Techniques and Dao

Chapter 3 The Realm of Immortals
Lobby of St. Pingning Hospital.

Standing in front of Hua Sheng, who was wearing a brand-new jacket, was the woman in the black suit she had met not long ago, but now she had changed into a dark gray Hanfu.

“I’m sorry, Lao Bai can’t come today. Anyway, it’s not a complicated task, so I’ll help you with it. You can call me Hei Yun.” She said, crossing her arms. “Now let’s go with you to complete the enrollment procedures for the Daoist Academy. You’ve come at a good time, just in time for the new school year.”

"Enroll? Am I going to continue studying here?" Hua Sheng thought to himself, realizing that he hadn't been back to school for a long time.

"Whenever you reach a certain age, you should learn something wherever you go. Isn't that right?"

"What subjects are they studying? Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry?"

"No, no." Black Cloud shook his head, then launched into a long, rambling speech, "I need to learn the techniques of clones, invisibility, rapid aging, ascension, cloud-riding, sky-climbing, illusion manipulation, divine speed, water-splitting, and water-walking..."

Hua Sheng quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait! What subjects are these all studying?"

"Magic!"

"Immortal arts? The kind of immortal arts that gods and immortals use?"

Hei Yun explained, "That's right! Immortal arts are just like painting, calligraphy, and carving in the mortal world. You can call them techniques or crafts. So it's not just immortals who can use them. You should have heard of some immortals and Taoists. As long as you cultivate diligently, you can naturally learn and use immortal arts."

"I see!" Hua Sheng seemed to understand.

Following the dark clouds out of the hospital, the dazzling sunlight made Hua Sheng squint. After her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright sunlight, a magnificent ancient capital city appeared before her.

Skyscrapers stretched across the landscape, their height comparable to that of the major first-tier cities Hua Sheng had seen. Upon closer inspection, however, they were all constructed of blue bricks and white tiles, and some thirty-story buildings even had wooden exteriors.

The streets were bustling with traffic and people, whose attire resembled that of the Han and Tang dynasties. The men's clothing featured wide sleeves and was mostly in shades of blue, green, and cyan. The girls wore long skirts with high waistbands, some even tied under their armpits, and secured with ribbons, making them appear incredibly graceful and slender.

If it weren't for the various modern-looking vehicles shuttling back and forth on the streets, the Flower Festival would feel as if it had instantly traveled back to the Han and Tang dynasties. It would be as if that society had never experienced the destruction of war or the invasion of foreign powers, and had enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous era for thousands of years, which has been passed down to this day.

Hua Sheng was amazed and moved by the resonance that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Hei Yun looked at Hua Sheng, who was covering her mouth, and laughed, "Welcome to the Holy Peace Wonderland, a modern-day paradise."

Hua Sheng couldn't wait any longer and asked several questions in a row: "Where exactly is this place? Is this still on Earth? How can there be such a big city?"

“Strictly speaking, it’s not just a city. In terms of territory, it’s comparable to a country,” Hei Yun said. “The Holy Peace Wonderland has existed for nearly 1,500 years. The history behind it would take you years to tell.”

"Then, to make a long story short?"

Hei Yun walked up to a car and said, "Let's get in first. We're going to the Academy of Arts and Sciences. We can talk on the way."

At first glance, Hanamoto thought it was a convertible five-seater sedan, but upon closer inspection, he realized the upper part was a transparent glass cover. Sitting inside, one could completely look around and gaze at the sky. He opened the rear door and got in.

"Do you think I'm your driver?" Hei Yun glanced at Hua Sheng. "Please get out from the back and sit in the front."

Hua Sheng remembered the etiquette of riding in a car, and sat down in the front passenger seat with an embarrassed look on his face, immediately apologizing: "I'm sorry!"

Hei Yun closed the car door and said, "Fasten your seatbelt."

Hua Sheng obediently complied.

Although Heiyun was sitting in the driver's seat, Huasheng couldn't see a steering wheel. The two sat as if they were in the first row on the second floor of a double-decker bus. After settling in, Heiyun said to the front, "Please take us to the Shudo Academy."

A gentle female voice sounded from inside the carriage: "This journey is about a hundred miles and will take approximately a quarter of an hour. We can depart now."

"Amazing!" Hua Sheng exclaimed.

“This tool has existed for five hundred years. Because sedan chair carriers are too slow, and for long journeys, fast horses need to be frequently changed at post stations, which is very inconvenient.”

"This is clearly a car!"

