Pathway

Chapter 9: Coming Of Age [4]

"Good. Fire is igneous in nature. Air is gaseous in form. Terra[soil] has nature that's solid. And Water which is in liquid state. The root of life-force is made up of these elements. Since the life-force connects the soul to the body, the body and soul shared these elements. But because of the laws of reincarnation, the mortal soul is only connected to the life-force, which is scattered all over the mortal's body, by a few thread. But with cultivation, the life-force can be gathered and the soul brought out of limbo making the life-force, the body and the soul, become one."

Zhang Wang Jing spread her hands to encompass her sorrounding.

"Look around you, my grandson. Everything in the universe is composed of the four elements in varying proportions and amounts. I tell you this Jufeng, elements are the basic constituents of all matter. Everything. These four elements formed the foundation of the Dao conception of the universe. The first creation was made out of the elements of matter. Even your body is composed of the four elements.

She placed her hand on Jufeng's shoulder and smiled as she tapped gently on the floor with her foot.

"At the center of our world is the terra, as the planet we live on, the ground and support beneath our feet. Because of terra's great heaviness and density, all things gravitate towards it. Running over and around the soil is Water, in the form of lakes, rivers, and oceans. Water nourishes the terra, giving it Life. Over the spheres of soil and Water is the sphere of Air, the atmosphere in which we live. Mortals relied on this air to breathe while the immortals use the air for mystical arts. And finally."

Zhang Wang Jing turned her palm upward and a tongue of fire manifested.

"Fire lights up the Sun, the moon and the stars in the celestial firmament. Fire has brilliance and spirit and it symbolizes the Life Force within us. The mortal body, your body, is made up of the four elements in varying proportions. Some elements are more dominant in our bodies than others. For some cultivators, it can be one element that's more dominant than the rest while in others, it could be more than one dominant elements. While in some cultivators, it's the variants of the four basic elements. Like the lightning element. However, one thing is clear, all souls are in affinity with the elements. The Chi energy and elemental energies in the dantian formed the essence fundamentals. These are the fundamentals that transform the state of the soul into a mystical one."

Zhang Wang Jing shook her head and sighed.

"Your grandmother is in the evanesce core stage and still have a long way to go before forming a true soul. I know my element affinity is fire and I can draw on its power but not as a true nascent soul. Your mother already formed her nascent soul, maybe she can show you what it looks like, one day."

Zhang Wang Jing touched her grandson on the head and chest while looking at him affectionately. She knew the road ahead was going to be difficult, but she couldn't wait for her grandson to begin his path towards immortality.

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"But today, I will teach you the serenity of the soul. Although, your soul is in limbo, you are still connected to it by few threads. I want you to realize that although our universe appears to be expanding, we are cosmically connected. This connection has an impact on the very reason that we are who we are. Serenading the soul will put it in a state of peace. With this calmness, comes enlightenment of the soul. The first step is for your soul to realise that it's in limbo. Then, to gradually come out of it and that's the reason for all these training we are giving you.

Zhang Wang Jing stopped and watched the reactions of her grandson who was standing as if he was in a delicate dream. She gave an easy smile and a gentle shake of her head.

"Ju Feng, I will teach you the soul pith technique now and then the soul serenade technique later. It's simple but very effective. These techniques are different from the astral foetal breathing technique. Unlike astral foetal used for cultivating meditation, these ones are used for the mystical arts. The elements. Our ancestors have all used it to good results. Now, let me show you how it work."

Zhang Wang Jing showed the technique to her grandson who quickly sat down and started practicing it. He was just like his mother, strong and powerful. Her thoughts quickly went to her daughter, a full demigod with a true nascent soul immortality. She vividly recalled the nascent soul manifestation that her daughter had shown them. A taller and stronger replica of herself in a white feathered amour and two flaming wings on her back. Phoenix wings? Couldn't be sure but it was a sight.

