At the foot of Floating Cloud Mountain, fierce winds swept through the woods, and spiritual currents surged.
Xuanming and Xuanxu ordered some disciples to return to the abbey lest they disturb those still breaking through, then retreated with Hai Fengming to the edge of the spiritual energy tide.
After Xuanxu's reminder, Xuanming knew who their visitor was and that he had been the one debating the Dao with him. He bowed first and said gratefully, "Xuanming greets you, my lord. Thank you for your guidance. This discussion of the Dao has blessed everyone in the Truth-Seeking Abbey with good fortune. We will remember this kindness, and should you ever need us, the Truth-Seeking Abbey will spare no effort to help."
Hai Fengming stepped aside to avoid receiving the bow and returned a Legalist salute. He said warmly, "You give me too much credit, Fellow Daoist Xuanming. The sixteen characters you gave me last time were like a blow to the head, waking me and helping me recover my original heart. I should have come to thank you long ago, but after breaking my shackles, I gained new insights and touched the threshold of spirit refining. That was what delayed me until now. Please do not blame me for coming late."
Xuanming claimed no credit. He first congratulated Hai Fengming on his prospects of reaching spirit refining, then said honestly, "Please don't say that, Lord Hai. I admired your character, so I had the audacity to brandish my axe before a master with those sixteen characters, merely to express my respect. It was your own deep blessings that allowed you to see your original heart."
Those were his heartfelt words.
The Legalist School of this world had endured for five thousand years without declining, producing cultivators generation after generation. It was