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Chen Xu could barely suppress the surging, leaping emotions in his heart, but Wang Mochuan was right before him, and he absolutely did not want to reveal the slightest abnormality in front of him.
Chen Xu forcibly restrained the ripples of emotion within him. His expression remained unmoved, and not only did he refrain from urging or hinting for Wang Mochuan to leave, he instead asked several more detailed questions about Qi Cultivation and storing qi.
Wang Mochuan said, "Everyone in this world possesses a breath of qi, but for most people, that qi can only cling to the flesh and cannot be used outside the body.
"Ordinary mortals are short of breath and weak of body, leading mediocre, muddled lives—there is no need to mention them. But for scholars like us, so long as we diligently study the Sage's Teachings, the qi within us will naturally grow and become ever stronger.
"Yet though qi may be strong, storing and wielding it are difficult..."
Chen Xu discovered that the qi Wang Mochuan spoke of was clearly very different from the power of the Divine Soul that Mr. Zhou had mentioned.
Not only were they different—they even seemed to be two entirely separate concepts!
Wang Mochuan apparently did not understand the concept of the Divine Soul—
Of course, it was also possible that Wang Mochuan understood it but did not wish to tell Chen Xu.
Chen Xu did not rashly ask. After listening carefully, however, he found that the Righteous Qi Wang Mochuan spoke of was conceptually closer to the Daoist method of "refining essence into qi."
Except scholars did not refine "essence," but "books."
They transformed "books" into qi, stored and nourished it in the dantian, and wielded it through the body. It could grant all manner of miraculous powers, even prolonging one's life.
Of course, not by much.
Wang Mochuan said regretfully, "I have heard that a Great Confucian of the previous dynasty once lived to three hundred years old. Alas, it is only legend, and whether it was truly possible is difficult for us to know now. The Great Confucians of this era with the longest lifespans have only reached a hundred and twenty or thirty years.
"Ultimately, it cannot compare to the Daoist practice of refining essence into qi. It is said that Peng Zu lived to twelve hundred years old—truly an immortal of his age, enough to make one admire and yearn for him."
Sure enough, Daoist cultivation methods began with refining essence into qi.
It was utterly different from the Threefold Attributes method Mr. Zhou had described. Yet Chen Xu's God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll also required Three Essences Foundation Establishment.
This showed that cultivation methods in this world came in countless varieties. But as for which was more profound, Chen Xu's analysis suggested that the Three Essences Foundation Establishment method ought to be superior!
He spoke with Wang Mochuan for a few more moments. At last, Wang Mochuan said with a smile, "If Brother Chen is willing to accompany me to the Prefectural City and teach my clansman the art of calculation, I will petition my clan to pass on to you a method of storing qi. What does Brother Chen think?"
Chen Xu smiled, rose to his feet, and cupped his hands. "Then I must thank Brother Wang."
Wang Mochuan relaxed and laughed heartily as well. He hurriedly rose and returned the salute with cupped hands.
The two then took their leave and agreed to visit the Lin Residence together the next day.
After Wang Mochuan left, Chen Xu immediately shut the courtyard gate tightly and added two more bolts.
Then Chen Xu returned to his room and closed all the doors and windows. He sat at his desk in the posture of reading while spending 100 Firework Value to enter Embers Kitchen.
[Check in the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll!]
Within Embers Kitchen, Chen Xu saw a strange white flash before his eyes. The next instant, a profound torrent of information came surging into the sea of his mind and soul like a cascading river of stars.
In that void-like instant, it was as though an entire universe exploded before his eyes.
Chen Xu was dazed, nearly unable to tell what day or year it was.
Yet a vast voice rang out, as though it arose from the distant, desolate wilderness.
Like great bells and massive chimes, like stars pounding and surging.
"Heaven and earth are the furnace; creation is the craftsman."
"The human body is the cauldron; establish the Three Essences."
"Heaven and earth, yin and yang, refine me into a furnace."
"Cook the stars, and cook oneself."
"Water and fire refine together; civil and martial forge alike."
