Creating his own Divine Ability...
Li Ling had long had an idea for this: he would take his foundation in the Incense Path as its substance, and the Five Elements theory of Qi Refining, the Demonic Path's Three Treasures Demon-Refining Art, and the Ten Thousand Fiends Poison-Transforming Art as its applications, blending them together into a coherent whole.
"Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica says that fragrance is the upright aspect of qi. Yet accumulated foulness and evil, stench rising to the heavens, also contain the mysteries of the Great Dao of heaven and earth. Some fragrant materials are even extracted from foul-smelling substances, and an overly concentrated fragrance can likewise become a stench."
"The origins of certain fragrant materials don't bear close investigation. Doing so is simply asking to disgust yourself."
"Ambergris, for example, is actually dried secretion from a sperm whale's intestines, expelled into the outside world either through vomiting or defecation."
"The ancients didn't know this, and once believed it came from a whale's saliva or concentrated essence."
"Musk, meanwhile, is a secretion from the scent sacs of animals such as forest musk deer."
"A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen. Now that is wisdom."
Li Ling thought again of his wife, the Ninth Princess.
"Qing Si has an intangible fragrance, the sweetness of virtue and the charm of beauty. My scent perception talent can detect it, and it manifests with the qualities of orchids and osmanthus."
"She also has a tangible fragrance, produced by the combined effects of the oils, sweat, hormones, and other substances her body secretes."
"The rouge and powder she uses to dress up, the scent sachets she wears, the fragrant water she bathes in, the incense used to scent her clothing..."
"All these things mingle to form the delicate fragrance of a young married woman. I find it delightful, but from the reactions of White Lion and Flower Leopard, I can tell that those two cats loathe it."
"Perhaps to them, this isn't a fragrance at all, but a stench."
This was an example from everyday life, yet it contained an extraordinarily profound principle of cultivation.
"Fragrance and stench are one!"
This was the truth Li Ling had realized.
Whether something smelled fragrant or foul depended not only on physiological structure, but also on cultivation realm and mental perception.
His own experience offered further proof.
As a child, Li Ling had loved the meat buns sold at a certain shop. Fragrant and oily, they filled his belly and satisfied his cravings.
Then one day, the bun shop was shut down. Apparently, its unscrupulous owner had used meat from pigs that had died of disease for the filling, indiscriminately adding flavoring to conceal the stench.
Li Ling had been stunned. The bun in his hand... no longer smelled appetizing!
The experience had scarred Li Ling so deeply that even after being reborn into another life, he had never eaten another meat bun.
"A change in the mind is also a change in things."
"Buddhist mind-primary theory says that all things are created by the mind alone."
"Daoist qi-primary theory says that all beneath heaven is but one qi."
"Illuminating things with the mind-this is the true original meaning of Qi Refining!"
"Here lies the intersection of illusion and reality, the transformation between spirit and matter. My self-created Divine Ability excludes the Five Elements and takes only yin and yang. Since it draws chiefly upon the Ten Thousand Fiends Poison-Transforming Art, I'll follow its example and call it the Myriad Wonders Incense Transformation Art!"
Drawing together the understanding he had accumulated over many days, his extraordinary innate talent, and the fruits of his cultivation, Li Ling finally brought everything into harmony.
With this spiritual awakening, his Divine Sense strength also broke through the hundred-point threshold, satisfying certain firm requirements. In an instant, he felt that the wild forest around him and all things between heaven and earth had changed.
Wisps of incense essence were caught by his Divine Sense, but he no longer merely transported or moved them. Instead, he changed their nature, turning them into incense essence identical to that of Spirit-Communing Incense.
Then he absorbed all this incense essence into his body and converted it into soul power!
This was far more than merely saving some cultivation materials. It signified that the mighty power of a Divine Ability had become his own.
"Let's see whether I can transform it into the improved incense myself..."
Brimming with enthusiasm, Li Ling tried again.
It worked just as well. After some effort, he successfully used his Divine Ability to produce the incense essence of improved Spirit-Communing Incense at the Spirit Incense grade.
