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

Enlightenment and realization of one's true nature!

Guaranteed Authenticity!

These words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the fog in Li Chang'an's mind.

At the same time, without entering a meditative state, Li Chang'an's consciousness suddenly began to rise, and he began to gaze at himself from a third-person perspective.

Li Chang'an had experienced this perspective, similar to a near-death experience in a past life, many times before.

But this time, the perspective has changed somewhat.

It has become taller.

It has reached a height that transcends the limitations of body and soul.

The higher you stand, the farther you can see.

Previously, Li Chang'an could only see his external body and the flow of Qi within it, but he could not see the meridians and acupoints.

Now, in addition to Qi, he can see the meridians and acupoints inside his body, and he can even see his own soul and the various chaotic thoughts within it.

Some of these thoughts were what he was thinking, while others, though he wasn't thinking about them, were constantly swirling in his mind.

At that moment, Li Chang'an noticed that the baby on his lap was about to fall off his legs because he was no longer supporting the baby.

With a thought, his consciousness returned instantly, and he grabbed the baby, picked him up, and handed him to his aunt.

"Auntie, I'm a little tired and want to go back to rest."

The aunt quickly took the child and said with a smile, "Go on, go on!"

Li Chang'an entered the room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and recalled his previous state.

"My grandfather said I have a talent for 'observation,' and what I just saw was a kind of observation."

Thinking of what he had learned from looking in the mirror earlier, Li Chang'an got a mirror, placed it by his bedside, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Gradually, he found that the image in the mirror was becoming less and less like himself, and more and more unfamiliar.

He had experienced this feeling before, and many others had too.

At this point, many people will be afraid and will stop looking in the mirror.

However, Li Chang'an had lived two lives, experienced all aspects of the mortal world, and overcome life-and-death challenges, witnessing the great terror between life and death. Now that he had embarked on cultivation and gained a clearer understanding of himself, he was naturally not frightened by such a scene.

He continued to stare at the mirror, trying to see the difference between his reflection and the image he had seen during his earlier epiphany.

After watching for a long time.

Is this really me?

Li Chang'an rubbed his temples, realizing that looking at himself in the mirror was actually quite a mentally taxing task.

Then, his head lolled to the side, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Li Chang'an woke up on time.

In the past, he would practice standing meditation for a while before eating. But now that he has a new method, he no longer practices standing meditation, but instead sits on the bed and circulates energy through the body.

Grandpa said that cultivation was not allowed yesterday, but he didn't say it wasn't allowed today.

After entering a meditative state, Li Chang'an returned to his previous state, his consciousness suspended in mid-air, examining himself from a higher perspective. The flow of Qi, the trajectory of the meridians, the depth of the acupoints, and the fluctuations of thoughts in his soul were all clearly visible.

"You've maintained that form from yesterday!"

Li Chang'an muttered to himself, looking down at himself, pondering what benefits this improved state would bring him.

"Um……"

"We can't intervene in the body's meridians and acupoints for the time being, but we can deal with the distracting thoughts in our minds."

Li Chang'an began to try to eliminate distracting thoughts, but the more he tried, the more distracting thoughts he had. He tried several times.

He came up with a solution: he could suppress his distracting thoughts by diverting his attention.

With fewer distracting thoughts, he became even more tranquil.

As the level of stillness increases, the speed of Qi circulation naturally increases as well.

Previously, it took almost 15 minutes to complete a small circulation, but in this state, the speed has doubled, and a small circulation can be completed in about seven minutes.

Li Chang'an also noticed that after each small cycle of Qi was completed, part of the refined Qi would remain in the Dantian, while another part would flow to the nearest acupoint.

"Practicing Qi will strengthen oneself, which should be a very normal phenomenon!"

Compared to this, Li Chang'an was more concerned about the increased speed of Qi circulation brought about by this state.

"It's doubled! That's outrageous!"

He couldn't help but wonder how he had gained this higher perspective. Was it because of his previous epiphany? Or was it still due to his time travel...?

He thought this way because he felt that this state was very similar to his state after death in his previous life.

If the previous state where only Qi could be seen was the state of being on the verge of death.

The current state, where one can even see their own thoughts, is the state seven days after death.

Li Chang'an's time travel wasn't a matter of closing his eyes on one side and opening them on the other.

