Realms In The Firmament

Wan Zheng-Hao and Gu Jin-Long looked at each other.

[‘My master’!]

Ye Xiao’s words contained so much information.

That meant Feng Zhi-Ling didn’t have the ability to make supreme dan beads. Only the guy hidden behind him could make it.

And that guy must be a superior master of making dan beads!

Gu and Wan had thought about it earlier. Feng Zhi-Ling looked much older than Ye Xiao, but he was only about 30 years old. A 30 years old man could hardly be a dan-making grandmaster. So in their opinion, it was rather reasonable that there was a master behind Feng Zhi-Ling!

Wan Zheng-Hao laughed and probingly asked, “Brother Feng, I wonder… Except Pei-Yuan dan beads, what kind of dan beads with a supreme level can you master make?”

Ye Xiao stayed quiet for a while and then raised his head immediately. It seemed like he had made a decision about something and said, “I have a pleasant relation with Ling-Bao Hall in the previous cooperation. Since Brother Feng has asked me this question, I think I should just give you the truth.”

Gu and Wan were both spirited.

They thought Feng Zhi-Ling was about to tell them something very important.

“My master started making dan beads from last year.” Ye Xiao’s first sentence had stunned them both.

[What? Last year?

That means in only one year, his master successfully made supreme dan beads?

What is this bullshit? Truly bullshit? Or seriously bullshit?]

“You may think I am lying or raising his stature, but I can only say that it is the truth. The supreme dan beads are the perfect proof!” Ye Xiao spoke.

“Please go on.” They nodded and asked.

“My master is 397 years old now. He was in the ninth level of the Grade of Diyuan. He could only go this far as his talent is limited. He is about to pass away within the next three to five years.”

Ye Xiao continued, “My master was born in a family of dan-makers. He has heard and seen a lot of dan-making since he was born. However, his father only let him read books about dan beads. Even though he has kneeled and begged for practice, his father had never allowed him to.”

While Ye Xiao spoke of that, Gu Jin-Long actually frowned.

Gu Jin-Long didn’t want to talk, but he wanted to figure out something.

So Wan Zheng-Hao became the perfect person to ask for him.

He asked, “Why is that?”

Ye Xiao answered, “Please be patient. Listen to me carefully.”

Wan Zheng-Hao shut his mouth right away.

“After that, during my master’s first dozens of years, he had read all the books about dan beads that could be found in the world. After he had done so, he thought he could finally practice what he had learned. Yet his father still didn’t allow him to. Instead, his father made an extremely harsh request which was totally unbelievable.”

“What was it? How was it extremely harsh and unbelievable?” Wan Zheng-Hao asked in just the right time.

“It was… to recite all those books without a single mistake. All of them! No mistake on even one single word!” Ye Xiao said, “If you get in our sect, the first thing you should do is reciting books. We have collected the biggest amount of books in the Land of Han-Yang. We hardly missed any book. All our books… If you put them together, they could nearly filled up several houses… I have been in our sect for nearly 20 years, and I am still unable to finish all the books. My master’s father requested him to recite all those books without a single mistake being made! That was as difficult as reaching the sky!”

Gu and Wan both sucked in a deep breath. They really couldn’t understand why this father wanted to do such a thing.

“And then?” Wan Zheng-Hao asked.

“And then my master actually went on reading and reciting… Before he could recite all those books, his father passed away. Before his father died, his father told him, ‘I have been working on making dan beads for my whole life. I am already a dan-making grandmaster in people’s eyes. There won’t be many people who can be better than me. However, I am the only one who knows that I am not qualified. I am very, very far from it.’

In the area of dan-making, there is no limitation. I have only walked one or two steps on a path that is a hundred miles long.’

‘It is such a pity that I figured out the truth when I was already too old… It is that when you start with it, you have to calm your heart! If you don’t, your heart will hold you behind!’”

Gu Jin-Long was so concentrated when Ye Xiao spoke of that.

[Maybe, the biggest secret about the supreme dan beads are just hidden in this story.]

“My master’s father spoke in a serious voice, ‘Now I am not reading those books for learning; I am… looking for the mistakes in those books.”

“And the way I make dan beads has become a certain pattern. It has become a part of my habit. I can no longer change anything about it. So I am unable to make the legendary supreme dan beads all my life!”

