Chapter 145: Primordial Spirit and Saintly Physique

A sudden loud explosion echoed from within the furnace, shooting forth countless rays of golden light that illuminated the entire room brilliantly. Immediately afterward, a rich medicinal fragrance drifted out from the pill furnace before Mo Sitong, instantly filling the alchemy chamber. Liu Junhuai felt a surge of secret joy, knowing this was the auspicious sign of a successful pill refinement.

At this moment, Mo Sitong wore a deeply focused expression as she cautiously controlled her spiritual awareness to envelop the medicinal pills. Twelve perfectly round, glowing white pills slowly rose from within the furnace, coming into full view.

Following the rich, intoxicating aroma of the pills, the old steward strode over in two steps to the glowing white pellets, carefully dividing and storing them into three jade bottles.

"A single grain hides the sun and moon, three pints of the cauldron boil mountains and rivers; the ancients did not deceive us! A rank-seven alchemist has indeed touched upon the fringes of immortal pills. Catching the scent of the Tower Master's wife's rank-seven pills, this old man feels as though he is once again experiencing the birth of immortal medicines. Such magnificent pills!" The old steward's expression carried a hint of excitement.

Mo Sitong wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Steward, please help evaluate the quality of these Earth Spirit Pills. Why do I see several different grades among them?"

The old steward nodded and said, "Three of inferior grade, seven of medium grade, and two superior-grade pills. For the Tower Master's wife to successfully refine superior-grade pills on your very first attempt at rank-seven alchemy shows truly remarkable talent. Tower Master, you may simply give two of the inferior ones to your two disciples. Although these Earth Spirit Pills are rank-seven, due to the scarcity of their ingredients, their value is no less than that of rank-eight completed pills."

Liu Junhuai stepped forward to help wipe the sweat from Mo Sitong's brow. "Thank you, Sitong! Congratulations on becoming a rank-seven alchemist! There can hardly be a few like you in the entire Western Regions. Our Myriad phenomena Sect has truly stepped to the forefront of the cultivation world in terms of alchemy."

Mo Sitong thoroughly enjoyed Liu Junhuai's gentleness at that moment, but with the old steward standing right beside them, she could only cast a tender, lingering gaze at Liu Junhuai.

"Strike while the iron is hot. While my hands are still warm, I might as well refine the Spirit Pupil Pills," Mo Sitong said, taking out that section of Spirit Eye Wood.

Upon seeing the Spirit Eye Wood, the old steward immediately understood Liu Junhuai's intention. "Add half a stalk of the Othershore Flower; it can enhance comprehension. Furthermore, the Tower Master's wife can also refine the Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills. I have long since prepared the Blazing Spirit Ganoderma and Profound Pearl Grass—add half a stalk of the Othershore Flower to those as well. Once these three types of pills are refined, Madam's position as a rank-seven alchemist will be completely consolidated, and the quality of her future pills will also improve."

Liu Junhuai asked, "Steward, can these Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills truly grant immunity to all poisons?"

The old steward's tone carried a hint of excitement. "Immunity to all poisons originally means being free from the harm of any toxic substances, but there is no absolute defense in heaven and earth. These Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills can certainly temper your body to resist the intrusion of most poisons, and your physical strength will be enhanced significantly. More importantly, these pills can elevate your willpower and control, preventing you from being easily deluded or conquered by external forces."

At this point, the old steward paused for a moment and cast a deep, meaningful look at Liu Junhuai. "These Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills share another similarity with immortal pills: mortals who consume them can gain an additional thousand years of life. This is the primary reason why these pills are so unimaginably precious in the lower realms."

However, in the hands of the Tower Master, the Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills will have an even greater purpose, which is the main reason why I want Madam to add half a stalk of the Othershore Flower. Because the Tower Master possesses the one-in-ten-million-years Five-Element Saint Body, the Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills can help nurture your primordial spirit!

Liu Junhuai was struck dumb with shock. If it were truly possible to cultivate a primordial spirit, he would be defying the heavens indeed, for the primordial spirit was something that could only be condensed at the Soul Formation stage. "Steward, did I hear correctly? The Soul Formation stage is still so very far away from me! For a Golden Core cultivator to cultivate a primordial spirit is truly an act of defying the heavens—wouldn't the heavenly tribulation strike me down long ago?!" As he spoke, a trace of trembling crept into his voice, and the shock in his heart was simply impossible to suppress.

