Chapter 24 The Correct Way to Open the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slip

Wu Yin was beautiful, wearing a slightly loose sweater that still couldn't hide her alluring curves, though tonight she wasn't nearly bursting out of her clothes like last time. She didn't speak, merely casting a cold glance at Wang Xuan before turning to observe the bustling crowd on the bar street, showing no emotional reaction.

The two girls beside her were sizing up Wang Xuan with surprise, wondering why this guy wasn't afraid of Zhou Kun, who was known for his unruly behavior. In this age group, youth was the greatest asset, and both girls had fair skin and well-proportioned figures, full of vibrant energy. One of them had short hair, unbothered by the chill of late autumn, wearing a short skirt that showcased her snowy white legs. The other girl had long hair that curled slightly, her bright red lips looking very seductive under the streetlights, drawing the attention of passersby.

"Wang Xuan, have you taken gunpowder today?" Zhou Ting stepped up for her brother, eyeing Wang Xuan warily. She was genuinely afraid her brother would be provoked and rush in, only to be beaten again.

"Oh, you're Wang Xuan?" The long-haired girl with natural curls stepped forward, her enchanting phoenix eyes sparkling as she approached. With a smile, she said, "Let me introduce myself; I'm Li Qingxuan."

"Qingxuan, don't go too far!" Wu Yin interjected, knowing that Li Qingxuan and Ling Wei had never gotten along, and this was clearly intended to stir up trouble.

Wang Xuan nodded at her, consciously excluding her, Zhou Ting, and Zhou Kun from his consideration.

Nearby stood two young men, calm and collected, unlike Zhou Kun, who was always looking for trouble.

"Wang Xuan, I'm being quite restrained today; are you trying to provoke me?" Zhou Kun was still smarting from Wang Xuan's earlier words. While it was true that he had been in several confrontations lately, couldn't they be more "tactful" in public? His chest was aching from the pent-up frustration.

Wang Xuan walked over sincerely. "Sorry, I mainly encountered someone emitting a faint red glow tonight; they were quite domineering. But forget it… I'm not in a good mood tonight; goodbye." 

After saying this, he turned to leave. Aside from Zhou Kun, the others remained calm and composed, showing little indication of their true feelings.

"Ha, you encountered someone with a red glow? Sounds like bad luck." Zhou Kun finally smiled, a knowing look on his face. He felt he could guess what Wang Xuan had experienced; he must have been humiliated in front of some powerful practitioner, which explained his irritability tonight.

With a relaxed smile, Zhou Kun decided to let go of Wang Xuan's earlier provocation and even kindly offered some advice. "Little Wang, here's a tip: don't cling to outdated techniques; new methods are far beyond the old ones. Soon, someone will emerge who surpasses the masters. You're stuck in the old ways and have seen too little; what a pity." 

Zhou Kun, with a bandage wrapped around his head and a splinted arm in a sling, still managed to look superior, even calling him "Little Wang."

Wang Xuan sighed in an attempt to humor him, then turned to leave, not wanting to listen to his bragging any longer.

"Brother, you should be a bit more humble!" Zhou Ting shot him an annoyed glare. It had only been a few days, and he'd already gotten into two fights. He was too prone to stirring up trouble, making it hard for her to relax.

Wu Yin watched Wang Xuan's retreating figure and said, "Be careful of that guy; we need to watch out."

Zhou Kun responded, "Wu Yin, I'm not saying you should be forgiving. He just did a pathological analysis on you last time; it wasn't intentional."

Wu Yin nearly snapped and wished she could stomp on his fractured arm with her high heels. Instead of being told to be generous, she found herself more frustrated. In her eyes, Wang Xuan had not only provoked Zhou Kun earlier but then manipulated his emotions, observing and testing him before walking away without a trace.

Feeling resentful, Wu Yin thought, "What does it have to do with me? I won't remind him again," and ignored Zhou Kun.

"Zhou Kun, what's up with that Wang Xuan?" Li Qingxuan asked sweetly, casually brushing her curls back, her dazzling phoenix eyes glancing sideways at him.

"You mean Little Wang?" Although Zhou Kun was unruly and loved stirring trouble, he wasn't lacking in insight. He had intentionally provoked Wu Yin earlier, frustrated with the Wu family's strong push to interfere with Qingcheng Mountain's affairs. The Wu family was waiting to reap the benefits, while the Zhou and Ling families hesitated, leading to the current situation.

Li Qingxuan smiled brightly. "Then tell me more. My family is planning to set up an expedition team to that place, looking for capable people."

Wu Yin felt a headache coming on. She had originally wanted to warn Zhou Kun, but seeing how Li Qingxuan was stirring the pot, she decided to stay silent, thinking, "Let them stir things up; it's none of my business."

…

After turning around, Wang Xuan put away his previous expression and became extremely serious, his gaze like a knife as he scanned the bar street, observing everyone passing by.

Many felt a chill as his gaze swept over them, as if they had been briefly locked onto by a mountain tiger, leaving them bewildered.

That night, Wang Xuan and Qingmu went in and out of various bars, but they ultimately didn't find their targets; clearly, they had successfully slipped away.

"Don't worry; this isn't over. No matter who did it, we'll escalate this matter. The nature of this is too heinous, and we need to report it to the relevant departments in the Old Earth." Qingmu said, finally advising him to get some rest and that he would bring the gun permit tomorrow.

"They won't dare show up again for a while; I'll keep an eye on them!" Qingmu patted Wang Xuan's shoulder before leaving.

Though it was late, Wang Xuan still called his parents, feeling relieved when everything seemed normal on their end. He realized that these people were primarily targeting him, wanting to erase his existence.

