Chapter 55

Ding dong!

An hour later.

The commercial department's review came back: "Review not passed, the person signing does not have a hypnotist qualification certificate, unable to sign the contract, hope to obtain the certificate as soon as possible."

Chu Shan was taken aback, then laughed: "I had forgotten about this. To sign as a hypnotist, you need a qualification certificate. Working without a certificate is illegal. With your level, taking the初级催眠师资格证 exam will be a piece of cake."

"I also forgot about this." Jiang Li patted his head: "I'll go take the exam tomorrow, but let's talk about the conditions first. I hope to get the Life Fruit."

"Alright, you swipe 3.5 million first, then take out a 500,000 loan from the company, and I'll let you take one." Chu Shan had some authority.

Jiang Li quickly swiped the card and then signed a contract for the loan from the company.

Everything was settled, and Chu Shan ordered someone to bring out the Life Fruit.

It was a glass bottle, containing a thumb-sized fruit, bright red and dripping, with a dreamlike luster inside. Upon closer inspection, many tiny particles resembling genetic codes were constantly rearranging and combining.

A very small fruit, weighing only a few grams, but containing some wondrous elements.

"The technology for manufacturing the Life Fruit was obtained from the large ship that fell from an alien planet. Warriors in the Elite Zone use it to heal after battling on the alien planet." Chu Shan sighed: "Take it first, see how much it can repair. Then go back for a physical examination, take the初级催眠师资格证 exam tomorrow, and then come back to work. The main job is to hypnotize clients. We charge 1,000 star coins per session, and you get 800 star coins as a share."

"800 per session, if I can hypnotize ten people a day, that's 8,000 star coins. I can pay off the loan in two months." Jiang Li calculated: "No, I still have to pay 20% personal income tax on 800 star coins, so I only get 640."

Xinghua City's Security Group is a legitimate industry and also signs hypnotists, but there are very few初级催眠师. Clients have to make appointments, and each session costs over a thousand star coins. Now giving Jiang Li 800 star coins as a share, with the Security Group taking 20%, is already very generous.

Originally, the share would be even higher, but because there are so few初级催眠师, clients have to queue up, so no group can lower the share, or people would quit, and the group would suffer.

Jiang Li opened the bottle and directly took the "Life Fruit." It was taken orally.

After taking it, Jiang Li soon felt as if his whole body was immersed in warm water, comfortable and relaxed, with all fatigue swept away. It lasted for three hours before stopping.

Opening his eyes, he found his body much lighter, especially his brain, which was more alert.

"I wonder how long my lifespan will be now if I get checked. It should have been repaired quite a bit, right?" Jiang Li couldn't wait to go back and get a check-up.

"This is a card. In the future, our Security Group will contact you through this." Chu Shan handed a chip to Jiang Li: "Go take the qualification exam, and then come back to sign the contract."

Jiang Li took the chip and hurried to the hospital for a check-up.

"Unbelievable, your cells have recovered so quickly. After the examination, you now have a lifespan of about 70 to 80 years, and it is still growing slowly."

In the hospital, the attending doctor narrated the examination results with a surprised look.

"I took the Life Fruit." Jiang Li nodded.

"Life Fruit?" The attending doctor suddenly understood: "No wonder, it's one of humanity's secret technologies, a synthetic fruit from the Elite Zone. However, it is very expensive, and it's hard to find even in the black market in Xinghua City."

"Doctor, how many more Life Fruits do I need to completely restore my cells?" Jiang Li asked, knowing his medical knowledge was inferior to the doctor's, so he didn't hide his condition.

"Life Fruit is a healing medicine for Elite Zone soldiers, used to quickly repair injuries in battle. It doesn't significantly enhance physical abilities, but it is also scarce in the Elite Zone, so the government does not allow it to be transported to the ordinary zones." The attending doctor shook his head: "You need about one more Life Fruit to fully recover."

"One more, that's 4 million..." Jiang Li's heart trembled. Now he was completely broke and still owed the company 500,000 in loans. He couldn't come up with 4 million to buy another one.

Early the next morning, Jiang Li came to the "Mind Research Institute" in the center of Xinghua City.

This is an institution for studying psychology, spirituality, and mental science, belonging to the government. Here, you can also take the hypnotist qualification exam.

First, there were various theoretical exams, then hypnotizing animals as subjects, and finally, confirming that your theory and skills were up to par before hypnotizing humans.

The exam was very strict, with no loopholes.

However, Jiang Li passed all the tests and obtained the "初级催眠师" qualification certificate. At his current level, it was indeed a piece of cake.

However, the "Mind Research Institute" in Xinghua City could only test for "初级催眠师." To advance to a mid-level hypnotist, you would need to go to a larger city like Jinghua City.

As soon as he got the certificate, Jiang Li returned to the "Security Group" to meet with Chu Shan.

This time, the contract was instantly approved, with the government's commercial department being very efficient.

In the office.

After signing the contract, Jiang Li began to ask for guidance: "Mr. Chu, since you are a mid-level hypnotist, can you give me a lesson? Isn't it said that joining the Security Group will provide mid-level hypnotist training?"

Chu Shan didn't like being called "old man," so Jiang Li directly called him "Mr. Chu."

"Lesson? Do you know how much I charge for a class with those初级催眠师?" Chu Shan smiled: "Without 100,000 star coins, I won't even show up."

"Can you make an exception for me?" Jiang Li persisted: "There are very few hypnotic geniuses like me. Don't you want to cultivate a world-class expert?"

"You have a thick skin." Chu Shan laughed heartily, his expression pleased. "Alright, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll explain the secrets of cultivation to you."

"I'm all ears."

Jiang Li stood respectfully, showing his respect for cultivation.

