Techniques and Dao

Chapter 4 The Supreme Ruler
A bright and sunny afternoon. A gentle breeze caresses your face.

They walked past a giant archway bearing the plaque "Shudao Academy". Hei Yun led Hua Sheng into the academy.

"This is the largest academy in Saint Pingning. For over a thousand years, the three races of immortals, humans, and spirits who have held the reins of Saint Pingning's development have almost all graduated from this academy," Hei Yun said. "The so-called immortals are gods. The so-called spirits are the immortal spirits that all things have transformed into. The cat nurse you saw in the hospital is an immortal spirit. As for humans, they are ordinary mortals, but most mortals in Saint Pingning also know some immortal arts, otherwise it would be difficult for them to adapt to life here."

The main road within the Xiyuan Academy is lined with towering trees on both sides, with four tall pavilions on each side between them, totaling eight. A straight avenue runs through the middle, with a stone tablet beside it inscribed with the four large characters "Lingtian Shengdao" (Sacred Path of the Spiritual Heaven). At the end of the sacred path rises a majestic mountain that seems to reach into the clouds, its body shrouded in mist, through which a magnificent stone pagoda can be vaguely seen.

The Xiyuan Courtyard is filled with carved beams and painted rafters, jade steps and bright pillars, with side halls and winding corridors, creating a beautiful and captivating scene. Walking inside, one is surrounded by birdsong and fragrant flowers. Along the paths, one sees mostly young people dressed in Hanfu or Daoist robes, with a few wearing jackets similar to Huasheng's, carrying various sports equipment such as balls or rackets.

The two entered a complex of buildings and walked through an outdoor corridor, the clear and orderly voices of elementary school children reading aloud filling the air.
"The Way is like an empty vessel, yet its use is inexhaustible. It is as deep as the origin of all things. It blunts the sharpness of things, untangles their knots, softens their light, and becomes one with their dust."

Hua Sheng was drawn by the sound of reading aloud. Looking over, she saw that the wooden-framed doors and windows beside the corridor were open, and inside, twenty or thirty boys and girls dressed in Hanfu, all around five or six years old, were sitting on the floor. They looked energetic, sitting upright with bamboo slips in their hands, and reading aloud with complete concentration as they unfolded them.

“These are all children who have just entered school,” Hei Yun said. “After the descendants of the immortal, human, and spirit races enter, they must first learn the classics of various schools of thought. After establishing basic concepts, they will be taught how to use immortal techniques in middle school.”

Just then, a group of six- or seven-year-old children dressed in small-sized Shiin uniforms walked in a line from the opposite side of the corridor. The little boys and girls passed by Hanamori in a neat and orderly fashion. It was so cute that Hanamori couldn't help but turn around and take a few more glances.

Hei Yun said, "Now I'll take you to the Academic Affairs Office to complete your enrollment procedures. The Academy provides dormitories. You can settle in here for now."

The procedures were quite simple. A staff member from the Academic Affairs Office took out a brand-new student badge, held it up to Hua Sheng's face like a mobile phone, and then put it down. Hua Sheng could see his photo and information clearly displayed on the badge. All the procedures were completed in less than fifteen minutes, and he received a stack of new books and materials, as well as a crossbody bag.

He picked up the student handbook and began to peruse it. The rules in the handbook were quite eye-opening, for example:
"Chapter 1, Article 3: Students of the Daoist Arts Academy are prohibited from flying at high speeds within the academy."

"Chapter 3, Article 5: Unless the target is extremely disrespectful, it is forbidden to use any offensive spells against fellow disciples."

"Article 8 of Chapter 3: Within the school, immortals, humans, and spirits should, in principle, interact with each other in human form. Immortals and spirits must present themselves in a form appropriate to their grade level and must not deliberately use illusions to fabricate their identity, age, or species."

While marveling at the sight, Hua Sheng was also completely bewildered. If one had to know immortal arts to attend this class, he probably didn't meet the admission requirements. But now, his fate was in the hands of others, so he could only grit his teeth and take it one step at a time. Besides, this otherworldly place was not for ordinary people. Being able to come to this fairyland and broaden his horizons was a testament to the good deeds he had accumulated in his past life and the auspicious smoke rising from his ancestors' graves.

After leaving the teaching office, Hei Yun pointed to the east and said, "That's about it for today. The dormitories for the disciples of the Academy are in the east. Just find your dormitory room and move in according to the grade on your disciple document, which is the disciple talisman. The new semester starts in a few days, and I'll put you in the tenth grade. That's equivalent to the first year of high school in the mortal realm. There are immortals, humans, and spirits in your class, so make some friends."

