Hou Niao's cultivation had finally entered the right path, and his progress could be described as incredibly fast.
Of course, "incredibly fast" was just his personal feeling compared to his previous snail-like pace; to a true cultivation genius, such progress was nothing special, merely a normal cultivation speed, far from astonishing.
The Pulse Realm was naturally an easy realm to pass through. Following the principle that the higher the realm, the more difficult the progress, there was no simpler realm than the Pulse Realm. Cultivators couldn't just endlessly swallow their saliva and hope to become a "Saliva Immortal."
According to the Daoist Record, cultivators who newly embarked on the path generally stayed in the Pulse Realm for one to three months. Being in this realm within a month was indicative of a genius, while remaining for over three months marked one as a fool. Hou Niao, who had delayed for several years, wasn't even considered a fool in Daoist Sect's terms; such people were simply unsuited for cultivation.
Now, everything was back on track.
Among the three Daoist books given by the Chong Ling Daoist, he chose the Dragon and Tiger Meeting, which started from the Lower Dantian. There was no special reason; after trying all the Energy Induction Cultivation Techniques, he found that the effects of the Dragon and Tiger Meeting were the best, slightly surpassing both "Participation in the Source Induction" and "Supreme Guiding."
Normally, if there were elders or teachers from the Daoist Sect around, they would choose the direction of energy induction based on each person's different talents, characteristics, and Spirit Root tendencies. This was to lay a fitting foundation for the future, so faster wasn't necessarily better.
But for him, there was no one to guide him, and he was already quite old for starting his cultivation path. He needed to make up for lost time, so he could only practice the techniques that allowed him to progress quickly.
Chong Ling had given him three cultivation techniques, two for cultivating the Middle Dantian and one for the Lower Dantian. The preference was clear; it indicated that cultivating the Middle Dantian was best, which was also the cultivation philosophy of the Daoist Sect, where most start their cultivation path from the Middle Dantian.
This was also the standard starting method for Magic Cultivation.
The Middle Dantian, located at the chest's center, is known as the "Jiang Palace," the area around the heart pit where the ancestral Qi gathers. It's also referred to as the "Giant Que" or "Spirit Platform." Measuring from the lower groin, it is at a point 0.618 times the length of the trunk.
The Middle Dantian, present at the center, corresponds to the "Huangting" from the twelfth floor below the self-supporting jar, with the heart representing Yang as cattle. Here, the liver, gallbladder, and spleen each have their specific roles, jointly cultivating the heart-field, thus the saying, "My family solely cultivates our own field, nurturing the spirit seedlings for ten thousand years. Irrigation relies on the Upper Valley Spring, and one day when the cultivation is complete, it is Penglai, the abode of great immortals."
The Lower Dantian is located at the Guan Yuan acupoint, Shen Jue acupoint, three inches below the navel, the site where essence is stored; mainly, it is the area around the navel. The Yin exchange, Qi Sea, Stone Gate, Guan Yuan, Shen Que, and Life Gate acupoints in the abdomen are all known as "Dantian."
The Lower Dantian, also known as the true Dantian, is right below the navel or sometimes referred to as the Qi Sea, the place where life is stored.
Protecting the Lower Dantian generally refers to guarding this area with the intention because it's closely related to human life activities. Located at the body's center, it's the starting point of the circulation for the Ren, Du, and Chong meridians. The twelve meridians also input into their respective meridians either directly or indirectly through the Dantian.
The Lower Dantian is the base for the ascension and descent, opening and closing of True Qi, and also the place for men to store essence and women to nourish the fetus.
The origin of life and Qi, the foundation of the five organs and six viscera, the root of the twelve meridians, the junction of Yin and Yang, the door of respiration, and the community of water and fire convergence.
While Magic Cultivation favors the Middle Dantian, Body Cultivation prefers the Lower Dantian; steeped in martial arts, strong in combat and easy to learn are among the benefits of practicing the Lower Dantian. However, when it comes to skill manipulation, understanding the Purple Mansion, and moving inner secrets, it falls short of practicing the Middle Dantian. These are merely different choices and cannot exactly be categorized as good or bad.
In his pursuit of speed and making up for lost time, Hou Niao could not afford to care about these distinctions and focused on practicing quickly, as time waits for no one.
