Chapter 18 Who is the Devil? Three days passed and Tao Tie did not stop. The remaining wind and wood qi, summer fire qi, and damp earth qi among the five elements. The remaining smells among the five odors include foul smell, burnt smell and fragrant smell. During these three days, Tao Tie practiced the "Taotie Visualization Method" one by one, visualizing Taotie, transforming himself into Taotie, and "eating" the food conceptually. The most basic and core function of "Taotie Visualization Method" is to make up for the deficiency with food. At this point, Tao Tie, who had a body like a stubborn stone and incomplete five elements, replenished his qi with qi and his actions with actions, and finally had the qualifications to practice the Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Body Technique normally. However, after gaining the qualifications to practice, Tao Tie did not rush into practicing, but continued to patiently make preparations. He first reported to the instructor Huang Junshi who valued him, and then applied to the missionary academy, wanting to use a clean room with an altar for his first herbal medicine-collecting practice. While waiting for the missionary institute to review his application, Tao Tie was not idle either. Not only did he concentrate on familiarizing himself with all the rituals, talismans, and spells required for herbal medicine practice, he also repeatedly simulated and rehearsed each procedure of herbal medicine practice.
By the time the mission approved Tao Tie's application and prepared the purification room, altar, talismans, incense, wine, fruit, candles and other items, Tao Tie was very sure that he had made all the preparations. "Teacher, I'm fine." In the quiet room, Tao Tie took a deep breath, calmed his actually very calm mood, and spoke solemnly to Instructor Huang who was standing beside him. "Yes. Start when you are ready. I will protect you." Instructor Huang nodded calmly, then changed the subject, "But let me tell you in advance, even if you are unlucky and encounter an alien demon on your first trip to collect herbs, I will not help you capture and kill the alien demon right from the start. The so-called crisis is both a danger and an opportunity. When a cultivator encounters an alien demon during his practice, it is a crisis. If you stay calm and get through the danger, there will naturally be opportunities." "Thank you for your advice, I'll save myself the trouble." After listening to Teacher Huang's earnest teachings, Tao Tie expressed his sincere gratitude. Tao Tie's time in the missionary school over a month was not in vain. Regarding the basic knowledge of spiritual practice, I have taken many classes and read many books. I am no longer a novice in spiritual practice who knows nothing, nor am I an illiterate. "Go." Instructor Huang didn't say anything else, just gestured. Tao Tieru walked forward a few steps and stood in front of the altar. He bowed to all directions first, then used the wispy fragrance from the altar as fire starter and the summer heat he had "eaten" to help burn the Six Ding and Six Jia talismans prepared by the missionary center. This is to summon the six male Yang gods, Jade men, and the six female Yin gods, Jade women, to come and protect the Dharma. The burnt talismans emitted spiritual light and formed a talisman in the clean room, indicating that the Six Dings and Six Jias had responded to the call and came to protect the monks. Tao Tie breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He does have full confidence, but confidence is just confidence. If it is not realized, everything is empty. At this point, the first step of herbal medicine cultivation has been taken steadily. Tao Tie then stepped on the Taoist magic steps, formed a thunder seal with his left hand, made sword gestures with his right hand, and chanted the eight magical spells of Taoism. The Heart Purifying Mantra purifies the body and mind, eliminates distracting thoughts, and calms the mind. It can enable the ordinary mind to enter into silence, return to the heart of Tao, and enter into a state of purity and tranquility.
It also has the function of protecting the soul and spirit. The Mouth Purifying Mantra can eliminate the karma of speech, and you can pray to the righteous gods to cleanse the foul air in your mouth. After purifying your mouth and tongue, recite scriptures and chant mantras to understand the truth and attain the Tao. The Body Purification Mantra allows the four spirits in the body to return to their proper positions, eliminate physical karma, protect the body, and safeguard the Tao body. It makes the body of those who practice Taoism quiet, and they can use their quiet body to inspire the gods. When chanting the Mantra to pacify the God of Land, one summons the God of Land and Mountain when setting up the altar and performing the ritual, so that he can report to the Heaven on behalf of ordinary people and protect the righteous path. The Golden Light Mantra focuses on cultivating the mind of the Taoist body, and advocates using the internal cultivation of the Golden Light Spirit to protect the body, subdue demons and defend the Tao! This mantra is a Taoist secret mantra because of its wide range of uses and powerful power. It contains hidden methods of cultivation, and the methods of cultivation in different sects are also different. Tao Tie was reciting at this time not to practice, but just to try to awaken the "little golden light" in his body to protect his body and subdue demons. The mantra for purifying heaven and earth has saved countless people, and this work has killed countless ghosts, but the Taoists are compassionate and wish for the happiness of all ghosts. At this time, Tao Tie did not seek to save people or kill ghosts, but only to purify the "outside" of the room, so that all the ghosts would be safe and happy and would not interfere with his collection of herbs and practice. The effect of the incense spell was nothing else but to allow