Chapter 43: Chapter 40: Ascending in Four Years
Zhongnan Mountain truly deserved its reputation as a former Daoist haven, truly blessed by the spirit of the land.
Zhao Rong had seen many strange people and amusing events along his journey, which all boiled down to three main themes.
First was the abundance of hermits.
As the trio walked along the steep paths between the mountain cliffs or the secluded trails through the dense forests, one could inadvertently catch sight of hermits sitting cross-legged in caves or on blue rocks, consuming the morning mist and dew and passing their days in the mountains.
Second was the abundance of Daoists.
Zhao Rong was already aware of this, as Zhongnan Country was indeed a land of Daoists. In every village or town Zhao Rong passed, there were Daoist temples with bustling incense offerings, and sometimes, even in the secluded and uninhabited forests, they could spot ancient temples kept in pristine condition, dedicated to deities Zhao Rong did not recognize, all established by Chong Xu Daoists.
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The people of Zhongnan Country really did have a deep belief in Daoism, but Zhao Rong was still slightly surprised because, even though Zhongnan Mountain was fertile, it lacked sufficient flat land suitable for farming and comfortable living, and now all these good fields were occupied by Daoist temples, each built grandly and imposingly, albeit somewhat at the expense of the people’s labour and wealth.
However, he merely thought about it when his mind wandered, since he was just passing through and had no need to worry about it himself.
Third was the abundance of Confucian scholars, or rather, renowned scholars.
This was unexpected for Zhao Rong, but after traveling for some time, he gradually discovered that although Zhongnan Country had established Daoism as the state religion, it did not reject Confucian scholars. Moreover, many lower- and middle-tier officials were Confucian scholars, and he heard that the alchemy-loving ruler of Zhongnan Country often invited renowned Confucian scholars to help govern the country.
Indeed, a ruler who loved alchemy but also fostered scholars. Zhao Rong couldn’t help but smile silently.
This phenomenon also created a unique atmosphere for Confucian scholars in Zhongnan Country, nurturing scholars who complimented Daoism and Confucianism beautifully.
Zhao Rong had encountered bare-chested, uninhibited scholars indulging in wine and song; scholars with nowhere to go, crying in despair; wild scholars in front of bamboo-wood huts, consuming medicinal powders and openly indulging in frivolities during the day.
He had seen a group of renowned scholars in towering mountains and lush bamboo forests, finding a clear stream for drinking rounds by the waterside, discussing and debating endlessly, their cups and ladles never ceasing, and even, as Zhao Rong and his companions passed by, one drunken man noticing Zhao Rong’s scholar garb, approached him with a cup in one hand and a pen in the other, inviting Zhao Rong to join in the drunken poetry making, although Zhao Rong politely declined, smiled, took a sip of wine, and continued on his way.
“This Zhongnan Country is indeed interesting, but I am merely a passerby, not a resident,” Zhao Rong said softly.
This straightforward and ostentatious behavior reminded him of the poets of the Wei and Jin dynasties. Perhaps, when he tires of the mundane world, retiring here wouldn’t be too bad?
“Where is it interesting? How can they be so shameless? Just now, Xiaoxiao even saw someone at a banquet taking off clothes in a lascivious display… What kind of strange place is this?” the little Fox Demon pouted, her tone both annoyed and embarrassed, yet her cheeks were flushed like peach blossoms.
Zhao Rong looked at her tender little face, feeling the urge to pinch it but restrained himself. If he really dared, she would probably bristle, just like last time when he accidentally touched her hand, wondering what divine being her great-grandmother was.
Despite Su Xiaoxiao’s somewhat naive demeanor, she was extremely obedient to her great-grandmother, and the “Great-Grandmother’s Quotations” that popped out of her mouth were so numerous, Zhao Rong couldn’t keep count. Hey, maybe this little Fox Demon wasn’t that foolish after all.
“Zhao Rong, you better not learn to be lewd like them.”
“Can scholars’ actions be considered lewd?” Zhao Rong asked seriously.
“Then what is it called?” the little Fox Demon asked, widening her eyes.
“That is called unrestrained, disrobing to follow nature’s law,” Zhao Rong spoke leisurely. “Using heaven and earth as structures and mountains and forests as clothing, Su Xiaoxiao, why enter my pants?”
