Chapter 68: Samadhi True Fire

"It is good that you understand the severity of the situation. Do not play with meaningless petty cleverness. Once you know your own Dao, you must walk it honestly and steadily, rather than looking for shortcuts. You hadn't plunged in too deeply just now, so I was able to wake you up with a pointer. If you had truly sunk in, even the Cleansing Heart Mantra could not have saved you, and you would have been trapped within it for the rest of your life!"

Zhang Zhiwei's words were by no means alarmist. Several old men from Wudang had been trapped in this very bottleneck for their entire lives.

Zhuge Yunhui nodded and said, "Senior Brother Zhang's lesson is well taken. Having walked through this threshold of life and death, I have realized many things and figured out quite a few matters. Perhaps what my Zhuge family has passed down is not wrong; it actually aligns with the principles Senior Brother Zhang spoke of. The ones who are wrong are unworthy descendants like us!"

"How so?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Zhuge Yunhui said, "My Wuhou Sect has a spell of Qimen known as the Samadhi True Fire. However, this supreme art has not been successfully practiced by anyone in my Wuhou Sect for nearly a hundred years. Those who forced themselves to practice it all died, and recently the clan has been discussing sealing away this ultimate technique so it is no longer passed down."

"The practice requirements for this ultimate technique are to thoroughly understand Qimen knowledge and master all Qimen spells, while at the same time practicing some methods completely unrelated to spells, such as oil-hammer skull-pounding, iron-ruler rib-beating, and boulder-breaking on the chest—methods of hard Qigong."

"No one knows why we, as sorcerers, would go to such trouble to practice these vulgar hard-conditioning skills. The clan elders guessed it was to temper the mind, but as I think about it now, that is only one aspect. On the other hand, it is to better control oneself, in order to understand the greater Qimen pattern within the human body."

"The essence of this Samadhi True Fire is actually the same as ordinary Qimen spells. The difference is that ordinary Qimen spells are cast by borrowing the patterns of heaven and earth, whereas the Samadhi True Fire is cast by borrowing the pattern of the human body."

"It turns out our ancestors had planned everything out long ago, but because they worried we would take shortcuts like I did just now and go astray, they did not explicitly spell it out."

"As long as we do not cheat, do not subjectively modify things, and follow the methods they set down honestly and steadily, we can succeed."

"The ironic thing is that we were the ones acting too clever, making the wrong choices on the path already mapped out by our ancestors!"

"I am truly foolish. Really, I could manage to stray from the path carefully planned by my ancestors, all while dreaming of reaching the heavens in a single bound. The divination I cast for myself earlier was truly fitting: a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly overestimating its own strength!"

There is immense terror between life and death. Perhaps because he had walked before the gates of hell, Zhuge Yunhui seemed to have a sudden epiphany, understanding many principles in an instant.

His entire demeanor suddenly relaxed, devoid of its previous restlessness. He felt a few parts less obsessive and a few parts more open-minded toward the Qimen spells he had striven so hard to practice yet could never attain.

"As long as you understand, is there anything else? If not, dismantle the Qimen formation and step down!" Zhang Zhiwei said.

Zhuge Yunhui looked at Zhang Zhiwei and said, "There is one more matter. Just now, I noticed Senior Brother Zhang coughing frequently for a moment. That must have been the backlash from shifting the Four Discs!"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. "Indeed. It was my first time using it, and I didn't control it well. I exerted force too abruptly, which inflicted some impact on my heart and lungs, but it is of no consequence!"

The method Zhang Zhiwei used to shift the Four Discs bore some similarity to the later generations' Eight Extraordinary Techniques, specifically the Fuhou Qimen, yet it was also different.

He had mobilized the innate fire-gold Qi cultivated from the Yang Five Thunders, sent it back along his spine, generated it outward, and used it to assault the pattern of the Four Discs.

This was rather simple and brute-forced.

Fuhou Qimen, by contrast, likely involved special calculation formulas. Through deduction, one would slightly shift a solar term to trigger a domino-collapse effect.

