On the Path to the Great Dao

"I'm back. My name is Chen Shi."

"Profound Master Yu, my name is Chen Shi."

"Incense Master Xiao, my name is Chen Shi."

Chen Shi patiently repeated himself over and over, telling the mountain gods of Red Mountain Xuan that his name was Chen Shi. But no matter whether it was the incense masters or the gods of Red Mountain Xuan and Jade City, as soon as they noted down the name Chen Shi, they would forget it again right away, then ask once more what Chen Shi was called.

The people of Red Mountain Xuan above and below shuddered in fear.

It was as if a monster lived in the minds of the gods, deleting the two characters "Chen Shi."

No matter the time or place, no matter how deeply the memory was etched, as long as it was the two characters "Chen Shi," they would be deleted!

"Just call me Scholar."

Chen Shi was helpless too. Although Blackie Pot had woken up, he was listless and spiritless. No one knew when this condition afflicting the mountain gods would lift. So he endured it patiently and said, "Profound Master Yu, just call me Scholar."

"Incense Master, Scholar is fine." Scholar Zhu was full of admiration for him. He said, "Scholar, you have great talent. You will surely pass the imperial examination!"

Someone brought the arrest warrant and kill order for Chen Shi. Scholar Zhu looked at the name "Chen Shi" on the warrant and kill order.

The two characters automatically turned into a blank space, leaving no impression at all, so he tossed the poster aside.

"Scholar, I've read the sages' books diligently these years, and my knowledge is not shallow. But compared to you, I'm far inferior! During the days you're recuperating, you must teach me more. In three years, I'll take the scholar exam again!"

Scholar Zhu said, "With your guidance, I will surely pass as a scholar!"

Chen Shi responded generously, "I will impart all my knowledge to you, Profound Master, holding nothing back!"

Scholar Zhu was delighted and said to those around him, "When I pass the scholar exam in the future, whoever dares call me a blind incense master again, I'll kill them."

His subordinates all wore faces full of worry.

Scholar Zhu then studied in the room where Chen Shi was recuperating from his injuries. It must be said that this Profound Master Yu studied very diligently. When Chen Shi lectured on the Analects, the god personally copied it down and recited it diligently.

During this time, several groups of yamen runners came with arrest warrants and kill orders. But upon reaching Red Mountain Xuan, they forgot Chen Shi's name. Looking at the warrants and orders again, they couldn't recognize the characters "Chen Shi," so they had no choice but to leave obediently.

Even his faction above and below forgot Chen Shi's name. Although they knew it was Chen Shi, they just couldn't say it out loud.

Since even the victims didn't know who the culprit was, the authorities grew too lazy to pursue it.

This day, as Chen Shi leaned by the window studying the Doctrine of the Mean, a paper crane suddenly flew in and landed on the windowsill. The paper crane lightly knocked on the window frame, tap-tap.

Chen Shi's heart stirred. He caught the paper crane and saw writing on it. Unfolding it, it was a letter from Li Xiaoding sent from Quanzhou.

This method of sending letters was called paper steed transmission. After writing the letter, one had to find a specialist messenger, pay the fee, and the messenger would first lock onto the recipient's soul breath via a token. Then, activating the spell, the paper steed would fly up, flapping its wings toward the recipient.

If it encountered thunderstorms or gales, the paper crane would hide in caves, ancient temples, or under eaves until the rain stopped before continuing.

It was fine in villages, but in cities, one could often see flocks of such paper steeds flying by, just like flocks of birds.

Chen Shi unfolded the letter and read it once, his heart filled with感动. He took up his brush to reply: "Brother Taqing, I am well upon receiving your letter.

My foolish body is healthy, no relapses for many days. Lately, I've been studying the sages' books diligently, and my knowledge grows.

How is your honored self? Convey my regards.

Yesterday in meditation, I suddenly felt crystalline flight behind my elbow, essence replenishing the brain. Amid the white of the golden core, the profound was born. At the utmost, the white core turned black, and unexpectedly, I refined the fourth turn of the golden core.

