Chapter 13 Taiyi Five Elements Guiding Body Refining Technique If the human body is compared to a container. Building the foundation means clearing all the holes in the container, removing any blockages, and filling them with air. This is what is called the three treasures of the human body: essence, energy and spirit, which are perfect and without leakage. After achieving this, the container remains the same container, with no qualitative change. It just meets the qualifications for entering the kiln for sintering, laying the foundation for the subsequent qualitative change. Without the Five Animal Divine Intentions, the Five Animal Exercises is just a practice method that is barely at the lower level of the Yellow Rank. Logically speaking, after building the foundation through the Five Animal Exercises, one would not be able to form any special Taoist body or develop any special talents, even some common supernatural powers would be impossible to generate. That's exactly what happened. After completing the foundation building, Tao Tie felt that his eyes were brighter, his ears were more sensitive, his tongue had a keener sense of taste, and his lips and teeth were clearer in pronunciation.
The flesh is firmer, the tendons are tougher, the veins are more unobstructed, and the bones are harder. Other than that, there are no other major changes. Even after mastering the bird-playing skills, he couldn’t even reach the magical level of whistling and blowing air. If Tao Tie had not sensed himself and triggered the information fragments, and seen that the level of "Five Animal Play" was (Mastery, progress 15%), he would never have planned to continue practicing "Five Animal Play". He wanted to see what he would gain by pushing the Five Animal Exercises to the highest level (perfection, 100% progress)! But that's for the future. The most important thing right now is to eat the medicinal food in time to strengthen the body and to report to the missionary institute the news that he has completed the "hundred-day foundation-building". After eating three servings of medicinal meals in the cafeteria to get his body into optimal condition, Tao Tie once again came to the library and headed straight to the third floor. Less than an hour had passed since he went to ask Instructor Huang for advice. "Thank you for your guidance, Master." When Tao Tie came to Instructor Huang's desk, he did not pay another five taels of silver for another opportunity to learn from him. Instead, he bowed and thanked him sincerely, "This is how I was able to completely master the Five Animal Exercises and complete the 100-day foundation-building process. I can now practice Taoism. I will never forget your kindness, Instructor." "Ah." Instructor Huang nodded slightly, calmly accepting Tao Tie's gift, and then said calmly, "I did give you some pointers, but you also stumbled upon the opportunity, have perseverance, and even more wisdom, you were able to complete the 100-day foundation building with the Five Animal Play. Congratulations." After a pause, Instructor Huang became interested and said a few more words: "The Great Yong Dynasty encourages cultivation. There are countless ways and opportunities in the world. Don't think you are special and think highly of yourself just because you have a few opportunities. Don't worry about this and be wary of that just because you have an opportunity, especially in the missionary academy. You did a good job in this regard before. Whether you thought about entering the missionary academy to study after encountering an opportunity, or you came to ask for advice when you encountered a barrier in your cultivation. Remember..." Huang Jiaoxi emphasized: "Dayong Dynasty encourages cultivation and protects the lower classes!" "Thank you for your guidance, Master." Regardless of whether he can listen or not, whether he can understand, accept and agree with it or not, Tao Tie must thank Teacher Huang for his teachings. This is the most basic etiquette for being a human being, and it is also the most basic respect for teachers for students. "He's a polite man, not bad." Instructor Huang said this calmly, then stood up, put his right hand holding the ancient book behind his back, and said as he walked, "You and I have some fate. Come with me, I will register you and give you the foundation-building benefits of the missionary academy."
