I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 7: Differences between Inside and Outside
After several monks of the Fa generation left, the remaining novice monks of the Ming generation became noticeably more active. Several novice monks who were familiar with Mingxin came to congratulate him, their tone full of envy.

Li Ming knew that although Guangde Temple was a temple, it was also a martial arts sect. If he could not enter the Dharma Academy, it was basically equivalent to not being able to enter the inner sect, and his status would be equivalent to that of a menial monk, which was equivalent to failing the college entrance examination. It would be very difficult for him to learn advanced martial arts in the future, so he could only say a few words of comfort.

"Junior Brother Mingxin, come and sit here."

Li Ming looked up when he heard the voice and saw Mingjing, who was already sitting at a corner of a long table. He stretched out his hand and waved to him twice. In Mingxin's memory, Mingjing was kind to others, practiced martial arts seriously, but was also willing to teach other junior brothers. He had a very good relationship with people. Even the taciturn Mingxin had a good impression of him and knew that he was a generous person.

He did not refuse and walked over with a smile. When they sat down, Mingde and Mingliang also came over, and vaguely, a small space was left around the four of them.

Seeing this, Li Ming sighed slightly in his heart. From today on, an invisible class was constructed.

Just at this time, a middle-aged monk brought today's meal to the table.

"what"

Li Ming was a little surprised when he looked at the food. It was not the big white steamed buns and vegetarian dishes that he remembered. Instead, it was several fragrant delicacies, even with a faint medicinal aroma.

Seeing this, Mingjing smiled.

"My fellow disciples, from today on, we are all martial monks of the Dharma Academy. Naturally, our treatment will be different. Martial arts are inherently physically demanding. We at Guangde Temple practice martial arts from the outside in. The beginning of martial arts is to refine essence into qi and condense inner qi. In fact, it is to transform the essence of the body into inner qi."

"If they practice every day, it's fine for those disciples who haven't yet achieved Qi Condensation. However, once Qi is condensed, it can only flow out of the flesh but not into the body, which naturally causes loss. Therefore, the disciples of the Dharma Academy must make up for it with food. Unless they have reached the Xiantian stage like the abbot, their need for this kind of food will be reduced. Look at those senior brothers over there. I heard that one person can eat as much as ten people, and that's on medicinal food. We're just getting started."

"Eh, you guys."

Mingjing had just finished his science lecture when, in the blink of an eye, he saw the other three people eating like a whirlwind. Looking at the half-eaten food on the table, Mingjing couldn't help but change his expression no matter how good his temper was. Without saying anything more, he quickly joined the army of people eating.

After finally eating their fill, Li Ming wiped his mouth and went back to the meditation room with Ming Jing to pack their luggage. After entering the Dharma Courtyard, the two would move out of this menial yard.

Fortunately, the two of them didn't have much stuff, just a bedding roll and a few sets of clothes. After saying goodbye to their friends in the servants' yard, Mingjing led Li Ming forward.

"Junior brother, you've entered the Dharma Academy and will probably be able to learn new martial arts tomorrow. Normally, the first class for newcomers is taught by the academy's head monk, Master Fazheng. You also have to choose a master, but you don't have to. You've already worshipped Uncle Fabei. Although Uncle Fabei is well versed in Buddhism, he's not a senior uncle of the Dharma Academy."

Ming Jing paused here, and her meaning was very clear.

Li Ming smiled and said, "Master treats me like his own son. Besides, even if I don't choose a master, won't the senior brothers in the Dharma Academy teach me?"

Ming Jing smiled slightly, as if she had anticipated Li Ming's words, and continued.

"That's right, Junior Brother, you are different from me. You grew up in the temple since you were young. Although you like to practice martial arts, no one has ever forced you. Even if I am two years older than you, I still haven't been able to enter the Qi Condensation stage, but you condensed your Qi last night. How can we be compared?"

Hearing the voice, Li Ming glanced at Ming Jing and saw that this good senior brother who always had a smile on his face and seemed never to be angry now had a gloomy face and there seemed to be an unresolvable sadness in his eyes. He smiled again when he saw Li Ming looking at him.

"It's not easy to enter the Dharma Academy, Junior Brother, we must cherish it and practice martial arts with all our heart, so that we can be worthy of our master's cultivation."

He then stopped talking and Li Ming did not ask any more questions. In this world, how many people don’t have their own stories?
Turning around to look at the room he was living in now, he knew that the monks in the Dharma Academy were naturally treated better. Unlike the novices in the menial courtyard who slept on a large bunk bed, the disciples of the Dharma Academy had two people in a bedroom with a partition in the middle, which meant they had a small space of their own and privacy. Li Ming was very satisfied with this.

