Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

Li Chang'an nodded: "Yes, sir."

"Why call me 'Grandpa'? Call me 'Master' instead."

Li Shaoyun reminded him from the side.

As soon as he said this, Lu Jin glanced at him sideways and waved his hand, saying:

"The master-disciple relationship doesn't prevent you from calling me 'Grandpa.' Let's continue calling you 'Grandpa' from now on; it sounds more familiar to me."

Lu Jin doted on his grandsons the most, and calling them "Grandpa" did sound very affectionate to him.

Moreover, if Li Chang'an calls him master and Li Shaoyun grandpa, wouldn't he be two generations lower for no reason?

Afterwards, the three arrived at the Li Family Ancestral Hall.

Lu Jin's expression was solemn. He first bowed deeply to the memorial tablets of his master and junior brother, lit three incense sticks for each, then turned to face Li Chang'an and said in a deep voice:

"Lu Jin, a disciple of the Sanyi School, today, before the spirit tablets of his revered master Zuo Ruotong and his junior brother Li Cheng, accepted Li Chang'an as his disciple and passed on the Sanyi Dharma to me."

He looked at Li Chang'an, his gaze calm and solemn, and said, "Li Chang'an, are you willing to join my Sanyi Sect and inherit my Sanyi legacy?"

"This disciple is willing."

Li Chang'an knelt on the prayer mat, placed his hands on the ground, touched his forehead to the ground, and bowed three times. Then, he straightened up and knelt on the prayer mat again.

Li Shaoyun walked over with a cup of tea and handed it to Li Chang'an.

Li Chang'an held the teacup with both hands, raising it above his eyebrows: "Master, please have some tea."

Lu Jin took the teacup, lifted the lid, and smelled the aroma of tea. He lowered his head and took a sip, the warm tea going down his throat.

He placed the teacup beside the offering table, reached out to help Li Chang'an up, a smile appearing on his face, but his eyes were somewhat red.

"Good, good. From this moment on, you are my disciple, Lu Jin's disciple, and a disciple of my Sanyi Sect."

He wiped his eyes; these were genuine tears of joy.

Li Chang'an walked to the offering table, took out three incense sticks from the incense holder, and lit them over the candle flame.

As the smoke rose, he raised the incense sticks above his eyebrows, bowed three times to Zuo Ruotong's memorial tablet, and inserted them into the incense burner. He then took out three more incense sticks, bowed three times to Li Cheng's memorial tablet, and inserted them into the incense burner.

Incense flickered before the memorial tablets, its smoke curling and filling the ancestral hall with a faint sandalwood fragrance.

Lu Jin stood behind him, watching his back and the two memorial tablets on the altar, remaining silent for a long time.

Master! Junior Brother! I am officially accepting disciples today!

The incense of the Sanyi Sect will never be extinguished!

……

……

That afternoon, Lu Jin planned to teach Li Chang'an the art of defying death.

He sat in the armchair in the main room, holding a cup of tea in his hand, sipping it slowly, and looked at Li Chang'an sitting opposite him.

The young man, who had just completed his foundation building, had clear eyes, showing neither excitement nor restlessness, and sat there quietly.

"Chang'an, are you aware that you have a great talent for cultivation?" Lu Jin asked, putting down his teacup.

"I know!" Li Chang'an said naturally.

"What are your thoughts?"

Li Chang'an thought for a moment and said:

"This is the ultimate enjoyment in life."

This statement made Lu Jin frown. His first impression upon hearing it was that it was arrogant.

Throughout his life, Lu Jin had seen many geniuses. When the San Yi Sect was at its peak, it was never short of disciples with exceptional talent, but none of them dared to use the word "enjoyment" to describe their cultivation.

Cultivation is a difficult task, a monotonous practice of circulating qi day after day, and a dangerous path where the slightest mistake can lead to demonic possession. Even he himself, who practiced for a lifetime, never felt that cultivation was a kind of enjoyment.

He felt that spiritual practice was a responsibility, an obsession, something he couldn't let go of.

In his view, the word "enjoy" was too frivolous and arrogant.

