"I have met the old grandmaster.
"My name is Li Ruoshui, son of Li Qing. Wei Yang was a close friend of my father. Eight years ago, before Chancellor Lu's rebellion, Wei Yang entrusted the dragon-patterned token to my father. Later, my father took me in as his son. Before he set out in search of immortality and the Dao, he passed the dragon-patterned token on to me.
"I am now on duty in the Cold Palace. I have not revealed my cultivation, and appear to be nothing more than an ordinary eunuch there."
Li Qing stated this truthfully.
The old eunuch listened, then gave a small nod. "What you say is true."
With that, the old eunuch took out a register, crossed out the name Li Qing, and wrote down Li Ruoshui instead.
Then he closed his eyes and said no more.
Li Qing had come to the Martial Pavilion seeking insight into the mysteries of the Xiantian realm. His original intent was to study martial arts texts in search of truth, but with an Xiantian Grandmaster present, he could not miss the chance to ask for guidance.
He bowed at once. "Forgive the disturbance, Grandmaster. My sole purpose in coming here is to break through to the Xiantian realm. The 'Seven Forms of Flowing Water' says, 'Let the heavenly spirit enter the body, turning the inner into the true.' I do not understand this, and I beg you to enlighten me."
"Go back. The Xiantian realm is not what you should seek." The old eunuch answered without opening his eyes.
"May I ask…" Li Qing began again.
"In the second floor of the Martial Pavilion, right side, shelf A-3, in a brocade box, there is a book titled 'Martial is Immortal.' Read it, and you will understand."
"Thank you, Grandmaster."
Li Qing gave thanks and was about to head upstairs, when the old eunuch spoke again. "My name is Rong Ku. After you read 'Martial is Immortal,' you must not speak of it, you must not spread it. Know it here, forget it here. Even if the Emperor himself asks, you must not answer."
…..
Li Qing went up to the second floor and easily found Martial is Immortal.
It was an ancient, timeworn volume, yet it radiated a strange aura that made the heart tremble.
The Martial Pavilion's collection was vast beyond measure. Even the Seven Forms of Flowing Water technique that Li Qing had studied could be found here.
Next to Martial is Immortal sat a copy of the Energy-Absorbing Great Technique. This technique could draw the internal energy from others, but carried an extreme risk of driving the cultivator into madness.
Beside that was the Indestructible Body Divine Art, a body-forging method that pointed straight toward the Xiantian realm.
All the pavilion's manuals were available for the imperial palace elites to read. But without stepping into the Xiantian realm, no matter how many techniques one mastered, even reaching the absolute peak of the Eight Vessels would not change much.
As the saying went, "One art mastered is all arts understood." By the time a martial artist reached the pinnacle of the Eight Vessels, every style was more or less the same.
It must be fate that I became a eunuch, to have a chance to see such things, Li Qing thought.
Had he held any other position, peering into the secrets of martial arts would have taken countless schemes and endless time, with only the slightest hope of success.
In the Great Qian dynasty, whether in martial arts or the Dao of immortals, the knowledge held within the palace was unmatched.
If Li Qing wished to seek immortality, starting from the palace was as good a path as any.
He opened Martial is Immortal and began to read carefully.
Half an hour passed.
Li Qing let out a long sigh. "So all things come by fate. I have been seeking immortality with all my heart, only to find I was already walking that path."
Martial is Immortal said:
Martial path is the immortal path.
The end of the martial path is the immortal path.
The Xiantian realm marks the beginning of the immortal path.
The "heavenly spirit" mentioned in the Seven Forms of Flowing Water is actually spiritual qi. To cultivate the Dao of immortals, one must first have a spiritual root.
With a spiritual root, one can draw in even a single breath of spiritual energy, transforming internal energy into true qi. If one then obtains an orthodox immortal cultivation method, that true qi can be refined into mana.
Those with spiritual roots do not actually need to train in martial arts at all. They can directly pursue the immortal path. However, spiritual roots vary greatly. Some are impure or mixed, unable to convert spiritual qi directly, and thus cannot step onto the immortal path.
As the saying goes: "The Great Dao is fifty, Heaven evolves forty-nine, and man escapes by one."
In ancient times, powerful figures created the martial path as a means to first open the twelve primary meridians and eight extraordinary vessels. This allowed those with mixed or flawed spiritual roots to progress slowly, entering the immortal path through martial cultivation.
Therefore, to reach the Xiantian realm, one must have at least some form of spiritual root, even the poorest kind.
At last, Li Qing understood what Ma Guiren had meant by "destined by the will of Heaven."
Earlier, when the old eunuch had said that the Xiantian realm was not for him, it was because he had seen that Li Qing had no spiritual root, and thus could never enter the Xiantian realm.
Li Qing set Martial is Immortal aside and went back to find the old eunuch.
