Chapter Seventeen: The Palace of Light

The melody faded into silence.

Yunqi carefully lifted the "Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow" zither, motioning for Green Dragon to reclaim it. There was no movement from Green Dragon, yet a breath of energy enveloped the ancient instrument, as if an invisible hand had seized it, lifting it from Yunqi’s grasp. The zither traced an arc through the air and landed in Green Dragon’s mouth.

Yunqi watched, a hint of envy in his eyes. He understood this was a technique of manipulation—yet to learn such a method, one must first possess magical power, then be able to project it outward, like manipulating one’s limbs at will.

At present, Yunqi did not yet have magical power within him.

Magical power is the art of transforming the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for personal use.

Spring passed into winter; Yunqi had absorbed spiritual energy for nine months, the five elemental forces nourishing his flesh, warming his organs. Yet all these energies had become sustenance for his body, none transformed into magical power.

To turn absorbed spiritual energy into magical power, another process was needed:

Circulating the Grand Cycle.

This meant guiding the spiritual energy through the body, leading it along specific acupoints and meridians, forming a closed loop—a Grand Cycle.

As the spiritual energy moved, it broke through blockages in the body’s channels, and was simultaneously refined by the body's essence and blood, purifying and distilling it into magical power.

Circulating the Grand Cycle, like breath and absorption, is fundamental to cultivation.

Its essence lies in directing the spiritual energy along a specific path—what cultivators call “moving the energy.” There are two points: how to set the energy in motion, and along which route it should flow.

The latter is the secret of every school and sect, each with its own unique path, never shared. The former is agreed upon by all: it is done by guiding energy with the mind, or rather, with intent. Once the mind is focused, the energy follows.

But intent, that ethereal thing, is not innate. What is innate is thought; intent is refined, forged, distilled from thought.

As for how to refine intent, every school has its own methods.

Intent, spiritual energy, magical power—these three are bound by a name, passed down for millennia and written in every sect’s scriptures: the Three Treasures—essence, energy, and spirit, or the refinement of essence, energy, and spirit.

Guide with spirit, transform energy into essence.

This is the process of transforming heaven and earth’s energy for one’s own use—the convergence of the small world within man and the great world of nature.

Yunqi had absorbed energy for nine months and refined intent for nine months; all was prepared, only awaiting the final spark.

His master, Su Kong, had once said: Yunqi must either train the Five-Character Mantra to the ninth level, or absorb energy until he cannot take in more, before seeking her guidance.

Now, the time had come.

Just today, just now, he had used the [Blow] mantra to absorb water-element energy, but his kidneys showed no reaction. Yunqi knew he had reached the point of “unable to absorb more.”

It was time to return to Mingzhi Mountain and learn the art of moving energy.

Yunqi stood and bowed to Green Dragon. “I am truly grateful for your protection, friend. You’ve saved me much effort.”

He meant it sincerely. On the day of Mid-Autumn, after meeting Green Dragon in the lake, he found that with the water-element beast nearby, his absorption of water energy was three to five times faster, and the quality much greater.

Realizing this, Yunqi tried to communicate with Green Dragon. He played music for her, hoping she would linger while he absorbed energy.

Green Dragon, though small and unrefined, was indeed a rare dragon species. Communication was effortless. Not only did she agree, she required Yunqi to use her own zither to play.

After that, Yunqi focused his efforts on absorbing the other four elemental energies, relying on Green Dragon to double his efficiency with water energy.

At last, today, everything was in place.

Yet Green Dragon cared little for Yunqi’s thoughts. With a roar, she plunged into the depths of the lake and soon vanished.

Yunqi then rode a cloud away, heading straight for Mingzhi Mountain.

————

Still at Liangjun Ferry, in the Falling Clouds, Yunqi arrived at the Bamboo Stele, gazing toward the pavilion. The master was nowhere to be seen, but Yunqi was not surprised. The first time he’d come, Master Yu had made it clear: she taught from the ninth to the fifteenth each month. Today was only the sixth; she must be in seclusion or traveling.

Yunqi turned to leave, planning to return on the ninth. Just then, Master Su Kong’s voice drifted to his ear.

“Is that Yunqi? Come here.”

Yunqi turned. Somehow, the master was once again seated in the pavilion, palms upward, eyes half closed, as if she’d always been there.

Yunqi stepped forward and bowed. “Disciple greets the master.”

