Chapter 4: The Apprenticeship Ceremony

Hearing his junior brother's words, Ma Yu smiled and said, "Life and death, illusion and extinction are the great truths of heaven and earth. Junior brother should focus on holding to the Dao, so that you may achieve a righteous fruition sooner. However, your idea is not bad. If one could truly absorb this purple energy of the morning sun—though I cannot say, as the *Huainanzi* does, that 'those who consume energy can become divine and live long'—it is certain that if one could utilize even a fraction of the power of the rising sun and the growth of all things, it would be beneficial for cultivating both body and mind. You may study it at your leisure when you have time. For now, we must go to our morning lessons!"

Saying this, he pulled Qiu Zhiqing back toward the Daoist temple, with Tan Chuduan following close behind. Hao Datong lingered for a moment, gazing at the rising sun, before shaking his head with a self-deprecating smile and turning to catch up with his two senior brothers who were already entering the temple.

Their conversation piqued Qiu Zhiqing's interest. Could the "Purple Mist Divine Skill" Hao Datong mentioned be the one from later legends? Was it not said that the Huashan Sect's "Purple Mist Divine Skill" was created by blending the internal energy cultivation chapters of the *Sunflower Manual* with Huashan's own mental methods?

"Never mind," he thought. "That is something over a hundred years in the future. Who cares? By then, I might already be a handful of dust, buried in some forgotten corner!" With his mind wandering, Qiu Zhiqing went through the motions of the morning lesson, chanting the *Classic of Purity and Stillness*.

Previously, he had always been focused during morning lessons and had not paid much attention, but now that he was slacking off, he looked at his companions. Good heavens, could this even be called slacking? To Qiu Zhiqing, it felt as though a group of fishermen had arrived at the Chongyang Hall for self-reflection.

It was no wonder the old master looked down upon this bunch of crooked melons and cracked dates! Look at it—among the dozens of disciples in the entire temple, the old master had only taken a fancy to him, which was proof enough of his own excellence.

"Such hypocrisy," he mused. "Claiming my aptitude is lacking, yet here we are! At such an advanced age, he still has to run down the mountain to find disciples. Why not let the Quanzhen Sect grow great and strong, and simply wait for disciples to come to the door so one can pick and choose?"

...

The old master was gone, but Qiu Zhiqing’s life had to continue. He was now a junior administrator of the Scripture Pavilion, though it did not feel much different from his time as a novice.

His routine remained fixed: breathing exercises at sunrise. Although he often felt a warm energy circulating within him, the Sect Leader had assured him it was normal. Since the old master also referred to it as a breathing technique, Qiu Zhiqing couldn't be bothered to worry about whether he was practicing internal martial arts.

The rest of the day followed a pattern: morning lessons, followed by practicing the *Five Animals Frolic* under the Sect Leader's guidance and asking questions, cleaning and organizing the Scripture Pavilion, and spending the afternoon studying Daoist scriptures and medical texts, taking notes so he could ask the Sect Leader questions the next day.

Time flowed like water, and human life drifted like shifting sand. Three years passed in this uneventful manner. It was the sixth year of the Jiading era of the Southern Song, the first year of the Chongqing era of the Jin, 1213 AD. Qiu Zhiqing was now ten years old.

Of course, Qiu Zhiqing did not know the exact year; the author had provided that as a courtesy! In these three years, people had come and gone. Naturally, some had been taken as disciples, such as his former roommates Fang Zhiqi and Liu Zhiyuan, who were chosen by Master Tan Chuduan, known as Changzhenzi, to be brought into the sect.

Others, like Master Wang Chuyi, known as Yuyangzi, had taken in five disciples, including Zhao Zhiqing and Cui Zhifang. Wang Chuyi’s return to the temple was incidental, brought about by his and Qiu Chuji’s travels in the martial arts world over the years.

In these years, the Quanzhen Sect’s reputation in the martial arts world grew ever greater, and almost every day, people came to the Chongyang Palace seeking to become disciples.

However, this had little to do with Qiu Zhiqing. Although there were more people in the Chongyang Palace, the number of those frequently visiting the Scripture Pavilion to borrow books had not increased much.

A novel is, after all, a novel, and the Quanzhen Sect was not limited to just the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. Wang Chongyang had dedicated himself to spreading the Dao, and the Seven Masters were naturally keen on this as well; there were many Daoists staying in the Chongyang Palace as guests.

Like the old master mentioned before, or those Daoist priests who taught the disciples to read scriptures and write, they did not only discuss the Dao at the Chongyang Palace; they also performed tasks within their capabilities, such as teaching, guarding the Scripture Pavilion, and cleaning.

Once these visiting Daoists departed, they inadvertently helped the reputation of the Chongyang Palace rise to another level.

Today, after the morning lesson, the Sect Leader did not dismiss the disciples but announced a piece of news. It turned out that the wandering Master Qiu Chuji, known as Changchun, had returned, saying that he had taken a lay disciple the previous year and had become quite fond of teaching!

Therefore, he wished to take on a few disciples within the sect as well. As it happened, this coincided with Qiu Zhiqing’s own apprenticeship ceremony!

