The Profound Scripture of the Lotus Dao

In Qingping Marsh, where spiritual energy is scarce, Yang Xiao tends half an acre of lotus pond. Guided by a fragment of the Dao De Jing, he comprehends the heart of the lotus and cultivates the way of formations, quietly putting down roots in the depths of the mud. He only wants to develop in secret and keep his talents hidden. The mysterious lotus seed concealed in the pond is the foundation of the countless formations he lays, as well as the barrier that shields him from the turmoil of the outside world. By chance, he meets Zhou Yuanhong, a woman skilled in illusion arts, whose red clothes blaze like fire. Her illusions drift like smoke and can bewitch the mind, yet they come to grief before his lotus formations. His formations are as steady as an abyss and can hold the four directions in place, but the shifting line between truth and illusion in her magic awakens his curiosity. One lotus, two paths. Taking the lotus as his foundation, he derives formation patterns and quietly lays out the world. Taking the lotus as her medium, she weaves illusions and reflects the heart amid the void. Their arts complement and nourish one another, and both draw insight from the lotus and the Dao De Jing. They move from testing and wariness to standing side by side and supporting each other. When the mists of Qingping Marsh finally clear, the vast world of cultivation comes into view, and hidden dangers and opportunities arrive one after another. With the lotus heart as their shield and formations and illusions as their blades, they tread carefully through a world of shifting conflicts. Along the path of cultivation, they seek the true meaning of the Dao and use the safest, most unassuming approach to carve out their own legendary path of the lotus.