Hei Yun took out a rectangular bronze mirror from his pocket: "This is your Ruihua Treasure Mirror, the new model."

Hua Sheng took the mirror, and at first glance, it was an exquisite work of art. The front of the mirror was smooth and flat, while the back was engraved with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns. Hua Sheng looked in the mirror and found that her face was fairly clear and clean.

"Did Xi Jinping give everyone a mirror in the academy? Is it to remind us to pay attention to our appearance?"

"This isn't for you to look in the mirror every day. This Ruihua Treasure Mirror is Saint Pingning's communication tool. You've used a mobile phone in the mortal world, right? It's very convenient. Figure it out yourself. The newer model is even easier to use," Hei Yun said. "By the way, if you need to spend money, there's a wallet inside this Ruihua Treasure Mirror. Saint Pingning's Ministry of Revenue will deposit some pocket money into it on the first day of each month. It's enough for your daily living expenses, and they'll even pay for your tuition. If you need to pay, just wave your hand at the shopkeeper. Don't worry about not knowing how to use it."

Life here was arranged in an orderly manner, which immediately dispelled most of Hua Sheng's anxiety.

"I still have work to do, so I have to go first." As he was leaving, Hei Yun suddenly remembered something and said, "You have to be careful. Not all residents of Saint Pingning welcome mortals like you. As someone who has moved here halfway through life, you should be careful when you first arrive."

Hua Sheng nodded cautiously. After bidding farewell to Hei Yun, he slung his satchel over his shoulder and strolled eastward toward the Xiyuan Academy.

Everywhere you look, there are small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, and towers, as if you were in an incredibly beautiful royal garden. Various unknown flowers are in full bloom, and colorful butterflies are fluttering around.

Nearby, several young girls, seemingly disciples, sat on stone benches, discussing poetry and literature with their books open. On the other side, several male disciples were gathered together, stacking dozens of teacups on a stone table. One disciple chanted incantations, and the cups rose into the air like a long dragon. Then, one of the stacks tipped over with a crash, but a nearby male disciple caught the scattered cups with lightning speed, not a single one breaking—a feat that left onlookers in awe. The group of male disciples put down their cups and burst into laughter. One of them pointed loudly at the disciple who had just performed the spell and said, "You're buying tea tomorrow!"

Hua Sheng was so engrossed in the garden that she lingered for over an hour, stopping frequently, on her short walk. The books and materials, though thick, felt surprisingly light inside her cloth bag. No wonder she'd lost track of time in her playfulness.

Before she knew it, the sun was setting, and Hua Sheng quickly ran towards the students' dormitory area. Perhaps because the Academy of Arts and Sciences covered such a vast area, most of the dormitory buildings were two-story structures. The buildings were all designed in the Huizhou style, using brick, wood, and stone as raw materials, with wooden frames as the main feature. Looking out, it was a magnificent sight of white walls and black tiles.

The various wood and stone carvings on the buildings are diverse in form and lifelike. To the west of the rows of buildings lies a tranquil lake, where the beautiful architecture is reflected. As the sun sets, the afterglow shines on the mirror-like lake, creating a stunning watercolor painting that complements the Hui-style architecture.

A stone tablet stands beside the lake, inscribed with three red characters: "Drunken Heart Lake." It truly captures the state of mind one is deeply immersed in at this moment of floral splendor.

Hua Sheng's dormitory was near Zuixin Lake. While he was secretly congratulating himself on being assigned a villa with a stunning view, he looked up and saw a handsome, long-haired young man lying on the roof tiles of the second floor. The young man appeared to be about the same age as Hua Sheng. He held a book in his hand, slowly reading it in the setting sun.

Hua Sheng stared for a while, still unsure how he had climbed onto the roof. After confirming the room number was indeed his own, he called out towards the roof, "Excuse me... no, sir, is this the student dormitory of the Xi Academy?"

The boy on the rooftop remained engrossed in the book.

After all, it must be about ten meters up there; I probably didn't shout loud enough. Hua Sheng took a few steps forward and shouted again.

The boy remained engrossed in his book. Surely not. Hua Sheng put down the cloth bag from his shoulder, jumping up and down while shouting, "Hey! You upstairs thief!"

