Chapter Fifty-Two: The Interplay of Reality and Illusion

Heaven’s will is the will of the people.

The Way of Heaven is the manifestation of divine intent, two lotus blossoms growing from the same stem.

Intent is thought.

Yet thoughts are both good and evil.

When all living beings lift their gaze to the heavens, their thoughts are imprinted through their eyes upon the world between heaven and earth.

But thoughts are dual-natured, both light and dark, the two faces of yin and yang.

Perhaps, the first demon was born from the heart of man, yet not from man himself.

Xu Zhong was still Xu Zhong.

But he knew now that he had become a host for the Way of Heaven.

His inner demon had drawn the gaze of the heavens; that gaze fell upon him, calling forth the will of heaven, which took root within his body.

The White Tiger gazed at Xu Zhong, its aura growing ever heavier, as if it might awaken at any moment and rise in a frenzy of slaughter.

The Xiezhi assumed that the demonic thoughts within Xu Zhong had provoked the White Tiger’s displeasure, so he plucked a scale and refined it into a mirror.

“Your demonic thoughts run too deep. Even I cannot dispel them,” he said, his divine horn flying back into his hand, then vanishing into his brow.

“This object is called the Mirror of Illumined Heart. It can suppress the demons within you.”

Illumined—light, brightness. Illumined Heart, a direct reflection of one’s state of mind.

Xu Zhong, half convinced, took up the mirror. Instantly, the demonic thoughts seemed to vanish. The White Tiger, bereft of its target, closed its eyes.

The inner demon was not gone; it had merely hidden itself, rooted deep within his heart.

Perhaps only when Xu Zhong could face the heavens without a trace of fear could he uproot his inner demon.

“Perhaps my friend Bai Ze can help alleviate your heart’s demons,” Xiezhi mused after a pause.

Bai Ze, famed for understanding the feelings of all creatures, knowing the ways of ghosts and gods, and for dispelling evil—was called an auspicious beast.

“Not needed?” That voice echoed in Xu Zhong’s mind. His throat worked as he forced back the words that nearly escaped his lips.

“I truly have become a host for the Way of Heaven,” Xu Zhong thought, troubled. When Xiezhi made his offer, he readily agreed.

He glanced at the White Tiger, first offering an apology, then retrieved a dragon crystal from his storage pouch and handed it to the golden-furred Hound whose tail he had severed.

“A misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding,” he said with a smile that, along with those words, sent a chill through the Hound’s fur. The creature hastily twisted its rump, instinctively clutching its own tail.

Xu Zhong felt a touch of embarrassment, then reached out to erase the lingering sword intent, and with a sigh, withdrew.

“Bai Ze has gone to contemplate the Divine Egg of the Yellow Dragon,” Xiezhi said, summoning a cloud.

Xu Zhong looked back at Dun Xuan and the others. “Will you stay here or…?”

The three considered. With the Black Mountain Demon’s blade hanging over their heads, ready to fall at any moment, their only hope of survival before meeting a powerful ally of their own was to cling to Xu Zhong.

Xu Zhong could not perform such spells, but he borrowed a gust of wind.

Riding the wind, his speed was not slow, though changing direction required him to alter the wind’s course, stepping onto each new current like a surfer riding the tide—troublesome compared to the art of summoning clouds, which responded to one’s thoughts.

He looked back.

Bai Heng rode the clouds in pursuit.

“You’re heading to the Central Golden Terrace as well?” Xu Zhong asked.

Bai Heng nodded. Though they had fought before, that did not make them mortal enemies.

“The Yellow Dragon dwells at the center, commanding the four directions. When we fought, you exposed a weakness in my White Tiger Seven Mansions,” he said after a moment’s thought. “The virtue of fertile earth is to bear all things, to govern the four corners. My arts lack this inclusiveness and governance. I believe I can learn it from the Yellow Dragon.”

Xu Zhong’s memory replayed their duel.

The essence of Bai Heng’s White Tiger Seven Mansions lay in transformation, but too much change without governance led to chaos. That was how Xu Zhong found his chance to turn the tide and borrow the power of starlight.

