I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 413 Things Will Fall into Place Naturally (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Why do you ask this?"

Jiang Yunye was intrigued and instead of answering directly, he asked leading questions.

Jiang Yi frowned and pondered, “Although Chonghe is the Daoist title of Daojun, these two words are taken from ‘All things carry yin and embrace yang, and the interaction of qi is the key to harmony.’ Its core is harmony, not the mutual elimination of opposing forces such as yin and yang, hardness and softness, emptiness and fullness, but rather the acceptance and integration of these forces, allowing them to coexist in a dynamic balance.”

Just as yin gives rise to yang and yang gives rise to yin, as long as yin and yang continue to operate, there will be no opposition, and they will coexist.

"I continued to think along this line of thought and felt that the way of 'harmony' can be expressed as the 'combination of strength and gentleness' in cultivation techniques. For example, sword cultivators need both sharpness and gentleness, and in terms of mindset, they should 'not be attached to either extreme,' such as not being biased towards detachment from the world, nor towards worldly greed, or resonating and coexisting with heaven and earth. For example, they should not forcibly plunder spiritual energy, but follow its flow and absorb and retain it naturally."

Jiang Yunye nodded slowly, "You mean to say that the way of 'harmony' is the heart of 'freedom'."

"Correct!"

Jiang Yi looked at Jiang Yunye, a last trace of confusion still lingering in her clear eyes.

"Chonghe" can be considered a verb, while "Xiaoyao" is a noun representing a state of mind.

The essence is freedom and tranquility, and the application is harmony.

The fundamental principle sought by the Way of Freedom is "harmony and balance," but how exactly should one achieve this harmony and balance?
Jiang Yi didn't know!
If she understands this, she will be able to convert her true essence into magical power and enter the Gathering Magic Realm.

Jiang Yunye looked at Jiang Yi with increasing affection and appreciation. He recalled that when he first returned to the sect, those scoundrels from various sword pavilions visited him every day, trying to persuade him to stay in Liuyun Pavilion and that if he joined their sword pavilion, he would surely become the leader of the sword path.

That's utterly worthless!
Are they able to teach it clearly?
Do you know what this girl truly desires in her heart?
This girl was born to be a member of Liuyun Pavilion, not because she's lazy, but because she has a free and easy Daoist heart, which is the same as the state of mind that Daoist Chonghe had when he founded Liuyun Pavilion.

The essence of Liuyun Pavilion is carefree living.

Everyone here has long since transcended the confines of swordsmanship; moving from Liuyun Pavilion to other sword pavilions is the true path forward.

Jiang Yunye continued to ask Jiang Yi, "Then what do you think 'carefree' means?"

Jiang Yi looked into the distance and blurted out, "Riding the right course of heaven and earth, and controlling the changes of the six qi, to roam the boundless. It is the freedom of not being attached to things, like not clinging to the strong, and not being attached to realms. It is the supernatural power of doing as one pleases, like riding the wind and controlling the qi, traversing the void. It is also a state of mind without any worries, like laughing at life and death, and taking honor and disgrace lightly."

"But I'm not afraid of being laughed at by my master, I understand all this, but I still can't do it, because there's a contradiction in my heart. In this cultivation world, if I don't possess absolute power, fame, and authority, I can't be truly carefree. Many external things will trap me. So at this moment, I will still choose to participate in the ranking competition and fight for it!"

Jiang Yunye smiled and nodded, "I understand where your 'knot' lies. You feel that you must have something before you can be without it, you must act before you can be inactive, you must fight before you can not fight! This goes against the heart of a carefree person."

Jiang Yi frowned; her master had hit the nail on the head.

"But this is not contradictory."

"what?"

Jiang Yi looked over in confusion, and Jiang Yunye suddenly poked her forehead with a finger.

"Think about how you just explained the word 'harmony'."

Jiang Yi was startled, then her eyes widened, and her aura unconsciously began to tremble.

Jiang Yunye straightened his back and said calmly, "Simply put, you don't need to define or understand what freedom is. Just ask your own heart if you are happy and at ease in the present moment. If you spend all day thinking about freedom and trying to conform to it, you are falling into a lower level and being too deliberate."

"The crux of your problem lies in whether or not to fight, and you are deliberately trying to reconcile this contradiction. You need to let everything return to balance in the natural cycle, instead of forcibly suppressing the contradiction, so that the opposing sides can reach a dynamic equilibrium, as you just mentioned... Yes, coexist and blend in dynamic equilibrium."

"The Tao is not a set of rules constructed by humans, but rather a natural and genuine way of living. The essence of carefree living is to transcend the opposition between 'constraint and freedom,' not to 'gain freedom after getting rid of constraints.' Why must you get rid of them? Just let the constraints exist, but not confine your mind, isn't that enough?"

"That's the principle. How do you do it? You need to not see yin and yang, good and evil, strength and weakness, or even spear and shield as either one or the other, but as an interdependent whole, a process of 'harmony and control'. This process is the 'use of harmony'."