Wen Su Kong slowly opened her eyes, glanced around, then looked at Yunqi. She spoke:

“Open your eyes and look at Jade Lord; flakes of cold fall upon green lips. Yunqi, how many years have you been in the mountain?”

Yunqi replied, “I entered in spring; now it is deep winter. It is still my first year.”

A smile touched Su Kong’s lips. “You’ve come to find me—have you perfected the Five-Character Mantra, or is your energy absorption complete?”

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“It is the latter, Master. My organs are saturated, unable to take in more spiritual energy.”

“Good.” Su Kong nodded, then continued, “I instructed you to build a palace in your mind to refine your intent. How did it go?”

“I have gained some understanding, but seek your guidance.”

Su Kong nodded. “Find a cushion, sit, relax your body and mind, clear away distractions. I will speak, and you will visualize.”

Yunqi obeyed, finding the same cushion used during his trial upon entering the mountain.

He settled, relaxed his shoulders, took two deep breaths. Eyes closed, after four or five breaths, he nodded, indicating he was ready.

“Now, before your eyes is darkness.”

Yunqi nodded; it was so.

“Now, there is a flat land—a patch of yellow earth, floating in boundless darkness, like an island. It lies at the very center of the dark world.”

A floating island appeared in Yunqi’s mind.

“Now, a person appears upon the island,” said Master Yu.

Yunqi hesitated. What kind of person? Who?

Suddenly, Yunqi’s eyelids twitched, nearly opening. On the floating island, a person had indeed appeared—yet he hadn’t begun to visualize!

He could not see it, but just then, Su Kong also closed her eyes. A point of violet light shot from her brow, dyeing the surrounding bamboo and snow purple.

The violet light moved with indescribable speed; as soon as it appeared, it traced a purple thread through the air, its other end sinking into Yunqi’s forehead.

Yunqi did not know—this was a feat only a cultivator of the third realm could accomplish.

“It is me.”

A voice suddenly rang in Yunqi’s mind, so clear, so close, like the murmuring of his own heart. Instantly, Yunqi “saw” the person—the very image of Master Yu.

Within this dark world:

Master Yu looked at her feet and spoke, “This land is too small. Enlarge it tenfold.”

Though prepared, Yunqi was still too astonished to respond.

“I said the land is too small. Enlarge it tenfold.”

This time, Yunqi heard and enlarged the floating island in his mind tenfold.

“Now, stand beside me.”

Master Yu’s words again stunned Yunqi. How—how to move over?

“In thought, one always mistakes what one imagines for what one sees,” Master Yu reminded.

Yunqi understood. His perspective swiftly drew closer, landing on the floating island, at Master Yu’s upper body. He shifted from an omniscient view to a human’s eye view.

“Good. Eyes are set; now the body should be as well.”

Yunqi quickly grasped it, imagining his own appearance, and thus a living Cheng Yunqi stood beside Master Yu on the floating island.

Master Yu nodded at the sudden appearance of Yunqi.

“Now, with you and I as measure, bring forth your palace before us.”

Yunqi grew more adept, beginning to construct his palace upon the floating island.

In Wen Su Kong’s eyes, the “land” before her began to undergo tremendous change.

First, the earth was piled into a platform—a square of raised ground, six feet high.

Within the platform, thirty-six large pits, each with a pillar base, shaped after the dragon’s son Baxi, in blackish blue stone.

From each base arose a great pillar, three feet thick, five stories tall, painted vermilion, adorned with firebird motifs.

On the pillars sat brackets, green and blue, painted with crouching tigers and lions.

The brackets supported beams and rafters, layered eaves, hilltop roof. Beams carved with cloud dragons, rafters with rain swallows.

Tiles were laid, glazed and bright yellow, each painted with pearl flames.

Walls, railings, doors were erected;

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The base was built, tiles laid;

Interior painted and decorated, plaques hung;

...

Though intricate, an illustrious palace was raised in moments.

Su Kong nodded repeatedly, watching him build the tower, then smiled and asked, “Why is there no writing on the plaque? Have you not named your palace?”

Yunqi nodded, “I am indeed undecided, Master. Might you grant it a name?”

Wen Su Kong smiled, “Come, let us go inside.”

They ascended the platform, opened the vermilion palace doors.

“Oh, you chose this figure.”

Su Kong regarded the statue within the palace, somewhat surprised.

