Spirit Awakening

Some internet users with time on their hands had once concluded that the modern cultivation world had only three great realms: the Young Friend Realm, the Fellow Daoist Realm, and the Senior Realm.

The moment Jiang Wangxuan broke through, the great Teaching Assistant Lin automatically elevated him to the Fellow Daoist Realm. "You seem to be in a fine mood, Teaching Assistant Lin, if you feel like teasing your own student!"

"Of course!" Lin Tongjiang poured another cup of hot tea himself. "I, Lin, have only been teaching for six short years, and only as a teaching assistant, yet I've managed to teach a student who achieved Grand Yin Foundation Establishment, and with a sixth-grade Autumn Moon Osmanthus Immortal Foundation at that."

"Tell me, after this feat, wouldn't I deserve to be called a 'capable' master teacher?"

Even Jiang Wangxuan, who had spent a week settling his emotions before coming out of seclusion, could no longer keep a straight face. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand and burst out laughing. "I never knew you had such a delightfully different side to you, Teacher Lin!"

Their uncontrollable laughter drifted through the detached residence. Another sun was setting, its rosy glow blanketing the courtyard as osmanthus blossoms floated on the wind, carefree and at ease.

"Wangxuan! You've established your foundation!" Lin Tongjiang said with a sigh.

"Yes, Teacher Lin, I've established my foundation!" Jiang Wangxuan's voice trembled slightly. Though it was all in the past, he feared he would be unable to forget the life-and-death tribulation brought on by that crimson moon for a long time.

And those emotions could not be made known to outsiders!

"Foundation Establishment grants a lifespan of two hundred years. You are no longer human. In the recent ancient era, your Jiang clan could have been called a great cultivation clan, known to the outside world as the Jiang clan of Luzhou, a name honored even in the mortal world!"

Lin Tongjiang tapped two fingers lightly on the tea table and asked tentatively, "Wangxuan, what plans do you have for the future?"

"I am only twenty. I have received much kindness from my teacher and the grotto-heaven's cultivation. Having been fortunate enough to establish my foundation today, I should devote myself to cultivating, avoid worldly affairs and stay clear of karma, while awaiting the day I ascend to the Purple Mansion and attain a Divine Ability."

Lin Tongjiang clapped his hands and sighed. "That is just how it should be when one establishes a foundation in youth. For those of us who seek the Dao, Foundation Establishment is merely a small footnote in our pursuit. We should set our sights high and remain worthy of the heart with which we sought the Dao in our youth!"

Jiang Wangxuan leaned forward again to refill Teaching Assistant Lin's tea. "I hear you have now reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, Teacher Lin?"

"I'm ashamed to say that after fifty years of cultivation, and with my master patiently polishing this inferior disciple, I've only just managed to push my cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. I'm still a considerable distance from a Purple Mansion Divine Ability. I came down from the grotto-heaven because I was making little progress on my Dao Path!"

"Remember this, Wangxuan: increasing your cultivation and Law Power in the Foundation Establishment Realm is ultimately a matter of grinding away over time. If you wish to catch a glimpse of a Divine Ability, the groundwork still lies in your Immortal Foundation."

Speaking of his own cultivation, Lin Tongjiang grew somewhat glum. He had been stuck at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage for a long time, yet had still seen no sign of the road ahead, much less a Purple Mansion Divine Ability!

"At least you know your own limitations. Why not ask yourself how much progress you've made with your Flow Eastward over these past few years?"

A voice suddenly descended from the heavens over the detached residence, deep and resonant as a bell. A Daoist then landed in the courtyard!

He wore azure robes and a jade pendant of green and gold at his waist. His face was firm, commanding respect without anger, and the mighty pressure of a Divine Ability enveloped him, suppressing every trace of Grand Yin in the courtyard!

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators sitting over tea in the pavilion both rose and bowed.

"Master!"

"Principal!"

True Person Chonghuan paid the two in the pavilion no mind. Instead, he turned his gaze to the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus on the raised platform. As he watched the streak of brilliant gold flowing ceaselessly through the osmanthus, an indescribable emotion showed in his eyes.

