Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 58 Years of Taoist Cultivation and Magical Power

Zhong Xuan felt that the magical power within his body was rising at an almost frantic speed.

It's like during a rainstorm, the water level in a reservoir rises rapidly, and he doesn't need to actively try to discern or capture it from the outside world.

The spiritual energy transformed from Zizhi Ma Ling surged into his meridians like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

Zhong Xuan's "Ancient Qi Refiner" transformation method, which he had already mastered to the point of instinct, also started to operate on its own under the impact of this torrent, guiding these foreign spiritual energies to surge wildly within his body.

At the same time, he used his original magical power to mix it into the torrent of spiritual energy, as if an old man was guiding a new one.

The newly arrived alien spiritual energy is quickly imbued with the divine will contained within his own magical power as it flows, and is gradually branded with his mark.

Magic power is never just a simple form of energy.

Zhong Xuan's lineage of ancient Qi cultivators held a primitive and fundamental view on this matter.

Inhale external energy, whether it be spiritual energy or anything else, and then guide it to circulate within your body again and again with a powerful will.

In this process, these exotic energies will gradually integrate into the imprint of one's own will, absorb one's own essence and blood, and gradually become one with one's own "vitality".

Ultimately, when the alien energy was combined and refined by the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit, it became a magical power that could be used as easily as one's own arm.

Beyond that, there is an even deeper level in the ancient Qi Refining techniques.

Following the laws of nature, the refined magical power flows continuously within the body, gradually permeating and even forcibly squeezing into every limb and bone, down to every inch of muscle and every cell.

Then the ancient cultivator used his magical power to nourish his physical body, making it even stronger.

A stronger physical body and meridians can accommodate and refine more spiritual energy.

This is a continuous cycle of life.

But now Zhong Xuan is stuck.

The spiritual energy of Zizhi Ma Ling was so abundant that he was frantically trying to refine it, but he simply couldn't keep up.

A reservoir of magical power within his body was already full and was overflowing wildly, spilling into spaces within his body that shouldn't have contained it.

If one's own magical power overflows, it can be easily manipulated, and used to strengthen every corner of the body.

But these are unrefined, exotic energies.

They are certainly beneficial; even ordinary people can improve their health and prolong their lives simply by living in places rich in spiritual energy.

But every medicine has its side effects, especially with such an extreme dosage.

This excessive spiritual energy is constantly tearing apart every tiny corner of Zhong Xuan's physical body.

"This is troublesome..."

Zhong Xuan's expression darkened slightly, a rare occurrence.

From the perspective of the Tai Xuan Xin Hu Illumination Qi Method, the human body is woven from tens of millions of tiny Qi strands, each with its own fixed trajectory and frequency.

The aura released by this three-thousand-year-old spiritual fruit was like a blazing sun suddenly rising, radiating thousands of scorching and dazzling flames, violently baking everything in its path.

Wherever the sun shines, that place seems to wither and curl up!

Simultaneously.

In his inner vision, Zhong Xuan seemed to see the energy field around him being plowed inch by inch by this intense light.

The once lush and verdant veins began to turn yellow and curl at the edges, with a faint cracking trend spreading outwards.

"I need to understand the underlying principles and then solve the problem quickly..."

Zhong Xuan ignored the anxious calls from Qingniu and Zhang Chengming outside.

Having cultivated Taoism for a century, he had long understood that he could not rely on any external force.

It can only add flowers to brocade, or provide charcoal in the snow like the patriarch.

Ultimately, you still need to have your own abilities; otherwise, no matter how much you give away, you'll have to pay back even more debts in the future.

With this in mind, Zhong Xuan calmed down.

He wondered, what if we look at it from a different angle, from the perspective of the Qi system's circulation and transformation?

This Purple Ganoderma Spirit is like an externally connected engine, with power far exceeding the body's carrying capacity, frantically pouring energy into every meridian and acupoint.

Now, the human body, this machine, is forced to operate at high speed.

If it works, it will be a complete transformation; if it doesn't, it will result in the destruction of the machine and the loss of life.

Zhong Xuan could even hear the intricate energy within his body weaving together, as if it were emitting a hum that was about to break under the strain, or like strings of a musical instrument stretched to the point of snapping.

"Boy! Listen up! This is the method for achieving the Golden Core Dao!"

The blue ox's voice rang out again, more urgent than before, yet also more composed.

It no longer recited the basic methods of the three-stage Golden Elixir, but instead went a step further and revealed the fundamental method of refining the four-stage Golden Elixir.

Its meaning was like a hammer blow, striking Zhong Xuan's heart.

"Three transformations refine three flowers, and the three flowers gather at the top."

"Each flower blooms in its own way, each with its own unique characteristics."

"The power of four turns, the unity of three flowers."

