Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 278 [Who is Shen Shiqi?] (6000 words)

Chapter 272 [Who is Shen Shiqi?] (6000 words)

Three days later, at night.

In the mountain graves outside a village in the countryside near Hengdian.

Chen Yan stood in front of an earthen grave, and with his own hands, he used a shovel to open the mound and placed a small white porcelain jar into the grave, placing it side by side with the original two urns containing ashes.

Chen Yan shoveled soil to close the tomb, and then burned some paper money in front of the tomb.

Then, he personally smoothed the dust off the tombstone and placed a fresh willow branch on the grave mound.

After doing all that, Chen Yan took out a bottle of cola and poured it into the soil in front of the grave.

"Little guy, you're a child and can't drink alcohol, so I'll pour you some cola that kids like. You're a strange fellow, I wonder how many secrets you're hiding, but... it's fate that we've met."

After squatting down and pouring out a can of cola, Chen Yan slowly stood up.

Unbeknownst to him, right before his eyes, a ball of light slowly emerged from the tomb, gradually transforming into a cluster of illusory light spots.

With a whoosh, it flew into the air and drifted slowly towards the due north direction!

However, Chen Yan couldn't see this thing...

·
At the northernmost point of the three northeastern prefectures lies Jinding Mountain!

Amidst the rolling mountains and the clear waters, lies a seemingly boundless dense forest!

This is precisely where the boundary wall is located!
·
In the depths of the dense forest, where no one was around, a point of light came from the south, streaked across the sky, and landed in the forest!

After the light and shadow landed, it transformed into a semi-transparent human figure, swaying, clearly resembling a thin, frail child.

If Chen Yan were here, he would recognize at a glance that the outline of the light and shadow was none other than the already dead Shen Shiqi!
After landing, Shen Shiqi slowly stretched, looked up at the dense forest in front of him, and let out a long breath.

As he exhaled, a shadow flickered in the dense forest, and a person emerged from behind a large tree to greet him.

The figure stood before Shen Shiqi as if it were an illusion, its face appearing and disappearing without revealing its true features.

Shen Shiqi looked at the figure, seemed to smile, slowly walked over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said calmly, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The figure returned the greeting: "Greetings!"

Then, the figure laughed and said, "This ordeal has gone by faster than expected. Judging from your spirits, you must have gained a lot from this experience."

Shen Shiqi said calmly, "Human experiences can fill a gap in my state of mind."

The figure smiled and asked, "Have you seen or heard anything unusual?"

Shen Shiqi lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "It's nothing more than grudges and affections. With each experience, one gains more understanding and enlightenment. However..."

The figure nodded: "It seems they've had some unusual experiences."

"This time I've met an interesting fellow Daoist."

The figure was taken aback, then asked, "In this world in its final days, even if there are cultivators, they are nothing more than insignificant figures. How could there be someone worthy of my attention?"

"This person's cultivation level isn't high, but he's quite an interesting person."

The figure seemed somewhat tempted: "You said he's extraordinary, so he truly is extraordinary. How about... I transform myself again and go see him?"

Shen Shiqi shook his head: "Encounters and fate cannot be forced. If we try to force it, it will not be beautiful. If we are destined to meet again in the future, we will naturally meet again. Let's go back like this. Now that I have awakened, I should digest this experience and make up for my mental state first."

The figure hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled. Suddenly, they took a step forward at the same time, and the two phantoms came together and merged into one!
Then, the figure twisted its neck, looked up at the sky, smiled gently, turned and disappeared into the dense forest.

·
Chen Yan arrived at the Sunflower Welfare Home with a truck loaded with another batch of supplies he had purchased.

Not only Chen Yan came here this time, but also Lin Xianyu's assistant.

Once this batch of supplies is delivered, Lin Xianyu's donation to this area will be considered complete for this year.

Chen Yan made an excuse to come and take a look. The welfare home was operating normally, but things weren't all going smoothly.

The biggest thing is: Shen Shiqi has disappeared.

When Shen Shiqi left, he left a letter in the courtyard.

