From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"Hey~"

Looking at Wen Cai's useless back, Lin Jiu sighed. Seeing that Jiang Liu was about to speak up to comfort him, he said first, "No need to comfort me. As his master, I know Wen Cai's situation best. It's just that he's straightforward and carefree. He can even sleep on a coffin. He's just able to guard this mortuary."

Then, he brought up the previous topic again, asking everyone why magical artifacts could exert supernatural powers.

Hong Guniang guessed, "I can throw knives, but that's all I can do. I don't know much about magic weapons, or even about controlling or transforming objects. However, these three throwing knives on my body have been with me for many years and are affected by my Qi, so they are much sharper. When I throw them, I can also change their flight trajectory a little bit."

Li Muxuan said frankly, "I don't understand, but it should be the ability of the extraordinary person themselves, right?"

Lu Jin, whose family was well-educated, had some knowledge of this matter and said, "I heard from my family that some magical artifacts seem to require the inscription of talismans... are they actually an extension of talismans?"

"What you said is only one possibility." Lin Jiu nodded slightly at Lu Jin's words, then looked at Jiang Liu, "What do you think?"

“I believe that magical artifacts can exert supernatural powers, just like humans, possessing ‘three passes and nine orifices’ and ‘eight extraordinary meridians’.”

Jiang Liu replied without hesitation, "We don't understand controlling objects, transforming objects, or refining weapons, but we can guess some things from their general manifestations."

Controlling objects; transforming objects; using objects to enhance one's own abilities; refining objects is to imbue objects with special abilities.

In contrast, the cultivation of extraordinary individuals involves first sensing the Qi, then opening the Ren and Du meridians, and finally connecting the eight extraordinary meridians, thus truly enabling them to unleash their extraordinary abilities.

However, in the realm of inanimate objects, manipulating objects, transforming objects, and refining weapons are not necessarily three progressively advancing stages. Each of these can be taken out individually and cultivated to its extreme, allowing one to establish a sect. But for extraordinary individuals, it is necessary to thoroughly connect the eight extraordinary meridians, reach a certain level of cultivation, and allow Qi to circulate throughout the body before they can unleash their extraordinary abilities.

Therefore, I believe that although the art of weapon crafting includes controlling and transforming objects, the main key is probably to use these two methods to enable the crafted object to sense Qi, and to use Qi to construct a system within the object similar to the Ren and Du meridians in a human body, laying the foundation for the object to later unleash special abilities.

"Great!"

Lin Jiu was amazed.

For ordinary people learning weapon crafting, the most difficult step is to understand the principles of weapon crafting while learning the methods. However, Jiang Liu, who did not know how to craft weapons, was the first to understand this principle. In the future, as long as he obtains the methods of weapon crafting, the only thing he will lack in crafting magical artifacts will be the skill of nurturing the artifacts with his own Qi.

This is the same principle as Qi cultivation.

"That's right. The reason why crafting artifacts can unleash special abilities is that the craftsman artificially sets up the 'three passes and nine orifices' and 'eight extraordinary meridians' that are unique to the artifact during the process of nurturing the artifact with his own Qi."

"The abilities of extraordinary people are diverse because their cultivation methods are different. Although they all involve the three gates and nine orifices and the eight extraordinary meridians, the methods are different, the way Qi circulates through the body is also different, and the location of the five internal organs that they focus on cultivating is also different. It's like multiple people walking on the same road. Some walk slowly, some walk fast, and some even take shortcuts, and so on."

"Therefore, to truly use this alchemy furnace, one must understand how the original owner circulated his Qi through the 'three passes and nine orifices' and 'eight extraordinary meridians' when using it. If one doesn't understand, one can only spend time figuring it out, which may take a lifetime... Otherwise, this thing can only be regarded as an ordinary boiler."

As he spoke, Lin Jiu poured a wisp of Qi into the alchemy furnace, sensing the patterns that lit up within it. He then noticed that the octagonal prism below, divided into twenty-four layers, began to rotate on its own, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"Uncle Jiu, can you find the pathways of the 'Eight Extraordinary Meridians' of this alchemy furnace?" Jiang Liu asked curiously.

"It follows the path of the Huangting Jing."

Lin Jiu revealed the fundamental truth: "The Yellow Court Classic is the origin of the Neidan (internal alchemy) lineage, but it differs from the Neidan schools of today. The main purpose of the current Quanzhen lineage of Neidan is to cultivate the Yang Shen (spirit), manage the physical body, and cultivate both nature and life, while the Yellow Court Classic uses the human body as a metaphor for heaven and earth."

The external aspect refers to the center of heaven, the center of man, and the center of earth; the internal aspect refers to the center of the brain, the center of the heart, and the center of the spleen, hence the name Huangting (Yellow Court).

The inner refers to the heart, and the scenery refers to the image.

The external imagery represents the sun, moon, stars, clouds, and rosy hues; the internal imagery represents the flesh, bones, muscles, and internal organs. The mind resides within the body, containing the overall image and color of the body; hence it is called the internal landscape.

