Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 32 Discussing the Dao and Cultivating Dual Cultivation
The voyage to the East China Sea was a fruitful one.

Ma Yuan's figure returned once again to the White Bone Cave of Skull Mountain.

Inside the cave, tranquility remained.

Ma Yuan examined each of the extraordinary innate spiritual treasures, erasing the residual primordial spirit imprints on them and stamping them with his own mark.

He then categorized and arranged the elixirs and spiritual materials that had been stored in the leopard-skin pouch.

Only after doing all this did he calm down again.

Sit cross-legged and look inward at yourself.

It has been quite some time since I last condensed the Water and Fire Dao Body and broke through to the mid-stage of Golden Immortal.

Over the years, as my spiritual practice has deepened...

A potential problem gradually emerged before him.

Within his Purple Mansion Sea of ​​Consciousness, the Dao Fruit formed by the fusion of water and fire was still operating steadily, but its internal balance appeared somewhat delicate.

The vast blue ocean, formed by the "Return of Ten Thousand Waters to the Origin Technique," represents the power of water; it is boundless and inexhaustible.

The crimson flames, purified from evil fire and representing the power of fire, are inexhaustible, but not as pure as the power of water.

Currently, a dynamic balance can still be achieved thanks to Ma Yuan's deliberate efforts.

But Ma Yuan knew in his heart that if this continued, the water would eventually overwhelm the fire!

At that time, his hard-won water and fire Dao body will become unbalanced again, and there is even a risk that his Dao foundation will collapse!
"It is better to guide than to block; what is lacking should be replenished."

Ma Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding crossing them.

One cannot simply maintain a delicate balance between water and fire in the long run.

The only solution is to introduce a third force to build a more stable cycle system!

A brand new Dao Body, like a three-legged cauldron, with each leg restraining and supporting the other!
"Among the Five Elements, Earth overcomes Water."

"If we can introduce the abundant power of the earth element, it will not only effectively counterbalance the excessively strong essence of the Gui water, but also generate metal from earth, laying the foundation for completing the great path of the metal element in the future!"

"Water, fire, and earth—the three elements cycle together, and only then can the foundation of the Dao be as stable as Mount Tai!"

In the instant his thoughts became clear, Ma Yuan had already made a decision.

With a thought, he sent a peaceful voice transmission into another quiet room in the mountains where someone was in seclusion.

"Shiji, come to my cave."

……

After a while.

Shi Ji, dressed in green, quietly arrived at the White Bone Cave.

A thousand years of cultivation had given her aloof temperament a greater sense of depth and composure, making her Dao foundation at the Xuanxian realm incredibly solid.

"Master, what are your orders for summoning Shiji?" she asked respectfully.

Ma Yuan did not get up, but simply pointed to the futon in front of him and said gently, "Sit."

After Shi Ji sat down as instructed, Ma Yuan slowly spoke, his voice calm.

"Shiji, I, a humble Taoist, encountered a pass while practicing my cultivation."

He did not hide anything and concisely explained to Shi Ji the hidden dangers of his imbalance of water and fire, with water being excessive and fire being deficient.

Upon hearing this, Shi Ji's usually cold face immediately showed worry: "Master, then... what should we do?"

In her heart, Ma Yuan was her everything, an omnipotent being.

She never imagined that the master's cultivation would encounter such a dangerous problem.

Ma Yuan looked at her, his gaze gentle yet profound: "There is a solution. It just requires your help." "Please give your orders, Master! I would gladly die for you!" Shi Ji replied without the slightest hesitation.

"It's not about asking you to risk your life."

Ma Yuan smiled slightly and continued, "You are a natural-born stubborn rock, containing the purest essence of innate earth, which is heavy and condensed, and can restrain the excessive water element power in my body."

"This humble Taoist wishes to engage in a discussion of the Tao and a joint cultivation with you."

"Double...dual cultivation?"

Upon hearing those two words, even someone as serene and composed as Shi Ji, whose face remained as calm as an ancient well for millennia, couldn't help but blush slightly.

Seeing this, Ma Yuan knew she had misunderstood, so he patiently explained:
"This dual cultivation is not what you think. It refers to the interaction of the primordial spirit and the resonance of the Great Dao."

"I will guide the innate Earth essence within you into my Dao body to help me construct the cycle of Water, Fire, and Earth, thus stabilizing my Dao foundation."

"In return, my already perfected Dao of Water and Fire, as well as my understanding of the Great Dao, can be given back to you without reservation. It will help you refine your stone body, break through the barriers of cultivation, and make your future path to immortality go further and smoother."

"This is a win-win situation, a perfect solution. Are you willing?"

After hearing Ma Yuan's explanation, Shi Ji suddenly understood.

This is hardly a case of needing her help.

This is clearly the master finding an excuse to give her another unreserved lecture and enlightenment!
What merit or ability does she possess to deserve such immense kindness?

Shi Ji said nothing more. She stood up and respectfully performed a solemn master-disciple salute to Ma Yuan.

"Everything Shiji has is a gift from the Master. It is Shiji's greatest honor to be able to contribute her meager strength to the Master's Great Way."

"Okay." Ma Yuan nodded with satisfaction.

"Calm your mind, focus your energy, and release your primordial spirit."

……

Inside the cave, there is no sun or moon, and one is unaware of the changing seasons.

From that day on, the gates of the White Bone Cave never opened again.

Thus began a long and profound discussion and cultivation of the Dao.

Inside the quiet room, Ma Yuan and Shi Ji sat facing each other.

At this moment, their primordial spirits transcended the barrier of their physical bodies and converged in a mysterious and profound sea of ​​consciousness.

A thick, heavy, and concentrated earth-yellow aura, seemingly containing the power of the entire primordial land, slowly flowed from Shi Ji's body into Ma Yuan's body.

Meanwhile, the azure and crimson-gold Daoist auras within Ma Yuan's body, representing water and fire, also transformed into streams of pure energy, feeding back into him.

He had no worldly desires whatsoever.

All that exists is a shared pursuit of the Great Dao and an exchange with the purest origin.

Under Ma Yuan's guidance, Shi Ji's innate Earth essence intervened in the clash between water and fire within Ma Yuan's body.

Earth overcomes water, and water nourishes earth.

Earth produces metal, fire produces earth.

A brand new tripartite balance, with earth as the central element and water and fire as the two wings, began to slowly take shape within Ma Yuan's Dao Fruit!
His foundation is becoming more solid and substantial at an unprecedented speed!
And the other side.

Shiji, who received the feedback from Ma Yuanshui Huodao Yun, also reaped great benefits.

Her solid but somewhat sluggish innate stone body is being repeatedly tempered and cleansed by the forces of water and fire, becoming increasingly crystal clear and full of spirituality!
Her understanding of the Great Dao has improved by leaps and bounds thanks to Ma Yuan's unreserved sharing!
This practice of dual cultivation lasted for a full five hundred years.

Until this day, when the power of water, fire, and earth within Ma Yuan's body finally achieved a perfect, ever-renewing cycle.

He and Shiji slowly awoke from their meditative state of complete absorption in the world.

(End of this chapter)