I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 73 Now I See Heaven and Earth (Part Two)
The place of seclusion is the most tranquil.

Those who occasionally came and went were all composed and dared not disturb the place, so the young Taoist boy was always able to immerse himself in his books.

However, today is an unfortunate day.

A middle-aged Taoist priest carrying a whisk entered Jingdu Cave and saw a young Taoist boy lying face down on the table without even looking up.

He gave a soft hum and then tapped the whisk with it.

"oops!"

The young Taoist cried out in surprise, clutching his forehead and looking up. Seeing that it was the Taoist priest in front of him, he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Master Chen, you're back!"

A young Taoist is not a disciple of a Taoist academy, but he can still study Taoist scriptures and texts. As he grows older and accumulates enough knowledge, he can then formally enter the Taoist order.

Therefore, the Taoist masters in the academy are addressed in the same way as disciples.

"Ah."

Academician Chen nodded, not blaming him too much. He glanced behind the stone wall, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Who is in seclusion in the third cave in the Qian position?"

"The Qian position..."

The young Taoist was taken aback for a moment, then immediately remembered: "It was a senior brother named Ying Chan who entered the pass ten days ago."

After waiting a moment and receiving no response, Academician Chen said impatiently, "Only your name?"

"Oh, oh!"

The young Taoist priest quickly flipped open the booklet, "This senior brother entered the Taoist academy last summer..."

"Wait a minute." Academician Chen's expression turned strange: "You entered the Taoist academy last summer?"

"Yes, it has been more than four hundred days since I was admitted to the hospital."

The young Taoist continued reading, "Last year, this senior brother passed the highest level of the examination at the Capital Examination Academy, and Academician Yu also commended him..."

These are all messages recorded in the disciple's certificate by the Examination Institute, and the Daoist boy also wrote them in when registering Yingchan.

Professor Chen listened, but couldn't help shaking his head.

He walked around the table, sat down, and waited quietly for the young Taoist to finish speaking before saying, "I understand."

The young Taoist breathed a sigh of relief, closed the booklet and put it away, but suddenly remembered something.

Although Master Chen was in charge of Jingdu Cave, he didn't pay much attention to the affairs there.

On the rare occasions when this happened, it was because a disciple who had gone into seclusion in the Jingdu Cave had cultivated the Profound Light...

He glanced at the booklet in his hand, his eyes somewhat dazed.

Could this senior brother named Ying Chan have also cultivated the Xuan Guang realm? Didn't he enter the Daoist academy last summer, open the nine orifices, and pass the academy's entrance exam?

The young Taoist priest immediately felt an irresistible urge to join in.

As a result, in the following days, he arrived at Jingdu Cave earlier than usual for his turn, and while reading Taoist books, he was always somewhat distracted, keeping an eye on the direction of the meditation room.

For three days in a row, no one came out of the pass.

On the fourth day, the young Taoist came to Jingdu Cave and couldn't help but ask, "Master Chen, has this Senior Brother Ying cultivated the Profound Light?"

For the past few days, Academician Chen has not left Jingdu Cave, and he is currently resting with his eyes closed.

Hearing the child's words, he didn't open his eyes, but simply said, "Didn't you already guess?"

The young Taoist's eyes widened: "Opening the thirty-six apertures and cultivating the Profound Light, is that something that can be done in just four hundred days?"

Master Chen then said calmly, "How many talented people in the world are there to cultivate the Tao?"

"Let alone four hundred days to cultivate the Profound Light, there are people who have cultivated the Profound Light in a year, or even in ten days."

"In the first stage of Qi Refining, speed at a certain moment doesn't mean anything; it also depends on how well the foundation is built."

"Oh..." The young Taoist nodded thoughtfully.

But after a few more days, the young Taoist could no longer contain himself and asked, "Master Chen, this Senior Brother Ying has not yet emerged from seclusion after seven days. Does this mean that his foundation is extremely solid?"

He had been in Jingdu Cave for almost a year, following Master Chen, and had witnessed several disciples in the academy achieve the Xuan Guang realm. He knew that the speed at which they emerged from seclusion, in a sense, represented how well they had built their foundation. According to the Daoist scriptures, this was because when a cultivator's inner world first intersected with their outer world, they could obtain immense benefits.

This benefit is closely related to the quality of the cultivator's cultivation technique, the stability of their foundation, their understanding and mastery of the Dao, and so on.

However, it can also be judged in a simple way: the longer the initial interaction with the outer world lasts, the greater the benefits will be.

Professor Chen remained silent for a moment before saying, "That's right."

"It seems this Senior Brother Ying is indeed a cultivation genius." The young disciple said with some envy, "I wonder how many days it will take for this Senior Brother to emerge from seclusion?"

"Nine is the ultimate number."

Professor Chen spoke more than usual: "A Xuan Guang cultivator's first comprehension of heaven and earth can only last for a maximum of nine days."

These words immediately became a source of inspiration for the young Taoist.

For the next two days, he was extremely nervous, fearing that Yingchan would be released from seclusion. It wasn't until the morning of the ninth day, when the seclusion ended, that he breathed a sigh of relief: "It really is the ninth day!"

Master Chen nodded slightly and said, "Those who have achieved such accomplishments are not many in our sect."

"Doesn't that mean that this senior brother's foundation is considered top-notch among the disciples of this sect?"

The young Taoist asked curiously, "Is it highly likely that you will become a true disciple in the future?"

"You still know the true teachings."

Professor Chen chuckled and then said, "Remember, never measure yourself by a momentary achievement."

"It should be understood that the Great Dao is impartial and constant. Doing well in the Qi Refining stage does not guarantee that you will go further in the future; doing poorly in the Qi Refining stage may be made up for later..."

"Of course, the former is more likely to maintain its lead."

"I see……"

The young Taoist seemed to understand, but not quite.

Time passed slowly, and only when the sun was about to set did footsteps come from behind the stone wall.

Master Chen's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he slowly stood up. The young Taoist also hurriedly stood behind him.

After the person behind the stone wall emerged, they heard Master Chen say, "Congratulations! Your disciple Yingchan has seen the world and cultivated the Mysterious Light."

The young Taoist also bowed and said, "This humble one congratulates Senior Brother Yingchan on seeing the heavens and earth and cultivating the profound light."

Ying Chan emerged from behind the stone wall, his disheveled hair now neatly tied back up. He saw the sky again from outside the gate of Jingdu Cave, a look of realization on his face.

Then, upon seeing the two people in front of him and hearing their congratulations, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

He stopped and formally returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you for your congratulations, Academician, and I accept your congratulations, young student."

Academician Chen nodded slightly, lowered his hand, and said, "Your Xuan Guang is just beginning to take shape. As your academician, it is only right that I should give you some guidance and encouragement."

"But given your achievements, I don't think I need to say anything more."

"It's getting late. Let's hurry and pay our respects to our academy master before the silence subsides."

"Master?"

Ying Chan was slightly taken aback.

He knew there was an abbot in the Taoist temple, but he had never met him and naturally did not know where to pay his respects. So he cupped his hands and said, "Please instruct me, Abbot."

Master Chen smiled slightly and said, "Senior Master, you must have met me when you entered the academy, right?"

"what!"

Ying Chan then realized: "Disciple thanks Master for your guidance."

"Go on your way." Master Chen led the boy back to his desk and sat down, then said calmly, "The path to enlightenment is long and bright."

Ying Chan bowed respectfully again before leaving Jingdu Cave and walking into the golden glow of the evening sun.

(End of this chapter)