The corpse clouds over Xijing—could they be the natural order storing grain for minor calamity five?

He tilted his head in thought, then continued writing: 'Gongzhou has poor customs, with many selling people. I was shocked to hear that a certain scholar newly arrived in Gongzhou was sold to a farmstead.

Be careful when going to take the exam.

I await you in Gongzhou, eyes strained in longing, hoping you come so we can both top the gold list.'

Signed, Chen Shi.

His wounds had mostly healed. He limped out of the room. Red Mountain Xuan had a letter messenger. Chen Shi found the messenger and paid the silver.

The messenger asked Li Xiaoding's age, destination, and had someone sniff Li Xiaoding's previous letter to confirm his soul breath. Then he folded Chen Shi's letter into a paper steed and cast the spell. The paper steed flew up, flapping its wings toward Quanzhou.

The messenger sat steadily on his prayer mat, clouds and mist swirling above his head. In the mist appeared images of paper steeds flying.

Chen Shi didn't leave right away. He stood by the door watching. In the mist, the paper steeds sometimes met strong winds, struggling forward but blown off course. The messenger would reorient them to continue.

Sometimes they hit thunderstorms, and the messenger directed the steeds to hurriedly seek shelter.

Sometimes eagles or hawks attacked the steeds. Some paper steeds were destroyed; the nearby apprentice would note the ruined one, find a backup, fold another, and send it on.

"Being a letter messenger is no easy job. No wonder they charge so much."

Chen Shi thought to himself.

Sending letters is a craft, with specialized cultivation methods. First, refine the mind to entrust it to the paper crane, flying a thousand li without dispersing—that's minor success.

Divide the mind into dozens of threads, flying thousands of li without scattering—that's major success.

Like Red Mountain Xuan's messenger, able to send steeds thousands of li accurately to the recipient, he was a grandmaster among messengers. Provincial capitals had at most one or two such experts.

Chen Shi limped back to his dwelling. Scholar Zhu was already waiting there. He said, "Scholar, I've brought that blood pearl for you to refine. It can be used for a second golden core and second nascent soul. Once refined, you can cultivate an external incarnation, very convenient. Your injuries are mostly healed now, so you can refine the second golden core."

"I've brought Red Mountain Xuan's 'Blood Incarnation Great Law.' See if you want to cultivate it?"

He handed over the 'Blood Incarnation Great Law.' Chen Shi flipped through it, somewhat puzzled.

Seeing this, Scholar Zhu smiled and said, "This Blood Incarnation Great Law, though a demonic path technique and not top-tier, even world clan disciples rarely cultivate something of this level."

Chen Shi shook his head. "A second golden core and second nascent soul for an external incarnation—in my view, it's a crooked path, not worth pursuing."

Scholar Zhu asked puzzledly, "You disdain it as a demonic art?"

Chen Shi recalled his grandfather's words and shook his head. "No.

All external incarnations are deviations.

The true external incarnation refers to the cultivator's own golden core, nascent soul, or nascent spirit.

After the cultivator opens the Heavenly Gate, the golden core exits the aperture, mind following the core, seeing what it sees, hearing what it hears—like a second self. That is the external body.

As for cultivating a second golden core or nascent soul, and later a second nascent spirit—it's a road taken only when there's no hope on the true path."

When grandpa and grandson were bored, grandpa would talk about various cultivation secrets, explaining all the taboos and dangers in cultivation clearly.

Thus, seeing the Blood Incarnation Great Law, Chen Shi felt that many in Red Mountain Xuan were practicing wrongly.

Hearing this, Scholar Zhu pondered long, then said, "What you say makes sense, but cultivation is so difficult! Do you know how many cultivators die each year just trying to open the Heavenly Gate at the golden core realm?"

Chen Shi grew more puzzled. "Is opening the Heavenly Gate that hard?"

