The time I spent learning the basic acupuncture points and foundational knowledge from Huaxueming for the study of medicine lasted about a month. During this period, Huaxueming brought thick medical books and diagrams for me to memorize, and since I was familiar with such tasks, I memorized them while practicing the brain-calming technique I learned from Wangliang. After a month, Huaxueming was amazed and said,
"Your memory is incredible. An ordinary person couldn't memorize this so quickly!"
"Ha ha..."
"Do you have any special study methods? You seem to be more than just a simple warrior. Have you studied elsewhere?"
I smiled bitterly, recalling the time I studied with Wangliang. The intense studies over those few years were finally proving useful.
"A little..."
"Anyway, it's convenient that you know. As you said, the Tianling Pill is a path to the Yuanshen. However, it is not the Yuanshen itself but merely an intermediate stage."
"An intermediate stage?"
"Exactly. Ultimately, the Yuanshen is a state where the upper, middle, and lower dantians are all open, and one attains infinite power and transcends human limitations. It's a state far beyond what is called an immortal in this world—this is the Yuanshen."
".......!!"
I was taken aback by a concept I had never considered.
'超越仙人？'
According to Wangliang, in Daoism, immortals and deities were not seen as vastly different. In fact, most Daoist practitioners considered becoming an immortal their ultimate goal. If the Yuanshen could surpass an immortal, it must mean possessing a terrifying power that could surpass most deities in human form!
I thought deeply and summarized.
"By accumulating inner energy in the lower dantian to its ultimate level, one can advance to the middle dantian, the Tianling Pill, and by surpassing the Tianling Pill, one can reach the realm of the Yuanshen."
"Exactly. That is the martial arts theory of the White Lotus Sect's leader."
"... You can't be serious!!"
"Indeed, as you thought. The leader of the White Lotus Sect has reached the Yuanshen, which is why he could spread this martial arts theory to the White Lotus Sect and its enforcers."
I was speechless.
To think that reaching the Yuanshen through the Tianling Pill was an actual experience! It was a moment of realizing the monstrous power of the White Lotus Sect's leader, which I had only heard about in stories.
But soon, I had to accept it. If he didn't possess such power, the emperor of the Great Ming Empire wouldn't fear him, and an army of millions would be meaningless. It was an absolute deterrent force that rendered human military might insignificant.
I asked a question that puzzled me.
"Wait a moment. I believe I have used elixirs to approach the limits of human inner energy. To be honest, there are probably very few people in the world with more inner energy than me."
Huaxueming replied bluntly.
"Boastful, but true. Even if we consider the East, West, Central Plains, and the White Lotus Sect, there are probably fewer than ten people who can match you in the world."
"But I haven't reached the Tianling Pill. Why is my inner energy not at that level?"
"Hmm... That's a valid question. And you've come to the right person today. Not many can answer this."
Huaxueming, who had been smiling, continued.
"You might guess that the Tianling Pill is not a realm achieved simply by increasing the absolute amount of inner energy. Even if the actual possessor of the Tianling Pill doesn't have as much pure inner energy as you, if their inner energy and your inner energy were to clash, you would be defeated every time. Why do you think that is?"
I suddenly recalled my confrontation with Hanbaoling in Luoyang. Huaxueming's words brought that battle to mind. I shook my head.
"I don't know."
"Your inner energy is boundless but not infinite, and you cannot freely condense or distort it beyond the limits of the acupuncture points. Even if the amount is the same, the power you can unleash in an instant and the endurance of the Tianling Pill are vastly different. The Tianling Pill itself is a different dimension of martial arts."
"......!!"
Condensation and distortion!
I recalled how Hanbaoling seemed to be at a disadvantage for a moment but then overwhelmed me with several times the power. It was indeed a force that could not be achieved through the limits of human inner energy and acupuncture points. As I was pondering this, Huaxueming said,
"According to what I heard from the enforcers, the middle dantian is the field of the mind. It involves regaining the prenatal breathing of a fetus and absorbing yin and yang energies to open the Heavenly Gate. This is not a realm that can be reached simply by inner energy cultivation."
"Then what should I do?"
Huaxueming laughed heartily.
"Hehe... It's a difficult question to answer. Do you know what you're asking? You're asking how a human can become an immortal."
"Um."
