"Come, I will first teach you the breathing technique. All living beings in the world absorb spiritual energy through this fundamental method."
Breathing, or respiration, is something everyone is born knowing.
However, to truly absorb spiritual energy, there is a great deal of knowledge involved.
"Is it breathing through the nose or the mouth? Long exhales or short inhales? The method varies depending on the time of day, the season, and even the direction. Some even go to great lengths, building tall towers, constructing grand altars, or burying themselves to perfect their breathing. At the highest levels, a single exhale can dry up rivers, and a single inhale can summon the morning mist."
Now, I will pass on to you a method.
It has no grand name, but it is a fragment discovered by the fourth-generation ancestor of Mingzhi Mountain from an ancient ruin.
We simply call it the Five-Word Mantra.
This is a technique specifically designed to absorb the five elemental energies.
It aligns with the seasons and the five organs of the body, using breathing as the foundation and mantras as the guide.
It can also be combined with other body techniques, external elixir methods, and visualization practices.
It is a practical and versatile art.
"With that, Sukong tapped the jade ruyi on Yun Qi's forehead, and a surge of light flowed between them. As the jade ruyi touched him, Yun Qi instinctively closed his eyes. He first felt a cool sensation at his forehead, and then, in the darkness, he saw five ancient characters.
These characters were unfamiliar to him, written in a script he had never seen before. Yet, upon closer inspection, they seemed somewhat familiar. Soon, he realized they resembled the ancient Yunli script.
The jade pendant at his waist bore his name,"Cheng Yun Qi,"written in Yunli script with blood ink. Feng Jihu had taught him this script, but these five ancient Yunli characters were new. Despite never having been taught them, he could still pronounce their syllables: [Xu], [He], [Hu], [Si], [Chui]."Come, stand up.
"Yun Qi stood up as instructed."
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, head straight, neck upright, chest slightly tucked in, back straight, waist and hips relaxed, knees slightly bent, and your entire body relaxed.
Breathe naturally.
"Yun Qi followed the instructions, assuming the posture."
Focus your strength on your heels, tighten your pelvic floor, and breathe through your abdomen.
Exhale first, then inhale.
Exhale slowly, and as you exhale, pronounce the word [He].
Press your tongue against your lower teeth and lower the surface of your tongue.
Now, say it!
"Yun Qi exhaled and pronounced the syllable."
Lightly touch the ground with your big toes.
Lift your palms from your lower abdomen, moving them up to the center of your chest, then flip them outward and raise them to eye level.
Do it slowly!
"Yun Qi felt as if all the impure energy in his body had been expelled."
Once you've exhaled completely, inhale.
Turn your palms inward and slowly lower them past your face, chest, and abdomen, letting them hang at your sides.
Good, now rest.
""Again.
"They repeated this six times. After the sixth exhale, Yun Qi naturally inhaled. This time, he felt something unusual—a warm current entered his mouth. Before he could react, it slid down his throat, and soon, his chest felt warm. Sukong immediately noticed the change in Yun Qi's expression."
Did you absorb Qi?
"Yun Qi's breathing was interrupted, but he felt no discomfort. Instead, he felt relaxed. The breathing exercise had left him slightly fatigued, and he thought this must be the rhythm of the technique. He replied,"Just now, a warm current entered my mouth, went down my throat, and then my heart felt slightly warm.
""You absorbed Qi.
"Sukong repeated, a smile appearing on her face."
You can go to the teaching hall to claim your reward.
""Huh?
"Yun Qi was confused."
Absorbing Qi in six breaths means you should be listed on the Southern Dipper Ranking.
"Yun Qi was delighted. From his teacher's reaction, this seemed to be a good result. He had always been worried. In the mortal world, he was a genius—reading at one, practicing martial arts at two, and possessing a photographic memory by three. By five, he had refined pure spiritual energy, and by ten, his father had nothing left to teach him. But the world of the mountains was different. If he couldn't enter this realm, it would be a lifelong regret. Fortunately, it seemed he wasn't doing too badly in the mountains."
Very good, rest for a while.
Remember the key points I just mentioned.
"Yun Qi nodded, closing his eyes to recall the rhythm and movements of the breathing technique. After a short while, Sukong signaled to continue. Yun Qi felt much better after resting, and the feeling of exhaustion was gone."
Press your lips together slightly, creating a horizontal tension.
Push your tongue forward and slightly inward, leaving a gap between your upper and lower teeth.
Exhale and pronounce the word [Xu].""Lift your hands from your lower abdomen, still slowly, with the backs of your hands facing each other.
