This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 202 The Mysterious Tortoise Mirror Sinks into the Yangtze River

The exact origins of Tai Chi can no longer be investigated, and most of its original profound teachings have been lost.

But at least for now, thanks to a ground carving at Taiji Temple, Zhuang Lin can pass on its profound meaning to future generations of Taiji Temple disciples in his own way.

Inside the only remaining hall of the Taiji Temple, six people sat cross-legged beneath the portraits of the Three Pure Ones. Even Leng Zhiheng had a serious expression, though he was still very excited inside.

Zhuang Lin used his sword fingers as a brush, and with his sword energy, he carved patterns on the ancient stone floor beneath the portrait of the Three Pure Ones.

"The primordial chaos contains the innate Yi (易), which then transforms into Taiji (太极). It divides into Yin and Yang, and through the superposition of four transformations, these become the Four Symbols (四象). The transformations of the Five Elements (五行) are, in fact, also a derivation of the Four Symbols."

Zhuang Lin's sword finger continued to fall, first at the center point, where a wisp of dark blue seeped out, then extending outwards, as if the sharp yet gentle sword energy had carved out two black and white dots, which then transformed into a Tai Chi Yin-Yang fish.

After that, the four symbols outside the Taiji diagram appeared, but it did not rush to reveal the eight trigrams. Instead, the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth were arranged separately.

"Lesser Yang transforms into Wood, governing spring's growth; Greater Yang transforms into Fire, governing summer's flourishing; Lesser Yin transforms into Metal, governing autumn's harvest; Greater Yin transforms into Water, governing winter's storage; and Earth, on the other hand, bears and transforms. The wonders of the Five Elements are nothing more than this; with diligent study and practice, their mysteries will naturally manifest."

Under Zhuang Lin's sword pointing, a pattern with a special Tai Chi symbol at its center was gradually taking shape, similar to the innate diagram he had drawn when explaining the wonders of martial arts to Lu Jing and the others.

The Taoist priests at Taiji Temple, having heard the sermon and observed the Taiji diagram's transformation through Zhuang Lin's movements, entered a state between dream and wakefulness. Even Leng Zhiheng seemed to have transcended all thought and desire.
While Zhuang Lin was preaching to the people in Tai Chi Temple, Liu Hongyu had already returned to Yinxian Valley. After a short stay, he immediately left the valley and headed to Kuching.

Xi Miao's Little Sacred Mountain is a tranquil environment filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, while the Immortal Fox Cave has completely disappeared into the mountains without a trace, clearly indicating that she is still in seclusion.

Liu Hongyu wasted no time and found Heize upstream of the Man River. He then went to Heize’s simple water mansion, which was even a bit sloppy in Liu Hongyu’s eyes, and sat there for a while.

Kurosawa is known as the Little King of the Savage Waters, but his Water Palace is nothing more than an underwater cave with the words "Black Spirit Cave" carved on the outside.

Without much formality, Liu Hongyu quickly explained his purpose, which surprised Heize.

"The shell of an old tortoise? And a rather large one at that. What use would an immortal have for this?"

"You don't need to worry about that. It's not the time for you to know. You just need to know that this thing is very useful!"

"What the immortal says is true; how can we find it in such a short time?"

After a moment's thought, Kurosawa immediately thought of a place, which was slightly different from Liu Hongyu's requirements, but the problem shouldn't be too big.

Looking at Liu Hongyu sitting to the side, Kurosawa thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

"I've got it! I know where to find it, but it's not appropriate for you to do it yourself, Immortal Master. How about this: if you trust me, just wait here. I, Heize, will handle this matter and bring it to you!"

Seeing Kurosawa's confident expression, Liu Hongyu thought for a moment and then nodded.

"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have come to you. You're also from the aquatic tribe, so you should know more. But how are you going to get it?"

"You don't need to ask any more questions, Immortal Master. I have my own way!"

"How long will it take?"

"I can be back in a day at most!"

So that means it's very close? Liu Hongyu didn't ask any more questions.

"Okay, I'll wait for you here! Come back and let me know within a day, whether you've gotten it or not, and we'll figure something out!"

