Belief

Belief

By the time the three returned home, the sun was already setting.

The trip had not gone particularly smoothly, but thankfully, they had achieved their goal without any real danger.

The Pine Stillness Samadhi Method and two boxes of Calming Incense sat on the table.

Lu Li picked up the book and said, "Miss Wan Qing, let me read it to you."

A rosy flush spread across Wan Qing's pretty face, and she looked forward to it eagerly. "Thank you, Young Master. I was just hoping to study it myself."

Lu Li cleared his throat and began to read:

"One who enters Meditative Entry must clarify the spirit and still the thoughts, focus inward, gather the scattered mind and spirit to illuminate the Sea of Consciousness. Thus are spirit and form firmly settled."

Though its words were few, its meaning profound, this book likewise contained only a little over a thousand words. It began by explaining how to cultivate through visualization.

The book included an ink-wash painting of an ancient, solitary pine tree, called the Pine Stillness Visualization Diagram.

Visualization meant closing one's eyes and using one's mind and spirit to recreate the painting within the Sea of Consciousness.

Repeating this process over and over would, like training one's muscles, steadily strengthen the mind and spirit.

Having read this far, Lu Li felt that this cultivation method was not difficult.

Next came the most crucial part—how to break through one's realm.

Yet unexpectedly, something so important took up only one page, and its core amounted to a single sentence:

"Therefore, know the mind and see one's nature, behold the self, let the heart never turn back, and Meditative Entry shall come of itself..."

Lu Li furrowed his brow, not quite understanding what it meant.

Fortunately, Wan Qing had immersed herself in this path for many years and possessed extraordinary knowledge. She promptly cleared up his confusion:

"To know the mind and see one's nature is to point directly at one's true heart and find one's own belief. Only then can one steady the mind and spirit!"

"Belief... steady the mind and spirit?"

Being a modern man, Lu Li was still only half-convinced and half-confused.

Wan Qing thought for a moment, then found the book Understanding Brainwaves and continued:

"Human thought is far too complex, producing brainwaves at many different frequencies.

Among them is a remarkable kind called [Alpha Waves], produced only when a person is at their most resolute and composed.

Before athletes deliver peak performances, their brains produce large amounts of Alpha Waves.

According to Western scholars, Meditative Entry means bringing the entire brain into an Alpha Wave state.

Only an incomparably firm belief, one that would not regret even death a hundred times over, can influence the brain enough to achieve this."

Hearing this explanation that fused East and West, Lu Li suddenly understood. "So it means using willpower to influence the brain..."

Xiao Cha listened at the side until her head ached. Rubbing her temples, she sighed:

"Besides diligent effort, Spirit Refinement cultivation also demands enlightenment when breaking through. No wonder Cultivators are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns."

Lu Li deeply agreed. This sort of mysterious, elusive epiphany was the most torturous thing of all.

"A firm belief... What exactly is my belief?"

For a seventeen-year-old boy, that question was beyond the syllabus. Many people never figured it out even after growing old and dying.

Still, he now had a goal. Lu Li sincerely thanked her, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Wan Qing. I have learned much!"

