It's important to understand that while the human body may appear ordinary, it is actually quite complex. The various tissues and structures within the body are connected in an orderly fashion, much like a sophisticated instrument. To arbitrarily modify the body without any understanding of it could lead to unforeseen problems.
The same applies to the construction of this Mana Circuit. Although Li Xingkong seemed to be doing it with ease and simplicity, it was all based on his thorough understanding of his own body.
If an ordinary person has only a superficial understanding of their own body and a mediocre understanding of Qi Refining Method, then that's not cultivation; that's suicide.
After designing the Mana Circuit, Li Xingkong began adjusting the structure of his Qi Sea.
Similarly, using my own Qi Sea as a template, after reducing the performance of each aspect of it several versions, I finally obtained a very simplified Qi Sea design draft.
Whether it's the amount of Magic Power stored or the speed of mana absorption, compared to Li Xingkong's current Qi Sea, it's like comparing the Yangtze River and Yellow River to a household tap – worlds apart.
In many aspects, Li Xingkong made cuts, but the only thing he retained was the expandability of the Qi Sea. Even if one cultivates the Qi Sea according to the existing cultivation method, and then changes the cultivation method later, one can still modify the Qi Sea that has been formed, without having to start all over again.
After all, this technique is for beginners. Li Xingkong's plan is that, apart from being easy to learn, other aspects such as power, circulation effects, and Magic Power can be sidelined.
Although it sounds simple, it took Li Xingkong nearly three days to organize this simplified version of the technique. Not only did he have to organize the technique, but he also had to test its feasibility and limits himself.
So after mastering the technique, he spent some time practicing it on his own.
Now, looking at the Qi Refining stage of the Qi Refining method from the perspective of someone who has just reached the Foundation Establishment, he sees it from a very high vantage point. The difficulty of this Qi Refining method is just so-so, with no major challenges along the way.
We've mastered this technique, but we can't just give it away like that.
Before mass-producing Spiritual Qi, Li Xingkong had already considered that after the revival of Spiritual Qi, the promotion of cultivation techniques, and the attainment of the extraordinary by everyone, society would inevitably undergo changes.
Power itself is neither good nor evil, but people are. Therefore, this technique cannot simply be passed on; a threshold must be added to it.
Li Xingkong cannot guarantee that everyone in the world will not do evil. If he had that ability, he would truly be no different from an immortal or Buddha. However, he can screen people's existing nature when he begins his cultivation.
The method of setting up this threshold relies on the Divine Sense power that the system previously demonstrated. Although Li Xingkong's Divine Sense cannot be released externally yet, it can still be used to forcibly instill knowledge into ordinary people with simple manipulation.
Li Xingkong plans to place this threshold on the process of knowledge dissemination.
The principles of the Qi Refining Method are there for all to see; it is not affected by any spiritual factors. Whether one can cultivate it, and whether one succeeds, depends on one's understanding of the Qi Refining Method and one's ability to manipulate Spiritual Qi energy. Therefore, it is difficult for Li Xingkong to insert his own ideas into this area.
However, the method of transmission is different. Although this Qi Refining Method has been simplified, it is still very large in size. If it is transmitted by paper documents, the documents will fill a table. Even if it is transmitted by USB flash drive, the size is still several times that of the Hibernating Dragon Technique.
Therefore, if you want to transmit the method, you have to use the most common method for Foundation Establishment, which is to construct a Divine Sense pattern and directly transmit this Qi Refining Method into a person's mind.
What can be included in the transmission of this method is entirely up to Li Xingkong. His approach was to use the threshold he set up to envelop this Qi Refining Method during the transmission process.
If a cultivator accepts the inheritance, but his nature differs greatly from the threshold set by Li Xingkong, then all his efforts in passing on the knowledge will be in vain, and he will still not be able to acquire the relevant knowledge of the Qi Refining Method.
It's like adding a lock to this Qi Refining Method; only with the corresponding key can it be opened.
Li Xingkong had already had some ideas about setting thresholds.
The Divine Land Civilization has a long history, and its various excellent qualities and cultural traditions are as numerous as carp crossing a river, inexhaustible. It is naturally impossible to cram them all into this threshold. With so many excellent qualities, one would not be human, but Sage.
If the threshold is set too high, even Li Xingkong himself wouldn't be able to pass it. Therefore, the threshold needs to be simple and also conform to the values that Li Xingkong agrees with.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Li Xingkong chose "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness" as the threshold.
As long as the person receiving the cultivation technique meets one of these criteria, Li Xingkong's restrictions can be lifted, allowing them to cultivate normally.
It's not that Li Xingkong's standards are low; it's just that in modern society, it's extremely difficult to find someone who perfectly meets all five criteria. They're not exactly rare, but they're one in a hundred.
It's not that people are born this way; it's mainly because in today's money-driven society, these qualities don't help with making money and are instead ridiculed.
In recent years, under the influence of various heinous incidents, people's moral standards have begun to align with not breaking the law, and there are even fewer people with such virtues.
Therefore, Li Xingkong only required that one of these points be achieved, which would be considered passing. This can be seen as him having to lower his standards due to the influence of society.
Although these five points are traditional Confucianism concepts, they certainly cannot be understood according to the ideas recorded in classical texts in today's society. Instead, they must be viewed in the context of the current social environment.
In Li Xingkong's view, benevolence is simply love—love for one's family and friends. That's enough.
Righteousness means pursuing justice. While it's not required that everyone stand up for justice and speak out for what is right, it's enough to understand what is right and be able to stand on the side of justice.
Etiquette means being kind to strangers, following order and norms in society, not causing trouble, and not intentionally breaking the law.
Intelligence is the simplest and clearest point. Without the logical thinking ability of a normal person, attempting cultivation would only be courting death, so it's best to stay away. Moreover, with the popularization of cultivation, even congenital intellectual disabilities can be cured. If intellectual deficiencies still exist in such cases, then it can only be due to personal reasons.
The key is to have logical thinking skills and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, rather than throwing tantrums and making unreasonable demands.
Trust and integrity are of utmost importance, and Li Xingkong pays the most attention to this.
Unfortunately, Li Xingkong's current abilities are insufficient to create something similar to the Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, he would definitely arrange for a special body to oversee matters related to promises, so that people wouldn't have to swear oaths to the heavens every day, which would have no deterrent effect whatsoever.
The threshold has been set high enough. Making it even stricter would filter out more people, but then what's the point of having a nationwide spiritual practice? It would be better to just build a temple and let those with affinity come to worship.
For ordinary people, the Divine Sense of Foundation Establishment cultivator is essentially an unsolvable problem. When an ordinary person receives a cultivation technique, whichever concept they unlock, once that threshold is broken, the remaining Divine Sense will amplify that concept through the power of Divine Sense. Before reaching the Foundation Establishment and unlocking their own Divine Sense, they will be unable to transcend the concept they have unlocked.
For example, because the Qi Refining Method unlocked by the principle of integrity, the remaining Divine Sense will unconsciously strengthen one's attachment to integrity. Before reaching the Foundation Establishment, one's actions will be unable to violate the concept of integrity; in layman's terms, one will be unable to lie.