11: Chapter 11 Chaos arises in Dantian
Three months passed like a stream over stones, flowing silently.
Life on Zhongnan Mountain was simple and fulfilling. Lu Mingyuan woke up every day at the Yin hour, sat quietly in the courtyard to observe the sky, watching the purple Qi come from the east and the clouds shift; at the Si hour, he tended the herb garden, observing the growth and decay of plants and the flow of the earth's Meridians; in the afternoon, he studied the classics; at dusk, he practiced Qi Refining; and at the Hai hour, he sat in quiet self-reflection. Cycle after cycle, his Heart-Nature gradually deepened, and his Foundation grew firmer by the day.
On this day, deep within the bamboo forest behind Xuanwei Temple.
Lu Mingyuan sat cross-legged on a bluestone, eyes slightly closed, his breathing as long and slow as a turtle's. It was noon, and sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows that moved slowly across his body. After three months of bitter cultivation, he had reached the Perfection of the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Stage. The True Qi within him was abundant and surging, like a river overflowing its banks, waiting to burst through the dam.
Today was the moment of Foundation Establishment.
Three feet in front of him, Xuanweizi stood solemnly. The Devilish Qi on the old Daoist's shoulder had been suppressed to the extreme. At this moment, his expression was grave, his horsetail whisk resting lightly on his arm, and his eyes were sharp as he watched the changes in his Disciple's aura.
"Concentrate your mind and calm your Qi, hold onto the origin and maintain oneness," Xuanweizi said in a low voice. "Foundation Establishment is the first hurdle of cultivation, the threshold for shedding mortality and entering truth. The Qi Refinement Stage is merely for accumulating energy; Foundation Establishment is when the Dao Foundation is truly built. If you cannot pass this stage, you will never glimpse the Great Dao in your lifetime."
Lu Mingyuan nodded, his mind sinking into his Dantian.
For the past three months, he had used the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Classic of Purity and Tranquility to temper his True Qi. The platinum-colored vortex of Qi had condensed from the size of a fist to that of a pigeon's egg, yet its color was more solid and pure. It rotated slowly in the center of his Dantian, each rotation resonating with the three hundred and sixty-five acupoints throughout his body.
According to the Foundation Establishment method taught by Xuanweizi, he needed to completely compress and solidify this natal True Qi to build a "Dao Foundation Platform" within his Dantian. The grade of the Dao Foundation determined the height of future cultivation. For ordinary Cultivators, Dao Foundations were divided into nine grades, with the first being the lowest and the ninth the highest. Above the ninth grade, there were legendary phenomena like the "Flawless Dao Foundation" and the "Chaotic Dao Foundation," achieved by only a handful of people throughout history.
Lu Mingyuan reined in his stray thoughts, his will like silk, wrapping around the mass of True Qi.
"Compress!"
With a low shout in his heart, the True Qi began to collapse inward.
At first, it went smoothly. The True Qi was slowly compressed like dough, its volume decreasing and density increasing, its light becoming more restrained. But when it reached the size of a walnut, the resistance suddenly spiked. The Five Elements attributes contained within the True Qi began to clash—Wood feeds Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal creates Water, Water nourishes Wood, and Earth sits in the center to harmonize—these attributes, which had been operating in balance, lost their buffer space under extreme compression, crashing into and repelling each other.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Lu Mingyuan's forehead.
He remembered Xuanweizi's words: "The True Qi within your body integrates the Five Elements, contains the Noble Spirit, and harbors the All-encompassing Clarity. Its attributes are too complex. During Foundation Establishment, these attributes will clash, and ordinary methods will find it difficult to harmonize them. But if you succeed, the Dao Foundation you build will far surpass that of ordinary people."
"Harmonize... but how?"
His will darted through the interior of the True Qi, trying to untangle the threads of the Five Elements. His vision of clarity fully unfolded, and the True Qi turned into a multicolored flow of energy in his eyes, entangling and clashing like a tangled mess of hemp.
Just then, the ancient scroll of the classic of mountains and seas in his robe suddenly vibrated.
