Autumn of the twenty-ninth year of Dagan.
Nanhe Road, Laoshan Taiqing Palace.
The rising sun shone, its golden light making the glazed tiles of the Sanqing Hall sparkle brilliantly.
Chen Ming stood before the main hall's entrance, his heart unable to conceal his excitement.
"Come in."
A low voice came from within the hall, and Chen Ming did not dare to hesitate, stepping inside.
What met his eyes were three majestic and solemn divine statues.
In the center was Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, holding a spherical object in his left hand and an empty right hand. To his left was Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, holding a Taiji diagram. To his right was Taiqing Daode Tianzun, holding a precious fan.
It is said: Three gives birth to all things.
Sitting below Yuanshi Tianzun was an old Daoist, seated on a futon, holding a scroll, and looking stern.
Though his hair was white, his eyes were bright, and his demeanor was extraordinary.
"I am Chen Ming, greetings, Daoist Priest."
Chen Ming bowed respectfully and greeted softly.
"Hmm."
The old Daoist nodded slightly, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he thought to himself: Another one who thinks he understands some breathing techniques and foolishly dreams of reaching heaven in one step.
He had seen many such people.
Too sentimental, unwilling to endure hardship!
"Please, Daoist Priest, take a look."
Chen Ming presented the hundred copies of the "Taiqing Law" he had transcribed with both hands.
The small booklet floated leisurely towards the old Daoist, as if lifted by an invisible pair of hands.
Then, the pages rustled, turning on their own without a breeze.
The old Daoist's gaze swept over it and he nodded slightly: "The Daoist sect's laws are strict, and all who enter must abide by them."
"Making you transcribe them is to let you know that cultivating the Dao is not a child's game!"
"Do you still wish to become a disciple now?"
"Yes!"
The old Daoist nodded, "Then continue!"
"Yes!"
"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name…"
"Laojun said: The Great Dao is formless, it nourishes heaven and earth; the Great Dao is emotionless, it moves the sun and moon; the Great Dao is nameless, it nurtishes all things; I do not know its name, I force its name as Dao…"
After Chen Ming had recited all the classics, including the "Dao De Jing" and "The Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility Spoken by the Most Exalted Lord Lao," the old Daoist remained expressionless, merely writing "well-versed in classics" on the scroll.
"Alright, your transcription and recitation are both good. I ask you: why do you wish to enter Taiqing Palace?"
"From a young age, this disciple has admired the immortal path. I heard that Taiqing Palace is a sacred place for cultivation, so I have come to seek the art of longevity."
"Heh—"
The old Daoist's eyes gleamed, piercing straight into his heart, "Everyone wishes to seek the art of longevity, but how can it be so easy?"
"Your parents died young, and your elder sister raised you. Fortunately, with heaven's blessing, you suddenly gained enlightenment and shed the name of being simple-minded. Yet now you cruelly leave her. Are you worthy of her?"
Chen Ming said nothing; indeed, his survival to this day was entirely due to his elder sister Chen Jiao's care.
Seeing Chen Ming remain silent, the old Daoist waved his hand and sighed deeply: "Go, go."
"Daoist Priest, you might have misunderstood."
"Oh? What did I misunderstand?" The old Daoist raised an eyebrow, a hint of impatience in his tone.
"Looking at your attire, you come from a wealthy family. Can you endure the hardships of cultivation?" The old Daoist pressed on, "Your elder sister has not yet conceived. If you enter Taiqing Palace, you cannot marry, and wouldn't the Chen family be without descendants? Are you worthy of your ancestors?"
With the last few words, the old Daoist's tone was grim, as if Chen Ming's refusal to leave would make him a sinner of the Chen family.
Chen Ming merely nodded; every word the old Daoist said was true. His elder sister had not conceived in three years, and Taiqing Palace indeed forbade marriage, but so what?
After the old Daoist finished speaking, Chen Ming slowly opened his mouth: "So what?"
The old Daoist was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. He had never met anyone like Chen Ming. Usually, those who claimed to have firm Daoist hearts and came to seek apprenticeship would be rendered speechless, or even leave the mountain weeping, after such questioning.
Chen Ming smiled slightly and cupped his hands again: "Daoist Priest, please calm your anger, and let this junior finish speaking!"
"Speak!" the old Daoist said coldly.
"What the Daoist Priest just said is absolutely true; I am deeply grateful for my elder sister's kindness." Chen Ming spoke slowly, his voice clear, "But precisely because of this, I must even more earnestly seek the Dao of longevity. Only if I can become an immortal and attain the Dao can I protect her well-being for a lifetime and repay her eighteen years of nurturing grace."
Without waiting for the old Daoist to speak, Chen Ming continued:
"I wonder if the Daoist Priest has heard of such an allusion. When Patriarch Xu Xun, Celestial Master Xu of the Jingming School, was in the human world, he used his medical skills to save people, punished corruption, managed floods, educated the common people, and even fought the flood dragon seven times. On the day he attained the Dao and ascended, he gathered forty-two members of his household, including servants, chickens, and dogs, and even the house ascended with them to the celestial realm!"
