Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 104: A Glimpse Into Heavens Fate

Ji Yuan didn’t rush back to the city, but instead found an uninhabited forest on the outskirts, climbed a large tree with lush branches and leaves, and sat cross-legged on it to carefully inspect the scabbard.

The scabbard was a light green color on the surface, probably because it was painted with some kind of pigment rather than letting the original color of the wood show. However, it had good permeability¹ and it was fresh and natural, with no peculiar smell. The color matched the hilt of the Green Vine Sword very well.

The wooden scabbard had no carvings nor any extra accessories. At first glance, it looked like a flat green wooden stick. However, the corners were rounded, and it felt smooth to the touch. Just by listening to the faint vibrating sounds coming from behind him, he could tell that the Green Vine Sword also really liked this scabbard.

“Be patient, the scabbard is not yet complete, otherwise it won’t be able to withstand your torture!”

Ji Yuan pulled out the Green Vine Sword from behind him, stretching out his hand and injecting a strand of spiritual energy as he drew the sword. A thin vine of new growth sprouted from the hilt and fell off on its own. He attached the thin vine to the scabbard, and it immediately embedded itself into the sword. It slowly grew along the scabbard, winding itself around it, with one spiral having the width of about one finger length.

The speed of its growth was neither fast nor slow. After about half an hour, a spiraling emerald green vine pattern had appeared on the light green scabbard, with traces of young buds in a couple places.

Buzz…

The Green Vine Sword hummed again.

“Almost, almost, don’t rush!”

Ji Yuan patted the Green Vine Sword as if he were comforting a child eagerly awaiting a toy, and continued his operation.

He made sword fingers with his right hand and pointed them at his sheath. The spiritual energy was a thin beam like a sword, lightly piercing the scabbard. As his wrist and fingertips moved downward, two inscriptions appeared.

Spirit nurtures the green vine, the sharp edge deeply concealed.²

The halo of light from the words flashed and disappeared, and the entire scabbard vibrated slightly before returning to normal.

“Phew… Well, it’s my own stuff, anyways…”³

Seeing that the Green Vine Sword in front of him was still ringing, Ji Yuan laughed.

“Go ahead!”

Buzz…

The Green Vine Sword made a sharp sound, and with a “whoosh,” it slid into the sheath. Then the sound stopped, as if it had fallen asleep.

Ji Yuan smiled again. He wrapped the Green Vine Sword with green cloth and once more put it on his back. This marked the moment where all of his short-term worries had been resolved, so he began to ponder his own cultivation problems.

Unlike other immortal cultivators who were not too skilled in Taoism, Ji Yuan could visualize his spiritual world without even closing his eyes. The sky and earth in his inner world were vast, and atop the mountain the alchemy furnace was full of power.

The one-acre Dantian was vast and covered in mist, surging with mystical energy.

Now, as Ji Yuan’s own criteria for measuring his path to immortality advanced in parallel with the terms “virtue,” “righteousness,” and “compassion,” his Taoism was also growing rapidly.⁴ The limit of his spiritual energy in his inner world was no longer just one acre in his Dantian; perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe it as one acre and a third.

Although the range of his world was is still small, it couldn’t compare to his alchemy furnace. Inside the furnace, a universe of vast worlds were hidden, with the True Samadhi Fire burning endlessly. It contained the surging red Qi, which could be transformed into spiritual energy at any time.

What was particularly remarkable was that this alchemy room, which existed in between reality and illusion, was described in “Bright Strategies” as a bright chamber within the darkness, with an alchemy furnace and a golden bridge leading up to it.

However, when it came to Ji Yuan’s’ alchemy room, the area around the alchemy chamber was not dark, but instead contained a vague conception of mountains and rivers. The rising spiritual energy in his Dantian seemed to conceal the inner world like a haze of mist and smoke. He could not determine whether these mountains and rivers were hidden outside the Dantian, or whether the Dantian was hidden within this inner world.

Ji Yuan’s could feel that his cultivation speed was definitely not slow. Perhaps, not even those immortal cultivators who sat in the Holy Land of the immortal sects were as efficient as him.

