A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 75 Three Layers of Intent, Four Stages of Physical Training

"Those notes were mostly just trivial things that I discussed with him, and they probably didn't have much value, but this book is different."

When delivering the items to Guan Luoyang's home, Professor Jiang Si instructed, "This book contains a nearly systematic method for self-cultivation and mental enhancement."

"When I was teaching many courses at the university, I would select outstanding young people and extract passages from this book to help them improve their learning. Although only a few people actually saw some results, it only shows that we are not suited to this kind of thing, but it does not diminish the value of this book."

"It's like how medical textbooks have been published for so many years, but the number of people who can become excellent surgeons is still one in a million."

Guan Luoyang took the books and said, "Thank you very much. If it works, I will also consider waiving part of the debt."

Professor Jiang chuckled and said, "That would be great, but I hope Mr. Guan won't divulge the contents of this book casually. At least let me know first. It's so late, I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye."

"Don't worry, goodbye."

After seeing the father and son off, Guan Luoyang sat down with the books in his hand and first flipped through the notebooks.

As expected, it was just a collection of snippets of discussion between Professor Jiang Si and his friend. The topics jumped around a wide range as they made their connections, even including some about local cuisine, which could indeed be described as trivial.

As for the book that Professor Jiang Si valued most, it was clearly not the original manuscript, but a newly printed copy, a single-sided copy of black text on white paper, bound with a large stapler.

The reproduced handwriting still retains the original author's meticulous and vigorous style, with strong strokes and slender characters, exuding a strong and unyielding spirit.

— Literature conveys the Way, and pictures express emotions. By learning from the wind and listening to the rain, one can cleanse one's spirit, cultivate wisdom in stillness, and let one's mind shine.

Following this opening statement is the author's self-narrative style explanation, which is neither fully classical nor vernacular.

Wherever people gather in the world, there will be civilization under the inheritance of history, and within civilization, there will be the essence of self-cultivation.

Looking around the world, there are countless ancient spiritual practices, perhaps even as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Countless have been submerged in the tides of history, or have been covered in dust and despised, and are no longer visible.

Even if there are a few sects that have been passed down for a long time and are widely known, the greatest effect of cultivation is nothing more than keeping one's mind young and maintaining health. It cannot prevent all diseases, nor can it lift bronze tripods. It is truly just a mortal body that will decay like withered wood!

As for the various supernatural powers and magical skills that the sages of different sects speculated about, they seem to be nothing more than dreams, illusions, and absurdities.

Until the 1950s, spiritual machinery, human body modification, and ethereal spiritual practice seemed to have been revitalized. The various spiritual cultivation practices that were originally only expressed in the heart began to have the opportunity to be manifested outwardly.

Besides industrial reform and the leap in machinery, we were also fortunate to take advantage of this trend to exchange ideas and discuss the spirit with many masters of traditional Chinese culture, including Quanzhen, Zhengyi, Zen, Cheng-Zhu, Lu-Wang, as well as music, Go, calligraphy, painting, flower arrangement, and tea ceremony. We held several gatherings and gained a lot.

Adhering to the principles of seeking truth from facts, avoiding falsehoods, exaggerations, and empty rhetoric, many theories of self-cultivation can be called the methods of mind and intention, which can be divided into three levels.

These are respectively called, "Unwavering concentration, leveraging the power of all things, and drawing inspiration from the void!"

Guan Luoyang's expression brightened slightly upon seeing this. This was clearly something like a secret manual; no wonder Professor Jiang compared it to teaching materials.

He slowed his reading pace and carefully examined the words and sentences.

The following section introduces these three realms, using some parable-like stories to explain their characteristics.

"The first level is to be single-minded. The human brain, which is only a few inches in size, manages the small world of the human body and operates constantly. Its mysteries are infinitely complex."

But in this lifetime, every little thing we see distracts our minds and consumes our mental energy in the unseen world.

Many people believe they are in a state of focus, but in reality, countless distracting thoughts are still arising and disappearing. These distracting thoughts, which are not even noticeable to oneself, can greatly affect a person's ability to perform.

In the Zhongnan Mountains at the end of the Song Dynasty, there were many hermits, including a Taoist named Wang, who lived in an extremely remote place. Not far from his door was a cliff with an iron chain suspension bridge. However, over time, three of the suspension bridge chains broke, leaving only the last one. If Wang wanted to go out, he had to take a detour of several miles.

One afternoon, several friends came to visit. Suddenly, they saw Wang get up, leave his thatched hut, and head straight for the edge of a cliff. Carrying a wooden bucket, he stepped onto an iron chain and traversed the sheer drop. A moment later, he returned with a bucket of spring water. His friends were amazed and full of admiration. Wang suddenly realized he had no recollection of what he had done. Looking down at the misty cliff below, he broke out in a cold sweat and dared not take another step forward.

Later investigations revealed that he was in a state of sleepwalking, neither fully awake nor fully asleep, with only one thought in his mind, which enabled him to avoid falling into danger.

