Chapter 26: Yin and Yang Infinite

"However, for you, Xuanqing, this is not a problem. The simplest method is to fuse the 'Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water' and the 'Heart Like Still Water.' One represents motion and the other stillness; through them, you can control the projection of your spiritual sense at will."

"As for the fusion of these two, Chisong, you have not yet reached that realm. But in truth, every peerless technique within our Taoist library contains the ultimate principles of Yin and Yang, and the underlying laws of the universe."

"Therefore, Chisong, you need not force it; simply cultivate with a calm heart and contemplate them with your soul."

The sect is filled with supreme, peerless techniques, each leading directly to the realm of 'Realizing the Void and Returning to the Source' and beyond. This is the foundation of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, and also the reason why most disciples of the Heavenly Sect do not wither away in physical death.

Upon hearing this, Chisongzi and Xuanqing nodded slightly. They had already sensed this truth during their practice, especially Zhou Qing. Although his spiritual sense had already expanded over five hundred meters, his physical body was constantly being strengthened through his cultivation, and his internal energy was peerless, leaving him with no cause for concern.

However, the fusion of the 'Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water' and 'Heart Like Still Water' was not difficult for him. With his heart following his will and the 'Gate of All Wonders' moving within his body, the two techniques fused seamlessly in an instant.

*Hum! Hum! Hum!*

In that moment, Zhou Qing felt his spiritual sense shift. It lost a fraction of its former sharpness and gained a layer of roundness. Yin and Yang intertwined, and the universe seemed to align. As he formed hand seals, a phantom image of the Primordial Taiji appeared beneath him.

As he breathed, the vital energy of heaven and earth surged; his internal strength billowed, and his dantian vibrated. A sharp light flashed in his eyes, and three void lotus flowers appeared faintly above his head, while the surrounding energy of heaven and earth gathered, manifesting in the shape of a lotus.

"Marvelous, truly marvelous!"

"By hearing my Dao, you have achieved a breakthrough in an instant. 'Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water,' 'Heart Like Still Water,' 'Non-Action,' 'Undisturbed,' 'Inner Emptiness'—all have reached a new level. Xuanqing, for you, mastering the 'Spirit of Transformation' will take at most a year."

"To leap from Foundation Establishment to the perfection of the 'Spirit of Transformation' in less than two years of practice—just as I said before, in the past thousand years of Taoism, you are the first!"

Beimingzi’s aged face beamed with joy. His inner energy surged, causing his grey-white hair to dance. He looked at Zhou Qing with growing satisfaction; such talent and such destiny were things he had never seen in his life.

The various profound techniques inherited by the Taoists were all understood by him. While ordinary disciples would find mastering just one enough to reach the realm of 'Realizing the Void and Returning to the Source,' Xuanqing had mastered over twenty of them to this level.

He was fast catching up to the founder, Laozi. To have such a successor in this generation of Taoism was an honor he felt personally.

"Junior brother is truly extraordinary!"

Chisongzi felt he had no words left. In the six years he had spent personally guiding him, such a junior brother had emerged. Looking back, this junior brother was indeed unique.

In just a year or two, he had mastered the scripts of the Seven Kingdoms, and his wisdom was no different from an adult’s. To treat him as a mere child would be a mistake. He had only begun his formal cultivation half a year ago, and now he had attained the 'Spirit of Transformation.' It was simply incredible.

Having grasped the profound principles, the breakthrough occurred in a heartbeat. Yin and Yang merged, and the phantom Taiji faded into nothingness. The sharp light in his eyes vanished; the ten thousand rivers returned to the sea, and his energy returned to its origin. He bowed once more to his master.

"Hahaha, Xuanqing, you are truly excellent. The mysteries of the 'Spirit of Transformation' are just so, but whether one can attain them depends entirely on individual destiny. After the 'Spirit of Transformation' comes 'Realizing the Void and Returning to the Source.'"

