MTL - Asking About Longevity

 Chapter 23 Talent

Yan Jiaoxi asked: "Are there any monks in this world who can draw formations at the third level of Qi refining?"

“Well, of course it should be there.” The fat steward thought about it and said:

"The world of cultivation is so vast that there are countless talents. I believe you when you say that some people can draw formations at birth, but they are just rumors after all. I have never seen it with my own eyes."

“Even that person who is extremely talented, forgets his ancestors, and betrays his master... well, he comes from a family of formations. He has been able to draw a simple formation containing three formations since he was a primary school student, and by the time he reached the third level of Qi Refining.”

"As for those big families and sects, the inheritance is many times deeper. There must be some geniuses in formations among their disciples, but they have never been revealed."

Yan Jiaoxi said: "In this case, it is not impossible to draw a formation by using the third layer of ink painting to refine Qi."

The fat steward didn’t want to admit it, but he had to admit it at this time.

 Senior Brother Yan, although he is stubborn, has always been thoughtful and has a very accurate vision.

"If this is true, it would be terrible. Do you want to accept a disciple?"

The fat steward thought for a while and continued: "I would say that this kid is indeed a good prospect. How about you formally accept him as your disciple? You can also pass on the formations that the master passed on to you."

Yan Jiaoxi had never thought about this matter. He was obviously moved when he heard the words, but after careful consideration, he still shook his head and said:

"The sect is ruined, and the remaining formations are all fragments. What's worth passing on? Accepting him as a disciple is just a mistake. Moreover, the master's last wish has not been fulfilled, and there is no clue about that person yet. I don’t have the time to ask anything else.”

The fat steward wanted to persuade him again, but Yan Jiaoxi just waved his hand.

The fat steward sighed, "That's all, I won't advise you anymore. Anyway, you won't listen. Then this kid Mo Hua..."

"Don't tell anyone for the time being. Whatever is beautiful in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. This has been true since ancient times. What's more, he is still young, so he cannot be arrogant, otherwise he will go astray in the future."

The fat steward agreed: "That's true."

Yan Jiaoxi continued: "Don't let him take over your orders for formations. Just find any excuse for poor management."

Although it was true that the management was not good, the fat manager still felt shameless when someone told him about it, so he corrected him:

 “This is not called bad management, this is called Buddhist management. Businesses and sales all depend on fate!”

“Besides, this kid is good at drawing formations, earning spiritual stones, and subsidizing the family’s income. Why not let him continue drawing?”

Yan Jiaoxi frowned and said: "At the third level of Qi Refining, even if you can draw formations, how much spiritual consciousness can you draw? If you draw too much, your spiritual consciousness will be excessively depleted, which will inevitably leave consequences and damage the foundation of the sea of ​​consciousness."

"And he is still young. It is the time to lay a solid foundation for spiritual practice. Not only the formations, but also the various spiritual practices must be understood, especially the cultivation level. It cannot be wasted for the sake of small profits..."

The fat steward said: "The family background of casual cultivators is not that generous, and they don't even have enough spiritual stones."

"Even if your family is poor, you can't ignore the future..."

“Then do you know how poor ordinary casual cultivators are?”

 The fat steward's expression rarely became serious.

 Jiao Yan frowned slightly when he saw the fat steward's expression.

The fat steward said seriously: "I know that you were in a bad situation when you were young. Although you have a family, you are just a commoner and are not valued by the family. Later, you joined the sect and received careful instruction from the master. You worked hard and made progress in the formation. Slightly better. But no matter how bad your situation is, if you have family to support you, at least you have food, clothing, and a worry-free life. At most, your life will be unsatisfactory. "

"People often say that cultivating Taoism is difficult," the fat steward sighed, "I came out of the sect and have stayed in Tongxian City for more than ten years. After dealing with many casual cultivators, I realized that even though people often say that cultivating Taoism is difficult, The degree of hardship is also very different." "Ordinary casual cultivators have a hard time making a living, and their income is meager. It's good to be able to support a family. The one who made weapons had half of his body burned by the fire, and the one who hunted monsters had his arm eaten by monsters, and sold his soul. As someone who works as a helper, the meridians in the body are more or less damaged. Once you get sick or injured, there are no spiritual stones to treat you. Whether you can survive it all depends on whether God will reward you."

“It’s best if you can survive, but you’ll die if you can’t. The worst is hanging on to half your life, spending spiritual stones, and dragging down the whole family. What can they do? They just want to live.”

"It is true that monks cannot ignore the future, but these low-level casual cultivators cannot care about the future now, so how can they care about the future?"

The fat steward finished speaking in one breath, poured a cup of tea, and poured it into his mouth.

Yan Jiaoxi was silent for a moment. After a moment, he sighed and said apologetically:

 “I didn’t think enough about it.”

 The fat steward rolled his eyes at him.

Yan Jiaoxi thought for a moment and then said to the fat steward: "Bring me the list of formations you have here."

"What do you want a directory for?" The fat steward was confused, but he got up obediently, took a book from behind the counter and handed it to Yan Jiaoxi.

Yan Jiaoxi took the list of formations and read them all first. Then he picked up the pen on the table, checked out several formations, and marked the serial numbers on the back of the formations in order.

 “You are…”

Yan Jiaoxi said: "Next time I come back for ink painting, let him paint in sequence according to the formations I marked on the list. If you do this step by step, he will learn more solidly. When the time comes, I will give him some guidance in the sect. It will be easier." He studied with his eyes closed."

“By doing this, he can not only earn some spiritual stones by drawing formations to support his family, but he can also learn some tricks in formations.”

After Yan Jiaoxi finished speaking, he warned: "One more thing, you can't let him draw too many of these formations. You can just collect three or four of them in half a month. Otherwise, once his consciousness is exhausted and the sea of ​​consciousness is damaged, he will be destroyed." It leaves a big problem."

The fat steward looked at the directory in his hand, then at Yan Jiaoxi, and said with a complicated expression: "Are you really not going to accept him as your disciple?"

Yan Jiaoxi just shook his head, then stood up, and repeated before leaving, "Don't forget to let him draw in the order I marked."

 After saying that, he left without looking back.

The fat steward looked at his back and was speechless for a long time. He just sighed helplessly.

Suddenly the fat steward remembered something and called Yan Jiaoxi again.

 Yan Jiaoxi looked back at him.

The fat steward thought for a while and then said: "One thing, you may be wrong..."

Yan Jiaoxi frowned, "What's wrong?"

"This kid, Mo Hua, was only on the second level of Qi Refining when he brought the open fire formation. If these formations were really drawn by him, then..."

The fat steward paused for a moment, then considered:

“He may be on the second level of Qi Refining... and be able to draw formations!”

 Yan Jiaoxi’s pupils shrank, showing a look of disbelief.

 (End of this chapter)