Don't let longing turn to dust

  Liu Zhi knew that he sat quietly at night, got up before dawn, and practiced boxing in the forest not far from school. The first time he practiced Fu Lu Shou was not at night, but after practicing boxing. Liu Zhi stood under a tree with three postures, normally for about half an hour. Since he inadvertently felt the intersection of heaven and man, the external scene entered the internal, Liu Zhi would unconsciously enter that state after standing for ten or so minutes, although it was not as obvious as sitting quietly at night.

  This time, he stood still for about twenty minutes. In a daze, the trees around him were now in his consciousness, although somewhat blurry. However, the big tree in front of him, about three feet away, was clearer than before. The method of harmonizing Qi suddenly appeared in his mind. As soon as he moved according to the method, he inhaled and imagined that the vital energy of the big tree was pouring into his Dantian from the top of his head and nostrils like a waterfall. Unexpectedly, the big tree in his consciousness suddenly flowed out with a green misty gas, just like his imagination, directly entering his Dantian. After inhaling, Liu Zhi knew that he closed his breath, guided the Qi with his intention, and let it rise from his Dantian to his chest. His left hand pinched the wooden seal, and his right hand pointed like a sword. The Qi flowed along the inner side of his arm, directly reaching the tip of the sword and shooting out of his body. With a swift movement, he drew a harmonizing Qi symbol in the air. In Liu Zhi's consciousness, a green symbol appeared, surrounded by a space that seemed to be rippling like water. A kind of invisible wave motion gathered towards the symbol, automatically absorbing the energy around it, making its light even more brilliant. He threw the symbol into the big tree in front of him. Most of the vital energy he had just absorbed returned to the big tree, and the tree suddenly emitted a faint green light all over its body. At the same time, Liu Zhi felt for the first time that the tree was transmitting a kind of joyful feeling to him.

  Everything has a spirit, this idea flashed in Liu Zhi's mind, and he slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. Then he took another deep breath, and the green light mist was thicker this time. The feeling inside him had improved both in quality and quantity compared to before. Like this, Liu Zhi painted thirty-six symbols for gathering energy. Finally, the light mist flowing out from the big tree almost became substantial in his feeling, but to outsiders, there was no light mist at all. However, in the last few times, it seemed that there were some extremely faint shadows.

  Liu Zhi knew that he had made progress, and after sensing his body internally, compared to usual, he felt that his spirit was extremely full. In the past, after practicing martial arts, he would still feel some fatigue, but today, whether physically or spiritually, he felt even better, knowing that this method was truly effective.

  In fact, the reason why Liu Zhi can have such an effect is that he unintentionally has a state of harmony between man and nature. If it weren't for this state, the effect would be much worse. Li Yi practices this method, but the effect is completely incomparable to Liu Zhi's.

  From this practice, Liu Zhi discovered that the talisman might not be what he thought it was. During his evening meditation, he added a new practice of Golden Light Body Protection. After several days of exploration, Liu Zhi found that only when he entered that state of external stillness and internal movement did the talisman have an extremely obvious effect; otherwise, it was relatively ineffective.

  As Liu Zhi continued to cultivate and experiment, in the past when he entered stillness, external scenes would enter internally. Now, as long as he concentrated his mind, although it was not as clear as when he entered stillness, the scenery within a few dozen feet around him would vaguely appear in his mind, not like what the naked eye could see, but rather a special kind of feeling. Every single blade of grass and tree could be sensed, and there were many things that the naked eye couldn't see, even the gentle breeze blowing by, in his consciousness it was as if ripples appeared on the surface of the water. Especially with living things, it seemed like there was a kind of light stretching out and retracting, as if exchanging something with the surroundings.

  This situation reminded him of the xianxia fantasy novels he had read before, and he wondered if it was a divine consciousness. Liu Zhi knew simply called it "divine consciousness", but it was different from what he had described earlier. He had to concentrate his mind for it to appear, and he couldn't control it at will.

  It's been a month, and Liu Zhi discovered that the talismans in "Shengji Fu Lu" didn't require him to set up an altar or quiet room, follow certain rituals, or cultivate according to the book. As long as he was in that state of resonance between heaven and human, the talisman cultivation would succeed on its own. What made Liu Zhi most excited was that he had figured out a way to forge magical tools, turning that nearly two-foot-long sharp awl into a magical tool.

  Due to the successful cultivation of the Fu Talisman, Liu Zhi knew that he had unintentionally refined his Miao Dao into a magical artifact. He couldn't help but wonder what the reason was, and finally decided to place the Miao Dao and the pointed Miao Dao by his side. In a state of stillness, he entered a special state, up until now, Liu Zhi didn't know how to describe the feeling of being in harmony with nature, where the external scene enters the internal, but it didn't hinder him from using it.

