Chapter 68: The Person with the Worst Aptitude in Five Hundred Years

Blind Liu's reaction struck me as genuinely funny. "They're just a few Daoist books and secret methods. Is that really worth questioning your entire life over?"

"Just a few Daoist books and secret methods? You don't know how good you have it. Every secret text on this page is a unique copy only true disciples are allowed to read." He looked indignant, as though the heavens themselves were being unfair. "Do you have any idea how long it takes an ordinary person joining a Daoist temple to learn these methods?"

"How long?" I asked.

Blind Liu downed his cup of wine and softened his tone. "To enter the Dao, you must first calm your heart and memorize the disciplinary scriptures. You haul water and chop wood for three years. Only then can those with excellent aptitude learn external martial arts. That's another three years of strengthening the body. Finally, those with pure minds and a loyal, righteous character are chosen to be taught the merit methods by word of mouth."

"What are merit methods?"

"They are basic inner incantations used to cultivate the mind, helping you stabilize your Dao heart and accumulate merit. The master tests you every three years. Only when you reach the state where Supreme Goodness is Like Water, Pure and Natural can you truly cross the threshold into the inner sanctum."

Blind Liu filled his cup again. Something had provoked him today; he clearly wanted to get drunk. "After ten years, you're finally considered an inner disciple with the right to learn the true Daoist methods. But actually reading them requires passing trial after trial."

"That strict?" I was dumbfounded. "Aren't you afraid of the lineage dying out without a successor?"

"Daoism is about respecting the Dao and valuing virtue. It teaches that the Dao follows nature. The goal is cultivating the body and mind in pursuit of longevity. Those immensely powerful talisman methods are merely a byproduct. If you only cultivate to fight, no Daoist temple will keep you." Blind Liu's logic was airtight. Having put away quite a bit of liquor, he picked up the paper covered in Daoist methods and secret treasures.

"Your essence blood is depleted, and your lifespan is damaged. If you don't nourish yourself with external items, you'll struggle to live past three months. The Child Immortal Wine listed on this paper is a top-tier tonic; I've only ever heard of it in rumors. A single drop can nourish the spirit and calm the mind, and a single mouthful can harmonize the five internal organs."

"Child Immortal Wine, got it. I'll remember that," I said, nodding silently.

"As for inner mental methods, the ones on this paper are all Upper Vehicle secret texts. But since you previously learned the Heavenly Eye of the Profound Truth Dao, I recommend you stick to studying the Profound Truth Dao Method."

Blind Liu considered this for a long time before adding, "The Profound Truth Dao originated from the Zhuangzi school during the pre-Qin period. Cultivated to a profound level, it allows you to naturally sense heavenly destiny and receive the nourishment and protection of heavenly essence. That will be incredibly beneficial to your body."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew. Remember to see one path through from beginning to end."

"Don't worry about that," I said. Even if I wanted to learn more, I definitely didn't have the points for it. I calculated in my head: 'The Child Immortal Wine is five points, and the Detailed Explanation of Profound Truth Dao Methods is ten. That leaves me with only six points. What else should I redeem? This Red Cord of Marriage looks pretty tempting.'

"Don't go thinking about any crooked shortcuts, kid. There are none in cultivating the Dao. The fact that you can directly read Upper Vehicle classics already puts you ten years ahead of anyone else. You absolutely cannot be lazy or negligent in your practice."

Blind Liu's lecture woke me from my daydream. "That's true. No matter how powerful a secret technique is, it's useless if I can't actually learn it."

"Half-immortal, how long do you think it takes someone with brilliant aptitude to grasp the basics?"

"Hard to say." Half-Immortal Liu savored the wine in his cup. "Let me familiarize you with the basic realm divisions first."

"Daoist realms are divided into two major stages: the Pre-Heaven Stage and the Post-Heaven Stage. Only when the Post-Heaven Stage is cultivated to a profound level will success naturally follow, opening the door to the Pre-Heaven Stage."

"Even mighty cultivators at the Pre-Heaven Stage have merely caught a glimpse of the doorway. Don't even dream about reaching it for the next ten years."

"For now, I'll just explain the realms within the Post-Heaven Stage."

"Different sects have different terms, but it's generally divided into ten realms: Heart Fasting, Sitting in Forgetfulness, Following the Middle Path, Breath Regulation, Breath Listening, Heel-Breathing, Grain Avoidance, Fetal Breathing, Outer Elixir, and Inner Elixir."

"Heart Fasting refers to inner emptiness and tranquility. Fasting doesn't just mean eating vegetarian meals; it means maintaining a clean mind."

"Sitting in Forgetfulness means sitting quietly and forgetting the physical form. You render your limbs motionless, discard your cleverness, detach from your body, and cast away your wandering thoughts."

"Following the Middle Path refers to adhering to the middle way, circulating Qi through the Governing Meridian, and opening the meridians within the body."

"These first three realms exist to lay the foundation for your subsequent cultivation."

"Only starting from the fourth realm, Breath Regulation, do you truly enter into cultivation methods. You exhale impure air and inhale pure Qi. You manage your breathing, expelling the old to take in the new."