"May I ask, Grandmaster Rong Ku, if one has no spiritual root, is it truly impossible to seek immortality?"
"You really are a foolish child." Rong Ku opened his eyes with a sigh. "The immortal path is nothing but a vague and elusive way. Whether immortals even exist in this world is still unknown. Martial is Immortal is merely a relic from ancient times. In our era, reaching the Xiantian realm is already the utmost limit."
Rong Ku stood and led Li Qing into the inner chamber, speaking as they walked. "Do you know what physiques are?"
"I don't," Li Qing replied. He knew the term referred to a person's aptitude in martial arts, but not its exact meaning.
"Your tongue."
Rong Ku gave his answer. "The spiritual root lies at the base of the tongue. In truth, the spiritual root is the tongue itself. Physique is one and the same as the spiritual root, except that physique can exist without spirit."
"This…" Li Qing found it hard to understand.
Rong Ku went on. "Heaven evolves forty-nine steps, man escapes by one. Just as great powers once found a chance for those with mixed or flawed spiritual roots to seek the immortal path, so too might there be a chance for those with no spiritual root at all."
He went to a hidden compartment, took out a book titled The Theory of False Spiritual Roots, and handed it to Li Qing.
"There is a theory of false spiritual roots. It is said that the world itself gives birth to spiritual roots. If one were to take the body of a spiritual root, and by secret arts refine it into the base of the tongue, granting spirit to it, then a person without a spiritual root could transform their physique into a false spiritual root. Such a root could convert spiritual qi and open the way to immortality."
Li Qing opened The Theory of False Spiritual Roots, and found that the book was exactly as Rong Ku had described.
As long as the path was not entirely closed, Li Qing would search for a way. After all, his lifespan was long.
Suddenly, Rong Ku sighed. "Ah… the theory of false spiritual roots was never meant to be passed on. Yet somehow the Emperor learned of it. He now harbors the mad ambition of finding the body of a spiritual root, refining a false spiritual root for himself, and seeking immortality. He wages war wantonly against other nations to find it. The people suffer greatly."
Li Qing paused.
So Emperor Jianwu had gone to war not for the country, but for himself. He wanted to find the body of a spiritual root.
If the Emperor had not already known of the false spiritual root, Li Qing might never have learned of this secret today. The old eunuch would likely have kept it hidden.
"An emperor seeking immortality is the beginning of disaster," Rong Ku recalled. "When the late emperor asked me about it, I stayed silent. At that time, he even praised your father as a pillar of the realm."
Li Qing: "…"
"Grandmaster Rong Ku, this secret method for refining a false spiritual root?" Li Qing ventured.
"You little brat," Rong Ku chuckled softly. "It's no harm to give this to you. But if you truly manage to reach the Innate realm one day through a false spiritual root, you must agree to do two things for me."
"Please, Grandmaster, speak." Li Qing bowed deeply.
"First, I am too old to leave the imperial city. You must find someone with a true spiritual root to inherit my legacy. I practice the Rong Ku Zen Art. That is the first matter."
"It will be my duty," Li Qing replied solemnly.
"Second, if the Great Qian Empire ever strays toward a path that will harm the nation, once you achieve the Xiantian realm, you must do your utmost to correct it at least once. I do not ask you to turn back the tide entirely; stopping even a single misguided national policy will count. That is the second matter."
"I will do it," Li Qing answered firmly.
"You're a strange kid," Rong Ku said, shaking his head. "You've clearly used the Twelve Golden Needles Meridian technique to shorten your lifespan, yet you still seem to have plenty of years left. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered saying all this to you."
He took out two items.
One was the Rong Ku Zen Art. The other was the Blood Spirit Technique.
Li Qing accepted them with delight.
"Grandaster, I can't go to war against other nations like the Emperor just to find the body of a spiritual root. Where should I look?" Li Qing pressed, hoping to squeeze out as much guidance as he could and save himself a few wrong turns.
If Grandmaster Rong Ku weren't so near the end of his years, he might not have given him any direction at all.
Rong Ku thought for a moment, then said, "In the Great Qian, the White Lotus Sect has endured for a thousand years. Every generation, its leader has been an Xiantian grandmaster. True spiritual roots are rare in this world. It is impossible that the White Lotus Sect could find someone with such a gift in every generation."
The White Lotus Sect!
Li Qing understood at once.
The body of a spiritual root was not something used only once. It could be passed down through the generations. After its owner's death, the spiritual root body could be taken out and used again.
The White Lotus Sect must possess such a heritage.
In that moment, Li Qing suddenly remembered something: the matter of Noble Consort Li in the Dingyou Iron Wing.
She had been the Saintess of the White Lotus Sect. Over a decade later, White Lotus assassins had even broken into the Cold Palace in search of something. Could it be that what they sought was…
Li Qing clearly remembered. When Noble Consort Li was first thrown into the Cold Palace, her tongue had been cut out at the root.