Chapter 3: The Spider's Thread (Crazy for Flowers)
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"The Five Elements Spiritual Cultivation Technique" was created by the ancient Heavenly God, Huashan's master, Xu Wutian Dadi, after spending countless years. With this technique, Xu Wutian Dadi dominated the entire spiritual realm and was known as one of the "Three Respects of the Spiritual Realm", along with Pangu and Nüwa. However, when Huashan died in battle against Tianmo Moke, this ancient spiritual technique lost its successor. The cultivation method is only suitable for those with a body of Five Virtues, but such bodies are extremely rare, possibly one in millions. When Xiaolong fell into the mountain stream's water pool, he was brought inside because he had a body of Five Virtues; if it were someone else without this special physique, they might have drowned to death already. It can be said that Xiaolong also owed his survival to his unique physical constitution.
The Xiu Shen Jue is divided into eight layers: Chu Chen, Bi Gu, Dan Cheng, Chu Kong, Hua Wu, Rong Shi, Hun Dun, and Hua Shen. The first layer, Chu Chen, is the basic transformation from the post-heavenly body to the pre-heavenly body, where all impurities are expelled from the body, making it easier to absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Upon completion of this layer, one can remember everything at a glance.
The second stage, Bi Gu, allows one to sustain life without relying on external food sources. The muscles become incredibly strong, capable of cutting through metal and iron with ease.
Upon reaching the third layer, Dan Cheng, one achieves an indestructible body, similar to the Buddhist concept of the Diamond Body. At this point, the spiritual elixir begins to form, marking the entry into the realm of spiritual cultivation.
The fourth layer, Chu Kong, enables the practitioner's divine thoughts to reach several thousand miles, allowing them to perceive even the smallest details within that range.
The fifth layer, Hua Wu, grants the ability to transform objects at will, similar to Sun Wukong's 72 transformations.
The sixth layer, Rong Shi, allows the practitioner to merge with all things in the world, becoming one with the universe.
The seventh layer, Hun Dun, transforms the practitioner's spiritual energy into a chaotic, primordial state, a power that only great deities can wield.
The eighth and final layer, Hua Shen, marks the completion of the cultivation method. At this point, the practitioner becomes all-powerful, transcending the three realms and the five elements.
Each of the eight layers is further divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. When Hu Long fought against Tian Mo, he had only reached the early stage of the sixth layer, Rong Shi, and was still using his spiritual energy. If he had reached the highest level of cultivation, Tian Mo might not have been able to withstand a single attack from him.
The little dragon lay on the white jade bed, holding the divine pearl in his hand, and soon fell into a state of deep sleep. In his consciousness, he received information about the five-colored crystal lamp, as well as the usage methods of the five-colored divine pearls.
The little dragon began to practice according to the "Five Elements Spiritual Cultivation Method". "At the beginning of the great way, nine orifices are opened, and the original nine orifices are at the Weilu hole. The Weilu gas circulates to the top of the hundred convergences, the gas runs through the Renmai meridian to the Zhongzhu, the Zhongzhu gradually walks to the Mudan, the Qi operates in the Laogong, and the Qi returns to the Zhongzhu. Downward, return to the Dantian, calm the spirit and quiet the energy. Intentionally guard the Dantian..." At this time, the five-colored divine light inside the temple converged into Xiaolong's body along a strange trajectory, but Xiaolong seemed to be asleep, completely unaware of everything that was happening outside.
Since Xiaolong went missing, his father Wang Bing mobilized the enthusiastic villagers to search for him in the mountains many times, but there was no trace of him. As time passed, a year had already gone by, and the family thought that Xiaolong had met with an accident. The villagers also gradually forgot about this matter. However, Xiaolong's mother Liu Chu always believed that her son was still alive. This was a feeling that came from being a mother and being connected to her child through flesh and blood. Every evening, she would stand at the door and gaze out at the Wenming Mountains in the distance, hoping that one day Xiaolong would suddenly appear before her eyes. Life went on as usual, with Old Wang still often going alone to the place where Xiaolong's waistband was found, also waiting for a miracle to happen. After many times, the water pool was still the same, and Old Wang became disappointed. So, he continued his daily labor, also looking forward to the arrival of their next child. His wife was very supportive, and six years after Xiaolong's disappearance, her belly miraculously grew bigger again. It was as if heaven felt sorry for Old Wang's misfortune and decided to compensate him and his family.
In the blink of an eye, two years have passed, and it's already autumn in 2008. The scorching summer has quietly slipped away, and the sun shines on the earth for a shorter time than in summer, no longer from early morning to late evening; the sunlight begins to soften and becomes gentle, no longer as fierce and intense as in the summer, making people tremble with fear; autumn's sunlight is already slanted, not as direct as in the summer, so the temperature has dropped significantly. The natural world of deep autumn leaves a desolate scene. After the harvest, the fields are empty and bare. Cattle wander around with their heads hung low. Flocks of sparrows rise from the wheat fields, then scatter like hail on the dusty roads. A crow circles in the sky, suddenly lets out a desperate cry and flies away. Then, a melancholic feeling will creep into your heart, evoking old Wang's endless sorrow.