"This osmanthus reached the limit of its growth over two hundred years ago. I never expected to see it harbor gold again today. Jiang Wangxuan, you deserve to be called the foremost Grand Yin cultivator Yuanhuai Heaven has seen in the past few centuries!"

At these words, Lin Tongjiang went pale with shock. Only then did he notice that the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus in the detached residence had drawn its spirituality inward, so much so that he had failed to notice the change in the tree at first!

Jiang Wangxuan was even more apprehensive. He dared not accept the title of the grotto-heaven's foremost Grand Yin cultivator in a hundred years. "You think too highly of me, Principal. I dare not accept!"

"Jiang Wangxuan, why would you not dare? This osmanthus was planted when Lady Xuancheng presided over Yuanhuai Heaven. Over the past few centuries, nearly a hundred Grand Yin cultivators, at the very least, have sought the Dao beneath it."

"In those days, this was a renowned Grand Yin site even in Qinghuan. But Grand Yin has declined in Yuanhuai Heaven over the past century, and now you are its only surviving shoot. Yet it was you, that lone shoot, who enabled this osmanthus, which had not advanced an inch in a hundred years, to harbor gold and gather spirit!"

As soon as True Person Chonghuan finished speaking, the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus on the platform began to sway its branches, scattering Heavenly River Water that had fallen from the grotto-heaven across the residence.

After drawing its spirituality inward, the osmanthus had gained much greater spiritual intelligence. A long branch stealthily reached into the pavilion and quietly adorned the windowsill. A little silvery-white pollen drifted onto the tea, bringing with it the fragrance of osmanthus!

Lin Tongjiang was utterly dumbfounded. Could the Autumn Moon Osmanthus Immortal Foundation truly be so wondrous?

Seeing that the osmanthus had gained such spirituality, Jiang Wangxuan did not know how to answer True Person Chonghuan. Had he picked up a stone only to drop it on his own foot? He had too little experience of the world and was not very familiar with the ways of Yuanhuai Heaven!

Once again, someone had spotted a telltale slip in an inadvertent detail!

"Lin Tongjiang, do you now know where you fall short?" True Person Chonghuan did not press Jiang Wangxuan, turning his spearhead on his own personal disciple instead!

Huh?

The great Teaching Assistant Lin raised his head again, helpless, and answered through gritted teeth, "The wonders of the Grand Yin Dao lineage naturally leave outsiders sighing at their own inferiority."

"Heh!"

True Person Chonghuan seemed amused by his own disciple. He sat down on a stone stool outside the courtyard and rebuked him sternly. "The great personages personally selected you to enter the grotto-heaven back then. Everyone said your Dao arts were exceptional, but after spending those years in the grotto-heaven studying every spell you could find, have you ever seen the gate to the Purple Mansion?"

"I am slow-witted, Master. I have yet to find the way to the Purple Mansion!"

Lin Tongjiang felt helpless. His master had opened fire on him the moment he returned. His student was still here, at least-couldn't he leave him a little face?

"Fine, then I'll give you a proper test." True Person Chonghuan simply pointed at the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus, moonlight flowing around it on the raised platform. "Tell me why this osmanthus has taken on its present appearance!"

Standing in the pavilion, Lin Tongjiang watched his master sitting in the courtyard like a general astride his warhorse, saber across his lap. Knowing he could not escape this dressing-down, he cupped his hands and answered, "Master, the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus is a Spirit Root of the Grand Yin path. It draws in and expels the essence of the sun and moon and gathers the pure chill of the pale moon. This osmanthus is especially favored by Grand Yin and Lesser Yin!"

"But though the Grand Yin path is close to cold, it is not cold by nature. If the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus wishes to advance into the legendary Plain-Shadow Golden Moon Osmanthus, it must wash away all its cold Qi and purify all its cold radiance!"

"That's it? Too bound by rules and formulas. Everything you said is correct, and the principles are sound, but which one is true?"

