Cultivating

Chapter 23: Cultivation

"The Book of Changes states: 'The Book of Changes has Tai Chi, which first gives birth to the Two Forms, the Two Forms give birth to the Four Symbols, and the Four Symbols give birth to the Eight Trigrams!'"

Tai Chi refers to the state before heaven and earth were separated, where primordial energy was mixed into one, the beginning of time, the Great One. The Way of Heaven and Earth uses the two energies of Yin and Yang to create all things.

Tai Chi is Yin and Yang, explaining the trajectory of all things in heaven and earth. It is profound and abstruse, difficult to understand. In Chen Yun's past life, the concept of Tai Chi existed, passed down from ancient times. People applied Tai Chi in practical life, such as in traditional Chinese medicine and the invention of the C programming language.

It can be said that the term Tai Chi encompasses too much. It represents the exploration of countless generations of Chinese ancestors, yet they only managed to grasp a fraction of its essence.

Chen Yun looked at the diagram with surprise and uncertainty. Although the strokes were complex and could make one dizzy at first glance, its overall outline was clearly a Tai Chi diagram to Chen Yun!

This discovery excited and puzzled Chen Yun. Could it be that people in this异世大陆 (different world continent) also understood Tai Chi?

In his past life, Chen Yun was particularly interested in ancient literature of this nature and enjoyed reading books on the subject. Therefore, he deeply understood the vastness of Tai Chi.

This diagram clearly contained the essence of Tai Chi, which embodies the supreme principles of heaven and earth. It seemed this Body Refining Art was extraordinary and its value immeasurable!

"This book was created by me, inspired by the cosmic stars and the movements of heaven and earth. It contains the profound principles of the universe and is my most proud creation!" The cosmic stars and heaven and earth are all formed by Yin and Yang.

The creator of this book must have been an unparalleled expert with a deep understanding of Tai Chi.

Tsk tsk, I've really struck gold this time! Or rather, Grandpa struck gold, hehe! Chen Yun thought to himself.

Seeing Chen Yun's expression, Old Ent asked doubtfully, "What's wrong? Did you discover something?"

Even Old Ent found it absurd. What could a child of almost seven understand? He himself had studied it for many years without figuring anything out, only able to follow the prescribed path.

Hearing Old Ent's question, Chen Yun snapped back to reality. He pretended to be frustrated and said, "Grandpa, this is too difficult! Looking at this diagram just makes my head spin. Can I even cultivate with this?"

Chen Yun could only say this. How else could he explain it? Should he tell Old Ent that he discovered this secret manual contained the philosophy of Tai Chi, and then Old Ent would ask what Tai Chi was, and then he'd explain a long string of things, only for Old Ent to look at him like a monster and ask how he knew all this? Should he say his soul had transmigrated, and this knowledge was from his past life?

Obviously not! Although Old Ent was his grandfather, this matter was too unbelievable. Chen Yun had no intention of telling Old Ent. This could only be his secret, hidden in his heart, never to be revealed to anyone.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that his transmigration was not as simple as it seemed.

"Well, as long as you memorize this diagram and circulate your Internal Qi along the path shown, it's fine. That's how I've always practiced. But I feel this manual isn't that simple. Such a miraculous technique shouldn't be so straightforward! And there are some terms written in it that I don't understand at all, like Tai Chi. You should study it carefully!" Old Ent said.

"En, okay!" Chen Yun's heart trembled. It was just as he suspected.

After a few more instructions, Old Ent left.

Chen Yun sat cross-legged by the pond, slowly flipping through the book.

"The Book of Changes has Tai Chi, which first gives birth to the Two Forms, the Two Forms give birth to the Four Symbols, and the Four Symbols give birth to the Eight Trigrams."

"Tai Chi refers to the state before heaven and earth were separated, where primordial energy was mixed into one, the beginning of time, the Great One..."

"To cultivate this technique, one must deeply understand the meaning of Tai Chi, adopt a posture of embracing the circle and guarding the one in the Yin and Yang of Tai Chi, and operate according to the methods of Tai Chi. This is the correct way!"