Tao Tie's "warning" to reach the ninth heaven directly. The mysterious mantra ordered the gods inside and outside the altar to return to their proper positions, guard the altar, and protect the practitioners from external evil. The so-called "external evil" mainly refers to the demons from outside the domain. After reciting the eight great mantras, Tao Tie sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and at the same time practiced the visualization and breathing methods of "Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Body Technique". The guide guides the Qi to make it harmonious and the body to make it soft. Taiyi Five Elements Guiding and Refining Body Technique is neither a purely static exercise nor a purely dynamic exercise, but a combination of static and dynamic exercises. It consists of three parts: visualization, breathing, and five elements standing meditation. Tao Tie first practiced the visualization method to mobilize his spirit and make his state of mind fit the true meaning of "Taiyi Body Refining Technique"; Then practice the breathing method, adjust your breathing rhythm, and make your breath close to the breath of "Taiyi Lianxing Shu". Wild horses are like dust, and living things blow them with their breath. All things breathe, and the five elements naturally have their own qi as well. When their minds and breaths were in harmony, Tao Tie lightly touched the ground with his feet and stood up steadily. While getting up, Tao Tie closed his eyes, followed the extremely mysterious feeling, took a stance, and began to practice the Five Elements Stance Exercise. The Five Elements Stance Exercise in Taiyi Lianxing Shu is quite similar to the Five Animal Exercises that Tao Tie relied on to complete the 100-day foundation-building and refining grains into essence, both of which follow the pictographic approach. However, compared with the Five Animal Exercises, the Five Elements Posture is much more mysterious. The five elements are usually arranged in the order of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Tao Tie's situation was special. He originally wanted to hide on the dock first and didn't want to attract too much suspicion and attention, so he started practicing bird shows. Bird play belongs to metal in the five elements.
Therefore, the five elements of Tao Tie have always been arranged according to gold, water, wood, fire and earth. The same is true at this moment. Start practicing from the metal element, then move on to the water element, wood element, fire element, and earth element. Humans have three treasures: essence, energy and spirit. Visualization harmonizes the mind and targets the "spirit"; breathing harmonizes the breath and targets the "essence"; the Five Elements Stance Exercise uses the Qi of the Five Elements as medicine and targets the "Qi". As Tao Tie practiced, the metal energy was the first to gather from the dark void. Tao Tie was originally a stubborn stone with a leaky body. His innate five elements were incomplete and he had almost no chance of becoming an immortal. Even if he was thrown into an environment with extremely strong five elements, he would not be able to attract the five elements. However, Tao Tie used the "Taotie Visualization Method" to eat the five smelly air and the five phases of air in the alternative version. He made up for the deficiency with food, made up for the qi with air, and made up for the movement with movement, and then he could draw in the qi of the five elements. Instructor Huang Junshi, who was standing silently in the quiet room, saw Tao Tie slowly and peacefully practicing the Five Elements Standing Exercise of "Taiyi Lianxing Shu", starting with the Metal Qi and rotating to guide the Five Elements Qi. A hint of understanding flashed in his eyes. The words of Mr. Qiu who was guarding the third floor of the library in the missionary academy, "Xiao Junshi, if you really miss that girl Xiaofeng, just go to the capital to find her. Why are you complaining to me?" suddenly rang in Instructor Huang's mind. My heart, which I thought was dead, suddenly moved. Just like a stone thrown into a pool of dark water, it creates ripples. Huang Junshi sighed silently, cut off all distracting thoughts with his wisdom sword, and returned to his calm state. He concentrated on protecting Tao Tie, who had several similarities with the "Little Phoenix" mentioned by Old Qiu. Tao Tie felt very wonderful at this moment. The five elements' energy emerged from the void and surged in from all directions. When he practiced the Metal Element Standing Qigong, he could draw in the Metal Element Qi; when he practiced the Water Element Standing Qigong, he could draw in the Water Element Qi. The same is true for the wood, fire, and earth elements. The twists and turns that are very likely to occur to most practitioners during their first herbal medicine collection process did not seem to happen to Tao Tie. Tao Tie's first time collecting herbs was as simple as eating and drinking, and it went very smoothly. However, I can choke when eating and drinking water. Was Tao Tie’s first time collecting herbs really so smooth? Suddenly, [Knowing All Things] jumped out on its own initiative, triggering information fragments about Tao Tie. 【Name: Tao Tie Race: Terran Constitution: Stubborn and leaky 技能：1、饕餮观想法（入门，进度14%）；2、五禽戏（圆满，进度100%）；3、太乙五行导引炼形术（入门，进度1%） Realm: 100 days of foundation building, refining grain into essence (progress %) Status: Gathering herbs, being deceived and tricked by the demon from outside the domain] The name, race, physique, skills, and realm are all things I have seen many times, nothing special. The extra [status] is what deserves the most attention. What is quite strange is that whether the golden finger [Knowing Everything] popped out or the information fragments emerged, it did not break Tao Tie's state of mysterious emptiness and oblivion of self and other required for practicing the "Taiyi Five Elements Guiding Body Refining Technique".
