Chapter 9: The Theory of the Three Realms

"The Theory of the Three Realms is a result of countless spiritual masters and psychologists' research. It has now become the cornerstone and foundation of human cultivation. The first to propose this theory were Wang Chao and his wife. Later, it was studied and perfected, gradually becoming a truth akin to Newton's laws. Originally, this was not part of the curriculum, but since I'm giving you special attention, I'll explain it."

Sister Dao pointed to a cup of water in front of her and asked, "If you want to pick up this cup of water, what would you do first?"

Jiang Li was taken aback. "I would stand up and pick up the water directly."

"No," Sister Dao shook her head. "A simple act of picking up water actually contains the Theory of the Three Realms. First, to pick up this cup of water, you need to have an idea or a thought in your mind. However, this thought alone cannot directly pick up the water. So, what does this thought do? It controls your body, making you stand up, reach out, and pick up the water. Do you understand what the Three Realms are now?"

"No."

Jiang Li shook his head.

"Stupid!" Sister Dao scolded. "The thought of picking up the water is the Netherworld, the Illusory World, and the Heavenly World. The cup of water is the Real World. The body is the bridge between the mind and matter. The Theory of the Three Realms is about the relationship between the mind, matter, and the body. I'll ask you, if you don't use your body and just think about picking up the cup, will the cup be picked up?"

"No," Jiang Li answered straightforwardly.

"Correct. If it could, that would be the mind interfering with matter," Sister Dao said. "I'll ask you another question. If this cup were a swimming pool, could you pick it up?"

"No."

"Correct. The stronger the mind, the more it needs to interfere with matter, and the body must also be strengthened. Otherwise, it's like having the will to kill but not the strength to do so. The mind is lofty, but the life is fragile. Of course, if the mind reaches a certain level of cultivation, it can interfere with matter. This is called 'Manifestation of the Divine' or 'Manifestation of the Spirit.' For example, in ancient folklore, when people said the Buddha or the gods manifested, it was actually the mind interfering with matter. What are the gods and Buddhas? They are the illusory mental world, also known as the Heavenly World. The Heavenly World is not a real place; it exists in human imagination. It is the human mind. Remember, where there is the mind, there is the divine. Mr. Wang Yangming once said that without my mind, there would be no heaven, earth, ghosts, or gods. The Theory of the Three Realms can be called Heaven, Earth, and Man. Heaven is the mind and imagination, Earth is the real world, and Man is the body."

"Ah, I see!" Jiang Li felt that he had gained a deeper understanding of cultivation.

"The realm of 'Manifestation of the Divine' is far above the realm of 'Fetal Breathing.' I'll explain the specific realms of human mental cultivation to you. First is deep sleep, then meditation, followed by fetal breathing, and after that, 'Sitting in Oblivion.' The term 'Sitting in Oblivion' first appeared in Zhuangzi's 'The Great Master.' It says, 'To discard the limbs, to discard intelligence, to leave the body and forget knowledge, to be in harmony with the great unity, this is called sitting in oblivion.' This means to forget one's own body, to discard one's intelligence, to escape the constraints of the body and wisdom, and to merge with the great unity, which is called sitting in oblivion."

"Sitting in oblivion?" Jiang Li pondered the term.

"In ancient China during the Tang Dynasty, there was a Taoist named Sima Chengzhen who wrote a detailed article called 'The Theory of Sitting in Oblivion.' However, you don't need to read it now. This realm is for human mental masters and won't benefit you at your current stage. You should focus on entering deep sleep step by step," Sister Dao advised.

"I understand," Jiang Li nodded. "So, the realm of 'Manifestation of the Divine' is above 'Sitting in Oblivion'?"

"Yes, the current realms of human mental cultivation are deep sleep, meditation, fetal breathing, sitting in oblivion, and manifestation of the divine. In the future, as human realms advance, new realms may appear. Realms are like world records, constantly being broken. However, even in the elite zone, only a few can break through the barrier between the mind and matter and directly manifest the divine," Sister Dao said. "If you want to improve your mental realm, I suggest you learn hypnosis, as it is the mind directly acting on the mind. Of course, the most important thing is to supplement your body with nutrients. You can go to the school's work-study department; there should be a suitable job for you, announced by the police department. Give it a try."

"Yes!" Jiang Li stood up, bowed, and left, closing the door behind him.

He then felt a wave of hunger.

He ran to the school cafeteria and had a hearty meal, but his stomach was still not satisfied, even though it was already full.

Ordinary food had too few nutrients, and his hunger was triggered by the nutrient solution. He hadn't felt it before, but it was actually more dangerous.

It's like when a person is so hungry that they can't eat anymore. This is because the body is breaking down its stored fat and sugar, which is a form of overexerting life potential.

Jiang Li was in this state before, not feeling hungry and thinking he was fine, but it was actually very dangerous. Fortunately, drinking the nutrient solution restored his hunger.

He came to another building on campus and entered it.

"Junior, help me investigate high-paying work-study tasks," Jiang Li said directly to a girl with clear eyes and long hair standing in front of the light computer.

"Who are you calling junior? I'm a senior," the girl shot a glance at Jiang Li. "Show me your student chip."

Jiang Li took out a fingernail-sized chip and saw the girl swipe it on the light computer, immediately displaying his information.