Compared to the precision of Fuhou Qimen, Zhang Zhiwei's method was no different than a crow overturning a dining table. Only someone relying on his supreme mastery of life and death could dare to do such a thing; if anyone else tried it, they would likely die of sudden shock on the spot.

However, it was not a major issue. The reason he did it this way was primarily because Zhang Zhiwei did not understand the calculation methods of Qimen Dunjia and could only resort to brute force. If he were to study the methods, understand the deductive processes, and find a labor-saving fulcrum much like the principle of leverage, he would be able to control everything at will.

"Given Senior Brother Zhang's mastery of life and death, even you experienced such a condition. One can imagine the sheer danger involved. Senior Brother Zhang risked putting himself in danger just to guide me. Such a kindness, coupled with saving my life just now, is something Yunhui truly has no way to repay!" Zhuge Yunhui said with a face full of gratitude.

Zhang Zhiwei waved a hand. "In guiding you, I also benefited immensely. You owe me nothing!"

"Senior Brother Zhang is so magnanimous, but Yunhui cannot think that way. To disregard the grace of guidance and the kindness of saving my life—wouldn't that make me lower than a pig or a dog? However, Yunhui's abilities are shallow, and I have nothing of equal value to return, so..."

At this point, Zhuge Yunhui's voice paused, and then he transmitted his voice directly into Zhang Zhiwei's mind:

"Yunhui will pass this Samadhi True Fire on to Senior Brother Zhang!"

"Samadhi True Fire?" Zhang Zhiwei glanced at Zhuge Yunhui. "This is your family's ultimate secret art. There is no need to go this far!"

Zhuge Yunhui quickly transmitted back, "There is a need. Although it is a family secret art, no one in my Zhuge family has comprehended this method for years. Such an ultimate technique is simply gathering dust in the hands of unworthy descendants like us. Since that is the case, it is better to bestow it upon someone with both virtue and capability."

"Senior Brother Zhang is a leading figure of the righteous path, the foremost head of the Daoist sect, a disciple bearing a prominent surname in the Celestial Master Mansion, and a candidate for the next Celestial Master. Both your character and your strength are beyond reproach. More importantly, in this entire world, I am afraid only Senior Brother Zhang has the capacity to master this ultimate technique, and it is only in your hands that this ultimate art can truly shine brilliantly!"

"My ancestor, Zhuge Wuhou, rose amidst the chaos of the Three Kingdoms, which is so similar to the current era. I believe that even if his venerable spirit in heaven were watching, he would be very happy to see this!"

Without waiting for Zhang Zhiwei to reply, Zhuge Yunhui took it upon himself to use sound-transmission to shove the knowledge directly into his mind.

"Setting aside those Qimen numerology arts, as well as the hard-conditioning methods like oil-hammer skull-pounding, iron-ruler rib-beating, and boulder-breaking on the chest, the cultivation method of the Samadhi True Fire is actually very simple. It requires using the spirit of the upper elixir field, the Qi of the middle elixir field, and the essence of the lower elixir field, igniting these Three Treasures through a special method to form a fire of life and spirit that burns exclusively the soul. The method is as follows: maintain a state where not a single distracting thought persists, devoid of thought and intention, refining and burning the lower elixir essence into fire, causing it to course through the meridians and ignite the Qi of the middle elixir field..."

Having transmitted the profound mysteries of the technique, Zhuge Yunhui said no more. He dismissed the Qimen formation, bowed deeply to Zhang Zhiwei, and turned to walk away, his steps appearing exceptionally light.

Through this sparring match, not only had he gained insight into the profound mysteries of the sorcerer's path, but he had also walked before the threshold of life and death, letting go of many obsessive desires he had sought in vain. His entire being was revitalized, feeling immensely relieved.

As for violating sect rules and passing on a family secret art to an outsider...

Zhuge Yunhui did not take it to heart. He was never a particularly rule-abiding person to begin with; the Wuhou Qimen possessed by the Thirty-Six Thieves' Tian Xiaodie was something he had taught her in violation of family rules.

If the time hadn't been too short and he hadn't worried that Zhang Zhiwei would refuse, he would have even wanted to pass on the Wuhou Qimen as well.