Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1534: Chapter 632: Secret Reward (2)

She paused for a moment, then said, "The Confucian Sect speaks of the innate nature, and also of the nature of temperament. The innate nature is the root before any defilement; the nature of temperament is the tendency formed after one is influenced by the postnatal environment, the mixed taint of Spiritual Energy, and the feeding of Cultivators. Cloud Material is the same. A newborn white cloud may be nothing more than a pure cloud fetus; if it is nourished by thunder energy over a long time, thunder attribute will slowly arise; if it is smoked day after day by the fumes of a Pill Furnace, it may transform into medicinal smoke cloud, Danxia cloud; if long trapped in lands of Yin and Evil Qi, it will become turbid cloud, evil cloud."

Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred slightly, and he said in a low voice, "So nature is not immutable?"

Sister Yun Sang gave him a glance and said, "A fine question. Nature has its root, and also its transformations. In the doctrinal discourse of the Buddhist Sect, it is often said that all dharmas have no fixed form, arising from conditions. If you only look at the nature of a thing as it is today, you’ll easily become dogmatic; if you only say that all things have no nature, you’ll fall into empty abstraction. When a Cultivator examines nature, he must see from where it arose, what nourishment it has received, and toward what destination it will go."

Ning Zhuo nodded, inwardly shaken; the look he cast toward Sister Yun Sang became completely different from before, and he thought to himself, "This female cultivator is anything but simple!"

Sister Yun Sang was at Golden Core cultivation, yet her understanding of principle far exceeded Ning Zhuo’s expectations. Ning Zhuo had his own comprehension of "nature", but upon hearing Sister Yun Sang’s explanation, it was as if he had ascended to a new tier.

Sister Yun Sang expounded separately from the perspectives of the Daoist Sect, Confucianism, and Buddhism, speaking at ease, from a lofty vantage, the three reflecting upon one another and cutting straight to the marrow, allowing Ning Zhuo to penetrate to the depths!

Ning Zhuo cupped his fists, and sincerely asked, "Then, Senior, what of Spiritual Nature?"

Sister Yun Sang said, "Spiritual Nature is likewise so. Spiritual Nature is the nature of the spirit. Spirit is not merely the quantity of Spiritual Energy, but the capacity for responsiveness, transformation, clarity, and self-mastery. If a mechanism possesses Spiritual Nature, then it is not merely dead motion, but can fine-tune itself in accordance with circumstance; if a mass of cloud possesses Spiritual Nature, it is not merely the gathering and dispersal of vapor, but can know fear and alarm, understand hunger and satiety, and recognize its place of return."

Ning Zhuo’s mind was once more touched.

Sister Yun Sang drew the topic back. "Thus, cloud nature is the deepest tendency within a mass of cloud, without material form. If a Cultivator obtains a cloud nature, he must nurture that nature by means of his own body! Cloud nature will reflect back upon the self, and also magnify those aspects of the self that are similar to it. Those who obtain Thunder Cloud Nature will have their decisiveness grow, yet will easily become fierce and impetuous. Those who obtain Fire-Burn Cloud Nature will have their momentum grow, yet will easily become rash and over-eager. Those who obtain Rain Accumulation Cloud Nature will have their nourishing aspect grow, yet will easily become prone to overthinking. Those who obtain Hidden Cloud Nature will have their forbearance grow, yet will easily become deep and unrevealing."

Speaking to this point, Sister Yun Sang started forward, walking ahead. "Follow me."

Ning Zhuo walked with her for a stretch of road and arrived outside a small courtyard.

Sister Yun Sang pushed open the courtyard gate. Within the yard there was nothing at all, only an old Formation.

Array Patterns were carved into the bluestone ground, their traces extremely faint, who knew how many ages they had weathered. At the Array Heart there was a shallow well; within the well there was no water, only a faint white vapor. The white vapor rose, yet did not disperse beyond the courtyard, as though lightly held up by an invisible palm.

"This Formation is called the Myriad Phenomena Cloud-Attracting Array; what it links to is precisely the Cloud Sea of Myriad Phenomena! Once you enter the Formation, you absolutely must not force matters, you are only to display your own inherent nature. If any cloud nature approves of you, it will of itself approach you."

"Go in."

Ning Zhuo’s heart trembled, and he thought to himself, "It connects to the Cloud Sea of Myriad Phenomena?"

He rubbed his Mechanical Ring, but the latter remained completely inert.

Thus Ning Zhuo walked into the Formation.

The bluestone Array Patterns glowed faintly.

In the next instant, the scene before his eyes changed abruptly.

The small courtyard vanished, Sister Yun Sang vanished, and the bluestone ground also disappeared.

Ning Zhuo stood alone within a boundless sea of clouds.

The cloud sea was vast and immeasurable, spreading out to the ends of the sky. In the distance, lightning meandered, and within the heavy layers of cloud arcs of violet-white electricity were flashing. On another side, rosy light surged, red gold, vermilion, and orange-yellow interweaving into a resplendent tide of clouds. Beneath his feet there was the faint sound of rain, as if countless fine drops were falling into an unseen deep valley. Farther away, cold frost condensed upon clouds, Evil Qi rose and fell, and hidden clouds flickered in and out of sight.

Ning Zhuo did not move.

He knew that nothing here was ordinary Cloud Material, but was the resonance of cloud natures!

The first strand to approach him was Thunder Cloud Nature.

Within the grey-white cloud cluster, fine lightning was concealed; it circled once around Ning Zhuo’s palm, letting out a low rumble of thunder. It seemed to be drawn by Ning Zhuo’s decisiveness and the killing mechanisms of his devices; lightning flashed across his knuckles, bringing a tingling numb pain.

The second strand that approached was Fire-Burn Cloud Nature.