"Of course, time is of the essence, so I shall take my leave now. You lot, do not neglect to serve tea and water, Immortal Master. Oh, and bring out the food I have treasured for you to try!"

Kurosawa immediately stood up, then looked at the two people beside him and gave them an order.

"Yes"

The two people next to them are fish girls with fish tails on their lower bodies and beautiful women on their upper bodies. However, they are wearing dresses, so it is not easy to find the fish tails hidden in the dresses.

They answered cautiously, and when they saw Liu Hongyu looking at them, they immediately avoided his furtive glances.

This must be a Taoist master, the first time I've ever seen one!

Liu Hongyu was also very curious. Didn't it look a lot like a mermaid? Was it considered a merman?
As Liu Hongyu thought this, he had no mood to chat with the two women who were obviously afraid of him. Instead, he closed his eyes to rest and used the earth to gather the water energy.

Seeing Liu Hongyu like this, the two fish girls naturally didn't dare to disturb him.
-
On the other side, after leaving the cave, Kurosawa headed straight for the Han River with a clear goal in mind, and traveled swiftly along the river.

The current Kurosawa is completely different from the one of yesteryear. His speed and control over water have greatly improved, and even the energy consumption seems negligible.

Traveling north along the Han River, it took about half a day to get there. Then, following a tributary, the waterway became increasingly off-center, eventually leading to a lake that appeared small but was actually quite deep.

An old tortoise with a bad temper lives here. He used to cause trouble and do evil in his early years, but was later subdued by Xi Miao and settled here. He also had a grudge against Hei Ze.

However, even if Kurosawa were ruthless, he wouldn't kill the old turtle to take its shell; rather, he knew the old turtle had a very precious old shell.

But this old tortoise is inherently suspicious and stingy. Even when King Ximiao wanted to borrow its shell for research, he refused. Only after promising some benefits did he get to observe it by this small lake for three days. Going directly to ask for it back would definitely not get it.
Having thought this through, Kurosawa had already come up with a plan: "I'm a yokai, so I'll solve this in a yokai way!"
"You bastard—over a hundred years ago I swam around this lake and almost got eaten by you. Today I've come to avenge that day—come out here, Blackie!"

Kurosawa floated on the surface of the water, roaring and cursing, but did not immediately venture into the lake.

Before long, bubbles rose on the surface of the lake, and soon a shadow rose from the water, covering almost one-fifth of the lake's size, appearing enormous.
It turned out that what rose from the water was a huge old turtle with a back that was over two zhang long.

However, compared to Kurosawa's angry and incessant cursing, the old turtle showed surprise the moment he appeared.

"This... isn't this the Black King of the Savage Waters? Why are you acting like this today? Our grudges were settled long ago under the mediation of King Ximiao."

"Really? But I still can't swallow this! Why should everything be over with just a few words from you?"

The old tortoise's eyes widened. "I have never slighted you, King Black. I have apologized and offered my condolences. Why are you going back on your word today? Aren't you afraid I will report you to the King?"

Kurosawa grinned.

"His Majesty is currently in seclusion, undergoing a breakthrough. Who knows how many years it will take before he emerges? To disturb him would be a capital offense—"

"You! How rude! I am only being polite out of respect for the King. Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

The old tortoise was also furious. It could see that the black fish demon was clearly here to cause trouble!
"Hahahaha, perfect, perfect! My hands are itching to fight. I haven't sparred with anyone since my last breakthrough. Today I'll test you out and see if I can crack your shell!"

The old tortoise was startled. Had this black fellow broken through again?
But before the old tortoise could think further, Kurosawa had already charged over with a curse.

"watch out--"

"Boom——"

The water gushed forth with huge waves, the surrounding trees swayed and the rocks trembled, and countless birds and beasts fled in panic from this water source that was once the source of life.

About fifteen minutes later, amidst a series of loud and violent noises, the old turtle was flipped over by Kurosawa onto the shore and was begging for mercy.

"Black King, I was rude and I was wrong. I apologize again for my mistake back then. Please have mercy, Black King!"

"Not enough!"

"Bang~"

As Kurosawa spoke, he slammed his fist heavily onto the old tortoise's shell, the powerful blow making the old tortoise feel suffocated. Then came another "boom" of a punch, this time causing it even more pain.

