In the cave, Chen Yun made up his mind to create the fourth level of the "Chen Mr. Internal Energy Scripture" and then, make a breakthrough to become a demigod.
Thinking of this, he looked at Niudali, "Brother Niudali, I have gained some insights in my cultivation and have reached a critical point. It may take some time before I can go treasure hunting again. If you're afraid of wasting time, why don't you go and explore on your own first? Once I finish my own business, I'll follow after you and meet up?"
Niudali spoke solemnly, "Chen Immortal, you and I have been traveling together, making us companions. Now that you've reached a crucial point in your cultivation, you must need someone to protect you. How can I leave you at a time when you need protection the most? Don't say any more. No matter how long it takes, I will guard you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun was deeply moved.
Niudali is indeed a man of great loyalty and honor.
The time spent with the other person was not long.
He is so candid and sincere.
This made him feel even better about Niudali.
Chen Yun no longer made a show of politeness with the other person, "Alright, Brother Niudali is so generous, Chen Chen will not refuse such kindness."
Niudali said, "Chen Immortal, go ahead with your cultivation. I will guard at the entrance. If you need anything, just let me know. Otherwise, I will not disturb you."
Chen Yun said: "Good, thank you, Brother Niudali."
They chatted for a brief moment.
Chen Yun once again calmed down.
He started to ponder the creation of the fourth level of the "Chen Mr. Internal Energy Scripture."
This level has a necessary setting, which is to definitely let the soul spirit (yuan shen) leave the body.
When creating the third level of the "Chen Mr. Internal Energy Scripture," Chen Yun had already been preparing for the soul spirit to leave the body.
In the third level, Chen Yun has refined the soul spirit image. Although it cannot leave the body itself, it has already been given "soul" during this process. However, it still lacks "vitality," so it is unable to leave the body.
Therefore, the main task of the fourth level of the internal energy technique is to impart the "vitality" to the soul spirit, allowing it to successfully leave the body.
"How to impart the 'vitality' to the soul spirit and integrate all of my lifetime's learning into it?"
Chen Yun sat there in deep thought.
Actually, he had a rough idea of it when he was nearly attaining the true form of the Buddha of Supreme Wisdom before.
Just some details need to be refined, so it hasn't been immediately created.
Once those details are refined, the fourth level of the internal energy technique will naturally emerge.
"The detail is that I need to integrate the 'Pangu True Body Canon' into it. The fourth level of the Pangu True Body Canon involves refining the body through pure yin. In short, I need to 'nurture internal yin' within my body."
The difficulty lies in the fact that the internal energy cultivation method I will be practicing in the future is for the 'yang spirit'.
How can the 'yang spirit', as the pure Yang soul spirit, require 'nurturing internal yin' when refining the soul spirit?
Chen Yun remembered that his mentor had discussed the concept of the 'yang spirit' with Lu Dongbin.
Lu Dongbin's 'yang spirit' went out to visit his master. It so happened that Tai Guan Li was also in the Enshan Mountains.
The three were talking, and Lu Dongbin said, "I have one thing unclear."
Zhongli Quan asked, "What is it?"
Lu Dongbin asked, "What are the differences between the 'yin spirit' and the 'yang spirit'?"
Zhongli Quan said, "Pure yin without yang is a ghost soul; a mix of yin and yang is an 'yin god'; pure yang without yin is a 'yang god'. When ordinary people die, their ghost souls detach themselves from their bodies to become ghosts; practitioners whose 'yin' energy has not been fully purified may exit their bodies too early and be called 'yin gods'. When they emerge, they may see bright lights like rivers in their eyes, from which the spirit exits; or they may hear bells, qingqing (a stringed instrument), flutes, and other musical instruments in their ears, from which the spirit emerges. Since their yang energy is not strong enough to break through the heavenly gate directly, they take alternative paths according to convenience. Once they emerge, they will also enjoy themselves freely. They can walk through streets and alleys and over water or mountains. However, they can only take shape but not change shape. They can only wander around among humans but cannot fly or transform. If the sun is directly overhead in midsummer, the 'yin god' will be afraid and hide away. Therefore, although they carry an air of immortality, they have not yet escaped from the realm of ghosts."
Lu Dongbin asked, "Can a 'yin god' be refined into a 'yang god'?"
Zhongli Quan said, "Yes. Those who practice cultivation do not accept small achievements. After the 'yin god' emerges, one can continue to cultivate and refine the original form of the 'yin god' to smash it. When one's 'yin' energy is fully purified and their 'yang' energy remains pure, they will reveal their true form of a 'true person.'"
Lu Dongbin asked again, "How can one shatter the original form?"
Zhongli Quan said, "Forget your body, empty your mind. In the emptiness, if nothing is born, then you can transform your ordinary fetus into an immortal fetus, and change a common man into a real immortal." He looked at Tieguai Li again and then smiled and said, "You can also eat the immortal elixir of the Great Master Laozi."
Tieguai Li wanted to say something but stopped.
Zhongli Quan continued, "Ordinary people do not have this immortal fate!"
