After listening to the Patriarch's explanation of the Thunder Method, Yun Qi finally let out a sigh of relief.
When the true evil energy had surged through his acupoints, he had truly thought his path of cultivation was severed.
Now, not only had he escaped disaster, but his path also had room for recovery, which brought him great joy.
However, Yun Qi soon thought of another problem.
His physical body was now ruined.
How could he practice the Thunder Method?
At that moment, he heard the Tongxuan Patriarch say to Wen Sukong, "Given his current condition, forget about refining techniques—even walking is difficult. Sukong, teach him the Staff Liberation Method. As for the rest, there's no need for me to ramble on. Go now, go, and don't disturb my quiet cultivation."
With a flick of his horsetail whisk, the Tongxuan Patriarch caused Yun Qi's vision to blur.
When his sight cleared, he found himself standing before the stele that read "The Bamboo Storage of Zhan Biyun."
He had returned to Mingzhi Mountain.
Wen Sukong showed no surprise on her face.
With a wave of her hand, she sent the red cloud along with Yun Qi's physical body to the bamboo pavilion, while she herself sat on a cushion outside the pavilion.
Yun Qi, now in his spirit form, sat down beside his teacher and heard Sukong say, "You heard it just now. The Patriarch has instructed me to teach you the Staff Liberation Method. This is a secret technique of Mingzhi Mountain, but since you've already opened your Heart Mansion, you can now become my true disciple. From now on, you don't need to call me 'teacher.' You can call me 'Master.'"
Yun Qi was delighted and replied, "Yes, Master."
"The Staff Liberation Method is, in essence, a way to borrow a corpse to return the soul. It just sounds more elegant. The 'corpse' here isn't a real corpse but a bamboo staff," Wen Sukong explained to Yun Qi.
"The founding Patriarch said: 'Only bamboo, born of heaven, is the purest.' He believed that bamboo was born from the pure energy of heaven and earth. In the sky, this pure energy becomes wind; in water, it becomes lotus; and on earth, it becomes bamboo. He also said: 'Between heaven and earth, there is only emptiness and connection, much like the bamboo tube that connects energy, straight and unbroken. When energy comes, it flows through; when it goes, it does not accumulate.'"
The founding Patriarch believed that bamboo was the best vessel for a spirit, capable of storing and transmitting energy, nourished by wind and dew.
Thus, he created the Staff Liberation Method, using a bamboo staff to mimic the human body's acupoints and allowing the primordial spirit to reside within it.
This way, one could skip the fifth realm and immediately achieve Staff Liberation, ascending as the highest form of Corpse Liberation Immortal.
"Wen Sukong spoke, but perhaps because it was too profound and fantastical, even someone as talented as Yun Qi found it hard to grasp. Staff Liberation Ascension? Skipping the fifth realm? What kind of genius was the founding Patriarch? Wen Sukong looked at Yun Qi and said,"You've seen the Staff Corpse before.
"Oh, that's right! Yun Qi immediately remembered the trial on his first day entering the mountain! He had chosen a bamboo staff that resembled a human with limbs! But he hadn't thought much of it at the time! Who would have thought that fate would lead him here?"
You chose the bamboo staff, so you must not be averse to it.
This is the most crucial point in the Staff Liberation Method.
You must not think of the bamboo staff as a lifeless object.
Your master always thought that humans were humans and objects were objects, which is why I never grasped the essence of the Staff Liberation Method.
"Most disciples of Mingzhi Mountain are like me, which is why the Staff Liberation Method has been neglected, only used as an external avatar. Since the Patriarch specifically instructed me to teach you the Staff Liberation Method instead of other Corpse Liberation techniques, it shows that he has high hopes for you."
Yun Qi nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Right now, using the Staff Liberation Method means placing your soul into the bamboo staff. From then on, you will walk and cultivate the Thunder Method in the form of the bamboo staff. The accumulated thunder energy will then be transferred back to your physical body until it is fully healed."
Yun Qi nodded again.
It all sounded incredibly profound.
"Actually, I didn't want you to learn the Corpse Liberation Method so early. The Corpse Liberation Method is different from the Primordial Spirit Path. The Corpse Liberation Method involves understanding the essence of the physical body's treasures, then creating a new spirit body tailored to the individual. The primordial spirit sheds its old shell and enters the new spirit body to ascend. That's why ordinary people, seeing an immortal abandon their corpse and leave, call them Corpse Liberation Immortals."
The Primordial Spirit Path, on the other hand, sees the physical body as merely a dwelling for the primordial spirit—a temporary stop, a guest boat.
