Chapter Twelve: The Celestial Heavens Channel Spiritual Energy, Tempering the Dao Heart in Pursuit of Perfection

The starry sky sparkled, so dazzling that one could easily lose themselves within it. Liaochen had no idea how long he had wandered there, nor did he understand why he found himself in that place. Yet, he couldn't help but chase after the traces of those countless stars. He didn't know how long he ran, but how vast was the starry sky—how could he ever hope to catch even a fraction of it? Liaochen stumbled, stood up, and continued his pursuit, again and again, falling and rising…

At last, his efforts bore fruit. A meteor pierced the silence of the heavens and shot straight toward him, only to brush past his side. Reflexively, Liaochen reached his hands into the luminous trail left by the meteor. When he drew them back, he was astonished to see that flickering starlight remained in his palms, pulsing with a warmth and intimacy beyond words.

"What is this?" Liaochen asked, but the starry sky gave no reply. Carefully, he tucked the gift from the stars into his robes. He continued to follow the footsteps of the stars, but no longer did he chase with his body—instead, he watched with his eyes and contemplated with his mind.

The sea of stars was endless, and suddenly Liaochen felt, in comparison to this ancient and boundless sky, that he himself was but a fleeting moment. A wave of sorrow welled up in his heart, and he could not hold back the tears that streamed down his face.

Life is like a dream—what is true, what is false? Is it so or is it not?

Just as Liaochen was lost in this sudden, overwhelming sadness, a thunderous voice rang out from the heavens: "Time's up. Out you go." Struggling to break free from the emotion, he was instantly overcome by a dizzying sensation. Darkness fell before his eyes, and he fainted.

When Liaochen awoke, he found himself lying on a lush, verdant meadow. Startled, he leapt to his feet. Looking around, he realized he was still atop a small hill near the valley. Only then did his heart settle, and he began to recall what had happened among the stars. The gathering of celestial spirits and immortal essence was far beyond anything of the mortal world. It seemed his reward for merit was this journey among the eternal stars. But whose voice was it that finally cast him out? If not for that being, would he have been lost forever in the infinite sky? Looking back now, he could not help but feel that the voice had carried an inexplicable anger.

Unable to find an answer, Liaochen put the matter aside, calmed his mind, and began to examine what he had gained from the starry realm. The celestial bodies, sources of spiritual energy—he had no idea how long he had spent among them. All he knew was that his cultivation was now perfectly rounded, his spiritual energy had become liquid in his dantian, surging through his meridians without end, though now with a slight heaviness. The once greyish energy was now pure and colorless. Liaochen was overjoyed. Not only had he attained the power required to form a Golden Core, but the quality of his energy had improved by leaps and bounds. Now, as long as his Dao heart was complete, he could form the initial fruit of his path, the Golden Core, at any time and place. From then on, his lifespan would reach eight hundred years—even if he could never advance further, he would live to witness the era of his previous life.

Upon inquiry, he learned that after he completed his enfeoffment of the gods, a great rain had fallen from the heavens, bringing joy to the people. But those at the foot of the mountain found him gone. After searching for two or three days, they assumed he had resumed his wandering and left one by one. By now, more than a year had passed since that day of enfeoffment. Liaochen could not help but sigh, "Truly, in the pursuit of immortality, the years slip by unnoticed. Who would have thought I lingered among the stars for so long?"

Descending the mountain, Liaochen shed his ornate "ceremonial attire" and disguised himself as an ordinary wandering Taoist priest. Yet, there was not a trace left of his former self. Why a priest again? Because in the Ming dynasty, only scholars on official journeys or ordained monks and priests could travel the land freely without travel permits. Liaochen could not impersonate a scholar—the air of bookishness could not be imitated by one with no learning. As for a Buddhist monk—well, that was out of the question.

North to south, south to north—this time, Liaochen truly measured the earth with his footsteps and regarded the world's warmth and coldness with detachment. One day, as he walked to the foot of a mountain, he saw several hunters coming down, carrying their game over their shoulders. Among the catch was a living white fox. White foxes, except in the Arctic, are rarely seen and are often regarded as highly spiritual creatures. The hunters, knowing this, had kept one alive. As they passed Liaochen, the fox cast him a pleading glance—her eyes full of supplication. Liaochen's heart could not bear it, for it was a vixen, heavily pregnant, no doubt captured alive by the hunters just as she was about to give birth.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable, might you gentlemen be willing to part with that white fox?" Liaochen stepped forward, blocking the hunters' path.

"You want the fox, priest?" one of the hunters asked, grasping the fox by the scruff.

"Heaven cherishes all life, and this fox is with young. Gentlemen, would you let me have her? If it's inconvenient, I can buy her from you," Liaochen replied.

"Oh, since the priest has spoken, I see no reason not to. If not for a sick family member needing medicinal broth, we wouldn't have snared a pregnant beast," the hunter answered, though his polite tone belied his reluctance to let go. Clearly, he hoped to raise the price.

Liaochen sighed. For thousands of years in China, though not everyone was versed in propriety, traditions of compassion had been passed down—hunters rarely harmed pregnant animals, a rule born not only of mercy but also of long-term prudence. Yet these hunters seemed indifferent to such customs.

"How much do you ask for the fox?" Liaochen inquired.

"This pelt is pure white, flawless; in the city, it could fetch several hundred silver taels, and this one is alive," the hunter replied, naming an exorbitant price.

Liaochen merely smiled. A white fox pelt might indeed be valuable, but several hundred taels required selling to a noble in the capital—no ordinary hunter could command such sums. He did not argue, but quietly summoned a stone from nearby, transformed it in his sleeve, and produced a gleaming gold ingot. "Will this suffice?" he asked.

Blinded by the gold, the hunters snatched it eagerly, biting down to check its authenticity, weighing it carefully. "This is enough, of course, but in these wilds, exchanging gold for cash isn't easy—money shops charge high fees…"

"Insatiable greed," Liaochen cursed silently. Without a change in expression, he fetched another smaller stone and transformed it into a gold ingot. "This is all I have. Will it do?"

"It will, it will," the hunters exchanged glances. Hastily, they stuffed the fox into his arms and seized the gold. "Priest, travel safely. We'll take our leave," they said.

"Safe travels to you," Liaochen replied with a smile, then continued on his way, the white fox nestled in his arms.

"Brother, in these deep woods, that priest must have more gold. Why not…?" one of the hunters whispered.

A sharp slap from the leader cut him off. "Anyone who can travel these wild mountains alone must have some skill. An ordinary man would have been eaten by beasts long ago. We've got our gold—be content." After a few awkward chuckles, they began plotting how to spend their newfound wealth, unaware that Liaochen could hear every word behind them.

Hmm, when you get home and discover the gold has turned to stone, will you still be so pleased? Liaochen sneered inwardly. Still, you’ve escaped calamity this time—be grateful.

He gave them no further thought. Cradling the fox, he found a hunter's hut in the mountains, where he settled in, waiting for the fox to give birth.