“Pah!” Su Xiaoxiao blushed and turned her head away, ignoring him. “Zhao Rong, Xiaoxiao is done with you, you can go ahead and be naughty.”
But after saying that, she seemed to genuinely get upset, and for the first time, the little Fox Demon gathered her courage and “fiercely” punched Zhao Rong on the arm.
Struck by the dainty fist, Zhao Rong clutched his chest and grimaced in pain.
“What kind of boxing is this, so powerful and overbearing!”
“Are you okay?” Su Xiaoxiao’s face paled. “Xiaoxiao only lightly touched you.”
“Stay back, spare me, great Fox Fairy! A great person doesn’t dwell on small grievances, a Prime Minister’s stomach should be able to row a boat through, the full moon cries the frost covers the sky, and the husband and wife both return home…”
Su Xiaoxiao: “???”
Zhao Rong and two others spent the night at a farmhouse, and the next day, Zhao Rong rose at the crowing of the rooster and practiced calligraphy for a while before starting his daily fist stance training.
The Mountain Carrying Volume outlines five fist stances.
Reversed Dragon, Staking the Furnace, Elbow Position, Instant Step, and Lazy Dressing.
Currently, Zhao Rong was practicing Staking the Furnace, a type of finger technique, forming a hand shape with ten fingers knotted together, where nine fingers create the furnace for forging swords, using the remaining finger to temper the sword.
According to Liu Sanbian, when he was young and entered the deep mountains to practice boxing, he would form the Staking the Furnace to fend off the night cold.
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Zhao Rong trained arduously and, seeing that it was getting late, finally took a break.
“Brother Sanbian said the Ascending Realm is divided into three stages: Golden Stone, Clear Void, and Vibrant Garment. Currently, I have achieved Qi Sensing and am in the Golden Stone Stage. Both standing postures and medicinal baths are to temper my bones and tendons.”
“To break through to the Clear Void, I must find the Innate Primordial Qi. Innate Primordial Qi is the most fundamental energy of the body, which everyone possesses in varying strengths. However, due to my physique, my Innate Primordial Qi is very weak, making it extremely hard to locate. The reason I am currently enduring hardships to temper my physique is to strengthen it with acquired methods.”
“Ah, I wonder when I will reach the Clear Void.”
Zhao Rong sighed and suddenly remembered that someone had not spoken for a while.
“Hey, Gui, what are you doing?”
After a moment of silence, Gui’s voice resonated in Heart Lake. Zhao Rong wasn’t sure if it was his illusion, but the voice was still deep, though not as hoarse as before, perhaps a bit crisper?
Actually, if one listened every day, they might not notice anything, but these days, Zhao Rong had been busy training and traveling, with little time for conversation. Therefore, hearing Gui’s voice now, he could clearly sense a difference.
“Lately, this seat has recovered somewhat. Thanks to your Golden Stone Realm body tempering and medicinal baths, your Divine Soul has grown a bit, and since Fu Shi relies on your soul, this seat has also recovered along with it. Yes, keep up the good training.”
“When will I be able to find the Innate Primordial Qi?”
“Hard to say, your Innate Primordial Qi is originally weak, and now you can only gradually strengthen it. Once you reach a certain level, you will naturally be able to find it. Before then, unless there is an accident, it’s not possible to find it earlier.”
“If it grows naturally, how long will that take?”
“Given your current progress in training… about a year.”
“That slow? Then from Clear Void to Vibrant Garment?”
“Also about a year.”
“And from Vibrant Garment breaking through to Fu Yao?”
“A year and a half, I guess. Mind you, these are estimates assuming nothing unusual happens and your luck is not too bad.”
“That’s too slow…”
Suddenly, Zhao Rong seemed to recall something. “Er, I remember it took her about four years to ascend to heaven. In that case, I’m actually quite fast.”
Zhao Rong instantly filled with vigor, feeling hopeful about his future cultivation life.
“Who is she?” Gui scoffed, “to give you that kind of confidence?”
After speaking, Gui spoke disdainfully and lazily, “Four years to ascend, huh? Even the cultivator with the worst aptitude, as long as they don’t have any congenital physical defects and train as hard as you are now, would take only three and a half years. And she took four years? How useless must she be.”
The most useless? Three and a half years? Zhao Rong felt something was off with this statement, but he couldn’t dwell on that because he had a bigger question.
“She is Qing Jun… Zhao Lingfei.”
Zhao Rong said blankly.