"The only way might be to ask someone who has already achieved the Tianling Pill for their secrets. Of course, there are those in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism who have reached a realm comparable to the Tianling Pill, but they are usually either ascended to immortality or uninterested in worldly affairs."
Listening to Huaxueming, I determined what I needed to do next.
'I need to meet the enforcers of the White Lotus Sect.'
I had vaguely thought about this when I first heard about the Tianling Pill from Li Guang, but the current Q&A confirmed it. To elevate my inner energy to the Tianling Pill, I ultimately needed to meet the enforcers of the White Lotus Sect. Only those who have reached the Tianling Pill know how to achieve it.
However, simply meeting them and extracting information was likely not enough. Achieving a realm that practically equates to immortality would not be something they would share with an outsider. As the difficulty suddenly increased, I was flustered, and Huaxueming cleared his throat and said,
"Anyway, the ultimate realm is the Yuanshen. To reach it, cultivation is necessary. And pursuing medicine can help with that."
"How so?"
"Do you know that the human brain ages over time?"
Caught off guard by the question, I tilted my head.
"I'm not sure. Does the brain age?"
"Yes. From the distant mythological era, humans have been killing each other in wars. The lineage of Hua Tuo, which I belong to, has been observing the bodies of the dead on battlefields and incorporating all aspects of human physiology into medical knowledge. As a result, we discovered that the human brain ages along with the body."
I know about the brain. When I killed someone, the brain matter would often burst out, and I had seen brains spill out at many crime scenes. I even remember washing my hands after they were covered in brain matter.
'Gray, wrinkled, and somewhat blue.'
As I was thinking about the appearance of the brain, Huaxueming said,
"However, the brains of martial artists age very slowly. Whether they are in their 50s or 60s, their brains age much more slowly than their bodies. Isn't that remarkable?"
"Remarkable, but what does it mean?"
"Even the most brilliant scholars and sages will have their brains age. They can delay brain aging through mental exercises, but that's all. If one doesn't practice martial arts or special techniques to activate the brain, brain function will rapidly decline after the age of 50."
Huaxueming paused to catch his breath and continued,
"In other words, the act of stimulating the eight extraordinary meridians and breaking through the small and great heavenly cycles through martial arts affects the potential of the upper dantian. This is because the brain is the place where the human soul resides the longest."
"......!!"
"The brain is not the soul itself, but it is undoubtedly the place where the soul stays the longest. When a human dies, where does the soul and the魄 (魄) leave the body? The energy concentrated in the brain escapes through the six orifices. While the human soul cannot be equated with the brain itself, it is certainly the place where it stays the longest."
"Hmm."
The Hua Tuo lineage, to which Huaxueming belonged, had been dissecting human bodies and fighting on the front lines of life and death for hundreds or thousands of years. In that sense, Huaxueming could be seen as having a unique theory that diverged from the conventional medical practices of the world.
"Let's think about this. Why can't martial artists also become excellent sorcerers? Clearly, martial arts influence the potential of sorcerers, yet only their own talent affects their ability to become sorcerers."
"I've never thought about it, so I don't know."
Huaxueming smiled and said,
"It's about whether they can open the passage or not."
"Passage?"
"Sorcerers open a completely different spiritual passage when they master their techniques. In distant lands, it is called the Tree of the Gods, a tree of life that exists in the heavens. Whether in the East or West, the diagrams are almost identical, suggesting a sequential process."
"Hmm."
"No matter how much martial artists study and strive, they cannot become sorcerers. It's impossible to open a 'gate' that is fundamentally different from the eight extraordinary meridians."
Huaxueming clenched his fist.
"But if one masters the Hua Family's 108 Needles and the Five Animal Exercises to their ultimate level, one can certainly open that gate! Not only that, one can transcend the innate limitations of the human body and, especially in medicine, control life and death at will!"
"......!!"
As I was stunned, Huaxueming patted my shoulder.
"You have talent. I will teach you to the best of my ability to help you reach that realm."
"Thank you."
Huaxueming said with satisfaction,
"But to do that, I need more resources... Can you give me one more Spirit Lotus root?"
I answered firmly.
"No more."
"Tsk..."
Huaxueming clicked his tongue and began teaching me about acupuncture and medicinal herbs. I had to study in a suddenly tense atmosphere, which contrasted sharply with the excitement of a moment ago. I also realized I needed to be more careful when talking to Huaxueming in the future.