The old steward smiled. "Originally, this old man did not intend to speak to you about these matters so early, but ever since the Tower Master prematurely triggered the pseudo-heavenly tribulation, I decided to tell you in advance. Since you are naturally destined by heaven, knowing a bit earlier does no harm."

Saying this, the old steward paused to gather his thoughts, looking at Liu Junhuai with profound meaning. "Ever since the Tower Master evolved from a chaotic five-element root into a true Five-Element Root, your physique can already be called a Saint Body. Leaving the Saint Body aside for the moment, I want to tell you about the primordial spirit.

"Life is derived from heaven and earth, thus heaven and earth are the great matrix that nurtures humankind. After parents unite their essence to form an embryo, spirit and vital breath dwell in the heart to give rise to life. This spirit is the primordial spirit, unstained by acquired influences before birth. The primordial spirit can travel back and forth because it is carried by the soul, while the corporeal soul exists alongside vital essence. The perceptual function of the corporeal soul over the physical body is accomplished by the heart; this is spiritual awareness.

"The primordial spirit and spiritual awareness not only reside in different places, but their states of motion and stillness also differ. The primordial spirit remains hidden and unmoving, whereas spiritual awareness is manifest and easily stirred. Therefore, spiritual awareness pertains more to the realm of feeling, while the primordial spirit dwells at an extremely high level of the spirit. The relationship between the innate primordial spirit and the acquired spiritual awareness is a unity of opposites; in ordinary people, the innate primordial spirit is obscured by the acquired conscious spirit, with spiritual awareness taking charge day by day.

"Ordinary people differ greatly from cultivators in that their primordial spirit is obscured—and even replaced—by spiritual awareness. Furthermore, spiritual awareness depends on the physical body for its existence and thus cannot endure; as the physical body dissipates, so too does awareness. Cultivators can use meditative practices to strengthen the power of the primordial spirit and ultimately break free from the shackles of the corporeal body.

"A cultivator's practice is precisely the process of cultivating the primordial spirit, which is also the key to the efficacy of cultivation. Through cultivation, one can not only rapidly stimulate the physiological potentials within the body, but also directly regulate the internal organs, meridians, qi, blood, yin, and yang of the human body, thereby placing the organism in its optimal functional state to achieve the best cultivation results.

"Life originates from the combination of spirit and essence. Through continuous cultivation, one can emulate the process by which heaven and earth transform and generate life, using the human body as an alchemy furnace to reverse this process, causing the primordial spirit to condense and remain indestructible. Thus, one breaks through the cycle of life and death, casts off the shackles of the corporeal body, and ultimately maintains a state where form is born from intent, the body changes according to intent, yet the primordial spirit remains unchanged. This is what it means to be an immortal. This very process is internal alchemy."

Liu Junhuai felt somewhat dizzy listening to this and could not help urging, "What does this have to do with the Saint Body?"

The old steward smiled. "Tower Master, do not be anxious; this is precisely what I am coming to. In the immortal realm, there is a theory of forming the body through intent, and intent manifests across the levels of the corporeal soul, awareness, soul, and spirit. The corporeal soul belongs to yin and is the carrier of perception and awareness; with it, humans possess perception and cognition.

"The soul, on the other hand, is the hidden carrier of the spirit. By day, it hides within the eyes, which is why spirit can be discerned through one's gaze. By night, it hides in the liver. Thus, when people dream at night, they can traverse the nine heavens and nine earths in a fleeting instant. Dreams are likewise a true existence, and what wanders through them is not the flesh, but the human soul. The corporeal soul is tightly bound to the body, keeping the soul and spirit tethered.

"What cultivators pursue is becoming an immortals, while immortals pursue casting off the shackles of the physical body. Spirit is the highest realm within the body; it depends on the soul for its existence, belonging to the innate and the hidden. Corporeal soul and awareness, however, are acquired after birth, fused with the physical body, and manifest.