This state of mind can be seen as touching the threshold of perfect concentration, but in an unclear state, one is only immersed in what one sees in one's mind and cannot perceive external things, which has many drawbacks.

There was also an ancient master archer who practiced his archery skills. He would take a copper coin, hang it under the eaves with a thin thread, dozens of steps away, and stare at it intently every day. He practiced until he could see the copper coin as large as a cartwheel at a glance and easily shoot it through the square hole. He could also hear all directions while shooting arrows and miss all kinds of unusual things.

Such a person can be considered to have truly entered the state of perfect concentration.

"The second level is when all things borrow power. Humans are mortals, no more than ten feet tall and no more than a few hundred pounds heavy."

In the vast universe, there are countless magnificent images and powerful things that surpass the human body. If one desires extraordinary power, one should use the power of external things to integrate them into oneself step by step, transforming the false into the real and the illusory into the substantial, ultimately creating one's own wondrous power.

The first level of the Mind-Intent Method can be attained even by ordinary people, but the second level requires a true spiritual machine to stimulate the brain and develop the mind, so that the true spiritual energy can be used as a medium to transform the void into real supernatural power.

Wind, forests, mountains, fires, guns, cannons, vehicles, ships, beasts, gods, and Buddhas can all be used as objects of influence.

"The third level is the Void Divine Interpretation. This level is like calculating the phenomena beyond the solar system before humans have even left the Earth and the Moon. It has theoretical support, but no practical verification. Only some speculations are recorded hereafter, and left for the future."

The detailed descriptions of these three levels and the various allegories only occupy the first ten pages of this notebook; the real value lies in the following fifty-plus pages.

The author then elaborates on how to pursue the states of single-minded concentration and the ability to leverage the power of all things, offering corresponding advice for different stages of life and different groups of practitioners.

Guan Luoyang pondered the book carefully, and by the time he finished reading it, it was almost dawn.

Old An came out of his room on the second floor and saw Guan Luoyang deep in thought in the living room. He didn't disturb him, quietly went to buy breakfast, and then went back to his room to handle his affairs.

Around nine o'clock, he heard noises in the living room and opened the door to come downstairs.

Guan Luoyang was eating breakfast when he looked up at him.

"I've already drafted a plan for the food delivery thing."

Old An sat down on the opposite sofa with the documents in his hand, and said with a hint of excitement, "I recently did some research and found that some restaurants and snack shops do offer delivery services, but surprisingly, there isn't a single one that doesn't own a shop and only offers delivery. If we switch to this industry, we might be the first to try it out."

Delivering food might seem ordinary, but after Lao An investigated carefully, he discovered that if run well, they could become the number one brand in the food delivery industry, making a fortune.

Of course, this is all predicated on effective publicity, diligent staffing, and agreed-upon salaries to prevent resentment and double-dealing. Furthermore, the plans in all aspects must be on track, making it a very challenging task.

Guan Luoyang ate his breakfast while listening to him roughly explain the plan. After signing several documents, he asked, "How's the other matter I asked you to investigate going?"

When this matter was mentioned, the joy on Old An's face vanished, and he said heavily, "I found out that Black Spider does indeed have a godfather who works for the Tao Zhu Group."

Guan Luoyang raised an eyebrow and asked, "The Tao Zhu Group?"

Although there are many gangs in the Xinma Port area, most of them are still small-scale operations, and their influence is limited to one or two neighborhoods.

There are only a few top-tier gangs that can truly influence the economies of Singapore and Malaysia; there are only four in total, and the Tao Zhu Group is one of them.

The group has grown to a semi-legal state, with many of its department heads having clean finances and frequently appearing in the media.

But in reality, those who were originally considered gang leaders are the ones who wield more power.

From the leader surnamed Fan down, there were nine people, whose early nicknames were the Five Tigers and Four Valiant Ones. Dugu Hao was one of the Four Valiant Ones.

"The entire Southwest Community is controlled by Tao Zhu Group and the Community Council. Not counting their ordinary employees, the number of modified martial artists alone has already exceeded one hundred."

Old An said worriedly, "President, the fact that you killed Dugu Hao must not be spread. Otherwise, you should just destroy the evidence."

Guan Luoyang said calmly, "What are you afraid of? I pushed the battle scene into the sea, and the body is in the basement. They won't be able to find out anything in the near future. As long as we don't give anything away, you can send a few trustworthy people to keep an eye on Xiao Jiang. Just say that I want to win over Professor Jiang and provide him with some protection."

Old An nodded: "Understood."

Guan Luoyang then said, "You will be in charge of recruiting new people for the time being. Give me your final approval. As for that bag of firearms, once you feel it's safe to do so, distribute them to them."

Old An asked in surprise, "Didn't we say we'd switch to a legitimate business later?"

Guan Luoyang chuckled: "Ha, what are you saying? In this godforsaken place like Singapore and Malaysia, I see people wearing helmets even when they go fishing. It's only because they're respectable people that they have to carry guns when they're delivering food."

