Chapter 57

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Qi Wuhuo quietly gazed at the hazy rain and mist ahead, without doubting the truth of his teacher’s words.

If so many senior brothers had already been lost in the affairs of the world, entangled by their struggles, and Teacher merely waited for them to cultivate and awaken on their own, to remember the teachings of old and rediscover their original hearts, then his own fate would be no different. The elder led him to a slightly elevated hill and turned around to face the wind and rain shrouding the symbolic grave.

Mist veiled the cold mountains, stretching as far as the eye could see, blending heaven and earth into one.

A sense of the vast and desolate nature of the Dao arose involuntarily.

The elder said gently: “”For those who seek the lower path, cultivating to the point of ‘Three Flowers Gather at the Crown,’ ‘Five Qi Converge at the Origin,’ completing three thousand merits and fulfilling eight hundred virtues, they may ascend become Celestial Immortals, addressed as Emperor Lords or Tianzun. For those who seek the middle path, it involves following the path I have pointed out to you, progressing without obstruction, overcoming the Three Disasters, Seven Tribulations, and Eight Hardships, and ultimately reaching the stage of Xuandu.”

“But that is still the road I have shown you, and you cannot surpass your teacher by walking it.”

“If you walk the upper path…”

The elder’s voice paused slightly.

Then he smiled gently and said: “Perhaps, you might see your teacher’s silhouette.”

Noticing that Qi Wuhuo seemed ready to speak, the elder raised his hand to stop him and said with a warm smile,

“However, you need not give me your answer now. Even if you do, I will not listen to it.”

“Simply keep your choice in your heart.”

“In youth, most are ambitious, full of lofty ideals and aspirations.”

“But without experiencing the world, without witnessing the countless beings, such words are ultimately not to be trusted.”

The elder suddenly teased: “In any case, no matter which path you ultimately choose, you won’t have the qualifications to make a choice until you’ve reached the stage of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Converging to the Origin. As for the threefold heavenly path I mentioned earlier? That… was just something I said for you to hear.”

The young Daoist’s expression froze for a moment, then he noticed the elder’s sleeve soaked by the rain. Shaking his head, he raised his hand to tidy the elder’s hem and remarked:

“Teacher, you really are like a child.”

The elder couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“And you’re like an old man.”

The young Daoist, dressed in a robe of blue and white patterned like flowing clouds, sighed helplessly, though a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

After his laughter subsided, the elder stroked his beard and sighed: “It’s about time you learned your teacher’s name.”

His expression turned gentle as he said,

“Thou are of my Taishang lineage.”

“The pinnacle of the Daoist sects, supreme and unparalleled.”

Qi Wuhuo replied: “I know.”

The elder was momentarily stunned but soon smiled freely: “Ah, you already guessed it.”

The young Daoist responded: “Though my understanding of the Daoist sects is limited, the Three Pure Ones are revered by all common folk. I know this much: to speak of all things and deities in such a tone, treating both Shangqing and Yuqing Dao Ancestors with equal regard—if not an individual utterly arrogant beyond reason—then it could only be someone of the Taishang Lineage, also one of the Daoist Ancestors of the Three Purities.”

The elder nodded gently, his gaze fixed on the distant scenery as he spoke:

“However, once you leave me, you must not reveal your lineage, nor may you disclose your Daoist title.”

“The [Daoist title] represents my hopes for you, but it is not your own identity.”

“Identity, this sort of thing, must be [claimed] by oneself, just as cultivation must be [self-cultivated].”

The elder’s voice remained calm and steady, yet his words carried a profound authority: “After all, if you were to announce your identity, then throughout the Three Realms, none would oppose you. Heaven and Earth’s treasures—whatever you desire, they would be given. Should you encounter difficulties in cultivation, the sacred Buddhas of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths would assist you, the Five Emperors would lend their aid, and even the Twenty-Eight Constellation Mansions would revere you.”

“What you see would be biased, and your cultivation would proceed too smoothly. Thus, you might swiftly reach the stage of three flowers gathering atop your head.”

“But such cultivation would merely be like treasures of Heaven and Earth, merely accumulating power.”

“With an immature mind, such a cultivator would be akin to a flower grown indoors—though it blooms beautifully, it cannot withstand frost and snow. Such a person is merely an [object for admiration], not a disciple of mine.”

“Even Yuqing, who cherishes his disciples dearly, would not act in this manner.”

“Only Shangqing, with his soft-heartedness and broad-mindedness, chooses the supreme path of non-action. Since he adheres to non-action, there is naturally nothing he cannot do. Yet, despite his freedom, every action aligns perfectly with the Dao. If fate allows you to meet him someday, speak with him about human emotions. Perhaps he may bestow upon you a slight karmic connection—it’s not impossible.”