"By harmonizing these three golden flowers into one, preventing them from acting independently, they can take root downwards and move towards the convergence of the five elements..."

Zhong Xuan listened to it and truly felt that every word was a gem.

The fundamental principles of alchemy sometimes point directly to the origin of the balance between Yin and Yang, while others extend to wondrous avenues of thought.

Each one, however, was like a master key, perfectly fitting into the keyhole of a certain chaotic spiritual energy within his body.

It all depends on how the listener understands and uses it.

This is the true fundamental principle, which can also be called the Great Way.

In a daze, Zhong Xuan seemed to have further guessed the lineage of this green ox.

The idea of ​​moral purity and tranquility now seems to be extinguishing his anxiety.

His consciousness gradually sank into a state of dazed yet extremely clear awareness.

The perception of the outside world is hazy, while the insight into the body is clear.

Unbeknownst to him, his mind was divided into three parts, each performing its own function.

The first sense of awareness is like that of a flood controller facing a raging torrent.

In his inner vision, Zhong Xuan viewed his internal condition as a reflection of his past life in the human realm.

The Yellow River and the Yangtze River breached their banks simultaneously, and the surging floodwaters submerged every inch of his vital energy.

Those originally orderly flowing streams of energy were now either swept away or engulfed, and countless beings of energy, like living creatures, struggled in the flood.

Zhong Xuan, now acting as the one who controls the floods, remains calm, as if he has transformed into the legendary Yu the Great.

He carefully traced the course of every river within his body.

From the main trunks of the Ren and Du meridians, to the branches of the twelve regular meridians, and then to the tens of thousands of tiny, capillary-like tributaries of Qi.

Geographical data was surveyed and recorded one by one.

Zhong Xuan gradually memorized where the water was too strong, where the terrain was low-lying, and where there were old river channels that could be dredged.

Then, he started to do it.

Those who needed to dig canals directed the qi to condense into invisible shovels and picks, opening up new waterways where there were blockages, diverting the overflowing floodwaters and relieving pressure on the main river channel.

Where dikes were needed, they built dams of vital energy in strategic locations to block the raging tide that could wash everything away.

One dredges, one opens up, and one blocks.

Using three methods together, we suppressed the flood, letting the water return to its natural state and the Tao return to its natural state.

The pressure of spiritual energy within the body immediately decreased.

When Qingniu and Zhang Chengming, who were outside, saw this, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

The boy's appearance just now was terrifying!

He looked like a balloon that had been inflated, swelling up to three times his original size!

But now it has recovered to about twice its original size, which was inflated by spiritual energy. Although it is still not normal, at least there is no need to worry about it exploding and dying at any time.

Zhong Xuan also realized that it wasn't enough!

Unconsciously, he gleaned a fundamental understanding of the three-part concept of consciousness from the Tao Te Ching, and now…

Let's shift our focus to the metaphor in that article.

The threat we just dealt with was physical.

Now it's a matter of divine will, and we need to resolve the issue of spiritual information.

Even the spiritual energy in heaven and earth has a "will".

It is the will of heaven and earth, or rather, the will of this environment.

Zhong Xuan's insistence on consuming it was akin to his own body, a perfectly good story, being forcibly filled with a large amount of nonsensical and illogical text.

Some of these variant characters are similar in form, while others are completely different in spirit, and a considerable number of them do not belong to the same language system at all.

As a result, the entire story became fragmented and incomprehensible.

The originally fluent sentences were truncated, and the originally clear logic was submerged.

All that remained were a bunch of symbols with unclear meanings and strange origins rampaging across the paper, making the original structure teeter on the brink of collapse.

Zhong Xuan's third consciousness is like the bright moon in the lake of his heart.

The clear lake of the heart reflects every conflict, every crack, and every tremor within.

Quietly watching all of this, quietly observing all of this.

What should we do? How can we solve this?

With a second awareness, I began to work hard.

He began like a quiet librarian, facing a vast library containing tens of thousands of books, all of which formed the foundation of Zhong Xuan's own cultivation.

Originally, every orderly wisp of one's own energy, every imprint of cultivation technique engraved in one's flesh and blood, was like a precious book neatly arranged on a bookshelf.

But now this library has been disturbed by intruders.

Countless incomprehensible characters fell from the sky, like ink stains and graffiti, or fragments of some unfamiliar language, scattered haphazardly between the lines of the classic texts.

Zhong Xuan, unhurried and composed in his previous life, recalled the miscellaneous studies he had acquired. He possessed the patience, having spent a century compiling the Tai Xuan Jing and the Hong Zhong Dian.

He even dabbled in cryptography, semiotics, and linguistics...

So he devised a plan to quickly measure the characteristics of each unfamiliar character, guiding the entire book to actively read, absorb, and adapt to these variant characters, digesting those originally incompatible symbols into part of its own vocabulary.