By the time the two of them settled down, it was already afternoon. At this point, they no longer belonged to the menial work department, so naturally they had no miscellaneous work to do. However, the martial arts of the Dharma Academy had not yet been taught, so they had plenty of time.

Ming Jing started chatting with Li Ming in the room. "Junior Brother Ming Xin, we can learn internal skills tomorrow. Are you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, what about you, brother?"

"I'm happy too, but I can't compare to you. From the outside in, the internal energy is naturally generated. Invisibly, there are fewer worries than practicing internal skills."

"Oh, why?"

Hearing Mingjing talking about this, Li Ming was very curious. Although he had undergone three changes in his Qi and blood during the reincarnation, he knew very little about true Qi. Now that he heard Mingjing mention it, he naturally pricked up his ears to listen.

Ming Jing said this with a hint of envy in her tone.

"Every three years, we hold a selection at the Dharma Academy to select talented disciples. The number of places is limited, but anyone who can cultivate external martial arts to the point of generating internal energy before the age of eighteen will be directly admitted."

"Don't underestimate the four spots this year. If you and Junior Brother Mingde have already successfully condensed their Qi, we at Dharma Academy will accept as many as you can. We don't care about the availability of spots. Junior Brother Mingxin, although many of your uncles and aunts say that your martial arts talent is average and that you rely solely on diligence, your success in condensing your Qi last night proves that you are still extraordinary."

"Really? Is it really that important to know how to condense Qi? I've heard there are internal energy techniques that can directly cultivate internal strength."

"Well, of course you don't know if no one tells you. Martial arts have internal and external differences. The Arhat Fist and Weituo Palm we know now are what Buddhists learn when they first enter the Buddhist sect and lay the foundation. They belong to the external sect. Practicing them requires repeated practice and constant training every day."

"But internal martial arts are different. They focus on stillness, and the effect of refining essence into qi can be achieved through breathing in and out. In other words, external martial arts are meant to train the physical orifices, while internal martial arts mental methods are meant to condense internal qi. Your ability to condense qi through external martial arts only means that you have perfected your physical orifices and your true qi has naturally formed."

Ming Jing paused and continued.

"But if you're like me and can't see any results from your practice, then you can naturally condense your Qi by practicing internal skills. However, there are many more hurdles. Not only is it difficult to cultivate the first breath of Qi, but you also need to fill the acupoints throughout your body with Qi to achieve perfection."

"How can I compare to natural perfection by simply filling it up according to the techniques? There are always flaws. It is said that this step is very important if I want to break through and reach the Xiantian realm. Hey, why am I saying this? Xiantian is still a long way from me."

"I see." Li Ming nodded, thoughtfully.

Seeing that Li Ming was also interested, Ming Jing continued.

"Look, we at Guangde Temple teach our disciples these external martial arts. Progress is a bit slow, but as long as we pick out a few good seedlings and train them well, we can catch up in a few years. On the contrary, many sects are eager for quick success and instant benefits. They teach internal martial arts techniques as soon as you enter, and endlessly refine your essence, which invisibly damages your physical foundation."

"Some people are still unaware of this and are even complacent. Little do they know that in those prestigious sects or ancient families, even if they can't generate true qi from the outside in, they still need the care of their elders, and the nourishment of food and medicine to ensure that the foundation of their physical body is not damaged. Only in this way can they go further on the path of martial arts."

"Do you know about that Shatian boy? He's a wild and lonely Zen who came from nowhere. Maybe he inherited the skills from his ancestors, or maybe he got some secret martial arts manual from somewhere. I don't know the tricks, but he started learning martial arts at a young age, tapping into his physical essence too early, so he'll never grow up in this life!"

"Although our Guangde Temple isn't a first-rate sect, it has been passed down for over five hundred years. If we follow the sect's rules and move forward step by step, there won't be any major problems. However, if no one teaches us these small details, we could easily fall into a big pit."

Li Ming's heart shuddered, and he felt a chill in his heart. Perhaps it was just common sense that these sect disciples thought was commonplace, but for independent cultivators without any foundation, it was like an insurmountable chasm. Li Ming suddenly recalled the process of exploring the way of martial arts in the world of reincarnation. How difficult it was!
"Ugh"

"Junior brother, why are you sighing?"

(End of this chapter)