Move them past your ribs to shoulder height, then spread your arms like a bird spreading its wings, palms tilted upward.
""Higher!
""Focus your gaze inward, widening your eyes as you exhale.
""Good, once you've exhaled completely, inhale.
Bend your arms and slowly lower your hands past your face, chest, and abdomen, letting them hang at your sides.
Good, repeat this six times.
That completes one cycle of breathing.
"This time, Yun Qi felt a cool energy enter his body. The cool energy disappeared down his throat, and soon, he felt a cool sensation in his upper right abdomen. His vision also became clearer. Yun Qi knew that was the location of his liver. Next, under Sukong's guidance, Yun Qi tried the [Hu], [Si], and [Chui] mantras, absorbing the earth, metal, and water energies into his spleen, lungs, and kidneys, respectively."
You're doing very well.
"Sukong spoke earnestly. In her eyes, this disciple was exceptionally easy to teach. She didn't need to repeat herself or explain the pronunciation of each mantra or the key points of each movement. With a few verbal instructions, she could easily guide him. Yun Qi bowed,"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher.
"He spoke sincerely. In his view, this teacher was truly remarkable. Her words were concise and to the point, never wasting a single sentence. The technique of directly imprinting ancient words into his mind was truly miraculous, saving a lot of time."
That's enough for today.
Practice these five mantras, and remember to align them with the seasons and the environment.
This technique involves six exhalations per cycle.
When you reach nine cycles or can no longer absorb Qi, come find me.
""Can no longer absorb Qi?
"Yun Qi was puzzled. Sukong explained,"No matter how big your stomach is, there will come a time when you're full.
"Yun Qi understood and nodded, preparing to take his leave."
One more thing about absorbing Qi.
""Please instruct me, Teacher.
""In cultivation, the method and the mind are inseparable.
Where the mind goes, the Qi follows.
If your mind wanders, no amount of spiritual energy will be useful.
When absorbing Qi, you must focus your mind.
I have a method for you.
To practice this, you must first construct a Dao Palace in your mind.
"This Dao Palace cannot be copied from the mountains or books. You must imagine it from scratch. The more magnificent and intricate, the better. Halls, platforms, towers, pavilions, pagodas, altars—build them as you wish. But there must be no shortage of details—steps, doors, windows, walls, courtyards—be as detailed as possible."
However, there is one rule: the beams, pillars, brackets, tiles, and paint must follow traditional styles and rules.
You cannot imagine them haphazardly.
"Yun Qi thought for a moment, realizing this wasn't simple, and asked,"Is there a time limit?
"Sukong replied,"No time limit.
When you come back next time, I'll take a look.
Whatever you've built by then is what you've built.
Also, remember, when constructing it in your mind, you cannot rely on physical objects or sketch it out.
"Yun Qi agreed and asked,"Since it's a Daoist temple, there must be a main deity enshrined.
Which deity should I enshrine in my Dao Palace?
"Sukong was slightly surprised and gave Yun Qi a deep look before saying,"You truly have talent.
My original intention was to only teach you the mind-focusing technique, but since you've asked, I'll say a bit more.
"You must understand that the amount of five-elemental energy required to open your dantian is immense, and the quality and essence of the energy should be as profound as possible. To open your dantian early, visualization is unavoidable. At some point, you will need to visualize an inner deity within your body's acupoints."
Since you've brought up the question of which deity to enshrine in your Dao Palace, I suggest that if you have the capacity, you should start thinking about which five-elemental energy you want to absorb and which inner deity you want to visualize.
Visualize their image now, and when the time comes, they will naturally emerge from your Dao Palace and reside in your organs and acupoints.
"Since you're new to the sect, I'll be more explicit. The inner deity's status should not be too high, as it would be difficult to visualize. Nor should it be too low, as it would be of little benefit to your cultivation.
The deity's time of enlightenment should not be too distant, as the connection to the world's spiritual energy would be weak. Nor should it be too recent, as it could easily entangle you in karmic ties. A deity of human origin is not ideal, as it could lead to usurpation.
Instead, consider deities from the realms of demons, ghosts, spirits, or other such beings."
Yun Qi nodded, deep in thought, and asked, "Teacher, I can study real structures and regulations to understand the requirements for constructing the Dao Palace. But how can I grasp the divine essence of the inner deity?"
"The sect has ancient records of gods, demons, and spirits that you can study for visualization. In the future, when you travel outside the sect, if you come across temples in the wilderness, you may also stop and observe."
Yun Qi acknowledged this and then took his leave.
This chapter is complete.
The new book is now available.
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