Chapter 104: A Fate Peeks into Heaven

Ji Yuan was not in a hurry to return to the city. Instead, he found a secluded wooded area outside the city, climbed a lush, leafy tree, and sat cross-legged to examine the scabbard closely.

The scabbard was a pale greenish-blue, likely from a dye or lacquer rather than the wood's natural color. It had excellent permeability, looked fresh and natural, and was odorless. The color scheme perfectly matched the hilt of the Azure Vine Sword.

The wooden scabbard had no carvings or superfluous decorations; at first glance, it resembled a plain, flat, greenish-blue stick. However, its increasingly rounded edges gave it an exceptionally smooth feel. Just by listening to the faint hum from the Azure Vine Sword on his back, Ji Yuan knew it was quite fond of this scabbard.

"Patience, the scabbard isn't quite ready yet, or it wouldn't withstand your antics!"

Ji Yuan drew the Azure Vine Sword from his back. He channeled spiritual energy into it, and a slender new shoot of azure vine sprouted from the sword's hilt, then detached itself. He placed the delicate branch onto the scabbard, where it immediately embedded itself and began to slowly grow, coiling around the scabbard in spirals, each about a finger's length.

The growth was neither fast nor slow. After thirty minutes, the pale greenish scabbard bore a winding, emerald-green vine pattern, with a few faint traces of young buds remaining.

*Hummm...*

The Azure Vine Sword hummed again.

"Not quite, not quite yet. Don't rush!"

Ji Yuan patted the Azure Vine Sword as if appeasing a child eager for a toy, then resumed his work.

With his right hand, he formed a sword-finger mudra, and his spiritual power, like a fine sword gleam, lightly pierced the scabbard. As his wrist and fingertips moved, two lines of inscription appeared.

"Spirit-nurtured Azure Vine, Ten Thousand Feet of Hidden Edge."

The glow around the characters flashed and faded, and the entire scabbard vibrated slightly before settling back to its natural state.

"Phew... it's mine after all..."

Seeing the Azure Vine Sword's incessant humming, Ji Yuan smiled.

"Go on!"

*Hummm...*

With a hum, the Azure Vine Sword slid into its scabbard with a *thwip*, then fell silent, as if asleep.

Ji Yuan smiled again, re-wrapped the Azure Vine Sword in blue cloth, and placed it on his back. This signaled that his immediate concerns were resolved, and he began to ponder his cultivation.

Unlike other cultivators with shallower spiritual attainment, Ji Yuan could perceive his inner realm without even closing his eyes. Within this vast landscape of mountains and rivers, a mighty alchemical cauldron stood atop a high peak.

His Dantian, an acre in size, was a boundless expanse of mist and ripples, brimming with surging spiritual power.

As Ji Yuan's personal criteria for immortal cultivation—"virtue," "technique," and "mind"—progressed in tandem, his spiritual attainment grew rapidly. The boundary of his Dantian's spiritual power was no longer just an acre; perhaps "an acre and a third" would be a more accurate description.

Although the field remained small, Ji Yuan's cauldron was immense. Within it lay a universe in miniature, with the Samadhi True Fire burning ceaselessly, holding a potent elixir qi that could be transformed and replenished into spiritual power at any moment.

What was particularly unique was that this Dantian, existing between reality and illusion, was described in the *Tongming Scroll* as "a bright chamber in the gloom, with an alchemical cauldron spanning a golden bridge."

However, for Ji Yuan, the area surrounding his acre and a third Dantian was not dark; it was a faintly discernible landscape of mountains and rivers. The rising spiritual power within his Dantian appeared like mist and clouds, concealing it. It was unclear whether the mountains and rivers lay outside the Dantian or if the Dantian was hidden within the mountains and rivers.

Ji Yuan felt that his cultivation speed was definitely not slow; perhaps even those cultivating in immortal abodes and sacred realms might not match his efficiency.

The chess pieces' demand for elixir qi seemed to have its own limitations—sometimes a large amount, sometimes almost none, with solid pieces being rare and void ones more common. In any case, it didn't normally affect Ji Yuan's cultivation.

