Chapter 9: There Is Always a Higher Mountain

The kitchen was set in a natural cave beneath the sheer cliffs behind the Pure Void Temple. It was a place carved by nature itself. Yan Chixia soon discovered that Master Qingxu was not only capable of cooking but was also a chef of remarkable skill. The dishes he prepared were served separately in plates, bowls, and clay pots, each a feast for the senses—colorful, fragrant, and delicious, tempting one's appetite beyond measure.

When Yan Chixia sat down at the table, ready to eat, he noticed that Master Qingxu had not taken a seat. He called out, “Master, please join me for the meal.”

Master Qingxu replied, “You go ahead. I won’t eat.”

Puzzled, Yan Chixia asked, “Master, we’ve been traveling all day and haven’t eaten a thing. My stomach has been growling for ages. Aren’t you hungry at all?”

Master Qingxu smiled and said, “Yan Chixia, I haven’t eaten in many years. I no longer know hunger.”

Yan Chixia was astonished. “Master, you haven’t eaten for years and you’re not hungry? How could that be?”

Master Qingxu replied, “Because I have long since mastered the art of fasting and grain avoidance. Yan Chixia, when you, too, have learned this art, you will no longer feel hunger, just as I do.”

Yan Chixia then enjoyed a delicious meal. Afterwards, Master Qingxu had him take a hot bath, and then they both retired for the night.

Yan Chixia spent an unforgettable evening at the Pure Void Temple.

The next morning, after breakfast, Master Qingxu chose an auspicious hour: the fourth quarter of the Dragon Hour—when the sun rose and purple clouds drifted from the east. He placed a tall stick of incense in the censer and, once it was lit, instructed Yan Chixia to perform the formal ceremony of discipleship.

Master Qingxu sat solemnly as Yan Chixia, garbed in fresh attire, performed the grand bows of apprentice to master. When Yan Chixia stood, Master Qingxu announced with gravitas, “Yan Chixia, from this moment, you are my official disciple. ‘Yan Chixia’ is your mortal name; now, as your master, I bestow upon you your Daoist name: ‘Danzi.’ From now on, that is what I shall call you. Danzi, you are my sole disciple. I will impart to you, one by one, all the teachings of the Dao. The path of cultivation is arduous and long. Danzi, I hope you will persevere, undaunted by hardship. One day, you may reach the pinnacle of cultivation—the realm of the Golden Immortal of Primordial Unity—and become a sage of your era!”

“Yes!” Yan Chixia replied in a ringing voice. “I will remember your teachings, Master. I will not let you down.”

“Good.” Master Qingxu nodded. “Danzi, you have no foundation in the Dao. I will start by teaching you how to cultivate true energy.”

Thus, under Master Qingxu’s careful guidance, Yan Chixia began his long and distant journey of cultivation, his heart brimming with passion.

Yan Chixia was gifted and quick to understand. He followed Master Qingxu’s methods, diligently cultivating his inner energy each day.

At the same time, he also practiced the Chixia Sword techniques. Initially, Yan Chixia had considered abandoning the Chixia Sword, believing it to be nothing more than a flashy display with no real power—after all, he couldn’t even slay a wolf demon with it, so what was the point?

But Master Qingxu insisted he continue. Master Qingxu explained that the Chixia Sword’s techniques were exquisite and far from mere empty form. The reason Yan Chixia’s strikes were weak was because he had yet to cultivate true energy. Once he possessed true strength, his use of the Chixia Sword would become unstoppable, its force surging like a rainbow.

Yan Chixia argued that however powerful the Chixia Sword might be, it could never match Master Qingxu’s Invisible Sword. He wished to learn the most formidable sword technique: the Invisible Sword.

Master Qingxu told him, “To hold no sword in your hand, yet have a sword in your heart—that is the highest realm of swordsmanship.” His own Invisible Sword had reached that supreme level, but it was the result of many years of diligent cultivation. Before mastering the Invisible Sword, he, too, had wielded a bronze sword.

Enlightened, Yan Chixia realized that everything must proceed step by step; haste would only spoil the process. So he practiced with calm diligence each day.

Although Yan Chixia had promised, on first arrival at the Pure Void Temple, to handle all the cleaning chores, Master Qingxu never handed him a broom or rag. The first time Yan Chixia tried to clean, Master Qingxu said with solemnity, “Danzi, the Pure Void Temple needs no servants. I have taken you as my disciple so you may devote yourself to the Dao, become outstanding among cultivators, and reach the highest realms of mastery!”

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.

Yan Chixia’s diligent practice bore clear results. He had accumulated much true energy in his dantian, making his muscles and bones robust. He felt power surging through his body, and when he wielded the Chixia Sword, the air swirled with the force of his movements.

Master Qingxu observed all this with quiet satisfaction. Yan Chixia, however, did not become arrogant, for he knew this was only the very beginning of a journey of ten thousand miles, and the summit of the Dao was still far, far away. He redoubled his efforts, training even more earnestly.

A year later.

Master Qingxu used his spiritual senses to examine Yan Chixia’s progress and found that a faint, bean-sized point of light had formed in his dantian, resembling a lotus seed. Master Qingxu was overjoyed, knowing this was the “Heart Lotus” seed, the condensation of true energy—proof that Yan Chixia had entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

Seeing Yan Chixia’s substantial progress and the abundance of true energy within him, Master Qingxu began teaching him the Art of Riding the Qi—a preparation for future sword flight and, eventually, the Art of Riding the Wind.

As a result, Yan Chixia found time slipping away; every day, he rose before dawn and trained late into the night, cultivating energy, practicing swordsmanship, and mastering the Art of Riding the Qi.

Time passed unnoticed, and Yan Chixia’s cultivation continued to advance.

Three more years went by in the blink of an eye.

Through persistent effort, Yan Chixia broke through the Enlightenment stage and entered the middle stage of Fusion. The Heart Lotus in his dantian had sprouted and bloomed, growing there with clarity. By now, all his meridians were open, and his mastery of both the Chixia Sword and the Art of Riding the Qi had improved by leaps and bounds.

This brought Master Qingxu heartfelt contentment. He began to teach Yan Chixia the Daoist art of Talisman Drawing.

Since coming to Mount Zhongnan, Yan Chixia had devoted himself entirely to cultivation, never taking time for leisure or exploration in the mountains.

One noon, after lunch, Yan Chixia was pacing before the Pure Void Temple when, glancing up, he saw the steep summit of Golden Cauldron Peak. He thought, “How swiftly time flies. It’s been over five years since I came to Mount Zhongnan, and I’ve never once climbed the heights to gaze into the distance. Now, with the clear, crisp air of autumn, why not ascend the summit and take in the far-off scenery?”

With that, Yan Chixia picked up his Chixia Sword from the grass, used the Art of Riding the Qi, and leapt up the cliffs. Graceful and agile, he soared from ledge to ledge, reaching the mountaintop in a dozen bounds.

He had expected to stand atop Golden Cauldron Peak and see far and wide, but his view was blocked by an even higher mountain before him.

Unwilling to give up, Yan Chixia again used the Art of Riding the Qi, leaping like an ape toward the next peak. In the blink of an eye, he scaled it as well—only to find yet another, taller summit blocking his sight...