paranoianovel Chapter 51 Taking a Different Approach: The Debate Between Self and Other
Chapter 51 Taking a Different Approach: The Debate Between Self and Other
After the information about the "Swallowing Ghost Gourd" talisman was released, Jiang Jun stopped paying attention to online updates.
He held the small gourd in his hand, quietly sensing the newly acquired power of suppressing evil.
This time, I've gained two abilities.
Firstly, it involves constructing a space for capturing and suppressing various monsters, which can then be sealed, suppressed, or even refined.
Secondly, it also has the ability to create space, forming a small, independent space for storing items.
Jiang Jun attached this ability to his sleeve, calling it "Universe in the Sleeve".
With this power to suppress evil, he will no longer need to abandon his spoils when he travels to the realm of the supernatural in the future, just to maintain the demeanor of a superior being.
One of the main reasons he lingered at Qingzhu Temple last time was that those strange plants and spiritual plants took up too much space and were inconvenient to carry without a storage bag.
Having acquired a new talisman, Jiang Jun naturally needed to reconnect with and integrate it, but his cultivation progress was not delayed as a result.
In the sea of consciousness, another talisman appeared on the Pure Lotus, settling steadily between the lotus petals.
The transformation of the power of suppressing objects accelerated further, which in turn hastened the completion of the "Qi Harmony" stage.
On this day, with a slight thought, the pure lotus in his sea of consciousness swayed gracefully, and the five-colored stone slowly rotated, driving the vast true energy to circulate repeatedly.
Then a thunderous boom was heard, and the true energy in his sea of consciousness was filled with energy, forming a self-circulating cycle that neither increased nor decreased, having already reached its current limit.
Jiang Jun slowly opened his eyes, a clear light flashing in them, his spirit full and vigorous.
"Next, we will reach the 'body integration' stage." He gazed at the four original forms of the protective artifacts lined up in front of him, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
When a cultivator reaches this stage, their divine sense merges with the spirit of the creature, and their yin energy flows with the spirit energy. The next step is to completely integrate the creature's physical form into their body and break through the shackles through transformation.
But Jiang Jun remained silent for a long time before slowly shaking his head.
What is the physical body? It is a precious raft for crossing the world, a vessel for carrying the Way, and the final boundary of being "human".
Even if a strange creature has been refined by a master of strange creatures, its essence is still a projection of the rules of the Abyss of Strange Creatures, and it is inherently hostile to living beings.
Is it "fusion" or "contamination" to completely integrate such heretical teachings into one's own flesh, bone marrow, and even every thought?
He closed his eyes, and the pure lotus light in his mind flowed and shone down, making his thoughts exceptionally clear.
As the Taoist scriptures say, "All things in the universe return to their root." The human body is a microcosm, inherently complete and perfect.
Treating strange creatures as fuel for advancement and filling them into one's own furnace may seem like a great leap forward in cultivation, but in reality, it's like adding unrefinable impurities into a pure alchemy cauldron.
It may not be a problem in the short term, but if one wants to climb higher, these strange and peculiar traits that are deeply intertwined with flesh, blood, and soul will become the biggest obstacle, and may even become a part of oneself that can no longer be separated.
Adding fuel to the fire will only keep the fire burning; the fuel will never run out. Trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin may bring temporary gain, but who knows when the tiger will turn back?
Although the talisman is unlikely to cause a backlash, it is ultimately an "object," not "me" myself. Forcibly merging with it is tantamount to carving an indelible crack into a perfect piece.
Since I cannot integrate "things" into "me", then I will do the opposite and refine "things" into the shape of "me"!
Jiang Jun opened his eyes, his gaze now clear and focused.
He was going to take a path completely opposite to that of the manipulators: not to merge with the demons, but to refine things with himself.
Using divine thought as a furnace and true energy as fire, treat the object of suppression as a rough jade, repeatedly refining and polishing it.
Use your own way to assimilate the nature of things that suppress evil. Until it is no longer an external object at its root, but an extension of your own way.