A wisp of silver-white light seeped from the scroll, quietly flowing through his Meridians into his Dantian. The light spread out like a spiderweb, gently brushing over the chaotic Five Elements True Qi. Curiously, wherever the light passed, the conflict immediately lessened. The Five Elements energy was not forcibly suppressed; instead, under the guidance of a higher level of power, it began to rearrange and merge.
The green of Wood, the red of Fire, the gold of Earth, the black of Water, and the white of Metal—the five-colored lights permeated each other, blending together until their boundaries blurred. Meanwhile, that wisp of Noble Spirit transformed into pure white threads, weaving through them like warp and woof; the Dao rhyme of the Eye of Clarity turned into pale gold specks of light, dotting them like stars.
"This is..." Lu Mingyuan realized.
This wasn't a simple Fusion of the Five Elements, but a reconstruction of the energy structure using the "All-encompassing Clarity" Dao rhyme from the ancient scroll of the classic of mountains and seas as a guide and the Noble Spirit as a framework.
He no longer forced the compression, but instead released the restrictions, allowing the True Qi to evolve on its own under the guidance of the ancient scroll's power.
Within the Dantian, a strange transformation began.
The five-colored lights merged completely, turning into a Chaos-colored mass of Qi. This Chaos was not a disorganized mess, but a "disorder" of a higher order—within it, earth, fire, water, and wind surged; phantoms of the sun, moon, and stars appeared; patterns of mountains, rivers, and plants formed; and even the faint outlines of ancient Divine Beasts could be seen.
The chaotic Qi mass continued to collapse.
From the size of a walnut, to the size of a date pit, then to the size of a grain of rice...
When it was compressed to the limit, the mass shuddered violently.
*Crack—*
A crisp cracking sound came from deep within the Dantian, but it wasn't the Dao Foundation shattering; rather, an invisible barrier had been broken. In that shudder, the chaotic Qi mass suddenly solidified, turning into a tiny "platform" that defied description.
The platform was three inches high and three inches wide, with a Chaos-colored hue and a hazy glow flowing over its surface. Looking closely, the body of the platform was covered in dense patterns—patterns that seemed both naturally formed and artificially carved, containing infinite mysteries. Under his vision of clarity, Lu Mingyuan could "see" that these patterns were actually composed of countless tiny runes, each representing a fragment of the Laws of Heaven and Earth.
Most curiously, this Dao Foundation Platform was not static. It rotated slowly, drawing a trace of imperceptible chaotic Qi from the Void Realm with every rotation, while simultaneously releasing pure, directly absorbable Innate True Qi.
"It's done." Lu Mingyuan opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
That breath shot out like a white rainbow, traveling thirty feet through the bamboo forest and piercing several bamboo leaves before slowly dissipating. Every pore in his body expanded, and his three hundred and sixty-five acupoints opened simultaneously, frantically absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The Spiritual Qi in the bamboo forest surged like a tide, forming a visible small vortex above his head.
The phenomenon lasted for the duration of an incense stick.
When the Spiritual Qi vortex dissipated, Lu Mingyuan stood up, feeling his whole body as light as a feather, his five senses and six perceptions enhanced once more. Peering into his Dantian, the Chaotic Dao Foundation floated quietly, rotating slowly, sending a wave of warm True Qi to every part of his body with each turn.
"An extraordinary person does extraordinary things."
Lu Mingyuan turned and saw the old Daoist with a complex expression, eyes filled with both relief and gravity.
"Daoist, my Foundation Establishment... is it a success?" he asked.
"It is a success, yet it is not," Xuanweizi said, his words startling.
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
Xuanweizi walked up to him and placed a hand over his Dantian. A warm Divine Thought probed inside and was withdrawn a moment later. "You have indeed established a Dao Foundation, and its grade... I cannot judge it."
"Cannot judge it?"
