Chapter 26: The Four Realms of Cultivation
The next day, at the hour of Yin.
It was still dark and the surroundings were grey, but Li Daoxuan had already gotten up under the urging of his master.
"Stand firm in horse stance!"
Li Daoxuan was wearing a loose white training suit and doing horse stance in the middle of the yard. On his head was an incense burner with a long incense stick stuck in it.
"Stand still. If the incense burner spills, I'll replace it for you. If the incense doesn't burn out, you have to keep standing!"
Zhang Qianyang stood with his hands behind his back. At this moment, his casual attitude changed and became extremely strict.
Li Daoxuan's face was covered in sweat, and he was a little confused. Why would a person who practices Taoism practice this?
As if seeing the doubt in his heart, Zhang Qianyang snorted coldly and said, "If you cultivate your nature without cultivating your destiny, it will all be in vain. Nature refers to the human spirit, and destiny refers to the human body. Only by cultivating both nature and destiny can you achieve the great way!"
"I am a Taoist monk. Since I was seven years old, in addition to practicing Qi and meditation, I have also been tempering my body. Having a good body is very beneficial to practicing Taoism. Boy, although you have good talent, you still have a lot to improve!"
Li Daoxuan said with a bitter face: "Master, even if I want to practice horse stance, you should at least let me eat something. Since last night, you have not allowed me to eat. If I don't eat, how can I have the energy to practice?"
Hearing this, Zhang Qianyang sneered and said, "Want to eat? Sure, if you're not afraid of death."
Li Daoxuan was stunned, not knowing what he meant.
"Let me ask you, when you were practicing recently, did you often feel pain three inches below your abdomen? Or did the pain even spread upwards as your practice improved?"
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan's body shook and the incense burner on his head almost fell to the ground.
"Master...how did you know?"
Before he asked, the master had already seen through it. It turned out that becoming a disciple was the right choice. An old person in the family is like a treasure.
Zhang Qianyang sat down cross-legged, took a sip of wine, and said calmly: "I saw it the first time I saw you. I was very surprised at the time. I don't know how you survived."
"Do you know what the first stage of cultivation is called?"
Li Daoxuan guessed: "Foundation building?"
Zhang Qianyang shook his head and said, "The first stage of cultivation is called Bigu!"
"Fasting? Does that mean not eating?"
"not that simple!"
Zhang Qianyang said sternly, "The magic power is transformed from the innate pure qi, and people eat grains, which fill their bodies with turbid substances, which conflict with the magic power transformed from the pure qi. So if you want to cultivate magic power, the first step is to stop eating grains and clear the turbid qi in your body."
Li Daoxuan asked in confusion: "But won't you starve to death if you don't eat?"
Those who practice Taoism also have to hone their bodies and do high-intensity training every day. If they don’t eat, how long can they live?
"Bigu fasting does not mean not eating, but not eating grains and common foods. Usually, you should eat fruits, drink mountain spring water, and take bigu pills made of precious medicinal materials. Over time, you will be able to remove turbidity and promote clarity, absorb the pure energy of heaven and earth, and practice magic power."
As he said this, he looked at Li Daoxuan and said solemnly, "You haven't practiced fasting, but somehow you have developed magical powers. The clear and turbid qi in your body are colliding and stuck in your lower dantian. Naturally, your lower abdomen is in great pain and your tendons are about to burst. The more you practice, the more intense the conflict will be. In the end, your body will even explode and you will die!"
Li Daoxuan's heart shuddered, and he was filled with fear, only then did he realize that he had walked to the edge of a cliff without realizing it, and almost caused a disaster!
"Of course, you don't need to worry too much. I am here with you."
As he spoke, Zhang Qianyang took out a jade bottle from his waist, poured out a black pill the size of a sugar bean, and said, "Open your mouth."
Li Daoxuan opened his mouth, and the next moment, the pill was flicked into his mouth by Zhang Qianyang.
The pill fell into his stomach, and soon warm currents appeared in Li Daoxuan's body. The feeling of hunger was swept away, and every part of his limbs felt refreshed and comfortable!
"This is our Longhu Mountain secret fasting pill, made with precious medicinal materials such as mica, ginseng, and ganoderma powder. Take one pill every seven days. It can relieve hunger and strengthen the body. This small pill is worth more than gold!"
These days, Zhang Qianyang used the three gold bars he got from his apprentice to buy medicinal materials, and he also went into the mountains to collect herbs, and only then did he refine a batch of fasting pills.
