Chapter 32
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The Tiger Mountain God extended an invitation with calm and peace. Even though there was the sound of wind howling like waves and a forest that seemed to move like the sea, it could not drown out his voice.
At this moment, the mountain stood towering and majestic, with clouds hanging low. The sea of clouds clashed with the Qi in the air, causing the white clouds to swirl and surge like a vast ocean. From that single point at the center, a boundless wind flowed outward in all directions, its momentum overwhelming. As Qi Wuhuo stood up, he saw wisps of mist and cloud currents, gently following the wind as they flowed outside.
Countless clouds gathered together, transforming into a cloud bridge that stretched for dozens of miles.
One end of the bridge reached deep into the place where the Mountain God had broken through after seclusion.
The other end happened to fall at Qi Wuhuo’s feet.
Constantly shifting and changing, it had no physical form.
After bidding farewell to Tao Taigong, under his envious gaze, Qi Wuhuo rose and stepped onto the cloud bridge.
Though the threads of mist and clouds appeared incredibly illusory, as if they couldn’t even support the weight of a feather, when Qi Wuhuo set foot upon them, they were incredibly sturdy. Just as he was about to take another step forward, the cloud bridge suddenly shifted, swirling and surging. In an instant, it sped forward rapidly, moving as swiftly as a flying bird yet remaining incredibly stable.
Qi Wuhuo turned back, no longer seeing the town or the mundane world of mortals. He only saw the moon rising high in the sky and the blue waves of the sea of clouds.
Riding the clouds and treading the mist—so this is what it feels like.
The path of the mortal world is long, while the clouds of the heavens are brief.
When the clouds dissipated, Qi Wuhuo was already standing steadily at the mountain’s summit. As he looked around, he saw the figure ahead of him, standing with his back turned. The Mountain God wore a loose, dark-blue robe, with a jade belt tied around his waist, his hands clasped behind him. A gentle breeze lifted his sleeves, and the full moon hung high in the sky. He didn’t seem like someone from the mortal realm. Qi Wuhuo stood still, neither speaking nor moving forward.
Man and God stood silently, gazing upon the mountains and rivers under the night sky.
They saw the clouds, the moonlight, the mountains, and the mortal world.
“A beautiful sight, indeed. I’ve watched this scenery for three hundred springs and autumns.”
“And now, as I look upon it again, it remains no different from what I saw when I first came here.”
The Mountain God sighed with emotion, then turned and smiled at Qi Wuhuo.
Qi Wuhuo saw his eyes, bright and clear, his aura deep and profound. His black hair flowed down, streaked with gray at the temples.
He was not the image of a graceful immortal, but rather one imbued with the majestic bearing of a divine being.
Qi Wuhuo sensed that the man before him was so perfectly attuned to the world that it was almost impossible to distinguish his presence.
Standing there, it seemed as if there was no difference between him and the world around him.
Such a realm had already surpassed Qi Wuhuo’s understanding, and he knew that the Mountain God had successfully broken through.
With joy in his heart for the Mountain God, he cupped his hands and said:
“Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on your breakthrough in cultivation.”
The Mountain God smiled and invited Qi Wuhuo to sit down, pouring him a cup of spiritual liquid, and said: “The breakthrough I’ve achieved today is thanks to your kindness. I originally wanted to prepare a gift for you, but after thinking it over, it seems there’s nothing worth mentioning.”
“If I were to pass on some cultivation techniques to you, my meager skills would only bring embarrassment.”
“So, after much thought, the only thing I could offer you is the opportunity to witness my breakthrough.”
“Consider it an invitation to act as my Dao Protector during this moment, how about that?”
“Dao Protector?”
During this time, Qi Wuhuo had been exchanging cultivation knowledge with the Mountain Gods Tao Taigong, Shen Hongxue, and Luo Yizhen.
After descending the mountain, he had been studying the scroll [Record of Ascension to Immortality].
He already knew that witnessing a breakthrough from a cultivator of the Mountain God’s level would be greatly beneficial to him.
The Mountain God’s words were simply meant to reassure him not to take the matter too seriously and not to see this as some sort of fateful opportunity but rather as a simple invitation between friends. A faint smile appeared on Qi Wuhuo’s face:
“Um.”
The youth replied: “I’ll be here.”
The Mountain God burst into laughter.
His laughter gradually grew louder and more commanding, yet it wasn’t harsh. Instead, it exuded a sense of encompassing everything, as if looking down upon the heavens and earth with supreme calm and grandeur. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the three fundamental aspects of life and all things—began to shine with an intense radiance that grew ever brighter and more resplendent.
“I have a Great Dao, and I invite you to witness it!”
Qi Wuhuo clearly saw the Essence, Qi, and Spirit on the Mountain God’s body materialize into tangible form.
Moreover, this materialization wasn’t an explosive outburst, but rather a slow and steady process, reaching perfection in the end.
It was as if he had re-enacted the path of cultivation once more.
The Mountain God let out a long, resonant chant, yet his voice did not echo through the six directions.
“Common people often say that ‘Three Flowers Gather at the Crown’, but this is also a misconception. ‘Flowers’ are brilliance, like the radiance of the sun and moon!”
“The Three Brilliances are: Primordial Essence as Jade Brilliance, Primordial Qi as Golden Brilliance, and Primordial Spirit as the Ninefold Brilliance.”
“The saying ‘Three Flowers Gather at the Crown’ doesn’t literally mean that three flowers form on top of one’s head. We are neither plants nor flower spirits, so how could that be? If it were true, wouldn’t we also bear fruit, only for a monkey to snatch it? Absurd.”
“This so-called Three Flowers Gather at the Crown is merely a Daoist term for cultivation.”
“It refers to the Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the Three Treasures—returning to their origin, becoming one, with no more distinction between them.”