"You are too polite, Young Master. It is this Pine Stillness Samadhi Method that has benefited me immensely."

~~~~~~~~~

What does one book even count for!

As the two exchanged courtesies, Xiao Cha stared intently at the Calming Incense on the table and thought:

Will he agree to let us enjoy the incense with him? It is so expensive—how should I even ask...?

Though there was no harm in three people sharing the scent, it had cost a great deal of money. Who would be willing to let outsiders enjoy it for free?

Unsure of Lu Li's thoughts, Xiao Cha quietly reached beneath the table and pinched Wan Qing's thigh.

Wan Qing twisted her body and immediately understood that Xiao Cha wanted her to speak up.

But she truly found it difficult to ask.

She had already taken enough advantage by learning from Lu Li how to sense the Sea of Consciousness, and by reading the Meditative Entry method for free...

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Belief could not be found by merely thinking about it. Lu Li simply set the matter aside for now, picked up the Calming Incense, and said:

"This incense should have remarkable effects. Shall we try it together?"

The two girls froze slightly, never expecting Lu Li to be so generous!

With something this expensive, any normal person would surely feel some reservations...

Wan Qing hesitated. "Calming Incense is far too precious. We would be unworthy of accepting it... Ah..."

Before she could finish, Xiao Cha pinched her butt and cut her off.

"Young Master Lu truly is generous! Then we shall not stand on ceremony~"

With a broad smile, she hurriedly got up, shut the doors and windows, and brought over a box of matches.

Opening the box of Calming Incense revealed five sticks of incense as thick as chopsticks.

Xiao Cha lit one stick and eagerly waited for it to take effect.

Lu Li, meanwhile, closed his eyes and began visualizing the Pine Stillness Visualization Diagram.

He had been blessed with an excellent memory. In only three minutes, he had recreated the pine tree.

"Sure enough, it is not difficult."

Lu Li nodded. Just as he was about to press on with renewed effort, he suddenly caught a faint, refreshing fragrance.

A thin blue smoke had spread through the room. The Calming Incense had begun to work.

The fragrance was spiritual and soothing. Lu Li immediately felt his mind become crystal clear as he entered an ethereal state.

In that state, the brain was at its peak. Neurons became unusually active, intuition sharpened, and inspiration burst forth.

Many things he had not understood suddenly became clear.

Lu Li abruptly recalled that this was precisely the Alpha Wave state of the brain mentioned in Understanding Brainwaves!

Of course, this was only an incomplete state brought on by an external force, but its effects were still extraordinary.

Lu Li visualized the Pine Stillness Diagram again and succeeded in only one minute. His efficiency had skyrocketed!

"Calming Incense truly is incredible. It greatly promotes cultivation—no wonder it costs so much."

Moreover, Calming Incense had a clear invigorating effect. With his neurons active, his mind and spirit recovered especially quickly.

Lu Li discovered that he could ignore mental exhaustion and visualize continuously without pause.

This made his efficiency even more absurdly fast!

After visualizing twice in succession, he became even more certain.

But this was not necessarily a good thing—if visualization was this easy, it meant the Pine Stillness Visualization Diagram had only mediocre training effects.

It was like a burly man using ladies' dumbbells to build muscle. The efficiency was simply too low.

After all, it was a common good anyone could buy with money. One could not demand too much of it...

But Lu Li suddenly thought:

"Visualization is nothing more than using expenditure to strengthen the mind and spirit. Its principle is much like training muscles."

"And when it comes to draining the mind and spirit, what could compare to the Kunlun Mirror? Wouldn't using it for training produce outstanding results?"

With the Calming Incense in effect and Wan Qing at his side, why should Lu Li fear giving it a try?

Right then, he gathered his mind and spirit upon the Kunlun Mirror!

In less than the blink of an eye, the Kunlun Mirror devoured all the mind and spirit he fed it, then took another "sip," draining ninety percent of its master's mind and spirit.

Lu Li instantly felt the world spin around him, his head dizzy and muddled, yet delight appeared on his face:

"This is far more efficient than the Pine Stillness Visualization Diagram!"

For an ordinary person, emptying all their mental strength in an instant was truly no easy matter.

And under the effects of the Calming Incense, Lu Li only needed to close his eyes and rest his mind for ten minutes before recovering his vigor, after which he continued pouring his mind and spirit into the Kunlun Mirror.

This way, he could train his mind and spirit while also refining a magical treasure—killing two birds with one stone. What bliss~

One stick of Calming Incense burned for thirty minutes. Before and after, Lu Li infused the Kunlun Mirror with his mind and spirit three times.

Nourished in this way, the Kunlun Mirror was in excellent condition.

Not only had it become increasingly nimble, but some tiny scratches on its surface had healed on their own.

Of course, those deep wounds remained unchanged.

After absorbing so much of its master's mind and spirit, the two were now connected not only by bloodline, but also by a sense of mutual understanding.

If controlling it had once been like moving one's ring finger, it was now as nimble as moving one's middle finger.

Lu Li was extremely satisfied with these gains. Just then, the stick of Calming Incense had burned nearly to its end.

He opened his eyes to see what the two girls had gained.