A Pawn's Passage

In barehanded combat, when the opponent unleashed a punch, one had many options to counter—block, evade, or even take the hit, so long as a few key danger points were avoided.

But thrusting out a blade was different. When a blade sliced through the air, the entire arc became a killing edge. There was no way to block it or take the hit head-on. The only option was to dodge.

When Heavenly Beings fought, the outward display was far more complex, involving spells and mystical abilities. But the core logic was the same. If one Heavenly Being wielded a semi-immortal object while the other did not, the former would have the clear advantage, provided their strength, speed, and reflexes were equal. Even if the former was outnumbered two-to-one, the unarmed pair would still have to fight with caution.

If both sides had weapons, then it would be like a battlefield clash. Victory was based on numbers and coordination.

Dreaming Cloud, though outnumbered two to one, held his ground thanks to the semi-immortal weapon in his hand.

Just then, Qi Xuansu felt a breeze pass by. Someone appeared beside him—it was Madam Qi.

Since The Inn had sent reinforcements, the Qingping Society naturally had its own countermeasures. After all, if they lost Dreaming Cloud in this battle, it would be a disgrace. As the mastermind behind the operation, it was only fitting that Madam Qi personally oversaw their progress.

Yet her figure appeared faint and insubstantial, likely just a projected avatar, not her real body. This was a sly move, really—a half-hearted commitment to her duties. However, judging by everyone else’s reactions, it seemed they could not see Madam Qi at all.

That too was expected. Back at Zhenwu Temple, even Marshal Tianpeng of the Heavenly Court could not see Madam Qi and ended up being toyed with in her palm.

There were no lasting grudges between mother and son. Though she had recently slapped Qi Xuansu across space, she clearly bore no grudge since she had not suffered any loss from it.

If she ever wanted payback, there was no rush. Time was on her side. She could just wait until Qi Xuansu got rich to plot something.

Qi Xuansu’s meticulous and vengeful nature was partly innate and partly instilled by Madam Qi’s example. To this day, he had not realized that every time he inadvertently provoked her, she would not react immediately. Instead, she would quietly note it down and wait until he had money before striking, settling all accounts in one go.

Madam Qi did not make a move. She simply watched the battle with her head tilted up and remarked, “That brat Dreaming Cloud is quite fierce. Let him fight a little longer. When the time comes, I’ll make my move. Only then will it look sincere.”

Qi Xuansu silently grumbled to himself. With a “comrade” like Madam Qi, Dreaming Cloud is just plain unlucky.

Madam Qi added, “But if he runs into a mind cultivator, Dreaming Cloud’s aggressive attack will be of no use.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart stirred. Her remark felt out of place, making it seem like a baited hook. But Madam Qi never cast such bait without purpose, so he played along and asked, “Are there really mind cultivators in this world?”

Madam Qi explained, “There have always been two paths within the Daoist Order. One is strength cultivation, which requires no elaboration. Since ancient times, 99% of Daoists have taken that route. But there were once mind cultivators, too. They strove to pierce through all delusions and perspectives. As Heavenly Beings, strength cultivators merged their innate qi and magical power with heaven and earth to borrow its might. Mind cultivators, however, merged their minds with the heavens, becoming less and less like mortals, devoid of worldly presence. It’s said that the Taishang Emotionless Sutra was inspired by mind cultivators.

“Their techniques were also extraordinarily mystical. They could sense heaven’s will above and draw upon its power, or resonate with the hearts of people and borrow their minds. Strength cultivators could only draw on the earth’s power. Even when they drew on the human mind, it had to be transformed from faith and incense power into divine power first. Strength cultivator could draw on heavenly power too, but only by channeling their own strength as a catalyst. On the other hand, mind cultivators could align their minds and hearts with heaven’s will without restriction—the broader the mind, the greater the heavens.

“Mind cultivators also emphasized merit and karma. They believed cultivating the heart completed one’s inner cultivation, but one must also accumulate merit and avoid karma, which was outer cultivation. As for what constitutes merit or karma, that depended on heaven’s will. Once both were perfected, they would become Immortals. To put it simply, strength cultivation defies the heavens, but mind cultivation flows with heaven’s will.

“Strength cultivators care little for heaven’s will, forging their own paths. But mind cultivators obey heaven’s will at every turn, becoming instruments of heaven. Thus, strength cultivators face great calamities every 100 years, but mind cultivators are spared that. However, after attaining immortality, mind cultivators become one with the heavens, like lifeless statues, devoid of emotion or desire.

“In the end, strength cultivators are rejected by the mortal realm and must leave it. Meanwhile, mind cultivators become one with heaven and earth—unseen, absent, yet omnipresent.

