socalfunplaces Chapter 14 Successors
Chapter 14 Successors
After leaving his meditation room.
Li Cunzhen pushed open the courtyard gate and walked along the bluestone-paved mountain path towards the back of the mountain.
Zuo Ruotong's meditation courtyard was located at the highest point. It was neither luxurious nor simple, and apart from its location, it was no different from the courtyards of ordinary disciples.
The mountain path wasn't long; Li Cunzhen arrived at the courtyard gate in about fifteen minutes.
The two wooden doors were ajar, and it was quiet inside; no sound could be heard.
Li Cunzhen straightened his robes and raised his hand to knock on the door.
A short while later, the door was pulled open from the inside, and the head of a young disciple peeked out.
Li Cunzhen had met this person a few times. If he remembered correctly, his name was Shoujing. He had entered the sect five or six years earlier than Li Cunzhen, so Li Cunzhen should call him senior brother.
"Junior Brother Li?"
Shoujing was somewhat surprised.
"Senior brother, I need to see Master. Please inform him."
Shoujing hesitated for a moment, then looked back at the courtyard and said in a low voice, "Master was in seclusion just now and doesn't allow anyone to disturb him. But judging by the time, he should be coming out soon. You wait here while I go check on him."
With that, he turned and went inside.
Li Cunzhen then obediently stood outside the door and waited.
Before long, Shoujing quickly returned, a smile on his face, and said, "Junior brother, you're lucky. Master just came out of seclusion and let you in directly."
He paused for a moment, then added another sentence.
"However... it seems Master's seclusion didn't go smoothly just now, so be careful when you go in."
Li Cunzhen nodded, thanked him, and stepped into the courtyard.
Zuo Ruotong was sitting cross-legged on a futon, his back straight as a pine tree.
His eyes were slightly closed, his face was calm, and there was nothing unusual about him.
But Li Cunzhen noticed that his master's fingers, which were resting on his knees, were slightly curled, and his breathing was a little heavier than usual.
He was adjusting his breathing.
Li Cunzhen remained silent, standing quietly to the side and waiting.
After a moment, Zuo Ruotong slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, opened her eyes and looked at Li Cunzhen.
"Disciple Li Cunzhen greets Master."
Zuo Ruotong raised her hand to help him up, and asked, "Why are you here? Have you encountered any problems with your cultivation?"
"Reporting to Master, this disciple has successfully established the foundation."
Zuo Ruotong's fingers, which were resting on her knees, suddenly paused.
He had just gone into seclusion in order to break through the third level of the Reverse Life Realm.
He had been stuck at the second level for decades, from his prime to his seventies, trying countless methods, reading countless classics, and even humbling himself to exchange and learn from various schools, but that threshold always stood in front of him, unmoved.
That was yet another failure.
Having cultivated Taoism for decades, Zuo Ruotong was no longer the naive young man who would dwell on successes and failures.
He knew that it was common for the path of seeking the Tao to be endless. Although he had only climbed halfway up the mountain, he had already seen many wonders that ordinary people could not see. There was nothing to complain about if he died halfway.
If Zuo Ruotong can take that step in this lifetime, it will be an immense blessing; if he cannot, as long as the Sanyi Sect continues its lineage, there will be successors to take that step for him.
What he was truly worried about was that the Trinity School had no successors.
The Reverse Rebirth Triple Technique is powerful, but it has a fatal flaw: it's too dangerous.
If one is not careful during cultivation, one may suffer damage to their meridians, or even lifelong disability.
However, it requires an extremely high level of talent.
Over the years, he has taken in many disciples, and when you include his fellow disciples of the same generation, there are over a hundred people in the Sanyi Sect, but he can't find a second one who has a chance of breaking through to the third level of the Reverse Rebirth.
The entire Sanyi Sect may seem prosperous, but in the end, the one who can truly shoulder the burden is Zuo Ruotong alone.
The road is long and treacherous.
If we cannot overcome this obstacle, our descendants will be all gone.
