Chapter 660
“Yang Shen, Fa Shen, the biggest problem is that they distort a cultivator's nature, even leading them to lose their self-will,” Zheng Fa paused for a moment. “This changes the cultivator themselves.”
In simple terms, whether it’s Dao transformation or indulgence in carnal desires, both turn a person into something other than themselves.
“What about the Tianhe Method?”
Zheng Fa shook his head slightly. “The Tianhe Method goes against the very essence of evolution.”
To be honest, the Tianhe Method, as practiced by the Tianhe Zunzhang, carries a sense of fleshly weakness and mechanical ascension.
Of course, that’s not the essence of the Tianhe Method’s flaw.
The real issue is that, in order to maintain the true self, the Tianhe Method is overly stable.
“Evolution is a form of change. Dao transformation might be an understanding of the Great Dao. Although it carries risks, it also implies progress. If I remain the same person I’ve always been, how can I talk about understanding the Dao or transcending?”
Zheng Fa’s thoughts were straightforward: whether it’s the Yang Shen Method or the Fa Shen Method, cultivators are too unstable and can easily go mad.
But the progress of cultivation itself is an inherently unstable process.
The Tianhe Method is stable, yet it results in cultivators practicing it being nearly unable to advance on their own.
Essentially, the challenge of the Hua Shen Method lies in balancing the self and the non-self, change and permanence.
Yan Wushuang listened, quite surprised.
Was Zheng Fa’s explanation hard to understand?
Not at all; in fact, it was clear as day.
But the problem was, had anyone in the Xuanwei Realm ever articulated such straightforward ideas before?
At least, he had never heard them.
Since childhood, he had only heard about how profound and unfathomable the Hua Shen Method was, how it was filled with cryptic wisdom. Only Zheng Fa, despite his simple language, made arguments that were irrefutable.
Having been at Jiushan Sect for a few years, he could feel the differences between this sect and others:
Take the Tianhe Sect’s Hua Shen techniques, which were indeed marvelous but also notoriously elusive. According to Zheng Fa’s complaints, they didn’t speak in human terms.
In contrast, Jiushan Sect had Zheng Fa’s style—he seemed afraid you wouldn’t understand, even going so far as to speak in circles.
Which was better? He felt he lacked the ability to judge, but looking at the young Yuan Ying of Jiushan Sect around him, he already had an answer in his heart.
More importantly, he suddenly realized something: Zheng Fa’s concept pointed directly to how to create the Hua Shen Method.
What constitutes a good Hua Shen Method, or rather, what direction should Jiushan Sect’s Hua Shen Method take? The answer was already clear.
He glanced at his senior sister’s face and saw her eyes shining with inspiration, no longer clouded by confusion. Xie Qingxue spoke up:
“So you mean, we should take the strengths of both the Yang Shen and Fa Shen methods, and incorporate the true self from the Tianhe Method?”
Zheng Fa smiled and nodded. “Exactly. The three methods have no fundamental conflict; they’re just too complex, which is why they’ve never been created.”
If it weren’t for the Jiuzhang Calculation Array and Senior Sister Zhang’s innate Bagua, along with various modern knowledge and the “Tiangang Disha Transformation,” he wouldn’t have had the confidence to pursue this path.
“Integrating Yang Shen and Fa Shen, cultivating both life and spirit. Using the life-bound magical artifact, to preserve the spirit and reflect upon myself.”
Xie Qingxue’s eyes lit up as she murmured, “Cultivating both life and spirit, preserving the spirit and reflecting upon myself.”
“From my perspective, the power of the Yang Shen and Fa Shen is secondary. What’s essential is the evolutionary mechanism they embody, which cannot be abandoned. But if this ‘evolution’ causes me to lose my self, then I must rely on the Tianhe Method to restore it.”
Zheng Fa’s thoughts were quite simple:
The Yang Shen Method and Fa Shen Method are tools for understanding the Dao.
An imperfect analogy:
If Zheng Fa were a computer system, these two would be for system upgrades.
The Tianhe Method, on the other hand, is akin to a system backup.
The problem is, if the upgrade goes wrong, one must rely on the Tianhe Method to revert to a previous version.
As for why one should cultivate both the Yang Shen Method and the Fa Shen Method, it’s actually a hypothesis of Zheng Fa:
Both methods are fundamentally based on the human body, and they do not conflict with each other; in fact, they complement each other, which is what is meant by cultivating both life and spirit.
On another note, the Fa Shen Method poses a risk for Zheng Fa that others do not face—his physical body is equivalent to Fusang Wood.
Fusang Wood is naturally strong, but if influenced by the Fa Shen, Zheng Fa’s nature might skew in the future. Would he still be himself or merely Fusang Wood?
But he could never abandon the Fusang Wood; that would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Thus, he not only needed to cultivate the Tianhe Method but also the Yang Shen Method, both aimed at counteracting the influence of the Fusang Wood.
After hearing Zheng Fa’s conceptual framework, even Yan Wushuang understood. His mind was racing with thoughts, and countless insights were bursting forth, not to mention Xie Qingxue and the other Hua Shen cultivators.