“But in this day and age, mind cultivators no longer exist. On the surface, it’s because their path is too difficult and their threshold too high. A single moment of enlightenment could elevate a mortal to a Heavenly Being, but failing that, one would never advance. Moreover, as they became detached and emotionless in later stages, master-disciple transmission became nearly impossible. Without guidance from the past, it’s hard for successors to move forward. Unlike strength cultivators, they could not compensate with external aids. Add merit and karma restrictions to the mix, it comes as no surprise that mind cultivation becomes extinct.”

Qi Xuansu took it all in, then blinked and said, “So mind cultivators went extinct ages ago, like all those mythical beasts.”

Madam Qi’s expression did not change. She said nothing, clearly showing her displeasure at Qi Xuansu’s lack of cooperation.

Qi Xuansu quickly followed up, “So that’s the surface reason. What about the root cause?”

Only then did Madam Qi continue, “The root cause lies in the fact that heaven and earth have grown increasingly real and rigid, leaving no room for those who model heaven’s will with their own minds. Strength cultivators fared a bit better. Even after the extinction of mind cultivators, they managed to endure another millennium, but now, even they are nearing the end in the mortal realm, facing the final judgment.”

Qi Xuansu found that last term a little awkward. He was pretty sure Madam Qi had read some Western-style novels, too.

Come to think of it, he had an old classmate who wrote storybooks. He wondered how that friend was doing lately.

While thinking this, he still played along. “Madam Qi, are you talking about the end of the era?”

“Yes, that’s the one. Do you know what it is?” Madam Qi asked.

“No,” Qi Xuansu replied honestly with a shake of his head, though he was inwardly puzzled. Of course, he wanted to know more, but what was Madam Qi’s reason for bringing this up out of nowhere?

Madam Qi began her explanation, “Back in the day, the Holy Xuan led a host of Sages to ascend Yuxu Mountain. Jade Capital appeared again in the mortal realm, and God Luwu manifested to answer the Holy Xuan’s questions.

“God Luwu said, that which has form arises from the formless, so from where did Heaven and Earth come? This is where the Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, and Taisu periods come into play. Taiyi is when qi has not yet emerged. Taichu is the birth of qi. Taishi is the manifestation of form. Taisu is the origin of substance. Simply put, the path from Taiyi to Taisu is one from void to substance. Taiyi is void, Taisu is form—this is the inevitable path of the mortal realm’s development.

“During the Taiyi, Taichu, and Taishi periods, the mortal realm was still unstable, making it easy to construct pocket dimensions. The earlier the period, the easier it was. By the Taisu period, creating a dimension had become very difficult, with their scale rarely exceeding a single city. Beyond that is the Taiji period, where such realms shrink further and become harder to build.

“We are in the Taiji period, when the mortal realm has become increasingly solid and real. Forget building new pocket realms; even the old ones are failing. It’s an inevitable trend for these realms to merge with the human realm. Kunlun Cave was the first to merge, though it has only landed and not yet taken root. Only parts of Kunlun and the Wuxing Cave have manifested. Most still remain in their pocket realm. This transformation will take nearly a thousand years. After that, other ancient paradises will begin to descend one by one.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart stirred. Could this be the reason the Three Yin Beings of the Ghost Kingdom were so anxious about the future?

Madam Qi went on. “Mind cultivators and pocket realms follow the same logic. When the mortal world was still unsettled, it was like a newly established court, with rough laws that were full of loopholes. Even emperors had to lead by example, so heaven’s will was visible. At that time, mind cultivators could naturally match their minds to heaven’s will. But as the world stabilized, loopholes were gradually patched, and heaven’s will became obscured, like an emperor hidden deep in the palace. Mind cultivators could no longer reach heaven’s will and thus vanished.”

Qi Xuansu frowned. “So you’re saying the end of the era has to do with changes in the mortal realm?”

Madam Qi nodded. “The Holy Xuan once gave a comparison that the change in the mortal realm is like forging a sword.

“In the beginning, a block of iron is smelted into molten metal. Since liquid has no fixed shape, it can be molded at will. This is the Taiyi period.

“Then, the molten iron begins to cool and solidify, though not completely. It remains soft enough to be reshaped with a hammer. This corresponds to the Taichu and Taishi periods.

“Later, it cools completely and becomes a hardened sword, difficult to alter. Forcing it may even break the blade. This is the Taisu and Taiji periods.

“As for reforging earth, water, fire, and wind to recreate the world, that would be akin to melting the sword back into molten iron.

“After thousands of years of transformation, the mortal realm has fully ‘cooled’ from molten iron to forged sword. Its form became fixed and unchangeable. Thus, the world grows increasingly real, and the Dao fades from sight.

“By the end of the Taiji period, the world will consist solely of absolute reality, leaving no room for even a shred of illusion. Since magic is the art of making falsehoods real, this ushers in the Degenerate Age.

“At the same time, all the paradises will descend one by one, merging into the mortal world. This process can be seen as a final flare of brilliance before the death of spells and mystical powers. It means that just before the end of the era, many Immortals will appear in the world, and the number of Heavenly Beings will surge, though not all will be of good quality.”