From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Ma Xianhong snapped out of his daze and, guided by a man named Liu Mingyuan, advanced through the mountains with a group of foreign mercenaries and a group of foreigners. After encountering a group of Sichuan golden monkeys that seemed to have gained intelligence, they successfully entered the valley and saw the narrow, one-line-sky Twenty-Four Valley.

When ordinary people enter this valley, they are affected by the patterns on the walls and the ground, which changes their breathing and causes their Qi to circulate spontaneously throughout their bodies.

This piqued Ma Xianhong's interest. He felt that the effects of this place were not much different from those of the Body Refining Furnace. He planned to record all the rough lines on both sides and the ground, as well as the fine lines that ordinary people would not notice, to see if they could be applied to the Body Refining Furnace later.

After they left, Jiang Liu and his group arrived outside the valley, led by Mei Jinfeng.

"This valley is truly special; it has golden monkeys that seem to understand human nature. They were extremely close to Brother Jiang and Sister Bao'er, but Brother Jiang has now sent them away using some kind of magical teleportation technique..."

Watching Jiang Liu carry the Sichuan golden monkey to a nearby tree, Zhang Chulan took out his water bottle, opened the cap, took a small sip, and then looked at the canyon, which was only three to five meters wide and as straight as a line, and couldn't help but complain, "Why are there so many stripes carved on the ground and the walls on both sides? What's going on?"

# Chapter 625 Replacing a Tiger with an Ox is the Righteous Path

"You'll find out when you go in."

Mei Jinfeng kept everyone in suspense before stepping inside first.

Xia Liuqing hurriedly followed.

Jiang Liu and Feng Baobao are next.

Zhang Chulan, Wang Zhenqiu, and Baron followed.

After walking a short distance, Zhang Chulan suddenly felt uncomfortable. It seemed that the Qi in his body was fluctuating on its own, and another force was guiding them to circulate their Qi.

"Yaoyu..."

Suddenly, Feng Baobao, who was walking at the back with Jiang Liu, spoke up.

"You felt it, didn't you?"

Mei Jinfeng was surprised by Feng Baobao's keen perception and laughed, "That feeling of discomfort."

Jiang Liu shook his head slightly and said, "After all, it is man-made, rather than the method of man-made + natural Luoshu to supplement the innate Hetu. It cannot compare to Guixu Kunpeng and Egypt's Serket. But since it is purely man-made for a specific purpose, it is not bad."

Using the Dharma Image Seal, Jiang Liu had already outlined a Qi pattern seal for the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. Its shape resembled both a human and an ape; a human could transform into an ape, and an ape could also become a human.

But it's truly destiny...

It's gone.

"Do you know what's special about this place?" Mei Jinfeng asked Jiang Liu.

"I know that those who pass through this canyon can open up the Ren and Du meridians, control Qi, and embark on the path of cultivation."

Jiang Liu stroked the patterns on the wall. "The information contained in these patterns is extremely abstract. They seem to have no rules, but in fact they can operate in people's subconscious, thereby causing people's breathing to change instinctively, and then spontaneously mobilizing the Qi in their body."

"Abstract information can be perceived by people?" Zhang Chulan asked, puzzled. "I thought only sorcerers could perceive it."

“Graphics themselves carry information. For example, a circle gives people a sense of mystery, a triangle gives people a sense of sharp danger, and a square gives people a sense of weight.”

Although Wang Zhenqiu is a comedian, to be a qualified comedian, one must know a little about everything, otherwise one will only become someone else's source of amusement.

After hearing his explanation, Zhang Chulan understood.

"Why don't I feel any discomfort?" Xia Liuqing asked, puzzled.

"Your method with that divine mask is to use the power of the beliefs of all living beings to refine yourself, which is different from the mainstream method of connecting the Ren and Du meridians," Wang Zhenqiu explained.

Then, Mei Jinfeng said, "That's right. This valley can help people obtain Qi. The curves of the valley help people guide the circulation of Qi and make it flow through the body..."

At this point, Mei Jinfeng noticed that Jiang Liu and Feng Baobao, who were supposed to be following closely behind her and Xia Liuqing, were now walking at the very back of the group.

Zhang Chulan, Wang Zhenqiu, Baron, and Xia Liuqing also noticed this.