He had long remembered Li Daoxuan's hidden problems in his cultivation and began to find ways to solve them.
"From now on, if you take the Bigu Pills, in about a month, you will be able to solve this hidden danger ."
Li Daoxuan felt a little touched. Refining the elixir is not an easy task. Instead, it is very energy-consuming.
The master is also a person who looks cold but has a warm heart.
Li Daoxuan tried hard to stand in a horse stance. Fortunately, after cultivating his magic power, his physical body had also been improved. Otherwise, he would have collapsed by now.
"Master, can you tell me about the realm of cultivation? What realm do I need to reach in order to achieve immortality?"
He has traveled to this world for more than half a year, and he has always known nothing about the realm of cultivation. Now that he finally has a master, he naturally wants to find out everything.
Zhang Qianyang nodded and said, "Okay, I will explain it to you today."
"The first stage of cultivation is the Bigu stage, which is divided into three small stages: the early stage, the middle stage, and the late stage."
"In the early stage of fasting, you need to use your magic power to open the Huangting, which is the lower Dantian. This is where the essence is stored. After it is opened, the essence is like the sea, which is endless."
"In the middle stage of fasting, you need to use your magic power to open the crimson palace, which is the middle dantian. This is the place where the zongqi is located. After it is opened, the qi and blood will be vigorous and the power will be infinite."
"As for the later stages of Bigu, you need to use your magical power to break open the Niwan, which is the upper Dantian. This is the place where the spirit is hidden. After it is broken open, you can strengthen your spirit and increase your wisdom."
Li Daoxuan kept it in mind silently. He has not yet broken through the initial stage of fasting. His magic power is like a trickle, which cannot break through the door of the lower dantian at all.
"Master, what about the state after fasting?"
At this moment, Li Daoxuan seemed to have seen a new world. He couldn't wait to ask more questions and even ignored the pain in his body.
"The upper, middle and lower Dantian are actually like three nails that lock the human soul firmly in the body. After completing the three stages of Bigu practice, it is equivalent to pulling out the three nails. At midnight, the soul can jump out and transform into a Yin God. This second stage is called the Yin God Realm."
"When you reach the Yin God Realm, your spirit can fly in the sky and hide underground at night, travel through the sea of stars, and collect the essence medicine. Your progress will be rapid. Only when you reach this stage can you be considered to have achieved something."
Li Daoxuan imagined that scene and couldn't help but be fascinated.
"If you break through the Yin God realm again, you will become a Yang God. Your soul can extract the essence of the sun and transform from extreme Yin to pure Yang. Your Taoism is unfathomable and your magic power is as deep as the sea. Kings and generals will kneel to welcome you and you will be called an immortal in front of the emperor!"
Li Daoxuan immediately asked, "Can one become an immortal and live forever if one reaches the Yangshen realm?"
Zhang Qianyang shook his head and said, "Our old Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain and Master Ye Fashan of Maoshan Sect are both cultivators in the Yang God Realm. They once said that although Yang God can prolong life, it cannot achieve immortality."
"Then how can we achieve immortality?"
Zhang Qianyang looked at the sky which was gradually turning white, with a hint of longing in his eyes.
"That is naturally the fourth stage of cultivation, transcending tribulation and ascending to immortality!"
Just as Li Daoxuan was looking forward to his master continuing to talk, Zhang Qianyang waved his hand and said with some disinterest: "But I have only heard of this realm and don't know much about it. When you have a chance to return to Longhu Mountain, go ask the old man yourself."
Li Daoxuan nodded and summarized the four realms of Taoism in his mind.
The first realm is fasting, the second realm is Yin Shen, the third realm is Yang Shen, and the fourth realm is overcoming tribulations and ascending to immortality!
"Master, there are only four realms? Wouldn't it be easy to become an immortal?"
Li Daoxuan remembered the cultivation novels he read before traveling through time, each of which had many realms.
Zhang Qianyang sneered, "The road to cultivation is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Most people work diligently, but can only stay in the Great Grain Realm throughout their lives. Moreover, the road to cultivation is like walking on thin ice. If you are not careful, you will fail!"
"When you gather moon essence, you will encounter the moon demon; when you gather sun essence, you will encounter the sun demon. In addition, there is also the cultivator's own inner demon. The human life span is only a hundred years or so. Those who can cultivate to the Yin God realm are already people with outstanding talents."
Li Daoxuan nodded and asked the last question.
"Master, what realm are you in?"
