Life begins with the soul’s essence, called "Po" at birth, and then the "Hun" comes with the rising of Yang. The soul, the spirit attached to the body, is "Po," while the god, or divine essence attached to the energy, is "Hun." The Yang spirit is the soul, the Yin spirit is the essence, and they mutually serve as residences for one another.
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Suppressing the various questions rising in my heart, I continued eavesdropping on the conversation between Tian Huazi and the young Daoist.
The young Daoist scratched his head and asked Tian Huazi, "Master, why is it that after Master’s soul was transferred into the mummified corpse, the body still has warmth and breath? Could it be that Master has cultivated into the legendary external incarnation?"
The young Daoist was clearly an inquisitive fellow.
Each of his questions made my heart tremble. Although their conversation was almost inaudible on the bustling street, as someone with a modest understanding of Daoist cultivation, this was still something that caught my attention. Tian Huazi's master had transferred his soul into a mummified corpse—how could he still be alive? And an external incarnation? The young Daoist seemed to have little understanding of how difficult it is to cultivate such a thing.
Tian Huazi, looking fondly at the young Daoist, patiently answered, "I don't know either. When we activated the Soul Transfer Formation, something strange happened, as you know. Normally, the formation uses the power of heaven and earth to guide the vital energy and move the soul, but before we even ran the formation for a minute, it started making cracking noises. Something definitely went wrong. After your master screamed, all the ritual tools used to set up the formation exploded. Ah! I really don’t know what happened."
Tian Huazi, who had appeared energetic and lively earlier, now looked somewhat disheveled. Hearing him talk about the magical Soul Transfer Formation, my astonishment had already become numb. As someone who cultivates, I was not entirely surprised; such things were to be expected in this line of work.
"Wow, I didn’t expect the legendary formation to really exist!" The young Daoist shook his head, impressed. "Master, since such a powerful formation exists, why is it that so many people cultivate Daoism, but no one ever succeeds in reaching the Golden Core stage? They all get stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage and can’t continue."
A good question indeed! This was exactly what I was eager to know. I continued following behind them.
Tian Huazi sighed deeply and said, "Yes, why? When your master successfully established his foundation at the age of thirty, but even after a century, he couldn’t draw the vitality of heaven and earth into his body. That’s why your master thought of transferring his soul and spirit into the mummified corpse, but now, look at what has happened. What happened to the Dao of Heaven?"
The young Daoist's expression grew darker, and he fell silent, seemingly discouraged by what he had just heard. I was about to leave when the young Daoist asked another question.
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"Master, I’ve heard that many seniors in our sect died violently due to their cultivation. Is that true?"
Tian Huazi abruptly stopped, lowered his voice, and sternly asked, "How do you know this? Who told you?"
The young Daoist, looking innocent, replied, "Everyone in the Upper Yuan Monastery knows this. Why would I need to explain?"
Tian Huazi sighed and hurried his steps, "Ah, you troublemaker! If you are worried about this, then why even cultivate Daoism? It’s the heart demon!" He muttered as he walked faster.
I saw that the young Daoist quickly followed behind, and realizing there would be no more useful information, I stopped. People hurriedly passed by me on the street. I looked up at the sky and reflected on Tian Huazi's words. Indeed, where was the Dao of Heaven?
The conversation between Tian Huazi and the young Daoist left my mind in turmoil.
I mentally pieced together the sequence of events. During the National Day holiday, the school invited Daoists from Haixin Mountain's Upper Yuan Monastery to perform a ritual to incinerate the mummified corpse. But Tian Huazi's master, for reasons unknown, suddenly decided to steal the corpse and, with the help of other Daoists, used a formation called the Soul Transfer Formation to move his soul into the mummified body. However, when the formation was activated, something went wrong. The soul transfer might not have been complete, and Tian Huazi's master lost control of the mummified corpse, which disappeared.
Why did the mummified corpse keep appearing at our school? Was there something in the school drawing it in? I recalled my classmate Wu Xiaoman’s god’s domain where the evil soul from the mummified corpse was eliminated. Afterward, Xiaoman seemed more energetic than ever. What was really going on here?
Life begins with the essence of the soul, called Po, and as the Yang rises, the Hun is formed. The soul is attached to the body, and the spirit is attached to the energy. The heart is the root of the soul and spirit, and for cultivators, the soul and spirit are the foundation of their power.
Could there still be traces of his original soul's essence within the mummified corpse?
When I destroyed the evil soul in Wu Xiaoman’s god’s domain, was I really eliminating it completely? If so, why did Xiaoman remember everything that had happened in her god’s domain? Why was her spirit growing stronger?
Tian Huazi’s master, the Soul Transfer Formation, the mummified corpse, the evil soul, Xiaoman’s changes—all of these events were connected to the issue of the soul. For a cultivator, the heart is the foundation of the soul and spirit. Cultivating the heart strengthens the soul and spirit.
I also recalled Tian Huazi’s comment about the Soul Transfer Formation malfunctioning. The cracking sounds from the formation—I was certain it had something to do with the chaotic vital energy of heaven and earth.
And the young Daoist’s comment about the senior cultivators in the Upper Yuan Monastery who died in violent ways. From my own experience with cultivation, I understood the answer: these elderly Daoists could not draw the vitality of heaven and earth into their bodies, so they couldn’t move past the Foundation Establishment stage. However, their spiritual training had hardened their will. If their mind and spirit reached out to commune with the vital energy of heaven and earth, the violent deaths they experienced were inevitable.
With so many mysteries surrounding the soul, I didn’t want to stay outside any longer. I quickly returned home and reviewed a large amount of material. I now understood the importance of the soul for a cultivator.
A cultivator must master the six energies of heaven and earth, refine the spiritual essence, and cultivate the heart and soul. The heart is the root of the spirit and soul, and to reach the true essence of Daoism, one must understand the Dao of Heaven and earth.
Haha! With this new understanding of the soul’s importance to cultivators, I became deeply intrigued by the recent events surrounding the mummified corpse. I eagerly awaited the evening when I would meet with Cao Kui and Cheng Fan to secretly observe how the Daoists from Haixin Mountain’s Upper Yuan Monastery would deal with the mummified corpse.