At this point, Lin Jiu sighed, "The definition of the inner landscape in ancient times is different from that in modern times. The inner landscape in modern times is the spiritual world or a dream, while the inner landscape in ancient times was the comparison of the body's flesh and organs with the outside world and nature. It was divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower, and was called the three parts, eight landscapes and twenty-four gods."

Jiang Liu also knew something about these twenty-four gods.

The eight divine children in the upper part are the Brain God, Hair God, Skin God, Eye God, Cranial Marrow God, Backbone God, Nose God, and Tongue God;

The eight divine children of the Central Region are the Throat God, Lung God, Heart God, Liver God, Gallbladder God, Left Kidney God, Right Kidney God, and Spleen God;

The eight divine children in the lower part are the Stomach God, the God of the Intestines, the God of the Large and Small Intestines, the God of the Body, the God of the Diaphragm, the God of the Two Sides, the God of the Left Yin and Right Yang, and the God of the Right Yin and Left Yang.

The *Huangting Jing* states:

The way to manage life is not complicated; simply cultivate the Dongxuan and Yupian, and also learn about the eight scenic spirits within the body, and the twenty-four true beings will emerge naturally.

The *Su Ling Jing* also states:

The twenty-four qi are mixed and gathered together, forming qi and changing. Within this qi are twenty-four gods, which are formed and generated. They are not born from the womb, but are all qi of the Three Ones Emperor Star.

The *Dongxuan Lingbao Ziran Jiutian Tianshen Yuzhang Jingjie* also records this:

Human beings are born from one breath as their ancestor, which gives rise to three, and three combine to form five, which is called the Eight Scenes. Three times eight equals twenty-four gods, which is the transformation of Yin and Yang.

These twenty-four gods are not actual deities existing in the human body, but rather represent human organs and correspond to the twenty-four solar terms, using the human body as a metaphor for heaven and earth.

However, in Lin Jiu's description, in the current method, these three parts, eight scenes, and twenty-four gods are no longer included in the "inner scene", but are placed in the aspect of cultivating the physical body.

After all, the inner vision has a completely new definition at this point, specifically referring to the spiritual world that exists based on the brain, rather than the flesh and blood organs of the human body—this is the concept of "sex" in life.

In short, the eight scenic prodigies in the upper part, middle part, and lower part are reclassified, with the former being classified as "nature" and the latter two being categorized as "fate".

The interior scenes are directly related to "sex".

Jiang Liu had to admit that this did make the theory of cultivation clearer, while the Three Parts, Eight Scenes, and Twenty-Four Gods were somewhat general. However, he also believed that the Yellow Court Classic was more like treating a person as a whole, and after truly defining "nature and life," it was as if the nature and life of cultivation were separated to make it easier for others to understand.

Zhang Zhiwei, for example, is also a fellow practitioner of life, but his "life" is clearly stronger.

As for the future "Liu Zhenguo," he will have "graduated from sexual cultivation" and will only need to clean up his physical body.

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# Chapter 173 Twenty-Four Qi Lord Talismans

Compared to Zhang Zhiwei and Liu Zhenguo, Jiang Liu believed that he was the one who truly cultivated both body and mind.

The methods of cultivating one's nature and life include reversing the nine levels of life and turning the eight directions upside down, and also constructing a Qimen framework to coordinate and unify them.

Methods of self-defense include Tai Chi Chuan and Bajiquan.

And the method for training the great dragon of the spine contained in the map of the Three Realms and Nine Lands.

In addition, his innate supernatural abilities led to his godhood—

[My innate ability to seal my body and construct an inner world is actually more similar to the definition of inner world in the *Huangting Jing*, which involves not only the brain but also all the organs of the body... In fact, the brain is only a part of the nervous system, and the activities of all the organs of the body are closely connected with the nervous system. So, in reality, the theory of inner world consisting of three parts, eight scenes, and twenty-four gods is more suitable for my own situation than the current definition of inner world?]

With this thought in mind, Jiang Liu temporarily noted it down, then returned to the present moment and asked Lin Jiu, "Uncle Jiu, so the refining of this alchemy furnace adopted the cultivation method of the Twenty-Four Gods?"

"Ah."

Lin Jiu nodded. “Our Taoism has the concept of the Twenty-Four Qi Lords, which correspond to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms. They share the same origin as the Twenty-Four Prodigies in the Huangting Jing. However, Quanzhen and Zhengyi have multiple branches and different development systems, so they cannot be generalized. Therefore, you must master this alchemy furnace and understand the ancient alchemical principles.”

Then, Lin Jiu took out a diagram of the Inner Canon.

Below is black water, a white dog with a slender waist straddles the Xuanpin, the Great Sage Wukong battles the Little Sage Erlang, a flower and fruit water curtain is between the two kidneys, the Third Prince Nezha is in the chest, the Heavenly Horse treads on the Ren and Du meridians, at the throat, the Heavenly King holds a pagoda, and in the head is the Heavenly Court Holy Realm, surrounded by clouds and mist.

