Untangling the History of Old Arts

Old Chen shook his head and said, "I only have doubts. I'm not at the level of a Bodhisattva. How can I point out their mistakes? It's very difficult."

He had thoroughly studied the Old Arts and traced the threads from ancient times to the present, discovering some problems along the way. However, it would be difficult for Old Chen to point out where the Transcendent Immortals had gone wrong.

But the fact that he had doubts and pointed out possible detours is enough to prove that Old Chen was conscientious, which is also related to the fact that times are different now.

People in ancient times had their own limitations due to the influence of their era.

We live in an era of information explosion, with cutting-edge technologies emerging one after another and dramatic changes happening. Having undergone such a transformation, coupled with Old Chen's position at the forefront of Old Arts, his vision has indeed transcended conventional boundaries.

Wang Xuan asked him to explain all the problematic points, which was very important to him, as he would inevitably encounter some pitfalls from the ancients in the future.

Regardless of whether those ancient people are dead or not, the traps and schemes they left behind are still in effect and must be guarded against.

"During the pre-Qin period, the focus was on Root Method, which were incredibly brilliant and have had an influence to this day, benefiting everyone who embarks on the Old Arts path." Old Chen explained calmly and clearly.

The so-called Root Method involves Qi Gathering, meditation, and internal nourishment, which has immeasurable and irreplaceable value in improving physical fitness and strengthening the spirit.

The Daoist Master, using the Root Method, actually entered the Inner Scenery Realm, which directly led to a qualitative change in the Old Arts, crossing the insurmountable barrier and truly sublimating and transcending them.

"Another great achievement of Daoist Master was alchemy, which mainly involved smelting minerals in Alchemy Furnace, refining the original liquid, and extracting the essence in order to obtain the final elixir of immortality. At that time, there were few records of the minerals used for alchemy, but they were all rare and precious treasures."

Wang Xuan was surprised. Did the Daoist Master not refine elixirs?

Old Chen said, "In the early days, we did indeed mine and refine secret ores and melt down divine objects that fell from the sky, but we did not take any medicinal herbs."

It wasn't until later, after the discovery of the Inner Scenery Realm and the Secret Path of Heavenly Medicine, that Daoist Master began to consider refining those rare and precious medicines!

The so-called celestial medicine is not the medicine of this world. Old Chen mentioned a record last time that if you insist on finding a rare and precious medicine, you may find it in the sunset on the horizon amidst the crowds and the mortal world.

It can be said that the discovery of the two secret paths, Inner Scenery Realm and Heavenly Medicine, by the Daoist Master led to a qualitative leap in the Old Arts, which reached their glorious peak.

Back then, which top-tier Daoist Master didn't possess several divine beasts or sacred birds? When they went out, they would often ride in a chariot pulled by a unicorn or travel the East Sea to visit friends on the back of Undying Bird.

When later generations look back at this part of the history of the Old Arts path, they are all amazed and it is difficult to reproduce such a spectacle.

Because the Divine Bird and strange beasts in this world have been captured and killed by the most skilled Daoist Master.

"During that period, a number of top Daoist Master embarked on the path to Ascension to Immortality and were struck by lightning. However, as these people passed away one after another, the brilliance of Daoist Master came to an end, and it ended abruptly."

Old Chen sighed, noting that the most prosperous period for Daoist Master had just passed, and their influence had suddenly faded, leading him to have various doubts and speculations.

"Considering what's happening to you now and what I've also experienced, I feel that the Inner Scenery Realm is very deep, mysterious, and somewhat terrifying. In addition, celestial herbs are extremely difficult to find and harvest. Both secret routes are gradually being blocked, which is the fundamental reason for the decline of Daoist Master."

Old Chen shared his conjecture, saying, "So, later, when the Emperor Qin sent the Daoist Master Xu Fu to collect the elixir of immortality, also known as the celestial medicine, he had no choice but to go to sea to avoid disaster. He probably knew that it was no longer available at that time."

The Emperor Qin desired immortality and sought the elixir of life, but by that stage, success was impossible.