But where are the descendants of the Trinity School?
He had thought about this question countless times, but each time he had no answer.
Until this year, he met Li Cunzhen.
Thinking of this, Zuo Ruotong turned her gaze to the disciple in front of her.
"After being in seclusion for so long, I've become a bit confused. Well, judging by the days, you should be at the Foundation Establishment stage by now."
"I imparted the cultivation method to you on the morning of the tenth of last month. Today is the twenty-seventh." Zuo Ruotong calculated with her fingers, her eyebrows slightly raised, and a smile appeared on her lips: "It is exactly a number seven."
"Thank you, Master, for your guidance."
Li Cunzhen cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, a gesture that was truly sincere.
Without Zuo Ruotong to guide him into the path, and without the mental cultivation method of the Sanyi School, even with the greatest desire to pursue the Dao, he could only wander around outside the gate.
Even if there is still a possibility of joining another sect, the master-disciple relationship has been established, and he has already recognized Zuo Ruotong as the only one to whom he has been entrusted with the teachings.
Zuo Ruotong waved her hand without saying anything more.
He sized up Li Cunzhen and suddenly asked, "You've come to ask me for the next stage of the cultivation technique, haven't you?"
After spending more than a month together, he had already figured out Li Cunzhen's personality with his keen eye.
This disciple was different from the other disciples. He never took the initiative to chat with him, but whenever he did come, it meant that he had encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation or made progress.
Add to that his fervent pursuit of the Tao, and it's obvious to anyone with a brain that he came here today.
Li Cunzhen chuckled and nodded.
"Foolish child."
"You silly child, you'll bring good fortune to my family for generations to come." Zuo Ruotong said, half scolding and half praising, then stood up: "The rest of the cultivation method is in the Scripture Pavilion, I'll go get it for you later."
He paused, then said, "Now that you have established your foundation and obtained Qi, you can begin to practice magic. I think thunder magic is quite suitable for you."
"Your disciple obeys."
Li Cunzhen agreed readily.
He knew why Zuo Ruotong hadn't mentioned the Reverse Life Triple Technique, and he also knew why she started with thunder magic as soon as she opened her mouth.
Disciples who have successfully established their foundation have already met the requirements for cultivating the third level of Reverse Rebirth.
However, the Sanyi Sect has always had an unwritten rule: newly established Foundation Establishment disciples can choose any cultivation technique for their first cultivation method, but they cannot directly touch the Reverse Life Triple Stage.
The reason is simple: this practice is too dangerous. Not only is the energy circulation route complex, but it also demands a very high level of mental discipline. The slightest distraction can lead to the complete loss of all previous efforts, or even worse, qi deviation and permanent disability.
Let newcomers accumulate experience with other cultivation methods first. Once they are familiar with the rhythm of cultivation and have a better understanding of their own situation, they can then try to reach the Triple Rebirth stage, which will reduce a lot of trouble.
As for why it's thunder magic...
Thunder magic is a major feature of Taoism. Almost all the existing schools of Xuanmen today have their own thunder magic, and the Sanyi School is no exception.
Although it cannot compare to the unparalleled Five Thunder Orthodox Method of the Celestial Master's Mansion, its power is not inferior. More importantly, it can temper one's life force, which is of great benefit to future cultivation.
Given Li Cunzhen's current situation, this is indeed the most suitable choice.
After discussing the cultivation method, Li Cunzhen did not immediately take his leave.
"Master, there is one more thing."
"explain."
"Mu Xuan has been down the mountain for a month now, and I want to go see him."
Zuo Ruotong glanced at him.
They are brothers after all.
Although Li Cunzhen never brought up Li Muxuan's affairs on his own initiative, he still kept them in mind.
The town at the foot of the mountain is not far from the Trinity Gate, and it doesn't take long to go back and forth, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be allowed.
"Okay." Zuo Ruotong nodded, then added, "Don't say too much when you meet. Dongshan will take care of things on his end."
"Disciple understands."