Learning Taoist Magic in the Celestial Realm
Is it really that strange for me to learn Dosul? I have no idea why everyone is looking at me like they’ve just seen a cat flying around with its tail.
“Why would you…?”
“Does learning require a reason?”
“For someone of your caliber, Dosul should be entirely unnecessary.”
“That is for me to decide. Not you.”
“Well… that is true.”
Jongsen wore a somewhat uncomfortable expression but eventually nodded.
“Still, the Celestial Realm is overflowing with energy. It is indeed the perfect place to train in Dosul.”
“That is precisely why I came.”
“I see. Very well. How far have you progressed in your studies? I will gladly observe and offer my guidance.”
“Really?!”
The one who answered Jongsen’s solemn voice—laden with the weight of some grand resolution—was not me, but Baru. She had clearly been excitedly sightseeing just moments ago, yet somehow she had already returned to our side.
“Um… in that case, me too—”
“I’m not sure how much help I can be, but if the Divine Spirit wishes it, then I shall.”
“Thank you! Now then! Min-ga! Hurry up and receive his teachings!”
It sounded suspiciously like she was telling me to listen quickly so she could get out of the way, but maybe it was just my imagination.
“So, how far have you progressed?”
“I only just started today.”
“…Pardon? You only started today?”
“That’s right.”
I explained that a Dosul practitioner had advised someone like me to begin by observing the flow of energy, and that I had therefore come to the energy-rich Celestial Realm. At that, Jongsen’s face hardened.
“Is there a problem?”
“Not exactly… well, there is a problem. There certainly is.”
He looked like he had a mountain of things he wanted to say. It seemed my actions were not something easily accepted by those who practiced Dosul.
“It is truly an irreverent act.”
“The Divine Spirit is correct.”
Baru, standing beside me with her arms crossed, spoke up, and Jongsen immediately piled on in agreement. Was this fellow truly one of the greatest immortals? To me, he looked no different from an ordinary sycophant.
“What exactly is so irreverent about it?”
“The very fact that you came to a realm one can only reach after mastering Dosul to its peak, all for the sake of learning it.”
Was that so? Still, wasn’t this the most efficient method? When I showed my confusion, Baru let out a sigh while Jongsen chuckled. The way his potbelly jiggled was incredibly irritating.
“In any case, you’re already here. So you came to observe the flow of the Dao, yes?”
“Correct.”
“The best way to learn that is to watch the wind blow.”
As Jongsen spoke, he waved his plantain leaf fan. With each movement, an incredibly vivid trail of energy carved through the air. When he finally stopped, a warm breeze that tousled our hair swept past us.
“Did you see it?”
“Yes. I saw it.”
“The wind never stops blowing. Observe how the Dao is drawn within that flow.”
So he wanted me to watch for paths like the one he had just shown. I nodded.
— ??? —
What the hell are we supposed to be looking at?
Is learning Dosul always this abstract?
Maybe it’s just this guy’s style. Is it because he doesn’t have any system assistance?
The chat was full of questions, but I paid them no mind. This man had reached the pinnacle of Dosul. There was no way anything he said about it could be wrong. And since even Baru didn’t show any signs of doubt, this must be the correct method.
When I nodded, Jongsen smiled and drifted over to Baru.
“You two, watch Baru enjoy herself for a while.”
I would need to focus on observing the wind for the time being.
I even turned off the chat window and quietly watched the wind blowing through the empty air.
Hmm. It really was vague.
I had pondered how to apply the principles of the wind before, but I had never once contemplated how the wind itself blew. So even if I tried to blindly search for the Dao within it, how could I possibly perceive it?
I needed to change my perspective.
In the end, the Dao was the path created by the movement of energy that existed throughout the world. Until now, I had known energy existed in the world, but I had never considered that it moved and drew something as it did. Yet Baru had told me that energy was constantly tracing movements. It was simply too faint for me to have noticed before.
I closed my eyes.
I calmed the internal energy flowing within my body and observed myself. I watched how my blood flowed, how my muscles moved, how my organs pulsed, how my energy circulated. Once I grew familiar with all of it, I expanded the scope of my observation.
Following my breath as it flowed outward, I extended my senses. Small breezes that would be satisfied simply rustling the grass kept brushing against my body and passing by. I quietly observed the energy contained within them.
