From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Isn't this just like "Little Chef Fu Gui"?

Jiang Liu was certain that those eighteen golden kitchen utensils did not have the same effects as the "legendary kitchen utensils" in "Cooking Master Boy," but were merely symbols of status and honor.

As for the material, it's nothing but gold—it's indeed quite valuable.

Speaking of which, the setting of "Little Chef Fu Gui" is during the Guangxu era, around 1900, right? Now it's 1924. If he really left the palace as depicted in the story and is still alive, he'd be around forty or less than fifty years old now?

To be honest, as far as Jiang Liu knew, Hong Fugui's ability—his "golden finger"—allowed him to detect the flavor of food with his left index finger, which would even emit a golden sheen when the food was at its best. This did indeed seem to qualify him as an extraordinary person, and a naturally gifted one at that…

# Chapter 59 Innate Rune Diagram

I pulled myself back to reality.

Looking at Ren Jiating again, besides the initial paper monkey, she had already folded six more paper monkeys, making a total of seven.

"According to the records left by Hou Liu, his skill in thievery is all contained in these runes, which were passed down from a wandering knight of the Tang Dynasty: Kong Kong'er. It is said that he was the number one master thief in the world during the Tang Dynasty!"

As Ren Jiating spoke, she infused her own Qi into the paper monkeys, and the six paper monkeys became as lively as the original paper monkey, as if they had a soul.

"In fact, these runes are not used in this way. Instead, it is an extremely peculiar cultivation method. By using Qi to outline the runes on one's own hand bones, one can refine one's body bones as a magic weapon. This can create a pair of hands that can ignore distance and take objects from a distance. If the cultivation level is high enough, one can even conjure two huge energy bone claws for combat, combining offense and defense and ignoring space."

At this point, Ren Jiating's expression turned serious. "According to unofficial historical records, the Kongkong'er of the Tang Dynasty even used this to withstand the Tongtian Thunder Technique of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain at that time, and narrowly won by half a move."

"unofficial history?"

Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow.

"It's just something made up by later generations, and it shouldn't be taken seriously."

Ren Jiating's serious face suddenly broke into a laugh, "Besides, the contents that Hou Liu recorded in the book may not be true, after all, he was a thief."

After obtaining this rune, I was unable to trace it onto my hand bones using my Qi, perhaps requiring a special method.

The other senior students couldn't do it either.

Furthermore, they had all already chosen their path in magic and didn't have the energy to delve into the runes. Only I, who had only recently begun learning, figured it out on my own and discovered another use for the runes: this thing could be used to outline special paper used for paper doll tricks with qi, folding it into the shape of a monkey, which could be controlled by one's will.

Jiang Liu asked in surprise, "It can only be in the form of a monkey?"

"Yes, it only works when folded into the shape of a monkey. If it is folded into the shape of other animals or people, it cannot be controlled."

Ren Jiating didn't understand what was going on either, so she could only half-jokingly and half-guess, "Perhaps, these runes really are a supernatural power left behind in the mortal world by the Monkey King, Sun Wukong."

Jiang Liu remained noncommittal.

While Ren Jiating was casting her spell, Jiang Liu also memorized the runes, secretly channeling his Qi to compare the proportions of the claw-shaped runes with the hand bones, and then sketched and outlined them on the hand bones of both hands.

In an instant, the talisman took shape and seemed to take root in Jiang Liu's hand bones, even appearing on his skin, transforming into red and blue patterns that spread upwards from his arm. However, the higher it went, the more illusory it became, until it covered his forearms and disappeared completely.

At the same time, within the inner realm, the ape suddenly opened its eyes, unleashing two beams of golden light that shot straight towards the Niwan point of the river. Then, it waved its claws, causing the stars in the heavens to rotate.

It actually possesses the ability to shift stars and change constellations!

of course.

Such abilities only exist within the interior.

Jiang Liu unconsciously clenched his fists and found that the tendons and muscles of his hands and forearms were three times stronger than the rest of his body, but they were not out of balance with the rest of his body. Moreover, Jiang Liu could sense that as his cultivation improved, the runes originating from his hands seemed to grow on their own until they covered all the bones in his body!

