Zhang Qingyuan spent the entire night in the scripture library. A room full of ancient scriptures and unique surviving copies truly opened his eyes.
He read book after book, turning page after page.
It felt just like being back in his previous life, reading novels on Fanqie every day. Once he found a good book, he would forget food and sleep.
Actually, when he first arrived, reading the scriptures had been like trying to decipher a heavenly script. But once he got into them, the more he read, the more interesting they became.
Early the next morning, Zhang Qingyuan carried several scriptures he had selected back to his room.
The scripture library also contained sword manuals, fist manuals, and internal arts. Zhang Qingyuan had leafed through those as well, but had not practiced them.
The Taiyin Dao Palace had opened its scripture library to him, leaving every scripture out in the open.
He understood that this guarded against gentlemen, not petty villains.
Zhang Qingyuan did not consider himself a gentleman, but he was certainly no petty villain either.
So he only used those martial arts manuals for reference and absolutely would not practice them. It was a matter of principle.
As for the scriptures he had brought back, they all explained the Dao of Taiyin and would help with his Yin-Yang Limitless Art.
After returning to his room, he put down the scriptures and washed his face.
Although he had not slept all night, Zhang Qingyuan did not feel the slightest bit tired.
When monks and Daoists lodged at other temples or monasteries, they were not there as guests.
Put plainly, lodging meant going to another temple or monastery to experience life there and stay temporarily to cultivate.
Thus, whatever the monks or Daoists in that temple did, he had to do as well.
After washing up, Zhang Qingyuan first went to the main hall to offer a stick of incense to the Taiyin Star Lord. Then he went to the rear halls, found the place where the Three Pure Ones were enshrined, and performed his morning devotions there.
The Three Pure Ones were the highest gods of Daoism. They were sages.
Thus, no matter which temple it was or which immortal or god its lineage belonged to, the Three Pure Ones were always its patriarchs.
The Taiyin Dao Palace was the Taiyin Star Lord's sacred domain. Its main hall enshrined the Taiyin Star Lord, while the other halls enshrined other immortals and gods. Naturally, it was perfectly normal for the Three Pure Ones to be enshrined here too.
Upon arriving at the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, Zhang Qingyuan found only a handful of people inside. Without disturbing anyone, he found a spot, took out the Tao Te Ching, and dutifully recited it, behaving like an obedient student before the Three Pure Ones.
He had long since stopped being a materialist. After all, transmigration had happened to him-and soul transmigration at that. What materialism was there left to believe in?
He was now a Daoist under the Three Purities Dao Lineage, reciting scriptures, meditating, and performing morning and evening devotions.
If the Three Pure Ones really existed, then when he passed on a hundred years from now, his obedient behavior might well win their favor.
Even if he only became a fire-tending boy at a patriarch's side, he would still be on the level of Gold Horn and Silver Horn.
While he recited his morning scriptures here, Daoist Master Bright Moon and his three junior brothers sat in the sect leader's room.
Li Guangye stood to one side and reported, "Master, martial uncles, Junior Brother Qingyuan studied scriptures in the library all night. Now he has gone to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones for his morning reading."
"He's a proper Daoist." Daoist Master Bright Mountain had quite a favorable impression of Zhang Qingyuan. Seeing such diligence, he could not help stroking his beard and praising him.
Bright Candle remained stern-faced. "Hmm. It's too early to judge his character."
"What's too early about it? Are you going to believe the rumors in the jianghu?" Daoist Master Bright Heart rolled his eyes at his husband.
"Rumors in the jianghu certainly aren't trustworthy, but he killed thirty-four Cloud Dust Manor disciples in succession, then killed the Seven Luminaries Sword Sect's leader and five of his disciples. Such a heavy urge to kill is no good, after all."
After he said this, everyone in the room stared at him, as though saying, You have the nerve to say someone else is too bloodthirsty?
"When you went down the mountain back then and wiped out seven mountain strongholds and two bandit bands, the bandits and brigands added up to over a thousand, didn't they? Did you leave them any way to survive?"
"I killed bandits. He killed people from reputable orthodox sects... uh, at least they were reputable orthodox sects on the surface."
"Bullshit."
"Watch your mouth. Do you want me to beat you up?"
"Who'd be beating whom? Do you think this poor Daoist is afraid of you?"
As Daoist Masters Bright Candle and Bright Mountain argued more and more fiercely, Daoist Master Bright Moon swept his sleeve, and the air instantly shuddered.
"Enough." After suppressing his two junior brothers, Bright Heart said, "He's a young hero who has only just entered the jianghu. It's normal for him to be somewhat bloodthirsty."
"But Senior Brother, now that he's lodging with us, will people in the jianghu accuse us of sheltering him?"
"So what if we are?" Sect Leader Bright Moon snorted coldly. "It's time the jianghu learned that the Daoist community isn't without capable people."
At that, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Daoists were different from monks. Monks were keen to make themselves seen and spread the Buddhist teachings.
Shaolin in particular was the longest-standing sect in the jianghu, with the deepest foundations. It could be called the foremost orthodox sect.
They eagerly went down the mountain, becoming emissaries of justice and angels of judgment.
No matter who was in conflict with whom in the jianghu, they were willing to stick a foot in, help the righteous side, and condemn the side in the wrong.
Whenever anything major happened in the jianghu, they were eager to participate. They also assumed the role of leader, and their words carried considerable weight.
The Daoist community was different. Why did Daoist sects so often remain obscure?
Because Daoists valued secluded cultivation and non-action. If they could stay in the mountains, they would never go down, and they did not enjoy joining the bustle either.
