Ten days have passed since the New Year.

But Huai'an city is still bustling with activity.

Xu Qing and Li Ping'an strolled in Huai'an City. The disastrous scene of last year was no longer there, and the city was now prosperous.

The dead are dead, but the living must continue to live.

Life is like a wheel. Occasionally it may run over a stone and get bumpy, but it will still roll on.

Speaking of which, Xu Qing hasn't celebrated the New Year here since he came to Huai'an City.

During the first year in Huai'an, people were busy "laying the foundation" and the days passed by unknowingly. Although Yuanfu Temple is in the mortal world, it is detached from the mundane world and does not specially celebrate this kind of festival.

Not right either.

At that time, there were suddenly a lot more pilgrims going up the mountain to pray. Pilgrims started going up the mountain as soon as the sky was just getting light, and they formed a long dragon all the way. Xu Qing, who was a Taoist boy at the time, was assigned to receive the pilgrims.

The next year, he went to the imperial capital again.

I could have seen the beautiful New Year scenery of the Imperial Capital.

But Tianpeng and Zhongdou Xingjun were not there at that time, and the entire Beiji Exorcism Institute was headed by him. He was busy with paperwork every day, dealing with various affairs, and also investigating the oil seller's affairs. He had no time to see the magnificent New Year scenery under the feet of the emperor.

"Li Ping'an, your ancestor only reduced the restrictions on the use of Dharmakāya, but didn't teach you any special moves that Dharmakāya can use?"

Unlike Xu Qing, who is born with the protection of guardian gods, and those with great supernatural powers who cultivate Dharma images by their own abilities, meritorious families like the Li family are able to condense the Dharma images of their ancestors in advance, which truly proves the saying of "blessings from ancestors".

This was one of the agreements made between the founding civil and military officials and the Taizu of Da Sheng.

They entered the Wenwu Temple and became golden gods in the temple, but they were not allowed to appear in the world without the emperor's decree.

Most of the time, the founding civil and military officials were in a deep sleep.

It will only wake up when called.

This situation was not a completely voluntary act by the founding civil and military officials.

Rather, it was Taizu of the Great Sheng Dynasty who wanted to ensure that these founding civil and military officials, who were equivalent to immortality, or strictly speaking, who lived and died with the country, would not interfere with the rule of the Zhu family in later generations.

The founding civil and military officials put forward several requirements for this, one of which was that their descendants would be able to condense the Dharma images of their ancestors through their blood and the country's destiny. With this unique skill, no matter what their qualifications, the children of each family would naturally be able to surpass most of the practitioners of the same age and level.

Coupled with the family's heritage, it is guaranteed that there will always be talented people among the future generations.

If it weren’t for the incident with Emperor II.

The group of nobles formed by the descendants of these civil officials and military generals will gather around the imperial power and form an extremely solid interest group.

Li Pingan scratched his head: "Yes, there is, but I still have not yet comprehended much."

"Can this be taught to others?" Xu Qing finally revealed his true intention.

He brought up this topic because he actually wanted to use it to understand some of the applications of the Dharma.

In fact, few disciples of Yuanfu Temple in all generations have condensed the Dharma image.

Talismans are the way to reach heaven and the method to command gods, so why is it necessary to condense the Dharma image?

Just like his master, Taoist Qingxu, who unfolded the Mahayana Dao scene, the Miro Dharma Realm, with all the gods following, it was not the Dharmakāya, but it was better than the Dharmakāya.

Take ten thousand steps back.

Without the Miro Dharma Realm, summoning gods with Dharma talismans may be inferior to Dharma images, but the difficulty of practicing is completely on a different level.

What's more, it is extremely difficult to condense a Dharma image.

After all, people like Xu Qing who are born with the twelve Dharma images are a minority.

However, talismans can summon various gods, and summon corresponding gods according to different uses and scenes.

Therefore, there is no need for those disciples of Yuanfu Temple who have achieved great supernatural powers to seek far away.

"It seems impossible to teach this directly." Li Ping'an shook his head, "Even the people in my Li family can't do it. But after I comprehend it, I can summarize it for you."

Li Pingan understood his own things.

There is no such problem at all when teaching again.

As for whether it could be taught to outsiders, he didn't think much about it.

Some fundamental contents must be performed in conjunction with his ancestors' Dharma images, so it would be useless even if he wanted to teach them.

The rest are just minor details. They are passed on and are no big deal.

Xu Qingben had already prepared himself for the possibility of getting nothing, but he did not expect to get an unexpected surprise.

"Then you should comprehend it quickly, and after you comprehend it, pick out some things that you can tell me and pass them on to me." Xu Qing did not be polite to Li Ping'an.

Since coming to Huai'an, he, Li Ping'an, and even the Li family have been tied together.

Although this bond does not reach the point of life and death, it can be considered a solidarity of interests.

What's more, he and Li Ping'an have a brotherly friendship.

"Okay." Li Pingan nodded. "By the way, what are you going to do next? Travel around the world? Or take over the responsibilities in the temple?"

