In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 82 The First Taoist Technique

Lu Zhao adhered to the principle of not being ashamed to ask questions, and he voiced any doubts he had.

Many of the questions, in the old Taoist's words, were "minor confusions" in cultivation, which Lu Zhao gradually came to understand on his own.

However, Lu Zhao knew perfectly well that if there were one small problem today and another small problem tomorrow, his cultivation speed would be slowed down in the long run.

After listening to Lu Zhao's description, the old Taoist priest answered without hesitation: "Your progress is too fast, which has caused your soul to become unstable. If it is not intervened, it may cause your soul to leave your body."

What happens if one's soul leaves their body?

Lu Zhao asked curiously about the characteristics of spiritual beings whose souls leave their bodies.

The old Taoist priest said, "External appearance, internal appearance, and spiritual platform are the three hurdles for entering the path of spiritual cultivation. If neither the internal nor external appearance is perfected, leaving the body is like a wandering soul, and one may never be able to return."

Lu Zhao felt a chill run down his spine.

This practice of sexual cultivation is so dangerous; you could die from it even if you try it casually.

He couldn't help but think of the courses in the capital city, where top-tier institutions mostly focused on guidance in their teaching of mental development.

If it were easy to practice and safe, it would probably have been widely adopted decades ago.

Before the Great Cataclysm, during the period when the Federation's life development was widespread, it was common to see children injured by supernatural powers featured prominently in the newspapers.

He asked, "Teacher, how do we solve this?"

"Many unorthodox practitioners throughout history have died from wandering spirits, either because they believed that leaving the body early was a good thing, or because they could not control it."

As always, the old Taoist priest took out a cultivation manual from his sleeve; the dark blue cover had only two words written on it.

[Immobilization Spell]

Just from the name, Lu Zhao could roughly tell what it was about, and his heart couldn't help but race.

He had a classmate in the capital who possessed a mental supernatural ability to control others, and his personal trait was the ability to immobilize people.

Manipulating others is limited to ordinary people; those with extraordinary abilities are easily freed, but it can immobilize someone with forty more points of life force than oneself.

After graduation, I was specially recruited by the Beijing Municipal Security Bureau.

Is it possible to learn such a rare ability?
There have been precedents for mental attacks before. The teacher's techniques can give supernatural powers other characteristics. He can have whatever mental supernatural powers have.

But Lu Zhao still found it hard to believe.

The old Taoist priest nodded and said, "Of course, but the premise is that your life force and technique are compatible, otherwise you will harm yourself."

"That which is above form is called the Way, and that which is below form is called the instrument. The Way and its arts rely on instruments, talismans, and actions, and are ultimately just minor arts. You can use them, but you cannot make them your foundation."

"The path to spiritual cultivation boils down to just two words: life and nature."

Lu Zhao nodded and said, "I understand."

"And you can't show off your skills outside. Every Taoist technique has a lineage. Be careful that the Shangqing Palace on Longhu Mountain doesn't come after you."

The old Taoist priest repeatedly emphasized: "Throughout history, the imperial dynasties have been powerful, but religious sects have a long history and should not be underestimated."

Lu Zhao looked puzzled: "Does a student need to avoid discussing the teacher's teachings?"

The old Taoist priest retorted, "I have been dead for five hundred years. How do you explain that? If you are powerful enough in the future, it won't be too late to help me establish a sect."

Lu Zhao was speechless; it didn't make sense, and he couldn't explain it.
-
June 30th, light rain.

The rain and fog in the western part of the South China Sea have been continuous since the start of the rainy season. When Lu Zhao was a child, there was no such thing as a rainy season; at most, it would rain more in July and August.

However, after the cataclysm, many abnormal weather phenomena occurred due to the influence of the ancient god ecosystem.

Lu Zhao tested his vitality.

[Vitality: 41.9]

The development of vitality is progressing at a rapid pace, yet it feels incredibly slow, just as always.

Lu Zhao has fallen far behind in the past four years, and he must work twice as hard to catch up.

