& Return to the Liao Dynasty's Imperial City - Lao Jun Temple.
After Chen Yun asked Chang Er's uncle to take care of the recent affairs of Lao Jun Temple, he went into seclusion by himself.
Since the wish to read the "True Dragon and Tiger Nine Immortals Classic" has been fulfilled, there is a high probability that he will be able to integrate various mystical skills and create the second transformation of the "Mr. Chen's Internal Elixir Technique".
Whether or not he can create a second transformation technique is related to his future cultivation level.
Certainly, Chen Yun attached great importance to this.
In the quiet room, he immediately took out the "True Dragon and Tiger Nine Immortals Classic."
Opening the first page, the above text is:
Tianzhen Huangren spoke to Huangdi, "If you wish to cultivate your own being, you must first quiet your mind."
These two sentences elaborated on a philosophical thought that caused Chen Yun to ponder for a moment.
He continued to look at the content behind him.
Ye Gong said, "All those who wish to cultivate longevity and eternal youth should first forget their intentions, have no seven worries, and only then can they achieve success."
Hence it is said: "One must first quiet the mind. There should be no dispersion, no anger, no restlessness, no delusion, no greed, no immorality, and no carelessness."
Chen Yun looked intently at the text, and most of the content below was related to philosophy.
Of course, there were also introductions to the five internal organs, six viscera, three souls, and seven spiritual essence.
For example, there is a passage where Luo Gong says: "To tranquilize the mind, one should knock their teeth and imagine the shape of the three souls as immortal spirits, the divine spirits of the human body, known as Tai Guang (Cradle Light), Shuang Ling (Brilliant Spirit), and You Jing (Supernatural Essence). If one imagines with a wish, they should reveal it to these spirits, and they will certainly comply with their request. If the three souls are locked at the navel and at peace, then all other spirits will be at peace. But if the three souls are not at peace, then all other spirits will not be at peace either."
Hence the text "Huang Ting Jing" says: "The three souls are the Yang Shen (light spirit). Those who cultivate longevity and well-being should avoid sexual desire, for the essence of the body will become dry if one indulges in it. If one's essence is dry, their life will come to an end. Therefore, the spirit-body, also known as You Jing (Supernatural Essence), worries about a person's dry essence, cries to Shuang Ling (Brilliant Spirit), and asks it to leave its forehead. The forehead Tai Guang (Cradle Light) gradually decreases in brightness, becoming scattered, hence causing chaos among all other spirits. People suffer from their desire for life, and when their spirits become dispersed, death ensues. Therefore, they must rid themselves of desire."
One should practice the methods provided, and if any afflictions arise, they should be treated with qi.
Chen Yun appeared to be lost in thought, continuously pondering over the contents of the book.
Soon, he saw specific cultivation methods, called "Qi Huang Yun" (Raising Yellow Clouds), which were quite mysterious.
Chen Yun watched in growing astonishment, unable to help but marvel at the extraordinary wisdom of the two immortals, Luo Gong and Ye Jing Neng.
The "Qi Huang Yun" method in this text covers almost all the aspects from cultivating the yellow-daode Great Medicine to refining the Yang Shen and ultimately how to become a celestial being.
Different from the Zhong and Lu Daoist who divide immortals into five categories: Tian Shen (Heavenly God), Di Ren (Earthly Man), Gu (Ghost), and Wu Xian (Five Demigods).
"The True Dragon and Tiger Nine Immortals Classic" divides the levels of immortals into nine grades, or nine immortals.
First Immortal Warrior, Second Immortal Scholar, Third Spiritual Immortal, Fourth Wind Immortal, Fifth Water Immortal, Sixth Fire Immortal, Seventh Qi Immortal, Eighth Ghost Immortal, Ninth Meeting-the-Sword Immortal.
Chen Yun, upon witnessing the insights shared by the two Ye and Luo realms regarding internal energy cultivation, became increasingly engrossed in it.
The content of "True Dragon and Tiger Nine Immortals Classic" is not extensive.
In fact, a quick glance won't take much time.
Chen Yun did not simply glance through it. Instead, he read through it carefully, and while doing so, he simulated various cultivation methods, as well as combined his own experiences and knowledge to see if he could gain a deeper understanding.
He sat there for several months.
Outside, snowflakes began to fall gradually.
Time unknowingly arrived at December.
That day, Chen Yun, deep in meditation and contemplation, suddenly broke free from his thoughts.
He laughed heartily, "The Taoist knows what to do now, hahaha!"
Upon saying this, Chen Yun couldn't wait to use his profound spiritual powers to summon writing implements, paper, and ink, and record the newly-created cultivation techniques and formulations on the paper. Then he would attempt to see if they were effective.
