Also see Cultivation (Part 2)

  "Formation, or formation method, is a common approach. Simply put, it's an arrangement method. Your artifact isn't without formations either. When you see atoms arranged in a regular pattern, that's a formation method. Different atoms are arranged in different ways, and their effects are also different. This is what formations are like. For example, your previous explanation of diamonds and graphite is the same principle. The Egyptian pyramids can also be considered a type of formation."

  "Fellow Taoist, it's said that the power of the Array Formation is boundless, but the few examples you mentioned seem quite ordinary?"

  "The formation method is nothing more than calling the properties of matter and their connections, different formations have different powers, another important reason is that the formation method requires extremely high requirements to take effect. From your familiar scientific knowledge, two columns of water waves must form an interference pattern with a clear interference pattern, which has very high requirements for wavelength and even the distance between wave sources. The frequency of the two columns of waves must be the same and have a fixed phase difference. The formation method is similar to this, different materials have their unique external effects, modern science calls it field, which also has characteristics such as frequency. Compared with the interference of waves, the complexity degree is heaven and earth apart. The distance between them and the placement excitation method are slightly different, and the effect is different by a thousand miles, even completely ineffective. It's just that telling ordinary people about formation methods, they can't even set it up, only when you cultivate to a certain level, with spiritual awareness, instinctively feel where to place what, how to arrange is the best, just like your instrument, the atoms are not only arranged in a certain way, but also have distances between them, even vibration modes, spin states, etc., which can be sensed by your spiritual awareness, and reach the corresponding position. This is a kind of harmony resonance produced by the combination of your spirit and materiality. If you want to use a computer to calculate it, I don't know how many years it would take. The way of formation method is also profound and unmatched!"

  Liu Zhi knew that he had unintentionally entered a state of clarity and purity, where his spirit was clear and his consciousness was self-sufficient. He realized how difficult it was to enter the door of spiritual practice, especially for ordinary people who did not have a master to guide them and relied solely on themselves. However, once they passed through the entrance, a whole new world would unfold before them.

  "Fellow Daoist, I somewhat understand the way of array techniques. Unintentionally, I cultivated a yin spirit. What's the explanation for this?" Liu Zhi knew that he had rarely encountered such an opportunity, where a highly cultivated practitioner would answer his questions, so he took advantage of it to ask all the doubts he had accumulated over time.

  "Essentially, everyone can achieve spiritual separation from their body, but most people find it difficult due to excessive thoughts and attachment to the physical form. Few people specifically cultivate their yin spirit; instead, they often achieve this state incidentally through other practices that reach a certain level of proficiency. This is what's meant by 'having a body outside one's body.' When your yin spirit emerges, it's the simplest form, without any protection. Last time, I almost had my yin spirit scattered by a tree mouse that barely qualified as a demonic beast."

  "How to protect?"

  Most cultivators start from the heart and mind, and so does the yin spirit. Truly safe exit of the body often involves thinking of one or more dharma objects to protect the body. Some people think of a taiji diagram above their head, some think of a lotus flower under their feet, some think of the four symbols protecting their body, and some think of a ruyi scepter protecting their body - there are many variations. Although these dharma objects are just thoughts, when the mind moves, they gather spiritual energy to form objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye but can be clearly seen with the spiritual eye. Each has its own wonderful uses and naturally wards off various disasters. When you exit your body in the mountains without a protective method, it's possible for all sorts of yin spirits and ghosts to exist there at a much higher rate than in cities - you're actually quite lucky. Apart from this method, you can also refine a yin spirit that can be used as a magical tool to ward off evil. If you have such a tool, you'll naturally have nothing to worry about. I said earlier that you were lucky, and it's really true - the tree trunk you found in the mountains a few days ago is made of zi qing ling xu wood, which is excellent for refining yin spirits into magical tools. Although this wood was struck by lightning and died, it contains some spiritual information from the lightning within it. If you cultivate your energy well, this bit of lightning spirit can imbue your yin spirit with a hint of yang energy - although not as good as having passed through a lightning calamity, it's still much stronger than what you have now and has many more wonderful uses.