“One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.”
“And I have returned to this one!”
“That is the key to the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown!”
As the Mountain God spoke, the intense convergence of his Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence transformed into a single point of spiritual light. This light then merged with his Primordial Spirit, harmonizing perfectly and settling between his brows, establishing the foundation. From this point onward, there would be no distinction between the postnatal Essence, Qi, and Spirit—they had become one. The entire process was steady and with ease.
It was clear that the Mountain God had successfully taken this step. His invitation to Qi Wuhuo was simply to offer him a complete demonstration of the path he had taken to reach this stage of cultivation.
Qi Wuhuo observed every intricate detail of the transformation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
Such a brilliant and magnificent scene, once witnessed, was unforgettable.
He stood there, lost in thought for a long time. When he finally regained his senses and was about to express his gratitude, the Mountain God suddenly pulled him by the arm to sit down, laughing as he said: “We are friends, connected at first sight, no need for such formalities.”
“Come, drink with me.”
He took out some wine but then suddenly slapped his forehead with a laugh and said: “I nearly forgot, you’re still young. You probably haven’t had wine before, have you?”
“Here, here, this spiritual liquid has the taste of wine, but it won’t make you drunk. Consider it a way to experience the flavor.”
“The taste is not bad.”
Qi Wuhuo could sense the Mountain God’s joy at his breakthrough, but he also sensed a hint of farewell. He didn’t say much in response.
The Mountain God had mentioned over a month ago that after his breakthrough, he would go wandering.
An hour passed in idle conversation.
The two of them finished an entire jar of spiritual liquid.
The moonlight was bright and cold as the Mountain God sighed, saying: “I’ve been cultivating in this mountain for three hundred years. I once thought I would grow old and die here, never expecting such an opportunity. The Mountain God’s talisman seal is placed on the stone platform behind me. If you wish, you may take it with you; if not, you may pass it on to someone else. As for the Huangjing and the other spiritual beasts in the mountain, I’ve already made arrangements. You only need to focus on cultivating your heart with peace of mind.”
Qi Wuhuo, still sitting upright, held his cup of wine as he gazed at the sea of clouds from his seat on the bluestone and asked: “Are you leaving?”
The Mountain God laughed heartily, saying: “People like us, why should we cling to the trivial matters of sentiment?”
“At a time of parting, shouldn’t you laugh and send me off with joy? Why weep and wail?!”
“Once the thought of leaving arises, the separation has already begun.”
“Leaving sooner or later makes no difference.”
“It’s better today and tonight.”
Qi Wuhuo asked: “Where will you go next?”
The Mountain God replied: “I will wander the world, see many realms, and continue my cultivation.”
The young man in the blue robe fell silent, his mind swirling with countless thoughts, but in the end, he simply asked: “What is your name?”
“My name?”
“Yes, if I don’t know your name, and we part ways today, won’t it be as if we’ll never meet again?”
The Mountain God, holding his cup of wine up toward the bright moon, smiled and said:
“A name? I’m just an old tiger from the mountains. How could I have a human name?”
“When I was young, I hunted the beasts of the mountains and ate their flesh.”
“If not for fate, how would I have had the chance to cultivate?”
“Are you interested in hearing my story?”
He drank to the moon, his robe swaying slightly, and bit by bit, he slowly began to recount his past to Qi Wuhuo.
He spoke of how he was once a fierce tiger in the mountains, how he consumed Huangjing and embarked on the path of cultivation, how he wandered through the mortal world in ignorance, met his dear friends, roamed the land as a swordsman, and made a great name for himself. He then told of how he encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, leading him to bid farewell to his Daoist friends and retreat to this mountain, where he cultivated for three hundred years without breaking through.
As he spoke of the past, he slowly finished the wine in his cup.
Finally, even the wine in the jug had been drained.
With a casual gesture, he lifted the wine jar and clinked it with Qi Wuhuo’s cup.
Moonlight poured down, falling upon both of them.
The Mountain God stood with one foot on the bluestone and casually stretched his hand beyond the cliff’s edge, a stark contrast to the youth who sat upright. His green robe fluttered wildly, exuding carefree ease, while Qi Wuhuo sat quietly, sharing his own stories from the past. Unnoticed, time slipped away. The Mountain God shook the almost empty wine jar and, with a carefree smile, said: “It’s time to go.”
“You and I will likely meet again somewhere else.”
He rose, his sleeves draping down, holding a spear in one hand and a wine jug in the other. With his back to Qi Wuhuo, he waved his hand and walked off the cliff. Without using any magical powers, he walked step by step into the void, his robes billowing in the wind under the moonlit sky. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the solemn sound of a qin coming from behind. Turning around, he saw the young man taking out the qin and gently playing it.
The melody was ancient, like the wind brushing through a pine forest.
The Mountain God was momentarily stunned, sensing the meaning of farewell. He then tilted his head back and drank the last of the wine. Though the jug was large, he finished it in one gulp.
Today, he was no longer the Mountain God.
With a casual toss, he flung the wine jug aside. After a long moment of reflection, he suddenly burst into loud laughter:
“A hundred years of the mortal world, all reduced to three feet of earth. But today, I finally see the green mountains!”
The green mountains are me.
The green mountains are not me.
“Hahaha, I’m off!”
“Wuhuo, one day, if you hear of a fierce tiger roaring across the vast heavens of the northwest, its roar shaking the four corners of the world—”
“That will be me!”
“In this life, in my cultivation.”
“I shall become a Great Sage!”
With a single step, clouds surged across the sky in all directions!
The sound of the qin had not yet faded, but Qi Wuhuo could no longer see the figure of the Mountain God. Only the bright, clear moonlight remained, as clouds stirred and winds rose from all sides.