Although the quantity fell far short of the million-plus strands contained in genuine Spirit Incense, its significance was still extraordinary.
For the legendary Primordial Spirit Dharma Body could turn utmost yin into yang and generate yin from utmost yang, then allow yin and yang to give rise to each other in an endless cycle. This was a Divine Ability attainable only at an exceedingly profound realm.
He had never expected his own soul to be able to imitate it to some degree.
As his thoughts flowed, Li Ling swiftly continued developing this Divine Ability according to his insights as an Incense Path master.
His past life and present one, ancient and modern times, lands near and far, scholars and well-bred ladies, incense workshops and factories-theory and practice intertwined.
Suddenly, understanding dawned on Li Ling. "Myriad Wonders Incense Transformation, a method that gives birth to countless manifestations. By smelling their scents, I know the virtue of all beneath heaven."
"Qi divides into yin, yang, and the Five Elements; scents encompass fragrance, stench, good, and evil. The art of incense transformation should have five realms."
"The first is nose-root incense: grasses, plants, and wondrous trees, the source of fragrance."
Li Ling gathered the essences of all things, converting the primal qi of heaven and earth into a fundamental scent.
Nose-root incense!
These were scents commonly found in nature. Spirit-Communing Incense and the like belonged to this level. Since they mostly came from plants, it could also be called wondrous-tree incense.
Incense essence at this level generally had a corresponding material basis in reality, or could be perceived even by ordinary mortals. It was intimately connected with the nose-root faculty of smell.
"The second is consciousness incense, perhaps also called virtuous incense. Good virtue has its sweetness, and fragrance naturally blooms."
Li Ling's scent perception talent had an unusual feature: he could smell the sweetness of virtue and the charm of beauty.
This was a reflection and association on the level of the mind, as well as a manifestation of humanity's innate imagination. It had already begun to enter the realm of mind alone, transcending the five consciousnesses and reaching the sixth: consciousness itself.
"The third is synesthetic incense, also called Qi-Calming Incense. When the mind is upright and qi is still, fragrance naturally flows far."
This was the lingering charm, the trailing breeze, the aftereffect of fragrance. It was also a manifestation of Empathic Perception, in which the nose-root faculty connected with other sensory organs.
Empathic Perception, also known as transferred sensation, was a wondrous ability based on the sensory organs and prior experience. Being able to perceive the scents of the Five Elements of heaven and earth and of all things already placed one at this level.
Because the scents of all things were mixed and the various consciousnesses intermingled, one needed a clear mind and tranquil qi to distinguish them clearly. Thus, it was also called Qi-Calming Incense.
Only now did Li Ling understand why the auras of the Five Elements carried all sorts of seemingly familiar scents. These were qualities bestowed by association, and also the basis upon which the nature of fragrance manifested.
In essence, they arose from the intermingling of the five consciousnesses in conjunction with the sixth.
"The fourth is mind-root incense, also called nature-seeing incense. See your true nature and illuminate your mind, and its fragrance manifests of itself."
Ordinary people often had this experience: certain smells could evoke particular emotions and sensations, rather than merely images or objects.
It was a gradual development from the perceptions of the third level, only deeper.
This level transcended the six consciousnesses, delving into the déjà vu phenomena of memory and the subconscious. It could reach the level of the seventh consciousness, the mind-root, involving the self-clinging thoughts of manas.
Only then did Li Ling abruptly realize that his soul had been unusual from birth. With his extraordinarily rich Empathic Perception and ability to discern minute details, he had probably already stepped over the threshold of this level.
It was simply obscured by the dust that ordinarily clouded his spirit. Only when his Soul Tempering or awakening reached a certain degree would it truly emerge.
Above this lay an even deeper level, storehouse consciousness, which concerned the fifth realm of incense transformation.
"The fifth is void-clear incense, also called immaculate incense. Free from dust and defilement, it is the ultimate realm of fragrance."