"I reached this realm by gaining insight from the sage Zhuang Zhou's *Free and Easy Wandering*: 'In the Northern Darkness, there is a fish, and its name is Kun. The Kun is so huge, I do not know how many thousands of miles it spans. It transforms into a bird, and its name is Peng. The back of the Peng is also I know not how many thousands of miles long.'"

"When it rises in anger, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky. This bird, when the sea moves, will migrate to the Southern Darkness... Although this *Free and Easy Wandering* is but a glimpse of Zhuang Zhou’s realm, and the level of 'Merging with the Dao and Returning to the Source' is untouchable, this one passage is enough!"

Beimingzi hid nothing from his two disciples. If the two before him could truly gain something, he would be overjoyed. With a wave of his hand, a mysterious black light enveloped Chisongzi and Zhou Qing.

The world spun, space and time shifted. In an instant, the spiritual senses of Chisongzi and Zhou Qing left their bodies, as if arriving in another void. Standing in mid-air, they looked down upon a vast, black ocean, filled with frost and cold, rippling with infinite power.

*Hum! Hum! Hum!*

As far as their eyes could see, the black ocean was endless. Whirlwinds blew, stirring up waves hundreds and thousands of feet high. The two exchanged glances, as if they suddenly understood something. They focused their gaze, and beneath the black ocean, a colossal creature stirred.

Looking down, the mysterious entity was thousands of miles long. Wherever it passed, the void trembled and the ocean overflowed. The deep, rumbling sound never ceased. Soon, the massive, ink-black creature leaped, soaring upward and transforming into a pitch-black, primordial beast.

"In the Northern Darkness, there is a fish, and its name is Kun; it transforms into a bird, and its name is Peng!"

Zhou Qing whispered to himself. Was this his master’s power? Flowing between the illusory and the real, following his will. The giant beast danced in the sky, spreading its wings like clouds hanging from the heavens, its high-pitched cry piercing through the three thousand great worlds.

"The black ocean is the manifestation of Master’s dantian, and the Kun-Peng is the manifestation of his spiritual sense. 'Realizing the Void and Returning to the Source' is this powerful. To use such an illusory realm in battle is truly peerless!"

Chisongzi’s eyes also shone with a pale green light. This was his master’s truth: smelting the essence of *Free and Easy Wandering* and gathering it here. His internal energy was as deep as the ocean, and his spiritual sense was vast enough to traverse the heavens and the earth.

Looking back at himself, he could not even compare to a fraction of his master’s power. It was no wonder that in the past thousand years, the number of martial artists who had broken through to 'Realizing the Void and Returning to the Source' could be counted on one hand, let alone the 'Merging with the Dao and Returning to the Source' above it.

"Liezi rode the wind, wandering freely through the heavens and earth, becoming a spirit of the wind, moving as he pleased. Zhuang Zhou entered the void through a dream, following the path of ease. Master swims in the Northern Darkness, settled in the vast ocean. Even the East Emperor Taiyi of the Yin-Yang School, I imagine, is no more than this!"

Hearing his master recount the journey from the humble beginnings of Foundation Establishment to the heights of 'Realizing the Void and Returning to the Source'—advancing step by step, transforming step by step, using the physical body as a vessel, refining vital energy, becoming pure and unblemished, projecting power, and merging his spirit with heaven and earth—the complete system of cultivation was laid bare.

His master gained his truth from *Free and Easy Wandering* to break into the 'Void' realm. But what of himself? He currently practiced both hard and soft, fire and water, and under the 'Gate of All Wonders,' his learning was diverse. Every technique he studied could lead to the 'Void.'

However, their powers and principles were so distinct. Should he broaden his horizons to enter the realm, or choose one to master? Zhou Qing found it difficult to decide. Meanwhile, in the illusory realm, the gigantic Kun-Peng soared and dove into the black ocean, changing at will. In stillness and in motion, it interpreted the ultimate principles of the Tao.