His mastery of the *Jade Embrace Minor Practice*, a foundational Qi cultivation technique, was also superb. Although he hadn't yet acquired a "Major Practice" method, the five elemental organs within his body already nurtured the five elemental energies. The so-called Major Practice methods merely involved choosing a more suitable cultivation path based on one's characteristics, such as focusing on the Tai Bai Jin Qi or Gui Shui Zhen Yin.

Advanced techniques were indeed advanced, but not having them wouldn't kill him. Ji Yuan's self-comfort was that he was currently progressing comprehensively on all fronts.

In addition to maintaining his cultivation of spiritual power and bodily qi, Ji Yuan never ceased practicing the *Guiding Qi Art*, which continuously nourished his body and soul with pure spiritual energy. He made an effort to "dine on clouds and drink dew" at specific times each day.

While contemplating his internal state, Ji Yuan again took out the *Tongming Scroll* he carried with him to verify his knowledge, and also casually flipped through the more profound cultivation-related sections.

According to the *Tongming Scroll*, besides the depth of one's spiritual power, there were two other key indicators in cultivation that served as benchmarks for a cultivator's spiritual attainment: "Five Qi Towards the Origin" and "Three Flowers Converging into One."

The former, "Five Qi Towards the Origin," signified the great accomplishment and vibrant agility of the five elemental energies within the body. It was closely related to the depth of one's cultivation and spiritual power, the number of interconnected celestial acupoints in one's microcosmic world, and the practice of "Heart Gate" cultivation. This phenomenon was not something everyone could achieve.

The *Tongming Scroll* once stated that, for reasons unknown, cultivators often grandly boasted of achieving the "Origin-Returning Realm" merely by having one of the five qi return to its origin, which was rather laughable.

The latter, "Three Flowers Converging into One," was truly a symbol of the wondrous Dao of a "True Immortal." It signified that the cultivator's essence, qi, and spirit had merged into one, and that the three powers of heaven, earth, and humanity had also achieved complete unity, leading to a great breakthrough in the Mysterious Pass. This could only be achieved by true masters of the Dao, and such masters invariably possessed unfathomable spiritual power, with very few exceptions.

Beyond these, there were numerous interpretations of the "Dao" and insights into magical arts and divine abilities, encompassing everything from mental state to cultivation. There were also various profound techniques like "Knocking at the Heart Gate," "Cultivating Virtue," and "Achieving Serenity," all striving to approach the Grand Dao from diverse directions and angles.

Cultivation truly involved a myriad of Grand Daos and countless techniques. Immortal sects, abodes, caves, mountains, and islands each had their own understanding, and each guarded their profound secrets, making true synthesis difficult.

Even in the overt principles, there were many points of "Dao dispute" where no one yielded to another. The *Tongming Scroll* summarized this by simply stating, "Most disheartening."

It was worth noting that true masters of the immortal Dao each possessed a profound understanding of the "Dao," often able to discern the mysteries behind the laws of all things. This was one reason why many spirits, demons, and sprites yearned to "seek the Dao" from them.

Ji Yuan read carefully for a while, and by then it was nearing noon. Feeling that his mind was open and his cultivation at this stage was remarkably pure, he confidently jumped down from the tree, ready to enter the city and find a place to eat.

As he walked into the city, it was as if his earlier contemplations had taken root in his mind, or as if his mental state had elevated another level. The spiritual power within Ji Yuan seemed to merge with the spiritual energy of the external world.

With a single thought, Ji Yuan's consciousness entered the manifested realm of mountains and rivers. His self within this realm seemed to expand infinitely, while his physical body in the external world felt as if it were merging with the heavens and earth, making his steps appear ethereal and wondrous.

He had a profound sense of clarity, akin to having achieved minor success in immortal cultivation.

At this moment, the five chess pieces within his inner realm appeared faintly, like stars hanging in the sky. For the first time, Ji Yuan felt a sensation that the black pieces embodied killing intent, while the white pieces governed creation.

'Hmm?'

This raised new questions for Ji Yuan as he walked. As he continued, his body felt as if he were wading through water, encountering increasing resistance, until finally, he found he couldn't move at all.

'What's happening? Something isn't right!'

Ji Yuan tried to exit his meditative state of visualizing the inner realm, but he couldn't. He simply stood still in the middle of Juntian Prefecture's main street.

