Techniques and Dao

Chapter 7 Samadhi True Fire
Time flies. In the blink of an eye, Hua Sheng has been at the Academy of Arts and Sciences for half a year.

Having no foundation in magic, he mainly memorized the incantations during class, but he always struggled to apply them effectively. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Hua Shengdu wandered back and forth between the school and his lodgings, hardly ever leaving the academy.

For disciples of his age, the academy mainly offered courses in the I Ching, incantations, Qimen Dunjia, movement techniques, and music theory. If there was extra time, the academy also offered elective courses they preferred, even various Western languages. However, Hua Sheng's progress was extremely slow in any of these courses related to magic.

In his class, the disciples of the Immortal Clan, represented by Tai Shang Xiao Jun, consistently outperformed him due to their early exposure to immortal arts. Next were the disciples of the Spirit Clan, whose members were mostly plants and animals that cultivated themselves into immortals by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making them exceptionally intelligent. In addition, there were also disciples among the Spirit Clan, such as fox spirits, who were the closest to the Immortal Clan. Therefore, some Spirit Clan members even surpassed the Immortal Clan in practical abilities. The entire Spirit Clan excelled in illusion magic, earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape from the earth), and medium-altitude flight.

The rest were mortal disciples. Their skill levels varied greatly, with only those whose ancestors had settled in Shengpingning possessing a certain foundation in immortal arts due to their family education.

Take the art of earth-遁 (earth-遁术, a type of magic or technique) as an example. In class, most disciples could perform it effortlessly, while those with slightly less skill would end up half-buried in the ground, looking disheveled and dirty. These less skilled students were often ridiculed as "half-buried in the yellow earth." Hua Sheng didn't need to worry about being mocked. After reciting the earth-遁 incantation from the book, he would jump to the ground and always end up falling on his backside, so his earth-遁术 became "digging earth technique."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun watched as Hua Sheng dug at the dusty ground, brushing the dust away with his hand and coughing, saying, "Is there a husky burying meat bones?"

Hua Sheng, covered in sweat and looking disheveled, said, "If you're starting out in cultivation, you can't be lazy. And you can't just ask someone else to do it for you."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said helplessly, "I will teach you. But when casting spells or chanting incantations, one must be completely focused and free of distractions." He then made a hand seal and chanted an incantation, shouting "Enter!" Instantly, he vanished into the ground, and a few seconds later, he rose again ten meters away from the earth. "Follow me!"

Following the words and actions of the Supreme Lord Xiaojun, Hua Sheng concentrated intently and shouted, "Enter!" Sure enough, he felt his body lighten, and then he descended rapidly. With a whoosh, his feet were buried in the ground, unable to move.

"Ouch! Wait! Let me scoop my leg out before I practice with you!"

"You've made progress! You've made progress!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun kept encouraging.

For most of the day, Hua Sheng practiced his magical arts, playing the role of a disheveled "husky." Fortunately, Tai Shang Xiao Jun remained patient and steadfastly by his side.

After the lesson, Hua Sheng found a water bucket and used the clear spring water gushing from the middle to wash the mud off his head and face. Tai Shang Xiao Jun came over and handed him a bottle of water.

"You are a hard-working person."

"I am naturally dull-witted, and among the three races, I am the least skilled mortal in immortal arts. Since I have a low starting point, I can only work twice as hard," Hua Sheng said.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun smiled faintly: "Actually, when you first arrived, I was also worried that you were not strong enough and would be ridiculed. If I were to speak frankly with you, I was afraid of hurting your self-esteem."

“It’s okay! I’ve been without parents since I was little, and I’ve never been without hardship. Self-respect is reserved for children from privileged families. We don’t have much self-respect, only self-reliance.”

"Actually, no matter where you are, people always want to be with the strong." Tai Shang Xiao Jun opened a bottle of water for himself. "Regardless of age, if a person doesn't have strength or something that others don't possess, it's difficult for outstanding people to truly consider them a friend. A so-called strong person may not necessarily become friends with people similar to themselves, but their friends are mostly strong in a certain field. Even if two people who are vastly different in every way become acquainted, no matter how they try to hide it, the strong person's feelings for the weak person are mostly just pity. The inequality between them makes it difficult for them to become true friends."

"It sounds discouraging, but it makes sense," Hua Sheng said with a wry smile.

"Not everyone is a snob. In any world, there will always be someone who started earlier than you, someone who is more talented than you, but as long as you are willing to work hard, you can always catch up with many people who have surpassed you. This ability is also a strength. In the end, even if you don't surpass everyone, your progress will still be respected. Because what people value is the yearning for progress and the determination to work hard. Nobody likes their friends to be lazy and good-for-nothing."

Although Taishang Xiaojun's words were plain, they contained some real-world principles.

In the Shudao Academy's curriculum, the Movement Class is a course that emphasizes physical fitness, which is why Hanamori loves it so much. This course focuses more on practicing the circulation of Qi and blood, emphasizing exercise and sweating. Since Hanamori has some athletic background, he quickly learned Cuju (ancient Chinese football). Cuju offers a relatively fair competitive environment, which greatly boosts his spirits. Only on this sports field can he rediscover some of his long-lost confidence.