“But disciples raised in such a manner could not even overcome the Eight Difficulties, let alone hope to reach the realm of Earthly Immortals. How could they aspire to anything greater?”

His hand came to rest on the young Daoist’s head, gently tousling his hair with a look of hope in his eyes. “Only when your strength and position alone are enough to command the respect, reverence, fear, and admiration of all cultivators under Heaven will you truly be your own Daoist Xuanwei, your own Dao Sovereign Wuhuo, rather than just a mere disciple of the Taishang lineage. Do you understand, Wuhuo?”

“Yuyang accomplished his five-hundred-year grand plan, earning titles as both a master and a national teacher, and ultimately the revered title of Heavenly Master.”

“Yumiao ascended the heavens and waged battle against the soldiers of the upper heavens, storming all the way to the Thunder Mansion. It took one of the thirty-six Thunder Generals of Yuxu’s Thunder Mansion to finally subdue her. All of this was achieved through her own power. They didn’t even know my identity or her Daoist title. Only after Xuandu rescued her did she come to understand who I was, and because she chose to let go, I chose to wait for her.”

“Speaking of which, there’s one more senior brother you’ll need to meet on your own.”

The elder retrieved a jade slip and handed it to the youth, whispering a few words as they gazed into the distance. The young Daoist carefully stowed the jade slip.

The elder’s voice softened as he spoke again:

“Do you know why a teacher guides disciples into the Dao? Is it merely to add another troublemaker who wreaks havoc across the Three Realms?”

“Such a one is no disciple of mine.”

“To take in disciples, to pass on the teachings, always carries the hope that the disciples may one day walk beside the master.”

“In truth, the bond between master and disciple is akin to that of Dao companions.”

“But I do not wish to gain only a subordinate. If you were to reach the point of being surrounded by immortals and gods, elevated by them alone, it would mean I had ruined your innate Dao seed and roots. That would be my mistake.”

The young Daoist could hear the infinite hope contained in those words.

The sky was dark, the wind and rain heavy. The elder raised his hand, pointing toward the road ahead.

My disciple has countless people to meet and ten thousand miles of the mortal world to walk. Teacher will wait for you at the farthest point.

This road was neither straight nor clean, filled with mud and winding deep into the endless rainstorm. The misty rain veiled its destination. The elder seemed intent on letting him walk alone but then softened and said gently: “Wuhuo, let us walk this last stretch together.”

Qi Wuhuo nodded. “Alright.”

The elder held the umbrella, shielding him from the wind and rain. The pair—a youth and an elder, both clad in Daoist robes—walked forward side by side.

“Speaking of which, the Daoist sects still have their precepts. Only those who have taken the vows can truly be considered disciples of the Dao lineage.”

“There are three precepts, five precepts, ten precepts, twenty-seven precepts, one hundred and eight precepts, three hundred great precepts, and one thousand two hundred core precepts.”

“The purpose is to prevent evil, guard against wrong, safeguard the righteous, and destroy wickedness.”

“However, this pertains to precepts of action. There is another kind, precepts of non-action and non-attainment, which places rather high demands on practitioners. [If one recognizes the nature of laws, they are ultimately empty and tranquil; this is called the True Precept.] In the future, Wuhuo might be able to uphold this True Precept. It is inherently non-action—without adherence, there is naturally no violation, and only without violation can there be no adherence. For now, though, it is not yet possible…”

“Finally, I must give you one precept.”

“This will be the precept I entrust to you, and it shall also be the hope I place upon you.”

“This is the requirement of a disciple of the Taishang lineage.”

“It is also the essence of your true nature, the attachment that even a golden millet dream cannot erase—your obsession, your tribulation.”

“Thus, this is a law that only you yourself must uphold.”

The elder held an umbrella and looked at the young man next to him. He suppressed his gentle smile, his tone grew distant and solemn, carrying a hint of melancholy and the weight of time. He spoke seriously:

“My disciple, Xuanwei, cultivate the Righteous Path.”

“Your actions, your conduct, must align with the will of heaven, always guided by great compassion, and extending mercy to all who suffer.”

“Can you uphold this?”

After a long silence, the young Daoist responded: “I can.”

The elder burst into a hearty laugh: “You are indeed my disciple.”

The torrential rain continued for a long time, and only after much time had passed did the spiritual beings of the many mountains in the area sense that the Primordial Qi had returned to normal. The catastrophic changes, which had been as if the heavens and earth were crumbling, subsided. Tentatively, they returned, cautiously peeking from afar. In the distance, through the rain, they saw someone holding an umbrella, walking slowly. They instinctively held their breath. The young Daoist, clad in a blue water cloud robe, with sleeves hanging loosely, carrying a sword case on his back, walked alone on the wide path.

Now, he held the umbrella himself, shielding himself from the rain.

The young man’s figure stood tall and straight.

The Great Dao was bleak.

I walk alone.