Sincere Daoist,
What the hell kind of name was that?
Not a hint of poetry, not a shred of taste.
Zhang Qingyuan wanted to cry but had no tears. He could not help comparing it with the characters from the martial arts novels he had read in his previous life.
Little Li the Third-Ranked Scholar, Eastern Heretic, Western Venom.
Tsk.
Just look at them!
Even the flower thief Tian Boguang had the title Lone Traveler of Ten Thousand Li.
After eating a bowl of noodles at a tavern, he led his horse to the foot of Taiyin Dao Palace's mountain.
This mountain was called Taiyin Mountain. Its range stretched for three hundred li, and this was its main peak, soaring into the clouds, magnificent and majestic.
A broad road at the foot of the mountain connected north and south. It was not an official road. A stone marker stated that south led to the capital, while north led toward Yan Mountain.
There was an inn at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Qingyuan took a room there, in no hurry to head up.
Why had he set out to visit the major Daoist sects after leaving his mountain? Because he needed to find ancient scriptures and Daoist methods to contemplate.
The martial arts of both Buddhism and Daoism mostly originated in their scriptures. The foremost Buddhist martial art had to be the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic.
The same was true of Daoist martial arts. Huang Shang, a Grandmaster of his generation, had been merely a civil official. Through compiling Daoist scriptures for the emperor, he had ultimately comprehended the "Nine Yin Manual" from those texts.
Zhang Sanfeng had cultivated on Mount Wudang for over a decade. Relying on a few incomplete scriptures, he had ultimately adapted half of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, incorporating Daoist thought to create the "Pure Yang Wuji Skill."
Besides, contemplating scriptures, sitting in meditation, and visualizing diagrams and formations could enlighten the mind and raise one's realm.
Was the Mount Hua Sect's Purple Clouds Divine Skill in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer really so weak?
Not really. Daoist martial arts relied heavily on experience and took a long time to cultivate. Apart from the author, most people who wanted to reach great mastery needed quiet cultivation and arduous study. The demands on their mindset were also extremely high: they had to still their hearts and calm their Qi, keeping their minds peaceful and their tempers even.
Though progress was slow, it could prolong life and improve one's constitution.
Yue Buqun, however, had an unsteady mindset and always wanted quick results. On top of that, he had to scheme against other sects, teach disciples, and develop his sect, so it was only natural that his cultivation of the Purple Clouds Divine Skill never found the right track.
As a martial arts fan in his previous life, Zhang Qingyuan had studied martial cultivation extensively.
Though his talent was now very high, and he felt that everything was easy to practice and quick to learn.
Zhang Qingyuan understood that visualization, enlightenment, and State of Mind were not things that could be improved through talent alone.
Realms were something very mysterious. If realm was compared to emotional intelligence and talent to intelligence, then, to give a simple example, no matter how high someone's IQ was, having zero EQ was still bullshit.
So what Zhang Qingyuan wanted was to work hard to raise his realm and become a handsome man with both kinds of intelligence in working order.
He stood alone before the window. The full moon hung high in the sky, and the earth was as bright as day.
It was the fifteenth of the month again, but the moon of this world could not carry his feelings back to Earth.
They were two worlds, after all.
Sigh!
Early the next morning, Zhang Qingyuan changed into a clean Daoist robe, shouldered his bundle, and led his horse onto the mountain path.
The rugged path twisted and slanted straight toward the heavens.
As he followed it upward, milky-white morning mist still filled the woods on either side, as though he had stepped into an immortal court.
He climbed higher and higher. Sunlight shone on the mountainside, and warmth filled his limbs and bones.
No wonder the great sects liked to establish themselves high in the mountains. The beautiful scenery refreshed the heart and opened the mind; it truly suited cultivation.
After he had walked for four hours, Daoist halls emerged one after another from the sea of clouds. These temples stood on cliffs, connected by long covered walkways.
On a terrace below the highest cliff, a towering palace came into view.
This was the main hall, and the sect's mountain gate stood here.
