Chapter 19

In the midst of withered vines, old trees, and crows at dusk, decaying walls, overgrown weeds, and an ancient, dilapidated house stood in the center of the courtyard, its windows tightly shut, as if concealing some unspeakable secret.

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Xingke closed the thick *Sanjie Tongjian* (Comprehensive Mirror of the Three Realms), took a deep breath to relax, and let his mind wander through the grand world of great powers depicted in the book, filled with admiration. His mental state fluctuated with the sweeping content.

"Indeed, a good book! Worth every penny! Hmm, I'll keep it and read it slowly; I can't finish it in one go." Xingke murmured to himself, holding the book. He then felt around the floor with his hand, and with a *click*, he lifted a floorboard, revealing a hidden compartment he had dug out.

Xingke carefully placed the *Sanjie Tongjian* in the compartment, replaced the floorboard, and then picked up another book, the *Nili Jing* (Sutra of the Underworld), sitting upright with a solemn expression.

Cultivation is a path fraught with danger, where one can die at any moment. It allows no room for carelessness. Xingke, who cherished his life, approached his first cultivation with utmost seriousness. Many people in the mortal world have gone astray while practicing martial arts.

"Originally there is no tree, nor a platform of bright mirrors. Originally there is not a single thing, where can dust arise? Originally there is no tree, nor a platform of bright mirrors..." Xingke recited the Buddhist verse, striving to clear his mind like a bright mirror, recalling the *Sanjie Tongjian*'s description of "ghosts."

In the Three Realms, higher beings reside: Buddhas and immortals in the Heavenly Realm, humans and demons in the Mortal World, and in the Netherworld, only... "ghosts"!

Whether they are Buddhas, immortals, humans, demons, or ghosts, their essence is the soul. The world is like a torrent, the body is like a floating weed, and the soul is the fine root that clings to the bottom of the torrent. Among them, ghosts are the best at cultivating their souls, surpassing Buddhas, immortals, humans, and demons!

This is because "soul" minus "cloud" and "spirit" minus "white" equals "ghost"!

Where do ghosts come from? They are the souls of beings from the Mortal World and the Heavenly Realm that have died, passed through the Ghost Gate, and drunk the Yellow Spring Water, thus becoming ghosts.

The world is like a torrent, the body is like a floating weed, and the soul is the root, but it also needs the body as a leaf to support it. Humans and demons have physical bodies, Buddhas have golden bodies, immortals have their inner infants, and ghosts have ghost bodies formed from the Yellow Spring Water. The stronger the body, the larger the leaf of the floating weed.

Fourth-rank ghost official Song Jing and other ghost clerks chatted, saying that the Yellow Spring is very important. Why? Because the more Yellow Spring Water one drinks, the stronger the ghost body becomes, determining the innate conditions!

Thinking of this, Xingke chuckled, grateful that he had drunk a lot of Yellow Spring Water in a daze, giving him strong innate conditions, unmatched by few ghosts.

However, even after drinking the Yellow Spring Water and forming a ghost body, providing a shell for the soul, it is still too fragile compared to the bodies of immortals, Buddhas, and demons. Ghosts do not cultivate their bodies; instead, they take a different path, focusing on cultivating their souls, strengthening the root!

"The soul is divided into three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are: the Heavenly Soul, the Earthly Soul, and the Life Soul. The seven spirits are: the Heavenly Spirit, the Wisdom Spirit, the Breath Spirit, the Power Spirit, the Central Spirit, the Essence Spirit, and the Heroic Spirit..." Xingke muttered, recalling the knowledge about souls, solidifying his foundation to prepare for cultivating the *Nili Jing*.

"The first step is to control one's inner vision, which is quite difficult."

Xingke frowned, his mind like a bright mirror, striving to control the elusive mental energy to achieve inner vision.

The ancient, dilapidated courtyard was very quiet, with the sound of withered leaves falling, ants moving, and dust falling from the old house's beams.

It was too quiet. A black aura gathered at Xingke's brow, and his past flashed through his mind, showing signs of going astray in cultivation!

Xingke's mental energy was too strong, and he encountered the rare phenomenon of going astray in cultivation, which is uncommon for ghosts at the initial stage.

"Why did I die in my past life? Who was the murderer? Why did I live a lonely life? The way of heaven is unjust!"

Various杂念 arose, the black aura becoming denser, almost forming a demonic head, and the degree of going astray deepened, the entire courtyard exuding a mysterious demonic aura.

"Still not awake!"

Suddenly, a rebuke came from nowhere, like a supreme Buddhist chant. The demonic head at Xingke's brow let out a piercing scream and vanished.

At this moment, Xingke's eyes opened slowly, his dark pupils like the abyss of hell, bottomless. His expression was calm, as if the one who had gone astray was not him.

"Going astray in cultivation is like this, quite an interesting experience." Xingke touched his brow, seemingly understanding the principle of the demonic head, his eyes gradually brightening, like crystal.

"However..." Xingke raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion on his handsome face, "Where did that voice come from? Although I could rely on my will to摆脱 the demonic head, I still owe a favor, which must be repaid."

Thinking for a long time without any clue, Xingke put the doubt aside and fell into deep thought again!

Mental energy is mysterious and wondrous, a magical force. Xingke's brow was bright, no longer black from the demonic head. The mental energy flowed like a spring, gushing from his brow and spreading on the floor, able to "see" the fine dust.

When the crystal-clear mental energy slowly flowed to the edge of the house and stopped, it had reached its limit.

