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

"Good to know. As for your talent in 'Observation'..."

Lu Jin paused and said, "Grandpa is not very good at observing the Dharma. There are many things that Grandpa cannot see through or understand, so he cannot guide you in this regard."

"However, my grandfather knows a few people who are highly skilled in meditation. We can ask them to give you some guidance."

As she spoke, two figures involuntarily appeared in Lu Jin's mind.

One stands tall, overlooking the world.

One is striving to climb.

"Who is it?" Li Chang'an asked curiously.

"Don't worry about who it is yet, you'll find out later!"

Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "As for the pattern you observed, just be aware of it, but don't rely on it too much."

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

Lu Jin explained, "These are just strange and ingenious techniques. There were books written by predecessors in the past that regarded the Three Chariots Power as evil and heretical. Relying on this method to circulate Qi will only result in being neither high nor low. By the way, you should have read Journey to the West, right?"

Li Chang'an nodded: "I've seen it."

Lu Jin said, "I don't know if you remember, but there's a scene in the book where a cart that even five hundred monks couldn't pull was easily passed by the monkey in one go."

Li Chang'an recalled: "There was indeed such a scene in Chechi Kingdom."

Lu Jin nodded and said, "That's right. The monkey here is actually the mind monkey. What it means is that no matter how many strange and ingenious skills you have, it is not as good as the mind monkey's movement. Focusing on yourself and being firm is more useful than studying any skills. Seeking life within is endless, while seeking it without will not bring you anything."

“Although you succeeded in moving the Zhou Tian meridian on your first try, one success does not guarantee success every time. Try a few more times, but don’t use the force of three carts; use your inner strength to pull, and see if you can succeed,” Lu Jin said.

"Grandpa, I'll give it a try right now!"

Li Chang'an entered meditation again. This time, he was much bolder and his Qi circulation was much faster.

After the Qi traveled from his dantian to his coccyx, he stopped thinking about any techniques and focused all his attention on that Qi, pushing it forward with all his might.

At the start, he felt a subtle resistance, but with his full effort, this resistance was like gravel on the road, causing only a slight bump.

Soon, he rushed all the way to Jiaji Pass. He still did not use any special techniques, but continued to push forward with the same momentum. Then he rushed all the way to Yuzhen Pass, successfully entered Niwan Palace, transformed into jade liquid through Tianchi Acupoint, descended the twelve-story tower, passed through Jiang Palace, and landed in Qihai.

At this point, the small cycle of energy transfer was successfully completed. He opened his eyes and looked at Lu Jin: "Grandpa, I'm done."

"You didn't use the power of three carts?" Lu Jin asked.

"No techniques were used; it was simply the pure flow of Qi forward."

Lu Jin nodded, raised his hand to look at his watch. He had noted the time when Li Chang'an had just entered meditation.

He noticed that Li Chang'an's Qi circulation this time was three minutes faster than the first time, which made him somewhat uneasy. Shouldn't it be slower and more strenuous without using any techniques? Why was it faster?

"How do you feel about using three vehicles compared to using the same force?" Lu Jin asked.

"I feel more refreshed."

Li Chang'an was telling the truth. If the first time was about driving carefully, then the next two times were about speeding, so it was naturally more exhilarating.

"Good lad!" Lu Jin praised, "You have a strong will and a resolute mind!"

It's becoming more and more appealing to me.

"It's all thanks to Grandpa's excellent teaching!"

"Don't flatter me!" Lu Jin chuckled. "That won't work on the old master!"

Li Chang'an smiled too; he thought it was quite useful.

"Now that you've learned how to turn the river wheel, go and get some rest," Lu Jin said.

"Grandpa, I'm not tired!" Li Chang'an was in high spirits.

"Aren't you tired? You've been observing the natural circulation and circulating your Qi through the microcosmic orbit for over a day without rest. Cultivation is a gradual process, not something to be rushed. Don't ruin your health. Go, go and rest. Even if you don't rest, you can go and relax. Remember, you're not allowed to cultivate today. Cultivation is for tomorrow."

