Hidden moth

Chapter 256: What has ever awakened the spirit since ancient times?

He Kao originally wrote an automatic crawling program to collect various relevant information on the Internet, and used the company's AI platform to compile many so-called secret books.

Can these secret manuals really be used for cultivation? I can only say that most of them are either hahahaha or very unreliable. Some of the content comes from various cultivation websites and forums, and some is simply taken from novels.

He Kao finally chose a set of secret methods to try to practice, and the result was the foundation-building method of the Hidden Moth Technique... How could it be such a coincidence? It must be the work of Jiang Daozhen and Li Xiuyuan.

Among the many secret methods compiled by He Kao, two of them actually came from the book "Spiritual Journey" that Zhang Jingui took out. One was the inner alchemy technique, and the other was the dream-observing Yin Shen technique.

The contents of the secret techniques are mostly excerpts from passages in the book, and there are even feelings and insights of cultivation at various levels. The AI also filled it in with content that does not exist in the book from somewhere, making it look realistic.

Just recently, He Kao specially found this book and read it. He was particularly interested in the secret method of "seeing the Yin Spirit in dreams" described in it, because he had just comprehended the ability of consciousness leaving the body, which was very similar to the Yin Spirit's travels described in the book.

But it is just similar, not the same thing, not even a system. It is just that the means of mastery are similar, and many details are different... After all, it is just a novel.

Zhang Jingui's situation was different from He Kao's. He had been taught the secret method since he was a teenager. However, his master passed away early, leaving no one to guide him. He had been constantly reading various materials and learning various knowledge to enrich himself.

After getting started with cultivation, he had become convinced that the secret cultivation method was real, and he also really enjoyed reading online novels about immortal heroes and cultivation... But why did he bring this book with him today?
Because it tells a story of spiritual practice in a contemporary setting, the story takes place in the era that Zhang Jingui experienced, and many of the places described can be found in reality.

The most important reason is that it fits the imagination of people like Zhang Jingui about the world of immortals and cultivation.

Hearing that He Kao had also read this book, Zhang Jingui was very excited. He flipped through several folded pages and said, "I have been to Wucheng several times. It is not far from Qiyuan. Take a look at the people, secret techniques, and sects described in the book.

I found the Champion Bridge, the Dragon Head Pagoda, and Zhaoting Mountain... but I didn't find Qingwu Cave Heaven, the Divine Wood Forest, the Three Dream Sect, the Zhengyi Sect, or Shiye and Feng Junzi! "

What he just mentioned were the places, sects and characters in the book.

He Kao smiled bitterly and said, "It's normal that you can't find it. If you can find all of these, then there's something really wrong with this world!"

Zhang Jingui: "But according to the description in the book, many things happened here. There is a secret cave in Meihua Mountain outside Qiyuan..."

He Kao waved his hand and said, "I just saw it not long ago. It's called the Holy Land of Plum Blossoms."

Zhang Jingui: "You are from Qiyuan. Have you found the Plum Blossom Holy Land? Have you seen any cultivators entering or leaving that cave? To be honest, I first came to Qiyuan ten years ago to search for the Plum Blossom Holy Land, but I found nothing."

He Kao was at a loss for words and said, "As the saying goes, art comes from life but transcends life. Literary works can be based on reality, but they are not necessarily reality.

The person who tied the bell must untie it. You came to Qiyuan ten years ago to look for the Plum Blossom Holy Land, and now you come to me again. You might as well ask the author of this book..."

Zhang Jingui: "Of course I thought of that! I joined the reader group, and later attended an offline book club gathering. I drank with the author, and when we were almost drunk, I asked him in person."

He Kao: "Then what did he say?"

Zhang Jingui said somewhat disappointedly, "The author said that it was just fiction and shouldn't be taken seriously... No, his exact words were - don't take it seriously!"

He Kao also became interested and asked, "Then have you ever asked what the secret techniques in the book are?"

Zhang Jingui drank a glass of wine, put down the glass and said: "Of course I asked. The author said that he compiled them all. He also said that if you go to a library, you can find many cultivation methods compiled by ancient people. Monks can compile them, Taoists can compile them, so can't he compile them?

I have also cultivated the magic of the spirit to a certain extent, so I know that he did not lie to me."

He Kao laughed out loud: "Interesting... If that's the case, why are you asking me?"

Zhang Jingui said anxiously, "You haven't understood what I mean. I'm not wondering why the things written in the book are made up. I want to ask - if there really is a secret method of cultivation in this world, what would it be like?"

This sentence actually stunned He Kaowen, and he couldn't help but put down his wine glass and think about it.

