Gou Refining Essence into Qi in the Dharma-ending Age

Chapter 19: The Third Realm of Stillness, Peaceful Cultivation

Lin Yuan and Lin Chao had both received basic training in cultivation from the Lin family, so they naturally knew the profound mysteries of meditation.

However, Chen Changming still gave a brief explanation.

To embark on spiritual practice, one must enter a meditative state.

Only by entering a meditative state can one absorb spiritual energy, elevate oneself, and reverse one's innate nature.

Generally speaking, achieving physical stillness, mental stillness, and a state of mind is called entering samadhi, which is also known as initial samadhi.

"初" means "beginning".

However, the initial stage of meditation is merely the beginning of entering samadhi, or rather, the first stage of "samadhi".

If one can continue to settle down, one can transform the initial state into a state of great stillness.

This is a deeper level of meditation, a state of profound stillness where one is unaware of the external environment and the internal body, with extremely faint breathing, almost imperceptible, without any thoughts, emotions, or intentions. Entering this state is like becoming one with the universe, which is extremely mysterious.

The third state after the Great Samadhi is Constant Samadhi.

Once you enter this state, you are in a state of stillness in all your actions, whether you are sitting, standing, or talking. It's not just sitting that you are still; your mind remains calm and undisturbed while standing, walking, or talking.

Reaching the highest level of samadhi and even higher levels of constant samadhi is extremely difficult, which is why few practitioners mention it.

Generally speaking, as Chen Changming said, all the various factions only require that they be able to enter a meditative state for cultivation.

In fact, for the vast majority of cultivators, being able to enter a meditative state is indeed sufficient.

Of course, there was a reason why Chen Changming brought it up specifically.

If one can reach the profound realm of the three stages of concentration, it will greatly benefit one's cultivation.

The Great Stillness Realm: Upon entering this state, one feels as if they have merged with heaven and earth. The absorption of spiritual energy accelerates, and the cultivation speed also increases. The cultivation speed of a mid-grade root bone can rival that of a high-grade root bone.

Hengding is a state where spiritual energy naturally gathers in the body, and one's cultivation far surpasses that of ordinary people, making it extremely terrifying. It is said that even those with low-grade aptitude can rival those with high-grade aptitude or even heaven-grade aptitude once they enter this state. Of course, this is under the condition that one's heaven-grade aptitude is initially stabilized.

If a person with a Heavenly-grade aptitude enters a state of deep meditation, even if a person with a Low-grade aptitude remains in a state of constant meditation, their pure cultivation speed will still be difficult to match that of a Heavenly-grade or even a High-grade aptitude.

"The three realms of stability, the latter two realms, whether Great Stability or Constant Stability, are all additional boosts. They do not overlap with the cultivation speed of one's own aptitude or the pills. Therefore, the higher the realm, the better. If a Heaven-grade aptitude can enter Constant Stability, their cultivation speed will be unimaginably fast," Chen Changming said.

"Moreover, whether one enters a state of deep meditation or a state of constant meditation, it is of great use in comprehending profound mysteries and can even enhance supernatural powers to a certain extent."

"Moreover, according to the sect leader, if one can reach the state of stability, even after reaching the 'Foundation of the Dao' stage, it will still be of great benefit, truly a lifelong endeavor."

Lin Yuan was startled upon hearing this.

He already knew much of this knowledge.

He had never heard of a stable state being helpful to cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage before.

Upon seeing this, Chen Changming laughed and said, "The last words were spoken by the sect leader, and I am not qualified to verify them. However, even just being able to enter a state of deep meditation would be a great benefit."

"Don't forget, the spiritual energy is about to be cut off. The higher your meditative state, the more spiritual energy you can obtain during the period when the spiritual energy is gradually decreasing."

He said all this simply in the hope that the disciples of the sect would have a good outcome.

The cultivation of stillness is also the cultivation of one's nature.

If the Sword Sect had not obtained the Lesser Immortal Realm in the future, and its members had been more virtuous, they would have been able to thrive even better in this era of dramatic change.

He had already learned that many cultivators committed suicide because they couldn't accept the loss of spiritual energy after it was completely cut off.

He raised many of Xin Huofeng's children, so naturally he didn't want this outcome.