  Liu Zhi knew that in the stillness, when he entered a state of communion with heaven and earth, he began to pay attention to the two knives placed on his knees. A strange thing happened: Liu Zhi wanted to see more clearly, not with his eyes, for after the five ghosts disappeared, his ghostly eyes also disappeared; now it was just a feeling, the knives automatically projected into his consciousness.

  The long-handled knife in his consciousness was shrouded in a faint white light, while the short-handled knife had none. Liu Zhi knew concentrated his mind on the knife in his consciousness, and suddenly, the knife seemed to enlarge, gradually appearing like the surface of the sea, with blurry, rounded islands emerging from the surface, their boundaries unclear. The islands were arranged relatively neatly, but not absolutely so, with many places missing one or more islands. Moreover, the islands were not static, as if they were shaking in the waves, and their edges were also vague. What was this? Could he see further, get a broader view? As soon as this thought arose, it was as if the camera zoomed out, and these islands rapidly receded into the distance, gradually becoming tiny dots, until finally, only one knife remained in his consciousness.

  Yuzhi suddenly realized that it was as if he had felt the atom himself. How could this be possible? However, it really seemed like microscopic particles. The molecules and atoms in solids are not stationary, but keep vibrating at their own positions. Moreover, microscopic particles have wave-particle duality, and those islands couldn't see the boundaries, just like being shrouded in mist. Isn't this exactly what Yuzhi knew about modern quantum theory's description of micro-particles?

  Liu Zhi's emotions surged, and in an instant, he exited this special state. Liu Zhi was excited in his heart, unexpectedly able to perceive at the atomic level, his own defined divine consciousness was too powerful.

  Liu Zhi didn't know that his perception of the external world was limited by his knowledge and worldview. As a physics graduate from a prestigious university, he had originally planned to pursue further studies and had a deep understanding of modern science. However, he knew very little about traditional spiritual practices. When he perceived multi-layered information, even holographic information, in this state, it naturally manifested in his consciousness in the form of the knowledge system he was familiar with.

  If a practitioner who is not very familiar with modern technology but has a deep understanding of traditional yin-yang and five elements were to manifest, it would likely be the transformation of the five elements' spiritual energy, especially the manifestation of metal spiritual energy.

  Liu Zhi knew it wasn't easy to calm down, so he adjusted his breathing and after a while, he entered that special state again. This time he was prepared and once more observed the Miao Dao, comparing it with the Jian Miao Dao. Indeed, its microstructure had already become different from the Jian Miao Dao. The Jian Miao Dao looked very clean at first glance, but on a microscopic level, it was full of ridges and grooves. If he were to rearrange the atomic structure of the Jian Miao Dao by comparing it with the Miao Dao, would it turn into a magic weapon?

  Thinking of this, Liu Zhi knew that he was carefully observing the arrangement of micro-particles in the Miao Dao. Most of them were very regular, and a larger part formed certain patterns. These patterns were relatively regular and easy to remember. Liu Zhi also found that his memory seemed to be much stronger than before when he was in this state.

  Liu Zhi knew the arrangement rules of each layer of micro-particles, focusing on the sharp knife, ready to modify, suddenly remembered something, how did he move atoms? He wasn't a probe of a scanning tunneling microscope, and couldn't move atoms!

  Liu Zhi suddenly had no way out, hesitated for a moment, and decided to use his divine consciousness to take a look at the atomic arrangement of the Jian Miao Dao. As soon as he entered, his head buzzed loudly, and he felt like he had turned into a piece of red-hot iron. His whole body seemed to split apart, and he was both the iron and a detached observer. A robust middle-aged man with a bare upper body was using an iron hammer to constantly pound him. Liu Zhi even felt a spiritual connection with this person, who continued to hammer and temper him, forging him into steel through a hundred refinements. Liu Zhi had an epiphany - this was the memory of the Jian Miao Dao. How could it be possible? How did the sword remember these scenes?

  Finally awakened from the tempering of iron and fire, Liu Zhi knew once again felt the sharpness of the Miao Dao, and was suddenly stunned. The grooves on the surface of the knife had basically flattened, and the entire knife was shrouded in a faint white spiritual light. Could it be that he had unintentionally completed the legendary refining of the instrument during this period? However, there were still some places on the surface of the knife that were not perfect enough. Liu Zhi used his divine sense to perceive whether it could be even better, and suddenly felt his divine sense move, like a wisp of smoke being moved.

  Liu Zhi suddenly realized that he wasn't able to move objects with his mind, but couldn't he just move atoms, this small thing? On the day he first entered the state of human-heaven interaction, he discovered that he could control objects. This discovery made him overjoyed, and he immediately began moving atoms, gradually meeting his requirements, and the white light on the knife grew stronger.