Five days later, the black awning boat left the surface of Divine City. After twenty days, it crossed Xinyi State, and in another fifteen days, it was about to leave Pelican State. Up next was Boundary State's White Sand State, and at the very north of White Sand was Border City Liuyang City.
Several days prior, the black awning boat of the old Qi and his son had followed a large passenger boat. This was a large three-tier ship, quite imposing, accommodating nearly a hundred passengers; Anhe Country, with its extensive water system, naturally had a flourishing ship-building industry. Boats like this were not unusual in Anhe City and there were even larger ones.
As they were boating upstream and the current season's wind was inconvenient, the sailing mainly depended on poles and oars, which was rather strenuous for the boatmen; for an experienced boatman, trailing behind another boat would save some effort, a skill crucial to those who make a living on the water.
Over the past few days, whenever the large ship moved, they also moved; when it stayed, they stayed too. Theirs wasn't the only small boat; several small ones trailed behind the large passenger ship, forming a line, that turned out to be quite interesting.
This evening, just as dusk fell, the large passenger ship stopped near a wild crossing, and several small boats also moored one after another. Old Qi made a fire to cook some food, a very simple meal of pancakes bought from the shore, supplemented with a pot of freshly cooked fish soup.
Hou Niao didn't mind this; he thought it was great, the ingredients were fresh, caught from the river, and that alone was better than any culinary technique.
With his mood uplifted, his appetite was good, and he enjoyed his meal immensely.
After cleaning up the dishes, Old Qi handed over two cotton balls, "Sir, once it gets dark, you should plug your ears with these cotton balls? Don't take them out while sleeping, and you can remove them only when it gets light tomorrow."
Hou Niao was surprised, "Why?"
Old Qi looked serious, "Starting today, we have already entered the Boundary. This section holds a Water Demon, which never appears during the day but specifically harms people at night.
They don't come ashore; they only target the travelers on passing ships. At night, they sing beside the passenger ships, and their singing is extremely enchanting. If someone cannot resist, they will unconsciously walk into the water, becoming their prey.
So, you need to block your ears so that the singing's temptation is greatly reduced."
Hou Niao had never heard of such things before. It seemed like such demons weren't known around Fufeng City's Qingtang River? Perhaps it's because the water systems are different, each with its own capabilities?
"If the sound is penetrating, perhaps the cotton won't completely block it?"
"It will definitely help a lot. Please don't take it lightly. I know you have read many books, but this sort of matter can't be resolved by just reading."
Hou Niao accepted the cotton balls; he couldn't refuse the kindness of the boatman, "What kind of singing is so enticing that it could lead travelers to jump into the river?"
Old Qi spoke gravely, "It might not necessarily be the singing itself. I've heard from knowledgeable Daoists that this sound is different for different people, varying with the individual.
For instance, to a scholar, it appears as the promise of topping the examination list or achieving high marks at the imperial examination; to a merchant, it signals emerging business opportunities, moments not to be missed; to an official, it speaks of promotions and wealth, securing fortunes for many generations; to generals, it's taking down fortresses and decisive victories from thousands of miles away...
Essentially, whatever you most desire, that's what you will hear. Meanwhile, we lowly boatmen, with no great ambitions and limited experiences, just aim to provide for our families, are hardly affected."
Finally, Hou Niao understood, this was a case of circumstances born from the mind!
"Thank you, kind sir. I will certainly plug my ears tonight."
As night fell, Hou Niao continued his Cultivation. How could he plug his ears? An ordinary person might do so, but lacking even that level of self-control, how could he cultivate the Dao?
After a session of Cultivation, he pushed the matter to the back of his mind.
Having finished his Cultivation, as he sat in silent meditation, faint, distant sounds of heavenly music came to him, providing utmost comfort.
… The Dao embodies itself in both heaven and earth, ideal for fostering tranquility beyond the solitary. Seeing forms yet understanding the void, forgetting self is truly natural. Opening the records in the Renzi Era, finding paths in the Jia Shen year. Clouds follow the dance melodies, flowing water accompanies the songs. Stone marrow fragrant as food, Ganoderma crisp as lotus. Mooring the mythical bird at the Penglai waters, the return journey ascends to the vast heavens.