Chapter 175: Twenty-Four Qi Dao Treatise

Within the memory, the young Daoist held his Whisk with an easy air, his golden pupils sweeping over You Xuexin like bright twin lamps from time to time.

"Heaven and earth possess the Twenty-Four Qi, encompassing the transformations of the Three Talents, yin and yang, and the five elements."

"Take you, for instance. You cultivate the Immortal-Slaying Gourd True Explanation. The magical power you have refined is named Matchmaking, drawn from the Mid-Heaven Orthodox Origin Blended Harmony Qi among the Twenty-Four Qi."

"This qi belongs to the earth position and is yin by nature. Situated in the earth tier of the Three Talents, it holds the power to harmonize Qian and Kun and bring smooth order to all things. Its profound mystery lies mainly in harmonizing energies of differing—or even directly conflicting—natures. For this reason, it was known in ancient times as the Central Rectitude Pivot, or Heaven and Earth Harmony, while also possessing the quality of accumulating and storing all things."

The young Daoist remarked casually:

"Because you cultivate the magical power tied to this qi, two types of dual cultivation partners suit you best: one who you can counter, and one who can nourish you."

As he spoke, Wang Ping watched the You Xuexin of the memory ask:

"Dare I ask, Master? The Twenty-Four Qi are vast and boundless. I truly do not know which cultivators I suppress, and which would nourish me."

The young Daoist chuckled. "Why don't you guess?"

Wait, make her guess?

Wang Ping was taken aback, an intuitive thought crossing his mind. The Twenty-Four Qi are based on the variations of the Three Talents, yin and yang, and the five elements. Mutual generation and suppression must surely rely on the cycle of the five elements.

In that case... earth overcomes water, and fire generates earth?

Almost simultaneously, the You Xuexin in the memory offered her answer.

"I venture to guess that mutual generation and suppression must be grounded in the transformations of the five elements. If so, those I can counter should be cultivators who refine qi of the water position."

"And those who can nourish me should be cultivators of the fire position."

The young Daoist nodded, yet immediately shook his head. "That is basic literacy for a true transmission disciple. The generation and suppression of the five elements is merely the shallowest level of cultivation."

"What else?"

"You say you can suppress water-phase cultivators based on the five elements, but what of the shift between yin and yang? Have you considered the variations of the Three Talents?"

You Xuexin fell silent.

"This... I ask for Master's guidance."

The young Daoist smiled. "I could teach you, naturally. Yet in cultivating the Immortal Dao, one must often attain comprehension oneself. You must know not only what happens, but why it happens."

"Knowing only the surface without grasping the underlying reason reflects shallow attainment and a weak foundation. You might gain a slight edge early on and advance swiftly, but the higher you climb, the harder every step becomes. Especially at the threshold of Qi Refining Entering the Dao—if your comprehension falls short, you will be destined for nothing more than the fate of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal."

"So be it."

With that, the young Daoist pointed a finger. The Observing Heaven and Earth Qi manual, which he had previously inscribed with spiritual energy, drifted down in front of You Xuexin.

The pages flipped open.

They settled on the page for Nether Earth. Dense lines of text surfaced, making Wang Ping's head throb with pressure, yet he refused to blink even once.

"Read carefully, and study well," the young Daoist's voice continued.

"Once you have finished, share your reflections with me. Let me see if your aptitude possesses that spark of insight."

You Xuexin lowered her head at once to read.

Wang Ping naturally fixed his gaze on the text as well:

Yin earth is named Ji. Lowly, thin, soft, and moist, it governs the central rectitude and stores myriad things. It penetrates the eight directions and flourishes through the four seasons. Soft by nature and deep in momentum, it manifests in heaven as clouds and on earth as marshes.

Soft earth can nurture wood and cannot be conquered by it; hence it fears no abundance of wood.

Deep earth can hold water and cannot be swept away by it; hence it fears no fury of water.

Rootless fire cannot generate damp earth; hence weak fire dims instead.

Damp earth nourishes metallic qi; hence abundant metal shines with brilliant luster.