The fourth level cultivator of Yuanfu Temple,
Either stay in the Taoist temple, start to deal with some specific management affairs, and do the Taoist temple in the conch shell to sharpen the soul and mind.

Or you can go down the mountain and travel all year round, to see the world, to see all living things, and finally to see yourself, to sharpen your soul and mind with the grandeur of mountains and rivers and the secular world.

Li Ping'an already knew that Xu Qing had broken through to the fourth level.

When he originally broke through the third realm, he thought he could barely catch up with Xu Qing and see his back.

As a result, they were left further and further behind.

In the past, at least I could see a little background, but now I feel like I am just looking up to a mountain.

He didn't look straight ahead, but rather looked up to see how high the mountain was and how high it would continue to become, until it was so high that even he couldn't see where the top of the mountain was.

Xu Qing shook his head: "Neither, I need to have a good retreat."

"Retreat?" Li Pingan muttered, "That's right, you just made a breakthrough, you should really retreat to consolidate your foundation."

Xu Qing didn't answer.

If he said that he was in seclusion in order to make a breakthrough, Li Ping'an's faith might be shattered.

There was no problem with his weak foundation in breaking through to the fourth level. It was very solid. The purpose of his retreat was to digest what he had gained in Imperial Capital City and see to what extent he could break through in one fell swoop.

"I'm done with the tour. I'm going back first." Xu Qing just came out to see what Huai'an City has become now, not to have fun. "Today is the second day of the second month. I have to go back to worship the Dragon Temple."

February 2nd, mid-spring, the dragon raises its head.

The "Dragon Horn Star" of the Dou constellation rises from the eastern horizon, so it is called "Dragon Raising its Head".

From today on, the heaven and earth will gradually be dominated by Yang energy, Yin energy will decline, rain will increase, and all things will be full of vitality.

Spring rain is as precious as oil. For farmers, rain often determines the agricultural harvest, so the day of "Dragon Raising its Head" is more important than many festivals.

Although Xu Qing's family moved from the mountain village to Huai'an City, this change of identity cannot be achieved in a short time. They attach more importance to the Second Day of the Second Month than to the Chinese New Year.

At the gate of Xu's house, Xu's mother stretched her neck to look towards the street.

"Hey, what's wrong with the eldest and second brother? Why can't they take a day off today? Instead, they have to go to the martial arts academy today."

Today, neither the eldest brother nor the second brother stopped to rest for a day. They still went to the martial arts gym and the academy to practice boxing and study.

Even though they had taken Maiwang to improve their aptitude, the eldest and second brothers were still a little old. If they wanted to catch up with the children of wealthy families, they still had to work harder and not relax for even a moment.

"Really? It's just one day away!"

Xu's mother kept talking and nagging.

"They are all pretending to work hard. They are not diligent on weekdays, but they are nowhere to be seen when the critical time comes." "What if they are late today?"

"."

"Okay, stop nagging. They usually leave early and come back late. They are not pretending to be working hard." Father Xu shook his head. His head hurt when he heard Mother Xu nagging. "If they are late, just don't wait for them."

"Can't someone just order it?"

"all the same."

Mother Xu was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. She glared at Father Xu angrily and said, "How can this be the same?"

"At this time, the whole family must be together. It doesn't matter if they are missing! The Dragon God and the Land God will not bless them."

Father Xu had saliva sprayed all over his face. He just stayed aside obediently, not daring to say anything else to bring bad luck.

Xu Qing smiled and comforted Xu's mother.

"Mom, the eldest and second brothers are back."

Upon hearing this, Xu's mother looked towards the street corner, but there was no one in sight.

"There's still some distance to go, but it's almost there."

"Really?" Xu's mother asked doubtfully.

"Don't worry, at their current speed, they will be able to return in time."

Uncle Xing turned his head and glanced at Xu Qing. He also knew that Xu Qing had broken through the fourth realm. He was aware that the fourth realm of Taoism gave birth to spiritual consciousness, but when one had just broken into the fourth realm, the range of spiritual consciousness was often at most a few feet around the body.

The Xu Mansion was at least one mile away from the entrance of Changjie.

Xu Qing can sense the locations of his two brothers in this way. The range of his spiritual sense perception is quite amazing.

He doesn't look like a cultivator who has just broken through to the fourth level.

Uncle Xing's gaze did not escape Xu Qing's spiritual perception, but he did not point it out specifically.

After about fifty breaths, the eldest brother Xu Huo and the second brother Xu Huai appeared at the street corner running.

"Mom, the eldest and second brothers are back."

Xu's mother looked over immediately and saw the figures of the eldest and second sons.

The eldest brother has been practicing martial arts for several months, and has not yet reached a certain level. However, his physique has become much stronger, and he ran all the way here without even breathing hard.

The second child has been studying very hard these days, even more seriously than the eldest, and his health is getting worse and worse.

After all, the boss had been training hard before he reached the level of martial arts, so he just had to grit his teeth and hold on.

I am a farmer's son, so there is no hardship I cannot endure. No matter how hard it is, I can endure working in the fields all year round just to earn a few kilometres of food.

