Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Divine Capital.

Observing Immortals Pavilion.

This was the tallest building in Anle Workshop, situated right next to the Yuqu River that flowed through the Divine Capital. Looking down, one could see boats, horse-drawn carriages, and the bustling Marketplace.

Qingfeng and Ming Yue were burning incense and brewing tea to the side.

Zhu Ju lay on a plush chair near the window, letting the gentle breeze caress his face. He looked utterly comfortable and relaxed.

Far from the oppressive Yunjing Island, free from the ever-present dangers, it had been a long time since he’d been so at ease.

”Master.”

Ming Yue spoke in her crisp voice, ”The tea is ready.”

”Mm.” Zhu Ju opened his eyes, looking at the two children pouring tea. ”In the blink of an eye,” he said slowly, ”you’ve both grown up.”

The two children, who once had delicate features, were now growing into their looks and taking on the appearance of young teenagers.

”I’ve been away for a long time. Have you been keeping up with your studies?”

”Master,” Qingfeng replied, bowing respectfully. ”We always finish the assignments you give us on time. Elder Huang is here to supervise.”

”That’s right,” Ming Yue added with a nod. ”Elder Huang has a terrible temper, so we wouldn’t dare leave anything unfinished.”

”Heh...” Zhu Ju chuckled lightly. ”Then let me test you. ’Wuu City holds the Divine Blade, Tianzhao swallows the green peak. Changhe overlooks the Dan Well, Yunmen rises steep and bleak.’ What comes next?”

”’Seven Non-Communication Qi Cover, Lianwan where Demons appear. Six Heavens North Path lies across, the home of Ghost Gods is here,’” Qingfeng answered with his hands clasped. ”It’s from the Seven Secret Clouds of the Secret Manual.”

Beside him, Ming Yue blinked, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. A blush crept up her pretty face.

Compared to her senior brother Qingfeng, she was more fond of eating and playing. Though she always completed her assignments, her fundamentals were inevitably not as solid as his.

”Ming Yue.”

Zhu Ju raised his wine cup and asked, ”What are the Three Souls?”

”I know this one!” Ming Yue’s spirits lifted as she replied, ”The Three Souls are: one, the Fetal Light, which is the Qi of the Great Purity’s Yang Harmony; two, the Refined Spirit, which is a transformation of Yin Qi; and three, the Hidden Essence, which is a mixture of Yin Qi.”

”They are also known as the Celestial Soul, the Earth Soul, and the Human Soul.”

”The Celestial Soul is born of the Innate, carried by the living and returning to heaven and earth upon death. The Earth Soul belongs to the bloodline, born of flesh and blood and returning to the ancestral tomb upon death. The Human Soul is the vessel of Cause and Effect, born of human relationships and returning to the great unknown upon death...”

”Not bad.” Zhu Ju nodded. ”It’s good that you remember it all.”

”Master,” Ming Yue asked, tilting her head. ”Do people really have souls?”

”Of course they do.” Zhu Ju smiled, waving a sleeve to open the door and gesturing for Hai Pig Jiaoru to enter. He continued, ”The Daoist Scriptures speak of internal phenomena, which are difficult for ordinary people to perceive.”

”Take the Three Souls you just mentioned. The Celestial Soul is ethereal and untraceable, so we won’t discuss it, but the Earth Soul resides in the ancestral spirit tablet.”

”Legend has it that in the Ancient Era, souls were visible. After a person died, their Earth Soul would attach to their spirit tablet, which led to many amusing incidents.”

Zhu Ju sat up straight and said, ”There was once an unfaithful wife who had an affair and gave birth to a child. When the illegitimate son kowtowed to his ’father’s’ spirit tablet, the soul of a butcher came to enjoy the offerings. Only then did the world learn that the child was the product of the wife’s affair with the butcher.”

”Ah!”

Qingfeng and Ming Yue were dumbfounded and a little embarrassed. Such a story was far too scandalous for them.

”As for the Human Soul, it is sent to the Underworld to be rewarded or punished based on the merits and demerits of its life,” Zhu Ju explained. ”Whether one suffers torment in the Underworld or is reincarnated depends on the actions they took in life.”

Many stories about the Underworld circulated among the common folk.

”Master,” Qingfeng asked, blinking. ”Is it still like that now?”

”No.” Zhu Ju shook his head. ”Perhaps something went wrong somewhere. The Three Souls and Seven Spirits still exist, but the old rules of heaven and earth have changed.”

He was certain of this.

After advancing to the Dao Foundation and connecting with his Soul, many secrets of the Cultivation Realm had gradually been revealed to him.

’The Three Souls and Seven Spirits are real, but the Underworld... doesn’t exist! It might have existed in the past, but it certainly doesn’t now.’

”Oh...” Ming Yue pursed her lips.

”You don’t believe me?” Zhu Ju asked with a smile.

”No,” Ming Yue said, shaking her head. ”I just don’t think it’s very useful.”

To her, reciting Daoist Scriptures and classical texts day after day—all those convoluted and archaic passages—was pure torture and utterly useless.

”Heh...” Zhu Ju chuckled. ”Your Cultivation is insufficient, so you don’t understand the benefits of these things yet. You will naturally come to understand in the future.”

”Nothing I teach you is useless. For now, you just need to remember it.”

”That’s right.” From the side, Hai Pig Jiaoru nodded in agreement. ”Daoist Ziju may not be one of those world-renowned seniors of the Daoist Sects, but his knowledge is profound and unfathomable. It’s your good fortune to be his disciples. Others couldn’t ask for such an opportunity even if they begged.”

”Daoist.”

”Your saber is forged.”

The scabbard was pitch-black, and the hilt had the texture of a palm print. It was the perfect size to grip, as if custom-made.

Zhu Ju gripped the hilt and suddenly drew the saber.

SHIING!

The blade sang softly as a watery gleam of saber light flashed past. The teacup on the table split silently in two.

”A fine saber!” Zhu Ju sighed softly. ”But its edge is too exposed. It doesn’t quite suit my personality.”

As he spoke, he gently stroked the blade with one hand. The blade, which had been glinting with a cold light, suddenly dimmed as its divine glow drew inward.

’An Exotic Treasure!’

After absorbing the Source Stone, the Cross and Vertical Saber’s grade had risen, turning it into an Exotic Treasure.

It was equivalent to a Magical Treasure in the Main World.

The only difference was that an Exotic Treasure could not be integrated into the body through Refinement and could only be carried.

Zhu Ju sheathed the saber, a subtle change flickering across his expression. ’If this saber had been forged two months earlier,’ he thought, ’I wouldn’t have been in such a sorry state on Yunjing Island.’

”Look!” a cheer came from the next room. ”The Black and White Heroes are here!”

On the Yuqu River, a small boat came swaying into view.

A man and a woman stood at the prow. The man was dressed in black and was strikingly handsome; the woman was dressed in white and was stunningly beautiful.

The two carried a saber and a sword on their backs respectively, and their bearing was extraordinary. They were none other than the Black and White Heroes who had become famous throughout the land in recent years.

”Black Saber Fu Feizhou and White Sword Shenn Wan. Longyun Valley hasn’t had a successor emerge in nearly a hundred years, and then they send out two chosen ones at once.”