Chapter 17, Eh, the Spirit Took Root?

Translator: StarReader

 

Su Chen was bewildered by his own physical form disappearing and turning into a small blue light.

 

Looking at the floating gray mountain ahead, he felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief. It was an unassuming little gray mountain, yet it exuded an air of profound mystery. The naturally formed ridges and valleys displayed two ancient characters: Spirit Mountain.

 

“Could this be the mysterious Spirit Mountain that is documented in numerous Daoist scriptures?” he whispered to himself, deeply shaken.

 

He spent countless hours browsing through books at the Medicine King Estate’s library, and fragments of text came flooding back to him.

 

“Everyone has a spirit, which resides in the Muddy Grain Palace, or Upper Dantian for practitioners. Daoists refer to Muddy Grain Palace as Violet Palace, or Spirit Mountain.

 

“Spirit Mountain is the heart.

 

“Eyes are the mirror to one’s spirit.

 

“When Spirit Mountain cracks, the essence leaks out. When the essence leaks, it flows out from the eyes.”

 

Su Chen pondered for a moment before gradually piecing things together.

 

Since this mountain was indeed the Spirit Mountain, then he must now be inside the Muddy Grain Palace, which martial practitioners commonly referred to as the mysterious ‘Upper Dantian.’

 

However, this Spirit Mountain was empty, just a bare rock with no apparent features or cracks. The true fissures were not on the Spirit Mountain itself but on the enormous eggshell surrounding it.

 

The gigantic eggshell encased the entire Spirit Mountain, and inside were swirling streams of blue energy.

 

The blue energy was seeping out from the cracks, which must be his spirit. Whenever he shed tears, the essence would flow out with the tears.

 

“But where is the spirit?”

 

Su Chen looked around, drifting about in Spirit Mountain, searching everywhere for any trace of it. But he found nothing.

 

Suddenly, he thought of something and froze, staring at himself.

 

He was now a small, glowing ball of blue light, drifting about in Spirit Mountain and shining brightly.

 

“Could it be that I am the spirit?”

 

Su Chen felt both surprised and thoughtful, pondering to himself.

 

[That’s it! It makes perfect sense.]

 

He had now transformed into the spirit and entered the Upper Dantian, where he discovered the Spirit Mountain.

 

The Spirit Mountain was incredibly mysterious, far beyond worldly affairs.

 

In some Daoist texts Su Chen had read before, there were more descriptions of this legendary Spirit Mountain.

 

“Common mortals must not enter the Spirit Mountain.

 

“The Spirit Mountain reaches to the sky, overlooking the wilds below.

 

“One’s divine consciousness is contained within the Spirit Mountain, while their mortal traces are left behind in the mortal realm.

 

“The Spirit Mountain holds the secrets of cultivation, leaving the mortal world barren of enlightenment.”

 

The descriptions were all so vague—just fragments here and there, hinting at its mystical wonders but never clearly explaining what the spirit or Spirit Mountain was truly meant for, or how one should go about cultivating it.

 

He had been just a simple fisherman from Zhou Village, spending less than half a year cultivating under a master at the Medicine King Estate. Having hastily glanced through some medicinal texts and Daoist writings during his brief time there, he found it challenging to grasp these esoteric concepts. The true purpose of the spirit and Spirit Mountain remained as elusive as ever to him.

 

When Su Chen couldn’t come up with an answer, he let it go for now. His attention quickly shifted away from Spirit Mountain and onto the space filled with hundreds of swirling wisps of blue energy. These were all potent tonics for replenishing one’s spirit.

 

Existing as a mere light sphere, he was unsure what specific benefits consuming the blue energy would bring him. Yet, after partaking of them, he felt incredibly satisfied—like a starving man indulging in a lavish feast, his hunger fully sated and his cravings completely fulfilled.

 

The blue energy also made his small light sphere even more radiant, as if it had grown stronger and more vigorous!

 

Su Chen rushed toward the numerous blue energies, swallowing every trace of them one by one and incorporating it into himself.

 

Soon enough, all the energy in that space was consumed, not leaving a single thread or strand behind.