This claw-shaped symbol is an innate symbol!

Like the classification of extraordinary individuals, talismans are also distinguished by whether they are innate or acquired.

In terms of cultivation, generally speaking, those who cultivate Qi through acquired means are far more powerful than those who possess innate extraordinary abilities.

The abilities awakened by a naturally gifted individual are absolutely the most suitable for their own physical condition, but they may not necessarily increase their combat power.

Those who cultivate Qi after birth are all following the old path pioneered by their predecessors, moving forward step by step.

in short.

The acquired Qi cultivation methods possessed by various sects today, aside from the possibility that they were taught by extraterrestrial "immortals" or that they suddenly attained enlightenment, the most reasonable inference is that those founders were originally innate extraordinary individuals. They simply figured out the principles of cultivating these extraordinary abilities, compared them with nature, summarized the techniques, and passed them on to others who had the aptitude for Qi cultivation but could not awaken their innate extraordinary abilities.

In terms of "potential," those who cultivate Qi after birth are inferior to those who cultivate it innately. After all, the potential of the methods cultivated by those who cultivate Qi after birth is at most on par with the creators.

But this is only in theory.

The reality is:

Most people with innate extraordinary abilities are troubled by daily necessities and worldly affairs, making it impossible for them to devote all their attention to cultivation and reach the level of acquired Qi cultivation methods summarized by the ancestors of those major schools.

Even among those with a "good child destiny" who, upon reaching adulthood, can rival those from sects with complete acquired Qi cultivation methods, no one throughout history has ever created a method for cultivating "acquired child destiny." Most of them have entered the Buddhist or Taoist schools and become Dharma protectors, such as the Five Directions Protectors or the Six Ding and Six Jia.

Therefore, let's talk about innate talismans. It is said that they were formed by ancient sages who cultivated themselves and comprehended the workings of the universe, creating a language, script, and totems that facilitated their communication with the heavens and earth.

It represents a replication of the laws governing the operation of the entire universe, involving the fundamental laws of the universe.

The fact that Zhengyi can communicate with the heavens must mean that it has inherited innate talismans!

Acquired talismans are those created when later generations cannot initially reach the level required to cultivate innate talismans, and can only replicate them step by step according to the path given by their predecessors.

However, in terms of function, the types of talismans that can be evolved after birth are far more numerous than those that can be evolved innately.

The reason is simple.

Just like invention and creation, humankind has always been able to create things that the universe and nature cannot.

If innate talismans are a framework and system containing the rules of the Great Dao, then acquired talismans are a supplement and imitation of this framework and system.

The claw-shaped talisman that Ren Jiating used to control the paper monkey is very likely a type of innate talisman!

Different types of innate talismans and different methods of cultivation, but in the end, they can all build a system and framework that helps the cultivator directly connect with the essence of the innate Qi's operating rules.

For example, the talismans that Jiang Liu has now inscribed on the bones of his hands with Qi and actively spread to the bones of his forearms require drawing them on the bones and controlling them with his mind to form a connection between the ten fingers and the heart before he can practice.

Moreover, because this talisman is innate, it can resonate with the laws that already exist in the world. It can grow autonomously as the life force of the river improves and the body's Qi refining system is perfected.

"Brother Jiang, your hand!"

Ren Jiating also noticed the red and blue patterns on Jiang Liu's hands and showed a hint of doubt.

"Feel sorry."

Jiang Liu suddenly apologized.

"Forehead···"

Ren Jiating didn't understand why he suddenly apologized.

Jiang Liu didn't shy away from admitting that he had secretly drawn talismans on his hand bones, saying, "I guess you could say I stole your skill."

"No, these talisman diagrams aren't something the Jiyun Society is capable of. Besides, I've demonstrated the process of drawing talismans and making paper monkeys to many people before, and I haven't seen anyone else learn it..."

# Chapter 60, One of the Four Methods—Avoiding Death and Prolonging Life

Ren Jiating didn't mind Jiang Liu learning it at all, but she was more curious about why Jiang Liu was able to learn it. Could it be because one of the effects of his innate ability, the Mind Monkey, was innately compatible with this talisman?

That's probably the reason.