Lu Jin sent Li Chang'an to rest, not wanting to force him to grow too fast and ruin his promising future.

Chapter 9 Enlightenment

Li Chang'an walked out of the classroom and into the courtyard. Although he hadn't slept all night, he wasn't sleepy.

It felt like someone who had stayed up all night was suddenly wide awake at dawn, unable to fall back asleep. So he decided to take a walk in the yard to relax.

Just as I turned the corner of the corridor, I heard a baby crying.

Li Chang'an looked up and saw that his aunt was holding her several-month-old nephew and pacing back and forth in the corridor, patting and coaxing him, but the child just wouldn't listen and cried his heart out, his little face turning red.

"Auntie," Li Chang'an greeted her as he walked over.

His aunt looked up at him, a hint of surprise on her face: "Chang'an? What have you been doing all this time? I haven't seen you much."

Although Li Chang'an's family is known for its extraordinary individuals, not every member is one. This aunt is not, which is why the family didn't specifically tell her about Lu Jin teaching him cultivation.

"It's an old friend of my grandfather's who came to give me some extra lessons and teach me some things," Li Chang'an said without further explanation.

The aunt nodded. She knew a little about the world of supernatural beings, so she didn't ask any further questions.

Li Chang'an looked down at the baby in her arms. The child was crying loudly, his little fists were clenched tightly, his legs were kicking back and forth, and his voice was almost hoarse from crying.

"Auntie, can I hold you for a while?"

"Okay." The aunt smiled and handed the child over. "My arms are getting tired."

Li Chang'an took the baby.

Instead of shaking him, he squatted down a few times while holding the child.

The baby immediately stopped crying and looked at him with its wet eyes.

Li Chang'an sat down on a chair next to him, holding the child.

A huge dressing mirror stood in front of the chair. The frame was made of dark old wood and carved with lotus patterns, while the mirror surface was polished to a shine.

He placed the baby on his lap and played with him face to face.

A baby a few months old has an incomplete physical development, poor motor coordination, cannot hold things, and cannot walk steadily. Their physical experience is fragmented.

Li Chang'an reached out and poked the baby's cheek, and the baby opened his mouth and bit him.

Li Chang'an grabbed the baby's hand and poked it, and the baby bit his hand without hesitation.

Li Chang'an smiled, not at all surprised by the result.

Because infants do not yet have a fully developed sense of self, they sometimes cannot distinguish whether the hand in front of them is their own or someone else's, which can lead to situations where they bite themselves and cry while playing.

"You silly little thing." Li Chang'an gently pinched his nose, then lifted the baby high.

The baby giggled, its laughter clear and crisp, like a cheerful little bird.

Just then, the baby noticed a large mirror not far ahead and froze.

Because there was a tiny figure in the mirror that looked exactly like him.

The baby began to move its body, waving its arms and kicking its two short legs, looking at its reflection in the mirror one moment and then turning its head to look at the people in reality the next, as if repeatedly confirming something.

Then he made various movements, raising his hands, shaking his head, and sticking out his tongue. As he made these movements, the image in the mirror also moved.

When the baby noticed that his reflection in the mirror was moving with him, he paused for a moment, then giggled happily, his eyes curving into crescents.

Li Chang'an watched quietly. The baby couldn't speak, but he understood why the baby was happy.

Because the baby recognized that the tiny figure in the mirror was himself.

Li Chang'an suddenly realized that this was the first moment in human life when the self was formed.

But soon, he began to wonder, where did this sense of self come from?

Li Chang'an looked at the baby, then at the mirror, and realized that this self was built up through a mirror image, an external, illusory image.

In other words, when an infant first develops the concept of "self," it's actually a misunderstanding. He mistakes the phantom in the mirror for himself.

Is that right?

Li Chang'an thought about it carefully, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: if this is how babies develop self-awareness, then what about adults? What about himself?

