The essence of Taoist cultivation is to teach people how to get along with the world. Since people cannot exist in isolation from the real world, the cultivation process itself cannot exclude the interaction of internal and external factors.
Although the practice of alchemy is based on "refining oneself", it is definitely not just about cultivating the "internal". Even things that most people usually think of as the "internal" category, such as the mind and spirit, are actually "external" in terms of alchemy practice.
exist".
Just as the human body is formed by eating grains and vegetables and gathering essence and energy, the human heart is actually formed by seeing five colors, smelling five flavors, and hearing five sounds, and is formed by the combination of seven emotions and six desires.
How can it be so easy to achieve the so-called "not relying on external things" and "not seeking externally"? Even in the most advanced level of alchemy cultivation, the barriers between internal and external are no longer as clear as ordinary people imagine.
"Then learning psychic powers, does it mean giving up the 'possessiveness'?" Theus said at this time: "Some high-ranking mages who specialize in magic control and illusion also seem to be keen on philosophical speculation."
"Abandon the 'possessiveness'? Ha! Do you think you can give it up? Do you know what the biggest possessiveness is?" Xuan Weizi asked.
Theus didn't answer for a while, but Wolf said intuitively: "Is it life?"
"It's not bad, it's a little improved." Xuan Weizi praised and said: "It is a very extraordinary thing for people to live and know that they are 'alive'. The 'possession' of life itself
, driving us to continue living. If even this "possessiveness" is gone, haha, then I don't know how I died. Just like a disabled vegetable, he has no "possessiveness", is it possible?
Would you say he's good at psychic powers? That's not the same thing at all!"
Theus said: "But what I heard about the soul and consciousness you mentioned seems to put the 'possessiveness' in a very low position. Since it is the driving force for our survival, why is it so low?
?”
"That's because you can only see the 'possessiveness' at work, but ignore more essential things." Xuan Weizi thought for a while and said: "Then let me give you an analogy - your body is a
In the country, the Yuan Shen is the emperor, and the Consciousness God is the Prime Minister. There are a group of ruling officials under the Prime Minister. These are the many specific functions of the Consciousness God, and possessiveness is only one of them.
Perhaps it can be regarded as a messenger, holding a horn and blowing it everywhere all day long. The people above and below cannot see the emperor, of course they can only see it conveying messages, but it is difficult to say whether the message itself truly reflects the emperor's orders. On the contrary
When we come here, the emperor wants to understand the living conditions of the people at the grassroots level, and he also relies on this messenger to understand the situation everywhere, but when he comes to the emperor, whether he sees the facts at the grassroots level is another matter."
Theus said at this time: "But what if the emperor himself is stupid? After all... haha, our Majesty... and why does it have to be the emperor? There was no Londinium Empire hundreds of years ago."
"Uh..." Xuan Weizi was stunned, and tapped his head with Biyun Ruyi. The cognitive differences between different worlds once again caused communication difficulties.
Whether it is Taoist practice or medical treatment, when the system of "monarch, minister, and subject" is used as a metaphor to explain, the monarch is generally established as an image of ruling with an arch, doing nothing and doing everything. It is an ideal model, and does not specify which person.
monarch.
However, the political environment of this world is very different from the traditional value system of China. Although there is an emperor, the old aristocrats, big landowners, and rich people also have a profound power foundation. There are also the Holy Lord Church, the Magic Council, the Mages Guild, etc.
Organizations between the secular world and the outside world are independent of each other. Even the Imperial Legion that went to the New World is like a country of its own. It is not at all the model of a central empire that unifies the world!
"Then...even if you are a territorial noble, there must be a steward under the earl, right? There are also clerks, tax accountants, craftsmen in charge, and guard captains under the steward, right?" Xuan Weizi could only say: "And the monarch I am talking about
, is that kind of idealized monarch. Let me ask you, if you were the earl of a territory, what kind of life would you like to live?"
"The best thing is that I don't have to be busy everywhere, the subjects pay taxes obediently, the surrounding trade routes are smooth, and there are no natural or man-made disasters, and then I can study arcana seriously." Theus chuckled and said: "But where can there be such a thing?
A good day?"
"Well, as the Earl, you are the soul, your territory is the body, your butler is the consciousness, and what is the possessive heart?" Xuan Weizi asked.
Theus responded according to the previous analogy: "Probably...a clerk who goes out to inspect taxes?"