And so, he diligently studied immortal arts during the day and perused various immortal scriptures and books at night. Over time, with the help of the Supreme Lord Xiaojun, Hua Sheng gradually grasped the basics of the "Ruyi Book".

On this day, in the classroom of Sixian Pavilion, Master Yu Ran gracefully entered and said, "My fellow disciples, after learning the introductory techniques and formulas, today I will delve into the art of the Five Elements with you. Before the separation of heaven and earth, it was called the state of chaos. Heaven and earth were mixed together as one, the sun, moon, and stars had not yet been formed, day and night, heat and cold had not alternated, there was no wind, rain, thunder, or lightning above, and no grass, trees, mountains, rivers, humans, birds, insects, or beasts below. At this time, a spiritual energy circulated and coalesced within, and thus water was born from Taiyi, fire from Taichu, wood from Taishi, metal from Taisu, and earth from Taiji. The Five Elements originated from this, and they are interdependent, as well as mutually generating and restraining. The Five Elements correspond to nature and also to the human body."

Master Yu Ran raised his palm, and the air above him turned into a ball of flame.

"Fire is crucial to human civilization and is even considered a key indicator of its evolution. With fire, humanity began to progress. Therefore, among the Five Elements, we will first learn the art of controlling fire. Once we have a basic grasp of flames, it may help us overcome dangers in times of crisis."

"In the mortal world, people believe that fire is both a chemical and a physical phenomenon. If you can gather heat to a certain high temperature, you can form a fire. However, fire also requires two crucial elements: oxygen and fuel. If you don't have these two elements, even if you gather the surrounding heat, you cannot form a fire."

As Master Yu Ran spoke, he waved his hand, and a clump of withered leaves appeared in the air beside him.

"Next, I would like you to try your fire control technique. Please watch carefully."

After saying that, Master Yu Ran pointed to a male Spirit Clan disciple in the front row: "Xuanwen, why don't you come up and give it a try?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said to Hua Sheng, "This Xuan Wen's ancestors were warhorse immortals, a standard fire-element family. He doesn't even need to learn this little spell; he could easily set a ten-foot-high pile of dry leaves on fire."

The male disciple stood up and stepped forward. After Master Yu Ran gave him a few words of advice, he carefully examined the clump of withered leaves. Then, he moved about three steps away from the leaves, concentrated on reciting the incantation, pointed a finger, and shouted, "Take this!"

With a whoosh, the withered leaves transformed into a ball of flame floating in the air, with sparks scattering and falling in all directions.

Master Yu Ran nodded: "Not bad! Xuanwen has a certain foundation in magic. He didn't start by lighting a single leaf, but instead burned all the leaves at the same time, which shows that he has been practicing fire control diligently for a long time. The shortcoming is that he used a little too much force, and the flames were not concentrated enough, so the fire spread out and scattered around. This lowered the temperature at the center."

Xuanwen silently nodded, accepting Master Yu Ran's guidance, and returned to his seat.

With a wave of his hand, Master Yu Ran extinguished the flame, which instantly transformed back into a clump of withered leaves floating in the air.

The second person to practice was a girl descended from mortals. After silently chanting the incantation, she softly shouted, "Catch!" Only one leaf caught fire, but the fire quickly spread, and the whole clump of leaves turned into a fireball.

"Not bad. Although your cultivation is still shallow, it is evident that you are very focused when casting spells. As long as you can maintain a more consistent chanting speed and avoid excessive pitch differences, you will surely achieve something with diligent practice," commented Master Yu Ran.

Then he pointed to Hua Sheng: "Hua Sheng, come up and give it a try."

Hua Sheng's face flushed crimson, and he almost wanted to hide under the desk. He had been very diligent in chanting the incantation lately, but lacking any foundation, it was a real challenge for him to demonstrate on stage. The thought of embarrassing himself in public made him feel guilty and ashamed.

Immortal Master Yu Ran noticed Hua Sheng's hesitation and comforted him, "Mortal disciple, do not underestimate yourself. Why not come up and let your master give you some pointers?" "What a great opportunity!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun urged, "Let the immortal master personally guide you; perhaps you will make great progress!"

Hua Sheng mustered her courage, recited the incantation she had just memorized from the "Ruyi Book," and walked to the front of the stage.

Master Yu Ran said, "Just calm your mind and focus!"

Hua Sheng took a deep breath, recited the incantation, and pointed with his finger: "Go!"

The clump of withered leaves remained motionless, continuing to float and rotate slowly in the air.

Hua Sheng stared wide-eyed at the clump of withered leaves, hoping to find even a tiny spark. But to his great disappointment, he found not a single spark.

Master Yu Ran said, "Your finger should point in the right direction without any deviation. Your finger and your mind should be aligned, without any distractions. Don't think about the students below the stage, and don't think about me either. Your mind should only be on this cluster of withered leaves. Speak at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, and don't omit any words."