"An empty room gives rise to light; a clear and tranquil mind brings freedom everywhere. Even if one is imprisoned, if the mind is free from attachments, one is free. Cultivate this within yourself, and your virtue will be genuine. Only when your own breath is harmonious can you be in harmony with the breath of heaven and earth. External balance originates from internal harmony. In my view, the so-called 'Tao' is a state of perfect harmony that transcends discrimination."

“The essence of cultivating the Tao is cultivating the mind; external realms are merely manifestations of one’s inner state. To be honest, your master now understands many principles, but there are still many things I can’t do as I think. But what can I do? If I can’t do it, I just won’t think about it. I’ll just do what I’m supposed to do today.”

Jiang Yi remained silent, and Jiang Yunye noticed that the true essence flowing around her was already interacting with heaven and earth, showing faint signs of transforming into magical power.

Jiang Yunye observed this and secretly praised his grand-disciple's extraordinary comprehension. He then continued to push forward, explaining the meaning of enlightenment even more clearly. "What your grandmaster just told you was too abstract. Let's talk about something more practical. Your grandmaster, for example, is currently cultivating a process of harmonization, which involves regulating the yin and yang energies in the dantian. Once the energy is smooth and unobstructed, one can freely control the origin of heaven and earth, such as wind, rain, thunder, lightning, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, achieving 'freedom of energy control.' Last time when we raided the mine, your grandmaster was able to control fire and impersonate Xia Changying by cultivating water magic, which was because of this."

"Take Qing Si for example. To be honest, having her cultivate with Yao Yao and Hua Gu actually helped her a lot. Her lightning magic is too fierce, which is a drawback of most sword cultivators in the Tai Chu Sword Sect. But by using 'watery softness' to neutralize the power of lightning, it becomes twice as effective. This is also the way of harmony."

"The origin of heaven and earth can also be regarded as the harmonious energy. Yin and Yang energies surge and merge in chaos, generating all things. 'Freedom' is the return of all things to their origin. For example, plants wither and flourish in accordance with the seasons, which is freedom. Birds and beasts migrate according to their nature, which is freedom. Cultivators resonate with the origin of heaven and earth through a harmonious heart, and finally 'unite with the Dao' to achieve the ultimate freedom of 'no birth and no death, no restraint'."

click!
It was as if some invisible shackles shattered in response!

Jiang Yi's mind was clear and bright, and she suddenly felt enlightened.

The dilemma of 'competing or not competing,' or even 'laziness or diligence,' that had been troubling her during this period, was no longer two opposing sides, but was instantly 'harmonized' in this clear and open mind.

What is freedom and ease?

Where the heart leads, the path follows; though there are barriers, they will not hinder us!
Bound by constraints, yet the heart transcends!

What is harmony and balance?

It is not about reconciliation and opposition, but about embracing and flowing, transforming all things that stand in opposition into harmonious coexistence.

This is her way of operating the laws of heaven and earth in her carefree way—harmony!
Not competing is competing, and competing is also not competing; they are not contradictory, but coexist.

In an instant, the vast and surging true essence within Jiang Yi's body ceased its agitation and instead condensed and sublimated in a profound way.

Just as rivers, lakes, and seas suddenly converge and condense into golden liquid, the golden elixir in the center of the dantian, as brilliant as the sun, bursts forth with an even more refined and profound primordial power.

True essence finally transformed into something that carries the laws of heaven and earth...

Mana!

Jiang Yi involuntarily closed her eyes, sat cross-legged, and felt the free and unrestrained power between heaven and earth.

It is the wind, the clouds, the fire, the water, and one's own heart.

Boom!

A muffled thunderclap, clearly perceptible only to Jiang Yi, exploded within her dantian. Immediately afterward, a beam of clear light shot uncontrollably from the crown of her head, piercing through the tranquil clouds atop Cloud Mist Peak in an instant.

Suddenly, a storm arose at the summit, with clouds churning and swirling. The spiritual energy of the entire Liuyun Pavilion mountain range surged back and poured into Jiang Yi's body in an invisible funnel.

Even the few cranes that were leisurely preening their feathers by the lake were startled and took flight, their clear cries echoing for a long time on the sunlit mountaintop.

Throughout the Lingxu Sword Sect, all the high-level cultivators were alarmed. Songtao Sword Venerable was the first to rush into the sky. When he discovered that the anomaly had occurred at Yunmiao Peak, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then turned into deep satisfaction.

Jiang Yi was filled with magical power, flowing like the sea.

When the foundation of the Dao of Freedom is established, all laws resonate with it!
In the middle stage of the Golden Elixir, success comes naturally.

From then on, casting spells was done at will, and there was no longer a need to perform hand gestures or chant incantations.

Jiang Yi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze shining brightly, her aura several times deeper than before. At first glance, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to regard her as a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Jiang Yi smiled serenely, about to thank her master, when the stone she had placed on the ground suddenly cracked open, and a beam of green light shot straight to Jiang Yi's brow.

Jiang Yunye's pupils dilated; that was... a divine thought left behind by Daoist Chonghe.

After a long while, Jiang Yi looked up and slowly came back to her senses.

"Chonghe Daojun said to wait for me at the top of the Heavenly Ranking."

(End of this chapter)