Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 307 Accumulation Transforms into Foundation
The two younger brothers were fighting against the corpse demon in this deserted village... or perhaps it should be called the 'Old Corpse of the Mountain Village', while Zhao Yifu quietly accompanied them, observing the deserted village.

He even found the tomb that gave birth to the corpse demon, a place where yin energy gathered.

The scene felt familiar to him, just like the geological changes he had dealt with when he was a county magistrate.

Back then, it was because the prison cells in the mountains were truly imprisoning terrible things. So what about now?
What he saw now was desolation and gloom, as if the poles had been reversed.

What's unsettling is that this is a 'natural phenomenon'.

The reason there are villages here is that this place was originally suitable for living, so people settled down here.

Now this place has become desolate, meaning it is no longer suitable for habitation.

The large open spaces where weeds still stubbornly grow show that these were originally fields for growing crops, but now only weeds can grow.

Even the weeds weren't lush, and there wasn't much insect activity.

There was no doubt that this place was filled with deathly silence.

However, the weeds growing here symbolize the tenacity of life, and their growth in such a place has a special meaning.

He examined it carefully and discovered a faint yet tenacious life force hidden within its roots.

A flash of inspiration appeared in his mind, giving him a vague direction, but he couldn't quite grasp the key point.

He was pondering this question and didn't even notice that his two juniors had already dealt with the corpse demon.

His 'Supreme Exorcism Technique' was very effective. The two of them chanted the incantation while fighting the corpse demon, and they actually suppressed the corpse demon's power to a great extent.

They were very excited to have defeated their powerful enemy.

Just as this excitement was building, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Zhao Yifu looked up and sensed something was wrong.

This mountain village is located in the Lingnan Mountains. It shouldn't snow in October, let alone in the dead of winter.

But it just so happened.

This means that this once prosperous land is getting colder.

He quickly began to calculate.

It's not just getting colder, it's getting drier!
This discovery made him somewhat uneasy. If such changes continued, how would the people of this land obtain enough food to sustain the current population?
It is foreseeable that grain production will decline year after year, and those who cannot survive will have to start looking for ways to survive... What is foreseeable will be a human tragedy.

Because of some soul imprints that he could not forget even in reincarnation, Zhao Yifu naturally thought of solving the problem through farming: finding high-quality alternative grains that could withstand cold and drought!

This was Zhao Yifu's most direct reaction.

He acted on his idea immediately, and even his previous inspiration came back to him: why not find a suitable plant to replace food in this desolate mountain that has been tainted by evil spirits?

He completely ignored the two juniors, who also assumed he had already left after 'exorcising' the corpse demon.

Zhao Yifu only glanced up at them as they left, and saw them leaning on each other and supporting each other as they moved forward in the morning sun. He then offered his ancestors' blessings.

He then threw himself back into his work, searching for a suitable crop in this desolate wilderness.

Of course, it might not just be about searching; it could also involve grafting, hybridization, and so on.

This is a very important topic for him.

Actually, finding a suitable alternative for the present is not difficult; the difficulty lies in finding a way to stably provide food for mortals and even livestock in the inevitable era of decline to come.

This elevates the search beyond simple manifestations to a more fundamental level.

The future Zhao Yifu foresaw was a terrible scenario. The earth was permeated by the yin energy caused by ancient grievances, and the sky was filled with all sorts of chaotic particles of desire, polluting the primordial energy of heaven and earth.

Therefore, the plant he needs must be able to efficiently filter and purify the vital energy of heaven and earth, extracting nutrients from impurities to grow strong.

This is not just a matter of Yin and Yang, but also a matter of the Four Symbols and the Five Elements.

This is a very large framework, and Zhao Yifu's immersion in the "Taiqing Immortal Method" also gave him a sufficiently broad perspective to think about and solve this problem.

He simply left this incarnation in the mortal realm.

……

In the Celestial Realm of White Cloud Mountain, Zhao Yifu has another incarnation who, whenever he has the chance, asks the powerful about various mysteries of heaven and earth.

As he asked questions, Zhao Yifu suddenly realized that Old Zhang knew everything about the appearances of things, while Master Xuandu was able to see through the essence and explain the connections between the evolution of all things.

These two complement each other, making them a perfect match for Zhao Yifu.

In addition to his own observations, verifications, and reflections, he gained a rapid understanding of the mysteries of the universe during this period.

