Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ten Years of Elusive Immortal Cultivation

The grandeur and solemn majesty of Jade Void Palace, along with its awe-inspiring aura that brooked no intrusion, had vanished beyond even the scope of Nan Luo’s celestial sight. The journey there had taken three days, with relentless travel day and night, but the return did not require such haste. The art of concealment had grown ever more profound; occasionally, Nan Luo passed by those fearsome beasts whose magical power was as deep as the ocean, yet they sensed nothing at all. Some with keen spiritual perception seemed vaguely aware, but merely raised their heads and glanced about, unable to discern Nan Luo’s hidden form or direction of departure.

Nan Luo smiled inwardly at the improvement in his earth-burrowing technique, like the spring breeze nourishing all things, like rain blessing the land. A year could change much; for instance, upon the long mountain road, Nan Luo had unknowingly reached the consummation of the stage where essence is refined into qi. Essence, encompassing all within the human body—skin, flesh, bone, blood, and more. The blood and essence of the Wu tribe were the most vigorous among all living races beneath heaven, and they inherited unique methods for refining essence. Thus, the people of the Wu tribe always fought directly with their bodies.

Now, Nan Luo’s body, transformed through the fusion with a trace of ancestral blood from Zhu Rong, had been utterly reborn. His constitution had changed greatly; if before using concealment techniques brought some exhaustion, now even prolonged use would not affect him at all. He now felt his physical form to be weightless, almost as if he might float away on the wind. Every part of his body had been refined; each pore and cell fused with his spirit and qi. His breath flowed in a continuous cycle, forming a ring, ceaselessly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, refining it through his body, and turning it into his own magical power.

His body absorbed the primordial energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into his own power. In this process, his body was nourished by that very energy. Over the years, as his body and heaven’s energy gradually harmonized, the speed at which he absorbed it only increased; moreover, when casting certain spells, he could more easily connect to the cosmos, greatly enhancing their power.

The Palace of the Supreme Ultimate seemed to have transcended the world, existing beyond the five elements. Over more than a year, Nan Luo saw no change at all… Yet, upon returning to its threshold, he felt an ethereal sensation, as though the palace had become its own realm. Though nestled on the mountain, it was no longer of the mountain. Though before his eyes, it seemed to reside in another dimension.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn were absent; the palace was peaceful and tranquil.

Suddenly, a voice from Master Tongxuan echoed in his mind. Nan Luo quickly made his way to the Hall of the Supreme Ultimate.

There, Master Tongxuan sat as if he had always been there since ancient times—without joy or sorrow—blending with the palace itself, subtly unified with heaven and earth.

“Nan Luo greets Master,” Nan Luo bowed deeply.

“You have been gone a year. Is there any resentment in your heart?” Master Tongxuan spoke in a half-lidded gaze, voice calm.

“None, Master.”

“Have you gained any insight?”

“I have gained a little, but not fully understood. I hope Master will enlighten me.”

“What have you realized?”

Nan Luo lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking: “What I have realized is hard to express in words. I feel that heaven and earth are boundless, able to be infinitely vast or infinitely small… Each step is a world; with each thought, heaven and earth can perish and be reborn. I feel there is order within heaven and earth; if one can see clearly and grasp it, one can overturn the heavens with a single thought, create a world with a wave of the hand. Yet I also sense that heaven and earth are truly empty, illusory and fleeting, vague and unreal.”

Master Tongxuan listened and nodded quietly. With a wave of his hand, a diagram of the Supreme Ultimate appeared before Nan Luo—illusory, as if it did not exist at all. As the thought arose, the diagram changed; it was still the same, yet Nan Luo felt as if it encompassed an entire world, utterly transcending the reality of this world, able to contain all things.

Nan Luo did not know how long he gazed; he forgot himself, forgot Master Tongxuan, forgot all things of the world—no thoughts, no desires, yet within a single thought, a hundred turns.

Suddenly, he awoke; the diagram had vanished.

“This is the Daoist method of the primordial spirit. It has now been passed to you. Tomorrow, you may depart.”

“Master!” Nan Luo looked up, but Master Tongxuan was already gone.

The Daoist method of the primordial spirit cannot be transmitted by words nor written for posterity. The true supreme path of the primordial spirit can only be comprehended; when one gains understanding, a single point of guidance opens the door to the path.

Nan Luo was only at the stage of refining essence into qi; the next step would be refining qi into spirit, followed by refining spirit to return to emptiness, before truly starting to cultivate the Daoist path of the primordial spirit—entering the immortal way, transcending the five elements.

But the path of the primordial spirit is not achieved by mere cultivation, but by enlightenment. Now that Nan Luo had already gained insight into the method, his journey would henceforth be his own; there are no formulas to practice beyond the primordial spirit, only self-realization.

Was it time to descend the mountain? Was it time to leave? Even with Nan Luo’s current state of mind, he felt a sense of loss.

He walked out of the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate and stood by the plum tree on the cliff’s edge. Unnoticed, winter had come again. Buds clustered on the branches, waiting for the coming snowstorm.

Nan Luo sat upright upon the blue stone—like an ancient monk, like a statue.

Starlight was faint and mysterious, casting a veil over his shoulders, shrouded in a hint of enigma.

When the sun rose in the east, crossing the mountains, piercing the clouds and mist, and spreading radiant beams, Kong Xuan appeared.

Kong Xuan still wore his robe of five colors; the iridescent light shifted ceaselessly upon it, but was no longer dazzling—gentle, warm, restrained. He remained as coolly beautiful as ever, his smile gentle. It seemed nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.

Nan Luo still paid the salute of a servant boy. All was as it had been ten years ago, as if this day was the very day Kong Xuan came to take Nan Luo away.

“Are you still willing to be my servant boy?” Kong Xuan smiled.

Nan Luo raised his head, meeting Kong Xuan’s gaze calmly. “Your Highness, my life was saved by you—how could I not be willing?”

“Haha… Good. Then you remain my servant boy—Nan Luo, servant boy of the Peacock Hall.” Kong Xuan was genuinely pleased by Nan Luo’s reply; Nan Luo could feel it. He continued, “Every ten years, Phoenix Mountain hosts the Great Avian Assembly. Ten years ago, it was presided over by Golden Roc. All in the Immortal Palace had to obey his commands. Because of my absence, you suffered Golden Roc’s wrath without cause, gravely injured and nearly dead. Do you resent me?”

Nan Luo was momentarily stunned, then shook his head with a smile.

“Good, very good. This time, I shall preside over the Great Avian Assembly. You will be my sword-bearing servant boy,” Kong Xuan said solemnly. Nan Luo was puzzled, wondering whether there were different kinds of servant boys.

Kong Xuan seemed to notice Nan Luo’s confusion and smiled, “The sword-bearing servant boy is different from the others. The greatest difference is that, when necessary, you must wield my sword and slay certain people. Do you dare?” His expression turned stern and icy as he spoke.

Nan Luo smiled calmly. “I dare.”

…