If Bai Heng could, amidst all his transformations, also wield the power to govern yin, yang, and the five elements, then even Xu Zhong’s sword intent, no matter how resonant with the stars, would be unable to borrow their force.

Just like the drums he conjured from the energies of Geng Metal and Xin Metal—unyielding, able to sweep away sword energy with a single beat.

“I see that your swordsmanship contains two distinct sword paths, and your sword energy as well contains both kinds of metal qi. Perhaps you, too, can learn from the Yellow Dragon Divine Egg—melding your two sword paths, your dual metal energies into one,” Bai Heng continued.

Xu Zhong’s heart stirred.

He had blazed his own trail in cultivation—why not do the same in swordsmanship?

“Your White Tiger Seven Mansions lacks not only the force of governance, but also a touch of spirit!” Xu Zhong added, picking up the thread.

Bai Heng was struck by this—he had never noticed such a flaw.

He humbly asked for guidance.

Xu Zhong answered with a sly smile. “You are a scion of the White Tiger, surely your understanding of metal qi runs deep.”

“You are an intriguing man,” Bai Heng laughed. “Come, step onto my cloud.”

Xu Zhong leapt up beside him.

They began to exchange insights.

“The White Tiger Seven Mansions is rich in transformation, but lacks spirit because you are shackled by form,” Xu Zhong said.

This art was named for the seven mansions: Kui, Lou, Wei, Mao, Bi, Shen, Zi—seven constellations.

His technique followed their sequence and transformation.

“Why not abandon the form and keep only the spirit?” Xu Zhong suggested.

Bai Heng felt as if enlightenment had been poured over his head. Behind him, the phantom of the White Tiger appeared, endlessly shifting through the five elements and the dualities of yin and yang. Taking the real and the illusory as his foundation, he split a single art into two.

The real aspect was the Seven Mansions; the illusory, the transformations based on the Seven Mansions. Stripping away the form and keeping only the spirit, the White Tiger could shift constantly—into Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, Yellow Dragon, and more.

“What astonishing insight,” Xu Zhong thought, surprised.

He had no way of knowing that the tall Bai Heng before him was only eight years old, nor that he had been sealed for a thousand years, his body and mind nourished by rare treasures.

Born close to the Dao, Bai Heng’s perception far surpassed those who, like Xu Zhong, had honed their wisdom through a lifetime of study.

“Hide the illusory within the real.” The illusory aspect concealed under the real—should an opponent focus only on the real, death would come in an instant.

Xu Zhong was startled. Had he faced such a move before, it would have been he who fell to a borrowed force.

After a while, Bai Heng began to share his own insights into the dual energies of Geng Metal and Xin Metal.

In sum: Geng Metal and Xin Metal are the changes of yin and yang.

Geng is yang, Xin is yin.

All things bear yin and embrace yang, and the mingling of energies brings harmony.

“Heaven seeks earth and returns to the depths, its yang bearing yin and rising; earth seeks heaven and returns above, its yin embracing yang and descending,” Xu Zhong mused.

Yin and yang are in constant flux.

They must merge through the breath of life.

And where does this breath come from?

Xu Zhong pondered, then burst out laughing.

“It is the One!”

No matter how yin and yang shift, holding fast to the One allows mastery over all transformation and the governance of the five elements, remaining unmoved within.

One thought gives rise to countless others.

At that moment, Xu Zhong unlocked the secret vault of the Earth Star.

He had grasped the mystery of holding to the One.

His being changed in accordance with this insight.

Qi is the One.

If foundation is the base, holding to the One is the cornerstone.

The foundation must be solid, but the cornerstone ensures the edifice stands unshaken.

Xu Zhong’s twin sword intents surged about him—Stellar River Sword Path, radiant with starlight; Great River Sword Path, waves sweeping all before them.

He stood amidst these two sword paths, unmoving through all ages.

“The sword path, like the sword itself, is but a tool,” Xu Zhong laughed. “What matters is the heart of the sword.”

With the heart as the One, the Stellar River and Great River paths became the transformations of yin and yang.