It may not be necessary to use it, but when delivering food and moving around, it's sometimes useful to scare people a little.

"In addition, besides taking care of your business, also find out about the surrounding gangs and leave that to me."

"I probably won't be going out for the next two weeks. Unless it's a matter of life and death, don't disturb me."

After giving his final instructions, Guan Luoyang took the notebooks and went to the basement.

The corpses of those modified martial artists were all stored in boxes and piled up in a corner of the basement. Apart from that, the basement space was quite spacious and the ventilation system was very good.

A quiet environment is a good place to practice martial arts.

"Staying focused and unwavering..."

The temperature here was set to near zero degrees Celsius, and Guan Luoyang could see his own breath coming out when he spoke.

He slowly closed his eyes, sat down on the ground, and adjusted his state according to the method in his notes.

Chinese characters are profound and complex. The single character "定" (dìng) is worth pondering and reflecting upon repeatedly. "定" means stability, tranquility, composure, and relaxation.

Everything is unblemished on the mirror, like the moon reflected in water or dust.

Professor Jiang Si said that the outstanding young people he selected had little effect when practicing according to the methods described, and many of them had no effect at all.

That's because the most basic step—emptying your mind and eliminating distractions—is enough to stump 99% of people.

However, Guan Luoyang passed through this step as easily as if a thin cloud had been blown away.

He has a foundation in this area; the Boxer Rebellion's methods of spiritual hypnosis were originally a discipline that explored and mobilized people's spirit.

At least in the initial stages, maintaining a single-minded focus has many similarities with being hypnotized by God.

However, the potential of divine hypnosis is limited and it lacks artistry, while the practice of focusing the mind on one point has deeper, more extensive, and purer follow-up chapters in the notes.

Time passed second by second, and no one knew how much time had gone by. The electricity consumption maintained the low temperature in the basement.

Guan Luoyang's breathing became longer and longer; without any conscious effort, he had already entered a state of mastery of Qi cultivation.

After the initial calm, his mind gradually began to focus again, striving for purity, free from distractions and even strong ulterior motives, allowing his spirit to slowly concentrate.

Like ripples spreading out on the surface of water, they naturally undulate after reaching the boundary.

From the center of the waves, like a drop of clear dewdrop leaping from the water, it emerges from the surface.

Beneath his tightly closed eyelids, Guan Luoyang's eyes seemed to twitch slightly; this silent change gradually seeped into his brain from an indescribable place.

He first sensed the airflow in the basement and heard the dust in the air. Then, from the outside in, he recognized his clothes, his skin, and his flesh and blood.

The muscles throughout the body move almost imperceptibly, the blood flows audibly, the internal organs pulsate gently, and any disharmony in the body gradually fades away.

He is making adjustments to himself.

The sign of unwavering focus is introspection!

According to the description in the notes, ordinary people at this stage would feel their skin, flesh, filth, and bones from the outside in. However, there was something else in Guan Luoyang's body that did not belong to these things.

He saw the bronze-colored heat flow, which, though flowing slowly, already carried an incomparably fierce and ruthless aura.

He saw this heat flow growing spontaneously, but in the process of growing, it inevitably collided with, exploited, and harmed the flesh and blood in its path.

The damage was so minor that Guan Luoyang had never noticed it before. Only now, with the presence of Ding Nian Ru Yi, did he finally see it.

Subtle adjustments begin again, the power of intention touches the blue heat current, and the bluebird's vitality, which was once beyond subjective control, is gradually being refined.

With the harmonization of intentions, the distinct physical body and the Azure Bird's vital energy gradually became harmonious. The physical body carried the vital energy, and the vital energy stimulated the physical body, thus it began to plunder other beings with a more powerful posture.

The pale blue color on Guan Luoyang's fingernails faded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even the author of that notebook could not have imagined that the first level of concentration, which is only the foundation, could have a far greater effect of harmonization and absorption after encountering beings from other worlds.

Ten hours after entering the basement, Guan Luoyang had used up all of the Sun's Afterglow potion.

Less than a minute after the ninth dose of medicine was administered, Guan Luoyang involuntarily opened his eyes.

The body that was sitting quietly on the ground suddenly moved around the entire basement like a phantom.

Without a sound, Guan Luoyang returned to his original spot.

Without using the Azure Bird's Yuan Qi, his speed had already reached its previous fastest state. What's even stranger is that there wasn't a single sound of wind around him throughout the entire process.

Until Guan Luoyang carefully, attentively, and curiously, like a child playing with bubbles, raised his right palm, flicked it gently with his middle finger.

Boo!

Something seemed to be restrained in the air, but this finger strike shattered it.

A breeze surged from him and blew in all directions, and on the concrete ground, fine sand drifted, revealing eight footprints one after another.

Externally train muscles, bones, and skin; internally train breath control.

Mastering all four training methods!

(End of this chapter)