Xu Yan saw his master beckoning and immediately became invigorated with excitement.
"Master must have seen that I am only a step away from Bone Refinement Perfection and have encountered a bottleneck, he's going to guide me through it!"
He approached Li Xuan excitedly and reverently performed a salutation, "Master!"
"Mhm, your enthusiasm and diligent cultivation are commendable!"
Li Xuan nodded at Xu Yan, who was visibly excited, showing approval for his arduous cultivation.
However, he couldn't help thinking to himself, "Those with less nimble minds are so persistent. They may not achieve much in cultivation, but they maintain their diligence. Truly remarkable!"
"I have to say, this disciple of mine... is actually quite good, although I'm no expert!"
Despite Xu Yan's simple-mindedness and susceptibility to deception, his pursuit and commitment to cultivation deserved admiration.
"You've been practicing for a while now, and you've been holding the horse stance for quite some time. Today, your master will teach you something stronger."
Li Xuan spoke with the sternness of a rigorous teacher.
"Thank you, Master!"
Xu Yan was overjoyed. Indeed, Master saw that I had hit a bottleneck with Bone Refinement, and now he's imparting a more powerful technique to me.
"Watch closely!"
With that, Li Xuan stood sideways, bending his knees slightly, his feet one in front of the other, crouching a bit, with one hand above the other, also one in front and one behind; his left hand was positioned in front of his lower abdomen, palm facing down, while his right elbow was bent, raising his palm to shoulder height, palm facing up.
After getting into position, he looked at Xu Yan and asked, "Next, you'll hold this horse stance. Do you understand?"
Xu Yan imitated the stance perfectly and nodded, "Master, I understand!"
Li Xuan withdrew from the posture, resting one hand behind him, and said, "This is the foundational stance, along with a couplet of secret techniques. Comprehend them well. How much you grasp is up to your fortune."
Merely teaching a new stance was too monotonous, so why not make up a couplet as well.
Li Xuan thought this and then slowly said, "Remember this well, the secret is 'Illuminating the heart to nourish true intent, as blood and qi forge the body like a dragon of gold.' Comprehend it thoroughly, and if you grasp the techniques, you will experience their brilliance."
After finishing, Li Xuan walked away leisurely with his hands behind his back, exuding the demeanor of a profound and learned master.
At this moment, Xu Yan's heart was brimming with excitement, muttering, "Illuminating the heart to nourish true intent, as blood and qi forge the body like a dragon of gold... It's truly profound and extraordinary. I must reflect on it deeply!"
"This must be the secret to refining both Bone Refinement and even further Perfection. If I grasp the mysteries within, I will surely be able to achieve Bone Refinement!"
Xu Yan was completely engrossed in the "secret technique," losing himself in it.
The couplet filled his mind as he repeated it, silently reciting it, hoping to uncover some enlightenment.
Yet, even as the night grew deep, he still hadn't grasped any understanding from it.
"It's too Mysterious and Profound. Even though I consider myself to have a high understanding and deep insight into Bone Refinement, I have yet to grasp its profundity in this moment."
"As Master said, if I can fully understand the technique, I will appreciate its wonders."
"Xu Yan, you can do it, you will fully understand the technique, you will refine your bones to gold!"
Xu Yan kept encouraging himself.
His gaze was resolute, without a hint of discouragement.
It was not even a full day yet; comprehending such a profound technique in three to five days would be normal.
...
Before going to bed, Li Xuan stepped out to see Xu Yan, the foolish boy, still standing there, murmuring the made-up technique.
"This silly boy, he hasn't gone mad, has he?"
"I hope he hasn't gone mad for real."
So he called out, "It's late at night, time to go to sleep!"
Xu Yan came out of his daze and hurriedly bowed in greeting, "Yes, Master!"
Li Xuan nodded. His silly disciple might be a bit muddle-headed, but he still listened to his master very well, which meant there was not much of a problem.
If the disciple really hit a dead end, it would just take a bit of persuasion to guide him back on the right track.
Thinking this, Li Xuan went back to his house to sleep.
Xu Yan took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Realizations come with the right moment, with inspiration. Forcing it only pushes it further away, and I almost got trapped, disturbing my own mind."
"Thank Master for enlightening me!"
"Rest, gather strength, restore my spirit, and continue tomorrow."
"This technique is mysterious and profound, not something that can be understood overnight. Three to five days should be enough to comprehend it. My talent, Xu Yan's, is not that bad!"
After figuring it out, Xu Yan went to rest.
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Xu Yan's routine remained the same, cultivating, gardening, weeding, feeding chickens, rearing rabbits, cooking, etc. There was no change in the schedule.
The only change was his stance when practicing the horse stance.
And the fact that he was stuck at the Bone Refinement Perfection stage, unable to progress further.
Every day during cultivation, he pondered over the two lines of the technique but still couldn't grasp the mysterious and profound essence within.
Three days had gone by, and he had gained nothing.
"If I can't even comprehend the two lines of the technique, how can I cultivate my bones to gold? How can I even begin?"
"This is just the foundational technique. The ones that come after must be even more mysterious and unpredictable; how can I continue to cultivate?"
"Stay calm and patient, don't be anxious! Master always says, don't rush, don't aim too high too quickly, stay grounded... I must have missed something."
Xu Yan steadied his heart and calmed his mind.
"Master says, 'With no women in the heart, cultivation has divine help.' This is a state of mind, breaking free from the biggest distractions in the heart... Young men full of vigor are easily attracted by women, which disturbs the mind.
"Master compares women to the greatest distraction in cultivation, which must have deep meaning. It shows Master is warning me not to get lost in distractions.
"What are my distractions?"
Xu Yan extended the idea of "With no women in the heart, cultivation has divine help" in his mind, brainstorming a sequence of profound meanings, and then fell into deep thought.
If Li Xuan knew that Xu Yan was so good at brainstorming, he would definitely exclaim, "This isn't being dull, this is having a mind too damn big!"
"My distraction... is cultivation, constantly thinking about cultivating, but is that really a distraction?
"I've realized!"
A sudden insight struck Xu Yan's mind, and he achieved enlightenment once again.
"Cultivation is a search, a belief, a will, but I was just stuck in obsession, which turned into a distraction!
"I should let go of the obsession with cultivation itself and focus on the present, forgetting all else, forgetting excess perceptions... nothingness, selflessness, immersing my whole being into the technique to grasp it fully..."
At that moment, Xu Yan felt as if a skylight had opened in his mind, and a burst of illumination came forth, with endless realizations emerging.
The true meaning of the two lines of the technique was as if covered by a thin veil, waiting for a light touch to break through and see the concealed truth!
"To nurture the true intent through clear heart and self-inspection, 'clear heart' means self-awareness, clarity of mind, 'self-inspection' is to feel and observe the blood and qi, examining the changes in oneself, and to nurture the true intent... is about the blood and qi nurturing the bones, enriching the marrow, transforming the blood and qi, sublimating the marrow...
"I have comprehended it!"
Xu Yan's eyes were shining, his face full of excitement.
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