Two years passed in this way, and then Master Xuandu suddenly said to him, "Fu Yinzi, have you consolidated your Golden Immortal realm?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Reporting to Grandmaster, this disciple's Golden Immortal realm is already stable."

In fact, he had already stabilized his cultivation, but because he had too many things to do, he temporarily forgot about his cultivation.

Seeing this, Old Zhang suddenly smiled and said, "Alright, since you're going to preach, I'll just have to avoid it for now... By the way, kid, if you have time, ask the God of Cookery to make a couple of his signature desserts. My wife is too embarrassed to come here often, but she really misses the God of Cookery's cooking."

Zhao Yifu nodded hesitantly.

Not only is Old Zhang shameless, but this couple is also incredibly awkward.

They're clearly their family's cook, but they insist on eating at his place.

Zhao Yifu noted this down, and Old Zhang left leisurely.

Xuandu then said, "Alright, next I will explain the Golden Immortal Path to you."

"But you'd better come here in your true form."

Zhao Yifu did not ask his grandmaster why he did not go to the Heavenly Prison to find him, which was extremely impolite.

Therefore, he agreed without hesitation.

The next moment, a claw mark suddenly appeared in the space in front of him, and then the claw mark quickly expanded, revealing a wide passage.

In this passageway, Zhao Yifu sat upright in a narrow and simple room, bowing to Xuandu and saying, "Grandmaster, I am ready."

Good heavens, Zhao Yifu's move surprised even Xuandu.

He clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Your talent in the Dao of Heaven and Earth is truly astonishing. What is this move called?" Zhao Yifu replied, "I call it... Sky-Splitting Claw. It is inspired by the 'Boundless Heaven and Earth Technique' learned from the Danqing Sect in the mortal realm and the 'Mayfly Universe' taught to me by Brother Monkey."

Judging from his tone, it was a name he had just thought of.

Or rather, this spell was simply an impromptu creation on the spot, made in response to his master's request.

Xuan Du couldn't help but sigh, "This is a method I never thought of."

"In that case, let's begin."

The two, located at opposite ends of the celestial realm, began a lesson as if they were right next to each other despite the vast distance between them.

The Grand Master Xuandu asked first, "How well have you mastered the 'Civil and Martial Fire Force' and the 'Impermanent Water Force'?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu immediately raised a ball of golden flame in his left hand. This ball of pure yang immortal fire, which looked very gentle, quickly gained a yin and domineering feeling, turning it into 'the fire of extreme yang giving rise to yin'.

Then, with his right hand, he lifted up a swirling mass of water, which churned and rolled, sometimes like a gentle stream, sometimes like a devastating force, sometimes solidifying into ice, and sometimes vaporizing into mist. There was no fixed pattern; it was constantly changing.

This already fully demonstrates the unpredictability of water, but it has not yet reached the level of "water that generates yang from yin".

However, this was only because he hadn't had time to fully comprehend it before. Now, with that ball of 'Yin-Yang Fire' as a reference, Zhao Yifu quickly gained insight: the ever-changing process of this fickle water is the 'Yang' of water!
Having achieved complete comprehension, he no longer needed his master's guidance for the next step; he was already naturally operating according to the "Taiqing Immortal Method" he had studied...

Everything falls into place.

The 'fire that generates yin from yang' and the 'water that generates yang from yin' are connected end to end, and a dense layer of water vapor quickly appears when they touch.

This water vapor is the rising of water elemental power, and it also forms the boundary between water and fire.

And it was at this dividing line that the water-fire millstone began to spin rapidly, forming a sphere that rotated and changed at high speed.

This……

It is the simplest way of representing Yin and Yang through water and fire.

But as the water-fire millstone spun rapidly, Zhao Yifu suddenly realized a truth: the true inheritance of the Taiqing lineage has only just begun!
This water and fire tai chi symbol was actually a 'teaching tool' to help him understand the true yin and yang tai chi.

Because fire is yang and water is yin, the mysteries of yin and yang can be manifested in the Tai Chi of water and fire.

Xuan Du nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this and said, "Good, very good. This will save us a lot of trouble."

"Next, I will explain to you in detail how to use this Tai Chi of water and fire as a basis to cultivate towards the Golden Immortal realm."

He began to speak eloquently, recounting profound truths.

Zhao Yifu listened intently, gradually becoming engrossed. He discovered that the Water-Fire Tai Chi was not just a 'teaching tool' but also the foundation for the cultivation of Golden Immortals in the Taiqing lineage.