  "Yin Shen Lei Jie is what's going on, if I use a discharge method to artificially create lightning, can I refine the Yin Shen?" Liu Zhi didn't disappoint as a physics major, when talking about thunder and lightning, he immediately thought of an alternative approach.

  "In the spring and summer when thunderstorms occur, the heavenly thunder is at its peak. The yin spirit emerges to welcome the thunder and lightning, receiving its baptism and transforming yin energy into yang energy. However, this is extremely dangerous, and if one is not careful, the yin spirit will collapse, causing a huge blow to the spirit. Only when the yin spirit has been refined to a certain degree can it be attempted, and after passing through nine trials, the yin spirit transforms into yang spirit, able to walk in the sun without leaving a shadow, enter metal and stone without hindrance, and attain spiritual powers.

  Refining the yin spirit is also a matter of putting effort into one's heart and intentions. Many methods for storing thoughts are recorded in Daoist scriptures such as the "Huangting Jing". If you have time, you can go look at the Daoist canon.

  As for man-made lightning, its effect is not great. Heavenly thunder responds to the seasons and contains the creative energy of heaven and earth, eliminating all yin evil. Man-made lightning does not contain this spiritual information, so its effect is not great."

  Shao Yan knew that Liu Zhi was thinking of taking a shortcut, after all, natural thunder and lightning were too frightening, while man-made small sparks were small, only making people feel a little numb.

  Shao Yanti mentioned "Dao Zang" and other books, Liu Zhizhi became interested: "Is it possible that 'Dao Zang' and the like contain great methods?"

  "Don't think that cultivation is only about the deep mountains and old forests of a certain sect. In the 'Taoist Canon', regardless of the method or technique, almost all are involved, but many places use hidden language, requiring careful comprehension, especially after you have entered the door of cultivation, naturally it will be different from what ordinary people see. Of course, there are also many good things in Buddhist scriptures, as long as you discard some of the confusing parts. The works of various philosophers are the same, don't underestimate them. Cultivators should broaden their horizons, that's what they call 'studying every day'!" Shao Yan smiled and said.

  "Isn't there a saying: 'The way of the Tao is daily diminishing'?" asked Liu Zhi.

  Shao Yan understood his meaning, took a sip of wine and explained: "Most people misunderstand this, thinking that the two are opposing, which distorts the original intention of these words. These two sentences are one body, for learning day by day is to broaden knowledge, but without diminishing the Tao day by day, it loses its meaning, and is merely a bookworm. When learning reaches a certain level, one should summarize and generalize from it, the more books you read, the thinner they become, this is an inverse process, just like Newton summarized simple Newton's laws from numerous physical laws of Kepler and Galileo, from ten to three, from three to two, from two to one, ultimately returning to the Tao. This is what diminishing the Tao means, what people say about diminishing is only reducing desires, which is a superficial understanding."

  "I see, I dare ask, among the cultivators in the world today, how many people have reached your level?" Liu Zhi knew that once he entered the cultivation world, he would inevitably encounter others. Shao Yan casually opened up a space with his hand, and his abilities were truly frightening and awe-inspiring, some of which were unimaginable.

  "You're overthinking, this body of mine is not my true form, it's just a manifestation of a single wish. Not to mention on Earth, but in the entire universe, how many can reach my level?" Shao Yan's words were not boastful, his existence was a result of an unfulfilled wish that had appeared in the world, and he wouldn't interfere with the course of worldly affairs.

  Liu Zhi seemed to have an epiphany in his heart, but he still didn't understand what kind of existence Shao Yan was. He thought of a Buddhist legend and asked: "Many people think that this is the age of decline, so how can there be cultivators like you?" His words were not fully spoken, implying that in the age of decline, how could someone like Shao Yan exist in the world.

