Chapter Three: Gathering and Replenishment
How to gather spiritual energy!
This is a major challenge in cultivation—many practitioners spend their entire lives without even finding the threshold.
Xu Zhong thought long and hard through the night, but could grasp nothing. It was only at dawn, when the rooster crowed, that he finally drifted into a hazy sleep.
As always, the little fox leaped onto his chest.
But unlike before, Xu Zhong no longer experienced those wondrous cultivation visions in his dreams.
His breathing was steady, but lacked any discernible rhythm; he inhaled and exhaled, yet could not draw in spiritual energy from the outside world.
The little fox understood—Xu Zhong’s heart was restless.
“When the heart-mirror is tainted by dust, it is no longer a heart-mirror.”
Only a heart as clear as a mirror can reflect the true self and perceive the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth.
So the little fox hopped down from Xu Zhong’s chest. “When he wakes tomorrow, I’ll give him a few more pointers to repay his kindness in teaching me the method!”
With no one to lean on by Xu Zhong’s side, it trotted over to Shi Xiao.
At that moment, Shi Xiao was absorbing the moon’s essence to nourish his corporeal soul.
The moon’s essence nourishes the corporeal soul; yang energy nurtures the ethereal soul.
The ethereal soul is the foundation, establishing vitality; the corporeal soul clings to it, like branches to a trunk, representing the seven human emotions and desires.
A corporeal soul without an ethereal soul is like a rootless tree.
Shi Xiao, having become a spirit from a corpse, possessed only the corporeal soul but no ethereal soul.
This was because the original owner’s soul still lingered.
Without the ethereal soul, wisdom cannot arise.
Every attempt to learn came at great cost, for each new insight consumed much of his strength—his every bit of wisdom stemmed from the lingering trace of spirit left by the body’s original owner.
At this moment, in the little fox’s eyes, Shi Xiao could not truly be called a cultivator—his body possessed a realm, but he could not wield it.
His cultivation was wild and unruly; with each breath, he could draw in the moon’s essence from fifteen hundred miles around in Yangshuo. Yet, in truth, he was able to absorb only the smallest fraction.
The moon’s essence poured ceaselessly into the cave, illuminating it with a brilliant glow.
The little fox quickly settled into meditation and began gathering energy.
Its speed was nowhere near Xu Zhong’s; wisdom was the limiting factor.
The same cultivation method will yield different results depending on aptitude, but aptitude is not everything—wisdom is just as crucial.
One’s understanding of the method shapes their approach to cultivation; with sufficient wisdom, one can compensate for lacking aptitude.
The little fox entered meditation to gather energy, while Xu Zhong also slipped into meditation.
Moonlight submerged his body, entering the niwan through the Heavenly Gate, Hundred Meetings, and Jade Pillow acupoints.
The niwan remained in primordial chaos, but with the influx of moon’s essence, a hint of color began to bloom.
His soul and spirit manifested—the seven corporeal souls stirred, sweeping through his form, while the three ethereal souls assumed their stations: the Heavenly Soul stood above, bearing the mandate of Heaven and manifesting karma; the Human Soul dwelled within, embodying wisdom and consciousness; the Earthly Soul rested below, connecting to the underworld and embodying vitality.
Upon death, the Heavenly Soul is the first to dissipate, becoming karma and consequence, dragging down the Human and Earthly Souls.
Afterward, the underworld manifests, and the soul-collectors escort the Earthly Soul away.
Without the Heavenly and Earthly Souls, the Human Soul cannot linger in the mortal realm, for there is insufficient karmic tether.
If karma is sufficient, however, the soul may remain as a wandering ghost until the burden finally dissolves and it returns to nothingness.
Since Xu Zhong had not yet opened the niwan, he naturally could not perceive his three souls and seven corporeal essences.
Yet, as his soul and spirit bathed in the moon’s essence, his wisdom grew and his senses sharpened.
For him, this was undoubtedly a great stroke of fortune.
It was as if a master of the “Riding the Things” realm was personally tempering his soul and spirit.
…
Xu Zhong woke in agony.
His head throbbed as if struck by a massive hammer.
He clutched his head, confused about what had transpired.
Opening his eyes, he found himself seemingly adrift in a vast ocean, surrounded by surging points of light that undulated like waves.
“Is this... the essence of the sun?”
Each point radiated an immense, terrifying energy, as if the power of the sun itself had been infinitely compressed within.
It seemed Shi Xiao had not returned yet and was gathering the sun’s essence.
Some fifty paces away, the little fox was also sidling up to Shi Xiao to steal a bit of that solar energy.
He tried to approach the sea of firefly-like light, imitating the little fox in hopes of absorbing some of the sun’s essence.
A fox imitating a human’s meditation posture was both comical and strange.
Yet, as it breathed, its body became a great vortex, devouring all the surrounding sun’s essence, which was ceaselessly sent by its blood to the heart.
The heart grew bright and scorching, like a giant furnace built upon the earth’s veins, refining the gathered sun’s essence as if it were fine steel and returning the energy to the bloodstream.
Gradually, pure sun’s essence flowed in the bloodstream, winding through the other vital gateways of the body.
Impurities were expelled from these gateways; once the blockages were cleared, the sun’s essence flowed into the dantian.
So this was the wondrous use of the Solar Storehouse—cleansing the meridians and refining the marrow, enhancing one’s aptitude!
What then of the other hidden storehouses—what marvels might they hold?
Xu Zhong was enthralled. “Cultivation is far more fascinating than reading books!”