By refining the power of the primordial spirit, one can ascend solely through the primordial spirit when it reaches perfection, leaving the physical shell behind.
In truth, this is the true form of Corpse Liberation Immortal.
"Wen Sukong cautioned Yun Qi,"After your soul enters the bamboo staff, you'll find that spiritual energy flows more freely than in your physical body.
But you must not become attached to this feeling.
You've only just entered the first realm, let alone experienced the mysteries of the second realm, the Life Repository.
So you must not linger or neglect the fundamental cultivation of the Inner Alchemy Path.
"Wen Sukong spoke earnestly, and Yun Qi nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Sukong also nodded slightly. With a wave of her sleeve, a bamboo staff appeared before Yun Qi.
The bamboo staff was seven feet long with seven segments, straight and jade-green in color, slightly translucent. The first and last segments were hollow, while the middle five segments were filled with talismans that emitted a multicolored glow.
The second segment had two bamboo branches growing from it, and the last segment also had two branches at the base, each with five leaves, giving it a somewhat limb-like appearance. The first segment had seven holes, corresponding to the seven orifices, each filled with talismans.
Yun Qi found it familiar—it looked almost identical to the bamboo staff he had seen on his first day entering the mountain."
This is a bamboo staff I prepared for refining an external avatar.
It seems you'll benefit from it first.
Attach yourself to it now.
Don't think of anything else; just treat it as your physical body.
"Yun Qi bowed in thanks to his master, then followed the instructions, slowly lying down on the bamboo staff. Once Yun Qi had attached himself to the bamboo staff, Wen Sukong quickly formed dozens of hand seals, sending them into the talismans within the staff. The talismans representing the five organs and seven orifices emitted a dazzling light. When the light faded, the talisman at the eye orifice flickered."
Are you awake now?
"Sukong asked. The bamboo staff stood up, and the talisman at the throat orifice lit up."
Yes, Master.
I feel no different from my physical body, except it's a bit cold.
"Wen Sukong looked at the bamboo staff and couldn't help but sigh. No matter how much effort she had put into crafting this bamboo staff, she had always seen it as a backup plan—an object, a lifeless thing. Naturally, she felt a bit sad and guilty seeing Yun Qi, a lively young man, turn into a cold bamboo figure. Perhaps this was why she could never achieve Staff Liberation Immortality. Wen Sukong thought to herself."
Take some time to get used to it.
If you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to tell me.
I'll think of another way.
Given the amount of true evil energy in your body, it might take three to five years to fully resolve it.
"Wen Sukong offered some comfort, even though having Yun Qi practice the Staff Liberation Method was the Patriarch's will. Yun Qi, however, shook his head and smiled."
There's an old saying: 'With a bamboo staff and straw sandals, lighter than a horse, I roam freely through the misty rain of life.' Now that I have the lightness of a bamboo staff, isn't that a good thing?
"Hearing this, Wen Sukong finally felt at ease. She smiled, realizing she had underestimated her disciple. After a moment of thought, she said,"Now that you've opened your Heart Mansion and become my true disciple, officially joining the lineage of Mingzhi Mountain, it's time to give you a Daoist name.
"The bamboo branches on the staff moved, forming a gesture of respect."
Please, Master, bestow a name upon me.
""I had initially thought to give you the name 'Bo,' meaning 'calm' or 'serene,' to signify a clear mind and far-reaching aspirations.
'Bo' also means 'by the water,' and it sounds like 'Bo,' the sound of returning to one's roots.
You were the first to open your Heart Mansion, using water to balance yin and yang, and with the surname 'Cheng,' 'Bo' would signify your return to the ancestral lineage.
"Yun Qi thought it sounded good."
But upon further reflection, I see that you already possess a calm and serene heart.
Giving you the name 'Bo' might not be fitting.
Instead, I'll borrow a word from the sage you mentioned earlier and name you 'Zhan,' meaning 'to look far ahead.' I hope that on your cultivation path, you will use your heart as your eyes, always looking forward and not being bogged down by temporary hardships.
What do you think?
"Sukong spoke softly. The bamboo man murmured the name softly, the eye talisman gradually brightening."
Zhan, Cheng Xinzhan.
A good name.
Xinzhan thanks his master!" This chapter was quite satisfying to write. I wonder what you, dear readers, think of it.
I read and revised the last few paragraphs several times, and I'm quite pleased with the final result. This scene has been in my mind since I wrote the first chapter. I truly love this poem,"Ding Feng Bo."
(End of Chapter)