I use myths to create immortality

Chapter 16: Lanjiang Turtle Lord, Immortality Method, Three Flowers and Five Qi
In the seventh year of Yuanhui, it was the first day of the seventh lunar month. According to legend, this day was the birthday of the ancient sage Yuanhuang. Therefore, every household hung up lanterns and decorated their homes to worship this ancient emperor who unified all tribes and conquered mountains and seas.

At the same time, it is also the period for the Taoist temple to recruit disciples every ten years.

The Lancang River, which is hundreds of miles wide, has turbulent waves; a three-story ship seems as small as a small boat in it.

Ji Yuan was accompanied by the "little evil star" Yin Yaoer, who stood on the deck with his hands behind his back, silently watching the rolling waves.

Yin Yaoer was the young man in the golden crown and brocade clothes who was riding the purple smoke horse and rushing around on the street before.

It was when he saw her again that Ji Yuan realized that this 'little evil star' was actually a girl. No wonder she was called 'Yao'er', such a sissy name.

"What the hell is this Chen family's thousand-hu ship? It's rubbish. I'm about to vomit from sitting on it. Why hasn't it arrived yet?"

"Shut up!" Ji Yuan's face darkened.

This time, they took Chen Hai's house's boat to cross the river. Although the boat was a little dizzy and moved very slowly, they didn't charge any money. So you still have the nerve to curse at them?
Yin Yaoer's face turned pale and she cursed: "Ji Erwa, why are you standing so far away? You bastard, help me up quickly!!"

Ji Yuan suddenly turned his head and looked at her coldly.

"What are you looking at? Are you not convinced? Dog slave...ah!" Before Yin Yaoer could finish her words, Ji Yuan had grabbed her collar.

Her whole body was lifted up in the air. She kept stretching her arms and legs to struggle: "You...you let me go!"

"Stop talking nonsense and be quiet, or I'll throw you down, believe it or not?"

Yin Yaoer looked at the rolling waves below her feet and could even feel the water droplets splashing on her body. She was so scared that her face turned pale: "No, no, no, no, I'm most afraid of water."

"Hmph!" Ji Yuan let go of her hand and put her back on the deck.

"Also, I'm warning you, don't call me Erwa."

Yin Yaoer looked at Ji Yuan's back with resentment.

She stretched out her leg and gestured, trying to kick Ji Yuan off the boat.

But considering his 'divine power', he finally gave up and snorted: "What's wrong with calling you Erwa? I still call you Chen Hai Daga!"

"Is that right, Chen Xiaoga?"

At this moment, Chen Haihexu, who had just walked out of the cabin, froze and his cheeks twitched.

Ji Yuan couldn't help but smile.

If I remember correctly, in Jingzhou dialect, "ga" means cow, and he suddenly felt much more balanced.

It turns out that this "family of immortal studies" is just like the villagers, believing that it is easier to make a living by having a humble reputation.

At this time, Ji Yuan saw the boatmen carrying large wooden barrels out of the cabin and pouring barrels of cooked glutinous rice into the rolling waves of the river.

"What is this for?"

"Legend has it that there is a Turtle King in the river, who is the prince of the Dragon Palace. Whenever a large ship crosses the river, or during festivals, it is necessary to offer tribute to feed the aquatic creatures under the Turtle King," Chen Hai explained.

It’s strange to say, those buckets of glutinous rice were poured down.

The rough and turbulent river surface suddenly became calm.

Faintly you can see schools of fish underwater turning up their white bellies from time to time, reflecting the sunlight and flashing by, sharing the glutinous rice.

"Huh? It's not shaking anymore!!" Yin Yaoer screamed in surprise.

She seemed to have found some new and interesting toy. She picked up the "net bag" hanging on the boat and was about to throw it down, trying to catch the fish.

The boatman quickly grabbed her and said, "Little girl, you can't catch these fish."

"Yes, these are the soldiers under the command of the Turtle Lord. Please pull one out. The river is very rough and we have to go underwater..."

"Bah! Why would I be afraid of him? What a bullshit turtle..."

