Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

After Lu Jin finished speaking, she looked at Li Chang'an and asked, "Any clues?"

"I've got it! Thank you for reminding me, Grandpa!"

Li Chang'an said that although he did not consciously think about "entering a state of complete absorption" when he was cultivating, he understood the benefits of entering this state.

Therefore, during his practice, these distracting thoughts would occasionally arise.

Whenever it appears, he tries to distract himself by chanting "Amitabha" or "Infinite Heavenly Venerable," but even if he manages to distract himself, it will reappear after a while.

Ultimately, the problem is that he didn't confront it; he kept trying to transform it and escape from it. When you avoid its appearance, in a way, that's also a form of response.

This time, he wanted to try it out. When the thought popped up, he neither tried to transform it nor suppressed it. Instead, he focused his attention on the thought and quietly watched it.

"It's good that you have a clue. By the way, Chang'an, speaking of which, Grandfather also entered a state of complete absorption in the world a few times, and even consulted your advisor."

"Your master told me that the secret to entering this state is to find the feeling of becoming an infant, returning to the womb, and returning to the innate state. Why don't you try to find that feeling?" Lu Jin suggested.

"Returning to the mother's womb and becoming an infant..." Li Chang'an said thoughtfully, "The state before an infant is primordial Qi, so an infant should also be considered a kind of primordial state."

"That's true," Lu Jin said. "Lao Tzu said in the Tao Te Ching, 'Concentrate your vital energy and attain gentleness, can you be like an infant?' This means that the state of an infant is the state in which vital energy flows most freely."

"Buddhism also says that 'being without mind is like being an infant.'"

The Confucian philosopher Mencius said, "A great man is one who does not lose his childlike heart," meaning that truly powerful people are those who retain a childlike heart.

"All three religions have this saying, so there must be some truth to it. Grandpa is old and can no longer imagine what it must have been like as an infant, but Chang'an, you are still young, so you can try to experience it."

"Grandpa, I'll think about it carefully next time I practice Qi circulation," Li Chang'an said.

"Well, you'll have to decide for yourself in this kind of situation."

Lu Jin fiddled with the alchemy furnace for a bit, then stood up and said, "For now, just keep the heat at this level. Come on, Chang'an, your grandfather will take you somewhere."

"Where?" Li Chang'an asked, puzzled.

Lu Jin smiled and said, "I arranged for people to set up the place the day you came to the Lu family. It was just set up yesterday."

As he spoke, he led Li Chang'an through the covered walkway, around the pond, through the moon gate, and all the way to the deepest backyard of the Lu family.

The backyard is not large. Outside the backyard is the mountain behind, which is lush and green. At the foot of the mountain are three caves side by side.

Lu Jin pointed to the leftmost cave and said, "That cave is mine, the one next to it is Lu Lin's, and the third one is yours, Chang'an."

"Isn't there a quiet room? Why go to the cave?" Li Chang'an asked, puzzled.

"A quiet room and a cave are different," Lu Jin said.

"Is there any difference?" Li Chang'an asked.

"Of course there's a difference. A quiet room is just a quiet space, but the knowledge within a cave is vast. Even the quietest room is an artificial construct. A cave, on the other hand, is naturally formed. Moreover, the location of a cave affects its overall effect. Chang'an, do you know anything about feng shui?"

"I've heard of it, but I don't know much about it." Li Chang'an realized, "Could caves be a kind of feng shui?"

"That's right," Lu Jin said. "Feng shui is actually about observing the structure of the terrain and the flow of qi, and making corresponding arrangements. The caves that Grandfather arranged are all located at the nodes of the qi flow, that is, the acupoints of the mountain range."

"When meditating in such a place, practitioners can more easily resonate with the energy field of the mountains and rivers, achieving the goal of comprehending the universe. Moreover, because it is located at the energy channel node, entering meditation here will directly confront the energy channel, which is also a kind of spiritual tempering."

"Therefore, after we, the members of the Trinity Sect, enter the sect, we will choose a cave in the back mountain as our dwelling."

"I usually practice in a quiet room, but if I need to go into seclusion or have any questions, I will come to the cave."

"So there are so many intricacies involved." Li Chang'an suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Master Zuo often went to the cave for seclusion in the plot, and that the old Taoist priests of Wudang also stayed in the cave for many years.

The two walked to the cave. The cave was not large, but it was quite deep. The cave walls were all bare rocks, uneven and without any trace of artificial polishing. It was just a pure hollow.

Looking at the dark cave, Li Chang'an said, "Grandpa, isn't this just like being locked in a dark room?"

Lu Jin nodded and said, "That's right. You can't see, you can't escape, no one is with you, and you don't know what will happen. That's what the dark room is for. But that's the effect we want. We want to use these things to temper your character. The more afraid you are of something, the more terrified you are, the more you have to face it."

"I understand, Grandfather," Li Chang'an said. "What I'm afraid of isn't my true self, but my external self. The more my external self fears, the more I should face it."

"That's right, that's it. When do you plan to give it a try?" Lu Jin asked.

"Now?"

"Kids are just too impatient. Let's eat first and then come."

Lu Jin took Li Chang'an out to eat.

Although the Lu family compound was large, there were not many people eating there. Most of the people at the tables were elderly people with gray hair and children under six years old.

Because the young and middle-aged men of the Lu family had to go out on business, the children would be sent to other sects to learn martial arts when they were five or six years old.

So those who remained in the compound were either retired elderly people or toddlers who hadn't yet reached the age for practicing Qi.

Lu Linglong is the leader of these children.

She wore two little pigtails and had rosy cheeks, playing with a group of little kids in the courtyard.

However, she never played games that girls liked, such as cat's cradle or house; she preferred games that boys played, such as wrestling and trifling.

Upon seeing Li Chang'an, her eyes lit up, and she ran over to grab his sleeve:

"Brother Chang'an, let's have a brawl!"

Li Chang'an was a few years older than her, so he had no intention of playing this game with her. He smiled, waved his hand, and walked around her.

After lunch, Li Chang'an and Lu Jin returned to the cave entrance.

Lu Jin pointed to a huge rock beside the cave entrance, wider than a person both horizontally and vertically, and said:

"To avoid being disturbed, this cave has a stone door. Once closed, very few people besides yourself can open it."

Li Chang'an looked at the huge rock. It was called a stone gate, but it was really just a big rock, without hinges or sliding rails, just sitting there on the ground.

"Grandpa, you call this a door?"

"As long as it works, there's no need to worry about such details," Lu Jin said, waving her hand.

"How do you use it? This must weigh at least several thousand pounds. You can't close it, and even if you do, you can't open it," Li Chang'an said.

"Who said it can't be turned off?"

With a thought, Lu Jin activated his Qi reversal state, his eyes bursting with white light. He bent down, gripped the bottom of the boulder with both hands, straightened his back, and actually lifted the boulder, which was wider than a person both horizontally and vertically.

"If you reach the first level of Reverse Life, wouldn't you be able to close it?"

Having said that, he put the boulder down.

The stone hit the ground with a muffled "bang," and the ground trembled slightly.

Looking at the giant rock, Li Chang'an gained a direct understanding of the Dragon-Tiger Mighty Force of the first level of Reverse Life for the first time.