The qi emanations—red, yellow, or mixed colors—from the passing common folk were remarkably clear to Ji Yuan's eyes as they floated upwards.

'Where are they going?'

Ji Yuan instinctively tried to look up, only managing to gaze diagonally at the sky by painfully twisting his neck.

*Swish, swish, swish, swish...*

The colors before his eyes seemed to flash and shift against a black and white backdrop, constantly transforming between illusory and substantial forms. His own figure seemed to infinitely extend between reality and illusion.

How distant were the mountains and rivers, how vast the heavens and earth! His vision seemed boundless, filled with thousands upon thousands of endless streams of qi.

White, black, green, red, yellow, and other colors instantly appeared, and enlightenment dawned in his mind: immortal spiritual qi, boundless demonic qi, surging devil qi, yin qi, incense-borne divine qi, human dao qi, five elemental qi...

As Ji Yuan felt his body continuously growing larger and ascending, the world before him had transformed dramatically!

Astonishment, shock, terror, bewilderment... Amidst a tangle of emotions, Ji Yuan saw that the vast and boundless qi of heaven and earth was being pulled by the endless qi of all living beings in the world.

Immortal Dao, Ghost Dao, Divine Dao, Demonic Dao, Fiend Dao, Human Dao, Spirit Dao... These countless streams of qi mingled, forming innumerable qi ropes, thick or thin, tightly anchored to the vast qi of heaven and earth.

With the rise and fall of desires and disputes tethered to these qi ropes, with the clash between the heart seeking the Dao and the descent into evil, with every dynastic change and major shift in power, every conflict between immortals and devils, every monstrous calamity, and every alteration of fate due to natural disasters... all transformed into a source of immense force, tearing at the vast qi of heaven and earth.

Ji Yuan seemed to perceive cracks, imbued with a blend of dark red and purple qi, appearing across heaven and earth...

A vague yet profound understanding arose in Ji Yuan's mind:

"When Heaven reveals killing intent, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth reveals killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the land; when humanity reveals killing intent, heaven and earth are overturned. When Heaven, Earth, and Man act in concert, all transformations are set in motion." Perhaps in ten thousand years, perhaps a few thousand, or even sooner, a great upheaval was imminent!

This transformation would ultimately manifest, influenced by the endlessly abundant qi of all things between heaven and earth. Whether it would result in shattered lands and a collapsing sky, or a turning point leading to the birth of a grand universe, remained an unknown.

What was certain was that during this great upheaval of heaven and earth, countless beings, whether across vast landscapes or among endless living creatures, would undoubtedly perish.

There was great terror between life and death; glimpsing the changes in the Heavenly Dao could genuinely frighten a person to death. Ji Yuan was almost completely devoid of life, unable to move a single muscle, only able to stare at the heavens and earth with boundless fear, his mind gradually becoming silent and still.

Just as Ji Yuan thought he was about to die, another hidden qi flow manifested between heaven and earth.

In the sky, where his inner realm merged with reality, five stars shone brightly—they were the five chess pieces!

Amidst the original endless transformations, Ji Yuan seemed to perceive invisible, intangible dashed lines connecting countless streams of qi, linking the entire heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers with an indescribable cosmic power, through which Xuanhuang qi flowed...

Ji Yuan suddenly knew what it was: a chessboard with curved and straight lines, but no boundaries!

*Boom!*

Waves began to rise in his endless mental sea, stirring up emotions once more...

"Ahhhhh!"

On the main street of Juntian Prefecture, Ji Yuan, who had been standing stiffly, stumbled and came to. His eyes were in excruciating pain, and he instinctively covered them with his right hand, blood seeping through his fingers.

Ji Yuan's scream immediately attracted the attention of passersby.

"Oh dear, what happened to him?" "His eyes are bleeding so much!"

"He needs to see a doctor quickly, doesn't he?" "Indeed..."

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Do you need us to take you to a doctor?"

Many onlookers were either astonished or concerned, murmuring around Ji Yuan.

"No, no need, thank you! *Gasp...*"

Ji Yuan's breathing was ragged. The intense pain made him press his right hand tightly over his eye, unwilling to let go. With his left hand, he waved dismissively at his surroundings and stumbled forward.