Red cloud Qi surged toward him; the cloud edge seemed burned through by evening glow, carrying warm fire intent. It sensed the Blood Ash fire seed within Ning Zhuo’s body, and also sensed the fire technique he had newly comprehended. As the cloud Qi drew near, even Ning Zhuo’s sleeves grew faintly hot.

Fire-Burn Cloud Nature is very suitable for fire-technique Magic Cultivators.

If the Nine Fire Dragon Lord were to come here, he might well be favored by this type of cloud nature.

The third strand was Rain Accumulation Cloud Nature.

It approached without sound or trace, bearing thick, weighty water intent. Within Ning Zhuo’s kidney palace, the Water Element stirred in faint response, almost instinctively wanting to accept it. Rain Accumulation Cloud Nature coiled around Ning Zhuo’s knees, its Cloud Heart moist, as if hiding a great rain that had yet to fall.

For an instant, Ning Zhuo’s heart was moved.

Rain Accumulation Cloud Nature was most in accord with his Water Realm. If he obtained this nature, then in rain clouds, damp clouds, and the condensation of water into cloud, he would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

After that, Hidden Cloud Nature, Dawn Cloud Nature, and Cold Cloud Nature also approached one after another.

Hidden Cloud Nature liked his forbearance, circling three times around his flanks, almost pressing itself against his shadow. Dawn Cloud Nature was drawn by his Alchemy Fire, softly illuminating the edge of his sleeve. Cold Cloud Nature lingered at the edge of his Sea of Consciousness, as if appreciating his cool composure.

Innumerable cloud natures were drawn to him, encircling his body; yet after seeming to perceive him thoroughly, they swiftly departed!

Coming and going.

The Cloud Sea of Myriad Phenomena, myriad kinds of cloud nature!

For a time, before Ning Zhuo’s eyes it was like a spinning lantern show, variegated and dazzling.

After the many cloud natures retreated, Ning Zhuo stood alone at the center of the cloud sea, with emptiness all around.

Outside, within the old Formation in the small courtyard, Sister Yun Sang watched the changes of the Array Patterns, her brows faintly furrowing.

"So much time has already passed, and he still hasn’t succeeded?" This was beyond her expectations.

Within the Formation, all around Ning Zhuo’s body was empty; somewhat at a loss, he gazed at the cloud sea, not understanding why these cloud natures had all gone away from him.

Deep within the cloud sea, a wisp of white suddenly arose.

That white was extremely faint.

There was no lightning, no rosy hues, no rain marks, no cold frost, and no Evil Qi. It did not even have any particularly strong momentum—only a small tuft of ordinary white cloud, soft, thin, and clean, like a casual idle cloud one might see anywhere along a sunlit mountainside.

Ning Zhuo’s mind moved, and he unconsciously stretched out his palm.

The white cloud followed the motion and settled into his palm, so light as to be nearly without weight.

In the next instant, it transformed into a strand of soft white vapor and entered Ning Zhuo’s meridians.

There was no thunderous roar.

There was no boundless rosy brilliance.

There was no violent pain.

In a daze, Ning Zhuo returned to reality and found that he was already standing outside, at the edge of the Formation.

Sister Yun Sang looked at him in surprise. "You actually obtained White Cloud Nature!"

In this regard Ning Zhuo was utterly a novice, and he hurried to seek guidance.

Sister Yun Sang did not stint in her instruction. "Simply put, it is blank. It has none of the thunder attribute of Thunder Cloud, none of the fire attribute of Fire-Burn Cloud, none of the water attribute of Rain Accumulation Cloud. It leans neither to one side nor the other, as if a sheet of white paper. Precisely because it is blank, it is extremely easy for a painting on white paper to be stained by other qualities and thereby transform into other cloud natures."

Ning Zhuo asked again, "Senior, how should I nurture this nature with my body?"

Sister Yun Sang hesitated, most uncharacteristically, for a moment. "Cloud nature is closely linked to, and akin with, a Cultivator’s heart-nature. For example, if a Cultivator’s temperament is impetuous, he will attract Thunder Cloud Nature. If a Cultivator is gloomy and prone to overthinking, he will attract Rain Cloud Nature. As for your White Cloud Nature..."

"In the future, if your heart becomes turbid, it will become turbid. If your heart grows agitated, it will grow agitated. If your foundation is mixed and uneven, it will be chaotic. If your heart-nature loses balance, it will lose its true form."

"Ai, this matter is extremely rare; it is hard for me to instruct you. Better you look over this Jade Slip."

Ning Zhuo received it, sent his Divine Sense into it, and found it to be a register of the Cultivators who, through undergoing the Formation’s trial, had obtained corresponding cloud natures across the generations, along with various records.

Wen Jinglei, Former Outer Disciple of Tiangang Sect. In youth his temperament was upright and unyielding, and he did not retreat when facing affairs. He participated in the Feiyun Conference, entered the Myriad Phenomena Cloud-Attracting Array, and Thunder Cloud Nature took the initiative to throw itself into his arms. Thereafter he cultivated the Thunder Cloud Technique for thirty years, and refined the [Three-Sound Thunder Cloud Drum], which can hide thunder in cloud and release it at the sound of the drum. Once, on a night of Demon tide, he used three mu of Thunder Cloud to seal a mountain pass, shocking and killing over seven hundred Demon Beasts, and saving twenty-nine fellow disciples.

After he obtained Thunder Cloud Nature, his decisiveness grew ever firmer, and his heart-energy ever fiercer. In his later years, because he refused to yield, he quarreled with his Dao-companion and parted ways. At his death he felt regret, leaving behind a final admonition: "Thunder attribute can break evil, and can also break human bonds. Let later generations beware."