"Thank you for your instruction." After another salute, Tao Tie hurriedly followed. The Dayong Dynasty encourages spiritual practice, and this is not just empty talk, but it has many practical policies. The very existence of the mission house is the greatest benefit. After entering the missionary academy as a formal student and completing the foundation building, you can start practicing Taoism and enjoy many benefits. The first item is to redeem a method of practice after entering the Tao for free. The second item is that a certain quota of 20% off on medicinal food purchases will be given every month. The third and final item is that the missionary institute will arrange some tasks and work within the capabilities of the formal students who have entered the sect to practice, so that the students can apply what they have learned and also create a source of income for them. Just for these three benefits, Tao Tie did not hide the fact that he was able to complete the 100-day foundation-building process with the Five Animal Exercises. What's more, there must be a master of cultivation in the missionary academy, or there must be a rare item of a certain level hidden away, who can see through the true progress of all students. Have you completed the foundation building, have you entered the Tao? Even if you want to hide it, can you hide it? Rather than being a villain who is always worried, it is better to be a gentleman who is open and honest. Just like Master Huang said, there are countless ways to practice in the world, and countless opportunities. If you come across some opportunities, there is no need to worry about this or be on guard against that. His sneaky behavior only made him more eye-catching. When Tao Tie was forced by Li Zeyuan to jump into the water as bait at the dock, he suddenly came to his senses and resolutely decided to enter the missionary college to become a formal student. He did not intend to hide it any further. In addition to the secret of the golden finger [Knowing Everything], he can even expose the existence of the "Taotie Visualization Method". What's more, how can one use the "Five Animal Exercises" to complete the 100-day foundation-building? The open-minded Tao Tie followed Instructor Huang, who specialized in the five elements, from the third floor of the library to the second floor. The books on the first floor do not involve any methods of spiritual practice, so there is no administrator and they are entirely up to the students to manage. The books on the second floor are about methods of spiritual practice, so there is a retired old teacher with white hair and beard who is on duty all year round. Instructor Huang came to the duty room set up by the retired teacher at the stairs, knocked on the door respectfully, and after getting permission, he pushed the door open respectfully and entered. Tao Tie had never been to the second floor of the library before. He only knew of the existence of the retired old teacher, but did not know his true identity. However, seeing that Instructor Huang was so respectful, Tao Tie naturally could not behave impolitely and he also behaved very respectfully. "Mr. Qiu, the student brought someone to register." After entering the room, Instructor Huang put the ancient book on his belt, saluted, and said respectfully, "This student has come across an opportunity and completed the 100-day foundation building with the Five Animal Exercises." "Five Animal Exercises to build a foundation?" Mr. Qiu, a retired teacher who was lying in a rocking chair by the window, basking in the sun leisurely, muttered something and slowly sat up after hearing what Instructor Huang said. He glanced at Tao Tie, who was standing behind Instructor Huang and bowed but remained silent. Then Elder Qiu lowered his eyelids and said indifferently, "You are a stubborn person with a leaky body. You have no chance of becoming an immortal. It is a great fortune for you to be able to practice the Five Animal Play. You can even complete the foundation building. It is really a chance."
With just one glance, Instructor Qiu saw through Tao Tie's physique. This made Tao Tie extremely glad that he did not "lie dormant" in the missionary house with a lofty attitude of playing the pig and eating the tiger, or being the only sober person while everyone else is drunk. Netizens are not lying to me, sincerity is indeed the ultimate killer skill. Just when Tao Tie was feeling lucky, Old Qiu continued indifferently, "Boy, I don't ask you about your chance. You are just a stubborn stone with a leaky body. It will be extremely difficult to practice Taoism even if you have the help of chance. You will get half the result with twice the effort. Do you understand?" Double the difficulty, half the result with twice the effort? After hearing what Teacher Qiu said, Tao Tie agreed deeply with it. If there was no golden finger [Knowing Everything], even if the original body recognized the jade carving of Taotie mask and obtained the "Taotie Visualization Method" from it, it would not necessarily be possible to find the shortcut to practice "Five Animal Play" with the "Taotie Visualization Method". Even if Tao Tie used [Knowing Everything] to find a shortcut to practice the Five Animal Exercises through the Taotie Visualization Method, if he did not bravely and sincerely ask for advice from Master Huang, he would still be stuck at the last moment of the 100-day foundation building. So... Tao Tie said from the bottom of his heart: "Master Qiu, I understand. But no matter how many difficulties there are, I am determined to pursue the truth. I will definitely persist and go all the way to the end, no matter how far I can go!" "Ah." Old Qiu responded indifferently, then stood up from the rocking chair, walked to a table, opened a directory, picked up a pen and dipped it in ink, "Name?" "Taotie, the clay of pottery, the iron of ironware." "Taotie? What a good name. I hope you can really turn clay into black iron, and then gold!" "Thank you, Mr. Qiu." After a simple but somewhat meaningful conversation, Mr. Qiu wrote the name "Tao Tie" in the list of students enrolled in Taoism. This meant that Tao Tie had completed the 100-day foundation-building process and was now able to practice Taoism, which had been recognized by the Missionary Institute. Based on this, the welfare stipulated by the Dayong Dynasty can be distributed to Tao Tie. "The method of entering the Tao and practicing..." After putting down the pen, Old Qiu glanced at Tao Tie who was very respectful, and then glanced at Huang Jiaoshi who brought Tao Tie here personally. He had an idea in mind and asked casually, "Do you want to find it yourself, or listen to my recommendation?" Still need to hesitate? Tao Tie immediately replied: "The student will listen to Mr. Qiu's recommendation." "Not reluctantly?" Mr. Qiu's tone was a little surprised, as if he didn't expect Tao Tie to answer so straightforwardly. "It's not forced at all! This is a blessing for students!" Tao Tie made his statement in a firm tone. joke! Do you really think that Mr. Tao doesn't know the legend of the sweeping monk in the Sutra Library and the librarian? What's more, Instructor Huang respects you so much, you must be a powerful person. Being able to receive guidance from an expert is an opportunity that many people would love to have. How could Tao Tie possibly turn it down? The most important thing is that with the golden finger [Knowing Everything], Tao Tie doesn’t think he will be cheated! "The little guy is quite interesting." Mr. Qiu seemed to understand why Instructor Huang was willing to take out his precious time to personally bring Tao Tie to register and receive benefits.
