bullyxtreme Chapter 1110 Mountain Retreat
Chapter 1110 Mountain Retreat
Fang Qianhe thoroughly enjoyed his storytelling trip down the mountain. He not only promoted his master's reputation but also earned a sum of money as a reward.
Like Zhang Zhiwei, he was a generous person by nature. As soon as he had some extra money, he treated his fellow disciples who stayed on the mountain to a good meal and drinks.
As Zhang Zhiwei's eldest disciple, he enjoyed immense prestige among the younger generation of Longhu Mountain. Everyone respected him, and his uncles, masters, and grandmasters also took good care of him.
However, he also remembered that this honor was largely given to him by his master.
If he fails to live up to his master's reputation, he will truly be ashamed to face anyone.
So as soon as he returned, he immediately devoted himself to spiritual practice.
Although he is Zhang Zhiwei's personal disciple, according to the rules of Longhu Mountain, his current qualifications and experience are not enough to be taught thunder magic. Therefore, he mainly practices the Golden Light Mantra and the Sowing Technique.
Compared to the simple and unadorned practice of hoeing the ground, he preferred to cultivate the Golden Light Mantra.
After returning to the mountain, he sat cross-legged under the shade of a tree on the mountainside of Tianmen Peak.
This shade extends down from the mountaintop; it is the branches and leaves of a crooked-necked tree.
The crooked-necked tree took good care of Fang Qianhe, the boy who called it "Brother Tree". Whenever Fang Qianhe came to the mountainside of Tianmen Peak and gently called out "Hello, Brother Tree", it would stretch out a branch and leaf to protect his head and drop down stardust, creating a suitable environment for him to cultivate.
Fang Qianhe sat cross-legged in the cultivation barrier. Although the surroundings were already very quiet and suitable for cultivation, he was still not satisfied. He needed to be even quieter. Only by entering the deepest level of meditation could he cultivate better.
The word "tranquility" is easy to say, but difficult to achieve. Fang Qianhe once asked his master Zhang Zhiwei how to achieve tranquility and enter a state of deep meditation like his master.
The master told him that the more he tried to seek tranquility, the less tranquility he would find, and his mind would be turned into a mess by delusions. When he meditated, he would stop seeking tranquility, and then he would find tranquility.
Fang Qianhe was confused and said, "Master, what you're saying is too mysterious. This disciple is too dull and really doesn't understand."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei was also taken aback. He recalled that when he was young, he often secretly complained about his master, Zhang Jingqing, saying that he had the common problem of Xuanmen masters: they didn't speak properly and always liked to use Xuanmen coded language such as tapping the head three times or putting their hands behind their backs to make things mysterious.
Unexpectedly, as time went by, when he became a master, he unknowingly became like his master.
However, Zhang Zhiwei did not let Fang Qianhe experience it for himself, but instead gave him an extremely straightforward, even somewhat crude, method.
That means not to think of yourself as a person, and not to think of tranquility. Just think of yourself as an inanimate object, imagine what an inanimate object is like, and then observe yourself to see where you are not behaving like an inanimate object, and then constantly correct yourself.
Fang Qianhe immediately did as instructed. He began to try to visualize himself as a cold stone, a withered stick, or even a ball of golden light...
After many attempts, he finally discovered that it was easiest to enter a state of stillness when he visualized himself as a ball of light, especially when practicing the Golden Light Mantra.
He would imagine the world as a dark place, with only his own gentle light quietly illuminating the surrounding darkness, just like his master.
Of course, during this process, he also kept his master's words in mind, not wanting to have the thought of dispelling the darkness, but rather letting himself float naturally in that darkness, simply existing.
Doing so will help you concentrate all your scattered thoughts on yourself.
Gradually, as his breathing became steady, he felt himself becoming lighter and calmer, and the slight restlessness in his heart began to disappear.
He entered a deep meditative state, and then Fang Qianhe focused his mind on his dantian and began to circulate his qi in an orderly manner.
Finding the right state of mind before practicing often leads to twice the result with half the effort; the results of one day's practice can be equivalent to several days of arduous cultivation for others.
This is also the key point on the path of spiritual cultivation that most clearly distinguishes people from one another.
Some people, despite appearing to be very hardworking, practicing tirelessly through the sweltering summer and freezing winter, lack a calm mind and their practice is of poor quality. No matter how long they practice, they only reap meager rewards.
Fang Qianhe entered a deep meditative state, and before long, a faint golden light appeared on his body.
