The night has not yet reached the hour of the son.
At the top of Daming Mountain, inside the Taoist temple, Chen Yun is sitting cross-legged on a wooden bed, reading "Tao Te Ching Annotation".
The "Tao Te Ching Annotation" is a commentary on Laozi's "Moral Scriptures", which is a profound practice that has deep philosophical insight. It was also regarded as a philosophical work in later times.
"In modern society, the 'Tao Te Ching Annotation' has long been lost, and it is not recorded in the 'Sui Shu: Ji Zi Zhi' (Book of Sui Dynasty) or the New and Old 'Tang Shu' (Books of Tang Dynasty), nor is it included in the 'Dao Canon'."
Chen Yun recalls information about his previous life, "In the late Qing Dynasty, ancient manuscripts discovered in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang included a partial edition of 'Tao Te Ching Annotation'. The full text contains 580 lines. The comments and the scriptures were written together without distinguishing between large and small characters, nor did they have chapter sections or separate lines for new chapters. It has been determined that it is a manuscript from the Six Dynasties period. This fragment was stolen in 1905 and later housed in the British Museum."
Chen Yun was extremely delighted in his heart, as he hadn't expected to have the privilege of seeing the original "Tao Te Ching Annotation" by Zhang Daoling.
He opened the book.
The first page displays an overview: Adhering to the teachings of Daoism, accumulating achievements in success, accumulating essence into spirit, becoming immortal and achieving longevity. This is to be treasured as one's own treasure.
Below is a subtitle: The essence condenses into spirit; to make the spirit eternal, one should condense the essence and preserve it.
Chen Yun looked at it for a moment, thinking deeply, "It's not surprising that Zhao Gongming understood the 'accumulating essence into spirit' to achieve immortality. It seems to be a continuation of Zhang Tiansheng's great method."
He continued to flip through the book, still murmuring to himself, "Then the people will not argue, nor will they steal. 'Not seeing what is desirable, and making the heart not confused', do not desire to see it, such as not seeing it. Do not allow your mind to be stirred. If you move yourself, warn yourself that the way goes away and returns. If your mind is chaotic, the way has gone away. 'The sage governs, enlightens his heart, and fills his belly', the heart is a ruler, it has good and evil within. The abdomen is the bag of Dao; one's qi always wants to be full. The heart is for evil; if Dao goes away, the bag becomes empty. An empty bag is like entering a tomb; it kills people..."
This piece appears to be philosophical, but in fact, it contains the principles of cultivation.
For example, "Weakening the will, strengthening the bones." The will depends on the heart, which has good or evil intentions. The bones depend on the abdomen and the qi. Strengthening one's will is evil, causing qi to leave and bones to wither. Weakening one's evil will makes qi return and fills the marrow.
This sentence is actually writing the cultivation method, borrowing "will" to explain the practice method, and when qi returns, the marrow will be full.
Chen Yun realized this at a glance, "The opening explains the wonderful method of accumulating essence and refining the body, which can be summarized as qi returning to the body, filling the marrow, making one's bones strong and robust, and strengthening the physical body."
Of course, because this is a method, to obtain the cultivation's "technique," one needs to carefully perceive it oneself.
Because understanding the "truth" makes it easier to comprehend the technique.
Chen Yun was surprised to find that the brief sentence at the beginning of the text was actually a cultivation method, showing the profound Taoist teachings of Zhang Tiansheng.
He read on with rapt attention.
Soon, Chen Yun finished reading the whole piece.
Although many parts were not clear to him, Chen Yun could roughly deduce that this "Tao Te Ching Annotation" achieved the way of becoming immortal through three paths.
They are: adhering to the precepts, refining the body, and ingesting Qi.
Each path of cultivation can lead to immortality and transformation into an immortal being.
After reading it, he couldn't help but exclaim, "This grand law contains many smaller laws within it, such as transformation, fate and so on. Especially this fate is the force of the heavens and earth, which can make the magic display its powerful abilities in geometric multiples."
At this moment, Chen Yun finally understood why his master had made him comprehend the principles of fate.
Ordinary people often use magic to transform natural forces into a certain level of power through their own abilities, such as fire, water, thunder, and so on.
