A fiery red cloud drifted lazily out from the Shouyin Mountain.
The cloud swayed left and right, sometimes rising, sometimes sinking, but amidst the sea of clouds, no one noticed its erratic movements.
Soon enough, the cloud stabilized and began to descend slowly, passing through the Milky Sea and the Rainbow Sea, weaving its way through the mountain ranges.
Atop the cloud, Yun Qi held a yellow talisman in his hand.
The talisman was inscribed with cloud-like patterns, and in the center of these patterns was a cluster of purple dots forming the shape of the Big Dipper.
Yun Qi's thumb rested on the handle of the Dipper, and as he rubbed it, the fiery cloud moved accordingly, making it quite convenient to control.
This cloud-controlling talisman was a gift from Daoist Ji Xuan, who knew that Yun Qi had yet to master the art of Qi manipulation.
Such a talisman would cost a fortune if sold on its own!
Following the path he had taken earlier, Yun Qi passed through the Immortal Myriad Mountains, the Great Myriad Mountains, and the Azalea Valley, eventually returning to the Lesser Myriad Mountain.
The Lesser Myriad Mountain had many docks, but this time, instead of stopping at the Shaoyang Dock near his residence, he headed straight for the Lanting Dock near the summit.
Upon landing at the dock, he rolled up the talisman, and the cloud beneath his feet dissipated, transforming into a red thread that coiled around his left chest, forming a simple yet divine red dragon pattern.
He had renamed this fiery cloud "Dragon Chariot."
Yun Qi made his way to the summit, heading straight for the Dojo Academy's library.
Although he hadn't been at the Lesser Myriad Mountain for long, the library was a place he frequented the most, and he was quite familiar with it.
This time, he had come for the purpose of building a mental temple, as mentioned by Master Su Kongyu the previous day.
He had thought it over carefully—since he was going to do something, he might as well do it well.
Moreover, Master Su Kongyu had emphasized that this was crucial for condensing his thoughts and opening his spiritual mansion.
The two most important aspects of constructing a Daoist temple were the architectural style and the deities to be enshrined within.
First, the architectural style.
With tens of thousands of years of history, different sects and schools had their own unique styles, and countless master craftsmen had innovated over the ages, making it an incredibly complex subject.
However, with so many existing structures, there were patterns to follow.
By studying and observing, he could grasp the underlying principles, especially the styles and applications of basic elements like beams, columns, brackets, bricks, tiles, and paint.
The rest would come down to aesthetic skill and time.
Learning was never a difficult task for Yun Qi.
The second aspect, the enshrined deities, was a bit more challenging for him.
Yun Qi had always held a sense of reverence for gods and spirits.
Although he had barely stepped into the world of cultivation, this realm was still largely unfamiliar to him.
He wasn't sure if the library had the kind of illustrated guides he needed, nor did he know if he could focus his mind on such images.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Yun Qi entered the library.
The Dojo Academy's library was shaped like a square, with a central courtyard.
Appropriately, it was called the Square Pond Library.
Upon entering, he was greeted by a tall wall with an index of the library's contents written in tiny characters.
He leaned in, carefully scanning the index for his target.
Soon, he found what he was looking for and, after noting its general location, began navigating the labyrinthine shelves.
He stopped at a towering bookshelf and began searching again, his eyes locking onto several spots.
Using a ladder, he retrieved the following books one by one:
- The Architectural Styles of Daoist Temples
- The Southern School's Guide to Deity Worship
- The Stone Clan's Construction Regulations
- The Ten Directions' Monastery Gardens
- The Blessed Lands and Cavern Heavens of Temples
- Records of Great Halls and Small Shrines
- The Yongle Encyclopedia: Specifications of Historical Daoist Temples
- A Study of Mount Wudang
- The Treasure Mirror of Metal and Stone
- The Art of Woodworking
- The Origins of Lacquer and Paint
He carried these books to the borrowing desk and registered them using the jade pendant at his waist.
These books, whether made of paper, bamboo slips, or leather, were all mundane texts without any divine essence.
They could be bought or borrowed, and borrowing was free unless the books were damaged, in which case a fee would be charged.
Yun Qi, with his photographic memory, naturally chose to borrow the books rather than waste money buying them.
After temporarily storing the books at the borrowing desk, he returned to the library to continue his search.
He ascended to the second floor, where the shelves held fewer paper books and bamboo slips, and more scrolls made of silk, jade slips, and gold foil, all exuding a sacred glow.
After wandering for a while, Yun Qi arrived at a section filled with albums and scrolls, mostly made of silk and gold foil, radiating a holy light.
He scanned the titles one by one:
- The Complete Collection of the Three Religions' Deities—Fragment—Replica
- The Illustrated Guide to the Primordial Mountains and Seas—Fragment—Replica
- The Illustrated Book of the Heavenly Emperor's Star Lords—Fragment—Replica
- The Illustrated Book of the Jade Emperor's Star Lords—Fragment—Replica
- The Map of Mountains and Rivers—Fragment—Replica
- The Gods on the List—Fragment—Replica
- The Eight Righteous Deities—Fragment—Replica
- The Famous Demons Through the Ages—Fragment—Replica
- The White Marsh Diagram—Fragment—Replica
- Erlang's Mountain-Searching Diagram—Fragment—Replica
- Journey to the West—Fragment—Replica
- The Eight Great Immortals of the Tang and Song Dynasties—Replica
- ...
Yun Qi couldn't help but chuckle.
Why were they all fragments and replicas? These items couldn't be casually flipped through, as they carried divine essence that would dissipate upon opening.
They had to be purchased outright.
These scrolls weren't cheap either.
The thickest one, The Complete Collection of the Three Religions' Deities, even as a fragment and an unknown replica, cost fifteen gold coins.
The others started at one gold coin each.
Yun Qi's pockets were feeling light.
He had hoped to gather as many references as possible, just as he had with the temple architecture, but it seemed his options for choosing the main deity for his mental temple were limited.
He searched more carefully now.
After a while, his eyes lit up as he spotted a scroll sealed with a strip of paper.
The label read:
The Standing Images of the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Jade Emperor—Fragment—The Seven Mansions of the White Tiger—Warring States Rubbing.
Yun Qi wasn't completely clueless anymore.
He knew that the Jade Emperor's heavenly court had twenty-eight mansions, each the domain of a star lord.
These star lords were all spirits who had attained the Dao, embodying the five elements and the duality of yin and yang, making them ideal for inner visualization.
However, these star lords had attained the Dao during the Shang and Zhou periods, which was quite a long time ago.
The twenty-eight mansions were further divided into four celestial symbols, and the Seven Mansions of the White Tiger fully encompassed the sun, moon, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, giving him plenty of options.
This rubbing, though a fragment, was more complete than others and cost only one hundred and fifty taels.
Yun Qi felt it was a better deal than the other fragments.
Without much hesitation, he picked up the scroll and continued searching the area, but he found nothing more suitable.
Thus, he settled on The Seven Mansions of the White Tiger.
At the borrowing desk, Yun Qi watched as the librarian took out a small knife and sliced off a piece of his gold, taking one and a half taels.
The librarian's movements were as swift as Daoist Ji Xuan's had been the night before, and Yun Qi made a mental note to learn this skill himself.
He did some quick calculations.
The Dojo Academy had given him five gold coins, and buying books had already cost him half of that.
Add to that the forty taels of silver spent on drinks with the people from the two streets last night, and his money was disappearing far too quickly!
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(End of Chapter)