"Child, where are you? Don't you want Daddy and Mommy anymore? Have you really left this world?" Old Wang muttered to himself in a low voice, sitting at the door looking out at the fields, with an extremely bitter heart. His wife Liu Chu was inside the house holding their almost one-year-old child Wang Feng, Little Feng was giggling "heh heh" under her mother's teasing, and the little black dog in the room would occasionally let out a "wang wang" sound, forming a beautiful rural autumn scene.
"Dad!" Old Wang faintly heard a voice calling out to him. He turned his head and patted his own brain, thinking he must have been sitting for too long and was going crazy. But the voice sounded like Little Dragon's! Ah, people get old and think about their children all day, they really are going crazy.
But it truly was Little Dragon's voice. Old Wang stretched out his neck and saw a small black dot appear in his line of sight. He rubbed his eyes, which were getting older, and the black dot got closer and closer. It looked like Little Dragon, but this child was as tall as a 10-year-old! "Dad, it's me, Little Dragon."
This 10-year-old-looking child stood right in front of Old Wang while he was still rubbing his eyes. He forgot to think about what was going on and just stared at the child in front of him. After taking a closer look, it really was his beloved son Little Dragon! Old Wang's eyes got wet, and he hugged Little Dragon tightly, tears streaming down his face.
This simple-hearted man cried like a child, "Little Dragon, my good boy, you've finally come back! Am I dreaming?" Old Wang pinched himself on the cheek, it hurt, so it wasn't a dream. His own son had really come back!
Old Wang quickly grabbed Little Dragon's hand and examined him carefully, as if he was afraid Little Dragon would disappear again. He looked at his delicate eyebrows, like a swallow's wings; his innocent eyes, which sparkled with curiosity; his pale and rosy face, with a small nose; and the clothes he wore were still the same ones from when he went missing, but they were much too short now.
Old Wang pulled Little Dragon into the house, shouting loudly, "Wife, Little Dragon is back! Our Little Dragon has come back!" Liu was sitting in the inner room, playing with little Wang Feng. She heard Old Wang's words and was shocked, unable to react for a moment. It wasn't until Little Dragon stood in front of her that she came back to reality. She pinched herself on the leg, realizing she wasn't dreaming, then got up and hugged Little Dragon, crying.
Little Dragon also cried out loud, hugging his mom tightly. He was only 7 years old, after all, and had been away from his parents for two years. The flood of emotions burst forth at this moment, and the whole family just hugged each other and cried. Little Feng saw her parents crying and followed suit, wailing loudly.
As it turns out, Little Dragon had "slept" on the white jade bed for two years. When he woke up, he felt like his body was filled with explosive power, his skin was crystal clear, and his blood flowed in five colors. He knew he had reached the pre-Qi Refining stage, so according to the instructions of the Five-Colored Divine Pearl, he found a storage ring left behind by Huálóng's **power on the wall of the divine temple.
Using the Five Elements Divine Technique, he exited the Five-Colored Divine Temple and came to the mountain cave where he was originally sucked in. He put the Five-Colored Luminous Lamp into the ring and followed Master Huálóng's instructions from memory. He quickly left the mountain cave through a water pool, and under the protection of his divine power, his clothes didn't even get wet.
Unfortunately, he was still wearing the same old clothes, which were now much too short. Oh well, he would just have to go home first. Little Dragon didn't know how long he had stayed in the mountain cave, but his longing for his parents was especially strong. He used the Five Elements Divine Technique and arrived at the foot of Wénmíng Mountain like a wisp of smoke.
To avoid being seen by others, Little Dragon slowly made his way home. Fortunately, Wénmíng Mountain wasn't far from home, and he arrived in just over 10 minutes. From afar, he saw his dad sitting at the door, and that's when the scene from earlier happened.
The whole family cried together, and it wasn't until almost dusk that they finally stopped. Liu Chu remembered that his son hadn't eaten anything yet, so he quickly went to the kitchen to make some tangyuan, which Xiaolong loved to eat. Meanwhile, Old Wang held Xiaolong's hand and asked him about what had happened over the past few years. Xiaolong simply told Old Wang about the events of the past two years, including how he had received a divine inheritance and was learning martial arts. Old Wang looked like he had been stunned, his mouth agape for a long time before he could close it again. He wasn't a superstitious person, so it was hard for him to accept that there were gods in this world. It wasn't until Xiaolong stretched out his small hand, which resembled white jade, and cut off a piece of the wooden table that Old Wang believed it was true. However, he warned Xiaolong not to easily reveal his martial arts skills in front of outsiders, nor should he tell others about what had happened over the past two years, as it would only cause trouble. Xiaolong listened to his father's words and secretly thought that from now on, it was better not to mention this matter in front of everyone. Old Wang also instructed his son that if anyone asked, he should say that he had gotten lost for the past two years and was taken in by kind-hearted people, but had now returned home. Xiaolong quickly promised his parents that he would never reveal his martial arts skills in front of outsiders. Of course, in Old Wang's and his wife's hearts, they still didn't understand that Xiaolong wasn't practicing ordinary martial arts like those of the high-ranking masters in the pugilistic world, but rather a unique divine cultivation method that was one-of-a-kind under heaven.
