In the eyes of the white-haired monkey, Fang Chang's every move seemed seamlessly integrated with the world around him, even when he was cutting branches. Recognizing this, the spirit monkey's fur began to fluff up in response.

Squatting on the tree and observing for an extended period, the monkey became numb and stiff, unable to move. It wasn't until another monkey noticed the leader's unusual state and touched it that it fell to the ground with a "bang," slowly recovering from its predicament.

Unaware of the monkey's observations, Fang Chang took out a few small pears from his pocket for dinner. He had found them earlier while searching for the main beam of his shack and decided to keep them. These small wild pears had a mild sweetness with a hint of sourness and, thankfully, no astringency. Their fragrance lingered after eating.

After tossing the cores down the hillside, Fang Chang took out two books from his package and opened them by the light of the fire.

Though well-thumbed, the books remained as clean as new. One was titled "The Way of Practice," and the other "The Method of Practice."

Both books were clearly written, imbued with an aura and a lingering majesty. Along his journey, these books had kept poisonous insects, snakes, and ants at bay.

As a young man from the 21st century, Fang Chang had stumbled upon these books by chance shortly after his travels began. He understood their value, and the contents were indeed exquisite. However, his progress on the path of cultivation was slower than he had hoped.

After some deliberation, considering his original situation—his background still unknown, no relatives, and no ties—Fang Chang decisively sold his possessions, bid farewell to his neighbors, and ventured deep into the mountains.

To his surprise, his progress improved slightly along the way. With a heart clarified by practice, he sensed that his opportunity lay in this journey.

Arriving at Yunzhong Mountain, Fang Chang found himself out of money, having spent all he had earned from selling his assets, which seemed like divine intervention.

Gazing at the Taoist scriptures by the firelight, Fang Chang looked outside, where the mountain mist hung like veils, rendering the stars and moonlight hazy.

Noticing the chill, Fang Chang added more firewood to the campfire and prepared to sleep.

Over the past two years, he had adhered to the sleep requirements from "The Cultivation Law":

"Before sleeping, the mind must be clear and empty of thoughts. Lie on your side with the body curled, tongue touching the roof of the mouth, teeth unclenched, breath flowing, soul not wandering inside, and mind not wandering outside."

...

When Fang Chang opened his eyes, the eastern sky was already pale.

He rose, dressed, and felt refreshed.

The terrain south of the clearing gradually rose, extending toward the cliff. Fang Chang walked to the edge of the bottomless cliff, looked down, and found a flat boulder.

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The high terrain offered a good view, making it convenient to face the rising sun.

Sitting cross-legged, Fang Chang assumed a posture with five hearts facing the sky, following the "Cultivation Method" to absorb a trace of the sun's true fire as it rose.

The true fire of the sun entered his heart, igniting the heart's fire, which nourished the spleen and soil, in turn strengthening the lungs and metals, fortifying the kidneys with water, and nourishing the liver with wood. This cycle of the five elements allowed him to absorb spiritual energy, strengthening his cultivation base.

The golden light of the rising sun bathed Fang Chang.

His breathing grew longer, stirring the wind around him as he inhaled, and exhaling a white mist from his nostrils that lingered.

The concentration of aura around him subtly changed as he practiced.

After a long while, he rose. This method required only a short daily practice, with the remainder focused on refining his state of mind and harmonizing with heaven and earth, as described in "Cultivating the Way."

In the distance, a monkey eating breakfast was stunned by the scene, dropping the fruit in its hand without realizing it.

Discovering Fang Chang, this extraordinary human, had kept the monkey awake all night. Rising early, it unexpectedly witnessed this scene, confirming Fang Chang was indeed a practitioner.

The white-haired monkey, recovering its senses, seemed excited, resisted scratching its head, and furtively retreated, hiding in a taller tree to continue its observation.

Fang Chang, unaware of the distant monkey, was planning to find food.

Though he could practice the method of "eating wind and drinking dew" anytime, he found the idea high-sounding yet quite miserable. To him, it was akin to "drinking the northwest wind," a technique for the impoverished. Fang Chang preferred eating well, aligning with his practice philosophy: "Tao follows nature."

Berries were often found in the bushes, so Fang Chang collected some, wrapping them in a handkerchief.

He didn't search for the sorbus trees he found for yesterday's dinner, as the mountains were abundant with food.

While picking berries, he noticed many mushrooms in the forest early in the morning. However, identifying their toxicity required effort, so he decided against it for now to avoid discomfort.

He also caught several grasshoppers.

Catching grasshoppers was a skillful task. Arching his palms, he approached carefully, pouncing from above to catch the grasshoppers just before they jumped. Strung on a foxtail, they could be conveniently carried back.

The bonfire from yesterday had extinguished.

Kicking the embers, he found them still warm but with no sparks inside.

Fang Chang set down the grasshopper bunches and berries, retrieving the sticks and pieces used to drill wood for fire yesterday—he had kept them in his bedding to protect them from morning moisture.

From under the bedding, he took some hay, found a stone with a pit in the stream, and prepared to try the bow method for making fire.

This method was more technical, but easier than rubbing and drilling wood.

To create a fire bow, he only needed a piece of hemp rope tied to both ends of a curved branch.

The hemp rope came from his luggage, used temporarily, as hemp rope was too durable. Later, he planned to craft his own rope from bark or rattan.

Wrapping the fire bow around a hard wooden stick, he pressed it against the juniper block with a pitted stone, pulling it quickly like a carpenter's drill, soon producing sparks. Carefully picking up the spark, he placed it into kindling hay shaped like a small bird's nest, blowing gently to ignite the flame.

The pyre's surface had become wet, but its core remained dry, and soon the bonfire rekindled before the shack.

Roasting fragrant grasshoppers with berries made for a delicious breakfast. Next, he contemplated finding a more suitable and stable food source.

Throwing the remaining residue into the fire, Fang Chang rose and stretched. He practiced the guiding method from his books, jumping in the open space: tiger pounce, bear turn, ape climb, bird stand, deer look—each move was mighty, calm, dexterous, light, or comfortable.

Between movements, he exuded a natural charm.

Following the practice, he felt lighter and healthier. Fang Chang tended to the bonfire and ventured back into the nearby woods.

He needed to gather more firewood, storing some under the bedding to keep it dry, and collect hay.

The weather was nice today.