Chapter 7

Zhang Wenfeng sifted through the vast and chaotic memories for about half an hour. After he had a clear understanding of the cultivation techniques, he picked up the rope and drove the donkey back up the mountain to the stable, locking it in again.

He brushed off the dust from his clothes, washed his hands, and pushed open the door to enter the Three Purity Hall.

Seeing the incense had burned out, he lit another stick.

He walked to the right open space, unfastened his sword and placed it on his right side, then sat cross-legged on a three-foot square mat woven from wheat straw. His left leg was folded over his right leg, his back was open, and he faced the light.

This posture is called "Tiger Squatting, Dragon Coiling, Zhu Feixuan."

At the same time, he kept his head straight, his neck erect, his chin slightly tucked, and his spine straight.

He adjusted his breathing, closed his eyes, and silently recited the "Three Refuges."

"May all beings, through the supreme Dao treasure, always serve the Celestial Venerable and forever escape the cycle of rebirth; may all beings, through the supreme scripture treasure, in every life, hear the true Dharma; may all beings, through the supreme teacher treasure, learn the highest teachings and not fall into wrong views."

After reciting, all杂念 were gone, and his mind was calm and still. Zhang Wenfeng formally began his cultivation.

The technique he practiced is called "Sitting and Forgetting the Green Wood Alchemy," one of the pure Daoist internal alchemy techniques.

It is activated by essence, qi, and spirit, drawing in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to promote the circulation of his own qi from the lower dantian, up the Governor Vessel, through the three gates of the coccyx, the spine, and the Jade Pillow, and the upper, middle, and lower Huangting, and the upper and lower Yin-Yang bridges, completing a cycle, which is the Small Circulation of refining essence into qi.

Zhang Wenfeng became immersed in the state of cultivation.

Without thoughts or existence, without desires or ideas, he was in a state of solemn dignity.

A faint, invisible aura gently drew the incense mist, which wafted toward him.

Later, a thin layer of green mist formed around Zhang Wenfeng's chest and abdomen, not dispersing, creating a wondrous phenomenon. His skin took on a light green hue, and his breathing became imperceptible, making him look like he was not alive...

When the green mist dissipated, Zhang Wenfeng slowly opened his eyes.

The hall, which had originally seemed dim, was now bright in his eyes, with every object clearly visible.

Zhang Wenfeng was slightly surprised, but his vision gradually returned to normal, though it was clearer than usual. He glanced at the incense in the small incense burner and the residual mist around him, then thoughtfully put down his left foot and stood up from the mat.

He subconsciously straightened his somewhat wrinkled old Daoist robe and picked up his sword, hanging it at his waist.

Influenced by his master, Zhang Wenfeng had a steady and orderly nature, and he could not tolerate disorder or untidiness in his appearance.

In this regard, he was somewhat similar to his previous incarnation, Zhang Kedao, who always paid attention to his image.

Silently sensing the qi in his lower dantian, Zhang Wenfeng was momentarily stunned, then his face showed uncontrollable joy.

In his first cultivation since his rebirth, he had mastered the inner vision technique, which even his master did not know. He "saw" a loose, blurry tree-like qi in his dantian, emitting a faint green light, no longer a mass of qi as before.

This was the "Yuan Qi" that his master had strived for all his life but never achieved!

It is the fundamental energy for Daoist cultivation, immortality, and longevity!

(Yuan Qi, pronounced 'qi,' is a metaphysical and mysterious energy, also known as 'Dao Qi')

Since he was twelve, he had been tested by his master with magical instruments and taught the "Sitting and Forgetting the Green Wood Alchemy." He practiced diligently for ten years, and his internal qi gradually grew stronger, but he could never transform it into qi, remaining stuck at the postnatal stage.

According to his master's joking remarks, he would be a top-notch expert in the world.

However, his master also warned him that the world was not just about the level of internal cultivation; it also depended on experience, adaptability, and connections.

The world is unpredictable and full of danger.

There are countless stories of high-level experts being outwitted by lower-level ones using clever traps, hidden weapons, and poisons, leading to their downfall.

For example, the old lame man who worked in the kitchen of the Daoist temple had spent over fifteen years in the world, with high skills, rich experience, and ruthless means, but he was still outwitted by a weak woman, nearly losing his life, and ended up with a lame left leg and a broken spirit. Being alive was considered a stroke of luck.