Zhang Jingui continued, his tone a little hurried: "If there really were secret cultivation methods in the world, with various levels of cultivation and magical powers, then they should be as described in books, not as we see now!"

He Kao subconsciously asked, "What's wrong with the way it looks now?"

Zhang Jingui: "Have you ever seen a cultivator outside of the Shu sect? Or to put it another way, have you ever seen a cultivator outside of the Shu sect's inheritance?"

Since secret practice really exists, there shouldn't be only practitioners of magic in the world. There should be many other sects of practice, including various sects and major secret realms.

Even though I was originally ignorant, after listening to your introduction just now, there are only seven major schools of magic in the world. If you add the newly discovered Hidden Moth School, there are only eight major schools of magic.

Moreover, these eight schools of magic have the same origin. Even for a wandering cultivator like me, the source of my inheritance is also these eight schools of magic.

The moderator once said that there should be many other sects of cultivation and inheritance in this world, but they are all hidden from the world, perhaps because they are suppressed by the forces of the Shu Sect. The Shu Sect is the only one that is truly known to the public...

I hope this is true, but I can’t believe it!”

He Kao: "Why don't you believe it?"

Zhang Jingui: "Because it doesn't exist. No one has ever seen it. Have you ever seen it?"

He Kao was truly stumped by this question, as he had indeed never seen one. Speaking of secluded cultivation, the art of magic itself was secluded. Ordinary people, unless they were Zhiyuanke, would have no idea of the existence of magic, art of magic, or magic practitioners.

If Zhang Jingui couldn't find any "immortal cultivators" outside of the Shumen, that would be understandable, but He Kao shouldn't have seen them. He Kao was a hidden moth, and in the past few months, in order to "light up the map", what kind of deep mountains and swamps had he not visited?

His footsteps have already covered almost the entire territory of the East Country, including many countries and regions outside the East Country.

Although due to the special nature of the Hidden Moth's magical powers, he always avoids human habitation in the middle of the night, but those secluded places should be the locations of the major hidden sects' dojo.

If he had missed one or two places, it would have been possible, but it didn't make sense that he had gone to so many places and not noticed any traces at all. Given the special nature of the stealth moth's ability, as long as others noticed him, he would be able to detect it.

Well, He Kao’s journey was rushed and his cultivation was still shallow. Even if there was a place for cultivation right in front of him, he wouldn’t be able to find it. So what about Elder Gu?

Although Elder Gu Chun was no cloistered moth, as a geomancer, his practice required him to visit every mountain and river in the world. Especially in the past year or so, Gu Chun had flown across many places on a cloud to verify the registration of his sect's disciples. Could it be that he hadn't discovered anything?
Even if Gu Chun's cultivation and experience were insufficient, what about the ancestors of the past generations of the Shu Sect? In the history of the Shu Sect, there were ascended monks like Tan Jun and Tan Xianren, and the founders of the sect even opened up various caves.

However, none of the ancestors of the sect had ever mentioned such a thing, and there was probably no record of it in the sect's scriptures. At least several elders had never mentioned it to He Kao, not even a hint...

He Kao was secretly expecting Li Xiuyuan's explanation through his mind, but Elder Li remained silent at this moment. Perhaps silence itself represented the answer.

He Kao was still pondering when Zhang Jingui asked again, "I won't talk about immortal masters or anything like that. I haven't seen one, maybe it's just because my fate hasn't arrived yet. But Junior Brother He, have you ever seen a ghost?"

What a weird question, but the angle is quite tricky!
Zhang Jingui was like a kite with a broken string, having lost contact with the sect. Before finding He Kao, he first met the moderator online and had been trapped in the information cocoon woven by the other party. It was understandable that he did not understand many situations.

He had never seen other monks, so how could he not find ghosts? He had searched almost every place that was said to be haunted, but he found nothing, no trace of ghosts at all.

For He Kao, if he used his magical power to leave his body, he would be just a ghost, floating around without ever seeing any so-called evil spirits or ghosts.

Zhang Jingui continued to ask questions, "It's fine if there are no ghosts in the world, but there aren't even any demons! Have you ever seen plants or animals become demons? Even if you've heard of them somewhere, that's fine!"

After saying this, he finally took a breath, drank another glass of wine, and looked at He Kao with expectant eyes. He really hoped that He Kao could answer - in fact, all of these were available.

Unfortunately, He Kao could only answer - it seems that these really don't exist! He has traveled all over Kyushu and never seen them. And it's not that he ignored them carelessly, he has always been paying close attention to the relevant signs.

Because of his practice in the art of identifying poisons, spirits, medicines, and spirits, he paid close attention to collecting information on various plants, mountains, and rocks.

