Chapter 34: This Shouldn’t Be Happening
Shi Feizhe had finished his daily lessons and was about to go to bed when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.
“Junior Martial Brother Shi, are you asleep?” Yin Tieyan asked.
“Not yet.”
“Elder Hua just returned from outside and was very happy to hear that Junior Martial Brother has already mastered the 《Sun Moon Concentric Formula》. He wants to test your skills. I wonder if Junior Martial Brother is available now?” Yin Tieyan said.
“Available! Of course, I’m available!” Shi Feizhe said, “After the test, please give me my reward money so I can pay back Senior Martial Brother Yin!”
Yin Tieyan, outside the door, twitched his mouth. Whoever said that Shi Feizhe was scheming and had ulterior motives towards their sect, he would be the first to disagree. These few days of contact made him feel that Shi Feizhe was just a bit jumpy and spoke with an air of maturity.
At other times, he treated everyone equally, sincerely, and enthusiastically.
Seeing that Shi Feizhe opened the door, he felt that it was good, so he didn’t have to think of other ways to trick Shi Feizhe.
“Junior Martial Brother, please!” Yin Tieyan arrived at his room, picked up a lantern, and said.
The two took advantage of the night and went to the Martial Arts Hall together.
Several white jade-like candles, as thick as teacups, were lit in the Martial Arts Hall, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.
“We meet again! Shi Feizhe!” Hua Wushuang looked at Shi Feizhe with a smile, gesturing for him to sit down without being polite.
Shi Feizhe, following Yin Tieyan’s instructions on the way, bowed and said, “Greetings, Elder Hua.”
After the bow, he sat down on the stool with half of his buttocks.
Before, Shi Feizhe was a tool, so naturally no one needed to teach him etiquette. Now that Shi Feizhe was somewhere between a tool and one of their own, Yin Tieyan naturally taught him etiquette.
“I had some business to attend to a few days ago. Today, when I heard Yin Tieyan say that you had mastered the 《Sun Moon Concentric Formula》, I was very happy.” Hua Wushuang first said some polite words, then continued, “I will simply test your progress on the 《Sun Moon Concentric Formula》 to see how your cultivation is going, so as to choose a day for the incense burning ceremony and formally accept you as my disciple!”
“Elder Hua, please test me!” Shi Feizhe said.
“Just recite the 《Sun Moon Concentric Formula》!”
Shi Feizhe recited it accordingly. Hua Wushuang said with satisfaction, “Tell me about your cultivation experience!”
“After I entered a state of meditation, I visualized the Sun Moon Mirror…” Shi Feizhe recounted his cultivation experience.
“Hmm~ good, good!” Hua Wushuang praised, “The spirit has no self, and the self has no spirit. What does this mean?”
Shi Feizhe replied, “The spirit does not mean there is no self, but rather, the self exists within the body, and the spirit, like something born from nothing, gives birth to the self, therefore, the self has no spirit.”
“What is the meaning of ‘Splitting the Spirit’?”
“What is the meaning of ‘See the Person in the Reflection of the Spirit’?”
“Accepting…”
Hua Wushuang asked seven or eight questions in a row, and Shi Feizhe answered them all fluently. Hua Wushuang continued to ask, until he had finished all the questions he wanted to ask, and Shi Feizhe’s mouth was dry from answering.
This damn test was too detailed!
Do things in the Sun Moon Brilliance Sect always have to be so rigorous?
It’s even more troublesome than a damn state-owned enterprise interview!
“Good, good, good!” Hua Wushuang said with a smile, “Shi Feizhe, you answered very well! From my perspective as the Transmission Elder, you have cultivated very well! However, I still need to consult with the Sect Leader. After all, within the sect, all matters are decided by the Sect Leader!”
Your damn sect only has a hundred or so people, why is there so much bureaucracy!
Shi Feizhe complained in his heart, but said, “Then I’ll go back and wait for news!”
