Chapter 84: The True Essence of the Northern Abyss
Qin Yue began to doubt the very foundation of this world.
Deep within the ancient scripture, he discovered diagrams of the primordial and post-celestial Eight Trigrams! They hovered silently in the spiritual realm. No words, no commentary, and certainly no extraneous content. Only these two diagrams remained, suspended alone within the jade slip as holographic images, as if whispering secrets spanning eternity.
He knew these patterns intimately. Even without deep study, as one born of Yanhuang blood, the recognition was etched into his bones—one glimpse and their origins were clear.
He questioned the administrator of the scripture pavilion, who explained that the jade slip was exceedingly old, likely dating back to the founding days of the sect, its origins long lost to the river of time.
Qin Yue’s heart was shaken, and he did not hesitate; he immediately borrowed the jade slip.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, he went into seclusion at once. He brought the jade slip into the world of the Bronze Giant Rat, attempting to decode its mysteries.
As Qin Yue focused his mind on the two diagrams, their full forms gradually emerged in the world of the Bronze Giant Rat. In that instant, the giant rat that lay at the center of the chaotic world suddenly opened its eyes!
From those eyes, two beams of divine light shot forth, like blades piercing the eternal night.
In the next moment, the entire chaotic world trembled violently!
The spiritual realm was engulfed in an earthquake-like storm, its force powerful enough to change the colors of heaven and earth. Countless runes surged forth from the chaotic void, bursting with dazzling, blinding brilliance. Within the depths of that light, mysterious symbols flickered and danced.
They intertwined, collided, and vanished, then were reborn in the void, cycling endlessly!
Obscure and unfathomable sounds of the Great Dao reverberated through the void, resembling celestial music and demonic whispers alike.
The giant rat at the center remained unmoved, except for its enormous, opened eyes, whose twin beams of divine light locked onto the great fish.
The fish began to transform without warning!
Its massive back split open with two terrifying cracks like abyssal ravines; moist, furry wings slowly unfurled from the wounds, carrying the dampness of primordial chaos.
Then, its head and torso twisted and metamorphosed, and two feet gradually formed from its abdomen!
Under Qin Yue’s breathless gaze, it transformed into a giant bird whose wings could cover the sky.
As it cried out to the heavens, the sound was not that of a common bird, but the pure music of the Great Dao.
The entire spiritual world of chaos echoed with its song!
Its rapidly shimmering wings stirred up an extraordinary spiritual storm in the chaotic world.
The aura it released was unparalleled in strength, and its level of life soared in that moment.
In a flash, Qin Yue "saw" a trace of satisfaction in the giant eyes of the Bronze Giant Rat at the center.
This was... the transformation of the Kun Fish into the Peng Bird!
Qin Yue’s soul was stirred: this world must have a mysterious connection across time and space with his homeland!
The brilliance of sage thought must have once enveloped this land, leaving indelible marks.
At this moment, he seemed to glimpse the path home through the mist.
Qin Yue immersed himself in contemplation, and his gains surpassed all imagination.
He finally understood why his path of cultivation had been so different from others since the beginning.
Though living among mortals, he cultivated the supreme immortal arts!
He had always known the fact, but now he finally grasped the deeper reason behind it!
—Cultivation is a journey of reversal.
It is the process of returning from the post-celestial to the primordial.
Indescribable insights surged in Qin Yue’s sea of spiritual consciousness, arising from both the restorative power of the Bronze Giant Rat and from the genuine illumination of his own cultivation journey.
Only by uniting knowledge and action can one truly comprehend the Dao!
With boundless joy, Qin Yue interpreted the "True Meaning of the Northern Sea."
In the Northern Sea there is a fish, called the Kun.
A fish swims in water; water belongs to the north, corresponding to the Kan trigram in the post-celestial Eight Trigrams. Kan has a yang line in the center, with yin lines above and below.
“Being” represents yang, so the Kun fish corresponds to the central yang line of Kan.
Transformed into a bird, it is called the Peng. The Peng bird spreads its wings and migrates to the Southern Sea.
The Southern Sea is in the south, corresponding to the Li trigram in the post-celestial Eight Trigrams. Li has a yin line in the center, with yang lines above and below.
When the Kun reaches the south, the northern fish is gone, and the yang line shifts to yin—a pure yin trigram, which is the primordial Kun trigram!
At this point, the Kan position of the Northern Sea has become Kun.
And the central yin line of the southern Li trigram, upon arrival of the northern fish, becomes yang—a pure yang trigram, which is the primordial Qian trigram!
Post-celestial Eight Trigrams: Kan occupies the true north, Li the true south. Primordial Eight Trigrams: Kun stands in the north, Qian in the south.