“The sword has two faces, and so must the sword path.”

Here, faces refer not to the edges but to the two sides of the blade.

There are three types of swords: four-edged, six-edged, eight-edged—thus the names Eight-faced Divine Sword, Six-faced Divine Sword.

But Xu Zhong spoke of the blade’s sides.

With the One, he commanded yin and yang.

In an instant, the two sword paths merged into one—a single blade.

“He has learned the art of real and illusory transformation from my White Tiger Seven Mansions,” Bai Heng realized, seeing the path in Xu Zhong’s swordsmanship.

“He treats the Great River Sword Intent as the earthly projection of the Stellar River Sword Intent, the two shifting places like light and shadow,” Bai Heng exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Like the play of light and shadow.”

When the light appears, so does the shadow.

“He is a genius!”

Xu Zhong slowly awoke.

With a finger for a blade, he thrust forth.

Three hundred miles of sword energy surged like a mighty river—no more division between great river and stellar river, just a river.

The sword force was unstoppable, piercing the clouds and sending the immortal cranes scattering, their feathers falling like snow.

“Congratulations, friend, on your mastery of the sword!” Bai Heng saluted.

Xu Zhong had found his own way.

“There’s no need for such formality, Brother Bai. Without you, I could not have reached this step.”

The two exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter.

On the cloud, their conversation continued, verifying their understanding.

Xu Zhong even spoke of his intention to create a unique path of cultivation.

“Indeed!” Bai Heng stroked his chin. “Those who created the arts of old did so based on their own natures. As they were passed down, disciples adapted them to their own constitutions. Thus, over generations, techniques became more universally applicable.”

“But what is suitable is not always what fits best.”

“So one must build on the old to create a method suited to oneself.”

Tradition cannot be unchanging. Only by keeping pace with the times can it endure.

It is through such change that each generation surpasses the last.

After considering, Bai Heng offered his insights.

Xu Zhong borrowed some of them, refining his own path.

Through understanding the secret of holding to the One, he unlocked the Earth Star’s secret vault.

The Earth Star’s secret vault bore all things and governed the five elements.

Xu Zhong’s five stars within were not yet fully awakened, and the power of the Earth Star’s vault was not yet revealed.

This vault made little demand of the body.

Xu Zhong needed only to gather and strengthen his qi—when he unlocked the Water Star’s vault and could fully seal his vital energy, he could then develop the Earth Star’s vault as the center, harmonizing the five elements within, creating a cycle of mutual generation and restraint. Then, with the One, he could grasp the cycle, and seize the undying spiritual light.

His path now led to the realm of the One.

At that moment, the Central Golden Terrace came into view.

They ended their discussion and descended together toward Xiezhi and the others.

“When did you and Bai Heng grow so close?” Dun Xuan whispered.

“Just now, I suppose?” Xu Zhong replied offhandedly.

“Is Bai Heng really so approachable?” Dun Xuan wondered.

Unlike them, Bai Heng was a true genius of the White Tiger clan—a chosen one.

They were stuck at the Five Stars realm due to lack of talent.

Bai Heng lingered in the same realm to perfect his foundation. Had he chosen, he could have used his thousand years of accumulated power to break through long ago, instead of using it to strengthen his core.

Most astonishing of all—he was only eight.

Eight by human years.

Among the long-lived gods, eight years was but a shade longer than eight days.

Dun Xuan wanted to befriend Bai Heng, but hesitated.

“The Way of Heaven!” Xu Zhong’s gaze rose as a Yellow Dragon soared into the sky, roaring in fury.

“Another vision?” Xu Zhong muttered.

“The Yellow Dragon has awakened?” Bai Heng’s voice was full of surprise.

It was no illusion.

The dragon flew straight toward Xu Zhong.

Beneath it, countless qi cultivators gathered their belongings and fled. Xu Zhong’s sharp eyes spotted one transform into a Bai Ze, riding a cloud, crossing a hundred yards in an instant—far faster than on two legs, leaving the others in the dust.

That must be Xiezhi’s friend.

“Way of Heaven, meet your end!”