On this day, Xiaoqi had just finished a round of alchemy and was about to rest and recover his consumed spiritual consciousness and spiritual power when Master Xuanlin Zhenren's transmission talisman arrived at his cave dwelling.
"Xiaoqi, come to my place for a moment."
Xiaoqi did not dare delay. He immediately tidied his robe and went to Master Xuanlin Zhenren's residence.
Xuanlin Zhenren was still in that simple meditation room. When Xiaoqi entered, he slightly nodded and gestured for Xiaoqi to sit.
"You've been refining pills for fellow disciples lately and your reputation has spread. Well done." Xuanlin Zhenren got straight to the point, his tone calm. "However, the path of cultivation is not just about constantly refining skills and accumulating resources. Teaching and learning from each other is also an important way to consolidate the Daoist foundation and clarify the heart-mind."
He paused, looked at Xiaoqi, and continued: "Over at the Inheritance Hall, the new batch of entered disciples has been cultivating the 'Basic Qi Introduction Art' for several months. Among them are quite a few who are confused and at a loss. The Temple Master and the Inheritance Hall elder discussed and thought that your foundation is solid, especially in the aspects of heart-mind tempering and foundational consolidation, where you have quite unique insights. They would like you to regularly go to the side hall of the Inheritance Hall to explain cultivation insights and answer questions for these new disciples. What do you think?"
Xiaoqi heard this and was slightly stunned. Teaching the Qi Refining stage disciples? He felt his cultivation was shallow and his experience insufficient. How could he take on such responsibility?
"Master, disciple's cultivation is shallow and my insight is limited. I'm afraid..." Xiaoqi spoke with some hesitation.
Xuanlin Zhenren waved his hand, interrupting him: "Do not undervalue yourself. The height of cultivation is not the only standard for teaching. You experienced much during the Qi Refining stage. Your heart-mind is firm and resolute. Moreover, you had fortuitous encounters in the secret realm. Your understanding of the importance of foundation and the stability of heart-mind should be more profound than many disciples who cultivated step by step. Furthermore, sorting out and expressing your own insights is also a rare reflection and consolidation for yourself."
Seeing his Master's attitude was firm and the reasoning sound, Xiaoqi did not continue to decline. He respectfully replied: "Disciple obeys the command and will do his best."
"Mm," a satisfied expression appeared on Xuanlin Zhenren's face. "Don't be nervous. Just treat it as exchanging insights with junior brothers and sisters. Remember, speak more of your own experiences and less empty grand theories. Be accessible and easy to understand."
Three days later, the side hall of the Inheritance Hall.
This was a spacious and bright lecture hall. At this moment, it was filled with about fifty or sixty newly entered disciples ranging from twelve or thirteen to seventeen or eighteen years old. They wore unified blue disciple robes. On their faces were mostly curiosity and longing for cultivation, along with a trace of confusion and nervousness upon entering the Daoist path.
When Xiaoqi, dressed in core disciple robes, walked into the lecture hall, all gazes immediately gathered on him. These new disciples had long heard of "Brother Tang"—secret realm hero, alchemy master, inheritance bearer. Now seeing him in person, discovering he was so young, his aura calm and unassuming, without the arrogance they imagined a genius would have, they all couldn't help but feel goodwill, along with some anticipation.
Xiaoqi walked to the podium. Looking at those clear, inquiring eyes below, the slight nervousness in his heart quietly faded, replaced by a heavy sense of responsibility. He recalled his own confusion when he first entered Qingxu Temple, and the guidance he received from Master, Senior Brothers, and Senior Sisters.
He did not start directly explaining the text of the "Basic Qi Introduction Art." Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke in a calm voice: "Dear junior brothers and sisters, today we won't discuss the text. We'll just chat about some experiences regarding 'foundation' and 'heart-mind' on the cultivation path."
He did not have a preachy tone; his manner was like chatting with friends.
"I know that many of you have only entered recently. Perhaps some find it difficult to draw in qi, some feel spiritual power growth is slow, and seeing others progress faster, you can't help but feel anxious." Xiaoqi's words immediately resonated with many disciples below. Quite a few unconsciously nodded.
"I was the same as you, maybe even with less aptitude than some of you here." Xiaoqi said candidly. "When I first entered the sect, my spiritual root was mottled. Drawing in qi took several times longer than others. Privately, many people called me 'little waste.'"
A slight stir arose among the audience. Many disciples showed expressions of disbelief. Brother Tang, now famous, actually had such a difficult time back then?
