From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 14 The Light of Sharpening

Uncle Zhou looked at me with a serious expression and slowly said, "Xiao Yao, your first trial has begun. Come with me."

My heart skipped a beat, and I nodded solemnly, following Uncle Zhou to a secluded courtyard. He unfurled an ancient scroll in his hand, and an aura of vicissitudes wafted over me. I looked closely and saw that the scroll was densely covered with various profound characters and patterns; it was none other than the sect's fundamental cultivation technique—the "Tai Xu Xin Jing" (Great Void Heart Sutra).

“Xiao Yao,” Uncle Zhou’s voice was deep and powerful, “I command you to memorize the entire Tai Xu Heart Sutra within one day, without any mistakes. Do you understand?”

I was shocked. Memorize the entire text in one day? This "Heart Sutra" is profound and complex. Even though I had been practicing it for several months, I had only grasped the basics.

"Disciple understands!" Despite my trepidation, I accepted the task without hesitation. Uncle Zhou nodded, handed me the scroll, and then turned and left.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, sat cross-legged, and began to concentrate on reciting.

Time ticked by, and I devoted myself entirely to memorizing the exercises, neglecting to eat or sleep. However, the content of the *Taixu Heart Sutra* was far too profound. Although I recited it again and again, I always felt that I only vaguely understood it and could not fully comprehend it.

As dusk fell, Uncle Zhou arrived as promised. His eyes were sharp as he scrutinized me, and he asked in a deep voice, "How's the memorization going?"

My heart tightened, and a strange sense of tension welled up inside me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and began to recite. However, perhaps because I was too nervous, my thoughts became chaotic, and my recitation became disjointed and full of mistakes.

"Shut up!" Uncle Zhou shouted, interrupting my recitation. "How can you comprehend the true essence of the Great Dao with such carelessness and impatience?"

I lowered my head in shame, my heart filled with self-blame and frustration.

"Junior Sister Xiao, it seems your title of 'cultivation prodigy' is nothing but an empty boast..." Just then, a sarcastic voice came from outside the courtyard. I looked up and saw Senior Brother Liu standing at the door with a mocking smile on his face.

He crossed his arms, glanced at me sideways, his eyes full of disdain, "I thought he was some kind of genius, but it turns out he's nothing special. He can't even memorize the most basic techniques. What a waste of Uncle Zhou's hard work."

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug deep into my flesh, yet I felt no pain. Senior Brother Liu's words were like sharp blades, piercing my pride. I gritted my teeth, silently vowing: I must prove myself; I can't let him look down on me!

As night fell, the entire courtyard was enveloped in a tranquil darkness. I sat alone in my room, using the dim candlelight to read the *Heart Sutra* again and again. The occasional chirping of insects outside the window only amplified the stillness of the night.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down and carefully study each word and sentence, trying to grasp its deeper meaning. However, whenever I was about to grasp a spark of inspiration, Liu's mocking smile would appear in my mind, making me restless and unable to concentrate.

"Phew..." I let out a long breath, put down the scroll in my hand, and rubbed my aching temples. No, this can't go on! I must find a quiet place to cultivate undisturbed.

I got up, pushed open the door, and quietly slipped out of the yard. The night was deep, with only a few stars shining down, draping the earth in a hazy silver veil. I groped my way to a secluded grove of trees.

"Who's there?" Just as I was about to begin my cultivation, a clear, cold voice suddenly came from behind me. I was startled and quickly turned around. I saw a woman dressed in white standing not far away. By the dim moonlight, I recognized her; she was Senior Brother's personal disciple, Senior Sister Wu.

Senior Sister Wu slowly walked up to me, looked at me with gentle eyes, and asked softly, "Why are you here alone so late?"

I hesitated for a moment, but still told her what had happened during the day. After listening, Senior Sister Wu did not laugh at me, but gently patted my shoulder and said softly, "The path of cultivation is full of thorns and challenges, so don't give up easily."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "The Heart Sutra of the Great Void is profound and cannot be comprehended in a day. You need to calm your mind and slowly comprehend its mysteries."

I nodded, keeping Senior Sister Wu's words firmly in mind. Senior Sister Wu took out a jade slip from her bosom and handed it to me, saying, "This contains some insights and experiences in cultivating the Tai Xu Heart Sutra, which may be of some help to you."

I gratefully accepted the jade slip, looked up at Senior Sister Wu, and said earnestly, "Thank you, Senior Sister." Senior Sister Wu smiled slightly, turned and left, leaving only one sentence echoing in the night sky, "I believe in you, you can definitely do it."