This was the clear, empty, and undefiled realm described in the Shurangama Sutra. By contemplating that fragrance was neither wood, nor emptiness, nor smoke, nor fire, the Fragrant-Adornment Youth Bodhisattva realized that the substance of fragrant adornment was empty: it departed without attaching to anything and arrived from nowhere.
Perhaps this shared the same marvelous principle as refining spirit back into emptiness and refining emptiness to unite with the Dao.
At this point, Li Ling had established the broad framework of his self-created Divine Ability. In practice, however, he could currently achieve only the first level, producing Spirit-Communing Incense that the nose-root faculty could smell.
Having clarified this, even he could not help remarking, "Cultivating this method also depends heavily on talent."
"But unlike Qi Refining through the Five Elements, this places perceptual talent first."
"The five levels of incense transformation are actually successive advances in perception: discerning the minute, penetrating the mysteries, and gradually reaching clear emptiness."
"Without sufficiently keen perception, you can't even detect the existence of incense essence, much less cultivate this Divine Ability."
"With my aptitude, there should be no obstacles to mastering the first four levels. I need only progress step by step, accumulating the necessary time and effort."
With a promising Dao Path ahead of him, Li Ling was in such high spirits that he was still smiling when he got out of bed.
Seeing this, the Ninth Princess could not resist teasing him. "What lovely dream did you have, husband, to make you smile so happily? Surely you weren't dreaming about some other young lady?"
Li Ling pulled the Ninth Princess over and kissed her. "I already have you. What other young lady would I want?"
The Ninth Princess giggled. "I don't believe you. Mother said that men always eat from their bowls while eyeing what's in the pot."
"Now that's truly an injustice," Li Ling said. "I'm not as outrageously extravagant as my father-in-law."
In a rare show of displeasure, the Ninth Princess's face darkened. She gave his waist a light pinch and warned, "You must never imitate that shameless old man, keeping male favorites and sharing his pleasures with everyone. He has no dignity befitting his age!"
Li Ling laughed heartily. "I couldn't imitate him even if I tried. I'm not that sort of free spirit."
After lingering together affectionately for a good while, the two finally got up, washed, and ate.
Yet faced with the dazzling array of delicacies, Li Ling inexplicably felt nauseated.
"What's going on? Just smelling this food has already made me full?"
With a thought, he focused his perception on the minute details. Only then did he discover that the many dishes before him were releasing all kinds of incense essence.
Wisps of incense essence gathered into streams, surging toward him through the unseen space. In mere moments, his Spirit Body had devoured thousands upon thousands of strands.
The incense essence of these foods had originally been inert, but now that Li Ling's Divine Sense had strengthened, it too had become active.
Clearly, there was no absolute boundary between inertness and activity. If Divine Sense could penetrate deeply enough and possessed sufficient strength, then however inert something might be, it had to come alive.
The reverse was also true. If one's perception did not reach deeply enough and one's strength was too weak, one could not make use of active components.
Only then did Li Ling recall that he had experienced a similar feeling while refining and transforming Spirit-Communing Incense the previous night.
Spirit-Communing Incense could also replenish his mental and physical energy. He had merely assumed that this was a normal increase in soul power and overlooked it.
This was probably an incidental benefit of cultivating the Myriad Wonders Incense Transformation Art, a marvelous effect arising from the transformations of his Divine Ability.
Li Ling could not help feeling astonished. "I'd only ever heard that beauty could be a feast for the eyes. I never imagined incense essence could be a feast as well."
"But isn't this an ability of ghosts and gods?"
In the culture of sacrificial rites, there was a phrase: "Alas, we mourn! Humbly, we pray that you partake."
It expressed the wish that ghosts and gods would come to enjoy the offerings. They did not open their mouths to eat and drink as living people did, but instead absorbed the qi and essence within.
"Husband, what's wrong?" Seeing Li Ling's lack of appetite and apparent reluctance to open his mouth, the Ninth Princess asked with concern.
"I woke up feeling rather full today, so I don't want to eat. I'll just have a little bird's nest congee," Li Ling replied, coming back to himself.
