Illuminating Spirit Scripture

No sooner had Xie Yu entered than Li Dao, Qiu Lan, and Chen Mo in the courtyard all clasped their hands in greeting.

Though the three did not know who this woman in a black cloak was, they knew she was an expert whom both Xie Zhengtang and Uncle Shui deeply respected. Naturally, they did not dare slight her.

Xie An welcomed Daoist Master Yusu into the sitting room and had Qiu Lan serve tea.

Xie Yu sat at a side seat, gently lifted her tea bowl and blew on it, yet did not drink. "Young Master Mingxi is in such a hurry to learn martial arts for dealing with ghosts and specters?"

Xie An did not conceal it. "After what happened at Li Family Village and Zhao Residence, I have been uneasy. I ask Elder Sister to teach me."

Xie Yu nodded. "But Young Master Mingxi cannot yet cultivate martial arts for dealing with ghosts and specters."

Xie An was taken aback. "Why is that?"

Xie Yu said, "At the very least, Young Master Mingxi must wait until he steps into the Manifest Force realm and cultivates Inner Force before he can learn martial arts for dealing with ghosts and specters."

Seeing the disappointment on Xie An's face, Xie Yu continued, "Evil entities are mostly born from accumulated Yin energy, and most fear Yang energy—firelight, sunlight, and the like. Within the human body, that is Yang vigor. But an ordinary martial artist's qi and blood are too weak to affect external things, so naturally they cannot affect ghosts and specters. Only upon reaching the Manifest Force realm, when Inner Force erupts and Yang energy spills outward, can one possibly intimidate ghosts and specters with the corresponding martial arts."

Xie An nodded slightly, then asked, "But Uncle Shui said that even after cultivating to the Dark Force realm, one can only disperse the Yin energy of ghosts and specters possessing someone, and cannot directly kill them. Why is that?"

Xie Yu said, "Because Dark Force experts cannot break through a ghost or specter's Cocoon Force. They remain within the Six-Sense Cocoon Chamber woven by the ghost or specter. How could they kill it?"

Xie An understood. "Then how can one break the deadlock?"

Xie Yu said, "The key to breaking the deadlock lies in shattering a ghost or specter's Cocoon Force and breaking through the Six-Sense Cocoon Chamber it has woven around you. It is like exchanging blows with someone—you must at least know where the other person's attack is coming from before you can respond."

That was indeed the logic...

"How can one shatter a ghost or specter's Cocoon Force?"

Xie Yu said, "To mortals, ghosts and specters are transcendent beings. Mortals cannot shatter Cocoon Force through their own abilities. They need to borrow external power."

The more Xie An heard, the more invigorated he became. "External power?"

Xie Yu nodded. "Simply put, cultivate the Spirit Preservation Method."

"What is the Spirit Preservation Method?"

Xie Yu explained in a measured voice, "The Spirit Preservation Method is a form of spiritual martial arts originating from the Daoist school. In ancient times, humanity was wantonly bullied by ghosts and gods. Great shamans tried to gain transcendent power and improve humanity's plight by divining and asking the gods, by offering living sacrifices to feed ghosts.

"Yet most were toyed with by ghosts and gods. In light cases, they became mad; in severe cases, they died suddenly. There had never been a successful one.

"The reason was that mortals possessed only limited six senses, bound by the Cocoon Force of ghosts and specters. The more shamans communicated with ghosts and gods, the deeper they sank into it, until they ultimately became puppets of ghosts and specters.

"Then, after countless ages, a Daoist calling himself Withered Mulberry Adept observed celestial phenomena and examined the earth veins... He saw the sun and moon alternate while Yin-Yang remained undisturbed, and thus attained enlightenment: the reason mortals were deceived by ghosts and specters was not that their strength was lacking, but that their 'spirit' was obstructed."

Hearing this, Xie An felt as though he were listening to a great sage impart wisdom.

Whether in his past life or this one, throughout the vast river of human history, there had always been generation after generation of great sages and wise men struggling against heaven and earth, discovering laws, developing themselves, leading humanity to rise step by step and contend for the realm.

"And then?"

