Starting from a peasant family, he mastered the profound art of martial arts.

Chapter 62 Entering the Tao

"What beautiful snow!"

Without further ado, Meng Chen looked around and, seeing that there were no living people or wild animals nearby, found a blue stone behind Qingyu, brushed off the snow, sat down on it, and placed the knife on his lap.

"Don't call me unless it's important." Meng Chen had only obtained the method of knocking on the barrier, but he had not yet reached the state of clarity, so he thought he would try it now.

"Then sit for a while. Sitting for too long in the dead of winter will give Stone diarrhea," Qingyu turned around to remind him, then pulled out a handkerchief and made Meng Chen lift his buttocks.

Meng Chen had no choice but to let her have her way.

"What are you doing?" Qingyu asked curiously. "Why are you doing the same thing as the old temple keeper at Caiyun Temple?"

"This is meditation to cultivate the mind," Meng Chen explained.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" Qingyu muttered. She was an outsider after all, so she didn't ask any more questions. She went back to the monument, knelt down to burn paper money, and boasted about her being a goddess.

Meng Chen'an sat down, first slowly inhaling and then slowly exhaling. Once his mind was calm, he closed his eyes and used the Crane Breathing Technique to calm his mind and regulate his breathing.

The first step in achieving this state of clarity is to empty one's mind, calm the restless heart, and subdue the wandering thoughts, ultimately reaching a state of utmost stillness and tranquility, where "the mind is like a clear mirror, where can dust settle?"

The difficulty lies in the fact that ordinary people's thoughts flow like a waterfall, making it difficult to stop. If one seeks tranquility at all costs, it can easily breed anxiety from not being able to find it, to the point that one might doze off as soon as one sits down, or even have wild fantasies.

Especially for someone of Meng Chen's age, who is full of vigor and vitality, sitting for half an hour makes his buttocks hurt, he thinks of women as soon as he opens his eyes, and he feels hungry as soon as he closes his eyes.

This is only natural, but it is hindered by the pursuit of the Tao. Therefore, one must borrow the method of Crane Breathing Technique to gradually eliminate distracting thoughts and then step by step reach a state of clarity.

According to Gong Ziming, the first stage of Xuanxiu also has three levels. The first level is to sense the Qi, which requires calming the mind and guarding the One to sense the spiritual Qi and dew between heaven and earth. If one succeeds, one enters the Dao.

Martial arts breakthroughs require movement, while profound understanding requires stillness.

However, there is a difference between movement and stillness. Martial arts are derived from within, so the first step is to make oneself stronger, which is to cultivate one's strength and make one's blood and qi abundant. This is just like preparing enough firewood to boil water.

The first hurdle in understanding the profound is to seek externally, which is even more mysterious and unclear, requiring one to connect with the universe. Therefore, one must calm the mind and guard the spirit to perceive the changes in external things.

Of course, this balance of movement and stillness is not a fixed rule; sometimes, a proper balance between the two is even more necessary.

This first hurdle, like martial arts, is difficult for some but not for others. Some people never reach that point in their entire lives, never even sensing that wisp of energy. Others, however, might just doze off and succeed.

Gong Ziming said that metaphysical cultivation depends most on fate and destiny, unlike martial arts, where as long as one is willing to work hard and persevere, there is always hope.

Xuanxiu, on the other hand, would sit for a year and a half, or even ten or eight years, and if he couldn't do it, he simply couldn't. He didn't know where to direct his efforts.

Meng Chen sat cross-legged at this moment, feeling the biting winter chill and hearing the howling wind.

Before long, Meng Chen lost all sense of his surroundings. The wind gradually subsided, but the blue fish's prayers continued as slowly as a thread.

Meng Chen's heart grew calmer and calmer, as if a knife had been sheathed, rice had been placed in a bowl, and a donkey had been put into a pen.

After sitting cross-legged for an unknown amount of time, Meng Chen suddenly felt as if he had reached an indescribable state.

This was a state of mind I had never experienced before, even in the Dragon Gate Cave on the cliff. My mind was free of all thoughts and distractions; it was as if my body and mind were separated, and the world I saw was crystal clear.

