The Storm at Zhiqu Has Yet to Settle

Yao Zhiyi said, "These six words encompass the key to cultivation at this stage.

"What is the true form? It is one's fundamental form. Some believe that as long as their awareness of self remains, then they are themselves. Others believe that only when body and spirit are united can one be oneself. But no matter how one sees it, one must preserve the self. That is something that cannot be lost.

"And the spiritual appearance is the manifested form condensed from Spiritual Fire for combat. It can also be called an outer appearance. First comes the self, then the outer form. You cannot go astray. You must do everything possible to preserve your fundamental self before thinking of how to condense an external manifested form.

"At present, this path broadly has three directions: the Aspect of Man, the Aspect of the Gods, and the Variant Appearance.

"The Aspect of Man takes one's self-image as its foundation. The physical body remains unchanged, while the spirit preserves the foundation. It is the most mainstream path. The Aspect of the Gods is precisely the opposite, treating the body merely as a vessel and the spiritual self as the true foundation. This lineage was not common in the past, but now, with the great advances in biotechnology, more and more people are taking this path.

"The last is the Variant Appearance. In the past, we also called it the Demon Appearance, though that is somewhat biased. We may despise a person's conduct, but when discussing cultivation, it is best not to harbor prejudices. That merely blinds oneself. If you encounter someone with genuine skill, you will suffer for it.

"Wei Guochang cultivates the Variant Appearance. To give an analogy... since you are a teacher at Wu Yi Academy, you should have seen the