This is a sign that the practice of the Golden Light Mantra is progressing well. The brighter the outward golden light, the better the practice is, and the easier it is to enter the profound state of "cultivating both mind and body".
This is one of the reasons why, in the original story, Zhang Chulan dared not casually practice the Golden Light Mantra during the more than ten years he concealed his identity. Once this thing is activated, it's like a human light bulb—too easy to expose!
Of course, if one could go further and reach the state of returning to simplicity, the golden light would become more subtle and inconspicuous when practicing the Golden Light Mantra. However, that state is still too far away for Fang Qianhe at his current level.
Following the method previously taught by Zhang Zhiwei, Fang Qianhe guided the Qi within his body, slowly circulating it through the twelve meridians in a microcosmic orbit.
The Qi flows and circulates endlessly, eventually flowing into the Dantian like all rivers flowing into the sea.
During this process, the golden light continuously merged with his physical body, seeping into his internal organs and gradually enhancing his life cultivation.
After several cycles of circulation, Fang Qianhe felt as if a furnace had been lit within his body, with a fire burning fiercely in his internal organs, scorching his limbs and bones.
This is a normal occurrence during spiritual cultivation, which is why spiritual cultivation is described as tempering one's life force.
The whole process is like a blacksmith forging iron, hammering and refining it until it becomes steel. However, before reaching a certain level, one should not overdo it in cultivating one's life. If one is greedy for quick results and rushes ahead, one may even ruin the iron.
Feeling a burning pain in his internal organs, Fang Qianhe decisively stopped circulating his Qi.
"If it's just a simple path of circulating Qi, then it's indeed not difficult. But to cultivate this foundation of life to be as solid as a rock as Master's, there are many subtle key points that need to be carefully sculpted. You can't rush it."
Fang Qianhe stopped his cultivation of life and simply entered into meditation to calm his mind and spirit in order to recover himself.
While Fang Qianhe was practicing his cultivation on the mountainside...
Zhang Zhiwei secluded himself at the summit of Tianmen Peak, under a crooked tree, which was his retreat for meditation.
Zhang Zhiwei's previous seclusion was more about allowing his consciousness to connect the past and present, to travel through the long river of history, and to experience different lives, in order to hone and strengthen his subjective consciousness.
However, after reaching the stage of nurturing the sacred embryo, his cultivation method changed. He no longer explored outwards, and 99% of his essence, energy, and spirit were concentrated on the sacred embryo. This also meant that he no longer had the extra power to connect the past and present with his consciousness. Therefore, his current cultivation has become extremely introspective, completely focused on himself, truly "seeking within."
His method of spiritual practice became exceptionally simple: it was simply "looking" at himself.
His own strength has actually shrunk because most of his power is concentrated on the Holy Embryo, leaving him without the power to connect the past and present.
Therefore, his current practice is more about himself, feeling himself, truly seeking inward, just quietly looking at himself, examining every thought and idea that arises in his mind, examining himself, just like facing the wall in contemplation. Therefore, this practice is also called facing the wall.
Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism, meditated in a cave in Shaolin Temple for many years, examining himself and eliminating objective influences. His image was eventually etched into the stone, forming the "Meditating Stone".
Zhang Zhiwei also reached this point. He simply gazed quietly at his own existence, thinking of nothing, emptying himself completely, and entering a state of desirelessness, tranquility, and non-action.
At this moment, time and space lost their meaning for him; he was completely absorbed in himself.
During his seclusion, due to the earth-shattering events of the battle in Shanghai, countless people came to visit this legendary living deity.
Among those who came were renowned figures in the martial arts world who commanded respect in their respective regions, as well as influential celebrities from all walks of life who wielded considerable power.
Some of them simply wanted to come and admire the young celestial master's unparalleled charm and form a good connection.
Others, carrying generous gifts and important requests, wanted to invite him to come out of seclusion again to deal with the increasingly frenzied Japanese pirate army.
Without exception, all of these people were politely declined by the old master Zhang Jingqing.
In fact, before going into seclusion, Zhang Zhiwei and Zhang Jingqing had a long talk all night. Zhang Zhiwei told Zhang Jingqing without reservation about his experiences in the inner vision and his current state of enlightenment.
This was a realm that even Zhang Jingqing had never reached, and he could no longer offer Zhang Zhiwei any substantial guidance.
In the path of cultivation, those who have attained enlightenment are teachers. In terms of spiritual attainment alone, Zhang Zhiwei is now fully qualified to be Zhang Jingqing's teacher.