An ornamental archway bore the large characters-Taiyin Dao Palace.
Taiyin referred to the moon.
The principal lineage of the Taiyin Dao naturally belonged to the goddess of the moon.
Of course, regardless of which deity a lineage belonged to, it could not be separated from the Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors.
The difference lay in whose domain the temple actually was.
As he approached the mountain gate, several Daoist boys in white robes, their hair tied in ox-heart topknots, were sweeping the courtyard by the entrance.
Hearing hoofbeats, they all stopped what they were doing and looked over.
To the left of the mountain gate was a cliff. Before it lay a slab of bluestone, upon which sat a young Daoist. He was Taiyin Dao Palace's third senior brother, Li Guangye.
Li Guangye sat meditating with his eyes closed, drawing clear Qi into his mouth and nose before slowly breathing it out.
Zhang Qingyuan could not help marveling at how the entire temple brimmed with Daoist resonance. It truly deserved its place among the five most prominent Daoist sects in the martial world.
Li Guangye slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid Qi.
"Whew."
His clear eyes resembled a sky full of stars. With sword-like brows and starry eyes, his face was full of chivalrous spirit.
"Hmm?"
He looked at the Daoist who had appeared before him, somewhat puzzled, and muttered dubiously to himself, "Where did this Daoist come from? His looks actually rival mine."
"Senior brother is awake."
"Mm."
Seeing him awaken, the Daoist boys sweeping the courtyard hurried over to him.
Li Guangye leaped down from the bluestone, the wind lifting his white Daoist robe. Dressed in white robes and trousers, with white shoes on his feet, he walked slowly toward Zhang Qingyuan.
With someone to rely on now present, the Daoist boys all followed behind him.
He came before Zhang Qingyuan and looked him up and down: blue-and-white Daoist robes, a sword in hand and a horse in tow, travel-worn.
"Greetings, Daoist brother." Zhang Qingyuan formed the ziwu hand seal and bowed slightly in greeting.
Seeing his courtesy, Li Guangye returned the salute.
He wondered inwardly. Fellow Daoists rarely visited the mountain in the past, yet today one had arrived first thing in the morning.
"May I ask where you have come from, fellow Daoist?"
"A wandering Daoist, Zhang Qingyuan."
Meeting Li Guangye's gaze, Zhang Qingyuan introduced himself very formally.
"I previously cultivated at the Three Purities Temple in Qinghe County. After my master passed away, I left the temple to wander.
"I have long yearned to visit Taiyin Dao Palace, so I have come to exchange knowledge and learn. This humble Daoist would like to lodge here, and I hope you will grant my request, Daoist brother."
Lodge here?
The term was not exclusive to Buddhist monks. When Daoists went to other Daoist temples to cultivate, exchange knowledge, and learn, that was also called lodging.
Li Guangye nodded. Daoists came here to lodge every year, but unfortunately, there were not many.
Taiyin Dao Palace was not simply a Daoist temple but also a martial sect. As a result, many scholarly Daoists who cultivated the Dao without learning martial arts were unwilling to come, afraid of inviting trouble.
Seeing someone arrive to exchange knowledge today, Li Guangye smiled, feeling pleasantly surprised.
"You are too courteous, junior brother. All Daoist schools under heaven are one family. I am Li Guangye. You may simply call me senior brother."
He extended a hand in welcome. "Please come in."
"Sorry for the trouble, senior brother."
A Daoist boy came forward to take his horse, and Li Guangye led him through Taiyin Dao Palace's mountain gate.
As soon as he entered, an enormous square appeared before him, fully the size of a football field.
As they walked, Li Guangjie introduced the place to him. "This is the sect's square. It is normally used as a martial training ground.
"Behind it is the main hall, with five chambers inside and out, and side halls to the left and right. Below that mountain is the scripture repository, and over there are the living quarters..."
In the square, a group of young Daoists were practicing swordplay. They did not stop to watch when a stranger arrived.
Skirting the main hall, Li Guangye led him onto a covered walkway leading to another peak.
"I will take you to meet my master now."