"Shut up!" Upon hearing that, Ji Yuan quickly pulled the 'little evil star' back and covered her mouth.

Qing Si said that immortals, demons, spirits, and those with profound Taoism skills inevitably have some magical perceptions, and they can sense it when you chant someone's "name".

No wonder that old commander Yin, who is so powerful, wanted to send this "little evil star" to the immortal sect for education.

This guy is really a troublemaker. He also has ADHD and mania, and he can't stop for a moment.

I must teach her a lesson later.

Ji Yuan thought to himself.

At this moment, a wave suddenly rolled over the river, adding fuel to the fire, and the speed of the ship increased several times in an instant.

"Thank you, Mr. Turtle!!!"

The boatmen were overjoyed and bowed down towards the river.

Ji Yuan and Chen Hai both tensed up and looked warily into the river, where a dark shadow of about seven or eight feet in diameter was vaguely visible, emitting a mysterious aura.

Suddenly, a crocodile-like shadow in the water spoke:
"Don't panic, everyone. I am the Crocodile Marshal. I heard that the Immortal Master of Xuanwei Sect is recruiting disciples recently. My king has specially sent a leader of the water tribe to add fuel to the fire and help you cross the river."

"Thank you, General Crocodile!" Chen Hai bowed.

There was no more response from the water, and the black shadow disappeared under the water.

In just a stick of incense, the boat passed through the hundred-mile river like the wind and docked at the foot of the rolling green hills. Countless boats had already been docked on the shore, and large and small ships and light boats stretched for dozens of miles.

Hundreds of young men walked down from the Chen family's ship. These were old friends of the Chen family, who had crossed the river together on the Chen family's ship.

Ji Yuan took Yin Yaoer with him and followed everyone up a rugged mountain path.

The mountain path is narrow, only three to five feet wide, winding and going straight into the mountains, and can only accommodate one person.

On the way up the mountain, there were people everywhere, and there seemed no end in sight.

Some people came from other major states, and some from the eighteen counties of Jingzhou crossed the river after learning the news in advance.

When we reached the mountainside, we looked down and saw that there were still dense crowds of people, no less than tens of thousands of people.

I walked for an unknown amount of time before I reached a thousand-foot-high cliff surrounded by clouds and mist, and then I saw a view ahead. When I reached the top of the mountain, I saw an ancient temple deep in the mountains, with golden palaces and pavilions, flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted buildings, stretching for dozens of miles.

After passing a gatehouse, there is a plaque with the words [Yuntai Temple] on it; on both sides there are couplets [The Tao is so high that dragons and tigers bow down, and the virtue is so great that ghosts and gods admire], and a horizontal plaque [The Tao is so high that virtue is so great].

Several Taoists blocked the way at the gate.

The middle-aged Taoist priest in the lead wore a green scarf with a Chinese character on it, a moon-white robe, a water-fire silk strip around his waist, and a sword on his back, looking like an immortal.

But Ji Yuan vaguely remembered that this was the Taoist "Lingxuan" whom he had met in Jingzhou City before, but now he was dressed very formally.

"I am Lingxuan, the Taoist priest. I am in charge of testing qualifications and recruiting disciples to enter the mountain." Taoist Lingxuan's voice was not loud, but it reached the ears of everyone in the mountain.

"Now, among you, those who have missing fingers, stutter, are deaf, or cannot read... you don't need to go up the mountain."

Someone asked: "Master, I heard that the Supreme Saint Immortal Master accepted disciples and said that anyone with nine orifices can become an immortal, why doesn't he accept someone like this..."

"Those with incomplete fingers cannot perform the magic formula; those with stuttering and hearing loss cannot recite the mantras; those who are illiterate cannot read the true chapters of the heavenly book... so we will not accept them." Ling Xuan said calmly. Immediately, Taoist Ling Xuan pointed to a bronze mirror with a green glow and shook it at each person who lined up.

Then he pointed to one side and asked people to go down the mountain.

In just one hour, almost all the tens of thousands of people in front were swept down the mountain; only one or two people were allowed to enter the mountain gate.

