Start with a photographic memory and build a memory palace

Chapter 107: Using Instruments to Carry the Dao
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Wu Wen looked at the "Tai Shang Dong Xuan Jing" in his hand, which contained content about corpse transformation, and made him see the shadows of many things he had come into contact with recently.

The information record of the psychic waist bell and the human body symbiosis of the Miao people's witchcraft.

This seems to be a form of corpse transformation.

Although the physical body is abandoned, the consciousness is immortal in another way.

"Uncle Yuan, can I read this book for some time?" Wu Wen asked, holding the "Tai Shang Dong Xuan Jing".

Yuan Tiangang waved his hand slightly: "You can take it. I have seen it many times."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wen accepted the book.

Under the guidance of Yuan Tiangang, Wu Wen came to the place where the Taoist scriptures on external alchemy were stored.

"All the books on external alchemy are here."

Wu Wen looked in the direction of his finger and saw that the whole wall and the surrounding bookshelves were full of books.

At this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: So many!

"You take your time reading this. I'm leaving now."

"Thank you, Uncle Yuan!" Wu Wen bowed in thanks.

After watching Yuan Tiangang leave, he began to read through the books one by one.

External alchemy originated before the Qin and Han Dynasties.

People at that time believed that eating gold would make them as strong as gold, and eating jade would make them as warm as jade.

Gold will not melt even if it is put into fire for a hundred times; it will not decay even if it is buried underground for thousands of years.

Taking gold can make your body like gold, never aging and never dying.

Cinnabar can be refined into gold.

Therefore, external alchemy is also called alchemy.

However, because the elixir refined by external alchemy caused many people to have a short life and sudden death after eating it, many people gradually lost their trust in it.

Later, with the development, inner alchemy emerged.

Based on the theory of "the human body is a small world" and "the unity of man and nature, the correspondence between man and nature", we practice sexual and life cultivation.

Using the human body as a cauldron, one cultivates essence, qi and spirit in order to achieve the goal of strengthening the body, improving life functions and thus achieving "becoming immortal".

However, the practice of inner alchemy is extremely difficult, and over the thousands of years, only a few have succeeded.

Therefore, Taoists turned their attention to external alchemy.

Although external alchemy has its drawbacks, it is undeniable that it also has its merits.

Therefore, Taoists combined external alchemy and internal alchemy into one, forming today's external alchemy.

The Book of Changes says: "The metaphysical is called Tao, and the physical is called Qi."

Tao is the basis of the instrument, and the instrument is the body of the Tao; Tao is contained in the instrument, and the instrument is the embodiment of the Tao.

Those who practice external alchemy believe that if they passively obey the evolution of the Tao, there is no guarantee of eternal survival.

Thus, the idea of "my destiny is in my hands, not in God" came into being.

"Reversal is the movement of Tao; weakness is the use of Tao. All things in the world are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence."

The External Alchemy School derived the unique idea of "making the elixir by going against the flow" from this.

They use themselves as a furnace to simulate the operation of heaven and earth, refining the elixir, which is the external elixir.

Then, use the vessel as a carrier of your own Tao, and eventually achieve the state of eternal life, in which the Tao will last forever despite life and death.

"The tool lasts forever!"

Seeing this, Wu Wen couldn't help but put down the book in his hand and picked up the "Tai Shang Dong Xuan Jing" again.

"Rely on something and be reborn after death!"

"Isn't this the same as corpse transformation?"

"Does it mean that all cultivation requires giving up the physical body in the end and surviving in another way?"

Wu Wen couldn't help but ask this question in his heart.

Put this thought aside for now. Continue to immerse yourself in the book.

The first step in refining elixirs in external alchemy is to refine an instrument that can carry the Tao.

And this method of refining equipment is the core alchemy of external alchemy.

This alchemy is not just about smelting precious gold through artificial means, but on this basis, it continues to develop and extend to create alloy refining technology.

The reason why there are so many books on external alchemy in this library is that most of the contents involve smelting technology, and record in detail information such as the refining process, refining experience, and refining results.

When Wu Wen read it carefully, he realized that these contents were actually a series of experimental data.

Gold is good.

However, due to its overly stable nature, objects made from it are unable to carry their own Taoism.

Therefore, gold is not suitable as a direct material for refining tools.

At the same time, ordinary materials cannot meet the requirements of the refiner.

Only materials that have been specially refined can be used to make objects that can carry their own Tao.

The purpose of alchemy is to create an object that possesses the immortality of gold while being able to carry its own Tao.

Wu Wen took off the bell from his waist and looked at it carefully.

"It's no coincidence that this waist bell can communicate with spirits," he thought to himself.

Thinking that this waist bell was made by a craftsman from the Shaofujian, Wu Wen immediately stood up and planned to go to the Shaofujian to ask the craftsman about it.

However, as soon as he left the library, he realized that it was already late and he had actually been reading books in the hall for the entire day.

So he changed his mind and decided to go find the craftsman again tomorrow.

After leaving the palace, Wu Wen walked towards the mansion.

Halfway through the journey, a low-key and luxurious carriage suddenly blocked the middle of the road.

As soon as Wu Wen saw it, he realized that the owner of the carriage had come specially to find him.

He walked forward and the window of the carriage was opened a crack.

Wu Wen looked inside and found that the person sitting inside was Qin Wang Li Shimin.

At this moment, Li Shimin's face looked very ugly, and it was obvious that he was very angry and had no place to vent.

"Come up!" Li Shimin said in a deep voice.

Wu Wen replied: "It seems against the rules to ride in the same carriage with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin."

"Do you still care about this?" Li Shimin chuckled.

Afterwards, Wu Wen got on the carriage and sat opposite Li Shimin.

The carriage moved forward slowly.

Li Shimin stared at Wu Wen for a long time before he spoke: "You are right, my father did not keep his promise to make me the crown prince."

Wu Wen smiled slightly. He had already expected this situation.

Li Shimin continued: "However, my father gave me another choice."

"What choice?" Wu Wen asked curiously.

Li Shimin smiled and said, "My father asked me to go to Luoyang."

Hearing this, Wu Wen frowned. He had not expected this situation.

Luoyang is not an ordinary place.

Moreover, this place was conquered by Li Shimin himself, and his influence here even exceeded that of the imperial court.

If Li Shimin went to Luoyang, with his ability and power, he would be in opposition to the court in Chang'an.

There are two regimes in one country. How is this different from division?
Therefore, Wu Wen felt that Li Yuan's move was too stupid.

"What do you think, should I go to Luoyang?" Li Shimin stared at Wu Wen and asked seriously.

After a moment, Wu Wen said calmly: "I am just a small imperial physician."

……

(End of this chapter)