The disciples below were notified; this was not the first time, and everyone understood the process. It was a rare occasion for the Seven Masters of Quanzhen to gather at the Chongyang Palace, and the ceremony was presided over by an elder master invited from the Zhongnan Mountains.

Seeing everyone in their proper places, the elder master’s voice, full of resonance, echoed through the Chongyang Hall: "Invite the Founder~" The Seven Masters of Quanzhen led the way in offering incense to the Founder Wang Chongyang, performing the grand ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows. This step, it was assumed, was to communicate with the Founder, telling him that his descendants had come to pay their respects once more.

Next, the elder master took out a formal scroll and read for a while. The original text was omitted, but the general meaning was: "Founder, you are above. Your disciple is unfilial for disturbing your rest today, but please do not be angry; this is for the inheritance of the Daoist lineage! Your disciple has found another disciple and specially asks you to take a look, so that you may know the Daoist lineage is flourishing and need not worry!" That was the essence of it.

After paying respects to the Founder and the reading of the scroll, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen took their seats beside the statue of the Founder. Qiu Zhiqing knew it was his turn. He couldn't help but wonder if he would be beaten to death on the spot if he walked up using the "Lü Ancestor’s Gait."

Of course, he only thought about it; after all, the "Lü Ancestor’s Gait" was, to outsiders, exceptionally arrogant.

Qiu Zhiqing stepped forward, and amidst the looks of envy, jealousy, and gratification from those around him, he walked steadily to the prayer mat beneath the Founder's statue.

He circled his hands in front of his abdomen to form the Taiji (the Zi-Wu seal, not like holding a ball), then raised them to his mouth—this was to let the Founder see his appearance, to show he was no "crooked melon or cracked date."

Once the Founder had seen him clearly, he placed his left hand over his chest to express sincerity, bowed, and pressed his right hand onto the prayer mat to kneel. This was the "rite."

Then, he moved his left hand to open his chest and pressed it onto the back of his right hand, forming a cross shape (though for those with shorter hands, it might not be obvious; the two hands formed a right angle), and prostrated himself (not nodding with his hips raised), with his head resting on the backs of his hands. This was the "kowtow."

After performing three rites and nine kowtows to the Founder's statue in this manner, he was effectively telling the Founder: "Look! Here is your lovely successor. Have you seen him clearly?" Of course, it didn't matter if the Founder hadn't; he would offer incense often, provided the Founder didn't throw the offerings back at him.

Next was the segment of presenting the name scroll. Normally, as he was officially becoming a monk, he would have to say goodbye to his relatives and friends... but for well-known reasons, this step was skipped.

Qiu Zhiqing presented his apprenticeship scroll and performed three rites and three kowtows to Ma Yu. At that moment, the elder master finished his benediction—it was unclear how he timed it so perfectly. Qiu Zhiqing then presented a cup of tea for the apprenticeship. The elder master stepped forward, undid his Daoist hair bun, and re-bound his hair for him, performing the capping ceremony.

At this point, the apprenticeship ceremony was effectively over. Qiu Zhiqing had officially entered the sect under the Sect Leader Ma Yu and could now publicly announce their master-disciple relationship.

However, things needed to be wrapped up. Ma Yu confirmed his Daoist name as "Zhiqing," meaning that while "Zhiqing" had been his name before, it was now his official Daoist name.

This wasn't very distinct, as seniority was usually determined once one entered the Chongyang Palace, so the name was often chosen before joining. Following this, in the Confucian tradition, a "style name" would be bestowed, but in the Quanzhen tradition, it was a "Daoist title." Ma Yu bestowed upon Qiu Zhiqing the title "Chonghe."

It originated from Chapter 42 of the *Dao De Jing*: "All things bear the yin and embrace the yang, and the blending of qi creates harmony." The general meaning is that all things contain both yin and yang and must find a new balance within the interplay of the two.

This was likely Ma Yu’s expectation for Qiu Zhiqing. With the Song and Jin dynasties in opposition, Western Xia in decline, and the grasslands in chaos, the world was at a juncture of great turmoil, and the path ahead was obscured.

It was a hope that within the Quanzhen Sect, there would be someone who could pierce through the heavy mists of history and lead the sect into a new era.

Of course, this did not mean Ma Yu placed all his hopes on Qiu Zhiqing; it was merely a beautiful expectation. Since he had entered the sect, the next step was the rite of holding the precepts, which told him what he could not do.

Qiu Zhiqing's task was to listen to the instructions and reply, "I can uphold them!" indicating he accepted the commandments.

There was nothing left for him to do for the moment, but he did not need to return to the ranks; instead, he stood behind Ma Yu. It was then Qiu Chuji's turn to take his disciples, and Qiu Zhiqing watched as Yin Zhiping and Li Zhichang went through the same process he had just completed.

When he had done it himself, he felt only solemnity, but watching them do it, he felt a sense of inheritance.

The apprenticeship ceremony ended after the Seven Masters of Quanzhen led everyone in three rites and nine kowtows. This brought the ceremony to a complete close, telling the Founder, "We have taken on this many today; you carry on with your business, and we will notify you if there is any more good news later!"