Tieguai Li said to Lu Dongbin, "There is no need for you to worry, Pure Yang Son. You have already become a pure yang spirit."
This dialogue has a very crucial point: "When one's 'yin' energy is fully purified and their 'yang' energy remains pure, they will reveal their true form of a 'true person' and can thus refine the 'yang spirit'."
Chen Yun has received the transmission of "Breaking the Illusion and Seeking the Right Path" already, so he knows how to achieve "yin energy fully purified and yang energy remaining pure."
For example, he found it easy to create the third level of the "Chen Mr. Internal Energy Scripture," because it requires "nurturing internal yang," which is consistent with refining the yang spirit.
Then, how can we incorporate the fourth level of the "Pangu True Body Canon" and "nurture internal yin"?
Or, will "nurturing internal yin" hinder the refining of the yang spirit in the future?
Chen Yun felt that he must have missed something, which is why he couldn't think of how to integrate the two.
"Right, I remember that Wang Laozhi once told me the whole process. I will recall the conversation between my mentor and Lu Dongbin's senior brother."
Chen Yun began to quietly recall.
Chen Yun remembered that Wang Laozhi had said:
Lu Dongbin asked, "Is the 'yang spirit' out, does that mean the mission is complete?"
Zhongli Quan said, "Excellent question! There are two choices: one is to stop here and enjoy freedom in the vast space, flying and soaring for miles, treading on the clouds, gazing at mountains and watching over the seas. Or to play with the world, experiencing a thousand kinds of changes and doing whatever one pleases. They do not care about their physical bodies and regard them as trash. They will give up their bodies entirely, throwing them away in shabby sheds or caves or dumping them into mountainous wildernesses or abandoned countryside. This is a shortcut method. Many practitioners of immortality stop here and feel content with it. However, this method is still an inferior strategy because even though they have obtained Dao, they have not achieved the Great Dao."
Lu Dongbin asked, "What is the second choice?"
Zhongli Quan said, "The second choice is for those who aspire to attain Dao and are willing to put in slow, deliberate effort. They can lead their 'yang spirit' out but do not force it to leave immediately. Instead, they continue to cultivate until their 'yin' energy is fully purified and their 'yang' energy remains pure. Then, they can guide the 'yang spirit' to leave the body while retaining their physical form. This process involves conserving their original soul essence through a thousand refinements and transformations. They regard their physical body as empty, like a void in space. Using only pure fire, they cook the body and bones, and their physical form and soul merge back together. This is the process of refining void and achieving Dao. Their physical form and spirit are both virtuous, making them similar to the vast changes and infinite possibilities of the Dao."
Lu Dongbin asked, "How should we begin?"
Zhongli Quan said, "To cultivate this technique, one must first withdraw the 'yang spirit' back into the ancestral cavity and refine it over and over again. This process involves refining the spirit back into emptiness, making the 'yang spirit' ever more spiritual. The wisdom light of the 'yang spirit' will produce spiritual fire, which permeates every pore of the body, with the yang flame soaring into the sky. It penetrates from the feet to the top of the head, refining the body and integrating it into the 'yang spirit,' allowing divine light to illuminate everywhere. Finally, one refines a complete body of spiritual fire. The physical body disintegrates and is shattered into what seems to be and not to be, seemingly but not truly existing, shapeless and traceless primordial qi. It returns to emptiness and achieves unity between heaven and man. When one's cultivation reaches this point, they can condense to form a physical body when gathered together or become Qi when scattered apart; they will not die in disasters as great as those that devastate heaven and earth, their longevity matching that of heaven and earth. Only then can it be said that they have truly realized the Great Dao."
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Chen Yun seemed to realize something and said, "Wait a minute! I seem to have overlooked something!"
According to Zhongli Quan's idea, even if one cultivates the yang spirit and has not achieved the great Dao, they must refine void and merge with Dao to attain form and essence as a whole.
"If the emergence of the yang spirit has not yet realized the great Dao and requires further cultivation, then as I am currently only cultivating my yuan spirit, why can't I wait until my yuan spirit emerges and then start the process of 'nurturing yang' and refining the yang spirit anew?"
Chen Yun suddenly realized with a jolt, finally understanding that he had been misunderstanding something. He believed that the emergence of the yuan spirit had to be in sync with the yang spirit's progress, but now he realized that wasn't necessarily true.
In reality, this was not the case. He could actually first refine the yuan spirit and then turn his focus to refining the yang spirit.
That is to say, the fourth transformation is the fourth transformation, and the emergence of the yang spirit is independent of the other.
"After I have emerged as a yuan spirit, I can create the cultivation method for refining yang spirits, which will make everything fall into place smoothly."
After understanding the situation, Chen Yun knew what he needed to do next.
With no more hesitation, Chen Yun began to integrate and create the fourth transformation cultivation method using all his lifelong knowledge of cultivation.
Because he had previously gained high-level insights, integrating the cultivation method was simple for him now.
Chen Yun was creating the fourth transformation cultivation method while experimenting with it in his body.