“There all millions of books about dan beads in the world. They all have their significances. However, every book contains the personality of the author… If you learn by following one’s book, you are never gonna do better than the author. You can’t have the experiences and understandings of a grandmaster! So you are never going to be outstanding by learning from others.”

Gu Jin-Long nodded slowly.

[That is so true. That is actually the truth amongst the truths.]

It was like the a master and two disciples practicing the same sword-play. They could never show it the same way. This was the same situation.

Three men play the same art of sword. They were actually executing three different sword-plays!

Even though they made the same movements, the power and the inner spiritual influences would be completely different.

Ye Xiao continued.

“His father made a final request to my master before he died, ‘I want you… to fully understand every word in those books after you successfully recite all of them. You have to know everything about every way to make dan beads. After then…’

‘After that, you throw away all those books and only keep what you have experienced all these years. Figure out your own way of making dan beads. Create a brand new way for the dan-makers!’

‘Maybe you can do it; maybe you can not… However… That is the only way you should proceed in the area of dan-making…’

And then after he finished his last words, he died.”

“What words?” Wan Zheng-Hao asked.

“He said… ‘If one day, you have figured out your own way and you are sure that it only belongs to you, you can start bringing it into practice! If one day you produce some supreme dan beads… You come to my tomb, burn incenses for me and tell me about your success.”

Ye Xiao finished that with a few sighs.

Gu Jin-Long and Wan Zheng-Hao were both immersed in the story, so they sighed too.

[That’s the story…]

“After that, my master kept all those words in his mind. All these years, he has been working on it and searching for some materials in the mountain. During those 300 years, he had never touched the dan stove ever.”

“Until last year… My master had finally figured out something. He laughed three times on the top of a mountain and then he started making dan beads! He started to make the first group of dan beads in his life!”

“My master was 395 and a half years old that day!”

“I had been following my master for 18 years in total. I can still vividly remember that he said…” Ye Xiao acted like he was lost in the memory and spoke gently, “… ‘After these fascinating four hundred years, the little boy has gone. My eyes are dim-sighted now when I look at my life, but I have never changed my mind about making dan beads. There will always be a way out at the end of my rope; when it shows up, it will open all the gates to the night heavens. My life of dan-making has started today, and I will stick to it until I die!’”

(恍惚人生四百年；当初幼童已云烟；两眼昏花看来路，一心不改蕴神丹；山穷水尽终有路，一念洞开九重天；丹道之路今日始，亦从今日近黄泉！)

Wan Zheng-Hao and Gu Jin-Long sighed together again.

People in the Grade of Diyuan was never able to live longer than 400 years!

It was a rule that was set by the gods that people in the Grade of Diyuan could live no more than 400 years.

[Feng Zhi-Ling’s master had finally come to his great awakening when he was 395 and a half years old. In fact, he could only lived for four and a half years!

Several hundred years’ hard works were only for the last four and a half years!

Though the glory only happened in such a short time, it should be imperishable forever!]

“That is the story… of the supreme dan beads… The process of making those dan beads has lasted nearly 400 years, hasn’t it? The difficulty in making supreme dan beads is truly unbelievable!” Gu Jin-Long was moved.

“It could be longer than that.” Ye Xiao spoke, “If my master didn’t figure out the true art of dan-making, the 400 years would only mean nothing!”

“Oh? the true art of dan-making?” Gu Jin-Long asked.

Gu Jin-Long must be casting his greedy eyes on the secret dan-making method. Usually, a man like Gu Jin-Long would never show such curiosity. However, what Ye Xiao had said had truly motivated his curiosity. Even though Gu Jin-Long was usually calm and steady, he couldn’t help speaking out all of it.

Ye Xiao didn’t feel offended at all and replied gently, “The secret that my master has figured out is only one word.”

“One word? What word?” The two of them both asked.

“Silence!” Ye Xiao spoke peacefully.

“Silence?” The two of them looked at each other. Apparently, both of them were surprised by the answer.

“That’s right. One word. Silence.” Ye Xiao sipped some tea. He seemed to be thirsty after speaking for so long. He then continued, “After fully understanding everything in those books, my master finally figured out that… In fact, the ways that those dan-making masters make dan beads were all right. They were reaching the same goal by different routes. That’s all.”

…

3rd guaranteed chapter of the week.

Translated by: Rain

Edited by: Alpha, Arch

Translated by XianXiaWorld