Chapter 7

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At this moment, it was completely dark, and Chen Xun lit the homemade oil lamp.

In the earthen bowl as big as a palm, it was filled with wild animal fat, and a dried grass wick slightly protruded, the flame as big as a bean sprout flickered in the shack, casting Chen Xun's thin figure on the leaky wooden wall, swaying continuously.

The Great Peng Secret Fist was a set of five boxing postures, one posture per image.

Chen Xun carefully peeled off the first image from the silk book and spread it under the lamp, seeing it densely written with tiny characters.

Perhaps Qingmu Daoist was worried that he could not accurately translate the technique into the barbarian language, the tiny characters on the image were the Yunzhou script that Chen Xun did not recognize, somewhat similar to the Western Wilderness barbarian script but much more complex, many characters could only be guessed roughly.

Seeing this, Chen Xun was at a loss again.

Although he could guess the general meaning, any slight misunderstanding in the technique could lead him astray. How could he continue practicing the Great Peng Five Postures Secret Fist?

Even Ah Gong Zongtu in the village did not recognize the Yunzhou script.

However, Qingmu Daoist's painting skills were exquisite.

In the middle of the tiny characters, the figure with outstretched wings, though blurry, conveyed a sense of soaring and striking, a feeling that was mysterious and hard to describe.

Chen Xun flipped through the five images and found them all to be the same, so he calmed down, sat cross-legged on the ground, and visualized the figure in the image according to the general meaning of the technique.

Visualizing the boxing posture was not simply imagining the figure in the mind, but rather entering the sea of consciousness and carving out the boxing posture. The major sects of Yunzhou called this "visualizing the concrete form," which was similar to the enlightenment of the barbarian soul.

Visualizing the boxing posture was the same as the concrete form of the barbarian soul.

In simpler terms, it was mental carving.

The sea of consciousness, Chen Xun guessed, might refer to the subconscious.

However, since the subconscious is "sub," it should be something that cannot be perceived by ordinary means. How could the mind enter it?

The major sects of Yunzhou all had techniques for visualizing the concrete form, but Qingmu Daoist did not provide detailed techniques in the silk book, only a few words: "In extreme stillness, the mind enters the sea of consciousness, and myriad forms are born," leaving Chen Xun at a loss.

In extreme stillness, the mind enters the sea of consciousness...

Was it saying that when a person reaches a state of extreme stillness, the mind naturally enters the subconscious and can carve out the boxing posture in the sea of consciousness, visualizing the concrete form?

How to enter a state of extreme stillness?

Chen Xun scratched his head and thought for a long time but could not find a method.

After repeatedly flipping through the silk book, he finally found a discussion in the conversation between Qingmu Daoist and a Yunzhou cultivator named Lianshan about practicing martial arts and entering the state of visualizing the concrete form.

Both believed that the secret fist of martial arts was in harmony with the Dao, a manifestation of the natural order, and with prolonged practice, when the body and mind were in harmony, the sea of consciousness would naturally open, entering the state of visualizing the concrete form.

Body and mind in harmony, mind and heart in harmony?

Chen Xun did not know how to achieve body and mind in harmony, but he had found a way to start. He thought that Zongya and the others had long practiced barbarian martial arts and then enlightened their barbarian souls, which was also a method of martial arts cultivation.

Chen Xun stood up, imitating the figure in the image, and extended his arms in the posture of a soaring strike.

**************

Trapped in this world, Chen Xun had long been accustomed to a monotonous life. Even this simple action, he repeated thousands of times without feeling bored.

After a while, the bright morning light seeped through the cracks in the wall, and he realized that the night had passed so quickly.

Chen Xun thought about the soul ceremony that would be held in the village that night and could only put aside the practice of boxing. He carefully stored the five boxing postures and a black python pill, then lay on the animal skin mattress and closed his eyes to rest.

Perhaps due to the excessive energy consumption of the night and the sense of security in his simple shack, Chen Xun soon fell into a deep sleep.

Just as he fell asleep, the sea of consciousness suddenly opened, and countless fine lights were released from his bones. In an instant, a human-shaped light, the size of a silkworm cocoon, condensed above his sea of consciousness, resembling a golden great peng spreading its wings and soaring.

Chen Xun suddenly woke up, and that moment felt like a dream, or perhaps it could only be explained as a dream.

The feeling was so strong, profound, and clear that even after waking up, the vivid sensation remained deeply etched in his mind, indelible.

He not only felt the indescribable sense of the great peng spreading its wings and soaring but also clearly felt the changes in the flow of blood and the intertwining of muscles and tendons in his body.

In that moment, the feeling of his mind extending along his arms to an endless distance gave him a profound enlightenment...