These are all the wondrous workings of its non-action yielding action. Thus, none of the Three Talents—Heaven, Earth, and Man—can lack this earth. Like a Matchmaking force between Qian and Kun, it is omnipresent among the other four elements.

At first glance, it was utterly bewildering.

Yet as he painstakingly studied every single character, comprehension slowly dawned within Wang Ping. The realization remained faint, as though veiled by a sheer layer of mist.

The veil was thin, nothing more than a hazy feeling of half-understanding. Wang Ping believed that given a bit of time, he could easily lift it... but time was precisely what he lacked most. He refused to endure this stagnant sensation of hanging midway with nowhere to break through.

Taiping Sutra!

His consciousness plunged straight into the Great Peace Mortuary. Looking toward the towering volume, he activated a scripture scroll he had not touched in a long time.

A promise worth a thousand gold!

Give me a loan!

The next second, as the scripture scroll turned, his supreme borrowing talent sparked inspiration. The haze in his mind was stripped away in an instant, laying bare infinite brilliance.

Ah, I get it!

Had he not currently been submerged in Daoist Nun You's memory, Wang Ping probably would have leaped to his feet and danced with joy. The complete blueprint was already clear in his mind.

"First, the five-element transformations are undeniably correct. Fire generates earth, and earth overcomes water. Yet when it says deep earth can hold water and cannot be swept away by it, fearing no fury of water... which water does it mean? Water also splits into yin and yang. Which water can be stored and harbored deep within Ji earth?"

"It is Gui water!"

Wang Ping's eyes gleamed with clarity. Had it involved other qi of heaven and earth, he would have had no way of knowing, but Gui water was the very essence of his own magical power.

With that sudden flash of insight, countless understandings surfaced naturally.

"Gui water belongs to yin. On earth, it manifests as the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi, referring inherently to subterranean water. Does this not perfectly match the imagery of deep earth holding water?"

That was the underlying logic of mutual suppression.

"Likes counter likes, while opposites generate each other. Ji earth belongs to yin, and Gui water likewise belongs to yin; therefore, Ji earth counters Gui water. Reversing the principle, what kind of fire can generate Ji earth?"

"The line stating that rootless fire cannot generate damp earth, causing weak fire to dim instead, means that Yin Fire is not vigorous enough to nurture yin earth, which also violates the balance of yin and yang."

"So it must be yang fire!"

Then came the question: the fire position belonged to yang, but what qi was it?

Wang Ping scratched his head in agitation, wishing he could plunge directly into the memory to take control of You Xuexin and flip the Observing Heaven and Earth Qi manual straight to the page on yang fire.

Lacking any alternative, he could only wait.

In the memory, You Xuexin's delicate brows furrowed tightly as she read and deduced over and over. Beside her, the young Daoist watched unhurriedly, a faint smile lingering in his eyes.

Finally, You Xuexin offered her answer.

Compared to Wang Ping's realization, however, her response was halting, highly incomplete, and heavily riddled with speculation.

Even Wang Ping shook his head at the sound of it.

The young Daoist, on the other hand, was far from showing displeasure. Instead, he let out a soft laugh. "Not bad, not bad at all. Your comprehension is respectable even among the true transmission disciples."

"I never expected that in my old age, I would encounter an exceptional talent like you."

"Fascinating."

The young Daoist elaborated further, his explanation matching Wang Ping's earlier deduction down to the finest detail, proving that his comprehension had been entirely correct.

To Wang Ping's delight, the young Daoist also moved on to the secrets of yang fire that had left him itching with curiosity: "The fire position belongs to yang, named Bing fire. This qi manifests in heaven as the sun and on earth as a furnace. Heaven and earth also possess yin and yang; thus, mutual generation requires opposites—specifically, the qi generated when yang fire occupies the heavenly position."

"Its name is the Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi."

A long roar erupted inside Wang Ping's mind.

"Ah..."

It felt like wrestling with an impossible mathematical problem only to suddenly grasp the core principle and write out the correct answer in a single breath.