  Liu Zhi didn't know that the several elements of alchemy he had come into contact with were actually a kind of spiritual material. This so-called spiritual material was actually something that contained a certain spirituality, often born from heaven and earth, such as meteorites. When they wandered in the universe, they would often be bombarded by various rays, which would naturally leave behind memories of some special experiences. When cultivators could sense the nature of things, it was like Liu Zhi's external scenery entering his inner world, also a way of sensing. Naturally, he could sense these memories, and these imprints would often be refined through intention, causing the nature of things to be revealed, manifesting special abilities.

  Natural minerals, jade, gemstones and the like, hundreds of years old wood, materials from the body of a monster, part of the body of a practitioner, often appear in this situation, although not necessarily, but with a high probability, for example, in Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism, it is often used to make ritual instruments with the bones of deceased high-ranking monks, which is based on this principle.

  The knife that Liu Zhi bought was originally not considered a spiritual material, but when Xiang Ye refined the knife, it was completely handmade, and his spirit was concentrated, so the knife had a bit more spirituality than industrially produced knives, although very weak, but it was a qualitative change. If Liu Zhi had bought a knife that was mass-produced by machines in a factory, no matter how sharp it was, it would be difficult to refine it into a magic weapon.

  The refinement of equipment often involves the formation of arrays, which can better bring out the properties of materials. Liu Zhi didn't understand this, but when he sensed and refined the properties of materials, he inadvertently formed special arrays. He remembered the rules for atomic arrangement, which is essentially a manifestation of an array. Finally, refining equipment often requires true fire. Some people think that true fire is mysterious, but it's actually just energy being released externally; in refinement, true fire is merely the rearrangement of matter. In Daoist scriptures, intention is often compared to fire. Liu Zhi's intention could drive material substances and affect their properties, his spiritual consciousness was essentially a formless true fire. However, Liu Zhi himself didn't know these things. Everything he did was based on scientific principles, but who can say that science isn't a manifestation of the Dao?

  Liu Zhi Zhi summarized a method of refining equipment, although it was very primitive and not comprehensive, but also established a foundation for refining equipment from another angle. As long as it is continuously improved, it will eventually become a system.

  Liu Zhi knew that he had refined the sharp blade, and unintentionally used the method of controlling objects to control it. He found that it was surprisingly easy, and his heart was greatly delighted. In the past, he saw that cultivators often had flying swords and flying knives, and now he seemed to have one too. However, what made him lose face was that his controlled knife could only attack a few meters away, which was within the range of his own divine sense. Nevertheless, having something was better than nothing, and thinking of this, his mood improved again.

  This month, Liu Zhi has been very fulfilling, his cultivation has made qualitative progress, and with Ali, it's also sweeter. It can be said that the spring breeze is delightful.

  Today is also Monday, the school started to get busy because a batch of donated materials arrived at the school from the Longteng Charity Foundation. This is a batch of second-hand computers that were eliminated by some large companies in Shencheng, but they are still 70% new. Originally, computer updates are fast and eliminated, but they are still intact. The remote mountainous areas are very backward, and this batch of computers can be considered the most modern thing.

  This time, the donation was accompanied by a reporter from Shencheng for an interview. The person in charge of the donation was Sun Lao, an acquaintance of Liu Zhi's. Before coming, he had already called to inform the school, so the school had known about it beforehand. However, Sun Lao and his team, due to the city education bureau's previous hesitation over the donation, did not notify the local education department in advance.

  It was already after 9:00 when they arrived at the school, and Liu Zhi knew and Principal Du were directing the porters to move the computers and matching desks into a prepared classroom. Since the car couldn't drive up the mountain, they had to hire laborers to carry the things up. Liu Zhi received the call and prepared the classroom, although it didn't meet the real computer room standards, but the room was big enough, forty computers were more than enough, and the circuit had been renovated two days ago.

  The reporter over there has gone to interview the students, and the students have also arrived for their class break. The cameraman is having a tough time, as the car can't make it up here, so he's had to carry his camera equipment all the way up.

  Mr. Sun saw that Liu Zhi knew had arranged the computer and came up to chat with him. Principal Du was delighted to see Mr. Sun and said, "Let's have a simple lunch at school this noon. Today you're in luck, Old Sun! I'll get a few good dishes ready with Little Liu!"

  "Then I won't be polite, but don't go to any expense, what you usually eat is what we'll have today!" Old Sun laughed and after chatting for a while, the class bell rang. The reporter took a few shots of the teaching scene and then came over with three people from their side. Their car was at the foot of the mountain, and there were still several people at the foot of the mountain who went to Majiazhai to rest.

  Among the three, two were reporters. One of them was an intern and coincidentally, Liu Zhi knew him. He was in the same class as You Jiajia and was currently interning at the TV station. His name was Jiang Yu. The other reporter had been introduced by Sun Lao before. She looked quite pretty and had a heroic air about her. Her name was Xu Qian. The male photographer's name was Xu Guomiao.

