Techniques and Dao

Chapter 44 Xuanwu Ritual
Before the headache had even subsided, Hua Sheng heard Tai Shang Xiao Jun shout loudly from behind: "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Release!"

The neatly arranged flowers, frozen in place by the spell, began to move. Some of them, like myself now, were clutching their heads. Presumably, those closer to the present time were suffering from severe headaches due to the constant time travel.

"This time, we'll show the giant wolf spider what we're made of!" Hua Sheng gritted his teeth.

The shouts were deafening.

For the first time, Hua Sheng experienced how shocking it was when dozens of his own voices shouted together!

Then, Taishang Xiaojun used the Ganjiang and Moye swords to carve a deep trench in the ground, and dozens of flower blossoms swarmed forward. They drew energy strings from the undulating ground and charged straight at the giant wolf spider.

Although Hua Sheng's immortal power was still weak, she had the advantage of having many people wielding the energy strings. They took turns grabbing the strings; some passed them through the giant wolf spider's feet, others through its sharp teeth, and a few joined hands to blindfold it. Wei Yu and Tai Shang Xiao Jun also worked tirelessly, and with everyone's combined efforts, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the entire giant wolf spider was bound like a dumpling.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun clapped his hands excitedly: "Hua Sheng, your suggestion is truly the best of the year. In fact, there's no need for me and Wei Yu to lift a finger. You alone, no, you all alone could have taken care of it!"

The giant wolf spider was bound to the ground, unable to move, its two large eyes rolling around, completely unable to break free. As the giant wolf spider was subdued, the color of the energy string on the ground gradually faded, and finally, it disappeared into thin air along with the giant wolf spider.

As the energy string array barrier and the time wormhole disappeared, the flowers that had been standing everywhere also began to disappear one by one.

Wei Yu suddenly ran forward and grabbed one of the flowers' hands, holding it tightly.

Hana, whose hands were being held by Wei Yu, suddenly became a little shy and asked, "What's this?"

"I'm worried that all of you will disappear." Wei Yu bit her lip.

In less than three seconds, apart from the flower blossoms held in Wei Yu's hand, all the other flowers from other dimensions disappeared into the air.

Hua Sheng asked, "But how do you know that what you're holding onto is the last one left?"

"Of course I know!" Wei Yu's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, revealing a childlike innocence. "Because whichever one I hold, that one will stay!"

Hua Sheng's face flushed.

Wei Yu said softly, "Come here, I'll tell you..."

Hanamoto turned her face and brought her ear close.

Wei Yu whispered in Hua Sheng's ear, "Wei Yu hasn't forgotten you, and you shouldn't forget Wei Yu either."

After saying that, Wei Yu took advantage of the fact that Tai Shang Xiao Jun was observing the Bodhi tree to give Hua Sheng a light kiss on the earlobe.

Hana felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her whole body jolting instinctively! Her heart pounded erratically, as if it were about to leap out of her throat!

As Wei Yu's face left his ear, her fine silver hair brushed against Hua Sheng's face, causing a slight, tingling itch and leaving a lingering fragrance, making Hua Sheng momentarily unsteady on his feet.

Hua Sheng's face flushed as if her blood was boiling, and she was about to say something.

Wei Yu put her index finger to her lips in a whispering gesture, then glanced at Tai Shang Xiao Jun beside her.

Hua Sheng then realized that he shouldn't let Tai Shang Xiao Jun notice anything amiss.

At this moment, the spiderweb-like magic array gradually dissipated. Tai Shang Xiao Jun was already standing beside the tree, stroking the bark with his hand, and murmured, "This tree is so magical, it's like it's breathing."

Hua Sheng patted her face to calm herself down. But a trace of Wei Yu's fragrance lingered on her face. The fragrance was magical; it seemed to make her feel less pain and her headache lessen.

He slowly walked forward and touched the Time Bodhi Tree, feeling its gentle warmth. Just as Taishang Xiaojun had said, one could sense a rhythmic breath emanating from it.

Then, Hua Sheng leaped onto a tree branch and tried to climb up the trunk. The closer he got to the Time Bodhi, the more peaceful he felt inside. The Time Bodhi was only the size of a little finger. When he reached out his hand, the fruit gently fell into his palm the moment he touched it.

Hua Sheng carefully protected this Bodhi seed that would take a thousand years to mature.

