The ancients practiced Tao, while the modern world practices Dao.
You may wonder what the difference is between Tao and Dao?
There is none, there is no difference, they mean the same thing.
Taoism/Daoism is the natural way of the universe, the way the universe flows spontaneously. The source of all things, from Tao, gives rise to Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and all existence.
The difference between then and now is the method of practice to achieve the great Dao.
In Taoist practice, following the Tao means refining Jing, Qi, and Shen to achieve harmony. Daoist practice means reaching higher realms of cultivation using ambient Qi to achieve the great Dao.
Are there any true Taoists alive? Yes, there are! The mortals, in a sense, follow the Taoists' method of trying to achieve harmony of Jing, Qi, and Shen. The body refiners of the Martial Dragon Sect do not count since they follow the standard Daoist cultivation path.
Now, you may wonder why mortals use this method instead of cultivating? Two reasons.
First reason, to cultivate, one must possess spiritual roots.
The second reason is the Human Alliance.
Cultivators are heavily restricted by the Human Alliance in the mortal world. After all, in the past, the cultivators used the mortal world as their playground. Now that the cultivators were gone, conflicts between countries, conflicts between clans, and conflicts between people remained.
Now, they had to get more creative in fighting each other. Since cultivators were not possible, they started training their bodies using the methods of the ancients.
They used breathing methods to cultivate Qi, hunted demon beasts, and ate their flesh for nourishment. They used herbs to concoct soups that assisted their cultivations and exercised their bodies using different methods. Heck, some even dared to run to the frigid lands of ice or the burning sands of the desert just to strengthen their Wei Qi.
Due to their extreme thirst for strength that matched their ancestors, the Human Alliance did not need to block cultivators; the mortals themselves could hunt and kill them. Any cultivator below the nascent soul realm who causes problems in the mortal realm should be careful, after all, they would be ganged up on by mortals and beaten to death.
Seeing the sun start to go down, Bai Shuying stretched, satisfied with her current progress.
"Grrr."
Bai Shuying rubbed her stomach and headed to the kitchen inside Su Meilin's residence.
When Bai Shuying first saw the kitchen, she was surprised. Not because it was impressive, but how primitive it was. Instead of an oven with a stove, it was just a hole in the ground where you placed dried branches to start a fire.
This heavily limited what Bai Shuying could make. It was already amazing that Bai Shuying could even bake cookies here.
In the Martial Heaven Continent, there are only four cooking methods: Roasting, Boiling, Steaming, and Fermenting.
Honestly, to Bai Shuying, cooking was just a hobby; she had no choice but to adapt if she wanted to save her taste buds. She went from luxurious foods like fried chicken to congee, the asian version of oatmeal.
Imagine eating that for a month straight! Breakfast–congee, Lunch–congee, Dinner–congee. Bai Shuying almost went crazy to the point of adding different amounts of salt just to have some variety.
"Let's not think about those dark days."
Bai Shuying quickly shook her head, dispelling the negativity.
From her spatial ring, she pulled out spiritual grain, spiritual meat, and some spiritual herbs. She then pulled out three small handmade containers.
Bai Shuying washed the spiritual rice and placed it into the iron pot with water. She used the self-proclaimed old Bai family trick of using your finger to measure the amount of water. Next, she ripped the washed spiritual herbs and threw them in with the spiritual rice. She covered it with a wooden lid and placed it over the fire pit. She started the flame, then began to cut the spiritual meat into strips.
The three handmade containers held different seasonings: salt, black pepper, and chili powder. Bai Shuying just found a plant from Hua Qingyan's garden that she dried, crushed into powder, and tasted until it matched the seasonings she used in her previous life.
She seasoned the strips of meat. After finishing, she rinsed her hands and took out a thick metal plate she had picked up from the refining hall. She placed it over the second pit, making a makeshift grill.
Next, she took out a procaine vial and poured the liquid, which was similar to oil, on the metal plate.
"Tsk, this moon leaf oil still looks great."
Bai Shuying praised her concoction, the moon leaf oil. A plant-based oil made from the leaves of the moonvine, a common plant on the continent. Bai Shuying wanted to mass-produce it to make more money on the side.
Bai Shuying grilled the meat.
Soon, a delicious fragrance spread throughout Su Meilin's residence.
After an incense stick of time, Bai Shuying admired her dish. Two porcelain bowls were filled with spiritual rice, steamed vegetables, and grilled spiritual meat.
"Smells good."
Bai Shuying drooled.
Bai Shuying grabbed the two bowls and headed to Su Meilin's room. The door was still slightly open. When Bai Shuying entered, she saw Su Meilin hunched over, sleeping on the table.
"Sigh."
Bai Shuying placed the two bowls on the table and gently picked up the sleeping Su Meilin in a princess carry. Before, she struggled to even lift a single Su Meilin. Now, with an increase in her demon cultivation, she can carry three Su Meilins.
If Su Meilin knew Bai Shuying used her as a means to measure her strength, she would have pinned her down, but Bai Shuying would laugh and counterpin her. She was not the same helpless fox as before!
Bai Shuying placed Su Meilin on her bed and covered her with a blanket. She then sat where Su Meilin sat, covered Su Meilin's portion of food by placing another porcelain plate on top of the bowl. She then turned her attention to her portion. She quickly picked up the food and devoured it.
"Burp."
Bai Shuying rubbed her slightly bulging belly, satisfied. Bored, she scanned the room and noticed a shelf with books on it. She curiously stood up and went to it. Taking one book out at a time, she read the covers, but after reading two, she quickly put them back.
