Chapter Seventeen: The Essence of the Arcadian Realm

Chapter Seventeen: The Foundation of Peach Blossom Source

In a small side room, the two brothers-in-arms sat facing each other.

Linghu Jinjiu said, “Before you begin cultivating the main techniques, I will first teach you the art of training your spiritual sense. Once you have cultivated your spiritual sense, you’ll be able to read jade slips; many things need not be explained by me one by one. You’ll also be able to enter and exit the courtyard gate freely.”

Fang Junmei nodded in understanding.

Linghu Jinjiu had already mentioned to him the various marvels of spiritual sense.

“In our Peach Blossom Source Sword Sect, all new disciples begin with the Peach Blossom Source Foundation Sutra. It is upright and profound, perfectly suited for beginners. Master has traveled the cultivation world for many years and has access to more advanced methods, but as you’re new to the sect, to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, I won’t teach you those just yet.”

Linghu Jinjiu, it seemed, was a cautious man.

Fang Junmei had no objection.

Linghu Jinjiu then imparted to him the Peach Blossom Source Foundation Sutra.

This scripture, about a thousand words in length, focused on mental techniques entirely unlike anything Fang Junmei had learned through worldly martial arts. There was nothing familiar he could draw upon, so he found it quite difficult to grasp, especially concepts like the “sea of consciousness,” which he’d never even heard of.

After reciting the text, Linghu Jinjiu explained each line in detail.

“Junior brother, I see you understand. Begin your cultivation. I’ll be on the mountain summit these days. When you’ve managed to produce your first thread of spiritual sense and are able to open this storage pouch, come find me.”

With a mischievous grin, Linghu Jinjiu left the room.

…

After closing the door, Fang Junmei sat down alone and entered into meditation.

Spiritual sense, put simply, was an advanced form of perception, surpassing the five ordinary senses. Once cultivated, even a blind or deaf person could clearly perceive everything within the realm of their spiritual sense.

The introductory chapter of the Peach Blossom Source Foundation Sutra required one to shut down the five senses and calmly sense the world, only truly beginning the practice upon the emergence of the first thread of spiritual sense. It sounded abstruse and mysterious.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

Fang Junmei sat alone in his room, but no matter how long he persisted, that first thread of spiritual sense refused to emerge. With his senses closed, the world outside was pitch black—nothing could be perceived.

He was, of course, unaware that at that very moment, his somewhat eccentric second senior brother, Fan Lanzhou, was standing at the window, watching him.

Dressed in white robes, black-haired.

Night had already fallen, and the light of stars and moon spilled through the window, illuminating the refined and scholarly youth, lending him an even more ethereal air.

Fan Lanzhou’s gaze was deep and inscrutable. Nobody knew how long he stood there, until at last, after a few flickers of the eyes, he raised a finger and pointed through the air above Fang Junmei’s head.

Bang!

A silver-white bolt of lightning, thin as silk and shaped like a branch, barely half the height of a man, suddenly appeared above Fang Junmei’s head and crashed downward. Yet, it did not strike him directly. Who could say what Fan Lanzhou was up to?

Bang, bang—

The lightning did not cease, bolt after bolt descending. The sound was not loud, nor did it cause any damage to the room.

But Fang Junmei sensed something strange—a disturbance not in his body, but his soul, as if his spirit was under assault, his very being trembling with fear.

“Why do I suddenly feel this way? Where is it coming from?”

Fang Junmei pondered, but did not release his senses; after all, perceiving anomalies was the point.

He calmed his mind, silently recalling every word of the introductory chapter of the Peach Blossom Source Foundation Sutra, immersing himself in its mysteries.

…

Time slipped by.

Who knew how long had passed, when suddenly, within the pitch-black world of his consciousness, a scene appeared: above his head, a cluster of lightning was striking his spirit. The sensation was at once illusory and real, profound and paradoxical.

In a flash, Fang Junmei’s eyes snapped open, and he looked up above his head.

Sure enough, just as he had seen within his mind, a bolt of lightning was fading above him, dissolving into a wisp of green smoke.

“Where did that lightning come from?”

His first reaction was not joy at having produced his first thread of spiritual sense, but vigilance; he glanced toward the window, where in the darkness beyond, a white figure was gradually disappearing.

“Second senior brother?”

After a moment’s surprise, Fang Junmei laughed. The people on this Peak of Stillness truly were an interesting lot.

…

Once the white figure had vanished, Fang Junmei finally turned his attention to this so-called spiritual sense. Naturally, it was invisible to the naked eye.

But with a thought, he felt as if something flowed out from his mind, spreading from his body in all directions.

Everything in front of him was visible, but now, so too was everything behind—instantly imprinted in his mind, as if he’d grown eyes in the back of his head. The sensation was impossible to fathom without experiencing it firsthand.

Unfortunately, this first thread of spiritual sense was weak, reaching only two or three feet before fading into darkness.

Fang Junmei was not discouraged. He resumed his meditation and continued cultivating.

With the birth of this first thread, he could finally begin true spiritual sense cultivation.

…

Another two months passed. When Fang Junmei felt the range of his spiritual sense had reached seven or eight yards, he finally took a rest.

Within his mind, he could now sense the existence of the “sea of consciousness.”

It was a void, seemingly boundless, yet with his mind’s eye, he quickly reached the edges. Above was a gray sky, below, a void-like pit resembling a small pond, within which floated a fist-sized ball of green liquid. This was the materialized form of his spiritual sense.

Seeing this, Fang Junmei suddenly grasped many of the terms used in the Peach Blossom Source Foundation Sutra.

Overjoyed, he took the storage pouch from his waist and sent his spiritual sense within. The scene he beheld made his eyes glint with excitement.

Inside was an irregular space, about five yards cubed, within which several items floated.

A set of standard robes for disciples of the Peach Blossom Source Sword Sect.

As an inner disciple, Fang Junmei could choose whether or not to wear them.

One thousand low-grade Sword Essence Stones.

He picked one up and examined it, discovering a sharp sword energy within, easily recognized.

A sword that appeared to be made of wood, with a grainy texture on its four-and-a-half-foot blade.

It felt heavy in the hand. When Fang Junmei flicked it with his fingertip, it rang with a metallic sound. This was the Peachwood Sword, the standard armament of new disciples.

Besides these, there was also a bronze-like waist token, engraved with the words “Peach Blossom Source.” It would require a blood sacrifice before it could be used.

…

Fang Junmei examined each item. Remembering Linghu Jinjiu’s instructions, he went out to find him.

As soon as he opened the door, the sharp intent of a sword and the intoxicating scent of wine hit him. Fang Junmei shivered, then his nose twitched—he had no idea what Linghu Jinjiu had just been cultivating.

“Have you awakened your spiritual sense?” Linghu Jinjiu asked offhandedly, showing no surprise at the time Fang Junmei had taken.

Fang Junmei nodded.

Linghu Jinjiu beckoned him over, explained the items in the storage pouch, and taught him the rituals to claim them. At last, Fang Junmei turned the identity token and the pouch into his own.

Then, Linghu Jinjiu began instructing him in the art of drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

“Each major realm corresponds to a different technique. These techniques are usually divided into several layers, each matching a minor realm. Only when you have practiced a technique to a certain layer have you truly reached that realm.”

Fang Junmei nodded, showing his understanding.

“The disciples of our Peach Blossom Source Sword Sect practice the method for the Qi Introduction Stage, called the Peach Blossom Source Foundation Sword Scripture!” Linghu Jinjiu continued.

At this, Fang Junmei couldn’t help but darken his expression slightly, inwardly mocking the sect’s founder for his uninspired naming sense.