Chapter Thirty-Nine: Return to Dahong—The Perfection of the Diagram of the Profound Way

Previously on this story: After Jiang Fan’s consciousness returned from the Devouring Starry Sky, he used the supreme jade he obtained from Wang Lang to have his parents exchange for a vast amount of elixirs from his maternal grandfather in the provincial city. Jiang Fan had intended to cultivate quietly, but unexpectedly, a siege by water demons occurred. His second uncle was bewitched by evil, turned on his own family, killing his father and brother, and was utterly unconcerned even when his own son died—almost single-handedly bringing ruin to the entire Jiang clan. Though Jiang Zheng’an broke through at a critical moment and became an Initiate, he was still no match for the enemy. In the nick of time, the Jiang family patriarch appeared and turned the tide, sacrificing himself in battle, his blood drenching the city. At dawn, reinforcements arrived, slaughtering nearly all the demons and quelling the chaos.

In the end, only Jiang Zheng’an (Jiang Fan’s father), his mother Nangong Yue, his cousin Jiang Shan, two young maids, Xiaoqing and Xiaoqian, and a dozen or so returning branch members and stewards of the family survived. With the disaster past and peace restored, Jiang Fan devoted himself to cultivation. To return to the Devouring Starry Sky, he claimed he was going into seclusion in the family crypt. He had planned to remain in the Devouring Starry Sky much longer, but a change in plans forced him to return early. The above is the recap.

Qin Ming—or rather, Jiang Fan—sat up from the stone bed.

“I entered the Devouring Starry Sky on the fifth of May and returned on the first of July. That’s just over fifty days. With a time ratio of one to a hundred, only half a day has passed here.”

“I left before dawn and now, upon returning, it must be nightfall.”

“Perfect. I’ll get some sleep before making any further plans.”

After attending to his personal needs, he lay back down on the stone bed. He slept soundly and comfortably. When he woke again, though he could not tell whether it was dark or light outside, Jiang Fan felt fully refreshed.

With a thought, a palm-sized, emerald-green crystal appeared in his hand—the Heart of the Willow Tree, a spirit of vegetation, with liquid swirling inside.

“Great-grandfather said that if I perfected the Diagram of the Mysterious Way before the age of twenty, there would be a great opportunity. But who knows if that will be fortune or disaster?”

“This body has only cultivated the Diagram to the eighteenth illustration. Achieving perfection is still far off!”

“Should I take the risk?”

Jiang Fan’s mind was a whirl of thoughts, then he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

When he first obtained the spirit of vegetation, he instinctively put it away instead of consuming it, hoping to use it to strengthen his body here. Now, he hesitated.

“The unknown future always breeds hesitation.”

Jiang Fan found pen and ink and wrote a note, explaining in detail what his great-grandfather had told him: “If I manage to complete the Diagram of the Mysterious Way in one go and suddenly disappear, no one will know what has become of me. That would surely worry my family, so I will explain everything and leave behind the secret of the Diagram.”

Having finished, Jiang Fan took the dagger left by his great-grandfather and sliced open the Heart of the Willow Tree, consuming all the liquid inside.

Boom!

A torrential surge exploded within him. From the tip of his tongue down his throat and into his stomach, the raging flood swept through his entire being. Organs, muscles, bones, blood, and marrow—they all felt saturated with a terrifying power, as if his muscles would tear, his bones shatter, his whole body on the verge of bursting.

Although the spirit of vegetation was an incomparably pure life force, it was far too vast. Jiang Fan hurriedly began cultivating the Diagram of the Mysterious Way. Starting from the first illustration, he quickly reached the eighteenth. In the blink of an eye, he succeeded with the nineteenth. He’d long had the insight, only lacking the physical foundation. Now, with this overwhelming life force, his progress was lightning-fast.

In the Devouring Starry Sky, the spirit of vegetation could be easily absorbed, even allowing a warrior to cross into the rank of war god.

Twentieth illustration!

Twenty-sixth!