He experienced a complete transition between life and death.

This transition period is 49 days.

During those forty-nine days, he experienced seven changes, and he also saw his family burning incense for him on the seventh day after his death, the second seven days after his death, the third seven days after his death, and so on until the seventh seven days after his death.

He spent those forty-nine days in a dull, dazed state, as if in a dream, his memories jumbled and disorganized.

After pondering for a moment, Li Chang'an concluded that perhaps all of these possibilities existed. He did not dwell on the matter excessively, but instead suppressed the distracting thoughts that arose in his mind and focused on circulating his Qi.

Chapter 11: The State of the Underworld

After moving the celestial bodies for an hour, Li Chang'an got up and went out. He ate breakfast and, as usual, went to the study to read.

This time, instead of looking for various cultivation manuals, he wanted to figure out what had happened in his previous state.

He has tried it several times and found that as soon as he enters a meditative state, he can see his own soul and thoughts.

It can be said that this situation has stabilized.

After flipping through several books, Li Chang'an came across a statement in a Buddhist esoteric text.

That is, after a person dies, there is a certain chance that they will transform into the intermediate state (bardo).

Why is it called the intermediate state (bardo)? Because it is a state between life and death, neither yin nor yang, hence the name intermediate state.

The book says that the intermediate state (bardo) is not easily attained; it is not something that extremely virtuous people, extremely wicked people, or spiritual practitioners can possess. Only those in the middle have the potential to become intermediate beings.

The intermediate state being possesses supernatural powers, somewhat similar to the Alaya consciousness. It can ignore space and, as long as it thinks of its loved ones, can immediately go to their side. It can also sense the thoughts in its loved ones' minds and their longing for it...

The book describes it as having unimpeded movement, freedom of movement, keen senses, knowing others' thoughts, arriving at their destination at will, and manifesting without limit.

However, the state of the intermediate state is not stable. Generally speaking, there is only a brief period of consciousness every seven days, and the rest of the time one is submerged in a state of unconsciousness.

Li Chang'an had experienced this before. It was like changing scenes in a dream, which could change in an instant. However, he could not touch his relatives, and his relatives could not hear what he said. He had a dreamlike and hazy feeling.

The book only briefly mentions the intermediate state (bardo) and doesn't describe it in much detail, but Li Chang'an noticed one sentence.

It says that when a person dies, all thoughts are empty, and it is easiest to realize one's true nature at the moment of death, while the intermediate state (bardo) is the easiest time to attain enlightenment.

Li Chang'an felt that the state he experienced when he entered meditation was somewhat similar to the intermediate state (bardo).

However, this intermediate state is firmly attached to oneself and cannot be transferred to other places in an instant; one can only perceive one's own state.

In short, all the supernatural powers of this intermediate state can only be used on oneself.

Li Chang'an put down the book and searched the bookshelf for a while, trying to find more records about the intermediate state of being, but the Li family was not a Buddhist family after all, and they had very few collections in this area.

Looking at the time, Li Chang'an realized it was time for class, so he left the study and went to the classroom.

Lu Jin had already arrived at the classroom ahead of everyone else.

"Good morning, sir!" Li Chang'an greeted him.

"How did you sleep yesterday?" Lu Jin asked with a smile. "Were you so excited that you couldn't sleep all night?"

He remembered the time when he first learned to spin the sleigh wheel; he was exhausted, yet too excited to sleep. How nostalgic! That was almost ninety years ago.

"I rested well yesterday and have fully recovered," Li Chang'an said with a smile.

"Have you been secretly cultivating?" Lu Jin asked again.

"No!" Li Chang'an shook his head: "I was cultivating openly and honestly this morning!"

"Didn't I tell you not to cultivate and to rest properly?" Lu Jin pretended to be angry.

"Grandpa said that cultivation was not allowed yesterday, but he didn't say it wasn't allowed today."

"Haha, you're quite the sly one!" Lu Jin laughed. "How was your Qi circulation this morning?"

"Very smooth!"

"In that case, maintain your current state and strive to complete the Hundred Days Foundation Building as soon as possible. After the Hundred Days Foundation Building, your great-grandfather will teach you new things."

"Grandpa, does 'Hundred Days Foundation Building' mean practicing Qi for one hundred days?"