The boy glanced down, put away his book, and stood up. There was a rustling sound as the roof tiles fell. Hua Shengzhi was worried that the tiles would fall like an avalanche.

As he stood up, Hua Sheng could see clearly that the young man was tall and handsome. He wore a light blue Taoist robe embroidered with auspicious light blue clouds. A purple-gold belt was tied around his waist. Upon closer inspection, he wore a sparkling earring on his left ear, from which hung two delicate silver sword-shaped pendants.

He walked to the edge of the roof and looked down, looking as if he might fall at any moment.

Hua Sheng felt a chill run down her spine and shouted, "No, no! Take another step and you'll fall!"

A smile appeared on the boy's lips as he slowly raised his right foot.

Hua Sheng shouted, "Hey! Watch out! Stop ...

The boy slowly lowered his right foot, a mischievous expression on his face, and then slowly raised his left foot.

"Hey! Stop, stop, stop!" Hua Sheng shouted again.

The boy laughed loudly, then leaped off the roof, his long sleeves billowing in the air.

"Ah!" Hua Sheng instinctively raised his hands to catch it. But he stumbled and fell face-first into the mud.

Just as the boy was about to crash heavily to the ground, he suddenly stopped less than half a meter from the ground. His long sleeves, which had been floating in the air, also drooped down due to gravity. The boy was left suspended in mid-air, looking at Hanamoto, who was lying on the ground clutching his head and covered in dust.

The young man placed his hands to his ears and surprisingly removed two wireless earphones, saying, "Forgive me, forgive me, I was listening to music just now. The newly debuted idol boy group 'BRAVE' and idol girl group 'HOPE' are so energetic, especially HOPE's 'Universal War Song,' 'The Shape of Hope,' 'Closed Crossroads,' and 'Morning Morning Call!' I was completely engrossed in them, which is why I didn't see any distinguished guests at the door. I am truly disrespectful, hahaha!" After saying this, he immediately cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask where this fellow disciple comes from, and what I can teach you?"

Hua Sheng knelt on the ground and cupped his hands in greeting.

The boy said, "Also, it's impolite to call someone a thief!"

Hua Sheng quickly stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Excuse me! I, oh, my name is Hua Sheng, and I'm new to Shengpingning. I'm also new to this Academy of Arts and Sciences."

"Judging from your full forehead and bright, star-like eyes, your future is undoubtedly limitless. It's a pleasure to meet you!" The young man slowly landed on the ground. "I am Taishang Xiaojun."

"Taishang Xiaojun? Sounds like an online name?"

"Huh? It really is my online name. But everyone has called me that since I was a child, and the people around me are used to it."

"So what is your real name?"

"One Qi transforms into the Three Pure Ones, the Great Crimson Heaven Immortal ascends to the Great Pure Realm, the Mysterious Qi forms the Sun God Treasure Lord, the Moral Heavenly Venerable, the Primordial Spirit Emperor."

"What?" Hua Sheng picked at his ear, afraid he hadn't heard clearly.

"One Qi transforms into the Three Pure Ones, the Great Crimson Heaven Immortal ascends to the Great Pure Realm, formed from the Profound Qi, the Sun God, the Treasure Lord, the Moral Heavenly Venerable, the Primordial Spirit Emperor." The young man added, "This time I paid attention to the order of importance, so I spoke slowly. Did you hear me clearly?"

"Is this your real name?"

"Exactly."

"Does anyone in your family have this name?"

“Of course! Otherwise, how could we be family? But strictly speaking, we should be immortals, not people.” Taishang Xiaojun laughed. “My grandfather’s full name is Yiqi Hua Sanqing Taiqing Ju Da Chi Tian Xian Deng Taiqing Jing Xuan Qi Suo Cheng Ri Shen Bao Jun Dao De Tian Zun Hun Yuan Shangdi. Immortals call him Taiqing Dao De Tian Zun, but people call him Taishang Laojun.”

Hua Sheng's eyes widened. No wonder the name Taishang Xiaojun sounded familiar: "Eh? Taishang Laojun, that's you..."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun shook the book in his hand, brushing away the dust that had been stirred up in the air. Only then did Hua Sheng see the title of the book clearly. The book looked quite old, with the edges of the dark blue cover slightly curled and the pages slightly yellowed from its age.

The book's title reads: "All Laws Return to Their Source".

The young man snapped his fingers, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "My name is Taishang Xiaojun. Taishang Laojun is my grandfather!"

(End of this chapter)