So, he sat cross-legged and attempted to practice as the little fox did, collecting sun’s essence into his heart.
But though he could see it, closing his eyes he could not sense it.
Just as the little fox had said, his heart-mirror was clouded; he could not reflect his true nature.
Unable to sense, he could not absorb.
Xu Zhong reasoned: since blood could carry the sun’s essence, perhaps there was a similar, kindred spiritual energy already within the blood, sharing a common origin with the sun’s essence—hence, the ability to merge.
“If I cannot gather energy from the outside, why not gather it from within?”
Xu Zhong was always a man of action over words.
He stopped trying to sense the external sun’s essence, instead turning his attention inward.
Inhaling and exhaling, he felt a strange emptiness, his spirit drifting as though walking beyond the nine heavens.
Looking within, Xu Zhong witnessed his body’s transformation.
His body was like a starry dome; the acupoints were stars, true energy flickering among them like starlight. His organs were like palaces, the channels of blood and energy like great avenues.
But the stars were dim, the palaces veiled in cobwebs—only at his heart did a brilliant light shine.
That was the Solar Storehouse he had opened; those dim stars were the acupoints clogged with impurities.
The more impurities, the more the flow of vitality stagnated.
To seek longevity, one must expel the turbid qi from within.
Xu Zhong focused on his blood and energy, capturing the spiritual energy within and sending it ceaselessly to his heart.
The heart devoured the energy, radiating beams of divine light, which illuminated the starry firmament, cleansing the dim stars outside his heart.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
But in the next instant, a plump paw slapped Xu Zhong’s face, snapping him out of his practice.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed, do you realize that?” The little fox was beside itself with rage, forgetting in the moment that it was speaking in human tongue.
“I…” Even uttering one word was a struggle. Only now did Xu Zhong realize how weak he had become—breathing alone was difficult, let alone speaking.
His eyes darted over his body.
He saw then just how gaunt he had become.
His skin was shriveled, clinging to his bones; the flesh between skin and bone seemed all but gone. At this moment, Xu Zhong resembled a walking skeleton, exactly like those mortals in old tales who are drained by demons.
“Thank heavens I caught you in time—or you would have drained yourself to death.” The little fox spat out a green bead that glowed with a gentle light.
The bead circled over Xu Zhong, trailing green energy that sank into his body.
This was her demon core—the manifestation of her cultivation.
Bathed in its light, Xu Zhong could clearly feel himself healing.
When the little fox swallowed the bead again, Xu Zhong could barely speak.
“What… exactly… happened?” Each word left him gasping for air.
“You were drained.” The little fox rolled its eyes at him. “Whether man or demon, blood and energy are potent medicine, greatly boosting one’s cultivation.”
“That’s why some take the crooked path—practicing by draining others’ essence. Those who are drained are called ‘furnaces.’”
“Some cultivators are kind and take only a little at a time, so the victim just falls gravely ill. If their family is wealthy, they might afford doctors and spiritual medicine and recover in a year or two. If not, they might last ten years, maybe eight, and die—still considered a merciful end.”
“Others are wicked—devouring all the blood and energy in one go, killing the victim outright.”
“Still, this is the first time I’ve heard of someone draining their own essence!” The little fox circled Xu Zhong, making sure his injuries had stabilized.
“Your cultivation did improve, but pity me—I lost a year’s worth of my own cultivation.”
The little fox had only cultivated for three years—losing a third was a heavy blow.
“Don’t be so reckless again.” The little fox pressed a paw to its brow, sighing deeply as it advised Xu Zhong, “But I blame myself as well.”
“If I’d been smarter from the start, you wouldn’t have embarked on the path of cultivation.”
“But that was my opportunity!” Xu Zhong finally recovered his breath.
At first, the little fox was ignorant, its mind childlike, its every action simple and obvious—even a fool could see its intentions.
The little fox would point to the characters, he’d explain, record, and eventually, a method of cultivation took shape in his mind. Yet when he first tried to practice, he achieved nothing, assuming it was a demon’s method, only suitable for monsters—never realizing the true issue was his own heart-mirror, clouded while awake.
“But what exactly is going on here?”
Around him, the sun’s essence only grew denser, until even a breath would send stabbing pain through his head.
“Shi Xiao became a spirit from a corpse—he has the corporeal soul but lacks the ethereal soul. I think he’s trying to absorb the sun’s essence, refine his corporeal soul into an ethereal one, and secure his footing in this body.”
“What does that mean?” Xu Zhong was clever, but having never truly entered the world of cultivation, he was confused.
The little fox took the time to explain the nature of soul and spirit.
“Without that trace of original spirit, he could never refine the corporeal into the ethereal soul. With it, he can attach the seven corporeal souls to that spark, absorb the sun’s essence, and turn yin to yang.” The little fox saw the eager light in Xu Zhong’s eyes and poured out all its wisdom, but could only explain so much, finally pausing. “In short, it’s a mystery—an arcane method that can’t be summed up in a few words.”
“Perhaps this is the marvel of the ‘Riding the Things’ realm.”
“And so, ‘let the mind wander by riding the things, nourish the center through what cannot be avoided, and you will reach perfection.’” That was a line from Zhuangzi.
“To harness thought and spirit, to follow the workings of heaven and earth—that is to ride the things!” Xu Zhong recited unconsciously.
“So that’s what ‘riding the things’ means!” His words were overheard by Shi Xiao, who had just walked in. He seemed to be pondering the meaning behind those words, then asked, “Then what do the Five Luminaries, Guarding the One, and Preserving the True mean?”