Jiang Hao studied it carefully, turning page after page. He cared greatly about this cultivation technique he had acquired so unexpectedly. After reading it once, he had basically memorized it all, but he read it a second and third time, only stopping once he was certain he had committed every word to memory.
After several readings, Jiang Hao gained a general understanding of the core contents of the Li Chen Gui Zhen Jue.
This technique carried something of a union between Zen and Daoism. Beyond methods for circulating spiritual power, it placed greater emphasis on cultivating one's temperament and attaining insight, pursuing the perfection of one's inner self in the end to seek the Great Dao of the Golden Core.
The general outline of this technique contained a verse:
"Radiance fills the Dharma realm; in dual oblivion lies supreme stillness and numinous emptiness. The void shines clear as the heavenly heart glows; the sea lies pure as moonlight melts into a pool. Clouds disperse, revealing blue skies and pristine mountains; wisdom returns to meditation, where the moon hangs alone."
Jiang Hao finally understood why the Daoists of Xuan Yuan Temple possessed such meager magical power. Put simply, this cultivation method was far too abstruse, placing greater pursuit on the cultivation of consciousness and temperament.
Things like consciousness being both empty and not empty.
Things like the primordial mystery of all things mutually interpenetrating.
Things like innate nature, consummation, and the sacred embryo...
It mixed spiritual power cultivation together with temperament cultivation, making it even harder to understand. It was especially unfriendly to beginners.
This technique was divided into three realms: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core. However, it only covered breaking through to the Golden Core Realm; there was no method at all for cultivating within the Golden Core