Having figured this out, Jiang Jun no longer hesitated. His gaze swept over the four talismans, finally settling on the "Gourd that Swallows Demons".
The first three items spread widely, their merits deepened, and their power grew stronger.
Only this "Demon-Swallowing Gourd" is newly compiled, and its power to suppress evil has not yet been accumulated, so it is in its weakest stage.
The weakest point also means the easiest to refine, making it perfect for testing this new path.
The pure lotus swayed gently, and the colorful stones rippled.
Jiang Jun used his divine sense to activate his true energy, which flowed like a gentle stream, wrapping around the gourd layer by layer and seeping into its internal patterns.
He began to refine the "Swallowing Ghost Gourd".
As he probed with his divine sense, he clearly perceived the naturally formed patterns inside the gourd, as well as the suppressing power flowing between those patterns.
Jiang Jun did not forcibly change it, but instead used his own divine sense and true energy to cleanse it from the outside again and again.
Like a craftsman polishing jade, he doesn't try to cut off the sharp edges with one stroke, but rather uses the gentle, persistent process of polishing to gradually imprint his mark onto the jade.
His divine sense possessed the characteristics of a pure lotus—clear, stable, and untainted by dust. His true energy, on the other hand, possessed the spirituality and stability bestowed by the five-colored stones.
Once, twice, three times... a hundred times.
Gradually, he noticed subtle changes in the patterns inside the gourd.
The veins that originally carried the power to suppress things began to resonate with his divine sense, as if they were actively adapting to his aura.
It is no longer just an object; it has acquired a touch of Jiang Jun's own "temperament".
The Devouring Gourd trembled slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to this change.
But Jiang Jun's divine sense and true energy were like two gentle yet firm streams of water, not forcibly suppressing, but continuously soaking, permeating, and demonstrating.
This is the biggest difference between the way of suppressing objects and the way of controlling demons.
It is not about taming through violence, but about assimilating the nature of things through one's own methods.
The master of the supernatural merges with the supernatural into his body, drawing strange energy into the room and entangled it with his own soul.
His path involves placing the object outside his body, using himself as a furnace and a benchmark to measure and refine it inch by inch, until the object fundamentally accepts his rules, resonates with his aura, and becomes an extension of his "Dao".
By then, although the talisman will still be independent of his physical body, it will be more "belonging" to him than any other strange creature that has been integrated into his body.
Because it has been "recast" from its very origin. Not merged, but reshaped.
Jiang Jun was immersed in this mysterious state of cleansing, and he felt that his divine sense and true energy were becoming more and more harmonious.
It turns out that the process of cleansing and purifying objects is itself a form of spiritual practice.
Using the object as a whetstone, one sharpens one's own spiritual power and true energy; and one uses one's own way to nourish the object, increasing its spirituality and softening its roughness.
As the cleansing process deepened, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Today, he used his divine sense and true energy to cleanse and purify the object, leaving his own imprint inside.
If, over many years, a talisman is refined to its ultimate state, completely eliminating any rough or stagnant aspects of its material properties, it can be made to fully blend with its own essence.
What will this talisman become then?
It may no longer be just an object. It carries his divine sense and is perfectly in sync with his true energy. It can respond to his every thought without needing to be deliberately activated.
Is such a thing merely a "tool"?
A word suddenly flashed through Jiang Jun's mind: avatar.
He had seen related legends in Taoist scriptures, which said that when one cultivates to a very high level, one can separate a wisp of divine thought and entrust it to an external object, transforming it into a second primordial spirit or an external avatar.
The avatar possesses an independent form, yet it shares the same mind and will as the original, as if they were one person.
Of course, that kind of realm is ethereal and beyond his current reach; he was just daydreaming.
However, it is possible to continue down this path and transform the town's objects from "usable objects" into "like an extension of an arm."
Thinking of this, Jiang Jun smiled self-deprecatingly, suppressed these unrealistic thoughts, and focused his mind on the purification in front of him.
One must take things one step at a time.
Being able to refine this "devouring gourd" to a more comfortable level is already a great achievement.