Chapter 68: Attaining the Way—Becoming a Primordial Grandmaster!
Chapter 68: Attaining the Innate True Sage!
Luofeng spent another hour carefully rearranging all his methods and defenses, ensuring everything was foolproof before commencing the ritual to ascend to the innate realm.
He began by bowing to Heaven and Earth, expressing gratitude for the birth of all things and his own existence. Next, he made obeisance to the Three Pure Ones, bringing forth the portraits of the Supreme Dao Ancestor, the Primordial Heavenly Lord, and the Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Lord. Most of his learning had come from the Daoist tradition, and he walked the path of the Dao.
After bathing and clearing his mind, he performed a grand salute, secretly praying for the protection of the Three Pure Ones so that his breakthrough would succeed. He also wrote a petition, including his name, address, the world he resided in, and the time of his impending breakthrough. After burning it, he bowed again to the Three Pure Ones.
Finally, he honored all living beings, offering a salute to the eastern lands, acknowledging the aid of humanity’s fortune. When the rituals ended, Luofeng felt as though a great weight had lifted from his heart.
Though he was not certain these actions would be effective, he thought, “It costs nothing; one might as well believe a little. What if it helps?” Beneficial acts that cost nothing are the path to self-preservation.
Heaven has three treasures: sun, moon, stars. Humanity has three treasures: essence, energy, spirit.
Luofeng cultivated the ancestral energy breathing technique, refined his energy, gathered all defensive divine powers of the world, refined his essence, passed through three tribulations to become pure yang, and refined his spirit.
His golden body, his breathing, his innate soul—these three entered the dantian, the crimson palace, the spiritual platform.
In an instant, Luofeng felt clear-headed and refreshed beyond measure. If the sage’s moment was a level one state, Luofeng now was at level ten. It was no longer merely unity of man and heaven; now it was as if Heaven itself poured directly into his mind.
A genuine smile bloomed on his face, pure joy untainted by any impurity.
In the void, three lotus flowers appeared, overlapping in twelve layers, forming a single thirty-six-petaled green lotus. The green lotus was lush and vibrant, brimming with the aura of creation. As Luofeng settled into its center, the thirty-six petals slowly closed, nurturing the birth of an innate being.
If he emerged, he would be reborn as an innate being. If not, after hundreds or thousands of years, he would become a celestial herb.
Time is a mysterious thing, impossible to define. Perhaps only the lofty Heavenly Lords, those who shattered the Main God Space, could master such subtle power.
Outside, only an instant had passed, but within the lotus, Luofeng seemed to experience a primordial chaos.
Before him was a haze—no up, no down, no before, no after. Only Luofeng’s thoughts and movements remained.
A thought arose.
“Who am I?!”
“Where am I?!”
“What am I doing?!”
A thought descended!
Luofeng suddenly awoke.
“I am Luofeng, stepping into the innate realm here! I am searching for the ancestral innate energy!”
A thought descended, and another arose.
“What is the ancestral innate energy?”
Luofeng did not know; he had never seen it. Scriptures and ancient texts described it as profoundly mysterious, only to be understood, not explained.
Then he would seek it! The world has no path; only by walking does a path appear. The world has no Dao; only by cultivating does the Great Dao emerge.
With the boldness of the ancient sages, Luofeng set forth.
Boundless, endless, infinite, without beginning or end, inscrutable—no center, no boundary. This was chaos, also called the Limitless.
Chaos: the system of void, root of creation, origin of divinity, source of Heaven and Earth. All things are born from it; the five elements are formed by it.
Within chaos, there was neither space nor time. Since it was void, there were no limits. Beyond the limitless lay more limitless, within the infinite more infinite. Limitless beyond limitless, infinite beyond infinite.
Luofeng did not know how long he pursued it, but never found the ancestral innate energy.
The endless journey left him exhausted.
His true energy depleted—none remained.
His vitality drained—not a drop left.
