Lu Shouyi did not have much energy to care for Shen Lian, as it was not an easy task for him to practice. He lacked in basic foundation and awareness of cultivation.
Qing Xuan’s motto was, “If one wishes to train, one must first fix the heart”. Lu Shouyi was a pure-hearted person and had no problem fulfilling this criterion. That was also why the headmaster had faith in his future.
That being said, everything started with the basics and it was not easy to have a solid foundation.
Lu Shouyi had picked up the Visualization Technique. He had to visualize in his mind the scene of the sun and the moon appearing concurrently. He had never seen such thing and thus struggled with his training.
After five days, an unkempt Lu Shouyi was out of brain juice and made zero progress.
Three new members joined the lower house bamboo residence. Shen Lian generally had to leave early in the morning and return late at night. Upon returning, he would visualize the statue of the Innate Gods to stabilize the roots of his spirit. He was too occupied to put in any effort on the newcomers.
Shen Lian had been losing weight and he was literally thin to the bone.
His bloodshot eyes were no longer clear and moist as it used to be.
Buddhist scriptures often said ‘In order to be a powerful Buddha, you must first serve the common’. A Buddhist practitioner should experience epiphany through the sufferings of all beings.
Immortality was a natural consequence of the fruit from a tree.
And this tree was rooted in all sorts of the misery of the hustle bustle of a city.
All celestial immortals were too as complex.
In Shen Lian’s past and current life, he was someone who would seek comfort and security. This was his first time he discovered that he could and was willing to endure extraordinary sufferings for a goal.
The erosion caused by the River of Spirits to his spirit was still fresh. That piercing pain gave him a sense of rebirth from hell every time he came up to the land.
His once bright delicate skin had become dull and dark.
His flesh and blood were being used to rejuvenate his spirit.
This was the reason why he could stay sober.
Celestial beings generally would first train their Qi and then refine their spirituality.
Even if Lu Shouyi inherited methods of martial exercise from the headmaster, he could only learn the visualization part of the technique of concentration and not the way of spiritual nourishment. That was to ensure Lu Shouyi would focus on that section of his training.
As for Shen Lian, he went straight on into enhancing his spirits, to the extent that the previous owner of the body went into psychosis.
When he was given a new life, he stopped practicing the Mastery of Senses as that training would devour his flesh and vitality.
Even so, his strong foundation had benefited him in his astral projection training. Furthermore, Shen Lian and the soul of the former owner integrated, making it easier for him to separate his soul and flesh, giving him the edge to go out of body.
It may seem like a good thing in the early days but in the long run, it was actually something negative.
Unless Shen Lian abandoned his flesh and body to be one with heaven and earth, and go on with the road to Shinto.
The Wutong Gods took this road; it was a road where the more extreme you go, the more you need to feed on greed and lust. Your spirit may be strong but it would not be solid.
Although the corrosive water from the River of Spirits deeply damaged Shen Lian’s spirit, it really pushed Shen Lian to be in touch with his instinct in order to survive.
It was like buying a second-hand house that was somewhat uncomfortable to live in. After throwing out the old design and then renovating it according to the new owner’s ideas, the house became a meaningful home.
A person with a home had a secure heart.
Shen Lian realized his sense of attachment to his physical body. This was not something that he could simply give up on.
By the twenty-seventh day, Shen Lian had discovered thirty pieces of Yin jade. He achieved that three days earlier than the deadline.
After discovering the last piece of Yin jade, he swam up to shore and shook vigorously to dry off the wetness of the River of Spirits.
His sandalwood sword looked dull as it had been endlessly absorbing the river water for the past twenty-seven days.
Shen Lian held the sword and had a strange feeling as if the sword had learned how to breathe and absorbed the strength of heaven and earth. And that was why the sword felt heavier.
Three days ago, the sword had stopped absorbing water from the river, as if it had eaten a full meal.
Shen Lian handed over the thirty pieces of Yin Jade to the headmaster. By now, he had already known the name of the headmaster was Zhang Ruoxu.
Currently aged six hundred years old, it was said that headmaster had become a monk who gave up desires two hundred years ago. That was the final destination for achieving immortality.
Monks were like carp fishes trying to swim across the river. But monks who could give up their desires completely were not more than immortals.
Once Shen Lian had learned of that fact, he had more respect for Zhang Ruoxu. That was the respect for his training and dedication.
At the same time, Shen Lian was also very grateful to Zhang Ruoxu for pointing out his flaws and guided him to overcome them.
Although Shen Lian had lost the ability to go out of body and his spirit was a lot weaker than before, when he was practicing the Visualisation Technique, there was more clarity in his bier.
His spirit may be weaker but he felt a lot stronger than before.
In the Qing Xuan hall, Zhang Ruoxu accepted the Yin jade pieces from Shen Lian and placed it aside. He looked at Shen Lian delightfully. This kid was in the enlightening phase but his spirit was so calm, oozing an impregnable feeling.
The last person who gave him that same feeling was Lu Jiuyuan of Xuan Tian School. That person was then recognized as the top figure among immortals.
Monks seek immortality and to not be obsessed with killing. But as long as someone had a heart, they cannot avoid being angry or lustful. If one did not have the dedication, achieving immortality was just empty talk.
“You would have been a suitable candidate to learn the Solution of Ziwei Dong Mystery. Pair it up with the Taiyi Spiritual Technique and it would be beneficial for you in overcoming danger. It’s just that this training would undo the foundation you’ve worked so hard for.” Zhang Ruoxu felt tangled and yet joyful at the same time.
“Headmaster, what step should I take next?” In the long run, Shen Lian felt that it was better for him to seek advice than to go with the flow with his training.
Zhang Ruoxu was a master practitioner; Shen Lian was direct and did not beat around the bushes.
“I don’t know either. Your training at the River of Spirits had brought phenomenal outcome. Your physical body are showing spiritual traits while your spirits too possessed characteristics of your physical body. You may not feel it yet when you return to the subliminal stage but once you step into a trance, you would feel the difference. I am really curious what spiritual enhancement technique you’ve been practicing. You spirits were not damaged after the vigorous training at the River of Spirits.
I told you to collect thirty pieces of Yin jade but I didn’t expect you to complete the task. I gave you a lofty goal to push you to your limits. If you couldn’t withstand it, I would have rescued you.
Who would have thought you would exceed my expectations.”
Zhang Ruoxu gave a faint smile.
Shen Lian had a black face. He knew too little about practice and cultivation. If the River of Spirit were good for repetitive training, someone from Qing Xuan would have tried it.
Once your spirit was damaged, it would take a lot of effort to heal it. If Shen Lian mastered the art spiritual enhancement, it would have damaged the root of his spirit even though he had a strong soul.
Zhang Ruoxu had been secretly observing Shen Lian with the Tiandi Jian. Once Shen Lian shows sign of struggle, he would step in to rescue him.