Back at his place, Wang Xuan took out the Golden Body Technique. His state tonight was unique, and even studying this body technique felt different from before, leading to deeper insights.

In his room, he continuously stretched his body, practicing the Golden Body Technique according to the records in the secret text.

The shooting incident had a significant impact on Wang Xuan. Under modern technological weapons, even old technique masters seemed vulnerable. If he had reacted even slightly slower, he could have been shot in the head.

Even now, he felt a cold chill run down his spine.

He could clearly remember a strand of hair being singed as a bullet grazed by; the experience had been incredibly perilous.

Tonight, he felt a profound realization: life could end in an instant, and he couldn't effectively protect himself without Qingmu's help.

He needed to become stronger, especially craving the Golden Body Technique, hoping to cultivate a robust physique capable of withstanding gunfire.

If he could master even the first level of the Golden Body Technique, he wouldn't have let those people escape tonight. If he could withstand a bullet, even slightly, he would have the confidence to pursue and eliminate them.

The first level of the Golden Body Technique wasn't unfamiliar to Wang Xuan; it was similar to the Golden Garment Technique, allowing him to convert smoothly.

Before long, he began practicing the second level of the Golden Body Technique. Theoretically, it would take two years to complete.

However, Professor Lin had mentioned that the timeline could be exaggerated in the scriptures.

"Body techniques mainly involve refining the body at specific frequencies, such as resonating the organs, speeding up metabolism, and altering physical condition. During this process, the adrenal glands and pineal gland may be activated." 

Overall, the Golden Body Technique was about transforming the body and the mind, ultimately enabling one to withstand bullets.

"The root method is essentially about enhancing oneself comprehensively. Professor Lin repeatedly reminded me that the roots of various body techniques must be grounded in the root method."

After practicing for a while, Wang Xuan stopped and took out the translated text of the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips for careful study.

Tonight, he had been in a heightened state for an extended period, making him unusually perceptive, as if he sensed something was about to happen.

This strong intuition came from the heightened awareness he experienced. After practicing the Golden Body Technique, he began to study the Pre-Qin inheritance sent by Professor Lin.

That night, his state was indeed extraordinary, allowing him to gain unique insights.

As he focused inward and nourished himself, he noticed everything felt different. It was as if he had been pulled into a special space, utterly silent.

The abruptness of it all was striking!

Wang Xuan felt no fear or panic; rather, he was calm to the point of being surprised, like someone detached from the world, observing everything around him.

Long moments passed in absolute silence, while his thoughts remained exceptionally active and keen, with an astonishing memory.

In a flash of recollection, the entire Golden Body Technique was imprinted in his mind, and he could recite it backward, as if he were flipping through the secret text from back to front.

Next, he tried the same with the translated text of the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips and found he could recite it just as easily,

 recalling specific passages and reciting them in both directions.

This wasn't merely a heightened state; to him, it felt like a divine state.

What kind of realm was this? How did he achieve this?

Most importantly, it felt like he was in an isolated space, with no sound, resembling a desolate universe devoid of stars, profoundly silent.

Uncertain of his situation, he searched through the scriptures, finding he could even recite backward, let alone study them carefully again.

Soon, he came across a passage in the Pre-Qin practitioners' teachings. The intuition granted by the divine state told him that the answer lay within this passage.

In the translation of the bamboo slip, this section was relatively late and originally inaccessible to Wang Xuan; it required him to reach a higher realm for comprehension.

However, his current state aligned perfectly with this section.

This passage discussed the concepts of emptiness, silence, and the notion of clear and tranquil time, which was quite intricate and difficult to grasp.

Regarding this segment, Professor Lin had not understood it either and had to attach the ancient original text from the Pre-Qin era.

Had it been any other day, Wang Xuan would have struggled to comprehend its true meaning, but now in this divine state, his mind was exceptionally clear and sharp, gradually grasping some insights.

Soon, principles and explanations from later generations about meditation floated into his mind.

Meditation, the Inner Landscape of the Yellow Court, reaching utter emptiness, maintaining tranquility… some principles and phrases from later generations began to piece together the true meaning of this ancient Pre-Qin text.

In the realm of meditation, there is an achievement known as the ultimate state, which even masters find hard to touch; it's a lifelong pursuit with little gain.

The ultimate meditation, sometimes referred to as the highest meditation, means that a person entering this realm can stay in their virtual, tranquil world for years, even decades.

In this current context, if explained through meditation, Wang Xuan was in an ultimate meditation state.

Using the teachings of the "Yellow Court Classic," it could be interpreted that he had entered a special Inner Landscape of the Yellow Court.

The "Dao De Jing" also mentions: "Reach utter emptiness, maintain tranquility."

Clearly, this was a metaphor describing a particular state of walking the path of old techniques—emptiness and tranquility—and it reflected the condition of the Inner Landscape.

Whether explained through meditation or through Taoist principles, this state's mystery was evident, incomprehensible to outsiders.

Wang Xuan found himself in awe as he realized that both the ultimate meditation and the Inner Landscape were merely the correct practice methods of the Pre-Qin bamboo slips?!

He was astonished. If his understanding was correct, did he now have ample time?

If he interpreted this through meditation, then in this unique, tranquil space, he could remain for years.

If viewed from the Taoist perspective, he had entered the Inner Landscape, existing in a realm of clear and tranquil time, able to stay indefinitely.

Wang Xuan was neither overly excited nor overly agitated but maintained an otherworldly calm. He decided to give it a try.

Then, he began practicing the Golden Body Technique in this space!