Chapter 24: Empty Talk of Spiritual Roots, Reasoned Proof of the True Dao

As Hong Dengyuan's furious voice rang out, the Hall of Inquiry fell into absolute silence.

No matter how much discontent stirred in their hearts, no one dared to further provoke this Grandmaster Hong, lest they suffer the fate of being expelled from the Hall of Listening to the Dao.

Seeing the disciples in the room huddled like quails, Hong Dengyuan finally felt satisfied. He straightened his robes and spoke.

"When Heaven and Earth were not yet divided, Chaos gave rise to a single Qi. This single Qi is what we practitioners call the Primordial Qi, which is Spiritual Qi. Spiritual Qi can transform Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and all manner of phenomena; its transformations are infinite.

Man is the sovereign of all things, resonating with this Spiritual Qi and receiving the communion of Heaven and Earth, thereby giving birth to a corresponding Spiritual Root. This Lightning Spiritual Root is one such kind."

The disciples' expressions were wooden. They had certainly heard of Spiritual Roots, but the crux of the matter was that they simply didn't have any!

Hong Dengyuan, however, paid no mind to the moods of the disciples below, continuing on his own.

"In cultivation, the foremost priority of a Spiritual Root is breathing exercises. One only needs to calm the mind and focus the spirit; with every inhalation and exhalation through the mouth and nose, the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth flows in like a trickling stream, entering through the Baihui point, passing through the Shanzhong point, and settling in the Dantian. But for those without a Spiritual Root—"

His voice suddenly turned cold. "Spiritual Qi enters through their mouth and nose, yet it passes through like a traveler passing through a hall, leaving nothing behind. They cannot see the circulation of Spiritual Qi, nor can they feel the communion of Heaven and Earth. Even if they practice breathing day and night, it is nothing but futile effort."

Hearing this, the disciples below turned pale.

To be born a mortal, yet insist on striving for this sliver of opportunity—it seemed to be their original sin.

Seeing the expressions of the crowd, the corners of Hong Dengyuan's mouth curled slightly into a sneer as he continued.

"There are also distinctions in the quality of Spiritual Roots. Those with High-grade Spiritual Roots experience Spiritual Qi surging like rivers and seas during breathing, gathering in an instant. With every movement, they can borrow the power of Heaven and Earth, often achieving twice the result with half the effort in the path of cultivation.

Those with Mid-grade Spiritual Roots experience Spiritual Qi like a murmuring stream; though not equal to the High-grade, they can accumulate it steadily. Given time, they may not fail to reach the upper echelons.

As for Low-grade Spiritual Roots—"

His gaze fell upon the disciples, shaking his head with an expression that was both mocking and pitying.

"Spiritual Qi is like dew dripping onto withered leaves. Even with bitter cultivation day and night, the gains are meager. Throughout their lives, they will be nothing more than mediocre practitioners."

The disciples in the hall felt heavy-hearted. Someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Then... what if one's Spiritual Root is extremely poor, or even non-existent?"

Hong Dengyuan glanced at the person and shook his head indifferently.

"Then it is like an ant gazing at the sky; throughout one's life, it is nothing but a mortal's foolish dream."

A deathly silence fell over the Hall of Preaching; even the sound of breathing became almost imperceptible.

The disciples' faces were ashen. Some gripped the corners of their robes so tightly their knuckles turned white; some lowered their heads, the light in their eyes gradually fading; others even had reddened eyes, biting their lips hard to avoid making a sound.

Outside the hall, the wind wailed, carrying a few withered leaves that tapped against the window frames with a faint sound, as if mocking this group of delusional mortals.

Seeing the crowd so demoralized, Hong Dengyuan felt a sense of gratification. He was about to wrap up his lecture with a few perfunctory words when a voice suddenly broke the silence.

"The Grandmaster's words are somewhat biased."

The crowd looked up in shock to see a young girl sitting in the front row, her back straight, her expression serious and focused.

A flash of surprise crossed Hong Dengyuan's eyes.

He stared at the girl, his lips curling mockingly, "You must be a new disciple from this year. What 'profound insight' do you have?"