Lu Jin's expression darkened slightly, preparing to give this disciple a warning. He needed to adjust his attitude before starting his cultivation; otherwise, no matter how talented he was, if his mindset couldn't keep up, he wouldn't go far.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Li Chang'an explain:

"The kind of enjoyment I'm talking about is actually the enjoyment of the innate purity that comes from spiritual practice."

If this question had been asked to Li Chang'an in the past...

He might say that the purpose of cultivation is to become stronger, to gain fame and fortune, to show off in front of others, or even to become an immortal, or to reach the heavens...

But after understanding himself, he felt that these goals were too vague.

Let's set aside whether these ideas are true or not.

Even if it were true, it would be easily distorted.

Even thoughts that originate from one's own heart need external feedback to grow stronger; this is how one cultivates truth through falsehood and transforms knowledge into wisdom.

If no feedback is received.

This thought is just a single thought.

Therefore, Li Chang'an's demands were not great.

What he seeks now is the peace and joy that comes from the manifestation of his true nature.

Lu Jin was taken aback by Li Chang'an's answer, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

He never expected Li Chang'an to say such a thing.

These don't sound like the words of a child; they sound like the words of a wise person who has seen the world.

After a moment of silence, Lu Jin asked:

"If your spiritual practice is aimed at achieving a so-called inner peace, will you still have the drive to progress in your Trinity practice?"

Although he didn't know the whole truth about the Three Ones Sect back then, he did know that the Reverse Life Triple Rebirth technique itself was problematic.

He hoped that a person with ambition and drive would emerge in the sect.

Li Chang'an thought for a moment and said, "Cultivation is a necessary skill. Having a stick will make walking easier. If we encounter any obstacles on the road, we can use the stick to whip them."

"How do you put it in professional terms? Protective techniques. So please rest assured, sir, I will practice diligently and will not let you down."

Li Chang'an made his promise with a serious expression.

Looking at Li Chang'an's serious face, Lu Jin said solemnly:

"Your grandfather believes in you, and he will now teach you the method of reversing the cycle of life."

Even though he already knew he would be taught the Dharma, Li Chang'an was still somewhat excited when Lu Jin said it.

After all, reversing the natural order is a unique and unparalleled method, and how many people wouldn't be tempted by it?

Moreover, Li Chang'an is not yet able to completely let go of the many desires of the world and reach the state of "achieving something" that the old master spoke of.

He is still far from reaching that level.

So even though he was trying his best to control himself, many thoughts kept arising, which made him involuntarily show a hint of joy on his face.

Lu Jin saw his expression and thought, "Good lad, I thought you weren't really interested."

He smiled and said, "Little Chang'an, how much do you know about our Sanyi Sect?"

"Grandpa said it was the number one mystical sect in the world in the past," Li Chang'an replied without hesitation.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. The Trinity Sect may have some reputation, but it is absolutely unworthy of this title."

Lu Jin waved his hand and asked again, "Then do you know which of the three religions my Sanyi Sect follows?"

"Since it is the Xuanmen sect, it must follow the path of Taoism," Li Chang'an said.

"That's not right. It's not just Taoism, it's the path of unifying the three religions," Lu Jin corrected.

"Similar to full-fledged simulation?"

Li Chang'an asked.

Lu Jin nodded and said, "It's somewhat similar to Quanzhen, but Quanzhen's syncretism of the three teachings is based on Taoism, while our Sanyi Sect's syncretism of the three teachings is based on Confucianism."

"The Quanzhen School cultivates one's ancestral nature. The radiance that shines forth from one's ancestral nature is called the primordial spirit, and the primordial spirit's control over the Qi within the body is called the Yang spirit. Therefore, the Quanzhen School mainly focuses on the cultivation of the Yang spirit."

"We do not cultivate the Yang Spirit, but the Primordial Qi. Compared to the concept of ancestral nature, our Sanyi School prefers to use the term 'Sincerity.' We cultivate sincerity, which is the foundation of Confucianism."

Sincerity… Li Chang'an silently repeated this word in his heart.

Throughout the worldview of the Outcasts, the word "sincerity" appears very frequently.

The key to unlocking the secrets of the Twenty-Four Heavenly Valleys left by Master Ziyang lies in "what is sincerity, and what is humanity."

Zuo Menzhang always demands of himself the principle of "being honest and upright."