"It's similar to a car in the mortal world, but the materials are slightly different. It moves using talismans. If the passenger isn't a person with strong magical powers, they may need to replace the talisman every 500,000 miles. If they encounter extremely harsh environments, the talisman's lifespan will be shortened accordingly."

Hua Sheng looked at the car window, tapped on it with his hand, and made a knocking sound: "Is this also glass?"

"Color-changing glass." With that, Hei Yun raised his right index finger and drew a circle in the air. Instantly, the lights inside the car dimmed. The surrounding glass had turned a deep gray. Then, the lights on the roof began to illuminate, ensuring the interior wasn't completely dark.

Seeing that Hua Sheng's childlike heart was instantly awakened, Hei Yun said, "You can try it too."

Hanamori mimicked the black clouds, raising her left index finger. She turned it in the opposite direction to the sky, and the surrounding glass dome brightened again. Interestingly, when she pushed her finger, she felt a damping sensation, as if she were adjusting some kind of device to prevent it from turning too fast; all the adjustments were infinitely variable.

"Try pressing it."

"Press where?"

"Just press it up a little." Hua Sheng tried pressing upwards with his fingers, and the roof and the glass panels on both sides contracted downwards. Instantly, it became a convertible. The weather outside was slightly cool, and fresh air rushed into Hua Sheng's lungs, making him feel refreshed.

Hanamoto raised her hands high, feeling the breeze slip through her fingers.

The buildings on both sides of the road rushed past us. On the pavilions by the street, several elegant ladies dressed in beautiful Hanfu were chatting and waving round fans. They laughed so hard that they bent over when they heard something funny.

"This car is powered by magic, so can it fly?"

"Yes, it's possible. It generally won't fly too high. It will only rise five meters when there's a traffic jam. If it flies too high, it will affect the immortals who fly on swords or cranes. And mortals like you make up about 30% of the population here. Many older mortals are afraid of heights, so ordinary vehicles won't drive at excessively high places."

Hua Sheng was deeply attracted by Sheng Pingning, and her mind was instantly filled with a million questions: "Where is this Sheng Pingning?"

“East China Sea,” Black Cloud said.

"Land beside the East China Sea?"

"No. It's in the East China Sea."

"In the sea? That can't be right, we're clearly on land." Hua Sheng looked up at the sky, then at the land beneath his feet. It wasn't the sea at all.

"The sky you see is created by magic; it's a reflection of the real sky over the East Sea. In reality, the entire Saint Pingning is hidden in the sea."

"Wouldn't that be an underwater capital? That's awesome, like Atlantis!" Hua Sheng exclaimed excitedly.

"That's not quite right. Because Saint Pingning doesn't exist on the seabed. It floats in the middle of the sea."

"Isn't that like a ship? How come I don't feel seasick at all?"

"That's also due to the spell cast."

How big is this Saint Pingning?

"You mean the area? It's about 6.6 million square kilometers, right?"

"Six...six million six hundred thousand square kilometers? Are you kidding me? How come no one has discovered such a large landmass in the sea?"

"Because from the outside, Saint-Pining is only the size of a drop of water."

"A drop of water?" Hua Sheng was a little confused. He tried hard to understand Hei Yun's words. "You mean that this area of ​​more than six million square kilometers is hidden in a drop of water? And this drop of water is hidden in the East China Sea?"

“Yes,” Black Cloud said.

"So, Saint Pingning has been hiding among the people but has never been discovered?"

"The vast majority of people in the mortal world do not know this."

"Even if it's magic, this is too outrageous! What kind of water droplet could have such power?"

"It is a tear of Avalokiteshvara."

"Isn't that Guanyin Bodhisattva?"

"Her real name should be Guanyin Bodhisattva."

"I see. Where did this tear come from?"

"That's a long story. It goes back to before the creation of the Holy Realm New Calendar."

Hua Sheng asked with some confusion, "What do you mean by the Gregorian calendar?"

"The new calendar is relative to the old calendar of the sacred realm. The history of the sacred realm before this is called the old calendar of the sacred realm. The years that began to be counted after the sacred realm was transferred to the tears of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva are called the new calendar of the sacred realm. The current year is 1316 of the new calendar of the sacred realm."

Just as Hua Sheng was listening to the confusing story, the car slowly came to a stop.

Hei Yun said, "We've arrived. Saint Pingning has a long history, and it's difficult to describe it in detail in a short time. You'll learn about it gradually in the future."

Hua Sheng nodded, seemingly unable to fully appreciate this magical wonderland in a short time.

"Get out of the car."

The two got out of the car and saw a stone archway, at least five stories high, standing before them, with four large black characters written on it:

"Shudao Academy".

(End of this chapter)