Jiang Youling rose with poise. "The *Scripture of the Great Void* states: 'Heaven derives the forty-nine, while Man escapes with the one.' If those without Spiritual Roots truly have no chance at immortality, from where does this 'sliver of life' come?"

Hong Dengyuan frowned and sneered, "How dare a mere child attempt to debate the Daoist Canon? The *Mystic Heaven Treasure Register* clearly states: 'Spiritual Roots are formed by Heaven, not by human effort.' How do you interpret this?"

Jiang Youling's eyes were bright. "Since the Grandmaster knows the *Mystic Heaven Treasure Register*, he must also know that it follows with: 'Yet Heaven and Earth are perfectly impartial, leaving a sliver of opportunity.' Is not the fact that Patriarch Qingming attained the Dao with a mortal body eight hundred years ago the very proof of this?"

A collective gasp echoed through the hall. Although the tale of Patriarch Qingming was widely known, the courage of this girl to refute the Grandmaster to his face was truly astonishing.

Hong Dengyuan's face turned as dark as water. "Sharp-tongued! Then tell me, if one has no Spiritual Root, how can one sense the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth?"

His voice was like a booming bell, echoing through the entire Hall of Listening to the Dao; he was clearly genuinely enraged.

Jiang Youling's face turned slightly pale, but her hands remained steady as she flipped through the pages of the book in her hands.

"The third chapter of the *Basics of Qi Nourishment* states: 'The communion of spiritual essence lies not solely in the root. If the heart is like a clear mirror, it too can reflect it.'"

"A fine line, 'If the heart is like a clear mirror, it too can reflect it'!"

Hong Dengyuan laughed out of pure rage, his wide Daoist robes fluttering without wind. "Alas, in today's turbid world, the mortal realm rolls like a quagmire. Even if your heart is a clear mirror, how much clarity can it truly reflect?"

With a sudden sweep of his sleeve, a violent wind surged outside the hall, carrying dust through the cracks in the doors and windows.

The disciples shielded their faces with their sleeves, only to see a layer of grey dust settle upon the pages of the book in Jiang Youling's hands.

"Since you have glimpsed the Great Dao through books, you must have already comprehended the profound mysteries of the Daoist methods."

Hong Dengyuan sneered repeatedly and turned to stride toward the hall entrance. "I fear my meager cultivation is not enough to teach you!"

With those words, he swept his sleeves and departed.

The crowd was initially shocked, but once they confirmed Grandmaster Hong had left, an explosion of thunderous applause and cheers erupted.

The gazes directed at Jiang Youling were filled with admiration and disbelief.

"That was incredible! She actually debated the Grandmaster to the point where he stopped teaching and left in a huff!"

"Grandmaster Hong usually has no interest in preaching to us. This is the first time I've seen him lose face; it's truly satisfying."

"But I think this Junior Sister was too impulsive. Grandmaster Hong is a Foundation Establishment expert. Having offended him, her future days may not be easy..."

Even Ye Cangzhou, who was as cold as ice, could not help but glance sideways and offer a low warning.

"To fall into enmity with the Grandmaster is truly unwise."

The heart in Jiang Youling's chest was still pounding violently, but she merely replied, "I was merely discussing the Dao with the Grandmaster. Where is the enmity?"

Ye Cangzhou's ink-dark brows twitched. He had angered the Grandmaster so much that he couldn't even finish his lecture and left in a rage—was that not enmity?

Looking at the girl's solemn expression, a trace of a smile inadvertently appeared at the corner of his mouth, only to vanish quickly.

"You read very well."

"Thank you. Although I don't think I read particularly well; I just have a good memory."

"My name is Ye Cangzhou. 'Cang' as in concealing a blade, and 'Zhou' as in a small boat."

"To hide a boat in a ravine, to hide a mountain in a marsh. A good name."

Jiang Youling nodded. "But don't forget that the lines following those are: 'Yet at midnight, the powerful take it and depart, while the ignorant remain unaware.' You should be careful, lest you hide yourself so well that someone carries you off entirely."

Having said that, she paid the youth no further mind, rose with a hint of reserve, and left the Hall of Inquiry.

Leaving Ye Cangzhou sitting there alone, he repeatedly thought back to the two sentences the girl had just said, unable to suppress a smile.

(End of Chapter)