Chapter 22: Comparable to the High Daoists of Antiquity

In the Yuanfa Palace, a small meditation chamber was crowded with many people.

After hearing Hui Bin's account, everyone first looked at the seemingly ordinary yellow talisman in his hand, then at Daoist Priest Yihong sitting aside in silent contemplation, and one by one fell silent themselves.

Although most of them were Daoist Priests who chanted scriptures and cultivated daily, in this day and age, not many truly believed in metaphysics; they merely regarded the Daoist path of calming the mind, cultivating qi, and nurturing the body as a philosophical system for conduct and self-cultivation.

They believed in the existence of internal energy, but also thought it was not so miraculous; in fact, it was just a kind of power within the human body that could promote health and longevity, at most assisting strength and agility.

Fortune-telling, physiognomy, and feng shui passed down to the present day are actually sciences encompassing psychology, mathematics, geography, meteorology, and the like.

As for consecration...

In their eyes, so-called consecration was merely a religious ritual, a process of strengthening psychological suggestion through ceremony and then influencing the material through the ideal.

Just as maintaining a good mindset can alleviate symptoms or even speed up recovery.

Of course, they had indeed heard that religious masters could truly consecrate magical implements, endowing them with miraculous effects; on this point, they were actually half-believing and half-doubting—because they could not do it themselves, nor had they ever witnessed it with their own eyes.

But today, Daoist Priest Yihong's performance shattered everyone's understanding.

Merely glancing at Hui Bin, he knew Hui Bin possessed a truly consecrated protective talisman; this act completely exceeded their scope of understanding. How had Daoist Priest Yihong done it?

They dared to guarantee that Daoist Priest Yihong and Hui Bin had met for the first time today.

As for Daoist Priest Yihong and Hui Bin conspiring to fool them... merely entertaining such a thought was disrespectful to Daoist Priest Yihong!

This was a Daoist Priest of extremely high seniority from the ancestral seat of the Longmen School in Yan Du, the Baiyun Temple, who had vowed to collect Longmen scriptures, traveling across the country's large and small Daoist temples to gather Daoist classics book by book, sheet by sheet, and fragment by fragment, highly respected for his virtue.

In that case, there could be only one explanation.

The gazes of the crowd toward Daoist Priest Yihong involuntarily grew fervent.

But Daoist Priest Yihong did not notice these gazes; he merely asked with some disbelief, "You say it was a university student who looked about twenty, who drew it right before your eyes?"

"Yes." Hui Bin nodded repeatedly.

"No burning incense or bathing? No calming the mind and quieting the spirit? No personal consecration?" Daoist Priest Yihong asked. "He simply gave it to you immediately after drawing the talisman?"

"Yes." Hui Bin continued nodding.

"Sss—" Daoist Priest Yihong sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

Seeing Daoist Priest Yihong's shocked expression, everyone also felt a sudden chill for no reason. After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged Daoist Priest at the head cautiously asked, "Daoist Priest Yihong, what is going on?"

"Nothing, I just didn't expect there to still be such an extraordinary young person today," Daoist Priest Yihong remarked.

The crowd exchanged glances, wanting to ask but daring not to; after all, everyone present were prominent figures in the local Daoist circles, and asking would mean admitting they knew nothing.

Daoist Priest Yihong, however, did not care nor mind. "It is not strange that you do not know; after all, life has improved nowadays, and not many people cultivate seriously anymore."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt somewhat awkward.

"Just as martial arts declined with the advent of guns and cannons," Daoist Priest Yihong smiled. "When a Daoist Priest cultivates to the end, the health and longevity effects are roughly comparable to the results of elderly people maintaining a good mindset, exercising more, and supplementing with some nutritional products."

The crowd awkwardly smiled in agreement again.

"Of course, exercise is always useful. Just as, although guns and cannons exist, martial artists still possess greater strength, faster speed, and sharper reflexes than ordinary people; the skilled ones can even move qi and blood with internal energy."

Daoist Priest Yihong continued, "And we Daoist Priests, through years of meditation and seated cultivation, breathing exercises and qi refinement, and opening the microcosmic orbit, also develop a sensation of qi within our bodies, or what might be called internal breath or internal energy. This qi sensation can help us calm the mind and quiet the spirit, strengthening the body and nurturing life."

Consecration is the process by which Daoist Priests inject this internal qi sensation into magical implements or talisman paper; then the implement or talisman carries this energy, able to help the holder calm the mind and quiet the spirit, nurture life..."

Daoist Priest Yihong thought for a moment and joked, "It is similar to carrying a stick of old sandalwood on one's person; it can soothe irritability during work and calm the mind to aid sleep at night, counting as health and longevity cultivation."

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed, but after the laughter, they were all filled with envy. Now that technology is advanced, who does not wish to live a few more days?

They all knew the Daoist teaching of nurturing life; originally they thought it was just maintaining a good mindset plus scientific exercise, clearing blockages in the body's meridians, able to maintain health and longevity, dispel illness and extend years. As for the so-called qi circulating the microcosmic orbit, although they had heard of it, they had never felt it.

Now, hearing what Daoist Priest Yihong said, could it truly be possible to cultivate a qi art that can be perceived, manipulated, and possesses mysterious power?

"Because we have a qi sensation, our spirit and body are also more sensitive than ordinary people's." Daoist Priest Yihong looked at Hui Bin. "Just now, I felt that energy on Hui Bin; seeing its source within his clothes, I guessed it was a protective talisman."

"But..." Daoist Priest Yihong paused here, falling into thought. "Even for a high Daoist to consecrate, one must calm the spirit and quiet the mind, carefully sense the internal qi sensation and breath within the body, and cautiously guide it through the meridians to inject it into the implement."

This process must last at least several days or even over a month before the implement carries energy and can maintain it for a period. Even so, I know there are not many old Daoists in the entire country with this skill."

Speaking to this point, Daoist Priest Yihong could not figure it out no matter how he thought. "If it is truly as Hui Bin said, that this protective talisman was merely drawn casually by a young man, then his cultivation must already be comparable to the high Daoists of antiquity."

The onlookers exchanged glances; each of them had been cultivating for twenty or thirty years, with the most powerful being the abbot of the Yuanfa Palace and high officials of the Daoist Association, yet what Daoist Priest Yihong had just said was the first time they had ever heard of it.

Although Daoist Priest Yihong spoke lightly and casually, they knew this was by no means ordinary.

Just as many can run a hundred meters in eleven seconds, but those who can run it in under ten seconds can be counted on the fingers of one hand across the entire country.

Didn't Daoist Priest Yihong say there are not many with this skill in the whole country? Even if there are still some high Daoists of ancient temples he does not know about, hidden deep in the mountains and forests, their number would certainly not be large.

Although Daoist Priest Yihong used old sandalwood as a metaphor, they thought of many things they had heard before; some events previously heard as flattery, some as satire, some as lucky miracles, perhaps now had other explanations.

Many high officials and nobles in the world believe in metaphysics; are they all fools, merely seeking psychological comfort?

They are within the industry, yet their cultivation is insufficient; instead, they are blinded by illusions and have lost their sense of awe.