The Formless Nine Apertures

All living things between heaven and earth, even ants, had something they sought.

Ant colonies toiled from dawn to dusk, yet never strayed from their roots. In the words of the most sacred sages of mankind, this was precisely the manifestation of "true constancy responding to things."

But what could a Formless one possibly seek?

Master Xun's question stumped Xu Yan. His expression froze slightly. It seemed he had never considered this question before. He had merely drifted with the current. As a child, he had taken an interest in the primordial Daoist texts and scriptures of this world and studied them on his own. After obtaining the Human-Snake Ancient Jade, he read even more books.

He understood the principles left behind by the sages of old and could recite them backward and forward, yet he had never set his heart on anything or formed an ambition of his own.

Should he become an official and enter public service, or cultivate and seek the Dao? Xu Yan had regarded both with an ordinary heart and had never considered what path lay ahead for him.

"Young Master Yan was wise and gifted from an early age. At ten, you already understood the Thousand Branches Script; you could even read seven or eight parts out of ten of the original text of the Ancient Solar Record. King Wu'an sent you to study here in Shangyin, but what was it you wished to learn? In the path of Primordial Script, you have already reached the level of mastery. Even the senior students of Shangyin Academy cannot compare to you. The arts of diplomacy, dragon-slaying, Qimen Dunjia... these unorthodox paths—if you went to Great Yin Academy to study them, perhaps you could rise to another level."

Master Xun opened his bright eyes. His voice rang out, forceful and unceasing, like peals of thunder that reverberated deafeningly through Xu Yan's heart.

Xu Yan paused, then calmly cupped his hands and said, "To be honest with you, Master, I was born with a Formless Aperture. To this day, I have not opened a single spirit aperture."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Master Xun was somewhat surprised. Spiritual light flashed in his eyes, as though he had seen through Xu Yan's innate constitution in an instant. After several breaths of silence, he smiled naturally. "Young Master Yan, you truly are an extraordinary man. So clever and precocious, yet who would have thought you were a Formless one? Is that why you came to Shangyin Academy?"

"I ask Master to teach me how to break this deadlock. This student wishes to seek the Dao and cultivate." Xu Yan cupped his hands in salute, his tone respectful.

Master Xun rose from his meditation cushion and slowly paced down from the main hall. He stared directly at Xu Yan without speaking.

Only after ten breaths did he slowly say, "Since ancient times, Formless ones have been exceedingly rare, and those who attained the Dao were fewer still. Of those recorded, there was the Formless True Person of the primordial era, and the Nine-Aperture True Lord of more recent antiquity."

"Both of them appear in the Travelogue of Dongzhou, but whether they truly existed is unknown," Xu Yan replied.

"It seems you came prepared." Master Xun smiled.

The Shangyin Xun Clan had produced the first translations of many primordial Daoist texts. The Formless Aperture was annotated by the Xun Clan's ancestor. In the generations that followed, quite a few disciples had studied the Formless Dao, attempting to unravel the mystery of this constitution.

Yet this theory had caused little stir. In Great Yin's literary world, no one cared about the "Formless." There were simply too many ancient Daoist texts and scriptures in the world—countless works held more research value than Formless ones.

"Take the Nine-Aperture True Lord of more recent antiquity. Do you know why he was called Nine-Aperture?" Master Xun asked.

Xu Yan considered briefly. "As this student understands it, acquired spirit apertures are exceedingly difficult to open. With every aperture opened, the resources and effort required multiply. Even if the Nine-Aperture True Lord possessed extraordinary talent, opening nine apertures was likely the limit."

Master Xun shook his head with a smile. "In more recent antiquity, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant, and blessed grotto-heavens and sacred lands were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Within the Ten-Thousand Mang Mountains alone, heavenly treasures and earthly jewels could be found everywhere. Under such conditions, cultivation resources were naturally plentiful. As for the primordial era, there is no need to mention it—the primordial wilderness had just opened, and everyone could cultivate and ascend to the Great Dao."

"The Nine-Aperture True Lord opened nine apertures because he only had nine apertures." Master Xun's gaze sharpened slightly.

