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

Because within the "god" that constitutes "sex," there is not only the pure self, but also a false self created by the outside world.

Even the Three Corpse Gods born from one's destiny are considered part of the "gods".

In the words of the Quanzhen School, this is the difference between the "original spirit" and the "conscious spirit".

You may be cultivating your essence, energy, and spirit, but how do you know if you are cultivating your primordial spirit or your conscious mind?

If you're trying to cultivate your consciousness, isn't that a waste of effort?

If you don't understand your own mind and nature, and don't deliberately seek out that primordial spirit, unless you are born with a pure heart unaffected by external influences, what you cultivate will be 100% the consciousness spirit.

Of course, we shouldn't underestimate the power of consciousness. Both consciousness and primordial spirit are gods, and both can govern essence, energy, and spirit.

But the difference between them is somewhat similar to one strengthening itself and the other forging armor.

No matter how strong your armor is, once you take it off, you're completely naked.

Moreover, there is a drawback to this, namely that the consciousness is created from the outside world.

It is illusory, without roots, and arises from nothing.

Trying to build something tall without roots is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Therefore, most practitioners of both physical and spiritual cultivation in this world do not achieve great success, and they are no match for those who practice magic techniques.

The reason for this is not that magic is really that powerful.

Rather, they are engaging in a false practice of cultivating both body and spirit.

If it is true cultivation of both body and soul.

Even if it's just a slight difference in cultivation level.

That's incredibly high.

Just like Feng Baobao's father, Wugensheng, he didn't cultivate any acquired skills, but simply realized that humans and gods are fond of clarity and that people's hearts are fond of tranquility, and he achieved such success.

Then there's the stat-boosting Old Master, who deals high damage with both his left and right hands.

"Therefore, the important thing about cultivating both body and mind is not to bury yourself in refining your essence, energy and spirit, but to first confirm whether the spirit you are refining is the primordial spirit. If you cannot refine the primordial spirit, then you might as well cultivate magic."

Thinking of this, Li Chang'an recalled the words spoken by Lü Zu.

"To cultivate only one's nature and not one's destiny is the first ailment in cultivation. To cultivate only one's ancestral nature and not one's elixir will make it difficult for one's spirit to attain sainthood even after countless eons."

“Cultivating only one’s nature without cultivating one’s destiny is a serious problem in spiritual practice.”

"If you only cultivate your life force and not your nature, does that mean it doesn't even count as cultivation, but just martial arts practice?"

Li Chang'an thought of Wugensheng again.

Does one cultivate without roots, or not?

Judging from his muscular physique, he is most likely a cultivator.

However, he has stated more than once that he has never practiced any acquired cultivation methods, meaning that he has never practiced alchemy.

“If one only cultivates ancestral nature and not elixir, then Wugensheng is the eternal Yin spirit that Lu Zu spoke of!” Li Chang’an thought to himself.

Then he remembered something else. Wugensheng once said that he learned all his skills from the saying, "Humans and gods love clarity, and people love tranquility."

Li Chang'an remembered that this phrase came from Lao Tzu's "Qingjing Jing" (Classic of Purity and Tranquility).

The original text reads: "Human spirit loves purity, but the mind disturbs it; human heart loves tranquility, but desires pull it away. If one can constantly dispel desires, the mind will naturally be tranquil; if one can purify the mind, the spirit will naturally be pure; naturally, the six desires will not arise, and the three poisons will be eliminated."

It means that by controlling external desires, the mind becomes calm, and the spirit gradually becomes clear. Therefore, the six desires do not arise, and the three poisons are completely eliminated.

"That big mouth... no, I should say the generous old master was right. Our ancestors really did leave behind a lot of good things. We must learn these things!"

Li Chang'an pondered for a moment and realized that his way of cultivating himself—rejecting external shaping, feeling the touch of his heart, and seeking his true self—was exactly what this saying meant.

"In that case, when I am refining my life force, I can't always think about how fast I can circulate my Qi, how many cycles I can complete, or how to improve efficiency."

"What I should strive for is the tranquility I achieve once I enter that state."

With this in mind, Li Chang'an began circulating his Qi again.

This time, he did not focus on the circulation of Qi itself.

All his adjustments were no longer to make the flow of Qi faster and smoother, but to make himself more tranquil.

Gradually, he stopped thinking and entered a state of complete absorption in the world around him.

He was awakened from this state the next morning when the roosters crowed outside.

When I opened my eyes, it was already getting light.

Because I haven't been consciously practicing Qi circulation.

Therefore, Li Chang'an was also unaware of how many cycles of the heavens had been completed last night.

However, when he looked inward, he discovered that the circulation of Qi this time had expanded slightly outward from the original microcosmic orbit.

Li Chang'an immediately remembered the old celestial master's words: do not think about the golden light, but focus on your life force. Once your life force is strong, the golden light will naturally become stronger.

"Doesn't this match up?!"

Li Chang'an couldn't help but be delighted: "So, even if we don't deliberately try to break through to the first level of Reverse Life, as long as we maintain this state, we can naturally reach the first level of Reverse Life."

But soon, he noticed the various thoughts swirling in his mind, and he quickly calmed himself down and smoothed them out one by one.

The human heart desires tranquility, and the spirit desires clarity; one must not let one's mind wander.

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard.

Li Chang'an went to open the door and found that a servant from the Lu family had come to deliver the meal.

He thanked them, took the food box back to his room, and then handed back the food box that was left over from yesterday.

The maid took the food box and, finding it clean, immediately smiled and said:

"Young Master Li, you're too kind. You can leave this to us."

"It's something that's easy to do, no trouble at all."

Li Chang'an smiled, turned around and went back into the house.