"You can think so." Xuan Weizi smiled: "If the tax collector secretly raises taxes, what do you think the people will do? And he will also secretly withhold taxes and tell your steward, the people
If you refuse to pay the full amount of taxes, what will happen to your life?"
Theus had a bitter look on his face: "How can we live like this? The taxes are too heavy, and the people will either become homeless bandits, or they will directly revolt and rush into the castle. And the tax money I received is not enough, and I can't organize it."
An army was raised to deal with the refugees. In the end, both sides lost, but the tax collector took the money and ran away."
"This is a barrier between the top and the bottom. When it comes to people, it means that the body and mind are not in harmony, which leads to all kinds of ills." Xuan Weizi said: "But can you imagine a life without a tax collector in your territory?"
"Impossible, someone has to do these things. It's just a smaller territory, let the housekeeper take on this job." Theus immediately understood: "In other words, 'possessiveness' for people,
It must exist, it’s just a question of how to use it.”
"That's right." Xuan Weizi said: "Without the 'possessive heart', not only the magic items cannot be used, but it is even difficult to live normally. But the bodies of ordinary people only move according to the 'possessive heart', just like
The people of the lord can only see the tax collector, and no suffering can be conveyed to the ears of you, the lord, unless you can control your 'possessiveness'."
Tius knew that Xuan Weizi was about to talk about the important point, and asked excitedly: "Then how do I control the 'possessive heart'?"
"It's simple. Didn't the original tax clerk deceive the superiors and deceive the subordinates? Can you replace him with someone else?" Xuan Weizi said with a smile.
"Substitution?" Theus didn't understand.
Xuan Weizi shook Biyun Ruyi and asked: "Do you still remember the scene of the giant mushroom I asked you to remember before? Can you recall it clearly now?"
Theus nodded: "I can reproduce these memories through meditation, but it's hard to say how clear it will be."
"Then you start meditating now and don't worry about other things." As soon as Xuan Weizi finished speaking, a wisp of strange fragrance slowly floated out from the blue clouds in his arms, lingering around Tius.
Theus adjusted his mental consciousness, quickly entered a state of meditation, and began to replay previous memories. Although generally speaking, the memory of mages is far beyond that of ordinary people, but they focus their memory more on things related to spellcasting abilities.
Unnecessary memories will be buried deep in the mind.
But this time, Theus realized that the memories that reappeared were extremely real, including the disgusting giant mushroom, the abscess-like fluid sac that was about to burst, a large furry carpet, and the weird eyeball tentacles.
The figures of other people who were originally in the memory suddenly disappeared, and the giant mushroom slowly approached him, with interlaced texture, dripping mucus, vague murmurs, and a fishy and thick smell... all of this was crowded.
When he arrived in front of Theus, his consciousness was filled with something indescribable and terrifying.
Theus even forgot to exit the meditative state. Facing this shocking horror for an unknown amount of time almost caused his spirit to collapse and his rationality to melt away.
Just when the last trace of reason was about to be submerged, a spark flew from nowhere and landed on the giant mushroom, instantly igniting it all, as if it was enveloped by an extremely powerful and enhanced fire spell.
This flame carried the power of burning mountains and boiling seas. It burned the giant mushroom itself completely, leaving no ashes. It was also completely wiped out along with the surrounding fungi. Even the underground cave environment that should have existed in the memory was burned.
And in the sky, there is only a vast white earth, allowing Theus' mind to be immersed in the emptiness.
However, this ethereal feeling was too lonely. When Theus had just had a thought, there were blue waves in the sky, like a vast ocean hanging upside down, and thousands of hectares of water rushing down. It seemed like a water that was more holy than the miracles of the church.
Passing through Theus' body, all remaining dirt was washed away, leaving everything he saw and touched spotless.
When the flames and water flow left one after another, Theus only felt that his body was peaceful and natural, without any disturbance, and his spirit was pure and transparent. It was neither the pleasure after enjoying the female body, nor the fullness and rigor of studying arcana.
…
"Doctor, what's wrong with him?" After Wolf saw Xuan Weizi shaking Biyun Ruyi, Titus fell into a special state of sleep, and his breathing was so thin that he almost stopped.
"I led him into a special illusion state. If he can seize this opportunity, he might really be able to understand psychic powers." Xuan Weizi said with a smile.
Xuanweizi's method of guiding Titus is actually a variant of "contemplation of impurity", which is derived from the four foundations of mindfulness of Buddhism, namely - contemplation of the impurity of the body, contemplation of the suffering of feelings, contemplation of the impermanence of the mind, and contemplation of the impermanence of the Dharma.