Or rather, it is the foundation upon which the Taiqing Golden Immortal fills his own 'inner world'.

The mystery lies in the fact that the foundation embodies the essence of Tai Chi, which can be continuously expanded and strengthened according to one's own understanding. Therefore, the Taiqing lineage has the most solid foundation.

When Xuandu was explaining, he also casually mentioned the characteristics of the Yuqing lineage and the Shangqing lineage.

The Yuqing lineage is based on the Four Symbols and Five Elements, emphasizing laying a solid foundation from the very beginning of cultivation before gradually unleashing its full potential. This approach makes the cultivation process for Golden Immortals extremely broad and profound, making it difficult for anyone without exceptional talent and virtue to achieve any significant progress. Consequently, while those who succeed in the Yuqing lineage possess immense magical power, their progress is also the slowest.

The Shangqing lineage doesn't adhere to any particular rules; it's all-encompassing, containing everything imaginable. It seems anyone can find a suitable part of the 'Shangqing Immortal Techniques' and achieve some success. The advantage of this is naturally rapid progress and impressive combat power and skills. The disadvantage is an unstable foundation; after reaching a certain level, further advancement requires strengthening that foundation.

To be honest, after understanding the Three Pure Ones' lineage, Zhao Yifu felt that he was indeed more suited to the Shangqing lineage. He believed that the Shangqing lineage was the most suitable lineage to help cultivators find their own path.

In his opinion, the Jade Purity lineage, based on the Four Symbols and Five Elements, rigidly confines its disciples' cultivation within a fixed framework. It's only because this framework is large enough that it allows for ample room for future generations to develop.

Although the Taiqing lineage of our own is based on Taiji and has infinite possibilities for the future, its fundamental tone is already set, and it is still walking on the limited path of the sage.

But the Shangqing inheritance... gave Zhao Yifu the feeling that he could completely forge his own path without any obstacles in front of him! Of course, if that were the case, it would actually be more difficult than cultivating the Yuqing inheritance to its ultimate level.

As Zhao Yifu analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the three, he gradually came to see the different perspectives of the three sages on all things in the world, or rather, the 'worldviews' of the three sages.

This is a deeper level of understanding.

He felt that Taiqing set the tone and then let things take their natural course, Yuqing promoted everything within the framework, and Shangqing gave all things a chance and then let nature take its course.

After pondering the core of this matter at such a deep level, Zhao Yifu realized that he was born to be a disciple of the Taiqing Sect.

Think about what he did in the mortal world, wasn't that always his style?
Only then did he truly accept the Taiqing lineage.

He accepted the core of this inheritance, and from then on, his way of thinking became more in line with the Taiqing Dao.

This was just a slight shift in his thinking, but it brought about a fundamental change in his understanding of the Taiqing Dao.

The Dao of the Golden Immortal is too complex and complicated for Xuandu to explain in detail. He can only explain how to apply the "top-level methodology" of the "Taiqing Immortal Method" in the context of the Golden Immortal.

Zhao Yifu nodded repeatedly after listening, and was deeply moved.

At the same time, within his chaotic spiritual apertures, a vague world framework was emerging.

This world has a very broad framework, and this is his basic understanding of the world.

Soon, various observations and insights from the underworld, the mortal realm, and the celestial realm began to converge, filling this vague worldview and beginning to form a substantial existence of thought.

If one day he is able to create another Three Realms of his own within his spiritual aperture, it will mean that his Golden Immortal realm has been completely perfected.

With just a little insight, he could step into the threshold of becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

But when he began to fill his inner world with the substance of thought, he discovered that he could fill it with more than he had imagined.

All my observations and reflections over the years have now become resources for this inner world.

At the same time, the true power of the Golden Immortal realm began to manifest.

Centered on himself, he gradually began to be able to draw upon the omnipresent forces throughout the Three Realms.

The clearer and more distinct a certain aspect of his inner world is, the more power of heaven and earth he can mobilize.

For example, his foundation at this moment: the Tai Chi of water and fire has been perfectly formed, which means that the water and fire in his inner world are also substantial.

In reality, he was already able to harness the power of the laws of water and fire!

This is a leap forward that was previously unimaginable.

Xuandu stopped and nodded approvingly, saying, "I wanted to say more, but it seems unnecessary now."

"Your comprehension is truly remarkable, and it aligns perfectly with the teachings of our Humanistic School. It is a great fortune indeed."

(End of this chapter)