"I suspect that some of the most important figures among the Daoist Master have run into trouble, which is why they have fallen from grace. Perhaps the Daoist Master Ascension to Immortality have finally realized something." Old Chen was extremely serious. Unfortunately, his level of understanding was far inferior to those people. Even after searching through all the ancient books, he could only make some guesses and could not find any evidence.

Wang Xuan frowned. Many things had happened in the past of the Old Arts path, giving people a sense of mystery. One needed to constantly become stronger in order to slowly approach and explore it.

Old Chen continued, "When the time of Daoist Master came to an end, they began to accept herbs from the world and would add some to their alchemy, mixing them with minerals for extraction. It was at this time that the Daoist school took over, and in addition to special minerals, they began to add large amounts of herbs such as Ganoderma lucidum to their alchemy."

According to Old Chen's understanding, as times changed, newcomers discovered certain problems and began to expand into other fields.

"Early Daoist school emphasized 'Mind Fasting,' which means cultivating inner peace and tranquility, focusing on the accumulation of spiritual energy. Daoist scriptures believe that the Great Tao is extremely empty and still, and hope to unite with the Great Tao through Mind Fasting."

At this point, he sighed, "However, these are too lofty and too far-reaching, demanding too much from one's character and spirit, and many people simply cannot even begin to grasp them. Just think, who proposed such a lofty path? Laozi and Zhuangzi! The Tao Te Ching mentions 'Attain Emptiness to the Utmost, Guard Stillness with Devotion,' and in Zhuangzi's 'Human World,' this secret method is clearly explained: 'Only the Tao gathers emptiness, and emptiness Mind Fasting.' It is a pity that ordinary people find it very difficult to walk this path."

Wang Xuan was stunned. Was what his old colleague said reliable? He quickly checked on his phone and actually found it. The early Daoist school practices did indeed include Mind Fasting and Heel Breathing, and later, guided breathing and exhalation techniques were added.

Sure enough, Old Chen brought up Heel Breathing again, saying, "The secret method of Mind Fasting is a bit too advanced, and it requires a specific path to follow. That's why Heel Breathing came about. It refers to the deep internal breathing technique that reaches the heels."

The Zhuangzi, in the chapter "The Great Grandmaster," records. "He sleeps without dreaming, wakes Wu You, eats without relish, and breathes deeply. The true man breathes with his heels, while ordinary people breathe with their throats."

Later, Daoism underwent various improvements, which led to more specific methods such as guidance and breathing exercises.

Otherwise, following the path of Laozi and Zhuangzi, few people can cultivate themselves. Their scriptures and classics are too profound, and they would stop most people even at the very beginning.

During this period, Daoist school elevated alchemy to a new level, using various secret methods to refine elixirs. After ingestion, these elixirs could transform one's own yin essence into yang energy, thus demonstrating the Daoist school concept of pure yang.

"At this stage, the most important discovery of Daoist school was that they found another secret path, comparable to the inner vision and the elixir of heaven, which was called the Path Finding!"

The so-called "path finding" is said to be about finding a real path that can be walked on, but which is invisible to ordinary people.

Without a doubt, if one were to successfully find the path, the effect would be no less than entering the Inner Scenery Realm or picking the celestial medicine. However, the passage of time has buried the traces of the past, and now no one can find it.

Wang Xuan was stunned. According to his old colleague, the Old Arts path were constantly changing, and even the most brilliant Daoist Master Root Method were no longer applicable.

"The Root Method is applicable and has never become outdated. Later methods also originated from it, which is the foundation, so it has always been brilliant. However, the middle and later parts of the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips method can generally be used as a reference, and it is not recommended to go into it in depth. I suspect that it was very applicable in the pre-Qin period, but some problems may have been discovered later."

Then Old Chen mentioned the later methods of Daoist school, saying, "In the early days, Daoist school alchemists used external materials to refine external elixirs, which became increasingly sophisticated, hence the name 'Outer Elixir Art'."

With the rise and eventual flourishing of Daoism, the methods of cultivation changed, and internal alchemy emerged.

