Embryonic Light Revealed, Heavenly Heart Ignited

Lü Yuanhua swept his gaze over him, then looked away and continued his sermon. "...Above are the nine heavens; below are the nine earths. Heaven and earth unite, yin and yang respond to each other, yang rises and yin descends. Thus, gods are the utmost yang, ghosts the utmost yin. Ghosts and gods are spirits born of these two energies..." Tang Changsheng felt a jolt and looked over. Daoist Lü Yuanhua preached with a solemn expression, while the men and women below the altar listened devoutly.

As the sermon went on, the five-colored radiance around the copper lamp began to turn ever so slightly.

Boom...

Tang Changsheng had no idea what anyone else heard, but to him, every word of the sermon seemed to thunder in his heart.

The radiance suddenly shot toward him, beam after beam piercing straight into Tang Changsheng's Sea of Consciousness between his brows.

All the essence of sun and moon he had gathered over years of practicing Solar Body-Washing and Taiyin Body Refinement burst into tiny golden sparks.

It was as though every word, every sound from the Daoist's mouth struck his Heavenly Heart, sending sparks flying through Tang Changsheng's Sea of Consciousness.

After more than ten years of cultivation, the Heavenly Heart in Tang Changsheng's sea of consciousness, which he had never managed to ignite fully, finally caught fire!

In his sea of consciousness, what had once been nothing more than a fleeting spark had become a flame the size of a mung bean. Its light even answered the glow of the copper lamp in True Person Lü Yuanhua's hand!

The flame was faint but steady. Its glow lit a circle in the Sea of Consciousness that had always been dark, like a spotlight on an unlit stage...

It was an experience so strange and new that Tang Changsheng lost himself in it completely!

He had no idea how much time passed before Tang Changsheng came back to his senses.

The moment he opened his eyes, he started. An kindly old Daoist was leaning close, smiling as he watched him...

Seeing Tang Changsheng wake, the old Daoist said with a smile, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist, congratulations! You've ignited your Heavenly Heart and set foot on the Dao Path. Your future knows no bounds. Congratulations!"

Only then did Tang Changsheng recognize him. The old Daoist was none other than Lü Yuanhua, who had just ascended the altar to preach.

Tang Changsheng now realized that the small gathering had already ended.

Everyone else was gone. Lü Yuanhua and his disciple stood around Tang Changsheng, delighted. Even Xin Chengying, who had so warmly led him in earlier, was looking at him with a trace of envy!

"My master has preached to eight thousand people, if not ten thousand, and you're the only one who's awakened and set foot on the Dao Path, fellow Daoist Liu. Congratulations!" Xin Chengying said enviously.

Tang Changsheng finally took it in. Caught between shock and joy, he asked, "Does that mean I truly saw the Embryonic Light?"

True Person Lü stroked his beard lightly and smiled. "The Heavenly Heart and the Embryonic Light are two names for the same thing. You saw it yourself just now. How could it be false?"

Tang Changsheng was beside himself with joy. Seeing the Embryonic Light marked the beginning of cultivation and formed the foundation of all supernatural powers and magical abilities.

Yet Tang Changsheng had cultivated on Yin-Yang Mountain for more than ten years without ever truly seeing the Embryonic Light—or, in other words, lighting his Heavenly Heart.

That was why, when danger came, he had staked everything on bringing out the "key" forbidden by his sect.

He had never imagined that taking out the "key" would not only resolve the danger facing the General's Temple, but also send him to this world, where he had seen the Embryonic Light with ease almost as soon as he arrived. Could this be the legendary Immortal Realm?

Tang Changsheng remembered what the elders of his sect had said: since the upheaval of heaven and earth around the transition from the Yuan to the Ming dynasty, spiritual energy had waned, and cultivation had grown ever more difficult.

After the great Long-Haired Calamity a century or two ago, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had all but vanished. Cultivation had become harder still!

In ancient times, a lineage like theirs at the General's Temple could have counted as a major sect.

Even now, ordinary people still saw it as something profoundly mysterious and powerful.

But how could they know?

There was only one person left in the entire General's Temple: Tang Changsheng! They would never imagine that this vast temple was now presided over by someone who had not even seen the Embryonic Light and could hardly be called a true cultivator!

In ancient times, disciples who had not seen the Embryonic Light would not even have counted as formal disciples!

"Hahaha! Though you've only just lit your Heavenly Heart, I can see that your internal cultivation is sound and its light shines brightly. You've clearly built a solid foundation and cultivated the orthodox arts of the Daoist tradition.

"Stay at my Primordial Yang Abbey for now. When you have time, come discuss cultivation with me," True Person Lü Yuanhua said with a smile.

Was this a joke? Someone qualified to ascend an altar and preach, much less guide another person to enlightenment, had to be at least a mage or True Person! And now he was offering to instruct Tang Changsheng. This was an opportunity he could never have hoped to ask for...

Tang Changsheng was overjoyed. "Thank you, True Person. I'm deeply grateful!"

Lü Yuanhua laughed again, patted Tang Changsheng on the shoulder, and left.

Xin Chengying remained, treating Tang Changsheng with even greater warmth and courtesy. He took Tang Changsheng to a meal, every dish delicious and finely prepared.

Then he led Tang Changsheng back to a large private courtyard. It had at least seven or eight rooms, tranquil surroundings, and even a little garden.

"Stay here, fellow Daoist. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better..."

After settling Tang Changsheng in, Xin Chengying left with a smile.

Tang Changsheng looked at the four young Daoist attendants Xin Chengying had assigned to serve him in the courtyard and fell into thought.

Everything that had happened today was so unexpected that Tang Changsheng still felt as though he were lost in a fog.

Even so, Tang Changsheng could not help growing a little wary.

Was this abbey really that wealthy? And why did they value me so highly?

An entire private courtyard and four attendants. Surely not every wandering Daoist who asked for lodging received treatment like this?

He touched the Bagua Mirror tucked close against his body and felt a little more at ease.

"Master, what do you think of this fellow Daoist Liu?" Xin Chengying asked with a smile in the main courtyard of Primordial Yang Abbey.

Lü Yuanhua stroked his beard and smiled. "His aptitude aside, it certainly isn't poor. More importantly, his foundation is exceptionally firm, and the arts he cultivates are orthodox Daoist arts.

"I saw that the light of his heart shines brightly. Within his inner organs, between his heart and kidneys, lie two masses of true qi, one of the sun and one of the moon. He has clearly practiced a method for gathering the essence of sun and moon. It aligns perfectly with the principles of our sect's cultivation..."

Xin Chengying was delighted too. "Does that mean I'm about to gain a junior disciple-brother?"

Lü Yuanhua smiled faintly. "No hurry, no hurry. Let's watch him for now."

Xin Chengying said, "Master, haven't you always said that the two of us alone are nowhere near enough to bring glory to our sect? And who knows where Martial Uncle has run off to? You've opened our doors wide and recruited Rogue Cultivators from everywhere, but they've all been... Now that we've finally found a fine talent, a piece of uncut jade, why aren't you in a hurry?"