A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch-Chapter 129 - 113: Character Analysis, Visualization, The First Step of Cultivation

"Seventh Young Master, you so easily gave the He Family secret text book to Bai Qilang. If the master finds out, he may get angry and punish you in a fit of rage."

The banquet was thoroughly enjoyed by both guests and hosts, and only ended past halfway to 9 p.m. Once they returned to the He Family Mansion, Uncle Yang couldn't hold back anymore.

Personally delivering gifts, establishing good relations, and winning over feelings are basic tactics imbued in the high-born through constant exposure.

Yet this Seventh Young Master He is overly generous, almost like a wastrel selling his grandfather's fields without a second thought!

Jade Water Rice, Golden Orchid, Gentiana... all rare and precious plants hardly seen in Yihai Prefecture!

Giving them away for nothing could be excused!

But even the indispensable secret text book for practicing arts was generously given away, which is truly incomprehensible!

The deep foundation of an illustrious family lies therein; how can it be given away freely?

"Haha, Uncle Yang, you've misunderstood. If my father knew I acted this way, he would only praise me and never punish me."

He Jingfeng said with confidence, using a certain tone.

"The reputation of Ninghai Zen carries such weight? You think it's worth using the secret text book, a culmination of three generations of work by the He Family, as a gift?"

Uncle Yang looked bewildered, as if he couldn't believe it.

Consider this, how many Daoist School scholars has the He Family produced? Less than ten!

It's no exaggeration to say that the thin booklet, with its detailed annotations explaining the secret text meanings, is worth its weight in gold. Outside, people would fight over it.

"Forming a connection with a disciple of Ninghai Zen is secondary; that Bai Qilang indeed has talent. I've inquired, and he was able to perfect the One-Practice Golden Flesh and Jade Veins in just three months of martial arts training, showing extraordinary talent.

Even without me, He Wenbing's fishery would last only three to five years at most, and it would still be trampled down."

He Jingfeng sat at the long rosewood table in the study. Feeling hungry and thirsty again, he asked Uncle Yang to bring two more taels of red ochre, planning to swallow the energy essence to fill his stomach.

"During the banquet earlier, Bai Qilang inquired extensively about cultivating Daoist arts, clearly showing an interest in cultivation.

I initially didn't intend to say much, but on second thought, I went with the flow, deliberately guiding him, and even shared the He Family's secret text with him.

Uncle Yang, do you know why?"

Uncle Yang, carefully handling the finely ground red ochre powder, lit a silver lamp, boiling and roasting with water.

A gleam flashed in his eyes, then he looked up and asked,

"Could it be... Seventh Young Master, did you secretly do something?"

He Jingfeng was momentarily speechless, thinking to himself where his mother found such an old fellow. Besides his impressive martial skills, he had no brains and couldn't compare to chatting with Bai Qilang, which was far more comfortable and easy.

"His master is Ninghai Zen. If I were maliciously up to mischief, could I hide it from Ning the Madman's Dharma Eye?

Such actions would be like thrusting my neck under the guillotine, seeking my own death.

Do you believe that if I dared to pull such a dirty trick, I would be meeting King Yama the next day!"

Uncle Yang showed a look of embarrassment and said sheepishly,

"I thought Seventh Young Master was always contemplating avenging your uncle, second uncle, and third uncle, to help the He Family reclaim its honor..."

He Jingfeng impatiently waved his hand,

"The past is gone, why dwell on it? My uncle didn't leave alone; with so many from the Su Family, Mao Family, Han Family, and Fang Family accompanying him, he should be able to rest in peace."

Uncle Yang couldn't help but think, Seventh Young Master is truly magnanimous; I just wonder if your uncle can truly rest in peace lying underground.

"I gave Bai Qilang the secret text book so he could cultivate Daoist arts!

In the impoverished and remote Black River County, material resources are pitifully scarce, and there's no bit of spiritual presence; it's all mixed air!

If Third Realm Daoist Officials, used to absorbing spiritual presence in a spirit vein, were to come here, they would feel extremely uncomfortable, as if they were soaking in a cesspool."

He Jingfeng interlaced his fingers, palms facing upward, and began practicing energy cultivation,

"If Bai Qilang possesses the aptitude for cultivation, he will eventually venture to the County City. He has no foundation to support him, no sect to rely on, and can't even afford the spirit rice that cleanses flesh and blood.

At that time, in order to advance his cultivation, he will have no choice but to turn to our He Family. Ninghai Zen only has two disciples, the older one not receiving the true teachings, not truly inheriting the legacy.

If I can win over Bai Qilang and become his friend, aiding him in cultivation.

In the future, should I encounter any problems, how could he possibly turn a blind eye?

If he can't resolve it, he'll turn to Ninghai Zen! Then, with Ning the Madman, who once rampaged through Yihai and decimated the Four Directions, it would be as if my He Family had a tributor!"

This long-winded explanation left Uncle Yang's head spinning.

The more he thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make, so he embraced it with admiration,

"Seventh Young Master has great insight!"

He Jingfeng inhaled and exhaled, absorbing all the mild medicinal effects released by the red ochre.

The surge of Qi Blood surged through his limbs and bones, as if soaking in a warm bath, leaving his mind thoroughly relaxed and thoughts coming alive.

"Brother Bai! I can't wait for you to possess one in a million cultivation aptitude!"

...

...

"Ah Di, that Young Master He looked at you strangely, not like he had bad intentions, but also not sincere."

In the old residence, Bai Ming had enjoyed a full fish banquet, feeling his Qi Blood subtly bubbling.

Upon returning home, he stood still, refining the strength within his body following the stance practice posture.

He practiced the Golden Core Great Strength Skill with Bai Qi, following the path of thirty percent practice and seventy percent nurturing.