"Now, regarding the Saint Body. The Tower Master's spiritual awareness is immensely powerful, and with the augmentation of the Heavenly Eye, your actual cultivation realm has long surpassed the Soul Formation stage. Pangu split heaven and earth to create a world suitable for living beings, allowing the five elements to return to their proper places. Because you were naturally born with all five roots complete, you resonate with the heaven and earth that were cleaved open. Therefore, your primordial spirit has long since condensed into form; it is merely because your nascent soul has not yet formed that your primordial spirit cannot leave the body.

"Leaving the body is quite easy to understand—the soul can attach itself to the nascent soul and go out for a stroll. According to the classifications of the cultivation world, this leaving-the-body state occurs between the Nascent Soul stage and the Spirit Division stage. Since the Tower Master's primordial spirit has already condensed into form within your body, a sacred fetus has already been formed. Once you break the pellet to form the nascent soul, your soul can assist you in cultivation from within. Your cultivation and recovery speeds will multiply, and your speed in the later Nascent Soul stage will be many times that of the early stage. The primordial spirit is the essence of the external elixir; without the primordial spirit coming forth, the external elixir has no roots. Only by quickly forming the external elixir can the Tower Master's cultivation path be considered a minor success!

"This internal elixir is the yin spirit, while the external elixir is the yang spirit. The energy levels of the yin and yang spirits are quite limited, yet the energy of a primordial spirit that has successfully cultivated an external elixir is immeasurable. The Profound Essence Nine-Bundle Pills are refined specifically to help the Tower Master break the pellet and form the nascent soul; they function similarly to barrier-breaking pills, but they will cause the Tower Master to form the rudiment of an indestructible golden body. As your realm and cultivation grow in the future, reaching the Integration stage where the nascent soul and physical body merge into one will also be the day when the Tower Master's indestructible golden body achieves minor success."

Having reached this point, the old steward spoke no further, for Liu Junhuai had already plunged into a deep state of comprehension. The old steward's discourse had made many vague concepts in his cultivation process gradually clear, allowing him to slowly touch upon the true essence of the Dao.

Years rush past, and a hundred human years pass in the blink of an eye. Who was I a hundred years ago? Where will my soul return a hundred years from now?

Ever since crying at birth, this life began. In infancy, without desires or demands, one is completely innocent and pure, and the body develops and grows rapidly. Upon reaching adulthood, the seven emotions and six desires erode the true essence; wine, women, wealth, fame, profit, and affection entangle one throughout life, leading ultimately to old age and death. Where does death lead?

Two hours later, Liu Junhuai's tightly furrowed brows suddenly unfurled, his bewildered gaze gradually cleared, and his chaotic consciousness awakened.

The old steward felt a surge of joy and asked, "Has the Tower Master gained some comprehension?"

Liu Junhuai nodded, still savoring the insight. "I have comprehended the four words: entering life and exiting death! Coming into the world is life, entering the earth is death. To step out of the cycle of reincarnation and evade the calamity of life and death, there is nothing better than entering the Great Dao and resolving to cultivate truth. Earth forms the bones, muscles, and internal organs; water forms the blood within the body; wind forms the respiratory system; and fire forms the constant body temperature within. For the human body, none of these four can be lacking. Should any of them fall into discord, the spirit will decay overnight, and the physical body will cease to exist.

"A cultivator utilizes these four—earth, water, wind, and fire—to forge a true body as indestructible as diamond, casting aside the flesh to attain an eternal spiritual body so as to become undying and imperishable!"

The old steward nodded. "Only those who balance morality with both internal and great external discipline, possessing great wisdom, courage, and deep roots of virtue, will have the moment to attain the Dao and become immortals! Cause, effect, karmic retribution, and reincarnation are the origin; good deeds and virtuous conduct are the foundation. The Tower Master is one endowed with spiritual roots and affinity. Just like a raft carrying people across a river, boarding the raft is not the same as reaching the destination. Only when this raft is ultimately abandoned can one ascend to the other shore. If one blindly rides the raft just to sightsee, guarding it without letting go, one will eventually fail to withstand the coming winds and waves, turning what is beneficial into harm. It was only when you prematurely triggered your heavenly tribulation that I had this flash of enlightenment. Heaven rewards the diligent—strive onward!"