“It will be tomorrow at the earliest, and two or three days at the latest!” Hua Wushuang turned to Yin Tieyan and said, “It’s too late, you two go back!”
“Yes! Martial Uncle Hua!” Yin Tieyan and Shi Feizhe bowed together and then left the Martial Arts Hall.
✿✿✿
After watching the two leave, Leng Qingqiu walked out from the side room and asked, “What do you think?”
Hua Wushuang thought for a moment and said, “From my observation, Shi Feizhe doesn’t seem to be lying.”
“Indeed!” Leng Qingqiu sat down on the stool that Hua Wushuang had given up, playing with a Tianhuang stone paperweight, and said, “I listened carefully from the side. When Shi Feizhe spoke, his heartbeat, breathing, and speaking speed were all normal.”
“When he answered, his logic was rigorous, and he explained many of our doubts clearly.”
“Such talent in a junior is truly enviable!” Leng Qingqiu said.
“Then he can’t stay! Should we…” Hua Wushuang said.
“There’s no need to rush for now. Let’s see. If he really is a talented disciple, it won’t hurt to recruit him! The sect needs to be passed on, and having more talented disciples is not a bad thing!” Leng Qingqiu sighed and said, “Leng Qianye only thinks about the position of Sect Leader, how can he understand the responsibilities of the Sect Leader!”
“Since Leng Qianye is like this, should the Sect Leader inform the City Lord?”
“The City Lord is more supportive of me! Leng Qianye has already offended the City Lord’s taboo! As dogs, unless we break through with our strength and become True Realm experts, we can’t be on equal footing with the City Lord! After all, the Jianghu is a place where strength is paramount!” Leng Qingqiu said with a sneer.
“After Shi Feizhe stumbled upon the 《Thoughtless Divine Separation Formula》 and then explained it again, I actually gained some insights!” he added.
“I will prepare a quiet chamber for the Sect Leader and protect him during his cultivation!”
“That’s hard work for you!”
“You’re welcome, Sect Leader!”
Leng Qingqiu came to the quiet chamber that Hua Wushuang had prepared for him, sat down cross-legged, and recalled the joy of obtaining the 《Thoughtless Divine Separation Formula》 years ago, the twists and turns of deciphering the 《Thoughtless Divine Separation Formula》 over the years, and only after hearing Shi Feizhe’s explanation of the 《Thoughtless Divine Separation Formula》 today did he feel a sense of enlightenment.
He closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation. In his sea of consciousness, there was a sun emitting bright light and a moon emitting cold light.
They were the representations of the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth!
However, now both the sun and the moon were somewhat dilapidated and their spirits were sluggish.
That was because many years ago, he had forcefully broken through to the Celestial Cycle realm and injured his spirit, resulting in an incomplete essence, a wounded spirit, and a decline in True Qi, making it impossible for him to break through to the True Realm.
His path forward had been cut off, and he could only wait for death!
Fortunately, there was still the 《Thoughtless Divine Separation Formula》. He visualized a mirror and saw himself clearly through the mirror.
In the mirror, a figure younger than him slowly appeared. It was his appearance when he was young, and also the most vigorous time in his life.
He, according to the 《Thoughtless Divine Separation Formula》 and what Shi Feizhe had said, prepared to divide his “spirit” into two, one part visualizing the sun and the other part visualizing the moon, so as to slowly repair the damage he had suffered in the past.
The result… he couldn’t do it!
???
He felt confused. It had been smooth sailing up to this point, but he was stuck here.
Splitting the spirit into two, one mind with two uses, he just couldn’t do it!
Thinking about what Shi Feizhe had said, it seemed that this step required him to face himself in the mirror, to recognize himself, until both the self in the mirror and the self outside the mirror were his “spirit,” only then would he have succeeded.
Leng Qingqiu visualized until midnight, but he neither transformed into the self in the mirror nor achieved the splitting of his spirit!
Shi Feizhe could cultivate it, but he couldn’t?
This shouldn’t be happening!
Was something wrong?
At this point, he still had a chance to stop!