Chen Yun was puzzled at first, but after careful consideration, relying on his own understanding of Tai Chi, he finally pierced through the layers of mist.

The preface explained Tai Chi in just two short sentences, followed by the cultivation methods, also briefly elaborated. The highest realm of the entire technique's operation was ninety-nine, eighty-one heavenly cycles. Completing nine heavenly cycles meant entering the first realm.

Completing eighteen heavenly cycles consecutively meant the second realm; and so on, until reaching the final realm of completing eighty-one heavenly cycles, which meant entering the ninth realm.

Each realm corresponded to a different set of cultivation hand seals. Unfortunately, only the cultivation methods for the first five realms were included here.

In the following days, Chen Yun studied this Body Refining Art alone by the pond. First, he had to memorize the Internal Qi circulation route diagram. However, achieving this memorization was no easy feat. The twists and turns were like a maze. It took Chen Yun a full half a month to memorize it theoretically.

Why add "theoretically"? Because simply memorizing it in his head was far from enough. Practice was essential. He needed to make every movement a habit, natural and effortless. But how easy was that!

As the saying goes, it's easy to look at but hard to do.

It's been a month now, and Chen Yun hasn't even been able to complete the cultivation circulation for the first level. This book's difficulty is truly monstrous. He has to form hand seals while circulating Internal Qi within his body, and his mind must be completely focused on the Internal Qi's circulation.

One must know that the human body is very fragile. If there's the slightest mistake in circulating Internal Qi, it could lead to serious injury, possibly even leaving lasting after-effects.

Therefore, circulating Internal Qi requires complete concentration, without the slightest distraction.

Of course, there's an exception: if your soul power is strong enough, you can multitask. But most people's soul power is limited, and the soul is the most mysterious place. There is still no knowledge about the soul on this continent, let alone cultivation to enhance soul strength.

In this case, forming hand seals during cultivation must rely entirely on the body's instinct. That is to say, the hand seals must be so proficient that they become a bodily instinct, allowing all one's energy to be perfectly devoted to the circulation of Internal Qi within the body. The difficulty can be imagined.

"Sigh! I really don't know how Grandpa managed to achieve it, practicing such a monstrous cultivation method!" One day, Chen Yun helplessly stopped cultivating and sighed, shaking his head.

"Heh heh, Little Chen, what's wrong? Encountered some difficulties?" Old Ent's voice came from behind, a playful expression on his face.

During this period, Old Ent had been secretly observing Chen Yun's cultivation but hadn't offered any guidance. In fact, guidance wasn't really necessary. This kind of thing had to be figured out on one's own. Old Ent couldn't help much, especially since he himself only had a partial understanding of the book and could only perfectly follow the cultivation instructions.

Moreover, Old Ent always felt something was amiss with his own cultivation, as if something was missing.

"Grandpa, this cultivation manual is too monstrous. I have to form hand seals, circulate Internal Qi, and concentrate all my mental energy on the Internal Qi's circulation. Is this even humanly possible? It's been over a month, and there's still no progress!" Chen Yun said with a helpless expression.

Old Ent listened and smiled faintly, shaking his head. His expression turned serious, and he said to Chen Yun, "Little Chen, in the path of cultivation, difficulties are inevitable, but perseverance is even more essential. You cannot give up easily! Otherwise, you won't get very far!"

"The cultivation of this manual is indeed monstrous. It took me a full year to get on the track of the first realm. You've only been cultivating for a little over a month, so it's perfectly normal that there's no significant progress. But once you succeed, the benefits are unimaginable. You'll understand later!"

Hearing Old Ent's words, Chen Yun's dejection vanished. "I understand, Grandpa! I definitely won't give up!"

Old Ent nodded, then pondered for a moment and said, "Little Chen, there's one more important thing I need to tell you. I've thought about it for a long time. You can start trying Meditation now. It's an indispensable lesson for every Fighter's cultivation!"

"Meditation?" Chen Yun was stunned for a moment. The word sounded so familiar.