There were also some who refused to accept the result. Taoist Lingxuan flicked his sleeves, and billowing wind and smoke arose like a tornado, sweeping them directly down the stairs.

Soon, it was Ji Yuan and his group's turn.

Chen Hai was still young, but he had already cultivated the magical power of Xuanwei Sect. Taoist Lingxuan did not even use a mirror to look at him, but simply waved his hand and said, "Chen Hai passed. His physique is excellent. He will be admitted to the Dharma Book."

"Well, Yin Yao, at such a young age, has already cultivated magical powers. She has passed the test and has been enrolled in the legal system. She will also go directly up the mountain."

Then, he looked at Ji Yuan.

This time, the Lingxuan Taoists used a mirror.

In the mirror, one can actually see the internal organs and skeleton reflected, and vaguely one can see the red smoke billowing from the blood. In addition, there is also a trace of white light in the mirror.

“Hmm? With such strong Qi and blood, he is no longer in the body of a monster. No wonder he is born with supernatural powers. But this spiritual talent…” Ling Xuan frowned slightly.

Ji Yuan’s spiritual aptitude cannot be said to be non-existent, nor can it be said to be very poor, but it can only be considered average; he can barely meet the standards of the Xuanwei Sect.

But if we have to pick out twenty people from tens of thousands of people, Ji Yuan will definitely not be able to make the cut.

However, thinking of the large amount of spiritual medicine and magical materials that Yin Kaishan secretly gave him...

Taoist Lingxuan relaxed his frown and said with a clear conscience, "Ji Yuan, you have excellent physique. Go up the mountain and be enrolled in the law school."

Not far away, a Taoist boy in green clothes, sitting behind a desk and holding a red brush, silently wrote down Ji Yuan's hometown, origin, time of entry, and his "superior" aptitude on the golden book and jade volume.

This is the Jade Capital Dharma Policy. All disciples of the great religions are recorded in the Dharma books.

"Thank you, Taoist Priest." Ji Yuan let out a long breath and followed Yin Yao, Chen Hai and others up the mountain.

After entering the temple, a Taoist boy led everyone through many twists and turns and finally climbed up another mountain to a viewing pavilion. He distributed Taoist robes and clothes to the new disciples and let them rest first.

……

The next day, more than ten new initiators, both men and women, all between eight or nine years old and twelve or thirteen years old, were led to a palace called the Purple Air Pavilion.

Ji Yuan put on the brand new green Taoist robe that he had been given yesterday, tied his hair with a bamboo hairpin, and followed everyone to the front of the hall.

However, Chen Hai and Yin Yaoer were not among them. They had already cultivated magical powers and missed many of the procedures of teaching and passing on of skills from their predecessors.

After entering the palace yesterday, he was taken away by Taoist Lingxuan, saying that he would be assigned to a mansion. Ji Yuan has not seen him since.

Those standing here at this moment have not yet developed magical powers.

"My fellow Taoists, the Immortal is waiting in the hall. Please go in." The Taoist boy in front of the door gestured.

Everyone walked slowly into the hall.

There are flickering candlelight in the hall, and a tablet of [Ancestor of Xuanwei Yujing] is offered on the incense table.

A Taoist with black hair and a childlike face, clear eyes, whose exact age cannot be determined; he holds a whisk in his hand and sits cross-legged on a cushion.

"I'm Linghe, the chief abbot of Yuntai Branch. I'm in charge of Yuntai Branch under the order of Master Xuanwei." Linghe introduced himself with a straight face and a blank expression.

"Greetings to Master Linghe."

"Well, our Yuntai Villa has 72 Taoist temples and 36 pavilions under its jurisdiction. It covers an area of ​​more than 140,000 acres and currently has tens of thousands of Taoists, boys, and strongmen."

"You have entered the door, but if you have not cultivated the power of the Tao, you cannot be considered a Taoist; you can only be considered a child."

"The ancestor said that he had seen the number of the universe's creation in one cycle. The sky was opened in [Zi], the earth was created in [Chou], and human beings were born in [Yin]... We Taoists should also follow this."