I went deeper step by step.
However, the pure view of impurity is not completely consistent with the principle of precious life in alchemy cultivation. Therefore, the "view of impurity" taught by Xuan Weizi combines the method of water and fire tempering of high-level Taoists to transcend the sea of suffering and endure hardships.
The transformed form must return to its true form after being freed from impurities.
The mage has many advantages over others in the use of spiritual awareness, but Xuan Weizi is not sure whether Titus can really practice this "impure view".
The "substitution" that Xuan Weizi talks about actually relies on the "contemplation of impurity" to break and reshape the old thinking and consciousness patterns. Since the contemplation of the body is impure, then we should refine it through water and fire, and then contemplate our own body again.
If you grasp it well and rely on this "view of impurity of water and fire", even if you cannot obtain psychic powers, you can still have a deep grasp of your own spirit and thoughts, and you can even improve your physique to a certain extent and get rid of diseases.
"How much did you understand what I just said?" Xuan Weizi said to Wolf at this time.
Wolf giggled and said: "Doctor, aren't you bullying me? I can't even be a mayor, so why should I be an emperor or a lord? How can I understand such complicated things?"
"I know, I know!" The snow goblin wizard Akuma Matata jumped out and replied: "Just like when I lead the cubs out, I also have to follow the rules! I have to guess in advance whether there is anything on the road.
Pedestrians or stray beasts; I have to be the first to lead the cubs; when I retreat, I have to be the last to leave to protect the cubs; I also have to know how to judge whether the enemy is strong or weak; grab or seize the opportunity afterwards
What you hunt must be distributed equitably, and you can’t keep it all yourself!”
Wolf understood Akuma Matata's words through telepathy, and said in astonishment: "Is this still a goblin? How can it be smarter than humans?"
Xuan Weizi smiled and said: "Knowing does not mean attaining the Tao. If you can really judge the enemy's strength, how could you fall into my hands?"
Akuma Matata said with a flattering look: "If this were not the case, how could we meet the Holy Saint Oranso?"
"It's a sharp tongue." Xuan Weizi shook his head and sighed. He turned his palm over and found a crystal clear blue bead in his palm. He said, "I'll give you this. As long as you bury it in the soil for a while, a special kind of flower will grow."
After eating this mushroom, your snow goblins’ muscles and bones will become stronger and your senses will become sharper. But don’t eat too much of this mushroom, otherwise it will damage your brain. Also, don’t swallow this bead!”
Akuma Matata carefully took the blue bead, knelt in front of Xuan Weizi and said with great respect: "Praise the Holy Lord Olanso! You are our god!"
"You don't have to do this. But if you cause any trouble in the future, don't use my name." Xuan Weizi pointed out: "This ball can be used repeatedly, and it is up to you to decide how to distribute the mushrooms that grow.
I will teach you another set of "Five Punishments", and you can teach them to your fellow tribesmen who have good brains... There is another thing I want you to do."
"I will do my best to fulfill the orders of the Holy Saint Oranso!" Akuma Matata said as if he swore an oath.
Xuan Weizi pointed to the cave where the giant mushroom Maiang broke through and said: "This is directly connected to the underground. There is enough space for your tribe to thrive. But I need you to explore the underground environment and try to pay attention to and record any special things.
Come down. If there is anything dangerous, avoid it for now and don't be alarmed."
"I know, I know!" Akuma Matata said jumping up and down: "The ground is very warm and you can raise a lot of moles. The cubs will be able to eat more meat in the future and grow tall and strong!
"
Xuan Weizi nodded, and then began to teach the "Five Punishment Laws". This method is called the Legalist Punishment Law, and its main purpose is to "change muscles, remove joints, abandon consciousness, stop sexual intercourse, and end life." In fact, it still retains the Taoist principles.
The characteristics of "to say the opposite" and "to speak of life through killing". This set of exercises is based on the body and body functions. It exercises the body from the outside to the inside and strengthens the soul through the body.
However, this technique soon became useless under the impact of various internal training methods such as Cun Si and Convince Qi. It was left in the old volumes of residual scriptures and was not appreciated by anyone. Xuan Weizi himself practiced alchemy.
, naturally there is no need for this kind of cultivation method. But for a race like goblins with low thinking ability and obvious physical changes, there is a subtle sense of compatibility.