The energy inside was faint and tiny. On top of that, even those minuscule traces scattered the moment they struck anything, making observation incredibly difficult. Still, I patiently examined the energy as it gathered and dispersed.
If I couldn’t see something that clearly existed, then the fault lay with my own inadequacy. Again and again. Over and over.
I watched the wind rise and fall.
Then, at some point, I saw it. The moment the wind was born. The moment energy drew its picture.
Worried it might be a fleeting illusion, I didn’t cheer. I simply watched in silence. But it wasn’t a hallucination. The wind was drawing paths. It was showing me how it came to be and how it moved forward.
The instant I realized this and opened my eyes, a fierce wind blew in from afar, scattering countless blades of grass and flower stems as it passed. Normally the sight of fluttering grass would have made me frown, but this time was different. As I watched the Dao being drawn across the world with every gust, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration.
So the scenery of the world I didn’t know had been this vibrant all along.
“At this rate, I can’t help but say I’ve wasted my entire life.”
I had been quietly watching the sky as darkness settled when I felt something wriggling at my feet. I looked down to find Baru, who had turned back into a fox and was trying to sleep.
How long had I been sitting here that she had already decided to nap? Curious, I glanced toward the chat window and saw new messages appearing.
“Enough nonsense. How long was I sitting there?”
“That’s not that long.”
“Gaining this kind of enlightenment in half a day is actually very fast.”
It was only possible because I already possessed exceptional Qi Sense. Normally, it would have taken days—no, years—of gradual effort to reach this state.
“Besides, you lot wouldn’t have just sat there quietly watching me meditate the whole time, would you?”
When Baru had been training with Jongsen, they might have waited while watching, but once that was over, there would have been nothing to do but look at the scenery. They wouldn’t have endured all that just to wait for me.
“Enry. You should’ve slept instead of watching. What if you get even shorter?”
I was surprised by how many people had actually waited for me. They couldn’t possibly have known when I would wake from meditation. They would have been better off spending that time on something more worthwhile.
“Yes.”
I still wasn’t skilled enough to see everything clearly. The world was filled with countless paths drawn by the Dao, so in my blurry vision they all seemed to merge into one. Still, there was one thing I could say with confidence.
I raised my hand, infused it with energy, and traced a path. A sharp wind immediately blew past, whipping my hair about. So even the Dosul I used was influenced by my own energy? I had meant to draw a gentle breeze, yet what came out was a cutting gale.
“Shut up. Everyone’s like this at the beginning, you brats.”
As I fixed my disheveled hair, Baru, who had been curled up between my legs, opened her eyes. She leaped down to the ground in front of me, stretched luxuriously forward and backward, then looked up at me.
“Did you gain enlightenment?”
“As you can see.”
“I had prepared myself to stay here for at least several days… You really do have talent.”
“It must be that all things return to one.”
When I smiled, Baru seemed annoyed and swatted my knee with her front paw. Haha. As if that would hurt. It was just soft.
“Then let’s head back.”
“You’re not going to look around more?”
There must still be countless things in the Celestial Realm she hadn’t seen yet. When I asked, Baru snorted.
“I spoke with Jongsen and made up my mind. He said I should come back properly later and explore then. Since I entered through abnormal means this time, I’ll be satisfied with what I’ve seen.”
“Really?”
If that was her decision, I had no reason to argue. As I stood up, Baru, now in human form, handed me a token.
“Jongsen asked me to give you this. Next time you come to the Celestial Realm, don’t break the gate—present this instead. It will open on its own.”
“What a considerate fellow.”
Normally I would have ended the broadcast here, but after everyone had waited so patiently, it felt wrong to leave right away. So I went with Baru to a suitable restaurant, ate together, and chatted idly with the viewers.
That was when I learned that over a thousand people had stayed until the end. Most of them had apparently left the stream on while sleeping or doing other things, but still—they had kept it running. According to Enry, they had been entertaining themselves with chat and various donations and had a great time. It was probably mostly empty words, but I would have to find a way to repay their sincerity later.
The best option was probably uploading my past battles to MyTube. Harin had said many people were hoping for that, so they would surely enjoy it. I should consult with Enry about it later.