The chess pieces seemed to have their own limitations in their demand for energy. Sometimes they required a large amount, while sometimes the amount demanded was almost nonexistent. However, the demand of spiritual power at any point in that range was relatively small, compared to the rest of his energy. In short, under normal circumstances, it did not affect Ji Yuan’s cultivation.

His application of “Yuhuai Small Exercises,” the basic Qi training technique, was also perfect. Although he did not have any larger training methods yet, the internal organs of his body had already nurtured the Qi of their corresponding five elements. The so-called larger training methods were nothing more than choosing a more suitable path of cultivation practice according to one’s own characteristics, such as focusing on Pure White Gold Qi⁵ or focusing on Ten Waters True Yin Qi.⁶

The path to mastery was through advancement,⁷ but he wouldn’t die if he didn’t have a better technique. Ji Yuan consoled himself with the thought that he was now making progress in all different aspects.

In addition to practicing techniques to cultivate spiritual energy and physical power, he also continuously practiced the Qi Guiding Art method to nourish his body and soul with pure spiritual energy. He did his best to eat meals and replenish his energy at regular times as much as possible.

While Ji Yuan was comprehending the current state of his inner world, he took out the “Bright Strategies” book that he carried with him to verify what he had learned, and flipped through the profound content related to cultivation practice.

According to “Bright Strategies,” in addition to the depth of spiritual energy, there were two key signs for an immortal cultivator’s practice that could serve as a reference for their level of Taoist attainment: the Five Qis Returning to the Origin, and the Unification of Three Essences.⁸

The former was a sign that the five elements in the body were fully developed and flowing. It has a lot to do the individual’s level of cultivation and depth of spiritual energy, the number of acupuncture points thy had connected to their inner world, and the cultivation of their heart.⁹ Not everyone could achieve this vision.

It was said in “Bright Strategies” that, since long ago, those who practiced Taoism would brag about reaching the “Realm of Returning to the Origin”¹⁰ as one as only one of the five energies had converged, which was a bit ridiculous.

The latter, where the three essences were merged into one, was the real symbol of a “true immortal” Taoist. It implied that not only were the vitality, Qi, and spirit of the immortal practitioner united into one, but also that the three elements—heaven, earth, and man—had also been perfectly united into one. This signified the great opening of the mysterious gate,¹¹ which could only be achieved by a true Taoist master. Often, the powers of such master were unfathomable; there were unlikely to be exceptions to this rule.

In addition, there were many different understandings of the “Tao,” many different perspectives on spiritual energy and supernatural powers, as well as various mysterious techniques, such as reflecting on the inner heart,¹² cultivating virtue,¹³ and attaining clarity and tranquility.¹⁴ Each individual strove to approach the Tao from a their own direction and angle.

There were truly thousands of methods and thousands of ways to cultivate. Each immortal sect, immortal palace,¹⁵ immortal cave, immortal mountain, and immortal island had its own understanding of the path, and each kept their own mysteries close to their chest, making it difficult to truly summarize and unify them.

Even with their apparent commonalities, there were still many “disputes” between them, and no one was willing to concede to the others. “Bright Strategies” summarized this point in only one sentence: how deeply unfortunate.

It was worth mentioning that, if one were a true immortal master, one would have a deep understanding of the “Tao,” and would often understand the mysteries and laws underlying all things. This was also one of the reasons why many spirits and monsters were eager to “ask for instruction.”

Ji Yuan read the book carefully. It was now almost noon. He felt that his mind was now open, and his practice had settled in a pure state at this stage, so he jumped off the tree with peace of mind and prepared to enter the city to find a place to eat.

Upon walking into the city, it was as if his previous feeling was taking root in his heart, and his state of mind seemed to be raised to higher level. It felt as if the spiritual energy in Ji Yuan’s body was blending with the spiritual energy of the outside world.

As soon as Ji Yuan thought of this, he entered into his inner world, and the mountains and rivers in his mind manifested in the blink of an eye. His sense of self in his inner world seemed to become infinite, and his physical body in the outside seemed to merge into the heaven and the earth. His footsteps became ethereal and miraculous.