So this was the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll. It sought to refine the human body itself into a furnace of creation.
It also sought to forge the Three Essences of Spirit, Qi, and Body into an endless treasure trove that circulated on its own.
Just as a cook prepared all the flavors of the mortal world, the God of Cookery cultivation likewise cooked the self.
Until it became flawless and complete, without a single opening to exploit.
In his daze, Chen Xu understood the direction of cultivation. Countless flashes of insight rose and vanished in his mind, and it seemed that in an instant, he had comprehended much.
He understood much, yet discovered that though he clearly understood, he was also plainly "more lost the more he knew."
Why was that?
Naturally, it was because though he now had a direction, he himself still lingered outside the gate.
How could one standing outside the gate possibly see the scenery within without taking a step forward?
Right, Three Essences Foundation Establishment!
Chen Xu immediately mobilized his Free Attribute Points, adding three points each to his Essence, Vital Blood, and Divine Soul.
Thus:
[Essence: 33] [Vital Blood: 33] [Divine Soul: 33]
Each of his Threefold Attributes had reached the peak of the Mortal Fetus realm. Within Chen Xu's body, Essence naturally surged, Vital Blood circulated, and the Divine Soul shone in reflection.
The three powers reached perfect balance. Essence washed over and transformed into Vital Blood, Vital Blood circulated and filled the Divine Soul, and the Divine Soul flowed back to mobilize Essence.
For a moment, Chen Xu felt his body turn light and airy, as though he had suddenly cast off more than a dozen heavy shackles.
Years of chronic ailments vanished in a single day, and a worldly Mortal Fetus soared into the sky.
An incomparably wonderful sensation arose between his heart and soul.
Heart-fire and qi melded together, and Essence overflowed.
Three Essences Foundation Establishment had succeeded!
[God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll (First Layer 1/100)]
Without realizing it, Chen Xu sat cross-legged in Embers Kitchen, while the currents within his body rolled and surged.
Through the transformations of the Three Essences of Spirit, Qi, and Body, he finally understood the most fundamental distinction between the three.
Vital Blood was born after birth and formed the foundation of a strong physique.
The Divine Soul was the manifestation of the human soul's power. If the spirit did not remain, a person would no longer be a person.
As for Essence, it was forged before birth. The strength of one's Essence was equivalent to the strength of the Innate Qi within the human body.
Put more plainly: Essence actually determined the very foundation of a person's lifespan!
As Chen Xu cultivated, his spirit seemed to rise and fall within a sea of stars, and his thoughts seemed muddled and hazy, yet his consciousness was unmistakably lucid.
He also finally understood why Mr. Zhou possessed such a powerful Divine Soul while looking gaunt and withered. His Essence was insufficient, so his lifespan could not be long.
And Wang Mochuan had said that Confucian cultivation could only nourish qi and struggled to extend one's lifespan.
That was because what Confucians cultivated was the qi of Literary Fortune, while Essence was difficult for them to cultivate.
As for Daoists, they began cultivating through refining essence into qi. Naturally, their lifespans were long, and they seemed to possess the bearing of immortals.
But even so, that was still not immortality.
Three hundred years was not immortality. Eight hundred years was not immortality. Neither were twelve hundred years.
What, then, counted as immortality?
At the very beginning of his cultivation, Chen Xu did not yet have the answer, but he seemed to be walking the correct path.
[God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll (First Layer 2/100)] [God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll (First Layer 3/100)]
Cultivating the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll was no easy matter. Flashes of insight burst through Chen Xu's mind while the Three Essences circulated within his body. Even after cultivating tirelessly for twelve hours, his experience had only increased to three points.
But when Chen Xu awoke, he discovered that a wondrous breath of qi had appeared within his body.
This qi was not transformed from the ordinary Vital Blood of before, nor was it Essence transferred into the acquired state. Rather, it was formed from the harmonious fusion of the Three Essences of Spirit, Qi, and Body.
According to the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll, this was: Innate Qi!
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