Even though his cultivation realm had naturally increased with time for half a year, and he was now gradually approaching the strength of a true human immortal, at this moment, he was too excited about the comprehension of various mysteries and simply couldn't be bothered to care about his own cultivation realm.
Chen Yun now had only one thought in his mind: to create the second transformation of the "Mr. Chen's Internal Elixir Technique" as quickly as possible.
...
Outside.
During the half-year period when Chen Yun was in deep thought, many things happened.
Firstly, Min King was about to become the Emperor.
This person had a penchant for practices related to immortality and favored the Taoist Chen Shouyuan and the wizard Xu Yanlin.
With the two of them as advisors, the construction of Bao Huang Palace began, with Chen Shouyuan as the palace master.
Once, he believed the command of the Emperor and stepped aside to accept the seal of office, in accordance with the prophecy that after sixty years of rule by the Emperor.
In the third year of the Zhenxing period of the Later Tang dynasty, he had once plotted to become an emperor. In June, he submitted a memorial to the Later Tang court, requesting to be given the title of Wu Yue King under Qian Liu and Shangshu Ling (Minister of Works) under Ma Yin, as a means of receiving his command. The Later Tang did not respond, and so he severed official tribute.
Nowadays, Wang Yanjun, having learned about a major event in the Later Tang, is preparing to ascend to the throne and become an emperor in Min Prefecture.
The major event that occurred in the Later Tang indeed might have a significant impact on the change in the overall structure of the world.
In the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Zhenxing era, Emperor Mingzong of the Tang was seriously ill. His second son, Li Congrong, led a contingent of soldiers to line up at Tianjin Bridge, preparing to seize the throne by force.
At the request of Emperor Mingzong, the Grand Secretary Feng Yun, Zhu Hongzhao, and Meng Hanqiong entered to report to him and commanded the imperial guards to put an end to the disturbance.
Li Congrong was defeated and executed.
Hearing the news of the rebellion while he was already sick, Emperor Mingzong's condition worsened.
Deciding to pass on the throne to Li Congrong's son, Li Congrong, Emperor Mingzong ordered Meng Hanqiong to hurry to Weizhou and summon Li Congrong back to the capital.
On November 26th, Emperor Mingzong of the Tang passed away.
Li Conghou did not return to Luoyang until three days later.
On the first day of the twelfth month of the same year, Li Conghou held a mourning ceremony for Emperor Mingzong in the Western Palace and succeeded to the throne.
Eight days later, Chen Yun finally broke free from his deep thoughts.
Although Li Conghou had ascended the throne as an emperor and was determined to improve the country, he was lacking in the knowledge of governing a state, prone to indecision, and without the ability to discern talent.
Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun, relying on their contributions to the establishment of the throne, dominated the political scene and expelled all of Li Conghou's trusted officials from the court. They also removed the commandant of the imperial guards An Yanwei and Zhang Congbin, replacing them with new appointments to gain control over the army.
Li Conghou was displeased but had no choice.
It was clear to everyone that the Later Tang was like leaves in the rain, about to fall and perish at any moment.
Most importantly, Li Conghou's brother Li Congke had accompanied his father in battles from a young age. Now that Li Conghou had ascended the throne, he even felt dissatisfied and coveted the position of the emperor, but he had not yet gained recognition due to his lack of resources at the moment.
However, Li Conghou soon did something foolish, giving Li Congke the chance to gain recognition.
...
Chen Yun was fully immersed in creating the second transformation of the "Mr. Chen's Internal Elixir Technique," and he paid no attention to the rapid changes in the external situation.
Nor did he realize that he was about to face the true combat for the first time with Xie Wu Yang, who held a deep-seated grudge against him, and Gou Teng Daoist.
nor did he realize that he was about to lay the groundwork for Zhao Kuangyin, planning for the day when he might seize the world.
At this time, Chen Yun was writing the technique in a quiet room.
He started writing "Training Method": choose the 9th, 19th, and 29th day of the first lunar month at noon. Sit cross-legged in a quiet room, close your eyes, clench your teeth nine times. When your mind is calm and qi is harmonious, then perform the method of holding one's breath. Take one inhale and exhale as one breath cycle. Hold your breath for eight or nine cycles each time. After finishing one cycle of holding the breath, slowly open your eyes and resume breathing. Then perform the method of holding one's breath as before. Initially, you can reduce the number of breath cycles to one or two per round; gradually become familiar with five rounds; and eventually become extremely proficient at nine rounds per cycle.
Effects and Precautions: Follow the instructions to practice this method. When the method of holding one's breath becomes very proficient, it is the time when the internal fire is sufficient. During quiet sitting, divine light may sometimes be seen emanating from your eyes. This is called a "golden light," indicating that the golden elixir is becoming stronger.