Zhang Wenfeng took three deep breaths and recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra to calm his ecstatic mood.

He carefully used inner vision to examine the fine, blurry, and faintly glowing tree-like Yuan Qi in his dantian. Since he practiced a wood-element technique, the color was green, and the shape was a tree, matching the descriptions in the technique.

Currently, he had just entered the "Yuan Qi" stage, and the qi in his body was extremely faint and thin, but it was a world apart from the postnatal stage.

Many immortal techniques and powers could now be cultivated, far more diverse and colorful than the Daoist techniques available at the postnatal stage.

He respectfully offered incense to the statues of the Three Purity Daoist Ancestors and the temple's founding master, cleared the three candle stands of the long-extinguished candles, and relit them with three new candles, making the main hall even brighter.

With a smile on his face, Zhang Wenfeng stepped over the threshold and locked the main hall. He had urgent matters to attend to for a while.

The sun set in the west, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds.

The trees and buildings on the mountain top were bathed in a red glow, adding a touch of joy.

Without time to admire the sunset, Zhang Wenfeng hurried along the eaves and corridor to the western side hall.

He took out a key, opened the double wooden doors, and entered. The side hall was furnished with a desk, a tea table, mats, chairs, a bookshelf, a display cabinet, and various elegant items.

In the corner, there were several potted plants with green waterfalls and orchids, which the former abbot used for receiving guests and discussing mysticism.

The former abbot had passed away two and a half years ago, and the room, once filled with distinguished guests, was now cold and empty.

Zhang Wenfeng, who often cleaned and dusted, rarely moved the items in the room, keeping it in its original state. He occasionally prepared tea in the west hall to remember his master, and after the three-year mourning period, he would officially move into the east hall of the temple to show respect for his master.

He closed the side hall door and locked it.

Zhang Wenfeng took out a bamboo tube lighter from his sleeve, opened it, and blew to light the half-burned candle on the table.

He closed the lighter, tightened it, and put it back in his sleeve, holding the candle and walking to the opposite side, where he pushed open a black lacquered wooden door.

Inside was a simple, three-zhang square room. Apart from two mats, the opposite wall was decorated with three polished bronze animal heads, and there was nothing else.

Zhang Wenfeng walked forward, placed his right palm on the right bronze sheep head, and rotated it to the left by one inch, stopping when he felt a slight resistance. He then pressed the left bronze dog head and rotated it to the right by two inches, stopping twice when he felt resistance. Finally, he pressed the middle bronze ox head and rotated it to the left by one inch.

Three steps away, the ground silently sank, revealing a six-foot-wide, dark hole.

This was a mechanism set up by the first abbot of the Immortal Spirit Temple.

At least postnatal cultivation was required to open the secret passage in the room. If the sequence or force was wrong, the consequences were said to be dire, as the first abbot was a highly skilled cultivator.

Zhang Wenfeng held the candle, leaned against the stone wall of the underground passage, and descended the stairs.

After thirty-six steps, he rotated the bronze ox head on the wall by half a turn, and the hole above slowly closed.

He pushed open a stone door five steps away, engraved with complex symbols, and entered the dark secret room, lighting the two candles on either side of the stone wall, filling the room with light.

Zhang Wenfeng glanced at the books and a few magical instruments on the stone shelves on both walls.

He did not stop to linger but walked straight to the large oval bronze mirror embedded in the opposite stone wall.

The mirror clearly reflected his image in the half-old Daoist robe, with star-like eyes, a slightly handsome face, and slightly thin lips. Zhang Wenfeng looked at himself for a moment, held the candle in his left hand, and made a bow to the mirror with his right hand.

After standing up, he extended his right palm and gently pressed it against the mirror, calming his mind and silently practicing the technique.

The cold bronze mirror soon rippled like water, and his right hand suddenly passed through the mirror, landing in empty space.

Zhang Wenfeng's face showed joy.

This magical portal had not been opened for many years, and his master had always regretted it.

As he crossed the rippling bronze mirror and entered the secret room, the three fist-sized jade stones embedded in the ceiling gradually lit up.

...