I gripped the jade slip tightly in my hand, a blazing fire igniting within me, my eyes becoming more resolute than ever before… The first rays of dawn shone through the window, illuminating my room. I sat up in bed, feeling refreshed and full of energy. Last night, with Senior Sister Wu's help, I finally found the path to cultivating the *Tai Xu Xin Jing* and successfully guided Qi into my body, feeling the faint yet real spiritual power within me.

I eagerly took out the jade slip that Senior Sister Wu had given me and began to study it carefully. The cultivation insights recorded in the jade slip were profound yet simple, easy to understand, which deepened my understanding of the *Tai Xu Xin Jing*. I practiced according to the methods recorded in the jade slip, again and again, and the spiritual power within my body gradually grew stronger.

Before I knew it, it was time for the second day of the trial. I arrived at the training ground early, and Uncle Zhou and all the senior brothers and sisters were already there. Senior Brother Liu still had a disdainful expression, as if he was convinced that I would embarrass myself again.

I took a deep breath, walked up to Uncle Zhou, and respectfully said, "Uncle Zhou, I am ready." Uncle Zhou nodded, signaling me to begin reciting the cultivation method. I closed my eyes and recited the contents of the *Tai Xu Xin Jing* word for word, my voice clear and my pronunciation precise.

Senior Brother Liu had been listening casually, but halfway through, his expression changed. He looked at me incredulously, as if he couldn't believe that I could actually recite the technique from memory.

Uncle Zhou nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Could you tell me your understanding of this cultivation technique?" Without flinching, I spoke eloquently about what I had gleaned from the jade slip, combining it with my own cultivation experiences. Uncle Zhou listened attentively, nodding frequently, a look of approval on his face.

Even my usually arrogant senior brother Liu had to admit that my understanding of the Heart Sutra had surpassed that of many novice disciples.

"Not bad, you did very well." Uncle Zhou gave me an approving look, then changed the subject, "However, this is only the first step. Next, I will put you through the second trial."

He took out a crystal-clear spirit stone from his storage bag and placed it in front of me. "Within three days, I need you to use your own spiritual power to light up this spirit stone."

My heart sank. I knew this spirit stone; it was called the "Spirit Gathering Stone," and it could only be lit by a certain level of control over spiritual power. Three days was undoubtedly a huge challenge for me.

"What, are you scared?" Uncle Zhou seemed to have noticed my hesitation and asked calmly.

I raised my head and looked at him with unwavering eyes, "This disciple is not afraid!"

I received the spirit-gathering stone with both hands; it was icy cold to the touch, as if it carried some kind of resistance. Back in my room, I began to try to light it with my spiritual energy. Following the pathways described in the *Tai Xu Xin Jing*, I guided the faint spiritual energy within my body, slowly channeling it into the spirit-gathering stone.

The spirit-gathering stone did not react at all.

I tried again and again, failing each time. My spiritual energy, like a wild horse, surged through my meridians, nearly causing me to suffer a qi deviation several times. Fine beads of sweat covered my forehead, yet the room grew colder and colder. Was it that my control over my spiritual energy was still insufficient?

Time ticked by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye. My anxiety grew, and I began to doubt my own abilities. Just as I was about to give up, Sister Wu's words suddenly came to mind: "In the path of cultivation, the most important thing is one's character. If the mind is not calm, one's energy will not flow smoothly; if one's energy is not flowing smoothly, it will be difficult to accomplish anything."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I sat cross-legged on the bed, closed my eyes, cleared my mind, and felt the flow of spiritual energy within my body. Gradually, my breathing became steady, and my heartbeat slowly returned to normal. I tried guiding the spiritual energy again, and this time, it seemed to be drawn in, slowly flowing into the spirit-gathering stone.

The Spirit Gathering Stone finally emitted a faint light!

A surge of joy filled me, and I focused even more intently on controlling my spiritual energy. The light grew brighter and brighter until finally, the entire spirit-gathering stone was illuminated, emitting a soft glow that lit up the entire room.

Overjoyed, I ran to the training ground with the spirit-gathering stone in hand. Martial Uncle Zhou and my fellow disciples were already there. Seeing the spirit-gathering stone in my hand, Martial Uncle Zhou smiled approvingly: "Not bad, you haven't disappointed me."

“This is just the beginning,” Uncle Zhou’s voice pulled me back to reality. “Next, I will teach you how to truly control spiritual power…”