There was a feeling of clarity and perfection in his mind, as if he had achieved some kind of success in cultivating the immortal Tao.

At this moment, the five chess pieces in his inner world were looming, like stars hanging in the sky. For the first time, in Ji Yuan’s heart, he suddenly felt as if the black pieces held murderous intent, and the white pieces symbolized creation.

‘Huh? ’

As Ji Yuan continued walking forward, be began to feel doubts once more. As he walked, be began to feel as if his body were wading through water. The resistance grew stronger and stronger. In the end, Ji Yuan actually found himself unable to move.

‘What’s going on? Something is wrong! ’

Ji Yuan wanted to exit his state of meditation, but he couldn’t. He just stood still on the streets of Juntian Prefecture’s capital.

The people passing by each had red, yellow, or multicolor auras rising from their bodies, each indescribably clear in Ji Yuan’s eyes.

‘Where are they going?’

Ji Yuan subconsciously wanted to look up. With great difficulty, he turned his heck so that he could glance at the sky sideways.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The light and color before his eyes seemed to flash and transform, flickering between black and white and constantly shifting from reality to intangible shadow. His body seemed to be infinitely floating between reality and illusion.

The mountains and rivers were so far away. The world was so vast. His sight never seemed to end. He saw thousands and thousands of infinite paths of energy, permeating the boundless qi.

White, black, green, red, yellow and many other colors appeared one after the other. Suddenly, in his heart he understood: he was seeing immortal Qi, majestic demonic Qi, soaring Yin Qi, Qi of divine incense, Qi of the human-path, Qi of the Five Elements…

As Ji Yuan realized that his body was growing bigger and rising higher, the world before his eyes had become drastically different!

Astonishment, shock, fear, helplessness… Amidst the entwining of all kinds of emotions, Ji Yuan saw the majestic and vast Qi of heaven and earth being pulled by the infinite Qi of all beings in this world.

The Tao of Immortals, the Tao of Ghosts, the Tao of Divinity, the Tao of Demons, the Tao of Monsters, the Tao of Humanity, the Tao of Spirits… These infinite strands of Qi mixed together to form countless ropes of Qi, some thick and some thin, firmly anchoring the vast Qi of heaven and earth.

With ups and downs, desires and disputes, all entwined in the ropes of Qi, the battle between the heart that follows the Tao and the heart that falls to evil, with every change in dynasty, every battle between immortals and demons, every change of fate in this vast world, every natural disaster… all of it turned into streams of energy, tearing apart the vast Qi of heaven and earth.

Ji Yuan seemed to be able to see cracks, with a mixture of dark red and purple energy, appearing in the sky and on the earth…

A vague sense of enlightenment arose in Ji Yuan’s heart:

If heaven was filled with murderous intent, stars moved and their positions changed; if the earth was filled with murderous intent, dragons and serpents rose from the land; if people were filled with murderous intent, heaven and earth would be overturned. If heaven and man were united, a foundation for all changes would be established. Perhaps in ten thousand years, perhaps a few thousand, or maybe even sooner — a great change in heaven and earth was imminent!

This kind of change would eventually be manifested in the infinite Qi of all things between heaven and earth. No one could predict whether the mountains and rivers would be shattered, whether the sky would collapse, whether the earth would sink, or whether good times would come and the universe would be transformed.

What was certain was that when the world underwent great changes, whether it be in the vast mountains and rivers or in the lives of countless people, there would inevitably be those who disappeared or perished.

There is a great terror born of spying upon the boundary between life and death. Ji Yuan felt almost dead, unable to move. He could only stare at the sky with infinite fear. His heart gradually grew silent, like death.

Just at the moment when he thought that he was going to die, another hidden aura appeared between heaven and earth.

In the sky where his inner world and reality blended together, five stars shone brightly — the five chess pieces!

Amidst the original infinite changes, Ji Yuan could feel invisible and intangible illusory lines connecting thousands of strands of Qi, connecting the entire world with the indescribable power of heaven and earth. Though it all ran a mysterious yellow Qi…

Ji Yuan suddenly knew what this was. It was a chessboard, whose surfaces curved and flattened, but had no boundaries!

Boom!