Thinking of the strange changes in the mind-monkey in the interior scene, Jiang Liu nodded involuntarily.

"What abilities did you gain after inscribing this rune? Are you able to unleash bone claws?" Ren Jiating's eyes were filled with curiosity.

Even if an ordinary person succeeds in cultivation, they don't have that level of life cultivation. But she knew that Jiang Liu might not be like that. At such a young age, he was already as strong as many of the older generation of experts from various sects, just like Zhang Zhiwei from Longhu Mountain.

"Ability? I haven't tried it yet, and it's not the right time to demonstrate it. We'll talk about it later when we have more time."

When it came to his abilities, Jiang Liu didn't show much reaction on his face, but his heart was in turmoil.

Because his inner vision is different from that of ordinary people, it forms the shape of heaven and earth. He also uses the five internal organs to determine the central palace of his body, and combines the innate eight trigrams of the three gates and nine orifices of the human body with the acquired eight trigrams of the eight extraordinary meridians. He is already able to exert his ability to simulate inner vision.

This innate talisman grants him four abilities, any one of which, if placed in the outside world, would allow him to establish a sect or even potentially reach the heavens.

One of them is similar to the paper monkey form performed by Ren Jiating.

Any object nurtured by Qi can be shaped, and can even take shape directly from its own Qi. Moreover, its true purpose is not to control paper monkeys, but to avoid death and prolong life.

Taoism believes that the distance between heaven and earth is 84,000 li.

Of course, from a materialist perspective, the height of the blue sky visible to the naked eye is not that exaggerated; on the contrary, this value is not much different from the circumference of the Earth.

Leaving that aside for now, in short, for those who cultivate themselves:

The Great Dao gives birth to and nurtures all things, and among all things, the most intelligent and precious is humankind.

The human heart and kidneys are eight and four-tenths inches apart, and their yin and yang rise and fall in a way that is no different from that of heaven and earth.

Those who cultivate themselves for longevity and long life must simulate the workings of heaven and earth and practice the rise and fall of yin and yang.

For Jiang Liu, this method of "avoiding death and prolonging life" allows him to cultivate all 84,000 acupoints in his body by operating his mind and will.

There are 362 acupoints on the human body, and about 720 if you include others. So where do you get the 84,000 acupoints?

This actually refers to the cyclical function of water, fire, yin, and yang energies within the human body, resulting in 84,000 virtual orifices, rather than actual acupoints on the physical body.

Each void is condensed with the Qi of water, fire, yin, and yang. Using oneself as a template, one evolves into a Qi body clone. If there is an external object as a carrier, that is, a special paper similar to the one Ren Jiating uses when performing the paper doll magic, then the Qi body will not easily dissipate and can be preserved for a relatively long time.

Once the Qi body is formed, if the individual suffers a fatal injury, all the damage can be transferred to the Qi body clone, which will bear the burden, while the individual remains unharmed.

If a relatively durable material nurtured by Qi can be used as a carrier, then this method of avoiding death and prolonging life can also be used as a true form of doppelganger.

On a smaller scale, this method can be used in performances, like Ren Jiating's, by combining paper doll magic.

On a larger scale, however, it can be used to avoid death and prolong life.

If one has the ingenuity, and combines it with the skills of a weapon refiner, it might even serve as a clone capable of unleashing considerable combat power.

In Journey to the West, after Sun Wukong attained enlightenment, he had 84,000 feathers, each capable of transformation... In the worldview of "Under One Man," it's likely that in previous dynasties, there was indeed some extraordinary person who obtained this innate talisman and cultivated a method to "avoid death and prolong life."

"Then I'll hold out hope."

After Ren Jiating finished speaking, she closed her eyes, as if she had entered a state of Qi cultivation.

The seven paper monkeys then sprang into action, using the bushes as cover, running and leaping towards the mountain village.

If she were only controlling one paper monkey, Ren Jiating could easily multitask, but to control seven at the same time, she had to concentrate and could not be disturbed in the slightest.

The seven paper monkeys split up and advanced nearly a hundred meters before finally arriving at the outskirts of the stronghold.

They either hide in the bushes or jump into the trees.