"Ordinary Dao Foundations are divided into nine grades; the first grade is like an earthen platform, and the ninth grade is like fine jade, all within the Laws of Heaven and Earth," Xuanweizi said slowly. "But your Dao Foundation... is 'Chaos'. Chaos is where heaven and earth have not yet opened, and Laws are not yet fixed; everything is possible. It is above the ninth grade, yet it does not exist within the grading system."
He paused, his tone becoming even more serious: "Chaotic Dao Foundations have existed since ancient times, but only three are recorded. The first was the Great God Pangu, who opened heaven and earth within Chaos; the second was the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who merged with the Dao within Chaos; the third... is no longer traceable. You are the fourth."
Lu Mingyuan was shaken to his core: "Is this... a blessing or a curse?"
"Blessings and curses go hand in hand," Xuanweizi withdrew his hand. "A Chaotic Dao Foundation has infinite potential; it can encompass ten thousand methods and evolve into ten thousand Daos. In the future, if you practice other Cultivation Techniques—be they Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian, or Martial—you can integrate them all without any hindrance. Moreover, this Dao Foundation can spontaneously breathe in chaotic Qi and convert it into Innate True Qi, so your cultivation speed will far surpass that of ordinary people."
"But—" he changed his tone, "a Chaotic Dao Foundation also carries great danger."
"Please enlighten me, Daoist."
"First, Chaos is unfixed, and the Dao Foundation is unstable. You must constantly nourish it with your mind. A slight lapse, and the Dao Foundation will crumble. Losing your cultivation is a small matter; losing your life is the real danger."
"Second, a Chaotic Dao Foundation is too Heaven-Defying and will attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao. In the future, every time you break through a major Realm, the power of the Heavenly Tribulation will double. Ordinary Cultivators only undergo tribulation at the Nascent Soul Stage, but you will likely face it as early as the Golden Core Stage."
"Third..." Xuanweizi gave him a deep look. "The essence of a Chaotic Dao Foundation is 'infinite possibilities,' which means there is no precedent for your path of cultivation. What I can teach you are only the basic methods. How it evolves in the future depends entirely on your own exploration. If you walk the right path, your future is limitless; if you walk the wrong path, you will be beyond redemption."
The bamboo forest fell silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Lu Mingyuan processed these words, his heart surging with waves of emotion. He had thought that successful Foundation Establishment would lead to a smooth path, but he hadn't expected to build a road so full of the unknown and danger.
"Do you regret it?" Xuanweizi asked.
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't regret it. If I sought stability, I wouldn't have abandoned the exams for the Dao in the first place. Since I've chosen this path, I will walk it no matter how difficult it becomes."
"Good," praise appeared in Xuanweizi's eyes. "Cultivation is inherently an act of defying heaven. If you fear danger, why cultivate at all? Only with such a Heart-Nature are you worthy of this Chaotic Dao Foundation."
He turned and walked out of the bamboo forest: "Since you've successfully established your Foundation today, I'll give you three days to consolidate your cultivation. In three days, I will begin teaching you Daoist Spells. Since you possess a Chaotic Dao Foundation, ordinary minor Spells probably won't be worthy of you."
Lu Mingyuan followed: "What Spells will you teach me, Daoist?"
"You'll know when the time comes," Xuanweizi kept him in suspense. "By the way, from today on, you must nourish your Dao Foundation with your Divine Thought every day. The method is simple—sink your will into your Dantian and visualize the Chaotic Dao Foundation evolving into the myriad things of heaven and earth. Do it once at sunrise and once at sunset, for no less than two hours each time."
"Yes," Lu Mingyuan noted it down.
The two walked out of the bamboo forest one after the other. The afternoon sun shone on the green tiles of Xuanwei Temple, casting a warm glow. The laughter of Qingfeng and Mingyue came from within the temple, along with the fresh scent of herbs swaying in the wind.
Everything was as usual.
But Lu Mingyuan knew that from today on, everything was different.
He peered into his Dantian, where the Chaotic Dao Foundation rotated quietly, like a seed harboring infinite possibilities.
An extraordinary person does extraordinary things.
On this path, there was no turning back.