"What can I do to get rid of you, Black King? Even if you want to take my life, aren't you afraid that King Ximiao will hold you accountable in the future?"

Kurosawa's hand paused, as if he had been awakened by what he had said, and his face showed a look of anger and hesitation.

"I hate you, but if I don't vent this anger, you might come back to haunt me in the future. I'll find a tortoise shell and smash it to pieces!"

"Great Black King, please forgive me! This tortoise shell is the foundation of my cultivation. If it were broken, how many years of my arduous training would I have to forfeit?"

"What should I do then? I just want to knock on a tortoise shell! How about giving me that ancestral tortoise shell you've been hiding? I'll knock on that one too!"

"what?"

The old tortoise's head, which had been inside its shell, suddenly emerged, glaring at Kurosawa, who was standing on its belly shell.

"That won't do! Wouldn't that make us unfilial descendants?"

"Then go die—"

Kurosawa kicked the old turtle's shell hard again.

With a loud "boom," the old tortoise's body sank a foot, and its body inside its shell began to tremble, as if it had sensed a murderous intent.
"Don't think I don't know, that tortoise shell isn't your ancestor at all. The essence hidden within has already been refined and absorbed by you. If it really were your ancestor, you would have been an unfilial descendant long ago. But if you won't give it to me, fine. I'm going to smash a tortoise shell anyway, and smash you if you want—"

"Boom——"

This time, the old turtle was in so much pain that it couldn't even scream.

"Yes, yes, yes, I am willing, I am willing to give. I am willing to give."

To show their sincerity, seemingly at the old tortoise's whim, a shadow reappeared beneath the lake, this time occupying at least half the area of ​​the small lake, a full four or five zhang in size.
"Oh, it's quite big, but it can withstand my tapping. It's nothing special, just a bit big, that's all. Look how much you care about it."

Kurosawa curled his lip, said a few insincere words, and jumped off the old tortoise. The seal on his body naturally opened, and he landed in the small lake, lifting the huge tortoise shell as if he were carrying a house shaped like a tortoise shell!
With a loud thud, Kurosawa landed the turtle shell next to the old turtle that had just turned over, startling the latter so much that it quickly flipped itself over again, as if afraid that the former might be displeased.

"you."

Kurosawa was somewhat speechless, and then placed the turtle shell on the lakeside ground with a loud thud.

"Don't say I'm bullying you. There's still some water essence left in the center of this shell. I'm afraid you've tried for many years but haven't been able to absorb or refine it. Today, I'll use this shell of yours to help you refine and absorb this part, so you won't keep worrying about it!"

"what?"

The old tortoise stuck its head out again, staring at Kurosawa in astonishment.

"Can the Black King do it?"

"Hey, otherwise why would I be stronger than you? I have nurtured the true essence of Gui water within me, which is even more advanced than what's in this shell, so naturally I can easily take it down. You've actually turned misfortune into blessing today."
-
Just as Heize had said, he returned with a tortoise shell in less than a day. Moreover, the shell was larger than Liu Hongyu had imagined, so large that Liu Hongyu's Qiankun Sleeve could not contain it.

However, the more astonishing the better, Liu Hongyu didn't ask for details. He simply used a trick to lift the tortoise shell back to Hidden Immortal Valley, and then quickly returned to the modern world, heading straight for Taiji Temple.

When Zhuang Lin saw the enormous tortoise shell, he was startled, especially since there were some mysterious patterns on its back.

Zhuang Lin understood the mysterious patterns at a glance; they were recorded in a book Xi Miao had given him, and there would be a way to investigate them further later.

So, after carving many more details on the giant tortoise shell with his sword, Zhuang Lin personally carried the shell to the Yangtze River.

Near Jingzhou, the Yangtze River is even wider and more expansive than Zhuang Lin’s hometown before his time travel. Holding a giant tortoise shell, he stood on the riverbank with Liu Hongyu, looking out at the vast expanse of water. Such a body of water was indeed magnificent!

"Let's do it here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuang Lin gently pushed out with his right hand, and the huge tortoise shell flew out like a feather, landing in the water some distance away and slowly sinking.
(End of this chapter)