The second son chose to study and pursue a career in politics. He had no foundation at all before. Taking pulse diagnosis could only make his mind clearer, but it was useless for accumulating knowledge. If he wanted to make up for the gap with other people, he had to work harder.

Xu's mother slapped the eldest brother hard on the shoulder: "Why don't you come back later? What if you miss the time?"

The eldest brother Xu Huo smiled innocently: "Mom, this hasn't wasted any time yet."

Xu's mother was so angry that she laughed.

Xu Qing and Xu Huai looked at each other, and each took one of Xu's mother's arms: "Mom, the time for the sacrifice has come, let's go in quickly, it will be bad if we delay the auspicious time."

When Xu's mother heard this, she stopped nagging and hurried back home.

A simple altar has been set up in front of the fields that Xu's father has been taking care of in the mansion. On it are placed various fruits and vegetables, three kinds of tea and five kinds of wine, three kinds of sacrificial animals, as well as dragon scale cakes, dragon beard noodles and other foods.

According to the customs of the small mountain village, Xu's mother led everyone to worship the Dragon God and the God of Land.

There are not many particulars about worship in the small mountain village. It is nothing more than bowing and praying.

"Lord Dragon and God of Land, I hope that everyone in the Xu family will be free from illness and disaster, and that my eldest son will be successful in martial arts, my second son will be successful in studying, and my third son will be successful in practicing Taoism."

Xu's mother's wish is simple.

First, pray for the safety of my family, and then pray for the well-being of my three sons.

Originally, this festival should be about praying for a good harvest, but the Xu family no longer farms, so praying for that is useless, so naturally they ask for something else.

Xu Qing originally thought that the Dragon King and the Earth God were not in charge of these things, and asking for these things would be asking too much of the gods.

Unfortunately, I couldn't persuade my mother.

For farmers, the Dragon King and the God of Land are the closest gods.

If not Them, who else can I ask?

However, if it doesn't come true next year, I guess Xu's mother won't think of praying to the Dragon King and the God of Land again.

After the day of "Dragon Raising its Head", Xu Qing returned to the Taoist temple in the mountains.

The mountain was still quiet, and Xu Qing's return did not cause any big commotion. However, beneath the calm surface of the water, he could feel some undercurrents stirring in the entire Taoist temple.

The clan altar will not be unsealed until one day.

The path for the disciples of Yuanfu Temple to move forward is essentially blocked.

The second of the three realms cannot be ordained, and normal drawing of talismans cannot be aided by the special "altar" of the talisman, so the difficulty is greatly increased, and there is no blessing of the natal talisman.

Third-level disciples like him will also be affected. For example, if he wants to advance his "Taishang Zhengyi Yuanming Chaos Red Talisman" to the second level, without the assistance of the sect, the process will be much more troublesome.

There are corresponding rituals for the advancement of magic talismans, but if the ceremony is assisted by the sect altar, it can save a lot of effort, and even the second-level magic talismans can be directly granted through the sect altar.

But when it comes to unsealing the sect altar, there isn't much that disciples like them can do to interfere.

Xu Qing’s top priority is to digest what he has gained in Imperial Capital City.

Returning to the courtyard after several months away, the courtyard is as clean as before, and the sounds from the eaves are still crisp.

Xu Qing was in a good mood.

He put a "Do Not Enter Without Permission" sign on the door and activated the magic circle in the yard, indicating that he was in seclusion and people should not disturb him unless it was an emergency.

After his breakthrough, the sutras and techniques that evolved from his middle dantian into his upper dantian pointed out the method of cultivation to the spirit refining realm.

(The sutras are the Dharma, and when they were first created, they were based on the "Illustrated Records of the Merits of the Six Dings and Six Jias" compiled by Xu Qing.)

The stage of refining the spirit is divided into nine levels, generally known as the nine levels of refining the mind.

The initial stage of refining the mind is to refine an impure mind.

The so-called impure mind is full of delusions and wandering thoughts. Delusions arise from greed, and wandering thoughts arise from unconsciousness.

When you reach the first stage of "foundation building", you have actually already begun to touch upon the realm of "refining an impure mind", and naturally the degree of depth is different.

The method of cultivation is to visualize a void cave in the sea of ​​consciousness, shine your mind into it, and stay with the Qi. From then on, a ray of "heart light" connects with a wisp of "original Qi", and you will feel peaceful and leisurely.

The second level of mind cultivation is to cultivate the mind into concentration.

It is also called "Xinzhai Zuowang".

On the premise that a ray of "heart light" in the first level of heart refining connects with a wisp of "original qi", it goes straight into the darkness and penetrates the mysterious orifice.

The third level of heart refinement is to refine the heart of recovery.

The "light of the heart" and the "original qi" are intertwined and become one.

When the "Xuanguan" first appears, immediately step on the "Fire Cloud", walk to the "Tail", strengthen your "heart", soften your "breath", beat the iron drum, pass the "Three Gates", and rest in "Kunlun".

Xu Qing began to practice according to the mind-refining method.

The images experienced by the ancestor's soul turned into nutrients and flowed into his soul. (End of this chapter)