Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 309 The Way of Differentiation, The Drawbacks of Reverse Rebirth Triple

"In the ten months, the first month forms a bud, the second month forms a fetus, and the bud is formed, carrying life and evolving."

"Of the two, nature and life, nature encompasses life. Therefore, after this, the spirit is born in the third month, the soul in the fourth month, and the vital essence in the fifth month."

As Zuo Ruotong spoke, the glimmer of light before the two gradually differentiated, like a flame, radiating spiritual brilliance in the void.

Although this glimmer of light was dazzling, it seemed too ethereal and elusive.

"At this point, the initial evolution of [sex] has been completed, and the next step is the birth of [life]."

Zuo Ruotong looked solemnly at the radiant light before her, her expression serious and her words calm, like a creator without emotion or desire, perfecting her work.

His works, along with those edict-like words, have slowly evolved.

"In June, life force manifests; in July, the body is fully formed and complete. At this time, the initial evolution of [destiny] is also complete."

A fleeting, illusory light flickered in the void, its shimmering glow resembling the emergence of a candle.

This lamp, bearing that ethereal, flame-like light, caused the lights to merge, giving the previously ethereal light a manifest basis, making it even more dazzling and splendid.

Then Zuo Ruotong's emotionless voice rang out, reciting his commands as if he were the creator.

"In August, the soul and spirit circulate, and the soul and spirit move to give rise to the spirit. In September, the spirit moves outward to give rise to the nature. In October, the nature is transformed and consciousness is born."

The connection between the lamp and the flame became even closer with Zuo Ruotong's words; the light of the lamp ignited the candle, and the candle ignited the light of the lamp, blurring the boundary between the two.

In a trance, the flame and candle, symbols of life, merged into one, inseparable and interdependent, becoming a true lamp.

Lu Qian watched silently as Zuo Ruotong performed the ritual, using the "theory of lamps" from the Taoist scriptures to demonstrate the process of life differentiation.

Throughout history, due to the abstract nature of life and death, there have been numerous and complex discussions about life and death.

There is no sufficiently concrete definition of what is sex and what is destiny, but there are many abstract metaphors, such as the "theory of the lamp".

A complete lamp requires not only a candle but also a flame; only when both are present can it emit light and give the lamp a true meaning.

Zuo Ruotong looked at the lamp in front of him, its flame flickering, the brilliant light reflected in his pale, hazy eyes, but his words did not stop, and he continued to speak.

"After October, life and death continue to evolve and deteriorate, transforming from a child into an old man."

As they spoke, the flame burning inside the lamp rapidly consumed the candle below, and as the candle shortened, the originally bright flame gradually dimmed, as if it had transformed from the vigor of youth into the weariness and weakness of old age.

"This is the natural course of change in a person's life, but for us cultivators, life is both the foundation of our existence and the raw material for alchemy."

"My Trinity Sect's [Triple Rebirth] technique, though its effects are wondrous, has gone astray."

Zuo Ruotong looked up at Lü Qian opposite her and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Lü Qian should also be able to see where we went wrong."

Lu Qian looked at the burning lamp in front of him and nodded in reply.

"The Threefold Reversal of Life is still too crude. It emphasizes nature over life, and the cultivation of nature is incomplete, resulting in an imbalance between nature and life. In the end, what is achieved through reversal is a mixed acquired energy, which cannot be cultivated into pure innate energy."

"Although one may live for thousands of years and live as long as the world, it is all just a mirage and cannot be transcended. In the end, one will still be subject to the Dao and one's cultivation will dissipate into smoke."

The original Triple Rebirth of the Trinity Sect was a wrong path; not only was the route wrong, but the final result was also flawed.

According to the description in "Reverse Rebirth Triple", after Zuo Ruotong reached the third level, he clearly had his whole body transformed into Qi and could gather and disperse freely. In theory, he had reached the realm of ascension, but he was still a mortal.

"Haha, indeed!"

Faced with Lü Qian's correction, Zuo Ruotong was not angry. Instead, she laughed loudly and said, "In the end, it is because the foundation of the Sanyi Sect is too weak, and the Dao of Reversal of Life is too mysterious, which is why it has been wrong for a hundred years."

As he spoke, he looked at the lamp in front of him and continued to perform the ritual in a deep voice, explaining the mysteries of the Threefold Reversal of Life in a voice devoid of joy or sorrow.

"The Reverse Life Triple emulation of the Yang Spirit of Quanzhen is to unite the body with the spirit, but unlike the Yang Spirit, it does not accumulate strength gradually and progress step by step."

"The transformation of Qi in reverse is to start refining the limbs and bones from the very beginning, so that they are integrated with the primordial spirit."

"As long as the primordial spirit and true soul are extinguished, severed limbs can regenerate and bones can be reconnected."

At this point, Zuo Ruotong couldn't help but frown and shake her head in denial, saying, "This approach pursues quick results, so naturally it has many drawbacks."

"Firstly, the cultivation of life force is lacking, and the acquired impurities in the physical body have not been eliminated. They are mixed with the primordial spirit and true spirit, which instead turbids the innate true nature of the primordial spirit."

"Secondly, if the primordial spirit takes over the physical body without sufficient cultivation of sexual energy, the reversing physical body will naturally collapse and dissipate without a trace, resulting in disability at best and death at worst."

Lü Qian nodded, indicating his understanding of Zuo Ruotong's erudite remarks.

In short, the Reverse Life Triple Path aims to emulate the Yang God Path of the Quanzhen School, taking the path of uniting the body with the spirit, merging the physical body with the primordial spirit, and thus returning to the state of innate ancestral energy.

However, the Sanyi Gate approach was too hasty, trying to combine others' three steps into one, taking too big a step, resulting in too high risks and significantly reduced returns.

The Complete Perfection of Yang Spirit uses the Samadhi True Fire to cleanse the physical body and primordial spirit, removing impurities and acquired turbidity. After the physical body and primordial spirit are completely purified, they are then united as one.

However, the San Yi Sect directly integrates the unrefined physical body into the primordial spirit. The acquired turbidity and filth in the body are not cleaned up, which easily pollutes the true nature of the primordial spirit. It is naturally more difficult to obtain the innate pure form, and the path can only become narrower and narrower.

Moreover, when the physical body merges with the primordial spirit, the physical body is like water, and the primordial spirit is like the cup that holds the water.

This means that the water was not refined or compressed, and the cup was not expanded or reinforced. A large amount of murky water was simply poured into the small and flimsy cup.

Whether it's water spilling or a cup breaking, these are serious matters involving life and death.

The Sanyi Sect has been established for several hundred years. While it is not as long as some other sects, it is shorter than many other sects. Its foundation is not very strong. It was only with the appearance of the Great Ying Immortal Zuo Ruotong that the Sanyi Sect was able to reach its peak.

Over the centuries, there have been attempts to improve the Reverse Life Triple Technique, but none of them have achieved anything noteworthy. It is fortunate that the inheritance has not been lost.

Thinking of this, Zuo Ruotong looked at Lü Qian with a hint of envy in her eyes. Because those true Xuanmen, whether favored by fortune or by chance, always have outstanding individuals who take over the lineage and carry it forward.

Just like the Quanzhen Taoist lineage that the Sanyi School emulated, it also experienced calamities and lows over thousands of years, but it was never interrupted. Instead, it was brought to its peak by successive generations of people.