321: Chapter 318 Transformation of Internal Energy?

"Did I really just almost die? There is a great temptation in death. If I had truly approached that unknown light, perhaps I really would have never been able to return...

Thought and consciousness—once truly immersed in groundless fantasies and endless beauty, it is like falling into an abyss!"

As his state of mind gradually returned to normal, Li Changsheng's eyes were filled with shock. His heart was heaving uncontrollably, and his lungs were drawing in large gulps of fresh air like a bellows.

"No wonder it's said that Daoist meditation, Buddhist visualization, and Zen dhyana all carry great risks. The old saying truly does not deceive: if one goes astray, even the gods find it hard to cure."

From what Li Changsheng knew, if the practices of Daoism, Buddhism, Zen, and the like involved the path of cultivating the mind, they held benefits but also inherent risks.

In the Daoist meditation or Internal Alchemy techniques that Li Changsheng was more familiar with, after sitting in meditation for a long time, some people would experience various hallucinations.

Some saw the stars of the heavens, or a sky full of gods and Buddhas.

Some saw a white light at their brow, and within that white light were various buildings, like a fairyland.

Some saw demons and monsters, high mountain peaks, or the pitch-black, terrifying deep sea, and so on.

Seeing these occasionally was nothing, but as the frequency of these visions increased, the symptoms of 'entering demonic possession' would also increase.

Over time, the person's entire Heart-Nature and temperament would undergo earth-shattering changes; as the saying goes, 'appearances are born from the heart.'

If no correction was made in the Early Stage and one continued to remain unknowingly immersed, then their level of thought and Heart-Nature would change.

A person who was originally very cheerful might, over time, become gloomy or even start making baseless suspicions about others' intentions.

Therefore, this is also why many people are not suited for meditation methods. Meditation is somewhat similar to Daoyin techniques; without someone to guide you, it's easy for things to go wrong.

Li Changsheng felt that if he hadn't had the memory of his grandmother as his anchor in reality at the final moment, he might have already been immersed in true Great Nirvana—total death.

"So, I am now truly someone who has survived under Great Nirvana, having stepped over the threshold of 'Finding Life Within Death'?"

Calming his mind, Li Changsheng began to carefully feel the changes in his body.

Scanning his surroundings, the sensations weren't significantly different from before, yet there were distinctions. It seemed his dynamic vision was sharper, allowing him to see minute details clearly.

Twitching his nose, he felt a sense of freshness with every distinct scent he inhaled.

It was a wonderful feeling, like an infant encountering the world for the first time, having a sense of joy and delight toward everything.

The *Tao Te Ching* says: 'The multitude are joyful, as if partaking of the Great Sacrifice, or as if ascending a tower in spring. I alone am tranquil, like one who has not yet received an omen, like an infant who has not yet smiled.'

The general meaning is to return to the true, indifferent, and simple nature of an infant.

In Daoism, the infant represents a person of the Dao—one whose virtue is complete, whose essence is pure, and whose Qi is perfectly harmonious.

"Innocent by nature, embracing simplicity and maintaining purity, the internal and external as one. My current state has already faintly aligned with the true essence of martial arts, but I don't know what my current strength is like."

He could clearly feel that his sense of smell had become incredibly vivid. Because his heart felt a variety of novel sensations toward things, his perceptions were exceptionally sharp.

Li Changsheng even suspected that if he knew a bit about gunpowder ratios, he might be able to clearly determine the proportions of the components in the smoke.

He could clearly smell the body odor of the two foreigners—one black and one white—ten meters away, and he could even smell the faint perfume on Ms. Lux not far off.

These scents made Li Changsheng frown slightly. The air felt turbid; even though the hidden exhaust vents above were constantly circulating the air, it lacked the natural freshness and tranquility of the wild.

Throwing a punch into the air, Li Changsheng didn't have a very clear feeling about it.

"My perception is more minute, and my mastery and utilization rate of force and the body are higher. If an ordinary person's overall body utilization rate after years of training is 10%, then Dark Force is 20% to 30%.

