Asking About Longevity

Chapter 17 Exercises

Yan Jiaoxi said: "The breathing method taught by the sect before is similar to the exercise method. It can also cultivate spiritual power, but it is relatively simple and is only suitable for monks before the third level of Qi refining. After the third level of Qi refining, you must choose a I have learned the real skills. Of course, you can continue to use the breathing and breathing method, but the practice will be much slower..."

"This is the sect's catalog of exercises for outer sect disciples to practice. The catalog contains the names of the exercises, the applicable spiritual roots, the required spiritual stones, the spiritual objects to break through bottlenecks, and the effectiveness of the exercises, etc. Yourselves Let’s take a look first.”

Yan Jiaoxi distributed the catalogue, and each disciple received a copy, and ink painting was no exception.

 The catalog is very thin, only about ten pages, but it contains densely packed records of dozens of exercises and related matters.

"If you have any questions, you can ask me." Yan Jiaoxi said.

 The disciples were quiet for a moment, and then one disciple raised his hand and asked:

“Sir, are the skills divided into attributes and grades just like spiritual roots?”

Yan Jiaoxi glanced at the disciple lightly and said:

“You have reached the third level of Qi Refining, and you are still asking such a simple question. It seems that you did not listen carefully to Professor Zhou’s lesson. Go back and copy the "First Interpretation of Cultivation" and give it to me in three days."

The disciple was stunned for a moment as if struck by lightning. He had no choice but to lower his head and said, "Yes." But he felt regretful in his heart.

I was careless and forgot that it was not Teacher Zhou who was giving the lecture now, so I asked casually what came to mind...

Yan Jiaoxi looked around and said seriously:

“Teacher Zhou is old and has a good temper. He doesn’t supervise you much, and you may not listen carefully in class. But the exercise selection method is of great importance. I will explain it to you again. Please listen carefully and don’t find it boring.”

 The disciples sat upright one after another.

“A monk’s spiritual roots are divided into attributes and grades, and their skills are the same.”

"The attributes of spiritual roots are mainly based on the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Some are single five elements, some are mixed five elements, and there are also the small five elements and the big five elements that have all five elements. In addition to the five elements, there are some that are transformed from the five elements. Special spiritual roots, such as ice spiritual roots, thunder spiritual roots, wind spiritual roots, and yin and yang spiritual roots, etc. These spiritual roots are quite rare and generally difficult to encounter."

"In addition, spiritual roots are divided into nine grades according to their qualifications, from lower to lower, lower to middle, lower to upper, middle to lower... all the way to upper and upper grades. There is a big disparity in each grade. The higher the grade of the spiritual root, the higher the grade. The better your talent in cultivation, the higher the upper limit of spiritual power that can be contained in the Qi Sea."

"The classification of exercises is also divided into attributes and nine levels, which are basically the same as spiritual roots. When choosing exercises, you must choose based on your spiritual roots. What attributes of spiritual roots should you choose? What attributes should you choose? For spiritual roots, it’s best to choose exercises of the same grade.”

“The spiritual root attribute determines the monk’s spiritual power. The rarer the attribute, the more special the monk’s spiritual power. The grade of the spiritual root determines the monk’s talent. The higher the grade, the higher the monk’s monastic talent.”

 …

“The rarer the spiritual root, the better?” a disciple asked timidly.

"Not necessarily. For disciples with big clans and sect inheritance, this is a good thing. But for ordinary monks, the rarer the spiritual roots, the fewer exercises they can choose, and some even cannot find any exercises to learn. , this is not a good thing." Yan Jiaoxi explained.

“What if the attributes of the exercises are different from the attributes of the spiritual roots?” a disciple asked.

“It’s not going to happen,” Yan Jiaoxi said, “because you can’t practice it. You, a monk with the golden water spirit root, can’t learn the civil and wood techniques at all.”

 “Are there no exceptions?”

Yan Jiaoxi raised his eyebrows and said: "At least it is not in the Taoist records of the Taoist court for more than 20,000 years. If you encounter it, you can tell me and I will gain insights."

The disciple shrank his head and stopped talking.

“Teaching, does the grade of the exercises have to be the same as the grade of the spiritual root?” Another disciple asked.

Yan Jiaoxi said: "High-grade spiritual roots can practice low-grade exercises, but low-grade spiritual roots cannot practice high-grade exercises."

Some disciples wondered: "If your spiritual roots are of high grade, why should you choose low-grade exercises? Wouldn't the spiritual power you cultivate in this way be less?"