The endless waves in the sea of his ​​mind rose, and his thoughts churned once more…

“Ah—!”

On the streets of the capital of Juntian Prefecture, Ji Yuan, who had been standing stiffly, staggered and came to his senses. His eyes throbbed in pain. When he couldn’t help but cover them with his right hand, blood flowed out from between his fingers.

Ji Yuan’s scream immediately attracted the attention of passersby.

“Oh, what happened to this man?”

“There’s so much blood coming out of his eyes!”

“We have to find a doctor quickly, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Sir, are you okay?”

“Do you need to see a doctor?”

Many people around him who saw this scene were shocked, while others were concerned. They all spoke around Ji Yuan.

“No, no thank you! Haah…”

Ji Yuan’s breathing was disordered, and the intense pain made him tightly cover his right eye. He waved his left hand around and staggered forward.

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T/n: dun dun dun… P L O T!

A good summary of this chapter: JY gets high off spiritual energy, sees the Truth of All Things, and then promptly realizes that he’s probably not supposed to do that XD

Also I think my footnote record has been broken — cultivation chapters are tough!

1. Artist tangent time! 😀 Paint permeability is like “breathability” of fabric: does it let out moisture, does it let the wood aerate, etc. A bad permeability would be a thick, opaque paint layer; these are generally good for waterproof, short-term stuff (or indoor furniture), but it can trap moisture and cause the wood to rot, and if it’s too thick it can crack when the wood expands and contracts. For long-term use permeability is good so that the wood can naturally dry out and expand; it also means that the wood is good quality, and that you’re not hiding bad wood behind a thick paint.
2. 灵孕青藤，藏锋万丈 A couplet with 4 characters each — makes sense since it’s poetry, I tried to reflect that in the syllable count. Here’s the breakdown: 灵 (líng): spirit, 孕 (yùn): to nurture/gestate/give rise to, 青藤 (qīng téng): green vine, like the name of the sword; 藏 (cáng): to conceal, 锋 (fēng): point of a spear, edge of a tool, 万丈 (wànzhàng): ten thousand fathoms/extremely high or deep/bottomless. Other possible translations for the 2nd half: “concealing boundless sharpness,” “deeply hidden sharp edge,” “concealing the blade deep inside.” All of these are valid and also have different connotations, so pick your favorite.
3. T/n: JY: gives a sword sheath literal spiritual sentience. Also JY: “gee I sure hope I didn’t break it” …buddy you are so far from breaking it I literally cannot even–
4. Never explicitly stated in the novel, but the general understanding is that one cultivates according to values or principles — for example, a swordsman might cultivate according to “precision,” “power,” “swordsmanship,” etc. JY has decided that his cultivation follows basically “karma,” “justice,” and “kindness,” which honestly explains A LOT about his character.
5. 太白 (tài bái): planet Venus OR 太 (tài): highest/extremely 白 (bái): pure/white — I chose the 2nd translation, 金 (jīn): gold/generic term for shiny & ductile metal
6. 癸水 (guǐshuǐ): menstruation, OR 癸 (guǐ): tenth of the ten Heavenly Stems/tenth in order, 水 (shuǐ): water — chose 2nd translation 真 (zhēn): true/real
7. Lit: “being advanced is advanced”
8. Could also be “Three Flowers,” and I’ve seen it depicted as a flower crown of 3 flowers in other manhuas. However, “Essences” makes more sense for now. If JY’s forehead suddenly starts sprouting mystical flower energy or something I’ll come back and change it
9. Could also be translated as “mind” — think either “spiritual consciousness” or “personal morality”
10. Also called “Origin Realm,” if you’ve seen it in other NovelFires
11. i.e. ascension
12. Lit: “knocking on the heart’s gate,” refers to a cultivation method focused on introspection/inner reflection
13. Moral cultivation — think of something like the gods’ incense power, or JY’s “righteousness & karma” path
14. Similar to the Buddhist philosophy of enlightenment, with a focus on indifference and peace
15. Note: I’ve been translating “immortal palace” and “immortal sect” as the same thing, since functionally they’re pretty much the same. It’s just the first is more open to disciples and the second is more insular