Chapter Ten: A Lifetime of Cultivation Goes Unnoticed

Shen Lian knew from yesterday’s conversation with the Taoist of Three Questions that there were four people in the Lower Courtyard, so this young Taoist was likely one of them.

“The path of the Dao has no end, how could anyone claim to have reached it? Brother Lu merely wishes to cultivate to the point where he can bring blessings upon his parents. Ten years may be short, but it is not impossible,” Shen Lian said calmly, coming to Lu Sheng’s aid.

“Junior Brother Shen’s Dao heart is indeed profound, but to say ‘the Dao has no end’ is somewhat biased. If you stand on flat ground and gaze at the Eastern Sea, it seems boundless; but from tens of thousands of meters above, the Eastern Sea is but a mud basin. Achieving the Dao and transcending ten thousand tribulations—isn’t that something you can conceive?” the young Taoist said with a chuckle.

“Well said, Senior Brother. Have you already reached this so-called ‘mud basin’ realm?” Lu Sheng replied with a grin.

The most striking feature of the young Taoist was his thick eyebrows. At that moment, his brows arched, like two sharp swords, pressing forward with urgency.

He crossed his arms over his chest and blew out a breath of force. Shen Lian sensed a change in the vital energy, as if a whirlwind had arisen out of nowhere, flowing invisibly toward Lu Sheng.

Shen Lian judged that the young Taoist was a man whose Dao was deep and not expressed in words.

Lu Sheng had provoked him, and he would not remain unmoved.

Shen Lian wanted to help Lu Sheng, but held back. He remembered that Lu Sheng had traveled across a thousand mountains and rivers, had emerged unscathed before entering the sect, and had passed the Path of Heart—he was no ordinary scholar.

Just now, Lu Sheng had revealed some of his feelings, but not the essence.

Shen Lian remained unmoved, but Lu Sheng reacted immediately.

He tapped the ground with his toes and sprang up—not very high—and the whirlwind, sharp as a tornado, formed an invisible drill head.

Around Lu Sheng’s body, a layer of finely woven, cotton-like force stabilized him in mid-air, momentarily freeing him from the earth’s pull.

He dodged the small tornado, moving like a green cicada shaking its wings. In an instant, he reached the side of the long corridor and kicked toward the young Taoist’s head.

The young Taoist remained calm, arms still crossed, tilting his head slightly so that Lu Sheng’s attack missed by a hair’s breadth.

Lu Sheng struck with his other leg, but also missed.

His momentum spent, he lunged toward the young Taoist.

This lunge was finely executed: knees aimed at the abdomen, elbows at the chest, and both hands reaching for the opponent’s throat.

The rarity of this move lay in its smoothness, its uncanny force, and its speed—like lightning, almost impossible to defend.

Lu Sheng, still as stone one moment, moved with breathtaking brilliance the next.

Shen Lian sighed inwardly—the difference was vast.

When Lu Sheng enveloped the young Taoist, the latter suddenly vanished.

Lu Sheng ended up clutching the pillar the young Taoist had been leaning against.

Awkwardly, Lu Sheng let go and fell, but his tall frame balanced well; one foot touched the ground and he did not stumble.

That simple lunge had the flavor of returning to simplicity.

The young Taoist was now leaning against the pillar opposite, laughing, “Baishi Daoist’s ‘Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada’—interesting. Back in his youth, Baishi used this very move to kill a shaman from the Western Wilderness who had trained his body to be as tough as iron. Now you can only use it to pounce on a rotten piece of wood.”

Lu Sheng’s face flushed. He hadn’t used his full strength for fear of injuring someone, but he’d still been toyed with. Even with all his strength, the outcome would not have changed.

In the past, this move had always served him well. It was both a combat technique and a form of lightness skill. In crossing countless mountains and rivers, he had relied on it for self-defense, but now in Qingxuan, he couldn’t even touch the hem of someone’s robe.

The ‘Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada’ was not mere reckless pouncing; before exerting force, one’s spirit must lock onto the enemy, then act according to the situation, responding to everything.

