Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 7 Three Calamities, Six Tribulations, and Eighteen Calamities

Susu!

Fang Shu transformed into a gray fox and traversed the mountains and fields, his pace much faster than before.

He kept traversing forests and trees, and in some remote places, he no longer needed to clear paths as before.

at last.

After traveling for several days, the majestic and massive Mount Lu came into view.

Under the moonlight, Mount Lu resembles a sleeping dragon, stretching for thousands of miles, clad in silver armor, and standing more than five thousand feet tall.

This is also Fang Shu's final destination, the location of Xianjia Market!
However, although he could see Mount Lu, it would still take him at least three days and nights to reach the foot of the mountain.

Furthermore, even just the outer foothills of Mount Lu are teeming with spirits and monsters, and many ferocious creatures, due to the spiritual energy gathered within the mountains.

For a mortal like Fang Shu, who only possesses a few magical skills, to easily enter the mountains is simply courting death.

He had to follow his second uncle's instructions to first find a snakehead who could lure people into the mountains, and then, under the snakehead's arrangement, he could enter the mountains relatively safely and reach the Xianjia Market in the mountains.

"Cultivation to immortality is within reach!"

Although he couldn't arrive immediately, Fang Shu still looked pleased.

He staggered to his feet, then strolled slowly under the moonlight toward Mount Lu.

The journey for tonight is complete; there's no need to rush any further.

We can stroll around and find a place to rest.

suddenly.

Fang Shu's fox ears twitched slightly. He stretched out his paw, took the gourd hanging around his neck from his teeth, and held the gourd, listening intently.

Tweet!

He heard many sounds similar to fox howls, rising and falling, interspersed with human voices.

A thought struck him, and Fang Shu immediately bent down and peered in the direction from which the sound came.

He hadn't walked far when a mound of earth came into view.

There were also some broken steles and desolate tombs all around, like a mass burial ground from a previous dynasty.

The night was dark, the stars were few and the clouds were light.

Ahead, there was a figure wearing a Taoist robe, sitting cross-legged on a square rock, shaking his head and talking about something.

Around that man, a group of figures were kneeling and listening.

They are of varying heights and shapes.

Fang Shu approached and took a closer look, discovering that it was a group of deer, rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs, and so on, some in human form and others in animal form.

Fang Shu glanced at them a few times and saw that there were no powerful demons among them.

Taking advantage of his current fox form, he quietly stepped forward and listened for a while.

It turns out that this group of monsters were huddled together learning to speak human language.

The figure preaching on the stone was not a Taoist priest, but a weasel dressed in a Taoist robe and transformed into human form.

The other person had long, thin eyebrows like a beard, and no demonic aura about him. Instead, he was slender and kind-looking, with a straight back, and looked more like a Taoist than Fang Shu.

It's spouting classical Chinese phrases like "之乎者也" (zhi hu zhe ye).

The monsters and beasts under the rock were all shaking their heads and babbling in agreement.

Fang Shu found it interesting and continued listening to the other person speak.

Suddenly, a little demon under the rock could no longer contain itself and raised its claws, speaking out:
"Sir! Sir! We want to hear about the path to immortality, not this pedantic nonsense."

Squeak! The other monsters echoed in agreement.

The weasel Taoist paused, then sighed softly:

"Look, he's in a hurry."

It shook its head: "Although you have obtained demonic energy, you are still far from being able to cultivate immortality."

The monsters all around were chattering and restless.

"The teacher taught me, the teacher taught us!"

The weasel Taoist had no choice but to explain:

"If a demon wants to cultivate immortality, it must first cultivate as a human."

If you want to cultivate yourself as a human, you must first learn human language; if you want to learn human language, you must first learn bird language, learn a hundred or eighty kinds of bird language, before you can speak a proper human language.

After that, one must wear human clothes, eat human food, and learn to read and write; only after all this can one formally embark on the path of cultivating immortality.

It shook its head again: "Although some of you can speak human language, you are still far from being able to."

At best, they might learn fifty different bird languages, but still not be able to speak fluent human language.

Fang Shu overheard this conversation, and the fox's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

What Old Huang said was consistent with what his second uncle said, and it seemed there was some truth to it.

At this moment, the little demon who had spoken earlier stepped forward. It was a rabbit spirit, less than three feet tall. After bowing respectfully to the weasel, it said:

"Reporting to the master. The master said he would teach us for four or five days, and today is the fourth day. I'm afraid he will be leaving soon."

We humbly request that you first impart the path of cultivation to us. Even if we don't fully understand it, we can learn from each other and fill in the gaps. Otherwise, once you leave, we will have no further opportunity.

