Chapter Seven: A Father's Teachings

After leaving, Shangguan Chuanyun sent someone to inform his mother, Lady Jia, that he had returned, and then made his way back to his own small courtyard.

Originally, he had planned to wander about today, but unexpectedly encountered the return of the Eldest Young Master and was told to go and greet him. The Eldest Young Master had arrived long before, so what need was there for him to be greeted? If he went, he would only be accused of failing in his duty, which would become yet another excuse to extort money from his mother.

He hadn't anticipated that Xiaocui, the maidservant of the Madam, would be provoked into attacking him. After subduing her, he confronted the Madam herself. The Madam cared for nothing but money; such a person was easy to manipulate. Once he touched upon her weakness, she became confused and was led into making statements unbecoming of her status. The Eldest Young Master, enraged and humiliated, tried to resort to violence, his mind also obsessed with wealth. With a single stroke of sword intent, Shangguan Chuanyun dispelled his malice, causing him to lose his composure, nearly leading to a true conflict in his derangement.

If not for his father Shangguan Jin appearing at the last moment, he would have been forced to defend himself against the Eldest Young Master.

Still, the outcome was not bad. The Madam’s prestige was utterly ruined, and she would likely not dare to stir trouble again for some time. However, Shangguan Hongyun was another matter; narrow-minded and now infected with murderous intent, he would be a threat to guard against in the future.

That night, Shangguan Chuanyun sat cross-legged on a mat made of bulrushes and medicinal herbs, sewn together for meditation, calming the spirit, clarifying the mind, smoothing the meridians, and aiding focus.

He sat with his hands forming the Taiji seal, silently contemplating.

"Since ancient times, the way of the Sword Immortal has been a branch of the terrestrial immortal path, different from the Golden Core path practiced amidst the bustle of the world. Generally, Sword Immortals retreat into deep mountains and forests, scaling cliffs and gathering rare herbs, breathing in the essence of sun and moon, forging a flying sword. After two or three centuries, all they achieve is a 'corpse liberation.'"

"But what I cultivate is the unity of alchemy and sword, much like the thunder arts: refining the core within, mastering the arts without. The Sword Immortal method I practice is that when dispersed, it becomes sword; when gathered, it forms the core."

"In my previous life, I was fortunate to receive the teachings of the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua, gaining insight into the path, though I had little lifespan left. In the end, I relied on the method of corpse liberation to forge my primordial spirit into a flying sword, summoning thunder to transform and channel the spiritual energy of immortals, thereby enacting the method of reincarnation. I had expected to be reborn in my previous world, but at the last moment lost control and was instead reincarnated here. Nevertheless, I succeeded."

This opportunity was hard-won. Since awakening two years ago, Shangguan Chuanyun had begun cultivating the path of the Sword Immortal. This path requires 'method, companions, wealth, and land'—without profound fortune and decisive resolve, one cannot practice it. It is not an unattainable art, but it demands the accumulation of virtue and merit, the manifestation of blessings, and, at the right moment, sincere devotion. When the opportunity arises, a true master appears to test one's character before imparting the teachings. Thus, sword immortals are rarely seen, their existence more rumor than reality.

Those who would ascend to the heavens must accomplish three thousand acts of virtue to secure great fortune and unwavering faith in the path, cultivate virtue, and nurture character. Where there is virtue, the Way abides, and thus the opportunity appears. In his previous life, Shangguan Chuanyun was devoted to good deeds and self-cultivation. While crafting the armillary sphere to adjust his own constitution, he inadvertently gathered his own fortune. Tormented by illness, he devoted himself to cultivation. By chance, in the Qilian Mountains, he encountered Cheng Yuanzi, the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua, who, discerning his sincerity and outstanding character, imparted to him the way of the Sword Immortal.

His pursuit to prolong life aligned with the immortal ideal of cherishing vitality, and with no distracting ambitions, he completed three thousand acts of goodness and cultivated virtue. If not for his frail body, he would never have encountered such fortune.

The Sword Immortal path he practiced originated with the Fire Dragon Immortal, who passed the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique to Pure Yang Immortal Lü Dongbin. Lü combined it with his own Pure Yang Core methods to create the Pure Yang Sword Method, which was then passed to the founder of Mount Hua, Hao Datong, who integrated it with the Secret Records of Quanzhen and the heritage of Chen Tuan. Adapting to the terrain of Mount Hua, they developed the Mount Hua Sword Immortal arts. Over generations, it was further refined through the Thunder Talisman school, forming the present, direct path to the Great Dao.

Through thousands of years, this system grew ever more sophisticated, forming a unique practice of its own, though disciples were always rare. Thus, the world knew little of it; the selection of disciples was strict, their movements secretive, masters always choosing disciples, never the other way around, ensuring the methods survived only in legend.

This school’s Sword Immortal path also begins with nourishing qi. The sword is ever present—there is the method-sword and the Dao-sword; ultimately, method and Dao merge to form the Sword Immortal’s Golden Core.

The realms are as follows: first, nourishing qi, then selecting a sharp treasure sword as the method-sword to nurture, breathing life into it until sword and man are one. By drawing upon the sword to refine one’s vital energy, the true qi takes on the qualities of sword qi.

Next comes the circulation of the Lesser Celestial Circuit. Once true qi is abundant, it fuses with the spirit to form the Small Return Pill. When this pill appears, it produces the inner fire. The practitioner then seeks precious metals, especially those of the Geng metal, to forge a flying sword using special techniques. This sword, incomparably sharp, must be stored in a special sword case.

It is nurtured daily through breathing exercises, feeding it with spiritual energy, allowing the lungs to adapt to this qi, thus strengthening them. Metal begets water; combining this with the Small Return Pill yields the elixir fluid, which is circulated through the Greater Celestial Circuit. Once sufficient, the Great Return Pill is formed.