Although progress was slow, his physique was visibly becoming more robust, shedding the formerly frail appearance.

"No worries, I know what I'm doing. He likes to play the generous philanthropist, so I'll just go along with it."

Bai Qi held the secret text book, a hint of a smile on his lips:

"As for the outcome, it may not turn out as he expects."

He had yet to utilize the ink sigil to reflect magical techniques, the root of the issue being his lack of understanding of the secret script, making it difficult to decipher its meaning.

Should he overcome this hurdle, through burning the midnight oil and enlightenment, he might step onto the path of cultivation. Like the high-born offspring of Yihai Prefecture, he could pursue the dual cultivation of Dao and martial arts, achieving unity of life and destiny, becoming a Hexagon Warrior with no weaknesses.

The night deepened, and after exchanging a few words with Ah Di and waiting for him to complete his stance training, Bai Qi returned to his room, taking out the secret text book, an obvious transcribed copy.

"Nearly all magical techniques and arts are written in secret scripts, which are fundamental to cultivation.

However, there are several types of secret scripts. Before the loss of the Dao, over countless ages, there emerged scripts like 'Dragon and Phoenix Seal', 'Bird Language and Insect Script', 'Daoist Talisman Thunder Pattern', and 'Sanskrit Mantra', among others.

After the loss of the Dao, the true path no longer existed in the world, as if the Great Dao had shattered, like a complete book burned, leaving only scattered words.

The predecessors re-established traditions, extracting essences from the past, and uniformly converted them into secret scripts to document external magical arts and strange techniques, ensuring their spirituality remains intact..."

Bai Qi studied each word carefully, suddenly enlightened, and the fog surrounding his understanding of Daoist cultivation seemed to be blown away by the wind, gradually becoming clear.

"Secret scripts were simplified from the Dragon and Phoenix Seal? Tsk, these tadpole-like cryptic characters are already hard enough to recognize, let alone learn the Dragon and Phoenix Seal... My head would explode.

Before the loss of Dao, the qualifications required for cultivators were probably even higher."

He finished reading the preface and flipped through several pages, which explained how to break down and identify the secret script.

Through such a clumsy method, even ordinary people without the ability to comprehend the secret script could overcome the threshold of Daoist cultivation.

"Ah, so that's it. Eating elixirs and avoiding grains, consuming the essence of plants, minerals, and herbs, all for achieving fasting for eight or nine days, or even over ten days, allowing the mind and body to become ethereal, eliminating distractions, and achieving visualization and meditation.

But human thoughts are numerous and ever-changing, like an agitated heart monkey and a galloping mind horse, extremely difficult to subdue and gather.

Cultivators employ various means, such as mixing medicinal powders and inhaling incense, to open up their divine consciousness..."

While Bai Qi memorized it firmly, he also absorbed the essence, attempting to understand the steps of Daoist cultivation.

"Only by stabilizing one's thoughts can one visualize. However, prolonged visualization consumes a great amount of spirit and Qi blood, so substantial nourishment is needed to strengthen the body and complete the 'embracing the fetus'.

The so-called 'embracing the fetus' means the body is devoid of impurities, returning to an innate state. Simply put, the physical form is sufficiently nourished and feeds back the mental thoughts, condensing them into form, akin to an infant's embryo. This enables one to perceive the void and capture the spiritual opportunity.

The process of embracing the fetus can take as long as a hundred days or as short as one month, during which no interruption is permitted. Any disturbance carries the risk of 'the fetus dying in the womb'.

Once the embracing of the fetus is complete, thoughts become incredibly powerful, allowing the manipulation of objects such as flying swords and needles to take a life a hundred steps away with ease.

This is called 'Wandering Deity Gathering Thought'! Apparently, He Jingfeng's older brother is stuck at this realm."

Having understood the path of Daoist advancement, Bai Qi steadied his mind a bit.

After achieving the One-Practice Perfect Golden Flesh and Jade Veins, his Qi blood was abundant and replenished his mind, feeling relaxed and refreshed.

After thoroughly reading for half an hour, he showed no sign of fatigue.

So, after pondering for a moment, he directly took out the last packet of ripe Huangjing powder, mixed it with water, and swallowed it.

Following the instructions in the booklet and matching the two pages of magical techniques, he began to decipher the secret script.

"The path of cultivation is right before me!"

With full concentration, the tadpole-like cryptic characters no longer seemed awkward and difficult, but instead carried an invisible rhythm, like a beautiful melody or a magnificent landscape, slowly unfolding before him.

"What the ancients said about the great beauty of heaven and earth being unspoken is nothing more than this... This is what it means to comprehend the Dao."

Bai Qi was immersed in it, the ink blank talisman flashed intensely, and his progress in the skill of recognizing words skyrocketed like the Black Water River during flood season.

[Recognizing the secret script, the doubts in the heart are resolved, and the comprehension is slightly improved]

[Learning magical arts, thoughts and spirit merge, making visualization more effective]

[Diligently studying, recognizing over a hundred characters, possessing basic cultivation aptitude]

...

...

The next day!

With the crow of the rooster, daylight breaks over the world!

Bai Qi seemed to wake from a dream, abruptly pulled back from his enamored state, rubbing his dry eyes, he looked at the sunlight spilling through the window lattice.

Once his thoughts settled, the ink talisman sketched several lines of text.

[Magic Dao: Sea Banishing Curse (Beginner)]

[Progress: 0/3000]

[Effect: Mix materials to create bait, lure fish, and control tides]

...

[Magic Dao: Soul Summoning Spell (Beginner)]

[Progress: 0/3000]

[Effect: Call souls and command spirits, can both calm and disturb the mind]

...

"Oh! I've done it!"

Bai Qi's eyes flashed, and looking back at the secret script of the magical techniques, there were no longer any ambiguities.