In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 197 Connecting All Meridians, A Celestial Appearance
Lu Zhao approached the old Taoist priest, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Master, I have mastered the skill. What should I practice next?"

"..."

The old Taoist priest remained silent, observing Lu Zhao for a long time, wondering how he had practiced.

The "fire within the heart" is a special quality, a Taoist concept for tempering the five internal organs.

In ancient practices, the levels of spiritual attainment are very vague, and the more ancient they are, the more chaotic they become.

Each school of thought has its own set of theories and is exploring methods, which has led to dozens of different names for different levels of attainment.

It wasn't until the Han Dynasty that the Hundred Schools of Thought were suppressed and Confucianism was exclusively promoted, and the system of self-cultivation gradually became unified under the government's control, with many concepts reaching a consensus.

However, there are still some subtle differences between the various factions.

For example, the spirit and soul are worshipped by immortals, while Buddhism emphasizes the generation of the body through incense and intention. The Neidan school is further divided into Yin spirit and Yang spirit.

Even within the Neidan (internal alchemy) school, there are two branches: the Northern and Southern schools.

In conclusion, ancient methods are not a single approach, but rather a collection of countless schools of thought accumulated over thousands of years, unlike life development which is as unified and simple.

While methods of practice are constantly being updated and replaced, some ancient methods of cultivation have been passed down through generations.

Throughout history, countless practitioners have sought to comprehend the supernatural powers of their life force, grasp the essence of heaven and earth, and strive to attain immortality.

The concept of "heart fire" was proposed in the Ming Dynasty. It means that if the heart burns like a raging fire, the light will continue forever, and one can extend one's life by ten years.

Once you master the Heartfire Technique, your physical body will undergo a transformation. To achieve this effect, you need to consume a precious medicine brimming with Yang energy.

Dragon energy is undoubtedly one of the most powerful yang energies in the world.

He didn't make it clear at the beginning, partly because he guessed that Lu Zhao couldn't have trained that fast. Back then, he had already achieved a high level of cultivation, and it took him half a year to walk the path again.

Lu Zhao started training at the end of last year, and it has been less than half a year now.

On the other hand, it's to keep something in reserve, in case the apprentice doesn't do the job.

You should seize the opportunity to show gratitude, and you should also seize the opportunity to find fault with others; these two things are not mutually exclusive.

If Lu Zhao ultimately fails to master the skill no matter what, then guiding him personally will better demonstrate the role of a master.

But life is unpredictable, and not everything is within our control.

The old Taoist priest knew this even before the Three Flowers Gathered at the Top of the Head. Who would have thought that Hai Rui would appear in the end and almost scold him to the point that his Taoist heart would develop a flaw?

The old Taoist priest was filled with thoughts and changed his strategy.

He inquired about Lu Zhao's detailed cultivation process and current feelings, and then used his soul, which was indistinguishable from his physical body, to examine his pulse and feel his bones.

Finally, it can be confirmed: "You have indeed mastered it."

Lu Zhao asked, "Is this fast or slow, disciple?"

The old Taoist priest calmly replied, "I'm only a month ahead of you."

Lu Zhao said, "Master is incredibly fast; this disciple must work even harder."

The old Taoist priest raised an eyebrow, wanting to take out a ruler and give Lu Zhao a couple of slaps.

Three months of training the Heartfire Technique is not enough?
He said leisurely, "Those who cultivate the fire within their heart will have a heart like an ever-burning lamp. Once you master it, you can extend your life by ten years. Back in the Jiajing era, Yan Song searched the entire world for anything with yang energy, but he still couldn't master it."

Lu Zhao asked, "What level of expert is Yan Song?"

The old Taoist priest chuckled and said, "By your standards, he's only at the second level. Throughout history, among all the emperors' close advisors, there have rarely been those with high strength. Do you know why?"

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao replied, "Like a eunuch, without any foundation, one can only rely on imperial power."

“That’s right,” the old Taoist priest said. “When you ascend the throne in the future, you will be second only to the emperor. With power, you cannot have fists; with fists, you cannot have power.”

"There cannot be someone second only to you, who also possesses extremely strong strength, not even a mere Martial Marquis."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao inexplicably thought of Old Zhang.

With Lao Zhang's talent, the third tier is probably his limit. However, I'm just a small squad leader, so thinking about this is obviously unnecessary.

He quickly dismissed this useless fantasy and asked, "Master, what should I do next? Without the Five Elements Pill, my cultivation has come to a standstill."

