Of course, there are shortcuts. The simplest way is to specialize in sword control, find a peerless divine sword, and refine it day after day until you become one with the sword.
The person who left the notes commented: "'Swords' are good, but they consume too much energy. Do not choose this path lightly if you do not have a divine sword in hand."
Lin Yi continued flipping through the pages and came across a discussion about the "Sword Qi School".
The theoretical basis of the "Sword Qi School" is "to control Qi with spirit and to control the sword with Qi." Therefore, the first step in sword practice is to cultivate Qi, and the first step in cultivating Qi is to preserve the spirit.
This school of thought uses "sword intent" to hone the spirit, condense sword energy, and ultimately transform the ethereal into the tangible, materializing the sword energy.
If true qi is constantly generated, then sword qi will be inexhaustible.
Lin Yi's "Seven Luminaries Star Pivot Sword Technique" can be classified as belonging to the "Sword Qi School." It does not involve the fundamental Dao, but is merely a means of application.
After gaining a preliminary understanding of sword cultivators, Lin Yi reflected on himself and decided that his future cultivation should be based on the Star River True Qi and the Seven Luminaries Star Pivot Sword Technique.
The former is the foundation of longevity, while the latter is the method of protecting the Tao.
After Lin Yi chose his path, a booming sound came from his sea of consciousness.
The Milky Way, as described in the "True Scripture of the Star River," gathers and disperses at varying speeds, its starlight flickering like fire, water, or time itself—a mystery beyond measure.
A mental cultivation manual called "Essentials of Water, Fire, Yin and Yang" came to mind.
This mental cultivation method is based on the true qi of the Milky Way, and evolves into the divine water of the three lights and the true fire of the stars. Then, it uses water and fire to temper oneself, which is both body tempering and sword tempering.
Lin Yi closed his notebook, smiled, and exclaimed, "Wonderful, wonderful!"
The Star River True Scripture is a supreme Daoist method that directly points to the origin of the Great Dao. As the saying goes, the Dao changes with the world. This supreme Daoist method can evolve into the most suitable cultivation method for Lin Yi based on the external environment and Lin Yi's own active choices.
Its mystery is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Half a month later, in the quiet room of Tingtao Pavilion, Lin Yi sat cross-legged on his bed, his face turned upwards. His face alternated between blue and red. When his face was blue, his body trembled slightly, as if he had fallen into ice. When his face was red, sweat poured down his forehead.
Within Lin Yi's dantian, the Star River True Qi gathered and dispersed unpredictably, evolving into two different forces: Star Fire and Three Lights Divine Water, which continuously tempered his body.
Compared to the Star River True Qi, the Starry Sky True Fire was omnipresent, and the Three Lights Divine Water was all-pervasive. The clash between water and fire, the fierce battle between dragons and tigers, made Lin Yi suffer greatly.
P.S.: The sword cultivator setting is inspired by Victor Old Immortal's "The Great Transmigration of Magical Races," a humorous and lighthearted novel. Interested readers can check it out.
Chapter Seven: Tempering by Water and Fire, Celestial Sands
The fire of the Southern Heaven forges true gold, while the water of the Northern Darkness tempers its sharpness.
This is a secret sword-forging method recorded in the "Seven Luminaries Star Pivot Sword Manual," which is also a body-refining technique.
The tempering by water and fire makes one like a divine sword forged through countless hammer blows, removing impurities and achieving improvement.
The same principle applies to body refinement, sword refinement, and alchemy!
Lin Yi was so focused that his sense of time had completely blurred.
Endure, persevere, and bear the endless pain emanating from the flesh.
His skin, flesh, tendons, bones, internal organs, marrow, essence, qi, and spirit are constantly changing under the tempering of water and fire.
Black liquid slowly seeped from the pores of Lin Yi's body. This was waste and residue that had been hidden deep within his body.
Lin Yi finally got through the most painful stage and gradually improved. He slowly lay down on the bed, curling his body into a ball, like a baby in its mother's womb.
Concentrate your energy to achieve gentleness, and return to nature.
The next day, as dawn broke, Lin Yi woke up.
Then, a very unpleasant and strange smell wafted over, the source of which was the clothes he was wearing.
Lin Yi clenched his fist and felt that all the muscles in his body could be as soft as a flower or as hard as steel. His strength, explosiveness, and endurance had all been significantly improved.
"This tempering by water and fire, this cleansing of the marrow and bones, is truly powerful," Lin Yi said, a smile appearing on his face.
Originally, after he mastered the "Zhou Tian Xing Chen Dao Body," he underwent a complete transformation from the inside out, a process that would have taken some time. But now it seems that it won't take long at all.
After getting a new set of clothes, Lin Yi walked towards the door, thinking to himself, "Today I'll go to Young Master Kongxu's place for a free meal, then reduce my food intake by eating only spirit rice for each meal. That should last me a few days. Once I've perfected my Dao Body cultivation, it'll be time to go down the mountain and travel. Or, I could sell that thing to Young Master Kongxu."
Next to the quiet room is the bathroom.
Lin Yi went in and took a good shower, then changed into new clothes. When he came out, it was just as the sun was rising.
Lin Yi fully experienced the divine intent contained within the rising sun, cleansing his heart and sweeping away all his dark thoughts.
This is a key reason why he is still able to maintain a youthful mindset, even though he is nearly forty years old in both his lifetimes combined.
For a cultivator, when his heart grows old and slowly loses its vitality, then the path of seeking the Dao comes to an end.
The moon wanes after it is full, and water overflows when it is full.
Only by having a humble heart can one make continuous progress.
Many principles of spiritual practice are actually found within the mundane world.
This is also an important reason why many cultivators, after reaching a certain level of cultivation, will enter the mortal world to travel.
………………
At noon, in the Cloud Pavilion.
Shamelessly, Lin Yi, who came uninvited, shared the cooked pig's head with the Empty Young Master.