  Shaoyan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "The Dharma Ending is not the Dao Ending, and besides, the term 'Dharma Ending' originated from Buddhism. Buddhism had already declined in India during the Tang Dynasty of China and almost disappeared, so it's naturally considered the end of the Dharma. The domestic Buddhist community doesn't reflect on itself and holds this view. Furthermore, what is not within the Great Dao? Cultivators, especially those who cultivate the Dao, originally cultivate the Great Dao and shouldn't pay attention to such sayings! However, in this era of scientific prosperity, it's better to keep a low profile when walking in the world, or else you'll encounter many troubles. Science has one aspect that is worthy of respect - its strong desire for knowledge about unknown things. Of course, I'm referring to the true spirit of science, not those so-called experts in our country who are just a bunch of pedants. You have martial arts skills, which can be used to navigate the world. Being able to practice internal energy is already not easy; entering internal energy indeed requires assistance from cultivation. Let me remind you that entering transformative energy must start from the spiritual level - your fist must have a certain spirit in order to easily break through transformative energy!"

  After Shao Yan finished speaking, he seemed to have thought of something and casually shot a white light into Liu Zhi's forehead. Liu Zhi only felt a flash in front of his eyes, and it seemed like there were some extra things in his mind.

  I'll imprint some information into your mind, just some verification of the various stages of cultivation. Although you're on a Taoist path, it's entered through the investigation of things, and there are many things in your mind that aren't visible to you now. When the time comes, they will naturally appear, for your reference. There's also some material about spiritual creatures and alchemy, as well as some knowledge about refining instruments and elixirs, which I'll give you as a reference. As for techniques like magic spells, there are none - you can collect materials yourself and create them according to your own situation! By the way, your fireball technique is quite good, but it can't make objects catch fire simultaneously from both inside and outside. A microwave oven is even stronger than you! Alright, we'll talk again sometime if fate allows it!

  Shao Yan finished speaking, and Liu Zhi knew that he was still squatting in front of the stall, holding a small gourd in his hand. Shao Yan smiled at him, as if everything that had just happened was just a dream, but everything was still clear in his mind.

  Liu Zhi was in a daze when he heard Shao Yan's voice: "Don't doubt it, what just happened was real. The flow of time on both sides is not equal, and only a few seconds have passed outside!"

  Liu Zhizhi looked up, and Shao Yan saw him look up, smiling and saying: "How about it, this calabash wine is 2,000 yuan, not expensive, right?"

  "It's not expensive!" Liu Zhi felt a stir in his heart, immediately took out the money, and handed it to Shao Yan. Shao Yan smiled and said: "I'll be even more generous this time, I'll give you all six gourds of wine on the ground! Goodbye for now!"

  Shao Yan finished speaking and stood up. The stall owner next to him saw that there were actually people who spent 2,000 yuan to buy this little wine, and wondered if he should also play this trick in the future.

  Ah Li just happened to have enough money, and she bought that small handicraft. As she walked over, she still didn't understand what was going on. Shaoyan caught sight of her with a glance, his eyes flashing, and said something inexplicable: "Your girlfriend actually has some background!"

  Liu Zhi and Ali were at a loss, when a voice rang out: "Yan, Dad and Mom are waiting for you over there. Next stop is to accompany them on a tour of Guilin!" Liu Zhi and Ali turned their heads, but it was a woman who didn't seem to be from this world. She was breathtakingly beautiful, yet she didn't evoke even a hint of lust.

  This girl, upon seeing Liu Zhi Zhi, couldn't help but laugh: "Hello, Liu Zhi Zhi, my name is Yun Xian Er. The beauty beside you, what's her name... should be Li Li, with a future ahead!" After finishing speaking, she linked arms with Shao Yan and the two turned to head down the mountain, where several li away there was a carriage and a group of people waiting.