Those of different lineages also disliked associating with one another.
As a result, when the Heavenly Yin Mysterious Maiden Pavilion was annihilated back then, no one went to fellow Daoists for help.
Had their Taiyin Dao Palace never produced a Grandmaster-level expert before?
That was not the case either.
As Bright Candle had said yesterday, if Daoist Master Bright Heart had not been forced by an issue with his state of mind to travel down the mountain and cultivate twenty years ago, happened to encounter the Demon Venerable slaughtering the martial artists of the Central Plains, and beaten him up, the Taiyin Dao Palace would never have become one of the five great Daoist sects of the age.
Thus, members of the Daoist community ought to show their faces in the martial world too, lest certain people keep assuming they had no capable people.
Outside the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, Zhang Qingyuan finished his morning devotions and came to the square in front of the great hall, where the disciples were practicing martial arts.
Zhang Qingyuan did not disturb them, merely watching them practice.
After watching for a while, inspiration struck him, and he returned to his room to read scriptures.
The scriptures he had taken included the Taiyin Mysterious Heart Sutra and the Complete Explanation of Mysterious Yin True Qi.
He read while pondering the principles within the scriptures.
What was Yin?
When heaven and earth first opened, heaven and earth, Qian and Kun-all things were formed from Yin and Yang.
Yin and Yang were opposing forces, but they also complemented and completed each other.
Yin represented darkness, cold, and the earth. It was the reverse side of things.
The Dao of heaven diminished excess to supplement deficiency, emphasizing the law of the unity of opposites.
The Dao of earth encompassed the six directions and embraced the eight wildernesses, embodying the relationship between geographical surroundings and the development of things.
The Dao of humanity was no constant Dao; it was the principle human conduct should follow.
Zhang Qingyuan immersed himself in these principles, in the mysteries of the scriptures.
"Guangye, come, come. Explain what this passage means!"
"Guangye, hurry and tell me what the Taiyin Nine Radiances Scripture is about..."
"Martial Uncle Bright Mountain, sorry for the trouble, but could you explain this passage to your disciple?"
Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. Everyone in the Taiyin Dao Palace knew that a Daoist named Zhang Qingyuan had come to lodge with them, and that this fellow Daoist dearly loved studying scriptures.
Every day, he was either immersed in the scripture library or seeking out all sorts of people to ask about their principles.
Until one day, Zhang Qingyuan called Li Guangye over.
Li Guangye arrived at Zhang Qingyuan's room carrying wine and dishes, saying with a smile, "You, honestly. You're far too diligent. We're not literary Daoists. There's no need to bury yourself in scriptures every day."
"You're right, Senior Brother."
"Ever since you came up the mountain, I've been saying we should chat over a drink. It's been half a month, and I still haven't found the chance. Since you called me over today, let's drink and talk. We won't call it a night until we're drunk."
"Sure."
Once the wine and dishes were on the table and the two had raised their cups and drunk together, Li Guangye asked, "Well, what is it you don't understand this time?"
Zhang Qingyuan shook his head. After offering him a toast, he said, "You've misunderstood, Senior Brother. I called you over because I wanted to trouble you with something."
"Tell me. As long as it's within my power, I'll get it done for you."
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Zhang Qingyuan smiled. "Here's the thing. Over the past half month, I've read many unique surviving texts and studied a few of your sect's internal cultivation methods. They've given me some inspiration, so I plan to enter seclusion."
"Seclusion?"
"Yes. I've gained some insights that will benefit my own martial arts. I want to complete my internal cultivation method, then create a Mysterious Yin cultivation method based on what I've learned these past few days."
"Create?"
Li Guangye stared at him in astonishment. Do you know what nonsense you're spouting?
He looked at Zhang Qingyuan in shock. "Wait, Junior Brother Qingyuan. You've only read scriptures for half a month, and now you can create martial arts?"
Li Guangye could hardly believe it.
"Yes." Zhang Qingyuan nodded as though it were only natural.
"The internal art I practice now is one I created after leaving the mountain by improving my master's cultivation method."
"You modified the cultivation method your master taught you?"
"Yes. Although the internal art my master created was good, it didn't particularly suit me, so I improved it and created the Yin-Yang Limitless Art, which suits me better.
"Over this past half month, I've forgotten food and sleep, and discovered that I can further enrich my martial arts using the theories in our Taiyin Sect's scriptures.
"Moreover, I feel I have many ideas. Aside from improving the internal art I practice, these ideas could also stand on their own as a new cultivation method.
"So while I'm in seclusion, I hope you can bring me meals every day, Senior Brother."
Zhang Qingyuan spoke with utter sincerity, but in Li Guangye's eyes, this was blatant flexing.
What kind of monstrous talent was this?
What expert hoping to create and practice a martial art did not have to devote their whole life to it? Even someone who spent eight or ten years in seclusion to do so would count as a genius.
And he had only spent half a month...
Was this a joke?!
Li Guangye thought it over. He had grown up in the Taiyin Dao Sect. Even if he had not read every scripture and martial arts manual in the library, he had read most of them.
Yet even so, he had not fully mastered his own sect's martial arts. Meanwhile, this fellow had found some inspiration and wanted to create something new...
This was far too crushing.
Zhang Qingyuan stared at him with wide eyes, his innocent, clueless look growing ever more detestable.
The deadliest flex is the one you never see coming. He deserved to be struck by lightning!
The look in his eyes as he watched Zhang Qingyuan gradually grew vicious.
Fuck.
We're no longer friends!