"Dragon and Tiger Breathing, exhaling the old and taking in the new, is the inner elixir." This is the most direct description of the inner elixir by the ancients. "Inner" refers to the inside of the body, and "elixir" refers to the product formed by the combination of human Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

"In a sense, the Old Arts path has undergone another transformation. The internal alchemy has evolved into the golden elixir, which can lead to the Nascent Soul and so on," Old Chen said with a sigh.

Notable figures of this period include Zhongli Quan, Lu Dongbin, and Chen Tuan.

"Zhongli Quan considered the Cantongqi and then combined it with Sima Chengzhen's On Sitting and Forgetting to deduce the Neidan method. His research and practice methods are recorded in Esoteric Essentials of the Numinous Treasure and Collection of Teachings from Zhong and Lu."

Old Chen was quite knowledgeable and spoke eloquently, captivating both Wang Xuan and Qing Mu.

"The one who reshaped it to new heights and made it shine with brilliance was Lu Dongbin. He left behind the 'Lu Gong's Secret of the Golden Elixir,' which developed the internal alchemy method to the Golden Elixir Dao."

Wang Xuan was a bit overwhelmed. He understood why Old Chen had stopped talking about realms earlier. The Old Arts path was indeed complex, with multiple expansions and changes, making it difficult to clarify the levels at different times.

"At the same time, in addition to alchemy, Daoism has also developed methods such as drawing talismans, which are varied and powerful. The main representatives are naturally the Three Mountains: Dragon Tiger Mountain, Mao Mountain, and Gezao Mountain."

"A secret route was also discovered in the later stages of Daoism, but unfortunately, it was described very vaguely and not clearly recorded." Old Chen shook his head, quite regretfully.

"Sword Cultivator appeared after the Golden Elixir Dao, right?" Wang Xuan asked.

"Yes," Old Chen nodded.

Wang Xuan pondered that, based on this calculation, he could roughly estimate the Female Sword Immortal's age. She was clearly a latecomer, not an early, old monster.

Old Chen said, "Similarly, I think there are problems with the road ahead, otherwise it wouldn't have gradually declined and disappeared in modern times."

Then, he mentioned Buddhism, clicked his teeth, and said, "Most of the old Buddhists have abandoned their physical bodies, which makes me a little uneasy!"

He even felt uneasy about the taboo surrounding those who practiced the Old Arts, whose ultimate transformation into a rainbow and the burning of their so-called physical bodies.

As for the so-called "Flesh Body Bodhisattva" in Buddhism, all that remains are their dead bodies for posterity to admire. They do not possess any extraordinary qualities, and some of them are still kept in the warehouses of the Relevant Department.

"What I've described is only the main thread of the Old Arts. I haven't mentioned the various schools of thought, such as the Red-clothed Demon Immortal is suspected to be from the same era as the Daoist Master. She is obviously extremely powerful and probably has no fear of the Daoist Master at all. She may have even hunted down the top Daoist Master at the Feathered Ascension level."

After finishing his speech, Old Chen summarized, saying, "So, the most glorious era of the Old Arts path has not yet arrived; it is waiting for people like you and me to rise up!"

Looking at his serious expression, Qing Mu felt that his master would inevitably be beaten up in the future. If those ancient people were still alive, who else would he punish if not him?

However, before he could finish his internal monologue, he saw Ancestor Wang nod solemnly and say, "That makes sense. There is an old covenant, and I will establish a new one in the future."

Boom!

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, startling Old Chen, who quickly changed his tune. "Old Wang, don't you know how to respect the ancients?"

Wang Xuan glanced out the window. Dark clouds obscured the stars and moon; it was actually cloudy, and a heavy rain had begun to fall. He didn't believe in ghosts or gods.

Old Chen realized it was just a change in the celestial phenomena and calmly shut up again.

Wang Xuan asked, "Alright, Old Chen, tell me your summary of the levels of attainment, applicable to both ancient and modern times. How should they be divided?"

"The first level is the fog, the second level is the lamp..." Old Chen told him that the paths corresponding to these levels are universal and have been used by all parties from the pre-Qin period to the present day, so there should be no problems or hidden dangers.