Chapter 306 - 167: Wuji and Taiji: Conception of a Daoist Art

Chapter 306: Chapter 167: Wuji and Taiji: Conception of a Daoist Art

Inside the cave chamber, the illumination seal had not been activated. The room was dim, silent, and shrouded in darkness.

Xuzhuang sat upright on the stone dais with his eyes closed, the dual energies circulating around his body. With each breath, a mysterious, pure light emerged from an unknown source. It grew brighter and brighter, until moments later, it burst forth in a brilliant radiance.

At its peak, the light seemed to erase every inch of shadow within the chamber, turning the entire room into a field of pure white.

But after reaching its zenith, the light did not wane. Instead, a mysterious, dark hue emerged from the smallest of points, swelling like a river in flood until it submerged the brilliant light and plunged the chamber back into murky darkness.

Xuzhuang’s cultivation had completed another cycle. After a brief silence, his breathing continued and his profound technique circulated once more, causing another speck of pure light to gradually emerge.

Yin is darkness, and Yang is light. As they circulated, light and dark alternated ceaselessly. Gradually, however, they somehow seemed to merge into one. Though there were still ebbs and flows of activity, the distinction between light and dark vanished. The chamber was like a vast, murky darkness in which all things were visible, yet also like a brightly lit white room devoid of even a single ray of light.

All that remained in the chamber was a profound and peaceful serenity.

All things carry Yin and embrace Yang. The two can be distinct, yet they can also merge into a perfect, complete whole. This was a sign that his Yin Yang Dao Skill had reached an extremely profound realm.

Another dozen or so days passed in this manner. Then, with a twitch of his brow, Xuzhuang withdrew from his deep meditation and slowly opened his eyes.

He naturally fell into a thoughtful posture. His every movement was so seamless it did not disturb the chamber’s peaceful serenity, as if he were part of nature itself.

Xuzhuang’s cultivation of the Yin Yang Merging Dao progressed with unstoppable momentum, like splitting bamboo or soaring on the wind. His practice yielded great gains every day. In just a few dozen days, he had surpassed what would take an ordinary Daoist years of bitter effort to achieve.

The first reason for such rapid progress was his incredibly solid foundation. For someone of his caliber, starting cultivation from the beginning was as easy as lifting a hand.

Second, his Daoist techniques were profound, and he possessed a deep understanding of the Yin-Yang Principle.

Third, the Yin Yang Essence provided a vast amount of Yin and Yang Qi. This essence contained the profound mysteries of the universe’s Yin-Yang transformations, which was of infinite benefit to his cultivation of the Yin Yang Dao Skill.

’And lastly,’ Xuzhuang mused, ’the Tai Su True Inheritance stems from the same source, though it flows in different streams. I also have the marvel of the nine orifices, which allows for a nearly lossless conversion between True Qi, Magical Power, and Sword Qi. This, too, is to be expected.’

’But why is the conversion between Tai Su Magical Power, Five Elements Magical Power, and Yin-Yang Magical Power also so natural and effortless, with such negligible loss?’

This couldn’t be explained away simply by lumping them all under the umbrella of Mystic Gate Taoist Skill. How many Mystic Gates were there in this world? How many across all the heavens and myriad realms? Even discounting the cruder techniques, on the Divine Continent alone, there were the great Mystic Gate factions of three major sects, six schools, and nine families. Each of their Taoist techniques was different—could they all be compatible?

’Of course, the Tai Su True Inheritance originates from the Inherent Doctrine of the Taoist School’s Mystic Gate. Yin-Yang and the Five Elements are the fundamental Great Daos of the Taoist School, cultivated by untold numbers across all the heavens...’

’Perhaps that is the reason.’

Xuzhuang suddenly froze, reciting aloud, ’"First, there was the Great Change. Then came the Great Beginning, followed by the Great Origin! In the Great Beginning, though Qi had changed, there was no form. In the Great Origin, form was born from the one, but though there was form, there was no substance. It changed to have form, and the form gained substance, yet it had not become a complete body. This is called Tai Su!"’

’"From the Limitless comes the Supreme Ultimate. These are the Five Greats of Pre-Heaven."’

’That’s it. Yin-Yang and the Five Elements are the fundamental principles of the manifest world. They evolved from the Limitless and the Supreme Ultimate since the dawn of creation, so it’s only natural that they share a common root and are deeply interconnected.’

’The Dao of the Sect Founding Ancestor Grandmaster is truly magnificent.’ Xuzhuang couldn’t help but sigh with admiration, a sense of joy welling within him.

The Tai Su Taoist Technique might not be as vast and all-encompassing as Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, but the loftiness of its conception and the profundity of its mystic principles truly commanded the admiration of his successors.

He wondered what kind of lofty True Cultivator the Sect Founding Ancestor Grandmaster, Baoxuanzi, had been. And the grandmaster of the entire lineage, the Tai Su Taoist—what realm had his Daoist techniques reached? Had he already reaped his Immortal Merits and achieved a supreme, unparalleled legacy?

In the ancestral records of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, it only stated that the Sect Founding Ancestor Grandmaster Baoxuanzi had successfully cultivated the Dao under the Tai Su Taoist. He then went on to found the sect, passing down the three great True Inheritances and thus bringing about the birth of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, a Daoist Sect that would be passed down through the ages.

But there was no mention whatsoever of the cultivation levels of these two grandmasters. The one with the highest clearly recorded level in the annals of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect was the "Ancestor of Revival"—the fifth-generation grandmaster who had refined Pure Yang, Jade Longevity True Monarch.

...

’It seems my choice to use Yin-Yang and the Five Elements as my foundational techniques couldn’t have been more correct.’