 

After consuming so much, he had transformed into a tiny blue light sphere, resembling a small blue bean.

 

Though still very weak, this sphere was far stronger and brighter than the dim and lifeless one it had been before.

 

He felt as if he had just finished a hearty meal, his little stomach full and swollen, leaving him completely satisfied.

 

He continued drifting within the chaotic giant object’s space, flying about in search of some new things from Spirit Mountain.

 

Some time later, he began to feel a bit bored.

 

The interior of the giant egg-shaped space contained only a desolate Spirit Mountain, devoid of any vegetation—just bare rock.

 

Within this chaotic void, he was the sole living entity. His cries for help echoed without response.

 

“This Spirit Mountain… What could it possibly be used for? It must hold some profound secrets!”

 

With a touch of curiosity, Su Chen hovered in mid-air, circling the mountain several times, yet found no apparent anomalies.

 

After flying for so long, he grew lazy and weary.

 

While he wanted to leave this place, he also felt a sense of reluctance.

 

Though he was now just a small light ball, drifting aimlessly in the endless void for too long made him feel aimless.

 

In his subconscious, he always felt the need to find a place to settle in order to feel secure and at ease.

 

Now that he had finally discovered this small mountain as a potential haven, he naturally didn’t want to leave.

 

Su Chen cautiously circled Spirit Mountain several more times, meticulously scanning for any signs of danger. Satisfied with what he found, he carefully landed on the flat ground at the center of Spirit Mountain.

 

After feeding and drinking his fill of energy, he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He curled up comfortably on the small mountain and enjoyed a beautiful, peaceful slumber.

 

…

 

When Su Chen, the tiny ball of light, finally awoke, he felt refreshed and full of vitality. Stretching his ‘limbs’ lazily, he prepared to take flight and spread his wings once more.

 

At that moment, he was utterly astonished to find that he couldn’t move at all—it felt as though something on the ground was holding him down, preventing him from flying away.

 

“What’s going on here? Why can’t I move?”

 

Su Chen panicked.

 

He forced himself to calm down and looked down.

 

To his horror, Su Chen noticed that beneath his blue light orb—while he had been in slumber—there was now a ‘blue tendril’ that had grown. This tendril had deeply rooted itself into the rock.

 

The blue tendril had pierced through the hard rock and dug deep into the earth, anchoring him firmly to this Spirit Mountain.

 

Su Chen anxiously struggled, wanting to fly away. However, he had no limbs—a mere blue sphere. Once able to freely soar through the skies, he now found himself grounded by roots sprouting from his body, embedding themselves deep into the earth’s rocky surface and rendering him unable to rise again.

 

It was akin to a plump seed, once free to roll about, but now anchored to the ground as its roots took hold. “What’s going on?” Su Chen gaped in stupefaction for quite some time, utterly clueless.

 

After struggling for a while, he realized the roots showed no signs of loosening—they continued to grow slowly, burrowing even deeper into the earth.

 

A wave of sorrow washed over him.

 

Su Chen was desperate. There was no way to get his roots out of the underground rocks. Finally, he gave up struggling and sat down on this small, rocky mountain.

 

In this space, it seemed that time was passing quickly, and it seemed that the years had stagnated. There was only despair in his heart, and he fell into a long loneliness and deep thought.

 

“Who am I?

 

“I am Su Chen… No, I am the spirit of Su Chen!

 

“Where am I?

 

“Of course, in Muddy Grain Palace, Upper Dantian, the mysterious Spirit Mountain in the eggshell!

 

“What was I doing?

 

“I don’t know. Is my spirit taking root on Spirit Mountain? Maybe, in time, it could sprout, bloom, and bear a golden fruit! Could the spirit even bear fruit? Who would eat it? Could I eat myself?”

 

Su Chen sat there, gazing up at the chaotic void beyond. His thoughts were all over the place.

 

A faint streak of blue energy appeared within the eggshell, but he could no longer fly, let alone go after them.

 

None of that mattered much. What troubled Su Chen deeply was… as a weak spirit, would he be trapped here forever on Spirit Mountain? That would be tragic!