In a daze, Meng Chen, who was meditating with his eyes closed, seemed to see another world.

It was just vague and indistinct. It seemed as if there was flowing water, countless lines falling, and vapor rising in the world, appearing chaotic yet orderly.

Meng Chen was in the midst of it all, yet he felt detached from it all. He could only observe from afar, unable to touch it, and even more so, unable to grasp it.

But at that moment, Meng Chen suddenly realized that the dark fish, which had been dim and lifeless, was slowly lighting up.

"So... you've succeeded in reaching the first realm of martial arts cultivation?" Meng Chen had gone through the three stages of the first realm of martial arts cultivation, during which he had shed countless drops of sweat, working from dawn till dusk every day, and never daring to fall asleep until he was exhausted.

But at this moment, Xuanxiu's first barrier was easily broken through without any effort.

From entering the Longmen Cave on the cliff at the beginning of the year to today's Lantern Festival, it has only been about half a month.

I felt no change in myself. But as soon as I calmed down a little, I felt my mind was as still as a single thread, with fewer distracting thoughts, and then I reached a state of clarity, where I could perceive the subtle unusual things in the world.

Looking at the yin-yang symbol, once the yin fish is lit, it echoes the yang fish, with black within white and white within black, the two connected head to tail, slowly chasing and rotating.

Meng Chen wondered, since the Yang Fish could nourish itself and heal its injuries, would the Yin Fish have the same effect? ​​Or would it have some other wonderful use?

Moreover, yin and yang are mutually reinforcing and complementary. If it is seriously injured again, even if the yang fish dims again, it will be difficult to heal the injury. So, can the yin fish turn yang?

Previously, when practicing martial arts, the Yang Fish dimmed three times before successfully passing the trial. Will the Yin Fish do the same now? Is there also a theory of nine days?

After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. As for what wonderful use the Yin-Yang symbol would have after it was lit, Meng Chen couldn't find it either. He could only take it one step at a time and open the remaining two levels of Xuanxiu first.

Meng Chen opened his eyes, stood up and moved his hands and feet, but did not notice anything different about himself.

According to Gong Ziming, the first realm of Xuanxiu (mystical cultivation) and the first realm of Wudao (martial arts) are actually similar. Even if one opens the first barrier, one is not much different from an ordinary person, but at least the door to advancement has been opened.

Moreover, there are many differences between metaphysical cultivation and martial arts. Gong Ziming once said that the first stage of metaphysical cultivation is the Qi Sensing Realm, and even if one breaks through the three barriers, one is only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.

Meng Chen stared blankly for a while, then, seeing Qingyu still muttering in front of the monument, asked, "How much time has passed?"

Qingyu turned around and said, "Only a quarter of an hour has passed." She stared at Meng Chen for a while and asked, "You seem a little different."

"What's different?" Meng Chen asked with a smile.

"You seem...you seem to look even better." Qingyu's face was a little red. "You've been looking preoccupied ever since you came home before the New Year, but you look better now."

Meng Chen never showed his emotions on his face, but Qing Yu had been with him day and night, so it wasn't surprising that she noticed.

"Seeing you happy makes me happy," Meng Chen smiled.

Qingyu blushed even more and whispered, "Then you should kowtow."

Meng Chen obeyed, came to the monument, and kowtowed.

As soon as Meng Chen got up, Qingyu quickly knelt down again to burn paper money, muttering something under her breath as if she were praying for blessings.

Meng Chen stood behind her for a while, then turned around and looked around. He saw the vast sky and earth, and the north wind still blowing.

Just thirty paces away, there was a very conspicuous green dumpling.

It was a green fox, and judging from its size, it was not yet fully grown, its whole body covered in fur.

The little fox had probably just woken up. It was rubbing its face with snow, then stood up and stretched. After that, it lay down on the snow, stretched out its limbs, and rolled around on the snow, looking carefree.

After a while, the little green fox finished its fuss and finally saw Meng Chen. It wasn't afraid at all. It shook off the snow, pressed its little head to the snow, stuck its butt out, and wagged its tail, staring intently at Meng Chen as if it had seen something rare.