Chen Ming's gaze was firm, his tone calm: "If I attain the Dao and ascend one day, whether it's the chickens and dogs of my family, or my elder sister who has cared for me for many years, or even my ancestors beneath the earth, all can share in my immortal opportunity!"
"Daoist Priest, what do you think?"
The old Daoist was momentarily stunned.
The questions he had just posed were merely to test Chen Ming's devotion to the Dao.
He had seen countless people, but Chen Ming's answer truly made his eyes light up.
Good boy, daring to compare himself to Celestial Master Xu??
Interesting!
The old Daoist stood up, his back to Chen Ming, "Young man, you are like a frog in a well, how could you have seen the blue sky!"
Seeing that the old Daoist had no intention of chasing him away, Chen Ming continued: "This disciple is merely proving his firm devotion to the Dao, with no other intentions!"
"You should go back first!" The old Daoist slowly uttered a few words.
"Well-versed in classics, decent aptitude, excellent temperament, he should be at the forefront!"
"Go."
"Yes!" Chen Ming bowed respectfully and took his leave.
Stepping out of the main hall, Chen Ming suddenly felt refreshed, as if shedding a chronic illness, his spirit relieved.
"In the blink of an eye, it's been three years since I came here." Chen Ming sighed with endless emotion.
His original body was born lacking one soul and one spirit, and had been simple-minded for over a decade. During an incident where he was being teased, he accidentally fell into a well and died.
Chen Ming transmigrated, and the original body's soul and spirit were made whole. His consciousness recovered, and he literally climbed out of the well.
He remembered his elder sister and brother-in-law embracing him and laughing for a long time then.
Originally, Chen Ming thought his life would be the same as his previous one.
Indifferent, accomplishing nothing, living a mediocre life.
Unexpectedly, his soul carried a precious book, named: opportunity codex.
In Chen Ming's mind, the book floated in the void, emitting a faint light.
The cover was made of ancient leather, covered with traces of time, and the spine was embroidered with golden, archaic characters — opportunity codex!
Though called a codex, it actually only had three pages.
opportunity codex · Page One
〖Slaying Demons and Exorcising Evil〗
Evil Spirit: Painted Skin Ghost
Sins: Stole nine human hearts.
Annotation: Transforms into a beautiful woman, with a beauty mark under her left eye.
Completion Status: Incomplete
Completion Reward: Spell "Spitting Flames"
opportunity codex · Page Two
〖Marketplace Encounter〗
Today's Encounter: Roast Chicken
Requirement: Give a roast chicken to an old beggar
Completion Status: Completed
Reward: "youyang bone coin" (Can be used to divine good or bad fortune at the hour of You)
opportunity codex · Page Three
〖Daily Good Deed〗
Today's Good Deed: Healing a Sparrow
Requirement: Heal a sparrow with a broken wing
Completion Status: Completed
Reward: Grain Abstinence Pill
This was all the content of the opportunity codex.
The Painted Skin Ghost on the first page, "Slaying Demons and Exorcising Evil," Chen Ming had tried every method to find, but there was no news, so the task remained. The content of the second and third pages would refresh daily at the fourth quarter of the hour of Zi, which is midnight.
Completing a Daily Good Deed could earn a small amount of money or ordinary pills.
Completing a Marketplace Encounter had a chance to yield magical artifacts, Daoist techniques, spells, and various miscellaneous books.
Earlier in the year, he had completed a Marketplace Encounter, feeding a black cat fish.
Afterward, the black cat gave him a copy of "Laoshan Taiqing Palace Chronicles."
In three years, he had obtained several hundred taels of silver, a breathing technique, three spells, five talismans, a peach wood sword, and various other miscellaneous items.
The spells were Communicating with the Underworld, Driving Gods, and Nightmare Prayer.
The five talismans were: Five Thunder Talisman, Body Protection Talisman, House Protection Talisman, Tracking Talisman, and Illness Dispelling Talisman.
Chen Ming exhaled a turbid breath and withdrew from his sea of consciousness.
The old Daoist saying his aptitude was decent was because he had recently obtained a breathing technique from the opportunity codex. In just ten days, he had already established his foundation, unlike his elder sister and brother-in-law, who had not yet entered the gate.
Chen Ming had been cultivating the "Qi Nurturing Art" for ten days, and a wisp of innate pure qi had already condensed in his dantian, establishing his foundation. However, this cultivation method stopped there, and the opportunity codex had not yet revealed any subsequent Qi refining methods.
The Qi Refining realm, known as refining essence into qi, is the beginning of cultivation, transforming post-heaven essence into pre-heaven qi.
Once qi is sufficient and spirit complete, one can refine qi into spirit and form a Golden Core.
Once the Golden Core is formed, one needs to nourish the sacred embryo until the Yang God is achieved. The final realm requires the Yang God to be refined and merged with the Dao.
Ultimately, both form and spirit become wondrous, uniting with the true Dao, and ascending to the heavens!