She was joyfully beaming with teary eyes in this recall. How could she not be happy? From hopelessness to one filled with great potentials, it was definitely a source of happiness. A grandmother! And her grandson was growing really fast and strong too. Surely, this must be the heavens. Or, how could she explain all these? Heavens did favoured her.

Lost in thoughts, it was already evening before she realized that time had swiftly passed by. Although Ju Feng was still practicing , she decided it was time to leave. They still had the following day and many days ahead to practice.

Leaving the area, they arrived at the cave to see Zhang Li Qiang returning from the farm with jars of fresh milk to celebrate the beginning of Ju Feng's long journey to immortality. His mother had already made a special food for them. Roasted yellow-green deer and a large bowl of millet, coated in the honey of the cloud honeygourd bee. These went along with the goat milk in its variants and they ate to their satisfaction. It was truly a good day, for one of their own had started his immortal cultivation. It would be hard and dangerous but surely a thing for celebration.

And after the meal, they all raised the drink to Jufeng's future.

"Ma, can I come with you?"

"Don't be impatient, Ju Feng. Do you think I forgot about you?"

Looking at her son's face, she patted him on his shoulder and smiled.

"Alright, follow me."

They went inside the cultivation chamber and sat in lotus positions, facing each other. Zhang Xiu Ying took out a bottled elixir and gave it to his son.

"Take a little drink out of it. It will help sooth your veins."

After taking back the bottle from Ju Feng, Zhang Xiu Ying continued.

"Cultivation is the way for a soul to reach eternity, without natural death. The path for a soul to be free of reincarnation. Immortality is the reason why we all practice cultivation and I can assure you that cultivation is a true way. For generations, our family has been keeping the Sapphire Sky manuscript safely secured. It has techniques for cultivation method, martial and mystical arts. The astral primal technique in the manuscript is a great advantage to us, although it's extremely painful when practicing it. You can't even imagine the pain as well as the advantages it brings. You need to feel and see it for yourself to understand."

Zhang Xiu Ying observed her son and her heart was filled with compassionate affection. The road ahead for her son who was just starting cultivation, would be in the extremity if the words of the oracle were to be followed. It had been a story different with her. She had been fortunate to be born on the path of cultivation as a demigod. So, for her son who wasn't as fortunate, she would definitely do her best to make it a lot easier for him.

"Before we start, I want you to remember that martial arts, mystical arts and immortal cultivation can be used to compliment one another. True cultivators use their Chi essence from cultivation to perform their mystical arts. And in turn, they use mystical arts to provide the power of elementals for their martial arts. Mystical arts deal with the life-force by bringing out the elemental energies hidden in it. Hence, a true cultivator will know all the three aspects. Let's start. Since you are already familiar with the fetal breathing method from the womb, let's begin with you sensing the Chi energy in your body."

Zhang Xiu Ying glanced at her son and started talking in a quieter and slower tone.

"Close your eyes, now, start breathing the way I showed you."

Ju Feng shut his eyes and started using the fetal breathing method of the astral primal technique. Like all embryos, he had been using the fetal breathing method when he was still in the womb. This was a welcomed continuation which was much appreciated.

"As you continue to breathe, you will feel a sensation in your body, like energy. Let me know when you feel it."

Few hours later.

"Now that you can sense the Chi in your body, just let the energy flow in your body.

Ju Feng continued to train diligently at a steady pace for the following three years. Physically, he was growing stronger, although he was not getting bigger like the first four years after his birth. In martial arts, he had reached the Yinying level of the silver eagle and had finished learning the basics and was almost done with the stances. In the mystical arts, he discovered that he had traces of element energy but couldn't determine them yet. And in immortal cultivation, he was at the middle stage of Juchi, the gathering of Chi.

The Astral primal technique was gradually and unceasingly enlarging his dantian and meridians. The fragments of blue crystalline he was consuming kept on supplying his dantian with Chi energy that he was circulating through the meridians. The heart of his path of cultivation.