For the past month, Li Chang'an had mostly studied physical knowledge, and the materials he read after class were also related to that.

As for knowledge about cultivation, much of it requires oral transmission and hands-on practice; it's not something you can learn just by reading a lot. Therefore, Li Chang'an didn't spend too much time on it.

Lu Jin explained, "The Hundred-Day Foundation Building does not mean practicing Qi for a hundred days, but rather it refers to circulating Qi throughout the body, filling every acupoint in the limbs and bones with Qi."

"The reason for foundation building is that the primordial energy manifests in the limbs and bones. Every moment and every action of a person while alive consumes the primordial energy."

"After filling the limbs and bones with the true qi transformed through refining essence into qi, every movement consumes more of the acquired true qi."

"Although the natural loss of one's innate vital energy is still inevitable, this method can preserve it to the greatest extent possible and slow down its loss."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an suddenly understood. No wonder most extraordinary people with high cultivation levels live long lives; they rely on this skill of preserving their innate Qi.

Lu Jin continued, "The tempering of one's nature and destiny is like steel being forged through a hundred refinements. It is a process that can damage oneself. If the foundation is not solid, one's foundation will inevitably be damaged during the tempering process, which will create hidden dangers for the future. Therefore, the foundation building process cannot be taken lightly. Only after the foundation building is completed can the next step of tempering be carried out."

"Grandpa, I'll be careful!"

After Li Chang'an finished speaking, recalling his previous feelings, he added, "Speaking of filling all the acupoints in the body, I think I have that feeling. When a full cycle is completed, not only the dantian, but other parts of the body are also getting warm."

Lu Jin nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, that's the feeling. There are 365 major acupoints in the human body. In the I Ching, nine is the largest number, and nine represents returning to the true nature. Therefore, each acupoint in the human body should be filled with nine mouthfuls of true qi. Once all the major acupoints in the human body are filled, then the foundation building is complete."

"If you work hard, it will take about a hundred days, hence the name 'Hundred Days Foundation Building.' Little Chang'an, your grandpa's next test for you is to complete the Foundation Building within one hundred days."

"If it's one hundred days..." Li Chang'an calculated quickly in his mind and blurted out:

"Three hundred and sixty-five times nine is three thousand two hundred and eighty-five breaths of true qi. There are twelve two-hour periods in a day, and each two-hour period is eight quarters of an hour. Two breaths of true qi can be generated every quarter of an hour. If you don't sleep or rest, you can cultivate one hundred and ninety-two breaths a day. According to this calculation, it will take a little over seventeen days to complete the foundation building."

Li Chang'an continued, "But you can't calculate it like that. People need to eat and sleep, and it's impossible to do it without interruption. If you cultivate for twelve hours a day, it would take about thirty-four days."

"If it's twelve hours, then basically all the time except for eating and sleeping would be spent on cultivation. But I have other things to do, such as reading and practicing swordsmanship. If I only cultivate for six hours a day, then it would take about sixty-nine days."

"However..."

Li Chang'an looked at Lu Jin and asked his soul-searching question: "Grandpa, isn't it a bit too lax to only cultivate for six hours a day, which is three hours?"

After all, even the most relaxed jobs these days still require eight hours a day!

After asking the question, Li Chang'an noticed that Lu Jin did not reply, but instead looked at him with a strange expression.

Chapter 12 Identifying the True Self

"Grandpa, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Who told you to calculate it this way?"

"I followed your instructions!"

"I said it?"

Lu Jin pointed to himself and said softly, "Did I say that I could complete two cycles in a quarter of an hour? The normal speed of qi circulation is one cycle in a quarter of an hour, which theoretically can generate ninety-six breaths of true qi."

"But practicing for twelve hours straight is impossible, because cultivation is also a mentally taxing activity that requires rest and some daily chores."

"Therefore, if you cultivate for four to six hours every day, it will take more than ninety days, which rounds up to one hundred days, hence the name 'One Hundred Days Foundation Building'."

After saying that, Lu Jin asked Li Chang'an, "You said you can circulate your Qi twice in a quarter of an hour. Did you miscalculate, or... are you using a Qi circulation technique similar to the Three-Cart Force?"

After spending some time together, Lu Jin had come to know Li Chang'an better. He was a smart and precocious child who would never talk nonsense about such things.