Chapter 5

On the earthen bed, there was also a straw mat, which Xiao Jing used when he practiced, sitting cross-legged and chanting mantras.

Next to the bed, there was a small niche, with a tiny altar table. On it were three small earthenware bowls, the middle one serving as an incense burner with a few burnt incense sticks still in it. This was where Xiao Jing paid homage to the founder of the sect. The two side bowls contained wild fruits, which were Xiao Jing’s offerings to the founder.

In front of the earthen bed, near the entrance, was a small bamboo bookshelf, a gift from his junior brother Zhang Ke. In his secular life, Zhang Ke was skilled in bamboo weaving. The bookshelf was neatly arranged with some scriptures.

Beside the bookshelf were several stacked bamboo boxes. They contained nothing much, just some patched robes and some needles, threads, and scraps of coarse cloth. When his clothes were torn, he had to mend them himself, a skill he had learned at the age of five.

The entire room was extremely simple but spotlessly clean. No matter how old or shabby things were, Xiao Jing always kept them clean. He absolutely did not allow himself to be dirty or untidy. Every morning, after getting up, Xiao Jing would carefully clean the room and sweep the courtyard.

After tidying up the basket, he placed some wild fruits, herbs, and vegetables on the stone slab to dry. Then, he carried a wooden bucket to the well by the side gate.

He drew a bucket of water, returned to the room, and took a simple bath with a rough cloth. After drying his body, he changed into a patched robe and tidied up the room.

A kitchen helper carrying a bamboo food box approached and respectfully bowed.

"Little Master, this is tonight’s meal."

"Uncle Zhao, please leave the food box at the door. I’ll return it later."

Uncle Zhao nodded, placed the food box at the door of the meditation room, and left.

Xiao Jing picked up the food box, placed it on the bed table, and then opened it.

In the Western Yan Sect, once one reached the third stage of the Pratyekabuddha level, the Enlightenment stage, one had the privilege of not eating in the large canteen and could have meals delivered.

Since the Yan Sect was a school of ascetic practice, the food was always extremely simple. Inside the food box were only four large mixed-flour steamed buns, a large bowl of vegetable soup, and a small dish of pickled vegetables. This was Xiao Jing’s dinner.

Of course, over the years, Xiao Jing had long been accustomed to it. At most, he would take out some pickled vegetables or chili sauce to adjust the taste. One steamed bun weighed about half a catty, and four mixed-flour buns were enough to fill his stomach.

After eating and drinking his fill, he returned the food box to the large kitchen. Then, Xiao Jing sat on the earthen bed, cross-legged on the straw mat, and began his evening practice.

This was Xiao Jing’s true practice time.

At this stage of practice, it was a process of accumulation, requiring persistent practice without any special techniques. Simply put, the current practice involved chanting mantras, transforming the body, and developing the inherent treasure.

The so-called Yan practice was—body with treasure, one thought transforms.

Each disciple who joined the Yan Sect, once they reached the Conversion stage, would have a certain Yan object appear in their mind, such as a virtual fish or a virtual daily-use item, of various kinds, almost without repetition.

These were all low-level Yan forms. Disciples with such forms in their minds usually had low cultivation levels, with poor Yan hearts and Yan natures, and naturally, low insight.

Those with better aptitude would have Yan objects like a tripod, a battle mace, a large axe, or a treasure sword. Disciples with such Yan objects were more inclined towards combat and belonged to the combat Yan practitioners in the Yan Sect.

More advanced forms included long banners, canopies, lighthouses, treasure towers, and true mantra towers, and even the image of a Yan dragon or the founder of the Yan Sect.

After Xiao Jing’s conversion, a tower appeared in his mind, a tower that initially had only one level. After practicing to this point, it had grown to two and a half levels, known as the Heart Tower.

What Xiao Jing did not know was that within his virtual tower, there was an extremely subtle small point. This small point was at the base of the virtual tower. If Xiao Jing could see clearly, he would have discovered that it was another tower.

In other words, Xiao Jing had two towers in his mind, one inside the other.

This tower was famous in the Yan world—the Ten Thousand Character True Mantra Tower!

Of course, with Xiao Jing’s current strength, he could not see this treasure of the Yan world. This treasure was hidden in Xiao Jing’s virtual tower, and in fact, his conversion was influenced by this Ten Thousand Character True Mantra Tower.

Xiao Jing chanted basic mantras, mainly single-character mantras. He could now chant two-character mantras, and he was already extremely fluent with single-character mantras, reciting them effortlessly. However, he still stumbled a bit with two-character mantras.

Once he became proficient in two-character mantras, Xiao Jing’s strength would rise to a new level.

The power of mantras was divided into release and absorption. During practice, chanting mantras was to cultivate the virtual tower in the mind, allowing one to understand the wisdom and power of the mantras.

Each time he chanted a mantra, the mantras would manifest on the virtual tower in his mind. It seemed that with each recitation, the virtual tower became more solid, and the characters of the mantras would be inscribed on the tower. The base of the tower already had many characters that would appear without recitation.

Xiao Jing had already understood that the tower was actually composed of mantras. Of course, he did not know that his virtual tower was influenced by the Ten Thousand Character True Mantra Tower, which had formed and grown in his mind.

Xiao Jing was already extremely fluent in chanting mantras. Even before he learned to speak, he had listened to various mantras every day. By the time he started practicing at the age of ten, he had already mastered many mantras on his own.

Holding a string of Yan wood beads, he quickly moved them with his fingertips as he chanted the mantras. Each movement was a reinforcement of the Yan will, and as Xiao Jing’s cultivation grew, the beads would also develop a certain will.

Xiao Jing made this string of beads himself. When he joined the Yan Sect, he accidentally obtained a piece of Yan wood core of such high quality that even the head of the Western Yan Sect was a bit envious, but he did not want to take it from a child, so Xiao Jing kept it.

Yan wood and Tianlang wood were known as the two major woods of the Yan family, excellent for making Yan beads. Of course, the Yan family also had other high-quality woods like the Dragon Subduing wood, Western Sandalwood, and Agarwood, which were superior materials for making Yan tools, but for making Yan beads, Yan wood was the best.

Xiao Jing personally polished eighteen Yan wood beads and had been using them for three years. This was his only self-made Yan tool. Each time he practiced, he would take them off his wrist, chant mantras, and move the beads. After three years, they had become glossy and shiny, reflecting light like a mirror.