Upon hearing this, the weasel Taoist laughed heartily and said, "You're quite clever."

It shook its head again:

"Since that's the case, I will now explain to you the Three-Six Elixir Method."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu, who was eavesdropping nearby, immediately perked up the fox ears on his head.

He understands the "Three-Six Elixir Method," for it is the Great Way and the Right Path!
It seems that this weasel was indeed just preaching and teaching, and did not seem to have any ill intentions.

This is a fortunate opportunity that shouldn't be missed.

Fang Shu hesitated for a moment.

He stopped eavesdropping and instead boldly emerged from the bushes, walked to the rock, and bowed to the weasel-like Taoist on the rock.

After the ceremony, he mingled among the monsters.

The weasel-like Taoist priest only glanced at him and didn't pay him any attention.

As for the little demons all around, they were all listening intently, completely focused, and had no time to pay attention to Fang Shu.

Seeing that the demons had all perked up, the Taoist priest did not delay.

Its voice murmured, as if chanting a scripture:

"This 'Three-Six Elixir Method,' also known as the 'Three-Six Ingredient Method,' has been passed down from the ancient sages and masters for over 90,000 years. It is an essential technique for cultivating immortality and a shortcut to eternal youth."

"Mortals and demons are full of flaws. They need food and drink, suffer from illness and calamities, and are bound to die."

The name 'Sanliu' refers to the 'three calamities, six tribulations, and eighteen tribulations' that a human and a demon will experience throughout their lives.

The origins of alchemy were recounted by the weasel Taoist, captivating all the demons on the ground and filling them with longing and fascination.

"I want to learn, I want to learn this alchemy technique!" A little demon couldn't contain his excitement and muttered to himself, which immediately drew the attention of the other demons.

The weasel-like Taoist smiled and began to explain the alchemical method word by word:

"The three calamities are: the lowest level of physical calamity, the middle level of life calamity, and the highest level of fortune calamity."

"The six difficulties are: refining essence and qi, building the foundation and elixir, and refining spirit and emptiness."

The "Eighteen Tribulations," also known as the Eighteen Barriers or Eighteen Transformations, are not only tribulations but also opportunities and changes.

Specifically, it is based on the six difficulties, each of which has three tribulations, each different from the last. Those who overcome these tribulations will possess extraordinary abilities, such as being free from illness and hunger, immortality, and aging, and will never die or perish…

Although the Taoist priest tried his best to explain things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, as he spoke, he used more and more complex words, which made the monsters more and more confused and unable to understand.

After a while, the monsters either stared blankly or scratched their heads, while only Fang Shu and the rabbit demon were able to keep up.

Seeing this, the weasel-like Taoist priest had no choice but to slow down his voice and explain in detail:

"For example, the first tribulation of entering the path is called 'nine out of ten illnesses and pains'."

Humans and demons, though possessing intelligence, are short-lived and prone to illness. Having survived this tribulation, you will be free from disease and illness, immune to heat and cold, and no longer suffer from the torment of bloating, stabbing, cold, burning, cramping, dull, and severe pain…

"At that time, those who survived the tribulation, with their 'refined essence' and mastery of qi and blood, officially embarked on the path of immortality and became immortals, known to the world as 'human immortals,' the lowest rank among immortals."

Even so, many demons still swayed and stared blankly at the weasel Taoist.

Seeing this, the Taoist sighed softly, briefly recounted the first three tribulations, and then looked at the group of demons, asking:
"Did you all understand?"

Fang Shu understood.

What the weasel Taoist was talking about was actually the current classification of immortal realms and their corresponding titles. He already knew about this from the letter his second uncle sent him, so it wasn't anything new to him.

However, what the Taoist priest said was more comprehensive than what his second uncle said, and he gained some insights from it.

However, Fang Shu had no intention of showing off. He kept a low profile so as not to spoil the opportunities of these monsters.

On the mound, no demon answered.

The Taoist priest continued to survey the area.

Finally, one of the monsters mustered up its courage and raised its hand.

But it spoke up: "Sir, you spoke too fast, we've all forgotten."

There was a burst of laughter from all around.

With the demons taking the lead, the other demons also kowtowed and rolled around, hoping that the Taoist priest would repeat the story again, or at a slower pace.

Upon seeing this, the weasel Taoist couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head repeatedly.

Its face showed a look of utter boredom.

at this time.

A voice rang out: "Sir, you have not yet entered the Dao. Even if you teach us the Great Dao, we will not be able to learn it or apply it."

Why don't you ask the master to teach us the specific steps of cultivation?

(End of this chapter)