In this letter, Shen Shiqi only said that he didn't want to study anymore and wanted to go out into the world to see and explore.

But for a child who was only twelve years old in name but eleven in reality, leaving behind such a letter and running away naturally shocked Dean Shen.

So, they went through a series of procedures, including asking people to search for them and calling the police.

You can't find it by searching.

And after searching, there was still no trace of it.

In rural and town areas like these, surveillance cameras are far less common than in big cities.

When Shen Shiqi left with Chen Yan, he deliberately avoided these things and left no trace.

Where can ordinary people find this nowadays?
In a panic, Dean Shen, whose health was already poor, spent several days running around searching for help, and finally fell ill again.

Fortunately, it wasn't a serious illness; it was just some pre-existing health problems combined with overwork.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Yan had his assistant arrange for Dean Shen to have a physical examination at a hospital in the city. He then had her stay in the hospital for two days before picking her up and taking her back.

Dean Shen was naturally still worried about Shen Shiqi's whereabouts, but with so many children in such a large welfare home, she couldn't keep running around searching for him.

No matter how much this matter was investigated, it could only remain an unsolved case and be left unresolved.

Although Director Shen was heartbroken, there were so many children in the welfare home who needed her care, so she could only keep the matter to herself.

I think that after a while, he will gradually get better.

To put it bluntly, if Shen Shiqi were Dean Shen's own child, his parents would be devastated by his loss.

But Shen Shiqi, to be honest, was just one of a dozen or so children in the orphanage.

Every evening, when Dean Shen arranges for the children to go to bed, he would sit for a while in front of Shen Shiqi's old bed.

It's painful and heartbreaking.

But life goes on, and I suppose that with time, the days in heaven will pass.

·
Chen Yan secretly observed the area near the welfare home for three days and confirmed that Director Shen was unharmed.

However, Shen Shiqi's younger sister, Shen Shijiu, was deceived by Dean Shen's words and thought that her brother had gone to study in another city. After being upset for a few days, she gradually stopped making a fuss.

That evening, after watching the light in Dean Shen's room go out, Chen Yan quietly walked down the corridor on the second floor of the welfare home.

A group photo of more than a dozen children from the welfare home hangs on the wall.

Chen Yan looked at the photograph in the faint moonlight streaming in through the window.

The second one from the left in the first row is Shen Shiqi.

Despite her small, thin frame, her face beamed with a smile.

Next to the photo was a roster listing the names of each child in the group photo.

Chen Yan found Shen Shiqi's name, and then...

It was clearly written above:

Jiang Baisui!
·
Shen Shiqi, real name Jiang Baisui.

His younger sister, Shen Shijiu, whose real name is Jiang Huakai.

The brother and sister's names are derived from the auspicious phrases "May you live a long and healthy life" and "May flowers bloom and bring you wealth and prosperity," respectively.

It seems that children in the countryside are not as particular about naming as people in the city, which is why they are given such names.

·
In the hotel room, Chen Yan sat cross-legged on the floor. After meditating for a while, he circulated his vital energy around his body several times. When he opened his eyes, a faint divine light flashed in them.

This is the characteristic of reaching a deep level of cultivation in the Ascending Stage Realm. Divine consciousness becomes perfectly round and complete, and divine light overflows spontaneously.

Chen Yan let out a soft breath, and then, for what felt like the umpteenth time in the past few days, he began to silently recite the "Sending Gods" left behind by Shen Shiqi!
After reciting the entire text silently, Chen Yan pondered each word and sentence carefully.

This "Spiritual Transmission" technique does not cultivate the primordial spirit, primordial energy, or physical cultivation!

But...

Cultivate a peaceful state of mind!

The original stage of cultivating the primordial spirit involves seeing through things like greed, anger, and ignorance, using these things to cultivate the primordial spirit, and strengthening one's spiritual consciousness...

In the end, all these emotions—greed, anger, and ignorance—are actually related to the same thing.

State of mind!

On the surface, a person's state of mind may seem unrelated to their primordial spirit, but in fact, it is the very foundation and soil for cultivation.