“In this way, the Tianhe Method becomes simple. Every time there’s a breakthrough in cultivation or a new understanding, one can compare it with the self within the life-bound magical artifact. If the true self is lost or the direction is wrong, one can start over; otherwise, the insights can be refined into the magical artifact.”
“So, not only do we not have to worry about the Tianhe Method holding us back, but it will also allow cultivators and their life-bound magical artifacts to progress together?”
Xie Qingxue’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “If that’s the case, then the Tianhe Method has a clear direction for its next development!”
What Xie Qingxue said was complex, but at its core, it was simply a process of a cultivator and their life-bound magical artifact working in harmony, spiraling upwards together.
“Actually… I think it’s possible that Tianhe Zunzhang has considered this before.”
Zheng Fa suddenly said.
“Hmm?”
Xie Qingxue was taken aback, and Zheng Fa looked at Senior Sister Zhang and Xiao Yuying, saying, “Do you remember that Tianhe disciple from the Bronze Hall?”
Senior Sister Zhang’s eyes flickered with recollection as she exclaimed, “You mean… his physical body and magical artifact are in harmony…”
“Yes, it differs somewhat from the Tianhe Method we see now, but it embodies the essence of integrating the Fa Shen Method and the Tianhe Method.”
“Then our Tianhe Sect…”
“Either this method is prohibited by the four sects, or Tianhe Zunzhang didn’t pass it down to your Tianhe Sect’s ancestors, only to that disciple.”
Xie Qingxue’s expression was complex as she let out a breath. “I knew it; the ancestor is not inferior to others, it’s just that the disciples are unworthy.”
Yan Wushuang blinked, glancing around at the young Yuan Ying of Jiushan Sect. Seeing their gazes toward Zheng Fa filled with reverence, he held back a thought he dared not voice in front of Senior Sister:
Not inferior to others?
Just the fact that the disciples are unworthy means the ancestor has lost completely.
…
After listening for a while, the others also began to understand:
According to Zheng Fa’s framework, what they needed to improve was merely the details.
Or rather, they just needed to think about how to integrate the Yang Shen and Fa Shen methods to achieve the cultivation of both life and spirit.
Senior Sister Zhang’s eyes brightened as if she had figured it out. She spoke up, “If that’s the case, it’s actually quite simple. The Fa Shen already contains the human nervous system; we just need to refine it.”
Elder Yuan nodded as well. He stood up, his entire body glowing with spiritual light, revealing his Shenxiao Fa Shen, and said, “Zheng Fa and I both cultivate the Shenxiao Golden Core; it’s sufficient to use my Shenxiao Fa Shen as the foundation.”
Before anyone could react, Elder Yuan continued, “The essence of my Shenxiao Fa Shen is…”
No one expected Elder Yuan to publicly share the Shenxiao Fa Shen he had just created!
Zheng Fa was taken aback, looking at the old man, who seemed oblivious and continued explaining.
He couldn’t help but feel moved; after all, this old man’s honesty was likely to help him create a technique.
Elder Yuan first explained the technique, then began discussing the thought process behind its creation, his experiences in Hua Shen cultivation, and even insights he had gained, sharing everything without reservation.
A cultivator capable of creating a Hua Shen Method was something even someone of Xie Qingxue’s background had never encountered. His insights naturally captivated everyone, stirring up many realizations within them.
Once Elder Yuan finished speaking, everyone fell into contemplation. Senior Sister Zhang stood up again:
“Elder Yuan’s Shenxiao Fa Shen is truly marvelous. I’ll add my own thoughts on the Ba Gua Yang Shen.”
Yan Wushuang couldn’t help but feel exhilarated.
This conference was becoming increasingly stimulating!
He was particularly fond of thunder techniques, and the Shenxiao Fa Shen had already left him in awe. Now, Senior Zhang’s Ba Gua Yang Shen, a technique endowed with innate divine powers, was something he could also hear about?
Jiushan Sect truly didn’t treat him as an outsider!
Didn’t even Senior Sister Zhang seem to be gripping the hilt of her sword, visibly excited?
“The Ba Gua Yang Shen, at its core, is focused on one thing—calculation!” Senior Sister Zhang began. “It originates from the Jiuzhang Calculation, and while its power may not be as great as the Jiuyou Yang Shen of Haori Mountain, it conflicts less with other Fa Shen methods. It should integrate well with the Shenxiao Fa Shen.”
With that, Senior Sister Zhang also shared the condensation method, essence, experiences, and insights of the Ba Gua Yang Shen.
After hearing it, Zheng Fa felt that his senior sister was being overly modest:
The Ba Gua Yang Shen was certainly not without power; rather, it contained the true meaning of Jiushan Sect’s talisman path. He could discern that it also encompassed knowledge from the talisman techniques, talisman arrays, and even the true forms of mountains and rivers.
It’s worth noting that Senior Sister Zhang could almost be considered the foremost expert in Jiushan Sect’s talisman path, and the Ba Gua Yang Shen she created was most suitable for talisman cultivators.
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