He considered Lin Yuan and his two companions, who were new to the profession, as children, and thus took the opportunity to offer them some advice.

Lin Yuan realized the importance of meditation.

The Lin family has never emphasized this point. Most people believe that entering a state of deep meditation is enough, and that cultivating profound meditation is a waste of time.

After all, if one has items to replenish spiritual energy, the cultivation efficiency of the initial stage will not be lower than that of the advanced stage, and with sufficient resources, it may even be higher.

Of course, the most fundamental problem is that entering a state of deep meditation and maintaining a state of constant meditation is too difficult.

One's temperament is hard to settle, but one's inherent character is easy to settle.

Even the Sword Sect prefers to recruit disciples with excellent aptitude.

Cultivating one's character may not yield results even after a lifetime.

However, if one possesses superior physical attributes, the results will be immediate.

It's better to find someone with good character than someone with a good temperament.

Lin Yuan had previously struggled to even enter a meditative state, so he naturally hadn't given it much thought.

But now, he feels he can give it a try.

If one can achieve a state of great stillness or even constant stillness, even after the spiritual energy is cut off, the benefits to him will not be small.

"Whether you want to or not is ultimately up to you. After all, if you dive headfirst into it, you might really waste your cultivation time. Don't force it, don't force it," Chen Changming said as his last words before leaving.

Lin Yuan felt that this elder was very contradictory.

He was afraid that his young disciples would get stuck on these ideas and waste their time, and he also hoped that someone could cultivate their character and practice self-discipline; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble.

……

After Chen Changming left, Lin Yuan saw that it was getting dark and, having not had a decent meal for many days, decided to go to the kitchen for dinner.

Perhaps because the timing was perfect, there were many fellow disciples in the kitchen.

Upon seeing the three of them, their fellow disciples were very welcoming and showed them how to get their meals.

After some effort, Lin Yuan prepared his food.

About three ounces of cooked spirit rice, three ounces of ox horn fish meat, two ounces of braised red-feathered chicken, and two ounces of white jade green.

Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish are all considered spiritual food.

Lin Chao praised as he ate, "This tastes really good, and it can quickly replenish spiritual energy and strengthen the body. It's wonderful!"

It's no wonder he felt this way; Lin Yuan felt the same way.

so good!

As a force that is on the same level as the Sword Sect in name only, the Lin family at most distributes some spirit rice to its own clansmen.

The Sword Sect, however, used these as their basic food.

One is in the sky, and the other is on the ground; they can be said to have been materialized.

If it were ordinary food, it would be difficult for cultivators to even get enough to eat.

These are all spiritual objects, so there is more than enough for them. The spiritual energy remaining in their bodies can even be used for cultivation.

Therefore, after finishing their meal, the three of them did not linger and all returned to their quiet rooms.

Lin Yuan took out his entire fortune.

Three and a half bottles of Replenishing Spirit Pills, one bottle of Qi-Inducing Pills, one bottle of Nourishing Essence Pills, one bottle of Bone-Strengthening Pills, one bottle of Qi and Blood Pills, and one box of Bone-Strengthening Paste.

"The Qi-Gathering Pill is originally for gathering spiritual energy, but now that I've joined the Sword Sect, it's temporarily useless to me. The Bone-Strengthening Pill is an advanced version of the Bone-Strengthening Ointment, but the two can be used together. The Qi and Blood Pill replenishes Qi, blood, and essence..."

Lin Yuan picked up the bottle of Qi and Blood Pill.

The Qi and Blood Pills are small, with 20 pills in one bottle.

This item is only used to replenish qi, blood, and energy.

For other cultivators in the Sword Sect, it was better than nothing.

But for him, it was quite useful.

After all, he can use the Dao Seed to refine his own blood essence into spiritual energy.

If a pill that replenishes qi and blood is effective, it would be even more precious to him than a spirit-replenishing pill or a vital essence-nourishing pill.

Lin Yuan did not hesitate and decided to give it a try.

He hadn't had such a good environment for spiritual practice in a long time.

The second stage of fetal breathing is now more than halfway complete, with abundant spiritual energy and resources.

He felt that he was not far from reaching the third level of fetal breathing.