Chapter 84 - This Body Was Originally the Bodhi’s
What Shen Lian been through was a necessary stage for most pract.i.tioners.
For some of the scholars on earth, after going through cultivation for years, there would come a time when they reached the stage of revelation. When that happened, they would howl so loud that it could be heard from several miles away. Such a howl was comparable to the sound of endless wind blowing and water flowing on earth.
People from the outside world could even see the cloud formed by the Qi of heaven and earth above Shen Lian"s roof. It did not go away.
The howling and its vibration sent a shock to everyone on Qingliang Peak. Chen Jianmei was the first to arrive at Shen Lian"s house. What he saw were strong sword aura and bright light that isolated the inside from the outside of the house. Yan Bugui, too, appeared. For half a year, there had been new streams of students joining the lower house. The scene got them to wonder if one of the seniors achieved a breakthrough. They were envious of the person. When they got closer and realized that ithe momentum came from Shen Lian"s house, they were even more surprised.
The time taken for Shen Lian to go through Wenxin Road was extremely short, he was famous among the people in the upper house. However, for some unknown reason, none of the elders took him in as a student. He was mostly discovering his cultivation experience by himself. He did not even attend the bimonthly meeting with the elders. n.o.body had really seen him around.
Others could not guess his level of cultivation experience. As a general guide, for Qingxuan"s students who were under twenty, they would not rea even though they would be extremely talented, they would not have reach a very high level in terms of cultivation. The formation of mist and cloud by the Qi was something way beyond their imagination.
Chen Jianmei and Yan Bugui were both surprised. In the long years since Qing Xuan existed, there were indeed great geniuses who managed to break through Entry Point at a younger age. The Entry Point was the key to Qi organization. At this point, Qi would turn into mana – it would be able to nurture the spirit and also used to deliver Dao techniques. One could only be considered to complete the fundamentals of Dao upon achieving this point.
At the same time, one must be careful in choosing the methods of martial exercise once one gained mana from this. As one"s path was chosen, the decision would be irreversible and it would do more harm than good.
Shen Lian"s achievement was amazing because he could still command such high level of Qi at that point in time.
The command of Qi depended upon the methods of martial exercise and also how well the body could tolerate it, in addition to having powerful spirit. Otherwise, it would be similar to the situation where a child was killed by exhaustion for trying to carry a burden of a thousand pounds.
The both of them noticed how concentrated the Qi was – it would be a challenge even for cultivators who reached the level of deity.
Shen Lian was not one that could be evaluated based on the normal measures as he cultivated his spirit before he went on to Qi practice.
The howl faded away slowly.
Shen Lian paid no attention to what was happening with the outside world. Qi flowed into his body. While not all were absorbed, they were all directed at him.
He sat cross-legged and felt that his body was light. At the same time, he felt nothing – he was neither sad nor happy.
A swirl appeared inside his body and traveled through his vessels. That swirl was starting of the Entry Point. Everywhere the swirl traveled to, the essential Qi, inner Qi and the power of his spirit intertwined. The overflowing Qi in his body reacted with the Qi from heaven and earth and his spiritual energy to form a wonderful reaction.
The more solid it became, the reaction turned into a strange energy, which was in between the state of spiritual energy and inner Qi.
When the vital Qi transformed, the swirl disappeared along with it. Some of this energy flowed through his vessels and stopped at where the bier was. It was as if attached to Shen Lian"s spirit like a frozen dew.
Shen Lian felt like his spirit was being cleansed like a clear mirror being rid of dust.
All of a sudden, he thought of a short pa.s.sage. He opened his eyes and the heaven and earth Qi went away slowly. He recited the following, "The body was a Bodhi, and the heart was a mirror; clean it daily and diligently, and don"t ever let the dust fall on it."
He finally understood the reason why Daoist master designed cultivation into nine states. The moment Entry Point was pa.s.sed, the inner Qi would then combine with the spiritual energy in the body and formed a special energy. This energy could get stronger by absorbing Qi; it could also be used directly on the spirit to cleanse the mind, which further strengthens it. This state was known as "Soul Deepening".
Not all cultivators had access to The Mastery of Senses, which enabled one to utilize body vitality and inner Qi to strengthen the spirit.
Another way was done by entering someone"s dream and by engulfing his or her will to empower oneself. Not only was that method devilish, but it also posed risks to be able to reach the out-of-body state. Furthermore, the will in a human"s dream was full of impurities. By engulfing it, it was more likely to do more harm than good.
Hence, Soul Deepening was one of the most crucial parts of cultivation. It was only through this method that the spirit could subsequently become strong until one could gain sufficient strength to no longer be bound by the body.
From Soul Deepening to the out-of-body state, there was not any challenge as it tended to be natural.
Shen Lian was almost always in the state of Soul Deepening, but unlike the nurture of mana, his vitality was absorbed by his spirit.
...
Since the day the odd occurrence happened to Shen Lian, days and nights went by. The curious bunch left, except for Chen Jianmei. By the time Shen Lian wrap up, he retrieved his sword too.
He lowered his voice and said, ""Clean it daily and diligently, and don"t ever let the dust fall on it," was a good phrase."
What Shen Lian recited in his room was overheard by him.
He mumbled in a voice which no one could hear him and left right after.
The next day Shen Lian was brought away by Jingqing, as the headmaster summoned him.
The moment Shen Lian saw Zhang Ruoxu, he was shocked.
Zhang Ruoxu looked significantly younger, with his black hair and handsome face. He could have easily gotten all the attention he wanted in the mortal world.
Zhang Ruoxu did not pay attention to Shen Lian"s reaction. He just looked at him and nodded.
Shen Lian did not understand why he was summoned, and hence he asked, "Why did you call me in today?"
"Nanhai Flying Celestials Island was a mortal land of orthodoxy left behind by one senior from the previous generation in Qing Xuan. There is an evil spirit lingering around that area recently and it particularly likes children. None of the cultivators on the island can beat it. Hence, I am asking your help to kill it," Zhang Ruoxu spoke slowly.
This orthodoxy in the mortal realm was not recognized officially, but given the relations.h.i.+p and how Qing Xuan was relatively weak at that time, it would be an embarra.s.sment if Qing Xuan did not take action in evading the evil spirit.
It was also appropriate for Shen Lian to attend to it, as he only joined not long ago. If he failed, it would be reasonable. If he succeeded, it would be a good news to announce during the bier meeting.
Zhang Ruoxu further explained, "Since you have pa.s.sed the Entry Point, you have to choose a cultivation exercise. However, you have to think thoroughly. We can wait until you get back from your mission."
Shen Lian just reached a breakthrough. It was a good time for him to start taking it slow for a while. That was the right way to learn cultivation.