"Ugh, I don't want to read my stuff."
The first two books Bai Shuying happened to pull were the ones she wrote. Honestly, Bai Shuying became embarrassed when she saw her own work, but soon a great idea flashed through her mind. From her spatial ring, she took out a brush and ink and quickly signed the two books. She used her qi to dry the ink, placed the books back, and glanced at Su Meilin, who was still asleep.
"Sigh, hehehe, hopefully Meilin likes this surprise."
Bai Shuying sighed in relief, then smiled, her eyes turning into crescents.
Bai Shuying turned her attention to the other books on the shelf.
"Hmm, Introduction to Formations?"
Bai Shuying was interested in formations, from her lively discussion with Su Meilin.
She sat back down on the cushion and started to read the book.
"Hmm, so it's like geometry with some advanced math."
Bai Shuying was not wrong; formations relied heavily on shapes and precise measurements. It reminded her of the circuit classes she took during college. Instead of electricity, it is Qi, and instead of copper wire, it is, wait, what is it?
Bai Shuying's mind became fixated on this oddity she had just realized, and she quickly looked at the formation plate. Rather than wire, it was more like a line carved on the plate. When she passed Qi inside, it did not spread throughout the plate but traveled through the engraved lines.
"How?"
Bai Shuying said in a low voice.
She shook her head and turned her attention back to the book, hoping to find the answer inside.
"Wow, so that was why."
Bai Shuying was amazed. She turned her gaze to a metal pen on Su Meilin's work table. Bai Shuying held the metal pen in her hand and clicked the top. Soon, the metal tip fell off. Bai Shuying caught the metal tip and played with it in her hand.
"So this is Lingsteel."
Lingsteel is a Qi conductive metal that resonates with Qi flow, enhancing energy transfer, and glows faintly when infused with Qi. It is commonly used in spiritual weapons, formation arrays, and talismans. It is mostly mined from veins near dragon ley lines, places filled with natural Qi concentration.
Bai Shuying saw an empty formation plate, one that had no engravings, and held it in her other hand.
"This must be Duskiron."
Duskiron is a Qi-resistant metal that blocks, absorbs, or disrupts Qi, making it the best material to make anti-qi shackles and fortress walls. It is a dull, matte-black appearance, and is cold to the touch. Unlike Lingsteel, Duskiron is mostly found in areas that are barren in Qi.
Bai Shuying looked at the two metals, one in each hand, and she infused her Qi into both of them. The Lingsteel glowed faintly while the Duskiron blocked the Qi.
"I see, so by using Lingsteel to create engravings on Duskiron, we can create formation plates."
Bai Shuying's eyes sparkled.
The Duskiron blocks Qi while the Lingsteel resonates with Qi flow. By using the metal pen with a tip made of Lingsteel to engrave a formation pattern on the Duskiron, it leaves Lingsteel residue on the engraving.
Bai Shuying placed the two metals back to how she found them and turned her attention to the formation patterns.
"Depending on how you arrange the shapes, you can have a different result."
Bai Shuying looked at the three mortal formations inside the book. The three mortal formations were illusion, misdirection, and a trap. Illusion formations allowed the user to make the affected person see things that are not real. Misdirection formations disrupt a person's senses so they lose their way. The trap formations come in various forms, but are mainly used to stop an individual for a certain amount of time.
"Why is there no barrier formation? Could it be that barrier formations are not in the mortal tier?"
Bai Shuying wondered with a hint of disappointment.
After an incense stick of time, Bai Shuying finished and memorized the Introduction to Formations book.
"When I have time, I should go buy some materials to practice!"
Bai Shuying said with excitement.
Bai Shuying returned the book where it belonged, looked at Su Meilin, who was sprawled out on the bed, she neatly tucked her in again, and left the room.
…
Bai Shuying returned to her room and sat down near her low table. From her spatial ring, she took out new pieces of paper. She used her qi to discard the dried ink and clean the ink-stained brush.
She created fresh new ink and placed a new incense stick in the holder. She lit the incense stick and waited for a moment. Soon, a floral scent spread throughout her room.
"It's a shame there are no music players; the ambiance of the place would have been perfect."
Bai Shuying said with some disappointment.
She pulled the sleeve on her right arm up, revealing her delicate wrist. Her small hand gripped the brush, which she dipped in the ink.
"Let's get this done and bury it forever! The last work of the author Xiao Bai!"
Bai Shuying began to write with passion; if others saw her, they would see the faint image of a fox appear behind her.
Bai Shuying truly lived up to being a vixen! After all, foxes are known to be seductive.
Bai Shuying sold her art, not her body! Who knows how many people were tempted by the book written by this fledgling fox?
Even Bai Shuying's long-lost relative, Su Daji, would be proud of her.
Who was Su Daji? A country-topping beauty, a nine-tailed fox that corrupted the king and destroyed the Shang dynasty!
Excluding the negative personality traits Su Daji possessed, Bai Shuying, the innocent temptress, seduced the sect master, the grand elder, and the eighth-ranked on the Young Beauty List. She corrected the ideology of the Yin-Yang Sect, truly changing the trajectory of the sect into the unknown. This is practically the low, family-friendly version of Su Daji's work.
Thankfully, Bai Shuying followed Su Daji if she did what her other long-lost relative, who moved to an Island nation, Tamamo-no-Mae, did; her ending was not so great, even Su Daji herself felt the people across the sea were cruel.
Bai Shuying continued to write with zeal, the floral scent wafted through the room, and the candle flickered, shining a faint light on Bai Shuying's face.