Xuzhuang did not dwell on the grandmasters’ achievements for long. He gathered his thoughts and mused, ’At this rate of progress, it won’t even take a few years for my Yin Yang Dao Skill to reach the stage of minor completion.’

’Although the Yin Yang Merging Dao is just a cultivation method and contains no record of combat techniques, simply strengthening my foundation is more than enough. Comprehending the mysteries of Yin-Yang is a joy in itself, and besides...’

Besides, Xuzhuang already had an inkling of an idea for a Yin-Yang combat technique.

Dozens of days had passed since Xuzhuang unexpectedly met Zhong Shenxiu at Master Yu Bo’s immortal banquet.

He, along with Zhong Shenxiu and Cen Fenghong, had wandered through Weiyun Immortal City as they pleased. After a few days, he had returned to Han Yuan Cave.

With the return of his Dharma Body, Xuzhuang understood everything that had transpired during the trip to Weiyun Immortal City.

Both he and Zhong Shenxiu had deciphered the principles of the combat technique recorded in Master Yu Bo’s Daoist Scripture. Zhong Shenxiu received the iron-token Daoist Scripture as a gift and had offered to study it with Xuzhuang, but Xuzhuang declined.

The technique was severely incomplete. There were no instructions on how to open the qi apertures, how to nurture the two polarities, how to circulate the dual energies to the heart chamber, how to protect the heart chamber, how to ignite the heart-fire, how to circulate the power through the meridians, or how to cast the final spell.

Although the principles were there to guide him, and with his attainments in Taoist techniques it wasn’t impossible for him to deduce the complete Cultivation Method, he had no intention of doing so.

Zhong Shenxiu’s words had made sense. One’s own wisdom is not necessarily inferior to that of the ancients. If all one does is slavishly copy what came before, how can that be considered breaking new ground?

’The clash of Yin and Yang gives birth to thunder, which annihilates all things. I only need to borrow this principle. That is enough.’

Xuzhuang had been contemplating this ever since he integrated the knowledge from his Dharma Body. Now, with the improvement of his Yin Yang Dao Skill, he finally had an inkling of how to proceed.

He raised his hand and formed a Spell. It resembled a sword-finger seal, but his two fingers were only loosely held together, not pressed tight. He silently began to channel his power.

Suddenly, a pure white spiritual light appeared at the tip of his index finger. It began to crackle, as if a thunderbolt of immense power were brewing within. An aura, majestic and tyrannical, bent on annihilating all things, threatened to erupt from it.

Xuzhuang frowned slightly but did not unleash it. Instead, he slowly withdrew his Magical Power. Only after the thunder dissipated did he form the Spell again.

This time he changed his approach, starting with Yin first. Before long, a dark, profound spiritual light emerged from his middle finger. It manifested as a silent thunderbolt—seemingly gentle and continuous, yet vast and surging like a powerful undercurrent.

Xuzhuang frowned again. With his experience in Thunder Skill and his overall attainments, creating either Yang Thunder or Yin Thunder was as easy as lifting a hand. Causing the two to clash, however, was no simple matter.

This step was extremely dangerous. Thunder embodied the Dao of destruction. Without an established Cultivation Method to follow, he dared not attempt the process within his own body. But trying to make them clash *after* they had been unleashed was incredibly difficult.

’It seems I’ll need to study this more deeply to make this idea a reality. However...’

Xuzhuang’s brow smoothed. With a sudden wave of his sleeve, a Magical Artifact he had confiscated from some unknown person flew into the air. He then flicked a finger!

A silent bolt of Yin Thunder shot out without a sound. Before it could detonate, Xuzhuang’s Spell shifted rapidly, and he unleashed a blast of Yang Thunder. Though fired second, it arrived at the same moment. The two thunderbolts struck the Magical Artifact almost simultaneously. With a thunderous BOOM, the artifact exploded into fragments.

’As expected, the power of Yin and Yang thunder strikes alone is already impressive.’ Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow as a thought surfaced: the Shenxiao One Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder Method.

The Shenxiao One Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder Method also achieved its formidable power by alternately bombarding a target with two different types of Divine Thunder.

A flash of inspiration struck Xuzhuang. If he could further perfect the Yin and Yang thunder he derived from his own Yin Yang Dao Skill and use them to replace the two Divine Thunders in the Shenxiao Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder, the resulting power would likely surpass the original technique.

This was because the two Divine Thunders used in the Shenxiao Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder were the Purple Refining Divine Thunder and the Jade Pivot Divine Thunder. Both were Superior Thunder Skills from the Yuxiao Sect, and the Jade Pivot Divine Thunder, in particular, was hailed as the greatest in the Profound Yellow world!

However, Xuzhuang lacked the foundational thunder skills of the Yuxiao Sect and had never formally learned these two types of Divine Thunder. When he used the One Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder Technique, he was merely imitating their form, which significantly reduced their power.

Of course, the Shenxiao Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder was a life-or-death technique. When unleashed with the full might of Xuzhuang’s vast Magical Power, this slight reduction in potency... was ultimately irrelevant.

Thus, what Xuzhuang envisioned was this: if he could reverse-engineer the method of instantly alternating two thunder techniques from the Shenxiao One Qi Heaven-Smashing Thunder, he could create something far more compatible with his own Daoist path. He could also escape the shackle of it consuming all his Magical Power, turning it into a true, personal combat art.

It was a wonderful idea, but alas, the road to achieving it was long and arduous.

Xuzhuang temporarily set these thoughts aside. He pinched his fingers together to perform a quick calculation, and a look of anticipation immediately filled his eyes.