"The fifth realm is Breath Listening, also known as 'Listening to Qi.' In tranquility, you use Qi to listen to your breathing, condensing your spirit to unite with the Dao. I am currently in the fifth realm of the Post-Heaven Stage—Breath Listening."

Blind Liu pointed at the black cloth covering his eyes. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but after more than thirty years of cultivation, I'm still only at the fifth realm of the Post-Heaven Stage. My aptitude is truly dull."

"Damn. If it took you thirty years just to reach the fifth realm, what's the point of me trying? I'll probably be dead in three days anyway." Confronted with the living example of Blind Liu, I felt a surge of despair. "Are there no crash courses?"

"Cultivating the Dao is all about the foundation. How could there be shortcuts? However, everyone's aptitude is different. I've seen exceptionally gifted individuals break through three realms in a single day, achieving an unobstructed Governing Meridian and effortless Breath Regulation." Blind Liu, perhaps feeling the alcohol, waved his carrying pole. "I've read your fortune several times, and the results are different each time. You have the Dao in your destiny, which means you should be suited for cultivation. Tell you what, I'll teach you how to empty your mind right now. For the first realm, Heart Fasting, someone with high talent can enter the state within ten breaths."

"Alright." It was my first time trying to cultivate, so I was inevitably a little nervous. Ignoring the neighboring tables who were looking at me like I had a mental disability, I sat cross-legged and followed Blind Liu's instructions to ease into a state of meditation.

"Do you feel the noise in your ears fading? Does your heart feel completely empty?"

The moment I closed my eyes, my thoughts started churning. The events of the past few days flashed through my mind like a rollercoaster. Out of pure habit, I began rationally analyzing the trajectory of the whole situation.

'There's still one unresolved mystery regarding the Route 14 Bus. Was that little girl who helped me Sakurako? Her appearance was different, but her voice...'

"Has your heart quieted down?" Blind Liu asked softly, jolting me out of it.

'Now isn't the time to think about all that. I need to empty my mind.' Even though I told myself that, the second I closed my eyes again, malicious spirits, dead bodies, and a mess of case clues floated right back up.

"Alright, alright, don't force it." Blind Liu covered his face. "I told you to empty your mind, not recount the past. Your facial muscles are twitching. Just how much trauma have you been through?"

"Are they?"

"You almost scared the kid at the next table to tears, and you have the nerve to ask 'are they'? Let's head back to the shop. It looks like you'll struggle to enter the state without the help of external items."

We settled the bill and returned to Ting Tang Road.

Blind Liu first inspected the layout of the house. He picked a sunlit corner on the second floor and told me to sit on the floor. Next, he pulled a few sticks of high-grade sandalwood incense from his fortune-telling bag and arranged them around me in a specific sequence.

"I'm bringing out treasures I'm reluctant to use even on myself, so you had better not let me down." Looking genuinely pained, Blind Liu lit the incense. He pulled out a mind-calming Talisman Paper and pressed it flat against my back. "Alright, empty yourself. Let your mind break free from the constraints of your physical shell. Don't do anything. Don't think about anything."

I really did try my best to do as he said. As the faint fragrance drifted into my nose, my body slowly relaxed. It felt like a warrior stripping off his armor, shedding his heavy defenses against the world.

The Talisman Paper on my back fluttered without any wind. Sitting there facing the sun, my mind swelled with an unprecedented sense of security.

'I don't have to be afraid of anything right now. I'm in my own home. There is no scheming, no hideous ghosts... there is nothing.' It wasn't until about two hours later that my expression finally smoothed out. It wasn't my usual icy calm, but rather a state of complete natural ease.

Standing by the door, Blind Liu finally let out a small sigh of relief. "It took him two full hours to enter meditation, even with the help of all these external items. Trying to learn the Dao is going to be far too difficult for him."

As for me, with my mind completely emptied and the last trace of distracting thoughts gone, my entire being slipped into a profound, mysterious state. It was far more comfortable than deep sleep.

But the moment I entered that state, I felt the blood flow in my chest accelerate. I looked up into the sky and seemed to see a massive Nine-Tailed Blood Fox looming high above, staring down at me.

"The nine-tailed Xue Zhuo embeds its spirit in you. From now on, we are Bound in Glory and Loss."

The nine-tailed fox leaped down from the sky, opening its maw to swallow me whole!

The moment my consciousness was swallowed, I bolted awake from the meditation. 'What did I just see?'

The bandages over my chest were soaked with blood. I propped myself up with one hand, sweat dripping from my chin onto the floor.

"You're awake already?" Standing by the door, Blind Liu was completely dumbfounded. "You spent two hours entering meditation, only to jolt awake after lasting a few seconds. Gao Jian, it's not that your aptitude is lacking. You have absolutely no aptitude whatsoever!"

Watching his expensive sandalwood incense turn to ash, Blind Liu was left with a bitter smile. "If the Patriarch saw this, even he would probably gasp in amazement."

"Gasp at what?" Clutching my bleeding chest, I climbed up from the floor apologetically.

"You are the person with the worst aptitude recorded in the Liu family's five-hundred-year genealogy. In the old days, they probably would have beaten you out of the house with sticks..."