Sudden enlightenment was precisely this.

So this is the true principle behind the generation and suppression of the Twenty-Four Qi!

First examine the five elements, then look to yin and yang, and finally assess heaven and earth within the Three Talents. As long as one follows the rule that likes counter likes and opposites generate, the generation and suppression relationships become clear at a glance.

This was the true transmission!

Committed to scriptures, it might fill thousands of sprawling words, yet its essence distilled down to nothing more than those eight words: likes counter likes, opposites generate!

"Take my Latent Concealment magical power. Derived from the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi, it represents Gui water on earth and belongs to yin. Therefore, what I can counter should be Earthly Yin Fire, while what nourishes me is heavenly yang metal. And what counters me goes without saying: it is earthly yin earth."

Earthly yin earth was the very origin of Daoist Nun You's magical power.

The Mid-Heaven Orthodox Origin Blended Harmony Qi.

As for which two qi corresponded to Earthly Yin Fire and heavenly yang metal, along with their associated magical powers, Wang Ping felt the need to investigate further...

"Oh, right."

Just then, as if recalling something, the young Daoist in the memory continued, "Speaking of the fire position, my own cultivation aligns with it as well."

"However, the qi I refine is Yin Fire, situated in the earth tier of the Three Talents."

The young Daoist remarked casually:

"It is the essence of myriad things, the emblem of civilization. In heaven it forms the constellations, and on earth it manifests as lamplight. Thus, the qi I cultivate is called the Discerning Truth and Illusion Illuminating Qi."

"As the name implies, this qi illuminates myriad phenomena and pierces falsehood. It happens to be countered by Earthly Yin Water—the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi skilled in Latent Concealment."

"Of course, the Dao of generation and suppression serves merely as an aid."

"A cultivator's standing ultimately rests on the depth of their magical power. Even when a countering relationship exists, a cultivator with superior power can still forcefully overturn the dynamic."

"Furthermore, having heard this much, a doubt must have arisen in your mind."

Indeed, there was one.

In the memory, the young Daoist chuckled. "Why do the principles of generation and suppression touch only Heaven and Earth among the Three Talents? Where did the realm of Man go?"

That was precisely the question.

After all, following this logic of mutual generation and suppression, any qi aligned with the Man position across the yin, yang, and five elements would possess no counterparts to counter or nourish it.

"The answer is simple."

The young Daoist's tone grew distant. "Because what we have discussed are the qi of heaven and earth. How could the qi of Man be included among their cycles of generation and suppression?"

"Granted, rumors say that long, long ago, the qi of Man was also part of the heaven and earth sequence, generating and overcoming alongside the other qi. But after a great heavenly upheaval, the qi of Man broke away. Neither generated nor countered by heaven and earth, it formed an independent system of its own."

A heavenly upheaval? What happened?

Wang Ping was taken aback, curiosity naturally welling up within him. In the memory, You Xuexin appeared equally intrigued and could not help asking aloud.

Yet the young Daoist shook his head.

"Even I do not know."

"I am merely a Qi Refining practitioner. That belongs to a far more ancient history, understood perhaps only by the True Persons or even the True Monarchs upon the main peak."

"However..."

At this point, a mischievous smile crossed the young Daoist's face, as if he had recalled something pleasing. "It is not as though I never looked into it privately."

"Over the years, I managed to unearth a few clues."

"Rumor has it that the heavenly upheaval not only severed the qi of Man from the bounds of heaven and earth, but also triggered another monumental catastrophe that nearly crippled the Immortal Dao."

"Namely, the birth of the Twenty-Four Qi."

"You must have wondered long ago: the Three Talents, yin and yang, and five elements ought to yield thirty qi in total. Why are there only twenty-four? What transpired?"

"Both questions share the exact same answer."

In the next instant, the young Daoist spoke. Each word fell deliberately, like a heavy hammer striking against Wang Ping's heart, detonating with the force of thunder:

"Long ago, there arose the Great Rebellion, the Ancient Qi of Eliminating the Six Heavens!"