The young Taoist had confused his spirit intent; no matter how powerful the move, it could not land.

Moreover, the ‘Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada’ was taught to Lu Sheng by the Taoist he met after waking from his dream of yellow millet, and it was through the same person’s guidance that he came to Qingxuan.

Lu Sheng said, “Senior Brother, you’ve only cultivated a few more years than I have. If I reach your age, I might not be inferior to you.”

The young Taoist laughed heartily, “To reach the ‘Spirit Out’ stage is not easy; to attain ‘Transformation’ is even harder. When loyalty and faith are not recognized, suspicion arises.”

His Taoist song lingered as he disappeared from the corridor.

Lu Sheng asked Shen Lian, “What did he mean?”

Shen Lian shook his head, then turned to the Taoist of Three Questions, who had appeared silently at their side, and asked, “Senior Brother Three Questions, who was that Senior Brother just now, and what did his words mean?”

Only then did Lu Sheng notice the Three Questions Taoist. The man had arrived without a sound, and Lu Sheng had almost not sensed him.

Qingxuan truly was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. He glanced at Shen Lian; this peer, compared to other mysterious figures of Qingxuan, was just as enigmatic.

“If you hadn’t asked, someone would have explained eventually. Since you’re curious, let me tell you.

Just now, what Junior Brother Chen referred to as ‘Spirit Out’ and ‘Transformation’ are two stages of cultivation.

Since ancient times, there have been countless ways to cultivate the Dao, with realms varying and not always progressing in order. Later, the Dao Master established the stages of our lineage. Since then, even beyond the great cosmos, in the depths of the star river, the immortal cultivators of our branch largely follow the stages set by the Dao Master.

This is widely known in the cultivation world, called ‘one word defines the law for ten thousand generations.’

Before attaining immortality, there are generally nine realms:

Nurturing Qi, Opening Meridians, Activating Apertures, Soul Accumulation, Spirit Out, Transformation, Elixir Formation, Walking in Void, Breaking Illusions.

After Breaking Illusions, one is called an ‘immortal,’ living forever.

Junior Brother Chen’s given name is Loyalty and Faith, styled Sword Brow; when he entered the sect fifty years ago, he had no foundation in cultivation, yet in three years he leaped five realms to ‘Spirit Out,’ and in ten years reached ‘Transformation.’ In recent years, he’s been cultivating the ‘Invisible Sword Technique,’ and is only half a step from the ‘Elixir Formation’ realm, where the Yin Spirit embraces Qi.

At any moment, he may complete the Nine Revolutions of Elixir Formation and embark on the true path to immortality.

Earlier, Sword Brow was merely playing with you; if he were serious, even I might not be able to stop him.

The Sect Master is nearly celestial and wields the ‘Mirror of Heaven and Earth,’ able to glimpse the future. He once gave him this appraisal:

‘Half a lifetime of cultivation unrecognized; once attaining the Dao, the world is astounded.’

Therefore, the elders are waiting for him to complete Elixir Formation, descend the mountain, and restore Qingxuan’s prestige.

But he has been at the ‘Transformation’ stage for forty years without forming the Elixir, and idle gossip has arisen in the mountains, saying his talent bloomed early and he failed the Sect Master’s favor. These words have surely reached his ears.

Thus, Lu Sheng’s earlier remarks provoked him, leading to his actions.

Were it not for being stuck at a bottleneck for so long, he would never lose his composure; his Dao heart would not be so easily disturbed.

‘Half a lifetime of cultivation unrecognized; once attaining the Dao, the world is astounded’—I saw this phrase in the introduction to ‘The Mystic Gate’s Investiture of the Gods’ and found it quite powerful, so I quoted it here. Recently, the author ‘Kissing the Fingertips’ has resumed updating ‘Sword Seed’; you can check it out—it's a book full of immortal spirit.

Thanks to Gu Cang Men for the ten thousand reward, becoming the third hall master of this book, and also to Floating Life for the 1176 reward, Hui Bo Ah for 200, and You Chou Feng♀ for your support.