Hua Sheng repeated Yu Ran Xian Shi's words in his mind. Single-minded, speaking at a steady pace, single-minded, speaking at a steady pace, single-minded, speaking at a steady pace. Then, he chanted the incantation again and shouted, "Go!"

Unfortunately, not a wisp of smoke rose from the entire clump of withered leaves. Hua Sheng felt extremely frustrated and secretly blamed himself for lacking talent.

Master Yu Ran said, "When the flowers are in full bloom, your mind must not be disturbed. If your mind is disturbed, your spirit will be scattered. You will not be able to recite the incantation properly in this way."

"Hmm!" Hua Sheng tried to concentrate on chanting the incantation.

Master Yu Ran said, "Let me demonstrate for you." Then he slowly recited the incantation, pointed with his finger, and the whole movement was fluid and graceful, without a single unnecessary movement. The leaf instantly burst into flames, the flames even and steady, without a single spark scattering. The flames danced steadily, the scene resembling a beautiful and vibrant oil painting.

Then Master Yu Ran chanted, "Collect!"

The flame vanished instantly, turning back into a leaf.

Did you understand it?

Hua Sheng carefully recalled Master Yu Ran's movements and stood firm. He silently recited the incantation and shouted, "Take this!" The leaves remained motionless. Hua Sheng grew increasingly anxious, his heart pounding. He recited the incantation again and shouted, "Take this!"

There is still no Mars.

Hua Sheng was overwhelmed with shame and nervousness, his stomach churning violently. He loudly recited the incantation once, shouting repeatedly, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Attack! Attack! Attack!"

In an instant, Hua Sheng felt a sharp pain in his chest, a sweet taste in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The entire room was shocked, and several disciples in the front row cried out in alarm.

Master Yu Ran frowned and quickly helped Hua Sheng, who was leaning backward.

Hua Sheng's vision blurred with stars, then suddenly went dark, and he was about to faint. At that moment, a dazzling light flashed before his eyes. Immortal Master Yu Ran, supporting Hua Sheng with both hands, glanced at the clump of leaves and suddenly shouted, "Oh no! Be careful!"

Suddenly, the center of the clump of leaves began to flash rapidly, as if a rapidly spinning fireball was hidden within. Bright flames shot out from the gaps, illuminating the entire school, eliciting gasps of surprise.

In an instant, Master Yu Ran wanted to chant a spell to stop it, but his hands were holding onto the flower and he couldn't move away.

In the blink of an eye, the leaf burst open with a loud bang, and flames scattered from the center in all directions.

At the same time, Tai Shang Xiao Jun shouted, "Get out of the way! It's Samadhi True Fire!"

The entire roof of Sixian Pavilion was lifted by the powerful shockwave, flying into the air like cardboard. Immortal Master Yu Ran shielded Hua Sheng with his body, but was still thrown several feet away. The disciples below were also scattered and thrown out. Fortunately, they were stopped by the barrier around Sixian Pavilion, and many people bounced back, leaving everyone lying in disarray.

In an instant, tiles flew everywhere, and a huge pillar of fire shot into the sky from the center.

Immediately afterward, the roof and eaves of Sixian Pavilion shattered in mid-air, scattering fragments everywhere! Immortal Master Yu Ran placed the flower on the ground, made several hand seals with his hands, and shouted, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Stop!"

Then, the Supreme Lord Xiaojun leaped into the air and landed on one foot on a broken beam, shouting, "Stop in all directions!"

Several giant fragments then hovered in mid-air, their descent speed immediately slowing down.

However, due to the extreme force of the explosion, many large fragments still flew into the air around Xiyuan, and it was clear that many buildings were about to be damaged.

At this critical moment, a flash of silver light suddenly appeared in the sky. A girl with long, deep silver hair flew in from nowhere, her slender figure moving like lightning, stepping on the scattered fragments as she passed through the sky. As her long-sleeved school uniform fluttered in the wind, the fragments in her path were frozen in place.

The silver-haired girl gave a soft command: "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Stop!"

The scattered fragments gathered in the air as if attracted by a magnet, forming a ring of thousands of broken tiles that tightened and converged towards the center. The fragments collided and rubbed against each other, producing a rumbling sound, yet not a single speck of dust fell.

The girl leaped from the shards standing nearby and landed atop the spire of the Huixian Pavilion, next to the Sixian Pavilion, gazing at the large pile of gathered timber and bricks slowly falling. At this moment, many disciples on the ground also used their magic to help the building ruins land.

A gentle breeze blew up high, lifting the purple ribbon that held the girl's long silver hair, revealing her pure and beautiful profile.

She is a beautiful young woman of similar age to Hana-sei.

Hua Sheng lay sprawled on the wooden floor, the sky above him a patch of clear air after the roof had been removed. Scattered around him were ruins and the occasional groans of wounded disciples echoed through the air. He tried to struggle to his feet, but his vision blurred.

Was someone injured? What was that real fire just now? What happened?
Before he could even think, Hua Sheng was swallowed by darkness. Before losing consciousness, he heard the voice of Tai Shang Xiao Jun:
"Thank goodness you came to my aid!"

(End of this chapter)