The fate is a bit different, it pays more attention to the combination with nature.
Firstly, one must sense the existence of all "elements" in nature, and then move these elements to unleash boundless power.
"If I sense the 'element' of water, then in the midst of the sea, I can display a power far exceeding my own strength by several times or even dozens of times."
Chen Yun continued to research, thinking silently: "If I'm under the thunderclouds and using the heavenly lightning above, the power of the thunder magic will be particularly terrifying."
Why would that be the case?
Because this is taking advantage of the might of the heavens and the earth!
It has to be said that the power of fate is boundless.
The most important thing, the incredible power of fate is just a small part of its magic.
It's not hard to imagine how the power of the practitioner would soar once they can fully understand the entire text of the "Tao Te Ching Annotation".
"The room techniques in this 'Tao Te Ching Annotation' are also very exquisite. If it falls into the hands of someone with unscrupulous intentions, they might come up with some extremely evil collection techniques," Chen Yun pondered to himself. "As a Taoist master, I would surely understand techniques that are beneficial to both parties. Men and women represent yin and yang. To some extent, practicing together can not only complement each other but also speed up the pace of cultivation."
This is quite different from inner alchemical techniques.
Inner alchemy emphasizes cultivating the 'holy fetus' through the gradual interaction and nourishment of the 'married couple' within the body.
After reading the "Xiang'er Annotation" for a while, Chen Yun felt that he had gained something. Although he had not yet grasped the techniques, which are not easy to figure out, this has greatly helped his cultivation. To some extent, it can perfect his inner alchemy practice.
Chen Yun looked outside and noticed that the sky was getting close to the time of the zi.
"It's time to practice cultivation."
He put the book away in the storage ring.
The medicine power within his body has not yet been born, and Chen Yun took the opportunity to ponder over other matters. "This cave's Taoist temple is the one that my master obtained on my behalf from Zhang Tiansheng, the Zao Master. In the future, if I can become immortal one day, I will not need to find another Taoist temple like others do. Instead, I can practice directly here."
Having one's own place for cultivation is something that any cultivator would be delighted about.
A good piece of prime land is even more beneficial to cultivators in their practice.
The cave on the top of Daming Mountain not only boasts extremely beautiful scenery but also contains spiritual qi from the heavens and earth, allowing one to cultivate with double results.
Just as he was thinking, the medicine power emerged.
Chen Yun quickly eliminated all distractions and focused his mind, allowing the medicine power to flow through him. Although this was not self-cultivation, being able to perceive it allowed him to gain experience, which was beneficial for his practice.
The medicine power transformed into a large amount of essence once it entered Chen Yun's spleen.
The essence and Qi then split into two streams, emerging from the left and right Taiyang meridians and ascending all the way to the roots of the molars, passing through the Taiyang points, and entering the Naiyuan Palace.
Then, the Qi flowed into the Naiyuan Palace and entered the brain, and gradually descended to the twelve circles of the Dantian, passed through the Jiajia, and reached the tail vertebrae before entering the heart and merging with the Dǎnzhèn.
Soon, Chen Yun felt a slight bitterness in his mouth, and copious amounts of Golden Fluid and Jade Fluid appeared, transforming into dew.
After swallowing, he felt warmth in his chest.
This is a sign of true Qi flowing downward.
When true Qi flows downward, Chen Yun gradually feels that his form is enlarged and his spirit is lively. The sun, moon, mountains, and rivers are all within him. He feels as if he is standing up straight with the sky and the earth supporting him. His hands and feet are unaware of their whereabouts.
At the same time, that unnamed "god" within him once again briefly left its body.
In the next second, the "god" returned to his body.
Like usual, Chen Yun "saw" a block of light in his heart, round and round, and suddenly fell.
A massive amount of true Qi swirled for a moment, then settled and lurked in the dantian.
"Observe the amount of my true Qi, which is getting closer to the mid-seventh level. Perhaps I can reach it today."
The fleeting thought of distraction passed, and he immersed himself fully in cultivation again.
A small circulation of the celestial cycle.
Three small circulations of the celestial cycle.