The more fulfilled one's mind becomes, the greater the gains and benefits one receives from understanding and overcoming emotions such as greed, anger, and ignorance.

You could say that state of mind is a kind of "qualification".

In many novels, the aptitude for cultivating immortality is spiritual root.

The aptitude for cultivating physical techniques lies in the meridian and vein constitution.

As for one's state of mind, that is the aptitude for cultivating the primordial spirit!
The more fulfilled one's state of mind, the greater the potential of one's primordial spirit!

·
Originally, it is very difficult to "cultivate" one's state of mind.

Because I am who I am.

The state of mind of an ordinary person, to put it bluntly, is the sum of their own life experiences, what they have seen, read, experienced, and felt.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death; joy and sorrow, separation and reunion.

After going through these experiences, one's state of mind naturally matures.

But... that's how it is.

It's over.

A person's own experience is ultimately limited.

In the short span of a few decades of life, after experiencing birth, aging, illness, death, joy, sorrow, and separation, one reaches the ceiling.

In addition, reading some books can also improve one's state of mind.

For example, reading the works left by predecessors, reading things that are similar to philosophy, and gaining some insights from reading them...

However, what you learn from books is ultimately superficial.

That slight growth is ultimately separated by a layer; the gains are slow and small. To accumulate small gains into large ones is time-consuming and laborious—and it also requires something else: comprehension!
To put it another way, you have both of them read Wang Yangming's "Instructions for Practical Living" together.

The benefits that two people gain after reading it will definitely be different!

Because comprehension itself is another hurdle.

The best way to truly enhance one's state of mind is through personal experience.

But a person only has one lifetime, and only lives one life.

For example, understanding the "great terror between life and death".

Each person only has one chance to see the truth, which is when they are about to die.

Once everyone dies, that's it.

You learn as much as you can from a single near-death experience. You are not given a second chance.

·
However, the "Spiritual Piece" is different.

The secluded valley is split open! The branches and vines separate!

After Chen Yan finished reciting it silently again, he took a long breath, the shock in his eyes gradually intensified, and his face showed a hint of excitement!

"The secluded valley is split open! The branches and vines separate!"

Chen Yan muttered to himself in a low voice.

God is darkness, and He splits darkness into valleys...

"That's basically a clone technique!!"

·
To split one's primordial spirit into one or more parts!
Then, this fragmented primordial spirit was entrusted to another entity...

Attached elsewhere...

It can possess a human body, or any object, or even a beast!

It could even be said that, if one is willing, one can even experience "the life of a stone" or "the life of a sheep"!
Imagine entrusting a wisp of your spirit to a stone, enduring the wind and sun over time, to experience and understand the unchanging nature of that stone.

Or, become a beast of burden.

They endure wind and rain, work hard, and in their old age, they are slaughtered, their bones broken and their flesh cut off, their own blood used to feed their masters...

Each "life" is different; after experiencing them all, one naturally gains different insights!

With this realization, the primordial spirit that is entrusted to it can return to its original form after the end of its life!
Bring back the insights gained from this experience to your true self.

Then... one's state of mind naturally grows stronger!

Using this method to cultivate one's state of mind can almost infinitely enhance it.

And one's state of mind is the quality of one's primordial spirit.

The stronger one's mental state, the greater the potential of the primordial spirit!

In other words, when others cultivate their primordial spirit, they get a perfect score of 100.

Having mastered the "Spiritual Transmission Chapter," theoretically speaking, a perfect score is... there is no upper limit to a perfect score!
Even in the realm of dimensional rifts, this kind of cultivation technique would absolutely be considered the most top-tier technique!

The kind of treasure that even top-tier experts would keep as their most prized possession!

After Chen Yan understood the "Spiritual Treatise," he suddenly realized that when Shen Shiqi made him swear an oath not to divulge it, it was actually to protect him.