Chen Yun wrote down the heart law without haste or rush: The second transformation begins with Yang success and the formation of Yin. Ren's light and heart's essence combine in Jing and Ren. God pearl thunder returns to the East Sea, emitting divine light that flashes over purple gold at times.
Below is the explanation: At the beginning of the second transformation, it is like a pregnant woman in her second month. The initial descent of the true Yang essence is like this. After storing the elixir in the Dandan field, sit in a quiet room and suddenly, there will be a bright light that shines through like a golden ball from within. This is the moonlight shining through.
After writing it down, Chen Yun thought to himself: "Law cannot be lightly passed. What I have written is too simple and easy to understand. If ordinary people see it, they might learn it. It would be better to use 'The Rhymes of the South' as a pretext like the first transformation. If someone can truly understand it, that means they are destined for immortality."
Upon pondering, he composed "The Rhymes of the South":
The divine pearl descends, the elixir cave is in the palace's center. Hold one's breath and regulate to nine breaths, and let the red waves or explosive sunbeams in the east. The heart and kidney then harmonize.
At the sixth cycle, perform the breathing technique to achieve a state of Yin. Fire originates from the seaport towards the throne of the Emperor, and water from lotus blossoms supports Jing Ren. The electric light penetrates through the clear gem.
After writing it, Chen Yun checked it carefully to make sure there were no issues with the technique, and then he thought to himself: "Since the technique has been created, I can try it out to see if it actually works. If it doesn't work, I will need to make further changes. If it does work, then there will be no need for modification."
Although the second transformation is of a "transitional" nature, it should be no problem for me to cultivate it to the mid-stage of a human immortal.
As for the mid-stage of a human immortal and beyond, Chen Yun knew he would need to create the third transformation technique.
This matter is still premature, and there is no need to rush into immediate realization now.
Chen Yun noticed that today is the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and it is now noon. He knows that it is suitable for training.
Therefore, he took advantage of the right time, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, sat upright, and clenched his teeth nine times.
Once his mind and qi were in harmony, Chen Yun slowly held his breath.
Each time holding breath for nine breaths is considered one cycle.
When the time was up, he opened his eyes and rested for a moment before closing his breath again, just as he had done with the previous nine breaths.
At first, he closed his breath one or two times, and as he continued, the practice became more intense.
When he had closed his breath five times, Chen Yun felt that his whole body was extremely hot.
He did not stop because of this, but instead continued to hold his breath for a total of nine cycles until he felt the fire was about right.
Then, Chen Yun extended his feet, corresponding with the heavens and earth, and irrespective of distance, felt a vast and boundless spiritual energy approaching and converging onto his body.
At this point, he began to operate the core of the technique.
Chen Yun first called on the power of the golden elixir to nourish the true fire within his heart, and then he incorporated this power into his kidney to nurture the true water.
After a while, the water and fire were balanced, achieving great harmony of yin and yang.
Chen Yun felt the heart and kidney harmonizing, with warm air rising from within, turning into Dan Qi that merged into the Golden Elixir. The Golden Elixir was constantly becoming more robust.
Time passed minute by minute, second by second.
Gradually, Chen Yun's practice brought him to the midnight hour of the Yingshi period.
A strange scene suddenly unfolded at this moment.
It was a strange scene at this moment. While Chen Yun sat cross-legged on the mat, there was no leakage of Dan Qi, but he had divine light emanating from his face, illuminating the dark room as brightly as snow.
The wonders were not limited to this.
The marvels went even further. Even without deliberately focusing his internal vision, Chen Yun could still see his five internal organs and six bowels, their surfaces and interiors clearly distinct. He could see the divine pearl, nurtured in the center of his body, permeating through the clear gem-like structure.
As the dark energy became increasingly strong, Chen Yun gradually began to wind down his practice.
Chen Yun slowly opened his eyes and quietly felt the changes within himself.
The next moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Today's practice has actually increased the power of my golden elixir to the brink of its peak. I was supposed to reach the early stage of the human immortal realm in March next year, but it seems I can do so in just over a month."
Increased cultivation makes one feel wonderful.
Chen Yun savored the feeling of satisfaction for a moment and, with a sense of heart, reached out to touch his fingers, calculating the situation.
Then, his expression brightened. "Finally, it's time to set the cosmic mechanism in motion. It's time to leave the mountains, accelerate the historical process, and change dynasties!"
Chen Yun knew that from this moment on, he would have to devote himself fully to laying the groundwork for Zhao Kuangyin.
Whether the next step would overthrow the Later Tang was the crux of this layout.
As for how to overthrow the Later Tang, Chen Yun had already formed a plan in his mind.
The only problem now was that during the calculation, Chen Yun faintly felt a sense of danger. As if something dangerous was waiting for him in the future.
(End of Chapter)
