Cultivation Began with Purposeful Action, Artifact Refining Brought Forth Effortless Creation
Revere the Dao and cherish virtue.
The Daoist Tradition followed this tenet in both his previous life and this one.
Once, Xuanming had felt little about it; now, he understood it deeply: why should the worthy not cultivate goodness and attain longevity?
The further one advanced in cultivation, the greater the emphasis on virtue. Virtue of heart and virtue of conduct were both indispensable, each complementing the other. They were bound to the great Dao of longevity. Cultivating the Dao through virtue, drawing close to goodness and shunning evil—this alone was the proper path.
At that moment, he began to understand why the legends of his previous life always stressed Three Thousand Dreams merits and eight hundred good deeds when cultivators joined the ranks of immortals or immortals rose in station.
After this realization, Xuanming descended from the summit and returned to the Path-Seeking Courtyard. Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, he carefully explored the changes in his Great Accomplishment Thunder Art.
Early the next morning, he went down the mountain to tell fortunes.
Reading scriptures and telling fortunes, practicing the Dao amid mountains and rivers, studying Divine abilities... Xuanming immersed himself in these pursuits, traveling between the two mountains and savoring the peaceful passage of time. Meanwhile, undercurrents surged through Fengyang Commandery. They would not cease merely because the Truth-Seeking Abbey stayed out of worldly affairs. One player left the stage, and another stepped forward.
In the Commandery City, in an ordinary residence in South City.
A plain-looking Thorn-Pin Woman paused her weaving. Behind her, a young man with an unremarkable face and build, distinguished only by a mole, bowed respectfully and said:
"Reporting to the Guardian, this subordinate abandoned that body and successfully faked his death, slipping free like a cicada shedding its shell. I also diverted the flood