The Great Return Pill shrinks the flying sword within the sword case into a sword pellet, housed in the lungs. Then, seeking water elements, the Gui Water Sword is refined and housed in the kidneys; the Yi Wood Sword in the liver; the Ding Fire Sword in the heart; and the Wu Earth Sword in the spleen. Heaven and earth are inverted, heart and kidneys connect, the furnace is set, and the tripod established. Elixir fluid is refined, the constitution is transformed, and finally, the Sword Immortal’s Golden Core is achieved.

This method is the path of attaining the Dao through the sword. When mastered, sword and core can be dispersed or gathered at will. Flight and concealment are possible, marking entry into the gate of immortality.

“For the past two years, I have gathered a strand of purple qi from the east at dawn, the very essence of each day, ever-renewing. My meditation has never faltered, and today, at last, I have reached perfection, without leak or flaw. Today, I can form my core.”

Sitting on the mat, Shangguan Chuanyun settled his mind. He drew his sword, the three-foot azure blade, merging spirit and sword as one. His vital energy and sword qi slowly fused, flowing with each breath between blade and body.

He guided the blended energies into his lower dantian, passing the Three Rivers Gate, the Coccyx Pass, up the Governing Vessel to the Heavenly Gate. A tremor of spirit followed, then the energy descended through the twelve levels of the Spirit Spring, traversing the Conception Vessel to the dantian. This cycle repeated, forty-nine times in succession, all returning to the dantian.

He then focused his mind, nourishing the qi at the dantian. Next, he exhaled a three-inch stream of white energy into the azure blade; his right hand gripped the hilt, forming the Returning Seal, and he entered deep meditation.

The path of cultivation is three parts practice, seven parts cultivation. After generating vital energy, one must be able to maintain it. Qi-nurturing is the art of life itself; only by sustaining it can one ascend further, gaining insight into life and death, and the principles of the Dao.

The Celestial Circuit began to store and refine his vital energy, drawing it inward. The key is to maintain singular focus and self-mastery. Initially, when the dantian is filled, one guides the energy through the Governing Vessel, down the Conception Vessel, circulating the Lesser Celestial Circuit. The secrets are many, but all rest upon the foundation of character. Starting with a single cycle, gradually increasing until forty-nine cycles are completed, when energy and spirit are full and the mind reaches the proper state, the vital energy and spirit can merge into the Small Return Pill.

The crux lies in realization—throughout the writings of the Dao, cultivation of virtue is paramount. This is the threshold of attainment; without insight, one can never form the core, only accumulate energy and bodily strength.

Though appearing motionless, Shangguan Chuanyun’s vital energy was swiftly circulating within, as his mind gradually settled into the dantian.

This qi, cultivated by himself, was imbued with sword intent and could slay all evil. Were a common person’s spirit to approach, it would be harmed. But from the very first strand, Shangguan Chuanyun had trained in harmony with his spirit, making it an integral, pure part of himself. He had never relied on elixirs to boost his cultivation; each day, he simply collected a thread of inexhaustible purple qi from the east, forming a solid foundation. His state of mind had long since reached mastery, so the process was smooth and without mishap.

Shangguan Chuanyun, guiding his mind, infused it with sword intent. His will and vital energy, following the formula of the core, spun faster and faster. Suddenly, his spirit entered a state of oblivion, forgetting self and the world, with no sense of up or down, past or present. His mind drifted into the void, surrounded by darkness, as if his very existence, his body, his consciousness, had vanished.

Suddenly, the misty, armillary-sphere-like cluster within his spiritual platform, long dormant, began to rotate. At its center, a sharp, diamond-shaped point emitted a few flashes of silvery light before returning to its misty state.

In the darkness, Shangguan Chuanyun caught a glimpse of flickering silver, instantly waking. Focusing on the silver light, his awareness gradually returned to normal, and he let out a long breath.

A phrase appeared in his mind:

“Small death, great life.”

He mused to himself:

“I had forgotten this. In my previous life, my vital energy was insufficient to stabilize my foundation or circulate the Celestial Circuit. I could only focus all my efforts on cultivating a three-inch flying sword, hoping it would nourish me in return. But my body was too weak to withstand the metallic energy returned by the sword.

“So, I never experienced core formation firsthand. Although I knew the methods and taboos of cultivation, in these past two years of smooth progress, I forgot the hardships and dangers of the path. Cultivation is perilous, like a hundred people crossing a single log bridge; a single misstep leads to death and the dissipation of the Dao. Since ancient times, those who cultivate are as numerous as oxen’s hairs, but those who attain the Dao are as rare as a phoenix’s horn—so arduous is the journey.”

“This too is a trial of cultivation, much like the tribulation of becoming an immortal. Every cultivator has a guardian to protect them, lest they be lost to the path and perish. From the very beginning, tribulations follow a cultivator; the higher the realm, the greater the trials.”

Yet the tribulation of the Small Return Pill is not only the experience of “small death, great life,” but also the ordeal of external demons. The path of cultivation competes with the very creation of heaven and earth, infringing upon the mysteries of sun and moon. Thus, Heaven does not permit it and sends down tribulations, which manifest according to one’s fortune and virtue—as human calamities, floods, fires, or warfare. The so-called “external demons” are the tribulations shaped by a practitioner’s own heart, Shangguan Chuanyun suddenly realized.

“My ordeal of external demons is not yet over; I must not be careless.”

Looking within, he saw that his dantian had already formed a thumb-sized, jade-white core of energy, fused with his spirit and intent—the Small Return Pill. Yet it appeared unstable, as if it might dissipate at any moment.