  Liu Zhi knew as soon as he saw Jiang Yu that he immediately thought of You Jiajia, and decided to find an opportunity to ask him later when no one was around. Jiang Yu was also quite surprised to see Liu Zhi, and after greeting him, asked him what brought him here. Liu Zhi briefly explained that he had come to fulfill his grandfather's last wish, as a volunteer teacher and supervisor for the charity foundation.

  The two of them asked and answered, immediately catching Xu Qian's attention. The volunteer teacher was a good subject, and Xu Qian's eyes lit up as she stepped forward to interview them.

  Liu Zhi knew was somewhat uncomfortable, and bitterly said: "Reporter Xu, I'm not great in any way. If you want to interview volunteers, our school has a female teacher who is from the provincial capital, she came here without complaint or regret, she's the real volunteer."

  "What's her name and where is she?" Xu Qian's eyes lit up, a poor mountainous area elementary school, with two volunteers, even better.

  "She's Cao YuYing, she's in class right now. You can interview her after school!" Liu ZhiZhi pointed to the classroom where Cao YuYing was having class. Xu Qian immediately went over and signaled the cameraman to capture a few scenes of the class from outside the window.

  Liu Zhi knew that the reporter had left him, and he let out a sigh of relief. He was really not used to being interviewed. Taking this opportunity, he said to Sun Lao: "Sun Lao, go sit in my dormitory at the back!"

  "Xiaoliu, I was just thinking of visiting your dormitory, the conditions here are quite harsh, can you still adapt?"

  "This place is quite good, the air is good, and it's quiet, doesn't feel too bitter."

  Liu Zhi said, taking Sun Lao to the back of the classroom. What Liu Zhi said was true, in this place, entertainment life is almost zero, and there's no TV either. However, Liu Zhi practices qigong and martial arts every morning and evening, and on Sundays he goes up the mountain to pick wild mushrooms and medicinal herbs. In the past month or so, being with Ali has not been boring at all. As for whether the food is good or not, he has been trained in middle school and university canteens, and people who have eaten school canteen food can probably swallow anything. Besides, Du Shifu's cooking skills are no worse than those of a great chef.

  Sun Lao, Du Principal and Liu Zhi Zhikang went to the dormitory, not yet dismissed from class, Xu Da journalist took a few scenes, seeing Liu Zhi Zhikang three people going to the back row of houses, immediately followed up, she thought very simple, after class interview Cao Yu Ying teacher, now still following another two people without class, dig more things.

  In front of Liu Zhi's dormitory, many things were drying. They were wild mushrooms and herbs that Liu Zhi had picked in the mountains. Every Sunday, Liu Zhi would go to the mountains to pick them, and over time, he had accumulated quite a few.

  "Hmm! These are wild mushrooms from the mountain, and there are many varieties. This is wood ear; this is silver ear; this is golden needle flower... what's that? Could it be bamboo pith?" Sun Lao's gaze fell on a patch of things spread out on the ground to dry.

  "Old Sun, you have a good eye for this! You're absolutely right!" Liu Zhi Zhu was very surprised, he didn't expect Old Sun to recognize so many things. What he didn't know was that as a wealthy man, Old Sun's family learning was far superior to Liu Xing Shu's, and could be considered a scholarly family with a strong emphasis on food culture, especially when it came to these wild mountain delicacies. Old Sun had eaten more of them than Liu Zhi Zhu had even seen, the Liu family was just a nouveau riche compared to the Sun family.

  "Good stuff, who picked this? If possible, I'll buy some."

  "Old Sun, take whatever you want, it's on me. I picked them myself when I was free on Sunday and went up the mountain. Consider it my filial piety to you!"

  "I won't be polite then, I'll definitely take it when I leave, don't be stingy!"

  Sun Lao burst out laughing, looking very happy. Xu Qing walked south and north, also very interested, and asked Liu Zhi one by one about things she didn't know, Liu Zhi answered one by one, but Xu Qing was too embarrassed to ask for more.

  "Xiaoliu, I have another thing to mention this time. It's almost the end of the year, in two weeks, you will return to Shencheng for a performance review. Principal Du, the school will send a representative with Xiaoliu to attend a charity gala hosted by the foundation, which will last around 11 or 12 days." Sun Lao said to the two of them.

  Liu Zhi heard this and remembered something, Ah Li still didn't have a mobile phone. In two days, he would go to the town to buy one and give it to her so they could keep in touch at any time. Not seeing each other for over ten days was really unbearable!

  Sun Lao said, Liu Zhi pushed open the dormitory door, and everyone entered the dormitory to take a look. One thing caught Xu Da's reporter attention.

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