"Vitality score of 0.7?" The girl's face showed a hint of ridicule. "You can only do ordinary jobs like tutoring or cleaning."

Seeing the girl's disdainful expression, Jiang Li didn't say anything. His wrist suddenly rotated, his bones cracking and twisting, and he lightly flicked his arm, drawing a spiral arc in the air.

Bang!

His arm trembled like a steel bar, buzzing, and his fingers moved like angry snakes, biting fiercely, making people shudder. It wasn't an arm but a steel python.

"What? Boneless Softness, a C-level physical technique? Bone Twisting Spiral Kill."

The girl's eyes widened. "You really have a vitality score of 0.7?"

She was knowledgeable, or she wouldn't have a position at the school.

"I don't like to show off. I hid my strength during the assessment. I'll surprise everyone when I apply to Starry Sky University," Jiang Li knew that this move had impressed the girl. Those who could self-study and practice Boneless Softness were all school celebrities and top students.

"Since that's the case, I'll help you find high-paying jobs. How about helping the police solve cases?" the girl said. "This pays the most, but it's dangerous."

"Good, I'll choose the job of helping the police solve cases. What's the highest-paying task?" Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

"The highest-paying task rewards 5,000 star coins," the girl said. "Assist the police in capturing a dangerous criminal. Recently, a criminal has infiltrated the city, committing multiple crimes. This criminal is very strong and knows hypnosis."

"5,000 star coins!" Jiang Li was shocked; it was a huge sum.

However, the criminal knowing hypnosis made him a dangerous individual. His brother might not be able to handle it, but he was just assisting the police, not taking the lead.

"Good, I'll take this job."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright, I'll print out the details." Soon, a list was printed and handed to Jiang Li. "Go to the police department with the document from the school. Someone will assign you to the job, but your vitality score is low. You'll need to show your strength at the police department, or they won't let you participate."

"Understood." Jiang Li turned and left.

"Interesting, such a person from the school. A vitality score of 0.7, practicing Boneless Softness, and doing it so effortlessly. I'll remember you, Jiang Li," the girl smiled as she watched his back.

The police department was a significant location in the city, with tall buildings and floating cars coming and going. These cars were expensive, and Jiang Li's family couldn't afford them. Modern cars ran on nuclear energy blocks, a fingernail-sized block providing enough energy for tens of thousands of kilometers, with no pollution.

With cars upgraded to this level, ordinary families couldn't afford them, and the government didn't develop lower-level cars because they would cause pollution.

Those who owned cars were wealthy and influential.

"I'm here to apply for a temporary job," Jiang Li entered a hall where many police officers were working and approached a desk, handing over the document from the school.

A police officer in his late twenties took the document, his face showing disdain. "How did someone with a vitality score of 0.7 even think of helping us catch a criminal? Ridiculous."

As he spoke, he was about to throw the document back to Jiang Li.

"Wait!" Jiang Li's arm trembled, lightly pressing down on the officer's hand.

"Huh?" The officer used an ancient martial arts technique, "Silk Wrapping Hand," to try to break Jiang Li's arm, but Jiang Li's arm twisted more than his, spinning and thrusting, extending half an inch, and striking the officer's shoulder.

Ouch!

The officer's shoulder felt a sharp pain, temporarily paralyzed, as if electrocuted.

"Bone Twisting Spiral Kill? Bone Separation Thrust!" he exclaimed. "Your body's flexibility is at this level?"

"Oh? This student is practicing Boneless Softness? That's a C-level physical technique."

"Can Boneless Softness be used in combat?"

"It's been a long time since we've seen such a talented student." Several police officers gathered around, all with a vitality score of 0.8 and skilled in combat.

To become a police officer, one must have a vitality score of 0.8.

"Since you know C-level physical techniques, you're qualified," a middle-aged police officer walked over, taking Jiang Li's document. "It seems you've hidden a lot of strength. You're allowed to assist us in the police operation, but you must follow orders and not act heroically, understood?"

"Yes!"

"Follow me."

Jiang Li was led to an internal office, a major case team with over a dozen police officers, all experts, dedicated to this case.

In addition, there were a few students, all over 20 years old, college students. They weren't from Starry Sky University but ordinary universities.

There were thousands of famous universities now, but none could compare to Starry Sky University, where everyone was almost invincible.

The college students were surprised to see a high school student, Jiang Li, walk in, not expecting a high school student to be working.

"This is a senior, Jiang Li, who has practiced C-level physical techniques, Boneless Softness, and can use it in combat," the middle-aged police officer introduced.

"C-level physical techniques, impressive."

Everyone looked at him with newfound respect.

"I know nothing, I hope you can guide me," Jiang Li showed humility.

"Guidance is too much to ask. You practicing C-level physical techniques means you'll surpass us after graduating from the police academy," a police officer said. "But this case is challenging, and we lack manpower. Your arrival is timely. Here's the case file, take a look."

"Thank you."

Jiang Li saluted, standing straight like a professional soldier, a quality students should have.

Students now had long military training periods, one year each in elementary, middle, and high school, a government-mandated program to improve student quality.

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{Chapters 8 and 9 are updated together. Today's updates are complete. I have a YY event tonight, channel 38072. Everyone is welcome to join. We're giving away phones.}

{Sister Dao is screaming, readers, give me red tickets and favorites, or I'll manifest before you. You'll see the teacher's power tonight... cut, cut, cut, cut... hahaha!}