"So how do I recover my memories now?" Hua Sheng jumped down from the Bodhi tree, examining the Bodhi seed. "Should I eat it?"

"Nonsense. The Time Bodhi is a magical artifact, how could it be eaten? It must require the use of immortal magic." Wei Yu thought for a moment and said, "If we ask Dao Ling Xing Jun, there will definitely be a way."

"Dao Ling Xing Jun? Who is this person?" Hua Sheng felt that the name was unfamiliar.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun's face showed a look of disdain: "You've been here for so long, and you still don't know who the dean of the Dao of Arts Academy is?"

"I'm just a peripheral figure, a bit distant from the core members of the Academy," Hua Sheng said awkwardly. The immortal masters he interacted with most in the Academy were Immortal Master Yu Ran, followed by Immortal Master Jue Guang and Immortal Master Huo Lei from the Si Xian Pavilion's accident investigation team. Although he had been in the Academy for more than half a year, he had never had the chance to meet the Dean, so naturally he hadn't paid any attention to him.

Wei Yu said, "Dao Ling Xingjun usually stays in seclusion, and there are very few immortals in the Xiyuan who can directly meet him. But fortunately, the Xuanwu Festival is in a few days, and Dao Ling Xingjun will preside over this annual festival at Xuanwu Lingshan. He won't leave for a while after the ceremony, so we can stop him and ask him when the time comes."

Hua Sheng asked, "This Dao Ling Xing Jun must be the most powerful immortal in the Daoist Arts Academy. How old is he?"

Taishang Xiaojun said, "Over 18,400 years old."

Hua Sheng was stunned for a long time before he could process it, thinking that this dean must be an ancient immortal with extremely high Taoist cultivation. But then he had a concern and said, "If we tell him that we have obtained the Time Bodhi, wouldn't that violate the sacred law here?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun replied, "Then just consider it an inquiry, and don't tell them that we have already obtained the Time Bodhi."

After that, the three of them left Panxian Cave and returned to the Shudao Academy.

Hua Sheng kept the Time Bodhi close to his body all day long, afraid of accidentally losing it. Because the Time Bodhi came from the legendary forbidden land of Shengping Ning, he dared not take it out rashly, for fear of being seen by others.

When they returned to the Daoist Academy, it was already bustling with activity. Everywhere was filled with the sounds of people, as disciples from the Immortal, Spirit, and Human races were all busy preparing for the Xuanwu Festival. Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun were also called upon to lend a hand.

Colorful flags fluttered throughout the Xiyuan compound, and people and vehicles bustled along the roads. Some were transporting goods, while others were setting up structures—a scene of festive activity.

Under the leadership of the Academy's Student Committee, the disciples organized various related activities for the annual Academy Festival. Taking advantage of this rare holiday, the Academy was filled with spontaneous activities, small markets selling handmade artworks, and small forums for exchanging magical arts. The main roads and large lawns were packed with people, creating a lively atmosphere.

What Hua Sheng found most interesting were the young disciples at the Daoist Academy. Although they were only six or seven years old and spoke in childish voices, their movements while performing hand seals and incantations in their academy robes were remarkably accurate. Throughout the Xuanwu Festival market, these children could be seen everywhere, helping to clean up scattered scraps of paper and providing free hand-sewn cloth bags of various sizes to the disciples for carrying books and scriptures.

Hua Sheng also set up a small stall in the market with his fellow disciples. Tai Shang Xiao Jun and several disciples put their self-made ointments into small wooden buckets, and Hua Sheng would continuously apply the ointments to paper, let them dry, package them, and place them in front of their stall for people to take as they pleased.

Although these health-preserving plasters do not have the life-saving effects of the Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Pill, they can cure some common ailments of humans and spirits with just one application.

During breaks, Wei Yu's melodious greetings and sunny smile always dispelled Hua Sheng's fatigue. Taking advantage of a brief moment of solitude on the mountaintop, the two secretly froze a corner of the lake with their ice magic and sat on the ice to cool off. Wei Yu, not content with the atmosphere, conjured a small snow-covered cloud. The two then sat on the ice, enjoying shaved ice while watching the falling snowflakes in the sweltering heat of summer.

Before long, the Xuanwu Festival arrived. Hua Sheng felt a little tired after two days of busy setting up her stall, but seeing the colorful flags fluttering on Xuanwu Mountain, the red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple Taoist flags like a sea of ​​clouds, it was quite a lively sight! After all, it was a major festival that the Taoist Academy held every year, and looking at this scene, Hua Sheng's excitement swept away her fatigue.