Without even lifting his eyelids, True Person Chonghuan pointed at Jiang Wangxuan beside him. "This osmanthus received a Moon-Worshipping Spirit-Calming Benediction from you and still hasn't finished digesting it. So let's hear from you, the 'instigator'!"

Jiang Wangxuan fell silent for a moment and looked at Teaching Assistant Lin, whose face was full of a willingness to die. After weighing his words, he slowly replied, "Principal, I have only just entered Foundation Establishment. On a sudden whim, in a playful mood, I boldly tried the third-grade spell I had long admired in Daoist texts!"

Lin Tongjiang was bewildered by those words. Didn't you already know the Moon-Worshipping Spirit-Calming Benediction before you established your foundation? If you didn't know that spell, would I have let you establish your foundation?

You brat, you'll say anything that comes to mind even in front of a True Person! Aren't you afraid my master has cultivated a fate Divine Ability?

"I believe the reason the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus now harbors gold in its moonlight, gathers spirit, and awakens intelligence is that the osmanthus has already connected with 'spirit.'"

Jiang Wangxuan reached out and gently stroked the osmanthus twig extending through the window. "The osmanthus is a nature spirit, born with spirituality, and over long ages it has drawn in the essence of heaven and earth. The one ingredient it lacks is 'spirit.' Intelligence is the manifestation of spirit, and spirit is the connection to heaven and earth!"

As soon as he spoke, the small courtyard fell utterly silent. A current of spiritual resonance seemed to pass through it, then drifted away with the night wind.

Truth be told, it was only after seeing the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus display such spiritual intelligence that Jiang Wangxuan gained a deeper understanding of the Spirit Awakening he had comprehended from the new-moon phase.

Most living things in the world possessed spirituality of their own, so why did they still need Spirit Awakening?

Naturally, it was to awaken spirituality and connect with spirit. In the three mansions of a human being, the three treasures of essence, Qi, and spirit were all present, which was why humans had become the masters of this world.

Nature spirits lacked spirit, demons lacked essence, and evil aberrations lacked spirituality!

At that thought, Jiang Wangxuan's understanding suddenly cleared. Moonlight surged around him, and the full-moon phase of his Autumn Moon Osmanthus Immortal Foundation, which had been missing a corner, filled in by nearly another half!

Now the moon phase was only a sliver short of being full!

True Person Chonghuan and Lin Tongjiang, standing beside him, naturally saw the change in Jiang Wangxuan's presence.

Before long, Jiang Wangxuan's eyes were clear and bright. A brief examination told him that his Foundation Establishment cultivation had completely stabilized and was advancing in great strides toward the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!

Lin Tongjiang silently sat back down in his chair and took a sip of the slightly cooled osmanthus tea!

This time, his own student had taught him a lesson. The principle of essence, Qi, and spirit was so simple, so why had he never thought along those lines at all? This was the very meaning of a single true saying outweighing ten thousand scrolls!

And his student had even demonstrated an epiphany right in front of him. Back then, he too had been a heaven's chosen who established his foundation at thirty and received a great personage's personal order to further his studies in the grotto-heaven!

Jiang Wangxuan, so this is how you've been cultivating these past six years, brat? My apologies for failing to recognize your greatness!

True Person Chonghuan sighed. A student with such wisdom for the Dao had been left to Lin Tongjiang's blind guidance for six years. It was truly his own mistake!

"Lin Tongjiang, now that matters have come to this, are you ready?"

In the quiet detached residence, a great river suddenly stretched across the space between the courtyard and the pavilion. At first, it was a ribbon of white silk, its currents constantly crossing. Then dark clouds filled the sky and rain poured down, and the clear river became a raging torrent of pale black.

In that small space, the vastness between heaven and earth suddenly unfolded. True Person Chonghuan stood atop a precipitous mountain peak, while a raging river gushed down from ten thousand zhang in the sky!

Beneath that breathtaking spectacle of the heavens collapsing and the river plunging, Lin Tongjiang and Jiang Wangxuan looked as small as two ants!