Chapter 14: 14. Faith
By the time the three of them returned home, it was sunset.
The journey had not been entirely smooth, but fortunately, they had achieved their goal without any mishaps.
The "Serenity Meditation Method" and two boxes of Calming Incense were placed on the table.
Lu Li picked up the book and said, "Miss Wanqing, let me read it aloud to you."
Wanqing's pretty face blushed with excitement, "Thank you, Mr. Lu. I was just wishing to peruse it."
Lu Li cleared his throat and began to read aloud:
"To enter Meditation, one must clear the mind and become tranquil, focus inwardly, and gather the scattered Spirit to illuminate the Sea of Consciousness, thus ensuring the stability of both spirit and form."
...
Profound truth in few words, this book also contained only a thousand or so characters, beginning with how to use the technique of "visualization" for Cultivation.
Within the book was a ink painting, depicting a robust and solitary pine tree, named the "Serenity Visualization."
Visualization meant closing one's eyes and using the Spirit to depict this image within the Sea of Consciousness.
Repeating this process over and over was like exercising muscles, making the Spirit grow stronger.
Having read this, Lu Li felt that the Cultivation Method was not difficult.
The next part was about the most essential element—how to Breakthrough realms.
Unexpectedly, such crucial information was only covered on one page, the core essence summarized in one sentence:
"Hence, to realize one's Heart and Nature is to illuminate oneself; if the heart and spirit never waver, Meditation will naturally follow..."
Lu Li furrowed his brows, not quite understanding the meaning.
Luckily, Wanqing had immersed herself in this path for many years and possessed exceptional insight, offering a timely explanation:
"To realize one's Heart and Nature is to directly confront the true heart, to find one's Faith; only then can the Spirit be stabilized!"
"Faith... to stabilize the Spirit?"
After all, as a person from the modern era, Lu Li still couldn't fully grasp the concept.
Wanqing thought for a moment, then fished out the book "Understanding Brain Waves" and continued:
"People's thoughts are overly complex, with many frequencies of brain waves.
Among them, there's a magical 'Alpha Wave' that only manifests when a person is most resolute and calm.
Athletes generate a substantial amount of Alpha Waves right before they deliver a top-level performance.
According to Western scholars, to enter Meditation means to unify the brain into the state of Alpha Waves.
Only a Faith that is unyielding and without regret can influence the brain to reach this state."
After hearing this explanation that bridged Eastern and Western philosophies, Lu Li suddenly gained a flash of insight, "So it's about using willpower to influence the brain..."
Xiao Cha, listening on the side with a headache, rubbed her temples and remarked:
"Spirit Refining Cultivation not only requires arduous effort but also a breakthrough in understanding, no wonder there are so few Cultivators."
Lu Li deeply agreed, finding this profound and mysterious sudden insight to be very challenging.
"Resolute Faith... what is my Faith?"
For a 17-year-old youth, this question was beyond his scope, with many not figuring it out until death.
However, having a goal now, Lu Li sincerely thanked her: "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Wanqing. I have learned a lot!"
"You're too polite, Mr. Lu. It is the 'Serenity Meditation Method' that has truly benefited me."
~~~~~~~~~
"What's a book worth, anyway!"
While the two exchanged courtesies, Xiao Cha fixed her gaze on the "Calming Incense" on the table, wondering to herself:
"Will he agree to let us enjoy the incense together? Such an expensive item, how should I ask..."
Although it wouldn't be too much if the three of them smelled the incense together, since they had spent a lot of money on it, who would want to let outsiders enjoy it for free?
Unsure of Lu Li's thoughts, Xiao Cha stealthily reached under the table and pinched a big chunk of Wanqing's thigh.
Wanqing twisted her body and immediately understood that Xiao Cha wanted her to speak up.
But she also found it tough to broach the subject.
Having been taught by Lu Li the method of sensing the Sea of Consciousness and given a free look at the Meditation Technique, she had already taken enough advantage...
The room fell into a bit of silence at this moment.