Scholar Zhu sighed. "Hard? More than hard! Not to mention others—just in our Red Mountain Xuan, every year three or four cultivators at golden core realm die from attempting to open the Heavenly Gate! As for Gongzhou City, those who die opening the Heavenly Gate number thirty or fifty each year!"

Chen Shi couldn't help saying, "Opening the Heavenly Gate is very simple! How could so many die?"

Scholar Zhu sneered. "Come with me."

He led Chen Shi to a side room, where a talisman master was attending a middle-aged cultivator paralyzed in bed.

The cultivator had scraggly beard, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling, ignoring even Profound Master Yu's arrival.

Scholar Zhu said, "This is our Red Mountain Xuan's Elder Gu Yunshu, one of our founding incense masters, an elder who helped me establish Red Mountain Xuan.

Back then, Elder Gu formed his golden core and tried to open the Heavenly Gate for exit. Blood surged to his brain, turning him into an idiot, paralyzed in bed.

He's been lying here nearly twenty years!"

His eyes reddened. "Of the eight elders who founded Red Mountain Xuan with me back then, only Elder Gu Yunshu and I remain! Do you know where the other six are?"

He walked outside to another side room enshrining spirit tablets.

Chen Shi looked—most were plaques of instructors and incense masters, dozens in number.

"They're here!"

Scholar Zhu pointed at the tablets. "Besides those six, there are forty-seven instructors and incense masters, all dead from opening the Heavenly Gate!"

He said loudly, "Scholar, refining the golden core, opening the Heavenly Gate, exiting the aperture—every step is extremely arduous, every step requires utmost caution to survive and reach higher realms! Refining a second golden core or nascent soul uses the blood pearl in place of your own core, repeatedly practicing gate-opening and exit to avoid this danger. If you disdain the blood pearl and Blood Incarnation Great Law, your spirit tablet will end up here one day!"

He earnestly advised, "This blood pearl was refined from a golden core clone like her ladyship's, containing metallic nature. Though the Blood Incarnation Great Law is demonic, it saves lives! This is the best Red Mountain Xuan can offer!"

Chen Shi understood his intent.

After reaching golden core, cultivators could use spirit fetuses to nurture the core, helping it exit the aperture.

But there was a major flaw: it couldn't truly achieve seven returns, eight transformations, nine restorations. The core could only temper the body externally.

To truly temper the body, the core must enter and circulate inside, enabling seven returns, eight transformations, nine restorations.

But internal circulation had a huge problem: when the core reached the brain, blood and qi violently impacted the skull!

At that time, the Heavenly Gate needed opening. With the gate open, blood and qi had a path to pour out, avoiding head explosion or becoming a fool.

Chen Shi had reached golden core third turn earlier, noticed by Scholar Zhu, who gave him her ladyship's clone as blood pearl to form second core and incarnation, using it first to temper body and open brain's Heavenly Gate.

The second core lacked massive blood-qi, avoiding brain surge danger.

Once gate opened, core entering brain and exiting would follow naturally.

"Just one year's time,"

Scholar Zhu said, "and you can refine the second golden core. Another year, and you'll open the Heavenly Gate.

Once opened, core entering brain and exiting has no danger."

Chen Shi shook his head. "Profound Master, opening the Heavenly Gate and exiting isn't so troublesome.

Fastest half an hour, slowest seven days, and it's done. No danger at all."

Scholar Zhu laughed in extreme anger. "How do you open it?"

"Very simple."

Chen Shi went to Elder Gu Yunshu's side room, sat before the bed, propped up the paralyzed Gu Yunshu. He felt from the crown's Baihui acupoint to forehead tip, found the Heavenly Gate spot, then hovered his palm an inch above the scalp, softly saying, "Elder Gu, can you hear me? I'll use my own blood-qi to ignite your Heavenly Gate. Focus your intent on where I point."

Elder Gu Yunshu lay rigid, unable to move, eyes dead gray.