"All right." The Ninth Princess immediately called for a maid to ladle out some congee.
Li Ling forced himself to drink a small bowl. Yet even after a busy morning, he remained full of energy and felt no hunger at all.
This incense essence truly could sustain his bodily functions, just like actual eating and drinking.
Indeed, because he took in only the essence, it was far more efficient than the eating and drinking of a mortal body, much like accomplished Qi Refining cultivators who dined on wind and drank dew.
"Could a Dao body be forming on its own, allowing me to finally enter the cultivation stage as well?"
At this thought, Li Ling could not help growing excited.
All along, his physical body had been the weakness that worried him. Now, however, it seemed that once he cultivated the transformations of a Divine Ability, their benefits would naturally allow him to improve in every respect.
On reflection, though, traditional Qi Refining made this unsurprising.
Those who cultivated through Five Elements Spirit Roots could likewise dine on wind and drink dew, dispensing with grain, once they reached late-stage Qi Refining.
For mortals seeking to break through the limitations of flesh, abstaining from food was a beginning. Only when they could dine on wind and drink dew, taking in solely the spiritual qi of the Five Elements to nourish themselves, and gradually accustom their entire bodies to cycling the primal qi of heaven and earth, could they establish a Dao foundation and cultivate a Dao body.
But...
His Divine Sense strength was clearly only equivalent to early-stage Qi Refining!
Li Ling guessed that this might be a peculiarity of his Dao Path.
He had blazed a separate trail. Although he still measured himself using the cultivation realms of the spell-based Qi Refining path, his abilities in many respects had already become very different.
Li Ling specifically sought out a martial instructor in the residence to ask about the secrets of mortal body training, hoping to use them as a reference.
This world also had martial arts, and practitioners could even develop a little internal qi. However, it was not the mystical internal power or true qi of legend, nor was there any entering the Dao through martial arts.
At most, it was merely a faint sensation of qi, and its effects likewise stopped at strengthening the body.
The martial instructor said, "Prince Consort, if you want to strengthen your body, of course you should rely on nourishing food!"
"The residence has plenty of excellent ingredients and medicinal herbs you can use to nourish yourself. Failing that, ask an immortal master for some spiritual materials. They'll certainly be more effective than practicing any martial art."
"Doesn't martial training involve sitting in meditation, circulating your power, and guiding qi through the heavenly circuit?" Li Ling asked.
"What you're describing is Qi Refining, the skill of immortal masters!" the martial instructor said.
"For us mortals, martial skill depends entirely on eating and training. Eating is the foundation. Without enough nourishment, any amount of training is useless. You might even deplete both your qi and blood and ruin your health!"
"In fact, I wouldn't recommend that you practice martial arts. There wouldn't be much use in learning them anyway. You'd be better off doing ordinary exercise to stay fit."
"As for real skills for fighting on the battlefield, those are even less suited to someone of your distinguished station. Only fighting men like us have a use for them, and only we can develop genuine fighting skills."
Well, that did seem to make some sense.
But Li Ling had never expected to develop any internal breathing technique or qigong. He regarded it only as a way to aid digestion and conceal the unusual effects of Incense-Feeding Soul Tempering.
He was, quite literally, stuffed to the brim and looking for a way to digest it.
Thus, Li Ling also began researching this along the way.
Before he knew it, time had slowly advanced to mid-July.
Li Ling remembered that he had promised to go out with the Ninth Princess, so he decided to keep his word and take her to watch the Boat-Racing Festival.
The protagonist's primary cultivation method has appeared. I invented this Myriad Wonders Incense Transformation Art, but it isn't made up out of thin air; it has a basis. It probably draws more heavily on Buddhist theory, but please don't get hung up on sectarian distinctions... Naturally, Divine Abilities don't manifest in reality, but from a scientific perspective, there is quenching thirst by imagining plums, self-hypnosis, and the placebo effect. So it is possible to visualize fragrance according to this theory, provided you have the talent.