Because the moth's magical powers are limited by the observer, and "qualified" observers are not only humans, He Kao also pays attention to the observation and analysis of various animals.

But he had never seen any plants or animals become spirits or monsters, nor had he heard the elders of the magic school talk about it.

He Kao had a good relationship with Wei Luo, the deacon of Lingxi Sect. They often had meals together and chatted. He had also asked Wei Luo if the Shu Sect had any guardian beasts. Wei Luo replied with certainty that no such beasts had ever been heard of.

Facing Zhang Jingui's gaze, He Kao could only smile bitterly and said, "I've certainly never seen goblins or ghosts, but that doesn't mean the whole world is wrong, does it? There's been no conclusive evidence since ancient times to prove that anyone has ever seen these things."

Zhang Jingui: "But we ourselves are the evidence. We have truly cultivated magical powers! Since there are spells and sorcerers in the world, it is entirely possible that there are other similar beings. Let me give you another example - have you ever seen a magician?"

He Kao pondered and replied, "I haven't seen any. Not only have I never seen a magician, but I have also never seen the goblins, ghosts, or secret methods and sects other than magic that you just mentioned.

Maybe these things exist, but we can't see them for some unknown reason; maybe they really don't exist, and the world is just the way we see it, and there's nothing unreasonable about it.

Have you studied philosophy? Knowledge is the analysis of phenomena, explaining why a phenomenon exists, but it is impossible to analyze phenomena that do not exist at all.

Zhang Jingui narrowed his eyes and said, "You're right, but it's not a very logical explanation for this problem."

He Kao spread his hands and said, "Because I don't know the answer either!"

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded beside their ears: "I have asked a similar question to my master, the Jianji Palace Master Li Siren.

The Master's answer was similar to what he had said in the quiz. But he also said that if you want something in the world but it doesn't exist, you have to discover it yourself or create it yourself.

He had asked his elders about this before, and they told him that only when his cultivation reached a higher level would he be able to resolve many of his confusions. Otherwise, empty talk and fantasies would be useless. Ultimately, it was because our cultivation was not high enough!

But the higher your cultivation level, the more new confusions you may encounter..."

Zhang Jingui was quite surprised, but He Kao had already stood up and saluted towards the door of the private room: "Elder Li, you are here?"

Seeing He Kao like this, Zhang Jingui reacted quickly and immediately followed suit, bowing and saying, "Uncle Master!"

Li Xiuyuan pushed open the sliding door and walked in, waving his hand and saying, "No need to be polite in this situation, just be natural!"

Then he glanced at the table and said to He Kao, "Someone invited you, but you're not polite at all. Good wine and good food, what's the most expensive thing you ordered?"

He Kao smiled apologetically and said, "I didn't intend to let Senior Brother Zhang pay for it."

Li Xiuyuan: "That's perfect. You can also pick up the bill for my table outside. You've worked so hard today. You still have so much to do after work. Now hurry home. I'll be here for you."

Since Elder Li had spoken, He Kao said goodbye and took his leave, finally handing over the problem of Zhang Jingui.

Zhang Jingui was about to compete with He Kao for the spot, but Elder Li stopped him with a look: "Just sit still. I didn't expect to meet you here today. I have some questions for you."

He Kao also wanted to stay and listen to what Elder Li would say about Zhang Jingui's questions. But Elder Li obviously had something to discuss with Zhang Jingui alone, so he sent him away.

In fact, He Kao was not without doubts, and even had "evidence" to support these doubts. After listening to Zhang Jingui's words, He Kao interpreted the mind seal that Elder Li had left him last time and deciphered two pill formulas.

The last time he invited the three elders to "visit" Piaocai Cave Heaven, Elder Li left him a divine mind seal, which contained the inheritance of the alchemy method of the Shu Sect.

The divine mind seal is very complex, like a memory bank poured into his mind. Many things cannot be deciphered now, and some contents will only be "recalled" when he wants to "search".

The names of these two elixirs are "Qiling Pill" and "Huaxing Pill".

The effect of the Spirit-awakening Pill is to help animals that have the potential to become monsters to awaken their intelligence. However, it is still difficult to successfully refine it with He Kao's current means, and he can only barely understand the pill formula.

As for the transformation pill, it should help fairies that have awakened their intelligence to transform into different forms. With He Kao's current level of cultivation, he can't even decipher the pill formula, let alone refine it. He can only understand its general effects.

If there were no demon cultivators in this world, then who were these two elixirs meant for? Or, in other words, how did these two elixir recipes come into being?

He just thought of the questions about the two pill recipes, so he could only wait for an opportunity to ask Elder Li again.

**
(End of this chapter)