Faith can't be conjured up through sheer thought, so Lu Li simply set it aside for the moment and picked up the Calming Incense, saying:
"This incense must be effective, let's try it together?"
The two girls were momentarily stunned, never expecting Lu Li to be so generous!
Such an expensive item, most people would be guarded...
Wanqing hesitantly said, "Calming Incense is too precious, we feel undeserving... ah..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Cha pinched her bottom, interrupting her.
"Mr. Lu is indeed generous! Then we won't be shy~"
Xiao Cha revealed a big smile, quickly got up to close the doors and windows, and brought over a box of matches.
Opening the box containing the Calming Incense, inside were five sticks of incense as thick as chopsticks.
Xiao Cha lit one and waited excitedly for the incense to take effect.
Lu Li closed his eyes and began the visualization of the Serenity Visualization Diagram,
With his natural good memory, it took only 3 minutes to conjure the image of the pine tree.
"Indeed, it's not difficult."
Lu Li nodded, ready to continue when he suddenly smelled a faint, refreshing fragrance.
A faint green smoke filled the room—it was the Calming Incense starting to work.
The scent was spiritual and Lu Li immediately felt his head clear up and his mind enter an ethereal state.
In this state, the brain was operating at its best, neurons were exceptionally active, intuition sharp, and inspiration burst forth.
Many previously unclear matters became immediately understandable.
Lu Li suddenly remembered: this was the alpha wave state of the brain as mentioned in "Understanding Brain Waves"!
Of course, this was an incomplete state induced by external forces, but still extremely effective.
Lu Li visualized the Serenity Meditation Diagram again and succeeded in just one minute, with a dramatic increase in efficiency!
"Calming Incense is indeed powerful, it greatly promotes cultivation, no wonder it's so expensive."
And the Calming Incense had a notable effect on reviving the spirit, with neurons active and the spirit recovering exceptionally fast.
Lu Li found he could ignore mental fatigue and continuously visualize.
In this way, the efficiency was incredibly fast!
He visualized twice in succession and became even more certain of this.
But this wasn't necessarily a good thing—visualization being so easy indicated that the training effect of the Serenity Visualization was rather ordinary.
It was like a strong man using light dumbbells for muscle training, the efficiency was too low.
After all, it was an item available for purchase with money, one couldn't ask for too much...
But then Lu Li had a sudden thought:
"Visualization is nothing more than using consumption to strengthen the spirit, similar to the principle of muscle training."
"And speaking of consuming the spirit, what compares to the Kunlun Mirror! Using it for training, wouldn't the effect be exceptional?"
With the Calming Incense in effect and Wanqing by his side, Lu Li feared nothing and tried it.
He immediately focused his spirit on the Kunlun Mirror!
In the blink of an eye, the Kunlun Mirror swallowed the offered spirit and "sucked" in a breath, extracting ninety percent of its master's spirit.
Lu Li instantly felt the world spin, his head pound, but a smile appeared on his face:
"This efficiency is much higher than the Serenity Visualization Diagram!"
It wasn't easy for an ordinary person to exhaust their mental power in an instant.
Moreover, with the effect of the Calming Incense, after resting with closed eyes for 10 minutes, Lu Li regained his vigor and continued to pour his spirit into the Kunlun Mirror.
In this way, while training the spirit, he could also refine the Magic Treasure, killing two birds with one stone and feeling very satisfied~
One stick of Calming Incense could burn for 30 minutes, and Lu Li poured his spirit into it three times before and after.
With this nourishment, the Kunlun Mirror was in excellent condition.
It became more responsive, and some of the fine scratches on the mirror body had automatically healed.
Of course, those deep wounds remained unchanged.
Having absorbed a large amount of his master's spirit, the bond between the two grew stronger, far beyond just a blood connection—they now felt a mutual understanding.
If it was like operating with the ring finger before, now it was as responsive as the middle finger.
Lu Li was very satisfied with the results and just as the stick of Calming Incense neared its end.
He opened his eyes to see how the two girls had progressed.