The Northern Sea Breathing Technique should truly be called the "Northern Sea Breathing Sutra"; its essence is a supreme method that transforms the practitioner from the post-celestial to the primordial!
Previously, Qin Yue had seen brief records about the Third Realm in ancient texts. Combining his own knowledge with the mysteries revealed by the Bronze Giant Rat at this moment, he suddenly realized: "Returning from post-celestial to primordial is the key to entering the Third Realm! I seem to have touched the core secret!"
In awe and excitement, Qin Yue continued to ponder: "Post-celestial transforms to primordial, Kan and Li become Qian and Kun, symbolizing the flow of yin and yang. Humans live by essence, qi, and spirit..."
That which is stored in the kidneys, existing as invisible energy, is the primordial essence, or original essence.
The qi inherited from parents is primordial qi, or original qi.
A state of extreme clarity and thoughtlessness is primordial spirit, or original spirit.
But as the years pass, the primordial essence, qi, and spirit within the body are gradually depleted, bit by bit becoming post-celestial substances.
"So, the only path to the Third Realm... is to elevate one’s essence, qi, and spirit!"
"Whether it be spiritual energy, life essence, or primordial spiritual energy, all serve this process."
At this moment, Qin Yue felt as if a bucket of wisdom had poured over him, clearing his soul.
He whispered, "According to the sages, to return from post-celestial to primordial, one must pass through three stages: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, and refining spirit into emptiness."
The Northern Sea corresponds to the lower dantian, which governs essence; the north corresponds to Kan, and Kan is water, water governs the kidneys.
When kidney qi is abundant, the original essence becomes inexhaustible—this is the refining of essence into qi!
The middle dantian governs qi; the refined qi gathers here and flows upward to the upper dantian, transforming qi into spirit and achieving the refining of spirit into emptiness.
Just as the fish of the Northern Sea transforms layer by layer into the Peng Bird.
When the original spirit is cultivated to the utmost, it nourishes the original qi and essence, allowing essence, qi, and spirit to circulate and balance. The body then returns from post-celestial to primordial, reaching the state where self and world are forgotten, completing the refining of spirit into emptiness.
At this point, Kan and Li of the post-celestial transform into Qian and Kun of the primordial; with Qian and Kun established, all things are balanced, and one can aspire to even higher realms—merging the void with the Dao!
The endless mysteries of the body's microcosm unfolded before him.
From the moment Qin Yue embarked on the path of cultivation, the presence of the bronze disc granted him immense spiritual power.
His primordial spirit was strengthened, enabling him to perform magical arts early in his practice.
Moreover, after that heavenly tribulation, he condensed a unique purple inner pill in his lower dantian; his kidney qi was far more abundant than ordinary people.
Previously, his cultivation had already connected the upper and lower dantian, lacking only the middle dantian. Now, that link was finally completed.
His essence, qi, and spirit, though not yet at the Third Realm, were infinitely close!
Gazing at the great Peng Bird in the world of the Giant Rat, Qin Yue was filled with emotion.
Most believe that fortune is hidden in ancient ruins or forbidden zones, such as the cauldron in his spiritual world.
But in truth, the greatest adventure may be dormant within oneself!
The human body contains the greatest secret in the world!
If one finds the right key to unlock the mysteries of the body, the rewards far surpass any external adventure.
Qin Yue felt deeply fortunate; had he not read the classics of the sages in another world, even with the help of the Giant Rat, his understanding would not have reached such heights.
His realm was still at the First Realm, and his strength at the Second, but his insight had already touched the Third!
Activating the Northern Sea Breathing Sutra once more, the great Peng gently flapped its wings; without relying on external aids, a vast amount of primordial spiritual energy surged from the earth and gathered in his body.
What was once only two pathways now split into a third, leading directly to the heart meridian, completing the previously missing link of refining qi into spirit.
Though the quantity had not increased, the quality far surpassed what had come before!
His foundation was once again solidified.
With the True Meaning of the Northern Sea, he absorbed and transformed nearly twice the primordial spiritual energy he had before!
His endurance now left other cultivators in the same realm in the dust; even when wielding magical arts, he could astonish those mighty ones of the Second Realm.
With the merging of the post-celestial and primordial Eight Trigram diagrams, the transformation of the Kun Fish into the Peng Bird had completely rewritten his cultivation path.
From the uncertain, step-by-step progress of the past, with the road ahead shrouded in mist, now a celestial staircase seemed to hang before his eyes!
Qin Yue's Dao heart grew ever more resolute and radiant!
“All the elders are to attend the meeting? In that case, the deaths of Sheng Lin, Xue Song, and the others will surely be impossible to conceal.”
He mused inwardly, a deep light flickering in his eyes.