"Don't rush, let me think about how to further solidify your foundation."

The old Taoist priest looked thoughtful. He needed to grasp both the leverage and the favor, so when Lu Zhao made his request, he naturally had to fulfill it.

If he were to make up some excuse, Lu Zhao, with his intelligence, would probably soon realize that cultivation cannot be faked.

When the old Taoist priest was emperor, he had almost exhausted all the lineages of magic in the world and learned most of the methods.

He was not as talented as Lu Zhao in cultivation and Qi practice, but he was far superior to Lu Zhao in magic techniques.

He learned all the lineages of the world and understood the operating principles of all methods, which is why he was finally able to find a path that seemed to be in harmony but was not.

Countless cultivation schools flashed through my mind.

The second stage of modern life development is based on the Northern School of Internal Alchemy, which emphasizes the harmony of the five internal organs and the unblocking of all meridians.

But if we trace it back further, it should be the Golden Elixir Path of the two Grandmasters, Zhong and Lü.

The current approach to life development focuses solely on harmonizing the five internal organs, neglecting the unblocking of all meridians. This change is correct; unblocking all meridians is too cumbersome and time-consuming.

Opening one meridian requires many precious medicines, and the resulting improvement is only one-thousandth. Opening all meridians only makes one one-tenth stronger than others.

As early as the Ming Dynasty, many people no longer paid attention to the interconnectedness of all meridians, and even the methods were lost.

If it weren't for his exhausting efforts of the entire nation, piecing together hundreds of volumes of fragmented books, and relying on his own knowledge, he wouldn't have been able to barely restore them.

This kid is learning so fast, could we let him try the old path?

Even today, there is no shortage of valuable medicines.

The old Taoist priest said, "I have a great path that is unknown to the world, which I will impart to you. It harmonizes the five internal organs and unblocks all the meridians."

He then explained the purpose and background of the Dharma to Lu Zhao.

Upon hearing about the one-tenth increase in power, Lu Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Master, is this one-tenth an increase based on my current level, or will I always be one-tenth higher than the average from now on?"

The old Taoist priest replied, "Once all your meridians are connected, your Qi circulation will be much faster than others, and this improvement will naturally always exist."

One-tenth of the permanent stuff—truly, the things from our ancestors are good!
Suppressing his excitement, Lu Zhao asked doubtfully, "Master, why didn't you tell me about this road before?"

The old Taoist priest explained, "Because I never intended for you to practice it, as it would hinder your cultivation progress. Since ancient times, there have been many extreme methods, like getting stuck on a bull's horn, pursuing perfection in every inch, even to the point of breakthrough."

"The opening of all meridians is a typical example. Even if you open them, you will only gain one-tenth more power. It is better to focus more on the inner fire. All cultivation is for longevity. Now that your cultivation speed is acceptable, you are naturally qualified to open all meridians."

Lu Zhao pretended to understand, but did not pursue the matter further.

Many of his statements are riddled with flaws, but when it comes to spiritual practice, there's no room for faking it.

As long as you ultimately cultivate to the true Dharma, how Master makes up stories is up to him to decide.

During the explanation of the Dharma, the old Taoist priest suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "Wait a moment, let me recall."

Lu Zhao looked puzzled. Even immortals sometimes forget things?

This is obviously impossible.

The old Taoist priest suddenly had a brilliant idea. The method of connecting all meridians had a derivative method during the Jin Dynasty. Those literati who took Five-Stone Powder created a Celestial Immortal Method in order to improve their appearance.

The name sounds impressive, but it actually uses the principle of connecting all the meridians to reshape the body and skin, thereby achieving a skin as smooth as mutton fat.

With just a few minor modifications, Lu Zhao could also use it; otherwise, it would be a waste of his bone structure.

In matters of fortune, misfortune may be mixed with good fortune.

Lu Zhao's luck with women is running out, which might lessen the dangers he faces in other areas, and he might even be able to turn the situation around.

This is also why the old Taoist priest arranged Lu Zhao's marriage.

He wasn't just being morbidly eccentric; from a utilitarian perspective, to reach the pinnacle, one needs the perfect combination of timing, location, and people—and it has to be the best of everything.

Use a fulcrum to leverage the entire destiny chart, thereby achieving the effect of defying fate and changing one's destiny.

"Alright, I've remembered."

The old Taoist priest began to explain the method of connecting all meridians, teaching Lu Zhao how to use his life force to nourish all meridians, and how to achieve fair skin and... cough cough cough, to condense the appearance of a celestial being.

(End of this chapter)