“”Ancient Dao; Tenacious Desire to Seal the Heavens; Benefaction for All in the Mountains; Inevitable Dao Tribulation of the Nine Mountains and Seas; Perennial Will.” Meng Hao’s body trembled and suddenly his vision cleared. The rain was currently falling on him, soaking him.
A strange light filled his eyes. He looked back down silently at the jade slip. In his head, images appeared of the Demonic technique used by Patriarch Reliance, and the Demonic magic Shangguan Xiu had used to control the aura of Mount Daqing.
After contemplating for a long time, he still didn’t understand. He sat down cross-legged, again pouring some spiritual energy into the jade slip. Once more, he contemplated the words’ deep meaning.
Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. The rain had come quickly, and it passed quickly. Meng Hao suddenly opened his eyes. Even as a child, he had been very smart. Even though he hadn’t succeeded in his life as a scholar, once he entered the Reliance Sect, he had been very quick to grasp magical techniques. He didn’t need to spend a lot of time practicing. In fact, this was the first time he had ever had trouble utilizing a mnemonic.
It was as if the mnemonic was something which required enlightenment to understand. Without enlightenment, it could only be observed from the outside, never entered.
“The words seem extremely complicated, their true meaning obscure. It’s like trying to look at flowers in the midst of fog, or the moon on rippling seawater….” He pondered silently for a while, until a bright look appeared in his eyes. He lifted his head and gazed up at the sky, looking a bit hesitant.
More time passed. Finally, determination rose in his eyes. He leaped up, and a flying sword appeared beneath his feet as he shot off into the distance.
“If I can reach Foundation Establishment, then I can fly for long periods. That will be much better than this.” The wind buffeted his face as he soared forward. After a while, the flying sword’s momentum began to fade. Meng Hao dropped to the ground and continued to run.
Time passed slowly. The first time he had left these mountains, he had been at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, and it had taken him two days. Now, he was of the great circle of Qi Condensation, and it only took about an hour. Soon, he was out of the mountains, and had reached the North Sea. 2
He stood once again on the shore, looking out at the lake. He took a deep breath, and then, face filled with sincerity, clasped his hands and bowed deeply two times.
The first bow was for the North Sea’s kindness in demonstrating the Dao and helping him break through his bottleneck.
The second bow was for when the North Sea had helped him during his battle with Ding Xin, when it had saved his life and caused him to be reborn.
“I’ve already made my promise two times, so I won’t say it again. It has been imprinted onto my heart.” He lifted his head, looking out toward the center of the lake. After some time, he closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged to meditate. In his mind, the mnemonic from the jade slip appeared.