Gradually, some of the previously incomprehensible alien scripts were deciphered and understood, transforming into new strength for our allies.

In a daze, my consciousness was frantically accelerating everything.

The spiritual fruit contains all sorts of elements attracted over the past three thousand years, as well as traces left by time, but now it is being digested and understood at an extremely rapid pace.

Zhong Xuan's physical body in the outside world is gradually returning to normal.

Qingniu and Zhang Chengming, who were hiding in the wooden fish, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even knowing there's a small chance, this guy might create a miracle.

But this efficiency and intensity... isn't it a bit scary?

It must be someone who is a high-ranking figure in the Three Realms... at least a Bodhisattva or Golden Immortal reincarnation to have this level of comprehension and speed?

Zhong Xuan is unaware of what others are thinking.

His two consciousnesses were each performing their own functions without interfering with each other.

Those who manage the waters transform the land, while those who manage the waters burn the midnight oil in their buildings.

The third consciousness still hangs high above, like a clear mirror, quietly reflecting everything.

The scenery of Heart Lake is also changing dramatically. It seems to be undergoing a construction transformation that is accelerating in a very short period of time. Pavilions and the like are gradually rising up, and the lake surface is expanding rapidly without anyone noticing. At the same time, spiritual rain is falling day and night.

Zhong Xuan would never make himself suffer. Even when doing this kind of urgent repair work, he would use his mind's lake to conjure up a bustling construction scene so that every step he took would have obvious benefits and achievements, which would be reflected on his mind's lake.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Zhong Xuan suddenly opened his eyes.

Inside the dim cave, the remaining fragments of spiritual energy scattered and fell like fireflies.

Qingniu and Zhang Chengming looked over at the same time, and the man and the ox asked almost in unison:

"How is it?"

"The rampant spiritual energy within my body has returned to balance on its own, so there's nothing to worry about for now."

Zhong Xuan exhaled a long breath and stood up, supporting himself against the stone wall.

"Let's leave this place first, lest that scorpion demon summons her helpers to return and seek revenge."

He now possesses at least a century's worth of magical cultivation, so he does have some confidence.

It felt like he could sweep several people up with just a gust of wind he released.

We quickly exited the cave, and a mountain breeze greeted us.

The Rakshasa woman rushed forward immediately, her eyes filled with undisguised worry.

She immediately asked, "Zhong Xuan, what happened to you?"

Zhong Xuan shook his head and said, "It's alright, it just takes a long time to refine it."

He pointed to his lower dantian, "Right now, the source of spiritual energy in my body is surging out continuously. I need to find a safe place to cultivate in seclusion, otherwise the remaining spiritual energy cannot be completely contained."

Upon hearing this, the Rakshasa woman immediately reached out to help him up.

"Come, I'll take you away from here."

She let out a muffled groan, paused, and instinctively pressed her ribs, her body radiating heat.

Another imbalance of the five elements!

The previous hard-fought fight had clearly come at a price.

The Rakshasa woman swayed, her brow furrowed, clearly enduring immense pain.

Seeing her like this, Zhong Xuan immediately guessed the crux of the problem. He grabbed her wrist and turned to call out to the Green Ox, who was preparing to ride the clouds away, "Senior Green Ox, please wait!"

The blue ox's front hooves were already three feet off the ground. Hearing this, it turned its head, its copper bell-like eyes glancing over, and snorted: "You little brat, you know how to use someone else's back to do me a favor—this little girl's symptoms of imbalance of the five elements are indeed quite severe. She even has difficulty riding the wind and can't even stand steadily."

"Fine, since you dealt with that scorpion demon quite efficiently just now, I'll reluctantly give you a ride."

It shook its head, and finally walked back.

Zhong Xuan helped the Rakshasa woman onto the broad back of the blue ox.

She sat upright behind the boy, initially keeping a half-foot distance, her hands lightly gripping the hem of his clothes, cautiously avoiding getting too close.

The blue ox, its hooves whistling through the air, slowly rose into the sky.

Just as it flew halfway up the mountain, the ox suddenly stopped, as if it had collided with some surging, malevolent wind.

Caught off guard, the Rakshasa woman leaned forward, her soft chest pressing directly against Zhong Xuan's back, her arms instinctively wrapping tightly around his waist.

Zhong Xuan smelled the faint fragrance emanating from her hair, and felt the warmth of her arms tightening around his waist.

The Rakshasa woman was flustered and was about to let go and sit up straight.

The blue ox shouted in a deep voice, "The pursuers are closing in! Hold on tight!"

Before the words were even finished, the ox suddenly accelerated.

The blue shadow, like a blue rainbow, cleaved through the night mist and sped towards the horizon.

The Rakshasa woman was pulled even tighter by the inertia and did not loosen her grip.