If the principle here is the same, then am I just like the baby in front of me, never having left this mirror-image stage?

The only difference is that the baby is looking in a mirror, while the baby is looking in something else.

Li Chang'an recalled some things from his past life: a carefree childhood, then going to school step by step, working step by step after graduation, dealing with all sorts of interpersonal relationships, needing a car, a house, and getting married...

Aren't these various aspects of society just a mirror?

Babies need to see their reflection in a mirror imitating them to be sure that it is them.

He needs societal approval to be convinced that this is who he truly is.

What if you don't do those things? What if you don't work, don't socialize, don't buy a car, don't buy a house, and don't get married?

Most people would feel like they've failed, feel pain, and even feel that living is a calamity or torture.

Why is it so painful?

In the past, Li Chang'an would have thought that his suffering was because his life was too unsuccessful.

But now, he has a different answer: it's not because of failure, but because of a lack of recognition.

Just as when a baby moves, the reflection in the mirror doesn't move along with it, the "self" constructed from the outside cannot be established.

Thinking about this, Li Chang'an suddenly realized that when a baby looks in the mirror, it seems to be showing itself, but in fact it is constructing its self.

Similarly, after adulthood, every action we take in society is actually a way of building ourselves.

Whether it's reading, buying a house, buying a car, or going on blind dates, the essence is to repeat the actions of the infant mirror stage, projecting oneself into an image that society needs, and then recognizing that image as oneself.

But is this "self" truly oneself?

Li Chang'an shook his head. No, no, this isn't me. It's just an illusion, a projection onto society, a false version of myself.

This is not the person you truly want to be, but rather the person shaped by your external environment.

If one cannot become the person the environment molds them to be, they will feel sad and devastated, just like a baby raising its hand but the reflection in the mirror not raising its hand, causing the baby to cry.

So, what's really upsetting isn't bad exam results, not having bought a car, not having bought a house, or not having a girlfriend.

The essence of sadness is actually the lack of feedback and the failure of self-construction.

Thinking of this, Li Chang'an suddenly realized that even though he had lived two lives, he had never truly possessed a self; he had always taken the illusions in the eyes of others as his own.

The person you are now is not the real you; it is merely how others perceive you.

This is undoubtedly somewhat tragic. If the self is an illusion, then what's the difference between it and creating a character in a game?

What is real? What is the meaning of life? Li Chang'an, who has lived two lives, suddenly felt lost.

Chapter 10 Enlightenment

Li Chang'an was lost in thought. After pondering for a long time, he shook his head and shook off those bad thoughts.

He felt that although he realized his current self was an illusion, he could not deny everything and fall into nihilism.

On the contrary, we should see clearly how this illusion works, because only by seeing it clearly can we avoid being held hostage by it.

Why are so many people tired? Because they have to conform to the mirror image, becoming slaves to life, and that's why they're tired.

If you realize that the self is an illusion, then you no longer need to bind yourself to a mirror image, no longer need to exhaust yourself to maintain a persona in society, and no longer need to seek a sense of existence from external feedback.

Once you get rid of these things, you will undoubtedly be free.

But then Li Chang'an had another question: although he was free, if he no longer needed external mirrors to confirm his identity, how could he see himself?

Li Chang'an looked at the baby, who was still staring at the mirror, waving his little hands and feet.

Li Chang'an turned the mirror so that the baby couldn't see it.

The baby, who was playing happily, suddenly started crying.

Seeing this, Li Chang'an suddenly had his answer.

That is to accept your incompleteness and return to the stage of looking in the mirror.

When an infant looks in the mirror, their self-awareness is incomplete, and their bodily experience is fragmented.

This fragmented experience is the most authentic state. The mirror merely provides him with a complete illusion, an illusion that serves as a form of concealment.

True growth is not about forever chasing after that mirror image, but about having the courage to return to that broken reality, find your truest self, accept your truest self, preserve your natural instincts, protect the essence of life, and not let external things damage or implicate your physical form and nature.