If others found out that I had this technique, I'm afraid some ambitious cultivators would risk their lives to seize it by trickery or force!
With my current cultivation level, if people knew that I possessed such a terrifying cultivation technique, it would be like a three-year-old child carrying a thousand pieces of gold and parading around in the city!
Upon realizing this, Chen Yan broke out in a cold sweat and made a firm decision in his heart.

He will not tell anyone about this cultivation technique! He won't reveal a single word!
and……

The Chapter on the Imbued Gods!
"So... Shen Shiqi's origins... should be that he's an avatar of some powerful being! An avatar used to experience one lifetime and comprehend one's state of mind!!"

Wait!
Holy shit! !
Shen Shiqi's real name is... Jiang Baisui?

A hundred years old?!
Chen Yan squinted, a complex expression in his eyes.

Indulging in unrestrained behavior?!
A centenarian?!

·
Wiping away the cold sweat, Chen Yan waited for his pounding heart to gradually calm down, still harboring his suspicions.

Yes!

No wonder they say it's all about indulging in unrestrained passion!
Lin Qingquan had said that the centenarian Venerable had sent people to this world to convert some cultivators back to their original realm…

The Taoist practice of that centenarian was simply to indulge in unrestrained desires.

Isn't that just indulging in unrestrained passion?
They cultivate the "Spiritual Transmission Technique," which allows them to experience countless different lives.

Isn't that what life is all about—fully experiencing it?!

Experience every aspect of life to the fullest! Only in this way can you gain the most spiritual enrichment.

·
After calming down, Chen Yan did not rush to cultivate the "Transfer of Gods" technique.

Because, although this technique is powerful and formidable, it also...

It does have its drawbacks, and these drawbacks are quite fatal.

Simply put, to cultivate this method, one's true self must be extremely powerful!

If the true self is too weak...

So, if Chen Yan were to start cultivating now, and separate a wisp of his primordial spirit to live out his life as another person outside the city, say named Zhang San.

Then, another character named Li Si was created to represent this.

Several years later, Zhang San and Li Si completed their missions and returned to their original bodies.

Each of them carries with them the memories of a lifetime of experiences.

Parents, family, kinship, love, birth, aging, sickness, and death, the joys and sorrows, the separations and reunions of a lifetime...

Returning to the original body, memories merge...

So……

At that time, if the true self of the original being was not strong enough.

That would be a personality disorder!
Am I Chen Yan, Zhang San, or Li Si?

That wouldn't be benefit, it would be self-destruction!
At that point, your personality will become disordered, and you won't even know who you are anymore.

Not only does it fail to enhance one's mental cultivation, it actually transforms into a massive inner demon!

·
"If we're talking about cultivating this... given the current strength of my own primordial spirit, the safest approach isn't to entrust it to a human being."

A person's life is filled with so many memories and insights that I, in my own body, cannot absorb them all, or I will become confused.

Ideally... it should start small, entrusting itself to a short-lived existence.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan decided to temporarily put aside the "Spiritual Reincarnation" chapter.

Then he got up, checked the room thoroughly, and closed the doors and windows.

With his cultivation level, even if there were any hidden cameras in the hotel room, they wouldn't escape his divine sense.

After confirming that the room was safe, Chen Yan took out the fire candle.

After the candle was lit, a phantom emerged from the flickering candlelight.

The old Taoist's figure, though still semi-transparent, appeared more solid than before.

It doesn't feel like it could collapse and disappear at any moment.

"This humble Taoist greets fellow Daoist!" The old Taoist priest greeted Chen Yan first with a polite bow.

Chen Yan nodded, returned the greeting, and then asked, "Have you rested well these past few days in my Li Huo Zhu?"

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "Thanks to your blessing, fellow Daoist, I have recovered some of my soul power. Now I am no longer in danger of dissipating. Even if I am separated from the fire, I can survive for an hour or two."

Chen Yan nodded and immediately slapped out the candle: "In that case, let's not waste my candles."

The old Taoist priest was taken aback, then smiled and said, "That's exactly right. Such a treasure is rare, so we should save as much as we can."