Slowly, an hour has passed, and nine small cycles of the celestial cycle have been completed.
Chen Yun did not open his eyes immediately but instead organized his spirit. Only when he felt the Qi returning to his four limbs and his hands and feet had returned to normal did he slowly open his eyes.
Chen Yun checked his true Qi and found that it had increased a lot.
Since the true Qi of a lower-level sorcerer does not undergo qualitative transformation, it is impossible to directly determine whether one has reached the mid-stage of the seventh-level sorcerer.
Chen Yun activated the Qi Observation Technique to check the degree of his spiritual radiance, and found that it was more intense than before. He knew that he had entered the mid-stage of the seventh-level sorcerer.
"Unbeknownst to me, I have already reached the mid-stage of the seventh-level sorcerer."
He couldn't help but feel happy, but at the same time, he felt a slight sigh in his heart.
The increase in the amount of true Qi is not only able to enhance one's combat power but more importantly, the more true Qi there is, the longer one's lifespan becomes.
For example, after refining the Golden Pill, one's lifespan can be up to 10,800 years.
Of course, without refining the Golden Pill, one's lifespan cannot be that long.
According to Chen Yun's knowledge, lower-level practitioners of internal alchemy can easily live for one or two hundred years, rarely exceeding three hundred years. If it is a middle-level practitioner, their lifespan can be up to five hundred years. If it is an upper-level practitioner, they are even more remarkable and living for several hundred years is not difficult. High-grade practitioners can live up to a thousand years, while the level of the sect leader is not easy to say. The rumors suggest that they can at least live for three thousand years, and some even live for four or five thousand years.
"Ordinary people who cultivate and produce true Qi can easily live for a hundred years, even if they have not reached the level of a lower-grade practitioner. The internal alchemy is truly a great method of both life and spirit cultivation."
He pondered for a while.
In a moment, he sliced some ginseng to brew tea.
"This century-old ginseng is almost finished. I'll go look for another one later."
While drinking the soup, Chen Yun secretly thought, "This century-old ginseng that I have is a gift from my master. Although only a small piece is cut every time, but after several months of refining and transforming the essence into Qi, it indeed consumes quickly."
"Let's talk about the ginseng later. I'll rest early tonight, and tomorrow morning, my master will teach me the kill technique. Let's get enough sleep and study well."
Thinking that, Chen Yun fell asleep peacefully.
...
The next day, at the time of the Yin's first hour.
Chen Yun woke up early.
Outside the empty space of the eastern wing, Zhong Liuyuan looked at his disciples with a serious expression, not holding a fan as usual. "Today, I will teach you the martial arts called 'Dragon Slaying Technique.' When you practice this technique to a high level, your physical body can fight against true dragons, making it an extremely powerful martial arts technique."
Can one's physical body kill true dragons when the technique is practiced to its highest level?
Chen Yun listened with a look of admiration and kowtowed, bowing respectfully, "Thank you, Master, for teaching me this technique."
Zhong Liuyuan nodded slightly and continued to introduce, "My 'Dragon Slaying Technique' encompasses everything, including hand-to-hand combat, weapon use, martial arts, astrology, environment, and so on. If one's physical body is strong enough, the technique can be used to shake the moon and stars and mountains and rivers. There is nothing that cannot be destroyed. This technique is especially important for one's fortune. Today, I will teach you the first stage of 'Seeking Nature within Nature.' "
Chen Yun sought to learn: "What is 'Seeking Nature within Nature'?"
Zhong Liuyuan explained: "Through the combination of internal and external training methods, we exercise all the enemy-responding abilities such as eyes, ears, and body, in order to achieve the state where one can sense the enemy's movements before they are initiated. The internal training method is a sitting exercise called 'Twelve Exercises of Perfection' that I created in my early years, and the external training is the art of combat."
The so-called "art of fierce battle" is not the "fierce battle method" of Zhu Bajie in "Journey to the West."
Zhu Bajie's "fierce battle method" is a sexual technique and is a form of yin-yang complementation.
For example, why did Egg Sister die, it was because Zhu Bajie sucked the yin out of her.
What Zhong Liuyuan refers to as the "art of fierce battle" is actually about real combat techniques.