Yan Jiaoxi said: "The higher the level of the skill, the more spiritual stones are needed for practice, and the treasures of heaven, materials and earth to break through the bottleneck are also more valuable. Some of the treasures of heaven, materials and earth are simply not something that ordinary monks can afford. Don't If you choose a high-level skill and practice it halfway, you find that you can’t afford it at all, then it’s too late to regret it.”

“What if you have a low-level spiritual root but learn a high-level skill?” The disciple asked again. Yan Jiaoxi said: "According to the "Book of Cultivation Techniques", if the level of the exercises exceeds one's own spiritual roots, most monks will absorb too much spiritual power after practice, causing damage to the Qi sea and severe collapse of the Qi sea. , their cultivation is completely ruined, and even worse, they become obsessed with evil spirits, and their body dies and their Tao disappears."

“Some people are obsessed with it. Does that mean there are also people who are not obsessed with it?” A disciple’s eyes lit up and he asked.

Yan Jiaoxi gave him a meaningful look:

"Don't always think that you are the most special one. Others will have problems if they learn it, but you might be fine if you learn it. Some people may be lucky to practice Taoism, but don't pin your life and death on this misty luck. Go it alone. Seeking death.”

Many disciples here have had this thought. At this time, they all felt a little scared when they heard this and did not dare to have other thoughts.

Yan Jiaoxi added: "These are not individual cases, but countless lessons learned over the past 20,000 years of the development of Taoism. If we do not learn from the experience of our predecessors, we will easily make mistakes. Once a Taoist goes astray, he often cannot help himself." Some people can look back, but some people can never look back."

Yan Jiaoxi sighed and looked a little disappointed. Mo Hua felt that Yan Jiaoxi seemed to have something on his mind.

But Yan Jiaoxi didn’t say anything anymore. Instead, he pointed to the “Catalogue of Tongxian Sect Qi Refining Outer Sect Cultivation Techniques” and said:

“Follow what I just said, search among them and choose a suitable one. Remember, don’t aim too high when cultivating the Tao, the suitable one is the best.”

All the disciples lowered their heads and flipped through the catalog of exercises.

Mo Hua got the general idea and started looking for the technique.

He has a lower-middle-grade spiritual root and can only practice middle-low-grade exercises, but he is a little curious about what high-grade exercises are like.

Mo Hua first turned to the end of the catalog and looked at a few top-grade exercises:

"Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Jue": upper and lower grade, suitable for the cultivation of earth spiritual roots. It can cultivate the spiritual power of one hundred and twenty weeks. To complete the Qi refining period, at least five thousand spiritual stones need to be refined. It requires heavenly materials and earthly treasures: Xuanhuang grass. , bitter water root, Tianxuan stone...

"Soft Water Jue": upper and lower grade, suitable for the cultivation of water spiritual roots. It can cultivate one hundred and thirty weeks of spiritual power. To complete the Qi refining period, at least 5,200 spiritual stones need to be refined. It requires genius treasures: hundred-year-old rootless water, Silver snake blood…

"Five Elements Nai Qi Gong": upper and lower grade, suitable for the cultivation of spiritual roots of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, earth. It can cultivate spiritual power for 150 weeks. To complete the Qi refining period, at least 6,000 spiritual stones need to be refined, which requires heaven and earth. Treasures: Gold Yuan Stone, Molten Fire Stone, Hundred-year-old Earth...

 …

 The ink paintings are staggering to see.

"It takes at least five or six thousand spiritual stones to complete the Qi refining period. This is purely the refined spiritual stones, excluding the heavenly materials and earthly treasures that assist cultivation and break through bottlenecks. Some rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures may cost more than five or six thousand. Thousand Spirit Stones…”

Mo Hua worked hard for a month and only earned fifty spirit stones. The consumption of five thousand spirit stones at every turn made Mo Hua's scalp numb.

 Mo Hua has also heard others say that ordinary casual cultivators, even if they have high-grade spiritual roots, cannot practice high-grade skills at all.

 If you must practice it, there are generally only two ways.

First, you can find a large sect, worship the elders of the sect as your teacher, enter the inner sect, and be bound to the sect, and you are not allowed to leave the sect for life.

The second is to find a family to marry into and let the family support your cultivation, but the family will ask you to change your family and abandon your name, parents, origin and everything in the past. Although you have a future, you are no longer you...

No matter what you choose, it is basically a personal dependence. Although it is possible to practice Taoism, you cannot help yourself.

  No wonder monks often say that one is fate, two is luck and three is feng shui.

The fate of a monk is determined once by his spiritual roots and again by his origin.



Mo Hua let out a long sigh.

 (End of this chapter)