Hidden Force is more like 40% to 49%.

My current state is likely around 40%. Whether it's Hidden Force or not will require testing."

Li Changsheng found his current physical condition very peculiar. He could clearly feel that his reactions, thinking, vision, smell, agility, and various other aspects had all significantly improved.

But as for whether he had reached the level of 'The Cicada Sensing the Coming of the Autumn Wind Before It Moves'...

Or what the old masters Guo Yunshen and Sun Lutang said: 'In practice, the movement of the whole body and limbs, the rising and falling, the advancing and retreating, must all be effortless, utilized solely through spirit and intent. Although it is the use of spirit and intent, the forms and rules remain unchangeable as in the previous two stages. Although the body moves without effort, one cannot be entirely without effort; it all lies in the penetration of spirit and intent.'

In other words, there is no place on the body that is not a Dantian. Any single position can serve as a Dantian to explode with power. It is an ideal state—for example, grabbing one's own hair and being able to lift oneself up.

Or perhaps reaching the level where a palm strike can generate suction, or even emit force through the air.

Dark Force means that the person hit feels pain from the internal organs outward, while the skin and flesh do not hurt, or the organs and flesh start hurting together. This pain grows more and more intense.

Hidden Force is more like the perfect Fusion of Obvious and Dark Force, reaching the pinnacle of achievement and truly achieving the unity of internal and external.

As the saying goes: 'Cultivating the internal but not the external is like iron wrapped in glass. Cultivating the external but not the internal is like glass wrapped in iron.'

'Cultivating both internal and external is like iron wrapped in cotton!'

Hidden Force, the true Major Achievement of 'Hunyuan' (Primordial Unity), is Hidden Force. Hunyuan Power is to make a person like a ball filled with air.

A sphere is an extremely stable object. No matter where the sphere is touched, it is a single whole; that is the principle.

Furthermore, because it is so perfectly smooth and integrated, it truly achieves 'striking without a visible form.'

"Master Li, are you alright? Just now your heart..."

"How long did my heart stop just now?" Li Changsheng waved his hand to interrupt Ms. Lux, who was rushing over.

"This... it stopped for a total of ten minutes. Are you really okay? The medical staff are right here, why don't we do a full check-up?"

Lux was still somewhat worried. Not just her—even the nearby medical staff were exclaiming that they had seen a miracle.

It was extremely rare for someone to recover after their heart had stopped for so long, not to mention that those cases were usually the result of full efforts by medical staff and equipment.

This gentleman here actually just got better on his own.

"Mr. Li, do you really not need a check-up?"

A balding white doctor also asked kindly; after all, they were already there.

Seeing several people pushing various medical devices with somewhat awkward expressions, Li Changsheng thought about it and nodded.

He really did want to check if any problems would arise in his body after such a long cardiac arrest.

Seeing Li Changsheng agree, they all breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began the procedures.

Actually, not much equipment was needed. Li Changsheng was already connected to various data interfaces, and one could get a general idea just by observing the nearby display screens.

However, they still used scanners and other instruments.

As time passed, Li Changsheng saw the doctors looking at each other, some with expressions of utter astonishment.

They looked as if they had discovered some novel, unsolved mystery.

"Ahem, Doctor, how is my physical condition?" Li Changsheng asked with a dry cough.

"This... there is a problem."

"A problem?"

Hearing this, Li Changsheng couldn't help but feel suspicious. He felt quite good, even better than before.

"Yes, Li, your body is too good. I have never seen such a healthy body. It's so good that it makes me completely believe that the medical human templates I studied didn't lie to me."

The balding doctor spoke with a serious face.

And that was what they found strange: it was so good that it nearly perfectly matched the template for a perfect, healthy human state.

But a truly perfect state of human health almost never exists; the fact that there wasn't even a minor ailment was even more ridiculous.

It was rare!

After all, isn't there a saying? In a hospital, whether you are sick or not, if you go in, you'll always have something wrong with you.

If they can't find anything, people might think they aren't professional.