"Brother Jiang, Sister Bao'er, why are you two walking so slowly?" Zhang Chulan couldn't help but stop.

"Walking fast makes me uncomfortable."

As Feng Baobao walked slowly, she said, "Slowing down not only makes the discomfort disappear, but also gives me a very comfortable feeling."

“The sheep-drawn cart will move slowly and steadily,” Jiang Liu said.

"A sheep cart?"

Xia Liuqing scratched her head, "What sheep cart?"

"Three carts of force!"

Wang Zhenqiu reacted immediately, revealing the truth, and asked Mei Jinfeng, "Grandma Jinfeng, if I'm not mistaken, the method for guiding people's Qi circulation in this valley is the Three-Cart Force!"

"It seems you've all guessed it. These Twenty-Four Valleys symbolize the human spine. When a person enters them, they will be influenced by the information on the walls and will be forced to perform the circulation of Qi throughout the body. The three most crucial barriers to opening up the Ren and Du meridians are the three gates on the Du meridian: the coccyx gate, the spine gate, and the jade pillow gate."

Mei Jinfeng said, "To open the Ren and Du meridians, one must break through three barriers. There are many methods, but the most famous of them is the Three Chariots."

Sheep cart, deer cart, tiger cart.

From the Tailbone Gate to the Spine Gate, the flow of Qi should be like a sheep pulling a cart, moving slowly and deliberately; from the Spine Gate to the Jade Pillow Gate, it should be like a deer pulling a cart, moving quickly and boldly; from the Jade Pillow Gate to the Niwan Palace, it should be like a tiger pulling a cart, strong and brave, moving forward with great force, and rushing through in one go!

Some people say that the tiger carriage is an ox carriage, but the mainstream view is that it is a tiger carriage, not an ox carriage. Some even believe that "changing the tiger to an ox" is just for the sake of being different.

However, not all supernatural beings acknowledge the power of the Three-Cart Force. Some elders in the supernatural world have written books stating that the Three-Cart Force is nothing more than a heretical and demonic practice, capable of deceiving people, but inferior to the true Dharma. They even claim that a monkey who had attained the true Dharma easily pulled a cart that five hundred monks couldn't budge over the ridge.

"I see."

Zhang Chulan recalled his grandfather's teachings: to overcome the spinal barrier, no special method was needed; all that was required was sufficient innate Qi and a steadfast mind, which would naturally lead to the Great Dao.

“Sancheli is not a heretic or evil person. When that senior wrote the book 'Journey to the West,' he was not criticizing Sancheli as a heretic or evil person. The focus was not on ‘Sancheli,’ but on the name of the country ‘Chechi Kingdom.’”

Jiang Liu made a surprising statement: "The delay means that Tang Sanzang and his disciples' path of cultivation seems to be progressing, but in reality, they have been stuck in place for too long and are unable to pass through the narrow passage."

The three carts should be a sheep cart, a deer cart, and an ox cart.

Instead of using a tiger-drawn carriage, replacing an ox with a tiger is to stray onto the wrong path.

This is the difference between the "Three Chariots Force" in the Under One Person worldview and the "Three Chariots Force" that Jiang Liu knew in his previous life.

The three types of carts have always been sheep carts, deer carts, and ox carts.

There is no mention of a tiger-drawn carriage.

If an ox becomes a tiger, it has gone astray and become possessed by demons. It no longer practices the righteous path, but instead takes a method that appears fierce and quick, thus entering a crooked and evil way.

Just like the people of Yemaoshan.

The reason is simple—

"Tigers are indeed strong and brave, but can they be used to pull carts?"

Even those who cultivate themselves, who are not detached from the mortal world and can subdue dragons and tigers, would never associate tigers with pulling carts.

It's like tilling the land. A sports car is much faster than a tractor, but can you put a plow and harrow on the back of a sports car to till the land?

Of the three forces, the most important is the word "vehicle" (车). Pulling the vehicle (拉车) refers to drawing the Qi upwards.

Jiang Liu countered, “Sheep, deer, and oxen were the common tools for pulling carts in ancient times. From jade pillows to mud balls, the right path is to be like an ox, old yet strong and persistent, rather than simply being strong and brave.”

The true strength of the three vehicles lies in the leisurely pace of the sheep, the agility of the deer, and the steadiness of the ox.