Xie Yu said, "Withered Mulberry Adept entered seclusion for seventy years. By the shores of a great marsh, he saw a giant turtle carrying a stele upon its back. There were no words on the stele, only nine openings. The turtle's head faced north, and the nine openings ceaselessly inhaled and exhaled earth energy, day and night. Withered Mulberry Adept sat and watched for thirty years before finally comprehending its principle:

"The way of man lies in preserving the spirit. The essential of preserving the spirit lies in 'knowing oneself,' and even more in communicating with the divine.

"A mortal's six senses face outward; all that they see and hear are external things. But the Cocoon Force of ghosts and specters turns inward, twisting the six dusts and causing people to mistake external things for themselves. If one can draw the six senses inward, neither seeing nor hearing through eyes and ears, but using the spirit to illuminate oneself—then a ghost or specter's Cocoon Force will shatter of its own accord, like ice meeting boiling water! Thus, Withered Mulberry Adept created the Daoist scripture with the greatest influence throughout all ages—the Illuminating Spirit Scripture. And the entry point to the Illuminating Spirit Scripture is the Spirit Preservation Method."

Xie An let out a long breath.

This Withered Mulberry Adept really had something.

Xie Yu continued, "After being passed down for thousands upon thousands of years, the Illuminating Spirit Scripture became humanity's foundational method for resisting ghosts and specters. Humanity relied on this method to rise step by step in a world of ghosts, specters, demons, and monsters, eventually contending for the Central Plains and becoming the masters of this world."

Xie An rubbed his hands together. "Why have I never heard anyone mention the Illuminating Spirit Scripture?"

Xie Yu said blandly, "Young Master Mingxi has not entered the inner schools, nor has he entered any of the Three Great Powers. Naturally, he would not know of this Daoist scripture."

Xie An said, "Elder Sister means this scripture is controlled by the Three Great Powers?"

Xie Yu nodded. "Only because I entered Returning Dragon Abbey, one of the Three Great Powers, in my early years did I have the fortune of studying this scripture. If Young Master Mingxi wishes to study this method, he must first enter one of the Three Great Powers."

After thinking for a moment, Xie An said, "Since Elder Sister has studied this scripture, could you copy it down for me to read?"

Xie An's thinking was simple.

He possessed the Ten-Thousand Questions Martial Arts Model.

As long as he saw the scripture, he could transplant it over.

It was merely a question of whether his qi and blood computational power was sufficient.

Yet Xie Yu repeatedly shook her head. "The formulas and essential meanings of this scripture are only auxiliary. Its core lies in the spirit within it. Even if I wrote out the mental cultivation chants from memory, it would be useless."

Xie An vaguely sensed that something was off. "Spirit?"

Xie Yu explained, "Has Young Master Mingxi ever gone to a temple to worship a Bodhisattva?"

Xie An nodded. "Of course I have."

Xie Yu said, "Young Master Mingxi may understand it this way: the spirit in the Spirit Preservation Method within the Illuminating Spirit Scripture is like the Bodhisattva in a temple. To cultivate the Spirit Preservation Method, one must enter one of the Three Great Powers and worship the 'Bodhisattva' enshrined in its ancestral hall. Only after witnessing the Bodhisattva's spiritual bearing can one preserve the Bodhisattva's spirit within one's mind. Once the Bodhisattva's spirit has been preserved, one can illuminate oneself inwardly and break through the Cocoon Force of ghosts and specters."

At last, he understood what the Spirit Preservation Method was.

It was something like a visualization method.

One personally observed the spiritual bearing of a divine being, then preserved a wisp of that bearing within one's mind. With that wisp, one could shatter a ghost or specter's Cocoon Force, avoid being deluded by ghosts and specters, see through their true nature, and then grievously wound them with supremely firm, utterly Yang Inner Force.

Clearly, Great Qian had already formed a tightly ordered system.

Yet Xie An felt a chill rise in his heart.

He had transmigrated from his past life, and he knew that many of the Bodhisattvas in temples... were evil entities themselves.

The humans of this world were merely borrowing the power of stronger evil entities to fight weaker ones!?

At the thought, Xie An felt a chill crawl down his spine.

Xie Yu noticed that Xie An's expression was not quite right. "Does Young Master Mingxi still have something he does not understand?"

Xie An swallowed and asked, "Could the beings enshrined in the ancestral halls of the Three Great Powers... be even greater evil entities? Is this so-called Spirit Preservation Method merely drawing in the power of greater evil entities to break the Cocoon Force of other, weaker evil entities?"