In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 13 Mental Tempering Technique
Lu Zhao was speechless.

In specific matters, the old Taoist priest is a good teacher, often able to help him understand things step by step.

But when it comes to the "Tao," he becomes vague and cryptic, preferring to use riddles.

I wonder if all immortals are like this.

Some Lu Zhaos could be enlightened, but most couldn't understand, and then the old Taoist would always say, "You will naturally understand when you reach a certain level of cultivation."

Perhaps this is the difference between ancient and modern education methods.

"Since the development of life in this life is cultivation of destiny, I need not elaborate further."

The old Taoist priest returned to the main point, saying, "Such cultivation is wrong."

It was a short sentence, yet it was just like what Lu Zhao had told him yesterday about a country without a ruler.

Lu Zhao frowned slightly and retorted, "From modern times to the present, we are more powerful than any dynasty in history, and the number of life developers is dozens of times greater."

The old Taoist priest asked, "How can one become powerful?"

"Our dynasty rose from war, and a hundred years ago we established peace and looked out over the world..."

Lu Zhao's modern history is excellent, and he is also a witness to the transition between two eras.

After the Ming Dynasty, the land of China was in turmoil for hundreds of years.

However, because the extraordinary powers of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends have never been lost, they have always maintained a relatively leading position in terms of military strength. The brief periods of unification in between also enabled them to expand outwards.

Until the emergence of the federation, as the fourth Rome, France, and the fourth party of the Nordic Community, it eventually rose to prominence in the Far East through war and became the undisputed hegemon.

Throughout history, the Federation's strength has been unprecedented. Even though it declined after the Great Cataclysm, it still retained most of its core territory and was even stronger than the Ming Dynasty.

There's no need to compare them to the extraordinary; the number and quality of the strong individuals that modern industry can support are simply not on the same level.

Not to mention that modern firearms are far more advanced than those of the Ming Dynasty.

Lu Zhao drew analogies one by one, from territory to military strength.

He never blindly followed others, so naturally he wouldn't completely accept the old Taoist's words as absolute truth.

The old Taoist listened quietly, then nodded in praise, saying, "The Yan Dynasty is indeed powerful, comparable to the Tang Dynasty. The Marquis Wu you speak of is no less than any of the powerful figures of past dynasties, but I have only one question."

He paused, then asked in a clear and firm voice, "Is it possible to achieve immortality?"

Lu Zhao countered, "Throughout history, how many emperors and generals have actually achieved immortality?"

The old Taoist priest pointed to himself, his usual calm demeanor gone, replaced by a smile like that of a mischievous old man.

"Throughout history, there have been many who have lived long lives, but I am the one who has lived the longest."

Lu Zhao was speechless and lost the will to argue.

Because his strength refers to the collective, while the old Taoist refers to the individual. In matters of life development, Lu Zhao should indeed listen to the other party.

The Federation has a history of two hundred years, and to this day, no ancient god has appeared.

He said, "According to the Taoist priest, the modern life development system is just not capable of granting immortality, but it is not inherently flawed."

The old Taoist priest said, "Heaven and earth bestow upon us a physical form, making it easy to acquire the power to govern the world. However, heaven and earth can obscure our vital energy, making it difficult to achieve perfection."

“Cultivating one’s nature is to break free from the rules set by Heaven and achieve perfection, but lay practitioners are not only bound by Heaven and Earth, but also disturbed by worldly desires.”

Lu Zhaoxin seemed to understand something and asked, "How do we escape?"

The old Taoist priest explained: "Desirelessness refers to physical desires, and desirelessness refers to worldly desires. When you no longer desire the physical body or seek worldly things, you have reached the Mahayana stage."

Lu Zhao fell into thought again.

The old Taoist priest was trying to persuade him to give up worldly desires and to abandon the beliefs he had always held dear.

For individuals like Lu Zhao, whose mental strength is extraordinary, belief is equivalent to a heartbeat. A person without belief will soon be overwhelmed by a mental tsunami and become a mentally unstable madman.

His past life experiences instilled in him a strong sense of righteousness and fearlessness in the face of death, while his birth and family in this life instilled in him a deep love for the Federation. He may have been angered by some things and disgusted by some people, but he never believed he should abandon the country that nurtured him.

The old Taoist priest's words clearly indicate that he wants him to become a monk.

Lu Zhao shook his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, but I cannot agree."

The old Taoist priest showed no surprise or anger, and said with a kind face, "Layman, there is no need to be in such a hurry. People always have different ideas at different ages."

"Perhaps after some time, you will have a different opinion. The pursuit of immortality through cultivation will ultimately be a solitary journey, and even I cannot make that decision for you."

After speaking, he took out a green-covered ancient book from his sleeve, just like before. The book's title was in two small seal script characters.

Its name is Refining the Spirit.

Lu Zhao asked, "Does this cultivation technique require the life bone to practice?"

"Having it will make things twice as easy, but not having it is also fine." The old Taoist priest replied, "You already have a good foundation, so that life bone is not a necessity."

Lu Zhao immediately said, "I would like to give this to the Taoist priest. Is there any way to bring it here?"

At first, the other party said it was beneficial to the soul, but later said it was not a necessity. So, would it also be useful to the old Taoist priest?

If so, he should bring it up.

This would both repay a debt of gratitude and help maintain a good relationship. At the same time, the retrieved bones would not fall into the hands of ordinary people, thus posing no threat to social stability.

This is practically cooking the fish two ways.

"good."

The old Taoist priest cast a slightly approving glance and said, "This item is of little use to me, but it can add something to this Hunyuan."

The joy in one's eyes cannot be faked.

Lu Zhao figured out some of the old Taoist's quirks.

He's a riddle teller who enjoys making others guess.
-
May 28th.

Lu Zhao woke up at five in the morning. When he opened his eyes, the sky was still gray, and two new memories appeared in his mind.

One is refining the spirit, and the other is the incantation for sending the life bone into the primordial chaos, but it can only transmit the life bone.

The ability to bring things into the spiritual world is also unprecedented. In the words of the old Taoist priest, "The Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends are the fruits of the Dao of Heaven and Earth. The real and the unreal can be interchanged, and one can enter the Hunyuan realm."

Otherwise, Lu Zhao would like to bring some modern specialties for the old Taoist priest to broaden the horizons of the 'ancestor'.

"Try it first."

Lu Zhao couldn't wait to sit cross-legged. Just like refining essence into qi, he also grasped the essence of spirit cultivation very quickly.

Although the old Taoist priest did not say it explicitly, Lu Zhao had reason to suspect that it was an initiation ceremony, otherwise something so simple would have been passed down.

After closing my eyes for a quarter of an hour, my mind gradually calmed down.

A lake appears, reflecting yesterday's grievances, today's plans, and tomorrow's hopes, all jumbled up like fish leaping into the water.

He swallowed his distracting thoughts, the intense pain, like swallowing needles, causing sweat to bead on his forehead. But with each 'needle' he swallowed, his mind became more focused.

Refining the spirit brings fire, and one's actions are like being burned by fire.

Lu Zhao opened his eyes, exhausting most of his mental energy. A ray of white light flashed in his eyes, and a white worm appeared in the void.

It is invisible to the naked eye and can only be detected through mental power.

A vague memory surfaced in Lu Zhao's mind, making him understand the purpose of the little white worm.

Psychic attack!

His supernatural powers originally only had two functions: telekinesis and detection. Now, he has an additional direct attack method.

(End of this chapter)