The Lu family's meals were very simple, consisting of three dishes and a soup. The soup contained many medicinal herbs, making it look very refined and elaborate, but it didn't taste very good.

However, Li Chang'an was able to fully appreciate the deliciousness of the food. He ate slowly and gracefully, finishing each bite of the meal without leaving a single drop of soup.

Then, as agreed yesterday, he went to Lu Jin's courtyard and knocked on the gate.

"Come in!"

Lu Jin's voice came from inside.

Li Chang'an pushed open the door and entered.

Lu Jin was standing in the study, staring at a newly written banner on the table.

Seeing Li Chang'an enter, Lu Jin nodded and smiled:

"Chang'an, come and see what you think of the poem your grandfather wrote?"

Chapter 34 Shock

Li Chang'an glanced at it and saw that it was Wang Yangming's "Writing My Thoughts After Waking Up".

As spring awakens from its slumber, the river sun shines brightly; the river clouds have all flown away, leaving the Chu mountains green.

Leisurely observing the state of things reveals their vitality; quietly comprehending the secrets of heaven leads to profound understanding.

The Way is found in both danger and ease, and joy is found wherever one goes; when the mind forgets, fish and birds naturally follow their forms.

There's no need to seek the stories of the ancient sages, just listen to the melody of the waves crashing against the ground.

"What a fine poem, what beautiful calligraphy!" Li Chang'an exclaimed.

Lu Jin smiled slightly: "The calligraphy is nothing special, but the poem is good. Chang'an, do you know what makes this poem so good?"

Li Chang'an thought for a while and said, "The beauty of Wang Yangming's poem lies in the words 'leisure' and 'stillness.' Only when the mind is 'leisurely' and 'still' can one forget oneself and the world and comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth."

And that was exactly what he realized last night.

Lu Jin nodded approvingly and said, "Chang'an, you have good comprehension. However, in self-cultivation and learning, in investigating things and acquiring knowledge, it is not only necessary to understand the principles, but more importantly, to truly reach that state. If one can truly forget oneself and the world, that will undoubtedly be very beneficial to cultivation."

"Grandpa is right, this state is indeed beneficial for cultivation."

"Look at what you're saying, have you actually experienced this?" Lu Jin asked casually.

Li Chang'an nodded: "Yes, I just got into that state last night."

Lu Jin's smile froze on his face. He stared at Li Chang'an for several seconds, as if he hadn't heard clearly.

"What did you say? You said you entered a state of complete absorption in your meditation last night?"

"That's right!"

Li Chang'an nodded.

Lu Jin's hands trembled slightly. He put the brush back on the brush holder, turned around and stared at Li Chang'an, not knowing what to say for a moment.

The state of forgetting oneself and the external world is something that all those who cultivate themselves know the true value of.

This is not a state you can enter at will; only those with extremely high levels of meditation skills can enter this state.

Moreover, it's not 100% certain, only a possibility. This state is rare and hard to come by; many practitioners may never enter it in their entire lives.

Once you enter this state, there's no need for deliberate guidance; the Qi within your body knows where to go on its own, and it moves extremely quickly.

The effort put in one night is equivalent to several months of hard work by an ordinary person.

But that's not the most crucial point.

Most importantly, in this state, it is easy to perceive some extremely profound truths.

Things that you can't understand no matter how hard you try will flow in like water.

When he was young, he also experienced a state of complete absorption in the world, which is why he entered the second realm at a young age and surpassed his senior brothers Shuiyun and Changqing, who were nearly twenty years older than him at the time.

However, after the incident at Sanyi Gate, he never entered that state again.

Not even once.

And now, his newly accepted disciple is telling him that he entered this state of cultivation last night.

Lu Jin took a deep breath: "Chang'an, how did you get in? Did you sense any opportunity?"

He understood how difficult this was, so he wanted to preserve this opportunity.

Li Chang'an thought for a moment and said, "Yesterday I was reading the Qingjing Jing (Classic of Purity and Tranquility), and there was a sentence in it: 'The human spirit loves purity, and the human heart loves tranquility.' I was quite moved by it, so I tried to calm my heart and calm my spirit. Then I entered that state."

Lu Jin was dumbfounded after hearing this: "It's that simple?"

"Yes, it's that simple."

Li Chang'an nodded. He didn't intend to talk about the intermediate state between death and rebirth.

Lu Jin remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"Knowing is easy, doing is hard, knowing is easy, doing is hard indeed. So many people have read the Qingjing Jing until it's worn out and still haven't gained anything. Yet you, with just a feeling in your heart, can forget yourself and the world. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared, the younger generation is to be feared indeed."

Lu Jin could only sigh that the gap between people is sometimes greater than the gap between people and dogs.

He composed himself and asked again, "In a state of complete absorption, what specific feelings do you have?"

Li Chang'an thought for a moment and said, "I didn't feel anything. I just felt that when my mind calmed down, all kinds of thoughts fell away, and I naturally entered that state."

Lu Jin nodded in agreement: "That's right. If you forget yourself and the world around you, you naturally won't have any feelings."

He paused, his eyes becoming fervent:

"So what did you gain?"

Li Chang'an said, "When I ended this state, I found that the Qi in my body, without my control, had added a section of Qi circulation trajectory on the basis of the original microcosmic orbit."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin leaned forward abruptly.

"Where do these Qi circulation paths lead?"

"The belt meridian encircles the waist and returns to the gate of life!" Li Chang'an said, gesturing with his fingers on his body.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin's eyes widened, and she grabbed Li Chang'an's shoulders with both hands, so forcefully that Li Chang'an took half a step back.

His voice trembled: "The belt meridian winds around the waist and returns to the gate of life, that's right, that's right! This is part of the Qi circulation trajectory for constructing the first major cycle of reverse life!"