  Ali's eyes widened in shock, Ali was beautiful and a rare beauty among humans, while Yun Xian'er seemed to be unaffected by worldly desires. How could she know herself? Was it Liu Zhi who told her? Ali glanced at Liu Zhi and saw that he too was stunned.

  Shaoyan and the other person walked at a pace that didn't seem particularly fast, but in the blink of an eye, they were already half a mile away. No one felt anything out of the ordinary, when Shaoyan's singing voice came drifting back:

  "In former days, it was because of divination and calculation"

  Previous life and next life enter another boundary

  Today I saw someone practicing again

  "Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle."

  As soon as the singing stopped, Shao Yan and the others had already arrived at the car several miles away. Liu Zhi suddenly woke up with a start and whispered to Ali: "This is strange! Several miles of road were covered in less than half a minute, but no one felt surprised. What kind of ability is this?"

  Ah Li Jing reminded Liu Zhiyi, only to find that something was off. She was shocked and speechless. Liu Zhiyi carefully picked up the six gourds and put them in his bag, not even leaving out the six pieces of paper.

  "What is this?" Ali asked.

  "Six gourds of wine!" Liu Zhi whispered close to Ali's ear, "The six gourds are good stuff, the smallest one contains a hundred kilograms of wine, it was given to me by Shao Qianbei for research, I estimate that from them I can study out the legendary space bag and the like!"

  "What?" Ari cried out involuntarily.

  "Keep your voice down!" Liu Zhi immediately whispered, Ah Li also knew she was out of place and looked around with a red face. The two were very close, their posture intimate, many tourists' eyes fell on them, young people, especially men, their eyes fell on Ah Li's shy face, their hearts fluttered, then turned to Liu Zhi, unconsciously feeling some jealousy; older ones, in their eyes, a hint of tolerant smile, also shook their heads, thinking the two were not quite suitable for the occasion.

  Seeing the expressions of the people around them, Ah Li took Liu Zhi's arm and the two of them looked a bit awkward. However, Ah Li was after all a member of the Miao ethnic group, so she lifted her head high and walked off with Liu Zhi with great poise, while it was actually Liu Zhi who felt somewhat embarrassed.

  Two people got on the bus, the vehicle was a bit shabby, Ali leaned against the window, Liu Zhi knew sat beside her, there were not many people on the bus, many places were empty, the two seats next to Liu Zhi were also empty. The bus started, making a loud noise, it was old and bumpy, Ali rested her head on Liu Zhi's shoulder and began to doze off, Liu Zhi wrapped his right arm around her and closed his eyes slightly to rest.

  The car was not moving fast, swaying to the rhythm, and after more than half an hour, Ali had fallen asleep. The car braked, and Ali woke up with a start, looking out to see that it was picking up passengers along the way, with several people getting on, including one who looked very neat, with his upper body slightly bulging, walking past Liu Zhi from beside him, Liu Zhi's eyebrows furrowed slightly, his heart tightened, he felt a sense of danger from this person, Liu Zhi had killed many people after all, and gradually developed a feeling, an intuition about danger, this person seemed to have someone's life on him, in fact, it was due to the residual aura left behind by killing people, in other words, a remnant of information.

  Liu Zhi knew had also killed many people, but he didn't have any evil aura on him. Every day, he would stand still and sit quietly, able to sink into a state of resonance with the heavens and the earth, exchanging spiritual energy with them, naturally washing away the evil aura from his body.

  As the man passed by Liu Zhi's side, Liu Zhi's body instinctively reacted, his muscles naturally adjusted, and he entered a state of alertness, ready to strike at any moment. This movement was very subtle, and the man felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn't discover what was different. After all, he wasn't a cultivator like Liu Zhi, nor even a martial artist, so he didn't notice anything unusual, only feeling that something was off.