Chen Shi gently mobilized blood-qi, not touching the scalp directly, but injecting into Gu Yunshu's Heavenly Gate.

"Elder Gu, focus consciousness. Imagine your skull cracking open a line with golden light shining through.

No stray thoughts. When you sense the gate pulsing like a heartbeat, guard your consciousness there."

Scholar Zhu watched him, lips twitching, thinking, *Opening the Heavenly Gate isn't that simple!*

He had once met a Buddhist master who said Buddhist gate-opening required refining spine to Heavenly Pillar, visualizing it as light piercing brain, shining unceasingly on gate for a full year without break.

Chen Shi's method was too simple, like a joke.

Just as he thought this, suddenly Elder Gu Yunshu's crown forward, a nail-sized spot pulsed, like a tiny heart hidden beneath!

Scholar Zhu was stunned.

Elder Gu Yunshu's eyes suddenly gained bright light, tears sliding from corners, body trembling as if crying.

Scholar Zhu, shocked and joyful, rushed forward. Elder Gu Yunshu's tears flowed like rain, tremors growing. Suddenly, a shout from his throat: "I've been suffocating!"

He spat a mouthful of black blood.

"Yunshu, you can speak!"

Scholar Zhu was overjoyed, gripping his hand, feeling it grow stronger.

Chen Shi withdrew his hovering palm. "Coalesce consciousness yourself. Have the golden core slowly rise, pass the twelve-story building (throat), enter the brain.

Focus intently, don't distract. Must be slow."

Elder Gu Yunshu sat motionless on the bed.

Gradually, light emanated from his throat, illuminating the delicate bones connected.

Twelve delicate bones like twelve-story building.

The golden core rose slowly, floor by floor to the mouth.

"Close mouth, tongue against upper palate, enter nasal abyss."

Chen Shi continued guiding.

Light shone from Elder Gu Yunshu's mouth, teeth clear.

The golden core slid up the tongue into his nasal abyss.

Then white light shot from his nose, a foot long, inhaling exhaling, varying length.

After passing nasal abyss, it entered the brain.

The brain also called Jade Pavilion, Heavenly Court. The core's light illuminated brain extremely bright. Brain folds projected in air around Elder Gu Yunshu, forming wondrous Heavenly Palace scene.

Chen Shi continued, "Core along brain's midline, don't enter sides or you'll die.

Reach gate... exit!"

He low-shouted. Suddenly the humble room blazed bright as day. A golden core leapt from Elder Gu Yunshu's crown Heavenly Gate, radiating light!

Chen Shi exhaled in relief, smiled. "Profound Master, see? Opening Heavenly Gate and core exit is this simple! Elder Gu's talent is exceptional. Gate open, core out—in just half an hour."

"Back then, I took two years after..." Scholar Zhu gaped, murmuring.

Elder Gu Yunshu gazed tearfully at his golden core before him.

He'd refined twenty years.

Never thought gate-opening and core exit needed only half an hour!

"Scholar, how do you know how to open the Heavenly Gate?"

Scholar Zhu urgently asked.

Chen Shi said, "My grandpa taught me this way."

Scholar Zhu blanked, humbly asked, "May I ask who your grandpa is?"

"Chen Yindu of Huangpo Village."

Scholar Zhu racked his brains, no recollection of the name, then asked, "Many instructors and incense masters opened their gates but died years later. Why?"

Chen Shi recalled grandpa's teachings, asked, "After they opened, did they lock the gate?"

Scholar Zhu blanked. "Need to lock it?"

"If not locked, your own yang qi leaks. When yang depletes, you die.

Even if yang doesn't fully deplete, diminishing internal yang can't suppress core's yin qi, struck by lightning in storms."

Scholar Zhu's mind exploded. Indeed, many instructors and incense masters died lightning-struck in rain!

"True transmission is one sentence, false transmission ten thousand scrolls."

Tears rained down his face, murmuring, "Never thought exit and external body so simple.

We practiced wrong... hahaha, we all practiced wrong!"