Especially for oxen, who are known for their steadiness, the further they go, the more they need to be steady rather than aggressive. After all, the journey from the Jade Pillow to the Niwan point involves the brain, and to be aggressive and fast at this point would be tantamount to disrespecting one's own life.

As for the saying about the steadfastness of the mind, that is a natural manifestation after one has sufficient innate Qi.

If a talented person doesn't have something like a "cinnabar mark" to lock in their vital energy from a young age, and isn't as exceptionally gifted as Zhang Zhiwei or myself, then trying to open the Ren and Du meridians through the method of "firm mind like a monkey" might require starting cultivation at age six and reaching their twenties or thirties, when their innate Qi is at its most abundant, before they can open the Ren and Du meridians and control the microcosmic orbit.

If someone were to actually do this, they could cultivate a steadfast mind, making their future spiritual practice much easier, but they would certainly be overshadowed by their peers during their youth.

Furthermore, the practice of the Small Heavenly Circuit also requires careful attention to timing. The three different speeds of transporting Qi through the channels—the power of the sheep cart, the power of the deer cart, and the power of the ox cart—correspond to the timing that needs to be controlled during internal cultivation of life and the key points that need to be adjusted at any time. This is the most basic part of the practice.

Just like how people used to cook rice without electric rice cookers, to make a pot of rice with crispy crust and soft, fragrant rice, they had to burn firewood. There were specific techniques for when to add firewood and when to use charcoal to keep the fire warm; it wasn't simply a matter of adding more firewood and making the fire burn brighter.

# Chapter 626 A Skyscraper Rises from the Ground

"He's telling the truth."

Feng Baobao immediately chimed in, "Rice cooked with firewood in the past was much more fragrant than rice cooked in an electric rice cooker now."

“You know so well, Bao’er.”

Jiang Liu put his arm around Feng Baobao's shoulder, gave her a thumbs up, and praised her. He then said to Zhang Chulan, "A resolute mind and skillful movement are not mutually exclusive. However, if one only has sufficient innate Qi and focuses on refining one's life force, one's combat strength may far exceed that of ordinary people, and one may even surpass one's peers with a strong life force. But in cultivation, life force is the foundation and the most important thing, but it is not everything."

Mastering the timing and intensity of the process is the fundamental way for cultivators to truly advance towards the realm of immortals and Buddhas.

This is also the key to my surpassing Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei's control over the timing of the fire... he only mastered it for one day, corresponding to sunrise and sunset. His control over the four seasons and six energies is far inferior to mine; otherwise, he too could have mastered the art of controlling the celestial cycles.

At this point, Jiang Liu returned to Zhang Chulan: "If you could use all that scheming and plotting on mastering the basics of the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, your cultivation, while not progressing by leaps and bounds, would at least allow you to catch up with your junior uncle in a short time."

Zhang Chulan: "..."

Guidance?

Or is there another purpose?

Zhang Chulan always felt that Jiang Liu was being too nice to him. It couldn't be that just because the other party was Zhang Zhiwei's brother, he treated him like a grand-disciple, right?

Actually.

The main reason is that Jiang Liu benefited from Zhang Chulan's Qi Source Flow.

However, Jiang Liu would not directly teach the other party the techniques, but would instead guide them on the principles of cultivation.

Whether Zhang Chulan listened or not, and whether he wanted to try it or not, was up to him.

"Is it cooked to perfection?"

Recalling what he had learned, Wang Zhenqiu exclaimed in surprise, "I've heard that only those with profound cultivation would attempt to master such skills. I never imagined that the Three Chariots Force, a method for circulating energy through the microcosmic orbit, already touched upon this?"

"A tall building rises from the ground."

Jiang Liu said matter-of-factly, "If you have no concept of controlling the heat when you first start, then you can adjust it when you have more skill in the future—"

Just like a piece of iron that has already been shaped, it is difficult to turn it back into raw material!

and so.

No need to rush. Walk slowly, lightly, and steadily, spontaneously sensing the flow of Qi within your body, controlling the three forces, and mastering this most basic level of control. In future internal cultivation, you will still operate according to your individual cultivation methods, but you can integrate the method of these three forces.

Zhang Chulan exclaimed in surprise, "Integrate? Cultivating this technique is extremely dangerous; what if one suffers a qi deviation..."