With Master's explanation, Lu Yanning somewhat understood the Tao.

Although cultivation is more of an exploration of the Great Dao, if a person is gone, everything is empty. Therefore, Taoist cultivators attach great importance to the physical body, and call the physical body a treasure raft to cross the river.

Most people who don't understand think that Taoist cultivators only focus on life and do not focus on cultivation, but in fact it is just a misunderstanding. Since ancient times, Taoism has paid attention to the dual cultivation of life, both of which are indispensable, but everything has a first and a second, and it is also emphasized due to the different sects, but it is never possible to only cultivate life without cultivating nature, or only cultivating nature without cultivating life.

One of the legendary Eight Immortals, Lu Dongbin once said: "Only cultivating life, not cultivating nature, this is the first disease of cultivation; However, if the ancestor cultivator does not cultivate the Dan, it will be difficult for the Yin Spirit of Ten Thousand Tribulations to enter the Holy Spirit. It can be seen that for Taoist practitioners, both sex and life are important. However, in the actual operation and cultivation process, it will be divided into different steps, or it should be said that in the cultivation process, there will be different emphases at different stages.

In the perception of ordinary people, cultivation is divided into four stages, namely: refining and refining qi, refining qi and transforming gods, refining gods and returning them to the void, and refining the void and merging the way.

From this point of view, Lu Yanning is currently in the stage of refining and refining gas. However, Guo Daochang said to Lu Yanning that before refining and refining qi, there is actually one more step, that is: refining form and producing essence.

If you think about it, that's true.

Of course, in the process of substantial cultivation, refining the form and refining the essence and refining the qi can be completely synchronized, and many times it is difficult to distinguish between them.

For example, the Yijin Sutra that Lu Yanning learned belongs to the practice of refining form and refining essence from the perspective of the shape frame, but if it is added with the internal refining heart method, it has a certain effect of refining and refining qi.

Except for those more obvious and pure exercises, sometimes it is not easy to distinguish. In fact, the four major realms are very difficult to divide in detail, and that is only a rough division method.

Lu Yanning learned from his master that the so-called division of the four realms is actually a more general division in the cultivation world, but in terms of the inheritance of this branch passed down by Guo Daochang, it also has its own way of dividing the realm.

From the beginning of the Enlightenment Realm, to the Psychic Realm, to the Psychic Realm, to the Ascending Realm, it can be said that compared to the four major realms of cultivation that have been passed down from generation to generation, it can barely correspond, but it is not exactly the same.

This is actually related to the inheritance of exercises.

Even, even the four worldly realms have some subtle differences for different people or different sects. It's not that people in the same realm have to be at the same level, in fact, this is also very easy to understand, for example, the same primary school, the first and sixth grades of primary school belong to the primary school stage, but can the level of mastery of knowledge be the same?

For many people, they think that cultivation is like building a house, but if you really want to talk about it, in fact, cultivation is more like planting a tree. With the improvement of the cultivation realm, with the extension of the cultivation time and the growth and accumulation of skills, the foundation will become deeper and deeper. Just like a big tree, the larger the root system, the taller the body of the tree, but there is no root without a trunk, or a body without roots.

With Lu Yanning's opening of Xiao Zhoutian, the improvement of his skills can be said to have laid a little foundation, but he doesn't have to spend too much time and energy on getting started, just spend a little time to get familiar with it, and pass it a little.

Guo Daochang said to Lu Yanning: "When you have time to go back, you can read some books and understand some basic things, these things can't be talked about by me alone, you have to read books to understand by yourself." Of course, if you don't understand, you can ask me at any time, as for those Danjing Taoist books, just look at them and understand them, the recipes are all outside the books. ”

Lu Yanning asked suspiciously: "Then, what did the predecessors leave books for?"

"Silly boy, the book is written for those who understand, and it is more about telling some of the principles in cultivation, and at the same time, it is also for future generations to understand the matter of cultivation. The former sages had a trick to come back and read a good book, but they didn't say that they could get a trick by reading a book. Guo Daochang smiled and said: "Have you forgotten what I just told you? The Tao is not lightly transmitted, and it can be passed on universally, but the specific exercises are not universally transmitted, and if you do not enter this door, it will be difficult for outsiders to imagine what is in this door." ”

Lu Yanning nodded and said, "Understood, Master." Then he asked, "Master, what kind of realm am I now?"

"At best, you've completed the foundation building, but you're only qualified enough to start formal cultivation. Guo Daochang glanced at Lu Yanning and said lightly: "The so-called foundation building is to adjust your physical state, your psychological state, to the level that an ordinary person should have, so that you are qualified to further and truly enter the cultivation gate." ”

Lu Yanning was puzzled again and asked, "Master, in the cultivation realm you just mentioned, there is no realm of foundation building?"

Guo Daochang smiled faintly and said, "This is actually another realm division method, it's easy to get dizzy if you talk too much now, and you will naturally understand it in the future as your cultivation progresses." To put it simply, in fact, the so-called four realms mentioned above are not the real cultivation realms, but the main cultivation content of different stages of cultivation. Just like if you go to elementary school and go to middle school and university, the content to be studied at different stages is similar, and the real realm division should be like primary school, middle school and university. ”

Taking a sip of tea, Guo Daochang continued to explain: "Building a foundation actually includes part of refining the form and refining the essence and refining the qi, and the higher qi refining realm also contains these two contents, just like learning Chinese in primary and secondary schools, but the content learned at different stages will be different. ”

Hearing what Master said, Lu Yanning felt a little more chaotic, but he didn't dwell on this anymore, but asked curiously, "Master, what realm have you cultivated to now?"

When Daoist Guo heard Lu Yanning ask, his expression was correct, and he said: "When you see people in the same way in the future, don't ask people about the cultivation realm at will, this is a taboo." As I said earlier, the cultivation realm is actually an approximate division, and it is not very accurate, and only everyone can truly understand what realm they have cultivated, and it is actually difficult to express it clearly. Moreover, this can actually be regarded as personal privacy, don't ask casually. ”

"Understood, Master. Lu Yanning was just curious, he didn't have to ask to understand, he actually knew very well in his heart that the master's realm was the master's, and the key was what kind of realm he could reach by cultivating with the master's teaching. And judging from Master's miraculous demonstration just now, Master's cultivation realm is definitely not much lower.

After listening to Master's explanation, Lu Yanning no longer expected Master to tell him, but he didn't think about it, Guo Daochang said lightly: "Is it the cultivation realm of the master, it should be regarded as refining the gods and empty." ”

For these cultivation realms, in fact, to be honest, Lu Yanning doesn't have any intuitive understanding, and if he doesn't practice, it can only be a blind guess. So I didn't bother anymore, but I wasn't going to ask anymore, and I was ready to listen to the master carefully.

However, Guo Daochang did not continue to explain, but didn't know where to find a palm-sized cloth bag, which seemed to contain something, handed it to Lu Yanning, and said, "This is a gift for you when the teacher returned to the door before." ”

Lu Yanning hurriedly stood up and took it with both hands, pinched it on the bag, it was flat, and it felt hard and hard, it was still a round thing, and said happily: "Thank you, Master!" No matter what it is, this is a gift from Master.

And receiving a gift is always a joy thing.

Guo Daochang said with a smile: "Open it and see if you like it." ”