A house-sized area, with such powerful basic mental energy, was truly astonishing! Of course, this was also related to Xingke's past experiences, which had honed his mental strength, so it was not surprising.

At this moment, the mental energy suddenly receded like a tide, retreating to Xingke's brow.

"Mental energy, no, it should be called 'thought'! The use of ghost thought is truly unexpected. Earlier, it was external vision; now, it's internal vision." Xingke withdrew his mental energy, muttered softly, and began to "look inward" again.

Earlier, the ghost thought emerged from his brow like a spring. Now, for internal vision, the ghost thought seeped in like water dripping into a pile of rocks.

Through the ghost body, there was a golden, noble area, but unlike the dazzling gold, it was the soul of merit.

The ghost body is different from the human body, which has internal organs. The ghost body is a chaotic mass, essentially empty, containing only the soul.

Xingke did not find the玄黄功德气 mentioned by the ferryman of the River Styx, but he did discover the three souls and seven spirits. In the golden soul, three distinct marks were visible, dividing the soul into three parts.

The area above the head, like an umbrella, is the Heavenly Soul. When the Heavenly Soul is strong, the thought can reach the heavens and know the will of heaven.

The Heavenly Soul follows the path to heaven, reaching the celestial path. The Heavenly Soul is the conscience, the eternal "Ultimate," which cannot return to its origin due to the karmic ties of the physical body. Instead, it is taken to a temporary holding place on the celestial path, where it is detained by the main deity, known as the "Heavenly Prison."

The area at the feet, like the fine roots of a leek, is the Earthly Soul. When the Earthly Soul is robust, like the roots of an old tree, it can penetrate the earth and know all the karmic cycles.

The body and limbs, like a tree trunk, are the Life Soul. The fruits on the tree are the seven spirits.

The Life Soul is the most important, connecting the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul, nurturing the seven spirits, inheriting the celestial principles, and initiating the karmic cycles, governing fate!

The Life Soul, through the Heavenly Spirit and the Wisdom Spirit, governs thought and wisdom. Through the Breath Spirit, the Power Spirit, and the Central Spirit, it governs action. Through the Essence Spirit and the Heroic Spirit, it governs the body and strength. The Central Spirit is the center of the seven spirits. The seven chakras are attached to the Life Soul.

Among the three souls and seven spirits, the Life Soul and the Central Spirit are most closely linked, so the Central Spirit is also called the Life Spirit.

Inside the body, the yin of the Heavenly Spirit and the yang of the Earthly Spirit intersect, producing the tangible energy of the human spirit.

Outside the body, the yang of the Heavenly Soul and the yin of the Earthly Soul intersect, forming the Life Soul. The three souls combine to govern the intangible fate. The fate is governed by the combination of the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul, determining the quality and strength of life. The Life Soul supports the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul, and the fate is determined by the Life Soul. The fate is intangible, while the life is tangible. The combination of fate and life forms a complete living being.

Fate governs the void, while life governs the tangible. The quality of life depends on whether fate and life are in harmony or in conflict.

If the fate is stronger than the life and does not support the life, but instead suppresses it, the seven spirits of the body, including the Heavenly Spirit, the Earthly Spirit, and the Human Spirit, will not be in harmony. The body will be weak and the life will be thin.

If the life is stronger than the fate and can make the fate support the life, the seven spirits of the body, including the Heavenly Spirit, the Earthly Spirit, and the Human Spirit, will be in harmony. The life will be strong and the foundation will be deep and solid, making cultivation easier.

The Life Soul is the root of the seven spirits, and the seven spirits are the branches and leaves of the Life Soul. Without the Life Soul, the spirits cannot thrive, and without the spirits, the Life Soul cannot flourish.

The Life Soul is the main soul of life. The combination of the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul produces the Life Soul, which gives birth to humans. When the Life Soul ends, it separates into yin and yang and returns to heaven and earth.

The Heavenly Soul governs light, and the Earthly Soul is the shadow cast by the light of the Heavenly Soul on the Life Soul. Therefore, the Earthly Soul is also called the Shadow Soul. Without light, there is no shadow, and without shadow, there is no form.

If a cultivator can harmonize fate and life, the light of the Heavenly Soul and the shadow of the Earthly Soul can combine with the color soul of the human. Thus, the Wisdom Spirit in the third eye can reveal the image of the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul. This allows the images seen by the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul to be displayed in the human brain and the third eye.

Because the Heavenly Soul and the Earthly Soul can both manifest through the physical body and exist independently, they are also called the external transformation of the body.

The third eye and the third eye chakra of a human are always open. The third eye chakra is also called the Moon Chakra. The moon itself is an open eye. The eye is the eye. Therefore, the third eye chakra is an open eye. The moon is not bright without the sun, and the moon is bright when it receives the light of the sun.

This is the Life Soul receiving the light of the Heavenly Soul. If the moon can also receive the shadow of the Earthly Soul, it will form an image. This is the Thousand-Eyed Eye, the Eye of a Thousand Lights.

When the three souls reunite, the "Three Souls" are rooted in "True Suchness," which is the true nature of life. The "Three Souls" are a form of energy produced by the "True Suchness" and attached to the spirit, belonging to the "Realm."

The mystery of the three souls and seven spirits is profound and wondrous, the gateway to all wonders. Xingke, with his photographic memory, could only memorize the content and understand it gradually. However, he already understood that the nine levels of ghost officials were actually the seven chakras of the three souls and seven spirits!

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