He had known this for a long time, so during this period, he never interfered with any of Zhang Zhiwei's decisions. Whether it was going down the mountain to fight the Japanese pirates or returning to the mountain to go into seclusion, all Zhang Jingqing did was to trust and cooperate unconditionally.
Upon learning that Zhang Zhiwei was going to focus on recuperating and temporarily withdraw from worldly affairs, he declined all visits on his behalf.
Zhang Jingqing, who possessed the Heavenly Master's Ordination, knew many secrets that ordinary people could not know. He even learned the final outcome of this war from Zhang Zhiwei.
But he still supported it without hesitation, sending his disciples down the mountain to integrate into this magnificent era, to accelerate the process of victory with their blood and lives, and to contribute their own strength to this suffering country.
Even if this power seems insignificant in the torrent of history, even if it is destined to be accompanied by painful sacrifices.
After the battle in Shanghai, Zhang Zhiwei seemed to have vanished into thin air, never leaving Longhu Mountain again.
This inevitably caused quite a stir in the already turbulent martial arts world.
Many extraordinary individuals eagerly awaited his arrival, hoping he would step forward, rally the scattered forces of these individuals, and form an unbreakable anti-Japanese alliance to gather all their strength for a decisive battle against the Japanese pirates.
Even among the righteous forces in Shenzhou, there are still many gaps between them. Without someone who can convince everyone, it is impossible to form an alliance.
To be honest, in the entire world of supernatural beings, there was no one who could make everyone willingly submit to him in the past.
Neither the highly respected Master Henglin of Shaolin Temple, nor Zhang Jingqing, the Celestial Master who led the Zhengyi sect, nor Zuo Ruotong, who was revered as the Great Ying Immortal, could do it.
Although they held great prestige, they all had their limitations to varying degrees, and there were always some forces that were not entirely convinced of their authority.
But Zhang Zhiwei is different. Now, with his legendary cultivation and recent astonishing achievements, if he were to show himself and issue a command, no sect in the entire martial arts world would fail to respond. Even if they didn't want to, they wouldn't dare.
After all, everyone knows how cunning the Little Celestial Master is. When he tries to reason with you, you'd better listen carefully, or you'll get a beating and then have to kneel down and listen attentively.
It can be said that as long as Zhang Zhiwei gives an order, even the lawless Quanxing sect will have many demons running over eagerly, willing to lead his horse and stop his stirrups, provided that Zhang Zhiwei doesn't look down on them.
But this very person suddenly disappeared just when everyone was eagerly waiting for him to come out of retirement and lead everyone to great success.
This unusual behavior has sparked much speculation and conjecture throughout the martial arts world.
Some people believe that Zhang Zhiwei's power in the battle in Shanghai has surpassed the limits of mortals, and that he must have ascended to heaven in broad daylight and is no longer in the mortal world. However, the Celestial Master's Mansion has not made it public in order to keep people's hearts at ease.
Others believe that Zhang Zhiwei was not unscathed from the battle in Shanghai. He must have suffered extremely serious internal injuries, even damaging his very foundation, which is why he has to go into seclusion to recuperate now!
This is the most widely accepted version in the martial arts world recently. After all, to fight against so many top Japanese pirate masters and a modern army, and even to trigger divine punishment, it doesn't seem like a situation where one can escape unscathed.
Most importantly, although Zhang Zhiwei was in seclusion, he would occasionally show his face on the back mountain of Longhu Mountain, and many people knew about this.
So apart from a small number of people who believe it's an illusion and that Zhang Zhiwei has actually ascended to heaven, most people believe he is injured and still recovering.
Zhang Zhiwei's injury is a big deal, and many famous figures in the martial arts world have come to offer their condolences.
Even the Left Sect Leader inquired about Zhang Zhiwei's recent situation from Zhang Jingqing. Only after learning that he was not injured and had even made further progress, and that it was inconvenient for him to take action now, did he feel relieved.
Although Master Zuo had not reached that level, he still had some understanding of Zhang Zhiwei's current state.
The four families were puzzled as to why, having advanced further, they were still unable to make a move.
The Lu, Wang, and Lü families, though not entirely clear on the matter, understood that Zhang Zhiwei had no intention of forming the Extraordinary Alliance, so they didn't press the issue. However, the Gao family head was somewhat persistent, determined to see Zhang Zhiwei. (End of Chapter)