"The Secret Register of the Purple Mansion?" Hearing this, Qiao Zhi shook his head. "Well, when it comes to registers... generally speaking, they contain the bureaucratic ranks and true names of pantheons, fasting and sacrificial liturgies, spellcasting missives, and the like, don't they? Those are all things required for cultivating the divine path within Daoist arts. Among the Twenty-Five Orthodox Arts, there are Daoist arts that belong to the divine path as well, but I've never heard of any Secret Register of the Purple Mansion. It's probably something third-rate. Where did you hear about it?"
Chu Qiguang offered a smile to mask his inner disappointment. "I heard a few old men talking about it by the village entrance a while back."
Inwardly, he thought, 'The Secret Register of the Purple Mansion might be my only hope of returning to Earth. I wonder if I can even find it anymore.'
"Those old men spend all day bragging and talking out of their backsides. Take what they say with a grain of salt." Qiao Zhi continued, "Let's get back to cultivating the Dao. In this world, there are countless introductory methods for Daoist cultivation; every sect has its own way to begin. Keeping precepts, chanting scriptures, performing rituals, refining qi—they are far too numerous to count. But all of that is far too disorganized, and ordinary people find it even harder to distinguish the differences in realms between them.
"Fortunately, a founding hero of the Great Han Dynasty, Marquis of Zhongwu Qi Mingde, was once ordered by imperial decree to gather the Daoist arts of the world. Drawing upon ancient canonical doctrines, he divided the mental realms prior to entering the Dao into five stages."
With a flick of the cat immortal's tail, his voice rang inside Chu Qiguang's mind like a temple bell: "Namely, the five realms of tranquility, stillness, peace, reflection, and attainment.
"Today, I shall teach you the technique for the first step: entering tranquility. You mustn't underestimate this first realm under any circumstances. Countless cultivators sit bitterly in meditation and chant scriptures for over a decade without ever managing to step into this realm.
"Still, you are a banished immortal from the heavens after all. If you cultivate with dedication, you should be able to achieve it in about ten days' time."
Listening to Qiao Zhi's words, Chu Qiguang felt his heart thumping uneasily. He knew his own situation better than anyone else. He was no banished immortal from the heavens, just an old slick from Earth—how could he possibly possess any cultivation talent?
'If I spend ten days or half a month cultivating without achieving a thing, I wonder if this cat will start suspecting who I really am...'
Under the cat's guidance, Chu Qiguang had already sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. The only sound in his ears was the whistling of the night wind, accompanied by Qiao Zhi's voice echoing from the bottom of his heart.
"Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, ordinary people entertain thousands of thoughts, an endless stream of random notions.
"The first step of cultivating the Dao is to cast aside stray thoughts, settle your mind, remain undisturbed by external things, and keep your spiritual terrace clear and bright. Entering tranquility can even substitute for a portion of your sleep; if maintained consistently, it will enhance your memory and reflexes, sharpen your eyes and ears, and make your mind nimble.
"However, since this is your first time cultivating the Dao, it will be very difficult for you to achieve the realm of entering tranquility. For now, first write the character for stillness in your mind, and do your best to rein in all your thoughts, until nothing remains in your heart except this single word: stillness..."
After a moment, Qiao Zhi suddenly fell silent. Gazing at the motionless Chu Qiguang before him, he exclaimed in astonishment, "He entered tranquility on his very first meditation session? He broke through the first realm of Daoist cultivation just like that? This ancestor has seen quite a few prodigies and geniuses, but even the fastest took a full four days to break through the first realm. Isn't this kid's aptitude a bit too absurd?
"As expected of a banished immortal descending to the mortal world—boundless natural talent!"
The orange cat happily groomed his fur non-stop, beaming from ear to ear as he licked himself. "This is wonderful! Now I'm confident I can have you entering the Dao within five years, and this world will gain another top-tier cat lover."
Chu Qiguang felt that, at this moment, his mind was completely devoid of thought, yet he was exceptionally clear about his own condition and the surrounding environment.
In this state of tranquility, he felt entirely relaxed in body and mind. It was as if his brain had cast off countless burdens, resting in a state of unprecedented recuperation.
Yet before long, Chu Qiguang felt stray thoughts gradually welling up in his heart once more. His forehead seemed to itch slightly, the sound of the wind kept pressing against his ears, his waist grew somewhat sore and weak, and waves of hunger continually rose from his belly...
As distracting thoughts sprouted thick and fast, Chu Qiguang was finally unable to hold on, and he withdrew from the state of tranquility.
Seeing him open his eyes and scratch at his face, Qiao Zhi smiled and said, "Though you succeeded in entering tranquility on your very first try, mental realms aren't attained once and for all. With the slightest carelessness, you risk slipping back down, which is why you must guard your inner heart at all times.
"As the saying goes, conquering the realm is easy, but holding it is hard; cultivation works on the exact same principle. If you can maintain the state of tranquility anytime, anywhere, then you will have broken through to the second realm."
Savoring the sensation of having entered tranquility, Chu Qiguang said happily, "Daoist cultivation is that simple? There isn't any spiritual qi, golden cores, nascent souls, or mystical arcana like that?"
"Simple? Do you have any idea how long this very step has held ordinary people back? If you didn't have past-life wisdom, it wouldn't have been this easy for you either."
Qiao Zhi explained, "As for those mystical and profound concepts, only true masters can comprehend them. Human language is simply incapable of describing the realms they've attained. With your current level, trying to learn that sort of thing would be a dead end; you wouldn't cultivate anything real even if you studied for a hundred years."
After giving a casual explanation, Qiao Zhi changed the subject and said, "Alright, alright, less talking now. Keep cultivating.
"Each time you enter tranquility, it provides the utmost relaxation and nourishment for your spirit. In everyday life, people think far too much, and their spirits grow terribly exhausted each day. Only by nourishing it day after day like this can your spirit grow stronger.
"It's just like the saying goes about maintaining an army for a thousand days: the key lies in the word 'nourish.' Only by eating well, drinking well, and getting enough sleep every day will soldiers grow robust.
"And entering tranquility is the finest nourishment for the spirit—the very definition of conserving one's energy and biding one's strength."
Qiao Zhi flicked his tail and continued, bobbing his head, "If you persist in entering tranquility every day to nourish your spirit like this, your spirit will gradually grow strong. From then on, your memory and reflexes will increase bit by bit. If you keep it up every day over the long term, your senses will sharpen, your mind will become nimble, and whatever you do, you'll achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Chu Qiguang closed his eyes and began attempting the cultivation of entering tranquility once again. This time, however, it proved somewhat harder than before. Random thoughts kept surfacing in his heart, and it took a long while before he managed to enter the state.
Once in tranquility, Chu Qiguang again felt that whole-body, whole-mind relaxation, his brain receiving ample recuperation.
After remaining in tranquility for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chu Qiguang could no longer endure the restlessness in his heart. He withdrew from the state, stood up, and stretched his limbs, only to be urged by Qiao Zhi to resume his cultivation.
Starting and stopping like this, Chu Qiguang found it increasingly difficult to enter tranquility. Before each attempt, stray thoughts multiplied; the beating of his heart, itching on his skin, even the sensation of the night wind brushing against his body—all of it felt magnified without limit, leaving his heart unable to settle.
Finally, after falling out of the state once more, Chu Qiguang discovered he was utterly irritable, completely unable to enter tranquility again.
Seeing the state he was in, Qiao Zhi assessed, "You've reached your limit. If an ordinary person reached this point, they wouldn't be able to continue cultivating today. But I, of course, have another way."
Chapter 10