Looking at the picture, Lu Jin, Li Muxuan, and Hong Guniang could all perceive the principles of cultivation contained within it, but only Jiang Liu, who had seen the Inner Canon Diagram in his previous life, had a strange expression.

Is this what the Inner Canon Diagram in Under One Person looks like?

Lin Jiu said, "This is a picture of the inner landscape of the Yellow Court, drawn by a Taoist priest in the Ming Dynasty based on the book 'Journey to the West'."

It was recognized by the leaders of various sects, who believed that this was the scene described in ancient alchemical practices, full of imagery—

In our spiritual practice, to circulate fluids throughout the body, we must press our tongue against the roof of our mouth and allow saliva to enter our abdomen, so that the Ren and Du meridians can be opened.

However, ancient methods held that spiritual practice required a focus on the "mind," hence the Ren and Du meridians are located in the chest and heart. Furthermore, it is necessary to firmly restrain the "wild horse" of the mind in order to achieve success. Therefore, a celestial horse was drawn on the rainbow representing the Ren and Du meridians.

The others all nodded.

Jiang Liu only slightly agreed, but in his heart he always felt that this picture was more of an art form, more like a far-fetched interpretation of the "Huang Ting Jing" on the inner landscape of the human body by using the story of "Journey to the West". It was far less shocking than the cultivation philosophy contained in the inner classic picture he had seen in his previous life.

"This picture is for you."

Lin Jiu gifted this inner classic diagram to Lu Jin and Li Muxuan, saying, "If you want to refine pills, you can adjust the route of Qi circulation slightly according to the concepts in this diagram, and try to connect Qi with this pill furnace to see if you can succeed."

If it doesn't work out—

There's nothing I can do.

After all, we Taoist priests aren't historians. If a new method is more effective than the old one, the old methods will be shelved and rarely revisited. In the past, during dynastic changes, the world was in turmoil, and even when various sects closed their mountains, they couldn't truly remain unaffected; some documents and old methods would be lost…”

"This is too valuable!"

Lu Jin dared not accept it.

"It's alright. Sanyi is also a Xuanmen sect, so they probably have this diagram as well," Lin Jiu said casually.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin and Li Muxuan exchanged glances, both breaking out in a cold sweat—the Sanyi Xuanmen truly did not possess this inner scripture diagram.

So the two of them had no choice but to accept the painting, even if it meant swallowing their pride.

Although Lin Jiu noticed the change in their expressions, he didn't pay much attention, assuming that the two had only focused on practicing their skills and hadn't studied the scriptures while cultivating at the Sanyi Sect, which had led to their current awkward situation.

I need to be more careful with my words from now on...

"Master, the food is ready!"

Just then, Wen Cai came over with a plate of food and shouted at Lin Jiu.

"coming."

Lin Jiu responded with a comment and then extended an invitation to Jiang Liu and the others, "Want to grab something to eat together?"

"How could I refuse Uncle Jiu's invitation?"

The river should flow downstream.

And so, everyone dined together in the courtyard of the mortuary.

During this time, Jiang Liu also took out the twenty-four centipede beads, hoping that Lin Jiu would help draw talismans on them.

"Exactly twenty-four? You're lucky."

Lin Jiu said in surprise, "Then let's leave it here for now. After I finish drawing it, I'll have Wencai and Qiusheng send it to Ghost Hand Wang Cai's opera troupe."

"Thank you, Uncle Jiu." Jiang Liu took out the twenty-four centipede beads. "By the way, may I ask what kind of talisman you would like Uncle Jiu to inscribe?"

"The Twenty-Four Qi Lord Talismans correspond to the twenty-four solar terms and twenty-four animals: koi, otter, oriole, swallow, spotted dove, hoopoe, black-spotted green frog, silkworm moth, mantis, cicada, cricket, firefly, silkworm, eagle, wild goose, crab, white-crowned bird, jackal, white peacock, red-crowned crane, Siberian tiger, elk, magpie, and bald eagle."

As Lin Jiu ate his food, he slowly said, "Those who cultivate must control the timing of circulating Qi throughout the body. If they can reach the state of being able to count the breaths in the circulation of Qi, and do this every day, their skill will be unparalleled."

Since you are exceptionally gifted, you might be able to teach yourself to regulate your Qi circulation to correspond to the changes of the four seasons. Therefore, I intend to give you these Twenty-Four Qi Lord Talismans, hoping that you can verify the principles of cultivation that no one has yet put into practice.

Therefore, these twenty-four talismans only serve to help you perceive the changes in climate throughout the four seasons.

"This is enough."

Jiang Liu's cultivation seeks to continuously build and perfect the system of Qi circulation in the cultivation of life and nature, and he wants to take the body as the void and the life and nature as lead and mercury.