The statue was not grand—slender, pale, beardless, with golden fire eyes and a peculiar hooked nose. Upon its head, a golden peach-leaf crown; upon its body, a bright red robe, painted with clouds encircling stars, the clouds dense and the stars forming the constellation of Mao.

It was Mao Sun Star Lord.

“You chose this one—what was your reasoning?”

Seeing the smile in Master Yu’s eyes, Yunqi knew it was not a problem, so he explained how he found the “White Tiger Seven Lodges” as his guide for visualization, and why he chose the Mao Sun Rooster rather than the Zui Fire Monkey.

Master Yu was delighted. She laughed and said:

“Yunqi, you must know, whether I am now just your registered master, or in the future your true teacher, as your guide, I will tell you what contradicts the proper path, what is urgent or gradual, what requires foresight. But I will never demand you follow a step-by-step practice, for if all master and disciple paths were the same, the tradition would surely perish. Change brings vitality; rigidity brings extinction.

“Just as with choosing an inner deity—I instruct you to first establish the heart palace, because our Mingzhi Mountain school cultivates the living-dead path. The difference between the living and the dead lies in spirit, and in the heart. When the heart stirs, the body lives; when the heart flourishes, it wards off evil. Building the heart palace first benefits your cultivation.

“But I will not dictate which inner deity you visualize, nor which fire energy you absorb. It is up to your own thought and fortune.

“This is the meaning of one tree blossoming into a hundred flowers, each distinct, competing in brilliance.

“Among the twenty-eight lodges, Fang Sun, Xu Sun, Mao Sun, Xing Sun are the four yang stars; Wei Fire, Shi Fire, Zui Fire, Yi Fire are the four fire stars as heart palace officials. Fang is internal, Xu is yin, Xing is dark; only Mao is pure yang. The four fire stars are mere flickers, not to be compared with the sun; thus Mao Sun is the best choice, and this is your opportunity.”

Yunqi was naturally pleased, for he knew nothing of these teachings.

Master Yu continued, “Since you chose Mao Sun Star Lord, let me tell you more of him.

“First, Mao Sun Star Lord is a Daoist star official, of the Taiqing lineage. To venerate him is proper in doctrine.

“He attained the path in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, received the Jade Emperor’s decree, became the Lord of Mao Lodge. Before ascending, he cultivated in the Taiqing school, listening to lectures on Zhongnan Mountain.”

Yunqi was surprised—such connections existed.

“Next, Mao Lodge’s lineage is lofty. His father was a white-feathered heavenly rooster on Ancient Peach Mountain of the East Sea, the first rooster after the primordial chaos, with the duty of crowing at dawn, summoning the sun. He was close to the royal Golden Crow clan of the ancient demon race. His mother was the Buddhist Blue Lady Bodhisattva, a guardian deity of the Buddhist faith.

“Perhaps due to his pure lineage and high status, this star lord later achieved far more than his peers, becoming the second being after the Golden Crow clan to roam the sun star.

“After the Shang fell to Zhou, the star lord secluded himself on the sun, eventually refining the solar Bing Fire, said to be second only to true solar fire. If you establish Mao Lodge as your heart palace deity, it may be possible to absorb solar Bing Fire through visualization.”

Even Yunqi, usually calm, was stunned by these revelations—yet all were good news.

Just as Yunqi felt joy, Master Yu went on:

“Yet to choose Mao Lodge as heart palace lord has its challenges—heed them well.”

Yunqi listened intently, fearing to miss a word.

“First, as I said, Mao Lodge’s mother is the Buddhist Blue Lady Bodhisattva. Those people are most concerned with karma; when you encounter them, be cautious.

“Second, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Mao Lodge’s status is so high that to capture his essence as your inner deity, the guide you now possess may not suffice. You must seek other objects related to Mao Lodge, the closer the better. But Mao Lodge’s attainment is ancient, so this will not be easy.

“Third, again due to his high status—even if you succeed, Mao Lodge governs heart fire. How will you balance it with the main kidney water later?”

Yunqi was silent.

Seeing this, Master Yu comforted him, “To cultivate the Dao and seek immortality is to persist against the impossible. There is no perfect gain in this world. Take each step steadily. In the end, there are but six words: do your best, leave the rest to fate.”

Yunqi bowed, “Disciple is enlightened.”

“Your palace plaque is still empty, is it not? After Mao Lodge ascended, he resided in the Palace of Eastern Light. You might name it thus.”

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