Chen Yan smiled and said, "After accepting you as my disciple that day, I was worried about your weakness and didn't summon you for the past few days. Now that your soul has stabilized, I would like to invite you to come out and have a chat."

The old Taoist priest maintained a very proper attitude and slowly said, "That's exactly right! I am now by your side, fellow Daoist, and can be considered a guest disciple. It is indeed necessary to have a chat with you and to reveal my true feelings to you."

Chen Yan's smile remained unchanged, and he made a "please" gesture.

The old Taoist priest habitually took a deep breath, then slowly said, "My surname is Huang, and I am from eastern Zhejiang. I was born in... 1918."

Huh?
The seventh year of the Republic of China?

Chen Yan immediately did the math and exclaimed, "Good heavens, it's 1918!"

In other words, this old Taoist priest was over a hundred years old.

"I was born into poverty and later entered a Taoist temple. I became a Taoist novice at the age of six and was accepted as an inner disciple by my master at the age of fourteen. I began to cultivate with my master and only then did I realize that there was another world in this world. I also learned about the difference between immortals and mortals!"
However, the world is sparsely endowed with vital energy, and the resources for cultivation are even harder to find, making the path to enlightenment truly arduous.

When my mentor took me in, he was already over fifty years old. Due to various limitations, including his own talent, he remained stuck at the peak of the initial stage at the age of fifty, unable to advance to the second stage.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan sighed inwardly.

This... is indeed quite difficult.

His vital energy is scarce, and the resources for cultivation are hard to find. He's fifty years old and still only at the first realm.

It seems that his talent is indeed not that great.

However, this is perhaps the true and common situation for normal cultivators in this world—and it's still considered good.

Like that old ghost from the Li family, whose family has passed down cultivation techniques, his ancestors may have escaped from the outer realms.

But even generations of people couldn't master it—they had the techniques, but none of them could!
This shows how difficult spiritual practice is in this world.

"I was fortunate enough to be noticed by my master—he examined my talent and felt that I had the aptitude for cultivation before taking me under his wing."

He began cultivating at fourteen, and by sheer luck, at the age of twenty, he reached the first stage of the Inner Chamber Realm.

At this point, the old Taoist smiled bitterly and said, "I can't compare to your extraordinary talent, which is already at the third level of cultivation at your age."

However, at twenty years old, I became a cultivator of the first realm. According to my master, I was already the youngest in the four generations of our sect.

He reached the first realm at the age of twenty, and it took him a full six years to achieve it.

Is it slow?
It's slow, but not necessarily.

Chu Keqing is considered a genius among cultivators in this world. When it comes to talent, she is absolutely top-notch.

However, the Yun Sect's cultivation techniques were inherently flawed, limiting her achievements—coupled with the environment where vital energy was scarce.

Even so, the renowned Elder Zi, who was over thirty years old, was only at the second realm.

This old Taoist priest was able to cultivate to the second realm, even though he was much older than Chu Keqing.

But... if a fight breaks out, he can pin Chu Keqing to the ground and beat her!

Because the old Taoist priest knew magic!

Chu Keqing has cultivation, but she doesn't even know a decent spell!

In battle, she can only use her talismanic arts to intimidate people. In a real decisive battle, she can only play a supporting role, just like she did in the secret realm of Japan last time.

The cultivation methods in this world are too incomplete.

The old Taoist priest actually knew magic, and offensive magic at that, so...

"Your cultivation method must have some history, right?" Chen Yan asked.

"I dare not conceal this from you, fellow Daoist," the old Daoist replied. "When I was young, my master told me that the cultivation method of my school was passed down from another world—that our ancestors escaped from another world to this world and passed down the method."

Moreover, because our ancestors brought the Soul-Suppressing Lamp, a magical artifact, with them when they came to this world, our sect's cultivation techniques are more complete and less incomplete than those of other cultivators in this world.

understood!

Chen Yan suddenly understood.

·
This is today's update. The previous chapter was a supplementary one. I know it's not finished, but I'll finish it when I have time later. I can't write it all in one day.

·
(End of this chapter)