latter, however, paid no attention to these things, only drawing Yin and Yang energy together each time. In the Yin Yang Spiritual Law of Floating Hill Temple, in the cultivation method Lin Jue had just learned, and in the Yin Yang Original Meaning, this was extremely dangerous and taboo.

Lin Jue didn't know the underlying principle, nor how this great cultivator managed to avoid the dangers, nor what profound mysteries were involved. It was a pity that it wasn't recorded here.

After pondering for a moment, he held the book page.

Even though it was only the Lesser Yin Yang Method, the book still described it in great detail, making him feel as if he were listening to a lecture on the Great Way, completely engrossed.

The night passed by unnoticed.