Xu Yan's heart jolted. He had never seen such a claim in any Daoist book or scripture.

"Cast yourself into death, and only then find life. Leave yourself no path of retreat. When a Formless one opens their apertures, the depth of their spiritual power can contend in brilliance with the sun and moon. The other twenty-seven apertures are useless and may be discarded." Master Xun seemed lost in thought as he smiled. "Of course, these are merely my conjectures. The proper method has yet to be verified. This is the way to break the deadlock. If you are willing to learn, I will teach you. As for whether you can succeed, I offer no guarantee."

Discard twenty-seven spirit apertures, cast himself into death and then find life?

Xu Yan listened with his heart pounding wildly and remained silent for a long while. If what Master Xun said was true, then this path allowed absolutely no retreat. Once spirit apertures were destroyed, not even true immortals could save him. Xu Yan pondered for a long time. Master Xun did not urge him, merely watched quietly. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Xu Yan finally drew a deep breath and said, "Please teach me, Master!"

"Good." Master Xun's gaze narrowed slightly, his expression calm. "Follow me."

With that, Master Xun swept his black robe, and a clear mist blew in from beyond the heavens.

It swirled around Xu Yan, and the two of them shrank the earth to an inch as they departed.

In only a few breaths, Master Xun brought Xu Yan to the rear mountain of Plum Mountain.

There lay a ravine so deep its bottom could not be seen. It was dark and profound, vast and ghostly. Bitter winds howled through it, as though heaven and earth had become a chopping block and blade.

Landing at the cliff's edge, Xu Yan leaned forward to peer into its depths. It felt as if even his mind and soul were being drawn inside, leaving him dizzy and entranced. On the cliff wall of the ravine was carved an ancient, simple character in Primordial Script.

"This is Plum Mountain Ravine, where the patriarch attained the Dao in years past. The characters carved upon that cliff wall are the words 'Shangyin.'" Master Xun smoothed his black robe and said, "For the next year, come here every day at sunset to sit in meditation and contemplate. Enter the state of lucid emptiness upon the spirit platform for three hours. A year from now, when you attain Crystal Heart Realization, I will teach you the method of the Nine-Palace Dragon Lock."

"This disciple understands." Xu Yan's brows furrowed slightly, but his voice remained calm.

It was still noon, yet Plum Mountain Ravine was already so cold that its chill scraped against his bones like blades and swords. He truly could not imagine how unbearable it would be at night.

"Xu Yan, from this day forth, you are my direct disciple—my final disciple."

With that, Master Xun rode the wind away.

News that Master Xun had accepted Xu Yan as his direct disciple swiftly spread throughout the academy.

Xu Yan had borne the name of a Primordial Script prodigy since childhood, so it was nothing unusual for Master Xun to teach him personally. But the fact that he was also the "final disciple" greatly surprised the students of Shangyin and left some of them dispirited.

For this meant that this great Confucian scholar, renowned throughout Great Yin's literary world, would accept no more direct disciples in the future.

At dusk, led by a young Confucian scholar, Xu Yan arrived at a secluded courtyard.

"Martial Uncle Yan, this will be your place of rest from now on," the young scholar said respectfully.

"It feels rather strange to have Senior Brother address me this way," Xu Yan said helplessly.

Ever since Master Xun had accepted him as a direct disciple and the news spread, the ways people addressed him within the academy had become rather peculiar.

Some of the scholars called him Master Yan, some called him Martial Uncle, and others called him "Fourteenth Master."

It was the first time in Shangyin Academy's history that a newly enrolled beginner student had been addressed in such a manner. Even the First Master, who now served in the imperial capital, had studied diligently in Shangyin for over ten years before Master Xun accepted him as a direct disciple.

"Martial Uncle Yan, you jest. Rules are rules. This disciple does not dare overstep them. If Master Qiu heard it, I would have to suffer the paddle again," the young scholar said respectfully.

"With no one else around, Senior Brother may simply call me by name. It is no matter." Xu Yan smiled.

Yet upon hearing this, the scholar still said nothing. He merely gave a foolish grin and scratched his head.