Thirtieth!

Thirty-first!

Only then did the turbulent energy begin to abate.

Thirty-third!

Thirty-fifth!

Even as the remaining energy diminished, though his cultivation slowed, it did not stop.

Next came the thirty-sixth illustration.

At the moment of completion, his body underwent its greatest transformation yet.

He repeated the thirty-sixth illustration more than ten times, from awkwardness to mastery, each repetition bringing further improvement.

When, at last, he achieved perfect mastery, comprehending its true essence, Jiang Fan felt a jolt run through his body, the stars spinning—and in an instant, he had crossed into another time and place.

“As Great-grandfather said!” thought Jiang Fan, as his vision cleared.

He found himself in a most exquisite stone courtyard. In the yard stood a stone table and a stone stool. To the left, a well brimmed with water, and the courtyard was enclosed by walls. Three stone rooms completed the scene—nothing else.

“What kind of power could transport me from the family crypt to this place?” Jiang Fan forced himself to calmness and pondered.

Lifting his gaze, he noticed a peculiarity: the sky was dazzling white, with no sun or stars, yet clouds drifted, and the wind stirred. The air was saturated with spiritual energy, almost to the point of being tangible.

With a movement, Jiang Fan leapt to the roof, surveying the surroundings—and was stunned.

Before the courtyard stretched a vast lake, its far shore invisible. To the left, dense forests teemed with flowers, vines, and fluttering butterflies. To the right, mountain ranges undulated to the horizon. Behind lay endless grasslands.

“Is anyone there?” Jiang Fan called out.

“A commendable temperament,” an ancient voice replied, echoing silently. An old man appeared in the courtyard—white hair and beard, yet face as smooth as an infant’s, eyes bright and penetrating. He beckoned, and Jiang Fan found himself descending involuntarily.

“Elder, how should I address you? And where is this place?” Jiang Fan stood and respectfully inquired.

“You may call me Master Jade,” the old man replied, his voice hoarse and a little distant. “This is Jade Spring Residence. You, as a human, have arrived here by perfecting the Diagram of the Mysterious Way before the age of twenty.”

“Greetings, Master Jade.” Jiang Fan saluted again, always erring on the side of courtesy.

Master Jade nodded and began, “This is a place of legacy. To obtain it, you must first pass a trial. The Diagram of the Mysterious Way is only the beginning.”

“Master Jade, several of my Jiang ancestors also perfected the Mysterious Way before twenty—did they come here as well? Where are they now?”

“Still a scion of the Jiang family? Fate weaves its ties,” Master Jade murmured. “Any who complete the Mysterious Way before their twentieth year in the Grand Hong world are summoned here. Alas, none have passed the subsequent trials. They returned to the world, their essence reverting to the source.”

“Returned to the world, essence reverting to the source?” Jiang Fan’s heart tightened.

“Now comes your second trial. Pass, and you become a registered disciple. Fail, and all is lost.” As Master Jade spoke, three stone steles flew through the air and landed in the courtyard, sinking partway into the earth. Their exposed faces were inscribed with dense script. He indicated them from left to right.

“This is the Mysterious Way Art, a body-tempering method with four stages. The first stage is the Diagram; the second, corresponding to the Initiate realm. Your first task is to perfect the second stage. The latter two are here for reference only.

“The second stele records the Golden Mist Technique, a method for cultivating spiritual energy, with five stages: Qi Refining, Innate, Initiate, Nascent Soul, and Earth Immortal. Your second task is to reach mastery of the Initiate stage.”

“The third stele bears a fist technique called the Inch Fist—an unparalleled, explosive art that complements the Mysterious Way, with eighty-one levels! With each level, the force multiplies: at the first, twofold your strength; at the eighty-first, eighty-two times! Your third task is to master the ninth level.”

“These are your three tasks,” said Master Jade. “The time limit: one year.”

“One year?” Jiang Fan listened in silence. Even he could not help but change expression at the mention of the time constraint.