After completing the Refining Essence into Qi process, Lu Zhao added a new project. He cleared out a small space in the cluttered room and began studying immobilization techniques.

Learning Taoist arts is not simply about reciting a few incantations; it requires understanding the principles first, and then calming oneself before one can calm others.

"To stabilize yourself, first stabilize your body. The first step is to close your acupoints." Bend your knees and squat down, press your palms down, and then lift them up.

One inhale and one exhale, inhale to lower, exhale to rise, three inhales and three exhales, slowly lower yourself down.

Lu Zhao used the unique Qi cultivated by his spiritual practice. He could feel a Qi wrapped around his body like a rope. The elusive feeling of being in a wandering soul state disappeared, but he could no longer move his body.

After several attempts, Lu Zhao quickly mastered the trick to keeping himself still.

It took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; the Taoist technique was much simpler than he had expected.

Like a quadratic equation in one variable in elementary school.

The next step was to immobilize someone else and inject Qi into their body, but Lu Zhao tried it and found that his Qi could not leave his body at all.

His current vitality is not enough to support him in releasing his Qi.

Cultivating one's destiny is fundamental, while cultivating one's nature is essential for enlightenment; indeed, neither can be neglected.

At this moment, Zhang Like rushed in and shouted, "Old Lu, something terrible has happened... How can you still be in the mood to exercise!"

Lu Zhao was in a horse stance, unable to move his body, but he could still speak.

"What's the rush? Is the sky going to fall?"

"Zhao De is in trouble."

Zhang Like spoke quickly, with a hint of excitement: "I read in the newspaper that a commercial center in the city had its ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday. It's a key municipal project, and it's always been under the supervision of the Municipal Executive Office, but Zhao De didn't attend the ribbon-cutting yesterday!"

While the investigation of top federal leaders will not be made public, there are some signs, such as a sudden "cooling down" of their work assignments.

In public, if a prominent figure suddenly disappears, it means something bad is about to happen.

Lu Zhao naturally understood the other party's implied meaning and said calmly, "Cooling down the workload doesn't mean I'll be punished; it could just mean the storm has passed."

Zhang Like said, "Isn't the physical evidence you sent out enough?"

"It won't be that quick. It will take at least a day to handle the situation, and it will also take time for the intelligence to be passed up through the layers of government. Decision-making will also take time."

Lu Zhao gathered all his Qi, and his body naturally relaxed.

"Don't rush, let the bullets fly a little longer."

As he spoke, he walked over to Zhang Like and patted him on the shoulder.

Zhang Like didn't react, so Lu Zhao asked, "Old Zhang, do you feel anything unusual right now?"

"Special feeling?"

Zhang Like was about to shake his head when he suddenly realized he couldn't move.

"I think I can't move, holy crap, what's going on?"

He then began to struggle consciously, his muscles trembling slightly, and he broke free from the immobilization spell after only three seconds.

From this, Lu Zhao can determine the duration and scope of the immobilization spell. Given his current level of proficiency with the immobilization spell, he would probably have a hard time holding off an enemy of the same level.

Practice more in the future. Don't aim to be able to immobilize opponents of higher levels. As long as you can immobilize someone of the same level for three seconds, it can play a decisive role.

Especially for Lu Zhao, close combat has always been his weakness. When facing a superhuman of the same level, being caught in close combat is extremely dangerous.

Immobilization became their lifeline.

If you can keep the distance within ten meters, or even just three meters, it can become the basis for a comeback.

Zhang Like asked, "Old Lu, what did you just do to me?"

Lu Zhao pulled out a pre-prepared explanation and said, "I gave you a little mental suggestion so that you would think you couldn't move."

"You have this trick up your sleeve?"

Zhang Like exclaimed in surprise, "Then you'll be able to customize people before killing them? You'll also be able to respond promptly to street fighting or attacks. I remember you have a very fast reaction time."

"You need to practice more. Now I can make you hold your breath for a while even if you only need three seconds."

Lu Zhao assumed a horse stance again, regaining his footing.

(End of this chapter)