The entire staff of the Xiyuan Academy needed to bathe, eat vegetarian food, burn incense, and pray for seven days to prepare for this grand ceremony. On the day of the event, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun had already started their meditation and washed up. Hua Sheng was extremely excited at the thought of meeting the abbot, Dao Ling Xing Jun.

To be the head of hundreds of academy masters, managing tens of thousands of disciples, one must be a gentle, kind, yet extremely dignified elder. Since the great immortal rarely emerges from seclusion, Hua Sheng wanted to squeeze as close to the front as possible to get a clear look at the headmaster's face. Once the ceremony was over, he planned to find a moment to meet the Star Lord and inquire about the Time Bodhi.

When Hua Sheng reached the summit of Xuanwu Mountain, he discovered that the lake at the top was already dotted with a series of elegantly arranged aerial platforms. These platforms, along with the white jade bridge and the majestic Lingyan Pagoda, created a wondrous scene. Furthermore, some morning mist lingered in the bamboo forest, where many cranes appeared and disappeared, some soaring in flight, others perched, presenting a truly idyllic scene.

The aerial platforms clustered on the open ground between the Lingyan Towers also included a spacious sacrificial altar. Meanwhile, two similarly sized platforms had also been erected on either side of the Lingyan Towers.

The disciples who had arrived early to oversee the work on-site lit three tall incense sticks in front of the altar, instantly filling the air with a refreshing fragrance.

Since the festival started early, Hanamori chose a seat near the front. Before she could even settle in, someone patted her on the back.

"Hey! Brother, are you using the art of teleportation? I took two steps outside the door and couldn't even see your shadow." It turned out to be Taishang Xiaojun.

"I want to try my best to get a seat near the front so that I can go directly to Dao Ling Xing Jun to ask about the Time Bodhi after the ceremony."

"That's really thoughtful of you. I'll help you surround and intercept the dean later!"

Before long, more and more disciples gathered at the mountaintop, and the platforms at the front were soon packed. After a short while, the entire mountaintop was teeming with people. Hua Sheng looked back and saw a sea of ​​people everywhere; those who arrived a little later could only stand at the very back, with a much poorer view. Hua Sheng couldn't help but feel grateful for his wise decision to arrive early.

Just as I was looking around, I suddenly heard several tolling bells from ahead. The once noisy mountaintop immediately quieted down, indicating that the festival was about to begin.

As the bell tolled, the ceremony platform in front slowly rose, transforming into a large platform with nine stone steps. Hua Sheng looked ahead and saw Tian Jizi, the chief clerk of the Shudao Academy's student committee, and Wei Yu, the deputy chief clerk, standing on either side of the stone steps, wearing cloud shoes and brand-new academy robes.

Tianjizi and Weiyu each held a gold and a silver tray. On Tianjizi's gold tray were six items: silk, towel, fruit, mirror, banner, and bow and arrow. On Weiyu's silver tray were six other items: paper, ink, brush, inkstone, fresh flowers, and a long sword.

The two then ascended the sacrificial platform in perfect unison. Holding two plates of gold and silver, they first stepped on the Li trigram with their left foot and the Kun trigram with their right; then on the Zhen trigram with their left foot and the Dui trigram with their right, and finally on the Dui trigram with their left foot next to their right; then on the Gen trigram with their right foot and the Kan trigram with their left, and finally on the Qian trigram with their right; then on the Heavenly Gate with their left foot and the Human Gate with their right, and finally on the Human Gate with their left foot next to their right, and then inhaled deeply and chanted incantations.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun explained to Hua Sheng: "Before the Xuanwu Festival, the steps of setting up the altar, offering sacrifices, lighting lamps, burning incense, and ascending the altar are all indispensable. Now, the two guardians are taking one step at a time, one in front and one behind, one yin and one yang, starting and ending in sync. Their arrangement of feet in a T-shape with one horizontal and one vertical line symbolizes the alternation of yin and yang and the boundless power of magic."

Then, Tianjizi and Weiyu placed the items from the plate on the long table of the festival, and Tianjizi retreated to the left side of the platform.

After placing the items before rain, he raised his longsword and recited:
"The spiritual energy shines brighter than the sun and moon, and the Venerable One wields his sword to sweep across the universe."

(End of this chapter)