Seeing his attitude, Chu Shan nodded inwardly: "You have reverence and sincerity in your heart, which is good, a good seed. But that's not enough. You lack the aura of a true strong person, do you understand?"

"What is the aura of a strong person?" Jiang Li was taken aback.

Chu Shan suddenly stood up, and Jiang Li felt a dark pressure, as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making his whole body immobile. It was purely a mental suppression, making him unable to control his body and unable to move.

"A true strong person, even in a forest of swords and spears, still walks calmly, cutting through thorns and brambles, unrepentant even if they die nine times." Chu Shan walked calmly, his demeanor like a dragon.

"Those who disturb my heart, kill!"

"Those who worry my heart, kill!"

"Those who confuse my heart, kill!"

"Those who bewilder my heart, kill!"

"Those who bind my heart, kill!"

"Those who move my heart, kill!"

"Those who obstruct my path, kill!"

The seven "kills" spoken by Chu Shan left Jiang Li pale, as if he truly saw the spirit of a strong person, a naked heart sword, sharp and unyielding, moving forward without hesitation.

"Those who obstruct my path, kill!"

"Jiang Li, although you have talent, your mind is still weak and lost, without a clear direction. Even with infinite resources and elixirs, your achievements will be limited." Chu Shan saw through Jiang Li's mind, which was not so firm: "However, most people are like you, needing to experience the vicissitudes of life and the changes of the world to understand and cleanse the weakness in their hearts. It's reasonable to have confusion and lack of determination now. You just want to become strong, but you don't understand the spirit of the path."

"The spirit of the path... " Jiang Li repeatedly chewed on these five words, recalling the seven "kills," his heart profoundly shaken.

"The human heart is a sharp sword, constantly honed to reveal its edge." Chu Shan sighed deeply: "Jiang Li, you still lack a lot, and the path is long. The path of the path, no one can help you, only you can help yourself. Alright, if you have any questions, ask me. I'll explain some practical knowledge to you now."

"Old man, what is 'entering meditation'?" Jiang Li shook his head and asked again.

Chu Shan sat down and brewed a pot of tea: "Actually, the state of entering meditation was very rare in ancient times. The most profound explanation of entering meditation is in a section of the 'Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch.' A Zen master named Zhihuang sat in meditation for twenty years, thinking he had entered meditation and grasped the true meaning of Zen. A disciple of the Sixth Patriarch, Xuanze, visited him and saw him in meditation, asking what he was practicing. He said he was entering meditation."

Chu Shan paused and took a sip of tea: "Xuanze asked, 'In your meditation, do you have thoughts or not?' If you have no thoughts, then even a stone can enter meditation. If you have thoughts, then all sentient beings can enter meditation. Zhihuang said, 'In my meditation, I have neither thoughts nor no thoughts.' Xuanze then asked, 'If you have neither thoughts nor no thoughts, then you are always in meditation. If you are always in meditation, where is the difference between entering and leaving?' The Zen master Zhihuang, who had practiced for twenty years, had no answer, realizing his practice was not complete. He went to ask the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, who said: 'The mind is like the void, yet not attached to the void. Freely using the original mind, yet unmoved by all things. Eliminating the distinction between sages and ordinary people, the nature and phenomena are one. This is entering meditation.'"

Hearing Chu Shan's explanation, Jiang Li understood somewhat: "The Sixth Patriarch's explanation is not very clear. What does it mean specifically?"

Chu Shan nodded: "The Sixth Patriarch's words were explained to a Zen master with great insight. My understanding is that it means to withdraw your spirit, observe internally, and consider your mind as the subject and your body as an illusion. In this way, the body is like armor, and any cuts or slashes on the armor do not harm you. Thus, you can remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you. This is what is meant by the Bodhisattva of Contemplation, seeing the emptiness of the five aggregates. Firmly grasp your mind, and the various pains and sensations of the body in the material world are like dreams, so you have no pain or烦恼."

"I understand some of this." Jiang Li seemed to have an epiphany: "No wonder the Heart Sutra says, 'far from inverted dreams, ultimately reaching Nirvana.'"

"Exactly, far from inverted dreams, ultimately reaching Nirvana!" Chu Shan said emphatically: "Originally, the body is real, and the mind is an illusion. But to enter meditation, you must eliminate impurities and invert your dreams, treating the illusory as real and the real as illusory."

"Invert your worldview! Only then can you reach Nirvana."

"Entering meditation is actually a recognition of the worldview, considering the mind as the main focus and the body as empty. The various pains of the material world, when imposed on the body, are all empty."

"Dreaming of being killed is not really being killed."

"When you change your worldview, pain and烦恼 disappear, and you reach the state of entering meditation. Why did the Buddha cut his flesh to feed the eagle and give his body to the tiger? Because he knew everything was a dream. When you know you are in a dream, you can also do such things."

Jiang Li suddenly understood: "So Buddhism considers the body as a stinking bag, the mind as the master, and the mind as the true reality, as the Heart Sutra says, 'all conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.' But I have a doubt: Daoism says, 'only cultivating the nature and not the body, the soul cannot become a sage in ten thousand kalpas!' This means cultivating both the body and the mind, which is opposite to Buddhist practice. Which is the truth?"

Ten thousand kalpas of the soul is the soul.

Becoming a sage means manifesting in the material world.

The theory of the three realms states that without a body, the mind cannot manifest, lacking a bridge between the real and the illusory!

But what the Sixth Patriarch said just now did not care about the body.

Since they are opposite, which is the truth?

..........................................................................

{The section from the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, I explained in plain language. Those interested can read the original. The Sixth Patriarch's explanation of entering meditation is very profound. He is indeed a great master.}

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