"At the end of the [Yin] hour (5 o'clock), you must get up and gather energy at Guanyun Cliff. At the beginning of the [Mao] hour (6 o'clock), go to Ziqi Pavilion to chant scriptures and learn the law. At the [Chen] hour (7 o'clock), have breakfast and then start doing some miscellaneous things. You cannot stop..."

"Later, the Taoist priest will give you some books. Only when you have cultivated your magical powers can you be exempted from some miscellaneous items and be granted the title of immortal scholar."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed in response, and at the signal of Master Linghe, they respectfully left the hall.

Outside the door, a young Taoist priest was already waiting: "My fellow Taoists, my name is Wang Tan, and I am responsible for teaching and guiding you. Now I will take you to the temple to arrange the accommodation."

"From now on, you can call me Senior Brother Wang or Brother Wang. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

This Senior Brother Wang Tan is extremely kind and talkative.

"Brother Wang, didn't they say that our Yuntai Academy only accepted a handful of people in ten years? Why did Master He just say that there are tens of thousands of Taoists in the academy?" Ji Yuan couldn't help asking.

"The Taoists are all true disciples who have mastered magical powers. However, there are not tens of thousands of them, but there are seven or eight thousand. The rest are just some strong men and children."

"That's not a small number. How can there be so many people if they only accept 20 people every ten years?"

Wang Tan was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't know the basics. Once a cultivator enters the Dao and reaches the first level, he will have a long life. With high Dao and great virtue, he can live for hundreds of years at least."

"Hundreds of years?"

"Well, the first stage of cultivation is called [One Qi] or the gathering of three flowers at the top of the head. It means that once the magic power is cultivated, one's life span will be increased by a thousand years. One will be able to see all things being born and dying like mayflies, and will no longer be considered an ordinary person."

“So amazing! Directly increase your lifespan by a thousand years?” Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up.

When the others heard this, they couldn't help but have their eyes light up and their breathing quickened.

No wonder Chen Hai couldn't help but look proud when he talked about his "magic power".

No wonder Qing Si said that compared with the immortal arts of the great sects, the mysterious arts of gods and demons were just "adobe bricks".

No wonder the Taoist temple of this supreme sect only accepts disciples once every ten years, and only twenty people at a time.

This immortality technique is so awesome.

"But don't be happy too soon." Wang Tan shook his head.

"First, cultivating magical power is like climbing to heaven without a ladder. After all, how can magic come from nothing? How can power come from within? Some people practice day and night, study hard for hundreds of years, but it is still a mirage, they cannot enter the Tao, and they just die of old age."

"Furthermore, the magic power has been cultivated, the roots have been consolidated, and the divine body has been infused; although it can prolong life, we Qigong practitioners have seized the fortune of heaven and earth and invaded the mysteries of the sun and the moon. To practice magic, we have to rely on ghosts and gods and attack for a while;"

"That is why he is the envy of all creatures; he faces disaster at every step and encounters obstacles everywhere."

"If nothing else, every five hundred years, there will be three disasters."

"Brother Wang Tan, we don't understand. Just tell us what the 'three disasters' are?"

Wang Tan said:
"First there was a wind disaster. This wind was not the wind from the southeast, northwest, or north; it was not the gentle wind of the golden north; nor was it the wind of flowers, willows, pines, and bamboos; it was called the 'Bi wind'. It blew from the fontanelle into the six internal organs, passed through the dantian, penetrated the nine orifices, and the spirit and soul disappeared, and the body dissolved itself."

"Five hundred years later, there will be another fire. This fire is not an ordinary fire, nor is it a heavenly fire or an earthly fire. It is called 'yin fire', which starts from the Yongquan point at the bottom of the feet and goes straight through the Niwan Palace on the top of the head. The internal organs are reduced to ashes, and the limbs are all rotten. Thousands of years of hard work have become a pipe dream..."

"In another five hundred years, there will be another thunderstorm and external disaster. You can only avoid it by clearing your mind and seeing your true nature. If you can avoid it, you will live as long as the heavens and cultivate the [Five Qi Tongxuan] to become an immortal. If you can't avoid it, you will die from now on."

(End of this chapter)