Chen Xun did not dwell on where these feelings came from but extended his arms according to the enlightenment from the human-shaped light in his dream. In the instant his mind extended along his arms, he felt a clear and penetrating sensation as if his entire soul and mind had seeped into his bones, muscles, and skin, instantly feeling his arms filled with boundless strength, as if all his potential had been activated at that moment.

Chen Xun's heart was like a lake stirred by a strong wind, waves surging:

Is this the "Soaring Strike Posture"?

In the next moment, Chen Xun was extremely certain:

This is the true body and mind in harmony!

The true first posture of the Great Peng Secret Fist!

Chen Xun relaxed his mind, and the feeling of strength in his arms dissipated. Then he felt his arms sore and numb, as if all the blood and qi in his body had been drained in that short moment.

Chen Xun remembered that he had felt the same way when dragging the black-scaled snake back. At that time, when he relaxed his mind, the rope suddenly felt hundreds of pounds heavier, almost dragging him into the water.

The feeling of body and mind in harmony and extreme stillness was truly strange!

Was the space where the human-shaped light appeared the mysterious sea of consciousness?

Chen Xun now realized that he had not been dreaming but had unintentionally entered the state of body and mind in harmony and extreme stillness, visualizing the first posture of the Great Peng Secret Fist in the sea of consciousness.

Chen Xun's heart was filled with a huge wave of emotions, countless questions surfacing, needing to be digested one by one. More importantly, he had to remember the feeling of body and mind in harmony and extreme stillness.

**************

"How come you didn't sleep all night?" Zongtu pushed the door open and saw Chen Xun standing in the shack like a dazed bear.

Seeing Ah Gong Zongtu come in, Chen Xun, who was worried about not finding someone to answer his questions, told him about his experience that night.

"Show me the Soaring Strike Posture again!"

Zongtu's old, triangular eyes, almost hidden by wrinkles, suddenly became bright. He quickly closed the leaky wooden door and asked Chen Xun to demonstrate the first posture of the Great Peng Secret Fist.

Chen Xun, despite his fatigue, extended his mind and then his arms.

This time, when he performed the Soaring Strike Posture, he could even more clearly feel the flow of blood and qi and the movement of muscles and tendons in his arms.

At the same time, his mind naturally entered the mysterious space.

This mysterious space was within his body, undoubtedly the sea of consciousness.

There was no need for his mind to deliberately visualize; countless fine lights were released from his bones, condensing into a human-shaped light above his sea of consciousness.

Chen Xun felt his arms filled with immense strength, believing that his punches could shatter his simple shack into pieces.

"Microcosm! Truly microcosm!" Zongtu could not suppress his shock, exclaiming in amazement, then muttering to himself, as if falling into an indescribable madness, "Truly blessed by the ancient barbarians, Zongtu can actually see someone enter the microcosm in one night..."

Seeing Ah Gong Zongtu so excited, Chen Xun was speechless. He did not find it particularly special, thinking it was just a matter of successfully learning the first posture of the Great Peng Secret Fist in one night. Was it really that exaggerated?

After Zongtu's excitement subsided a bit, Chen Xun asked:

"What is 'microcosm'?"

Zongtu calmed down, looking at Chen Xun as if he were a precious treasure, and sighed softly:

"Two years ago, when Zongsang brought you back to the village, I knew you were extraordinary, but I never imagined you would be so extraordinary. Unfortunately, you are not a descendant of the black python. Although you are in trouble now, you will eventually leave the black python, like an eagle returning to the sky..."

Chen Xun thought of Earth, far away in the starry sky, and felt a pang of sadness, saying:

"A Xun doesn't know where his hometown is. The black python is A Xun's home, and Ah Gong and Zongya are A Xun's family."

"The black python is too shallow a pond for you."

Zongtu sighed softly, his face more wrinkled than ever, seemingly regretting that Chen Xun, such a talented person, was not a descendant of the black python. He also knew that keeping Chen Xun in the black python would be a waste.

The black python is just one of the countless tribes of Tushan, and it has no ability to let Chen Xun shine. After a while, he continued:

"Although Qingmu Daoist did not advance to the Celestial Barbarian, he was already at the peak of the ninth level of barbarian martial arts thirty years ago. His talent far exceeded other barbarian shamans. In terms of knowledge, Ah Gong is far inferior to him. Qingmu's statement that the enlightenment of the barbarian soul and the visualization technique of Yunzhou have similar effects is very reasonable."

Chen Xun still did not know what "microcosm" meant.

Zongtu calmed down and slowly said:

"Microcosm is just a term used in the village, a realm in the practice of barbarian martial arts, which should be the same as the 'body and mind in harmony, mind and heart in harmony' mentioned in the silk book..."