The meaning of "fierce battle" is: to engage in fierce combat, to exhaust oneself in a hard fight.
Chen Yun naturally understood the master's intention, saying: "Please teach me, Master."
"First, I will teach you the 'Twelve Movements of Perfection' sitting exercise," said Zhong Liuyuan with his hands behind his back. "Close your eyes and concentrate, hold your fists and still your mind. Clench your teeth thirty-six times, wrap your hands around Kunlun... Imagine the fire burning through your body. Twelve pieces of gold, from Zi to Wu go before. Practice diligently without interruption, and all diseases turn to dust."
After saying that, he paused for a moment, "This is also an internal alchemy technique. Ordinary people can use it to cultivate their internal energy. However, since you have already cultivated true Qi, just follow the movements and exercises in this technique to make your true Qi flow throughout your body. You will be able to do things like 'feathers cannot touch you' and 'a fly cannot land on you'. Every pore in your body will be filled with true Qi, and mountains will collapse if you touch them, and the ground will crack if you step on it."
Chen Yun followed the verse and tried it out.
He sat cross-legged on the flat ground, gently closed his eyes, licked his upper palate, eliminated the clutter in his mind, and adjusted his breath for a moment.
After completing all this, Chen Yun chanted the teeth-clenching exercise thirty-six times, then crossed his ten fingers with both hands to hold his occiput, breathed nine times, allowing the breath to be slightly restrained but still audible.
Because he had already cultivated true Qi, it was relatively easy for him to run the Twelve Movements of Perfection.
Soon, Chen Yun had reached the final method of the Twelve Movements of Perfection.
He felt a ball of heat in the dantian below his navel, and he guided this heat downwards, passing through the Huiyin acupoint, over the coccyx, along the back to the vital gate between the kidneys, then rising up to the spine, back of the head, and crown of the head. It then followed along both temples, through in front of the ears, cheeks, down to the throat and chest. Finally, it descended further to Shenque (the navel), and returned to the lower dantian.
Chen Yun imagined this ball of heat as if it was a fire burning his body. As he moved through different parts of his body, the heat followed, and with each breath, he imagined the heat moving from in front of him to behind him, rising to the top of his head, then descending along the Ren meridian to reach his lower back. This formed one complete cycle.
During the practice, he felt that his entire body was filled with true Qi, as if his whole being had become an "energy body".
At that very moment, Zhong Liuyuan's voice rang out, "Maintain this state and get up to practice the martial arts with me."
Chen Yun opened his eyes and stood up, trying to maintain the state where Qi flowed through his entire body.
As he performed the martial arts, Zhong Liuyuan explained, "This external martial arts technique of fierce combat is a technique I have adapted from the 'Spirit Tiger Technique' created by the martial arts sage, Jiang Ziya. Initially, it must be practiced according to strict rules. For example, it uses the power of the body and true Qi in five ways: straight, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and spiral. In terms of force release, there are also five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Metal represents an invincible and ferocious strength."
After saying that, he struck out with a punch, releasing a golden armor energy that instantly shot towards the stone in front of him. The golden armor energy penetrated the stone.
The boulder was completely intact on the outside.
However, with his spiritual awareness, Chen Yun detected that the interior of the boulder had been shattered.
Zhong Liuyuan struck out with another punch, "This is the power of water. At first, it is soft and gentle, but later it is like a vast ocean with waves one after another, each higher than the last."
In his words, a torrent of power surged from his fist, forming wave after wave and cascading towards the sky.
Chen Yun watched in awe as the floating clouds in the sky were scattered by the immense force!
Seeing this sight, he was greatly shocked.
This is still the external combat technique at the beginning of the Dragon Slaying Technique.
If practiced to a high degree, it might truly be as Master Zhong said, that the physical body can shake the sun and moon, stars, mountains and rivers, achieving the real meaning of being indestructible!
Seeing the fierce appearance of the Dragon Slaying Technique, Chen Yun became extremely serious and continued to learn from his teacher.
He believed that one day he could master this Dragon Slaying Technique, and in the realm of physical combat, no one on Earth could stand in his way, not even to truly battle a true dragon!
(Chapter ends)