The little guy has a good heart, is very perceptive, and is a lucky person! What is the most important thing when practicing the Five Elements? Good luck! Thinking of this, Old Qiu turned and entered the library on the second floor behind the duty room, and took out a rubbing of a scroll on the method of cultivation. "Xiao Junshi, do you want this little fellow to practice this method?" After taking out the rubbing, Mr. Qiu did not give it directly to the welfare recipient Tao Tie, but handed it to Instructor Huang, while asking questions. "The students' little thoughts can't be hidden from Mr. Qiu." Instructor Huang took the rubbing and said frankly, "The body of the stubborn stone is leaking, and the five elements are incomplete. It is almost impossible for him to become an immortal. If he has the opportunity to practice Taoism, he can either take a different path and go the extreme path of a single path, or go the path of repairing the five elements." As he spoke, Instructor Huang turned around, looked at Tao Tie, and said seriously: “You and I have some affinity, and you also have some affinity with the Five Animal Exercises. I was just thinking of asking Elder Qiu to take out this lower-grade Earth-rank Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Body Art and recommend it to you. However, I would like to point out in advance that just as the Five Animal Exercises has certain problems that prevent most people from using it to complete the foundation-building and enter into spiritual practice, the same is true of the Taiyi Five Elements Guiding Body Refining Technique, which is a continuation of the Five Animal Exercises. After you are selected, the missionary institute can only teach you the basic knowledge of cultivation and knowledge related to the five elements, and it cannot help you much in cultivation. In this case, are you still willing to choose this "Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Technique" as your first benefit?" To be honest, after listening to what Instructor Huang said, it would be impossible to say that Tao Tie didn't have any hesitation in his heart. But now that things have come to this, what is the point of hesitating? Repetition has only disadvantages. Therefore, Tao Tie said in a deep voice: "I believe in the two teachers, the missionary academy, and the court. I am willing to choose the "Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Body Technique" and I will never regret it." "Ha ha……" Instructor Huang smiled and handed the rubbing to Tao Tie, saying, "Take it back and read it carefully. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me." After a pause, Huang emphasized: "No need to pay." After he finished speaking, he waved his hand very naturally. This is an eviction order. "Thank you for your instruction." Tao Tie took the rubbing, bowed sincerely to Instructor Huang, and then said, "I'm leaving now." After saying that, Tao Tie took two steps back holding the rubbing, then turned around and left Mr. Qiu's duty room on the second floor of the library and went straight back to his single dormitory. In the duty room, Mr. Qiu and Instructor Huang remained silent for a while. Mr. Qiu lay back in his rocking chair, basking in the sun leisurely, unwilling to speak. Teacher Huang recalled some past events. After a while, Old Qiu seemed to find it annoying that Instructor Huang was standing in the duty room, and said unhappily, "Xiao Junshi, if you really miss that girl Xiaofeng, just go to the capital to find her. Why are you complaining to me?" Instructor Huang did not say anything. He just bowed to Mr. Qiu, with a hint of loneliness in his eyes, and walked back to the third floor. The past is gone, so let it be. If there had not been another stubborn stone body that completed its foundation with the Five Animal Play, he would never have thought of that past event.
It's passed. Tao Tiezi, who returned to his single dormitory, had no idea of this. After spending some time to calm himself down, Tao Tie opened the copy of "Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Technique" and began to study it carefully. There are two main schools of Taoist practice: Alchemy and Talismans. After completing the 100-day foundation-building with the Five Animal Exercises, one enters into Taoist practice, following the path of the alchemy cauldron, and the inner alchemy path. After a hundred days of foundation building, the next step is to refine the grain into essence. After that, it is the real beginning of the practice of alchemy which is refining essence into qi. Whether it is the preliminary stage of refining grain into essence or the actual stage of refining essence into qi, it is all about refining and nourishing the body, or simply called refining the body. "Tai Yi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Body Technique" is a book on the technique of cultivating and nourishing the body with guiding as the main form. Its characteristics are moderation and peace, and it is in the same vein as the Five Animal Exercises. It is indeed most suitable for ceramics. (End of this chapter)