Let the heart be lotus — born, yet untouched.
Let the mind be water — stirred, yet still.
Langtian sat upon the bed with legs crossed and spine straight. His eyes were gently shut, his breathing slow and steady, like the rise and fall of a tranquil tide. Each breath drawn deep into his lungs, each exhale soft as mist.
The moment he began chanting the Lotus Heart Sutra of the Tranquil Dao, a strange stillness settled over him. His thoughts quieted. His heartbeat slowed. His mind grew lighter, clearer, and vast.
He imagined himself as a lotus in bloom.
Rooted in mud, surrounded by the filth of the world, yet the lotus remained untainted—a flower of purity rising above corruption, untouched by the darkness that birthed it.
’Even if the world is filled with blood and wickedness,’ he thought, ’the lotus remains unsullied. I too... must be like that.’
And so, he meditated.
His thoughts faded. His awareness deepened.
Time lost all meaning.
It was as if he had sunk beneath the surface of a still pond, surrounded by silence and light. The noise of the outside world became a distant dream. His body felt weightless. The world could burn, and he would not stir.
"Langtian! Langtian!"
A bright and familiar voice echoed into the stillness, pulling him back from the depths of meditation.
He blinked. Light slowly returned to his vision.
And there she was, Senior Sister Shangguan Yue Ling, standing in front of him, gently gripping his shoulders and giving him a light shake.
"Woah! S-Senior Sister!" he gasped, heart thudding in surprise. "S-since when were you here?!"
"Phew!" she let out a sigh of relief. "I’ve been here for a while now. I’m sorry to interrupt your meditation. At first I didn’t want to, but since your heart rate suddenly dropped so low, I had to check if you were still alright."
"Wait, really?" Langtian asked, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Yes. It’s returned to normal now, though. That’s good."
"I-I see..." Langtian mumbled.
"But wow... you were really deep in it, huh?" Yue Ling leaned in a little, narrowing her eyes. "My dear junior brother, do you even realize how long you have been meditating?"
"Huh? How long?" Langtian blinked.
Now that she mentioned it... he truly had no idea. He had been so deeply immersed, it was as if time itself had slipped away from him.
"Probably... one shichen?" he guessed.
"Haha, nope!" Yue Ling laughed.
She then raised three fingers.
"T-three shichen?" Langtian’s eyes widened.
’Wait... did I really meditate for that long?’
’It felt like just a blink. Maybe a few incense sticks at most... but three whole shichen?!’ he thought in disbelief.
But Yue Ling shook her head again, still holding up three fingers.
"What?" Langtian blinked. "Not... three shichen?"
"Nope," Yue Ling said, grinning. "Not shichen. Days."
"WHAAAT?!" Langtian practically shouted.
"Yup! You’ve been in meditation for three full days!"
"B-but... that’s impossible! You’re messing with me, right?"
"I mean, I don’t exactly have a way to prove it to you," Yue Ling said with a shrug. "But I swear to the heavens, it’s true!"
Because right now, they were in a dark valley where no sunlight could reach. With no rising or setting sun, it was impossible to tell day from night, or how much time had passed.
But then Langtian looked around the room... and noticed a thin layer of dust had gathered on the furniture.
"...Oh wait. I do believe you," he murmured.
Then he muttered to himself with a half-laugh, "If it’s really been three days, then that’s crazy..."
Back at the sect, meditation had always been the thing he hated most, yet was forced to endure from time to time.
Even meditating for a single shichen used to feel like endless torture.
The longest he had ever managed was two shichen, practicing one of the Mysterious Sun Sect’s foundational breathing techniques, and even that had nearly driven him insane.
To think he had actually sat still for three whole days—without feeling bored, restless, or even tired—and, more than that, had wanted to keep going...
If Senior Sister Shangguan hadn’t woken him up, who knew how long he would’ve stayed in that trance?
"Oh heavens..." Langtian sighed.
’This technique... really is something else.’
"So?" Yue Ling asked, eyes gleaming. "How was it? The Lotus Heart Sutra of the Tranquil Dao?"
"It was... incredible," Langtian said, his eyes shining with awe.
With growing excitement, he began recounting everything—how his mind had calmed, the vivid image of the lotus, the feeling of being completely at peace, detached yet whole.
It was such a powerful experience.
No wonder it’s hailed as one of the most powerful meditation techniques in the kingdom, perhaps even the entire continent.
"That’s good!" Yue Ling said with a smile. "I’m glad you found it useful. Keep practicing, and let me know once you’ve completed the first stage."
"Yes, Senior Sister," Langtian replied.
"But... the first stage?" he asked. "Do you mean the forming of the lotus seed in the sea of consciousness?"
"Yup!" Yue Ling nodded.
As one practices the Lotus Heart Sutra of the Tranquil Dao, they will gradually progress through five major stages of cultivation in this technique.
The first stage is completed when the practitioner begins to sense the presence of a tiny lotus seed forming in their sea of consciousness. This is known as the Seed of the Tranquil Dao.
As the seed grows and matures through the remaining stages, it will gradually transform, blooming into a radiant lotus that shines eternally within the heart and mind, continuously purifying every thought, every stream of spiritual and soul energy.
And it is said that, upon reaching the final stage, the practitioner’s sea of consciousness will become a vast field of countless white, hundred-petaled lotuses. And under their serene presence and protection, no demonic influence or corruption will ever be able to breach the sea of consciousness again.
"But... Senior Sister..." Langtian said softly. "I think... I did it."
"Eh?" Yue Ling blinked. "You what?"
"Yes, I have a lotus seed in my sea of consciousness now. It’s very small... about the size of an ordinary seed."
Yue Ling stared at him, stunned.
What Langtian had just said was so unbelievable that even she seemed to doubt it.