His once-pure soul weakened, shrinking from nine inches to six, then three, until only a wisp of soul drifted in the limitless.
“Where is the ancestral innate energy?”
That lone wisp of soul, muddled and aimless, produced but a few thoughts.
After drifting for a while, another thought emerged: “If this is void, how could there be existence, how could there be ancestral innate energy…”
Drifting endlessly!
At that moment, Luofeng was like a wandering ghost, drifting without end.
“This sensation is more exhilarating than a roller coaster,” he thought, his mind wandering.
……
Who knows how much longer passed; all Luofeng’s stray thoughts faded away.
His soul was left with only one thought.
With the last thought, Luofeng wondered: “After all this, what am I, really? What am I?”
A thing?
Of course, I am not a thing. Besides, how could there be things in the limitless?
Chaos is the limitless, the limitless is the void; how can void give rise to existence?
How can there be ‘me’?
As the thought extinguished, his soul transformed into true spirit.
Before the thought vanished, he glimpsed a faint streak of color.
It seemed, perhaps, possibly, a thirty-six-petaled green lotus.
The green lotus slowly blossomed, drawing the true spirit toward it, like a mother nurturing her child.
Finally, the lotus returned to its unopened state.
……
Void cannot give rise to existence.
Yet, since existence is here, it is innate.
Thus, I am the ancestral innate energy!
A thought arose, the green lotus bloomed, laughter resounded!
Luofeng used his life treasure as the axe handle, thoughts, concepts, all that existed as the axe head.
He leapt from the green lotus—one swing to open Heaven!
From then on, the ancestral innate energy appeared in the world.
The limitless became the supreme polarity, ancestral energy evolved all things.
In the real world, atop the thirty-six-petaled green lotus, primordial chaos opened two bright eyes, the corners of the mouth lifted slightly, a gleaming tear fell—deep in cultivation, profound mysteries and great joy.
Only at this realm can one feel the joy experienced by generations of accomplished internal alchemists.
To give the simplest, though least accurate, most trivial example.
First, look within.
Eighty-four thousand pores all opened, the flesh automatically absorbed innate energy, three hundred sixty bones turned to silver and jade marrow, cultivation aptitude increased a hundredfold, transforming into an innate Dao body.
The mysterious gate opened—a cultivator who has attained the innate realm.
Equivalent to a game player who has switched on auto-leveling, gaining experience at a hundred times speed!
It is the joy of having cheat codes!
It is the delight of overtaking others on a curve!
Cheat codes bring instant joy—always using them, always joyous.
Then, look outward.
The tear fell to the earth, and vegetation surged wildly. Weeds became towering trees, wild plants transformed into spiritual herbs.
The Sky Escaping Valley became a blessed land.
True spirit eternal, innate immortal; endlessly self-replenishing; needing nothing external, everlasting.
A single drop of ancestral energy evolves all things and worlds—neither increasing nor decreasing.
A single tear of joy can forge a blessed land.
Such is the Innate True Sage!
In this scene, even the steady Luofeng could not help but recite two lines of poetry:
“The heroic pass is truly like iron, but now I stride forward to start anew!”
Since his journey through worlds, nearly twenty-six years have passed, finally reaching the innate realm.
Worthy of celebration, worthy of joy.
After this moment of reflection, Luofeng composed himself and adjusted his attitude.
A little pride is acceptable now and then.
But to remain proud always—that will not do.
What of the innate realm? It is but a milestone on the path of cultivation.
After attaining the innate, one has merely completed foundation building, opened the mysterious gate.
Beyond the innate is the Golden Elixir; beyond the Golden Elixir, the Nascent Soul…
He was still so weak.
[Little Theater]
[To become a saint requires Primordial Purple Qi; foundation building requires Foundation Pills]
[Primordial Purple Qi increases the chance of sainthood; Foundation Pills increase the chance of foundation building]
[Primordial Purple Qi = Foundation Pills (humorous)]
(End of chapter)