  But Ah Li, who was leaning on Liu Zhi's chest, suddenly felt something was wrong and couldn't help but twist her body and ask Liu Zhi: "What's wrong?"

  "It's nothing, just adjust your body!" Liu Zhizhi said gently.

  When Ah Li heard this, she straightened her body. She thought that she had been suppressing Liu Zhi for a long time, and Liu Zhi knew that she had misunderstood him, but he didn't explain it. He withdrew his hand, and the other person glanced at Liu Zhi and Ah Li, thinking it was a matter between young lovers, and ignored their own feelings from just now. They sat behind Liu Zhi, whose back was like a porcupine's quill, but on the surface, he didn't show any reaction.

  A'li glanced at Liu Zhi, she was also a cultivator, and now she realized that Liu Zhi was guarding against someone. She didn't need to say anything, this person was behind them. She was also an intelligent person, apart from glancing at Liu Zhi, she didn't say anything else, and turned her head to look out the window.

  The car started moving forward with a monotonous crashing sound, and Liu Zhi knew relaxed his body, although he was on guard against the person behind him, but he wouldn't tense up, instead, he remained in a state of relaxation without being lax. This was just a precaution, hoping that nothing would happen.

  The car drove for about ten minutes and picked up another group of passengers. There was already a group of people waiting by the roadside. Liu Zhi knew that this group of people was quite large, with several people who didn't seem right. Three of them seemed to be mentally ill, but this didn't catch Liu Zhi's attention. What caught his eye were two men in their thirties, who exuded a fierce aura and had a certain spirit that could only be cultivated through rigorous training by government agencies known for their violence. Liu Zhi made an educated guess about the identities of these two men and felt a sense of tension from the person behind him. He was in a state of high alert, still able to perceive his surroundings clearly - this was where practitioners like himself surpassed ordinary people.

  The positions of these two people are very interesting, one is to the left front of Liu Zhi, and is sitting sideways, the other is to the left rear side of the person behind Liu Zhi, subtly suppressing that person.

  The car started moving again, with only one or two empty seats left. Ordinary people didn't notice anything unusual, but Liu Zhi knew that there was a hidden undercurrent on the bus, and what triggered it was beyond everyone's expectation - it was those three shameless people who caused it.

  The car had been running for less than five minutes when the three men stood up, pulled out sharp knives, and the leader shouted: "Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, we're in a bit of a tight spot. Please take out your wallets, don't make things difficult for us, we just want money!"

  The passengers in the car were stunned, and what was originally a bit of noise suddenly disappeared.

  "Old man, hand over your money!" One of the thugs held a knife to an old man's throat, and the old man trembled as he pulled out his wallet. The thug snatched it away in an instant.

  Three men, one pressing down, two collecting money, came before the two government officials. The man didn't flinch. One of them wanted to step forward, but the man pressing down pulled him back and shook his head, letting him off. Liu Zhi knew in his heart that this was amusing, indeed thieves have their code, and he found out that this person wasn't easy to mess with.

  They came before Liu Zhi Zhi, one of them stared at Ali, his eyes straightened immediately, and he reached out to touch Ali's face: "Sister, you are so beautiful!"

  "Looking for death!" Liu Zhi's eyes rolled, his hand raised, and a slap landed on the face of the hooligan. The man didn't expect Liu Zhi to suddenly strike, and he was caught off guard. Although Liu Zhi controlled his strength, the hooligan's body spun around, blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and several teeth were lost. What's worse, as he spun around, his body became unstable, and he stumbled backwards towards Liu Zhi, flailing his arms wildly. Unintentionally, he grabbed onto the clothes of the person behind Liu Zhi, and a ripping sound was heard - the zipper on that person's jacket had been pulled open.

  Next, everyone who saw what was happening in front of them was stunned, and Liu Zhi Zhi turned around to look, also immediately becoming stunned.

  That man had a cylindrical object tied around his body, and Ryu Jae-hyun immediately understood - explosives!

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