Even though Tao Tie's attention was slightly diverted by [Status: Collecting herbs, blinded by the extraterritorial demon, being deceived], it did not cause Tao Tie to suddenly break away from his extremely focused state of cultivation and suffer backlash. For quasi-monks who are collecting herbs for the first time but have not yet entered the realm of cultivation, the most taboo is to be distracted during practice, which may lead to insanity at worst, and serious injuries at the least! Tao Tie didn't have time to sigh about these things at the moment, and he hurried to deal with the extraterritorial demon that he had not discovered. At this moment, Tao Tiefang realized that he had fallen into a very strange state. He didn't even realize that the five elements surging out from the void were too much and too fast! What's more, they didn't realize that this situation where they could collect as many herbs as they wanted was extremely inappropriate. Practicing and collecting herbs is like eating and drinking. People are iron, and rice is steel, so you panic if you don't eat a meal. But eating too much can also kill you. If Tao Tie continues to collect everything like this, his body and mind will "naturally" develop extremely strong greed. Gluttony. As Tao Tie was thinking this, every part of his body suddenly underwent unpleasant changes. Every pore and every "cell" is like a hungry and unrestrained baby, eagerly grabbing the five elements of Qi that surge out of the void. In a trance, Tao Tie seemed to hear a rustling sound. "Eat it!" "Eat quickly!" “Eat more!” “Eat more!” There is no doubt that these rustling whispers come from the legendary demons from outer space. And it is the gluttonous demon among the extraterritorial demons. If other prospective monks encounter this situation, if they are monks from large sects with roots, or if they are students of the Dao who are being trained by missionary academies in various places, they will not only have elders/teachers to protect them and take timely action in times of crisis to kill the extraterritorial demons, but they will also know many secret methods to refine the extraterritorial demons and fleece them. If you are an independent cultivator or a poor cultivator from a small family, it depends on whether you have a firm will and whether you can firmly block out the tempting whispers of the gluttonous demon, overcome the desire for gluttony, and pull back from the brink! Tao Tie originally wanted to follow the knowledge he had heard and seen, use conventional methods to fleece the greedy demon, draw in more energy of the five elements, and get his first herbal medicine practice off to a good start. After a flash of inspiration, Tao Tie suddenly changed his mind. In the past life, a wise and capable emperor once said, "If the enemy can go, I can go too." A certain elegant man who is good at reasoning and often takes a group of men to travel around and promote his own ideas said, "Repay kindness with kindness and repay evil with justice." Tao Tie had also heard the saying, "You do the first day, and I will do the fifteenth." Therefore, Tao Tie changed his mind and wanted to take revenge directly on the greedy demon who was whispering and tempting Tao Tie to absorb excessive amounts of the five elements. When it comes to gluttony, what could be better than Taotie? Greed for money is a glutton, greed for food is a glutton! Tao Tie is a man of action. Once he decides to do something, he will do it.
Quietly, the visualization method of "Taiyi Five Elements Guiding Body Refining Technique" stopped and smoothly switched to "Taotie Visualization Method". Such an inconspicuous change did not attract the attention of the gluttonous demon who was whispering. However, Instructor Huang Junshi's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he thought to himself, "Good!" Tao Tie was not afraid of the fact that he possessed the ancient inheritance "Taotie Visualization Method" being exposed. He even hoped to expose this secret to the teachers of the missionary academy and to the court of Dayong Dynasty in a reasonable way. In this way, it can be explained why a stubborn and leaky person like a rock could embark on the path of cultivation. As for how Tao Tie obtained the "Taotie Visualization Method", Tao Tie doesn't need to bother explaining. Ancient heritage like this one is not something that anyone can learn. It requires opportunity! If the opportunity does not come, no matter how high your comprehension, talent, or resources are, it will be useless and you cannot force yourself to learn. With this plan in mind, Tao Tie had already completed the "Taotie Visualization Method", visualizing Taotie and at the same time transforming himself into Taotie. He paused and the Five Elements Stance Exercise suddenly stopped. Tao Tie opened his eyes, looked towards the void where the gluttonous demon was hiding, grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. "My surname is Tao and my given name is Tie. Nice to meet you fellow Heavenly Demon Daoists." With a gentle greeting, the shadow of the ancient mythical beast Taotie quietly emerged from behind Tao Tie and pounced on him at a speed that the six greedy demons were completely unable to react to. With its bloody mouth wide open, five greedy demons fell into the mouth of the Taotie phantom, which swallowed them whole without chewing. The remaining gluttonous demon who escaped the disaster was stunned for a second before he tore through the void and escaped back to the outside world. Tao Tie looked at the gluttonous demon's back as he fled in panic with a dim gaze and smiled indifferently. As a fisherman, you always have to make a nest before casting the rod. The greedy demon who did not see the shadow of Taotie clearly was the best bait. Tao Tie is looking forward to the next time he collects herbs and practices. (End of this chapter)