"I was anxious then too, even doubting myself." Xiaoqi continued. "But my Master told me, 'Before cultivating the Dao, first cultivate the heart. Accumulate thickly and release thinly.' He had me carry water every day, sit in meditation, and identify herbs. Although seemingly unrelated to cultivation, these were actually tempering my heart-mind and patience."
He shared how he felt the changes in water flow while carrying it to train his control, how he fought distracting thoughts during meditation to temper his will, how he cultivated observation while identifying herbs to develop focus. These seemingly trivial matters, narrated by him, made the disciples below listen spellbound. It was as if they saw a mediocre-talent youth, through bit-by-bit persistence, consolidating his earliest Daoist foundation.
"Cultivation is not about who runs faster, but who runs more steadily and farther." Xiaoqi summarized. "It's alright if spiritual power grows slower. The key is whether every wisp of spiritual power you refine is pure, and whether your control over your own strength is precise. Like building a house—the firmer the foundation, the higher you can eventually build. Rushing might bring glory for a while, but may leave hidden dangers for the future, or even damage your Daoist foundation, negating all previous effort."
He then spoke about "heart-mind."
"On the cultivation path, you will encounter many setbacks, temptations, even fear." He thought of the illusion formation in the secret realm, of the external bounty. "How to maintain inner peace and firmness is crucial."
He did not empty-talk grand principles. Instead, he used his own experience of encountering the illusion formation in the secret realm (hiding core secrets), describing how he faced his inner fear and ultimately walked out relying on the firm heart-mind he had tempered through daily practice.
"Fear, anxiety, greed—these emotions are not scary. What is scary is being controlled by them." Xiaoqi's voice was steady and powerful. "When we focus on the present moment, do every task we should do well, and walk step by step forward, these negative emotions will naturally weaken. Our heart is like a mirror; it needs regular polishing to stay bright, so it can reflect truth and not be confused by external things."
His explanations had no obscure classical citations, all genuine experiences and insights, plain language yet directly addressing confusions many new disciples were facing or would face. The disciples below listened raptly. Sometimes they laughed lightly at his self-deprecating past; sometimes they frowned empathetically at the difficulties he described; sometimes their eyes lit up as they suddenly understood the suggestions he gave.
In the subsequent Q&A session, the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic. Disciples vied to ask various questions about their cultivation conundrums—from "how to judge if qi drawing is successful" to "what to do when the mind wanders during meditation," from "how to adjust when feeling jealous comparing with fellow disciples" to "fearing the difficulty of future cultivation"...
Xiaoqi patiently answered each one, giving practical suggestions based on his own experience. His keen insight and gentle manner completely earned these new disciples' respect and trust.
When the one-hour teaching session ended, many disciples were still not satisfied, crowding around to continue consulting. Xiaoqi patiently stayed another half hour until answering most questions before leaving the Inheritance Hall amid their grateful and reluctant gazes.
Walking back to Cloud Hidden Peak, Xiaoqi felt his heart and spirit exceptionally calm and clear. The process of sorting out, narrating his insights seemed like a review and reflection on his own cultivation path. Many originally vague concepts became clearer, and his Daoist heart seemed even more transparent and harmonious.
He thought of what Master said about "teaching and learning enhancing each other," now deeply agreeing.
Afterward, Xiaoqi would go to the Inheritance Hall to teach once every ten days. His teaching content was eclectic—sometimes sharing small tips for fire control, sometimes explaining insights on identifying common spiritual herbs, sometimes emphasizing the importance of foundation and heart-mind tempering. Because his explanations always hit the key points, were accessible and easy to understand, and he had no airs whatsoever, his teaching quickly spread among low-level disciples. Later, it even attracted some inner disciples who had entered earlier yet faced bottlenecks to come and audit.
The side hall of the Inheritance Hall almost became another "dojo" for Xiaoqi. While accumulating prestige by refining pills for fellow disciples, he also, through this act of teaching, transmission, and resolving doubts, established the image of a good teacher and helpful friend among a broader disciple group. This kind of heartfelt sharing and guidance, more than any display of force or resources, could win heartfelt respect and support from fellow disciples.
Within Qingxu Temple, the name "Tang Xiaoqi" was no longer just associated with "genius" and "inheritance," but also closely linked with "solid,""humble," and "good at guiding." This prestige rooted among grassroots disciples was quietly consolidating into a solid and gentle force, invisibly elevating his position and influence within the sect.