The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 403 - 282 Zhang Songlin

Chapter 403: Chapter 282 Zhang Songlin

Lin Yue’s teacher lived at Number 8 in AnDing District, Tian Han City.

Just this address alone implied that the person’s status was extraordinary; it is well-known that the price of a villa in AnDing District is incredibly high, and the villas numbered earlier than this one cannot be bought with just money—they require significant power, as well as an extraordinary identity and status.

No wonder Yang Yilong, when he was still alive, always treated Lin Yue with caution.

Li Yi’s car hadn’t reached villa number 8 yet when a few hundred meters away, it was stopped by a guard and a roadblock.

"This area doesn’t allow unfamiliar vehicles to enter, please drive away immediately."

A security guard approached and instructed Li Yi to leave.

Li Yi glanced and realized this guard was actually an Evolver from the Spirit Medium Realm, his eyes shiny and able to see what ordinary people could not.

At this moment, Lin Yue quickly rolled down her window, stuck out her head, and said, "I am Lin Yue, a student of the teacher. I’ve come to visit him, and I hope you can make an exception."

Recognizing Lin Yue, the guard then allowed them to pass.

The vehicle proceeded and soon stopped in front of a traditional Chinese-style villa where many luxury cars had already gathered, indicating that quite a few people had arrived before them.

"Today might be the day the teacher gives a lecture, come on, let’s hurry over and listen, we might gain something new." Lin Yue quickly said.

After parking the car, Lin Yue led Li Yi towards the Chinese-style villa.

Lin Yue was familiar with the place, she led Li Yi inside, through a beautiful courtyard, past a corridor, and finally into a small park. Although the park was simply decorated with artificial landscapes of rocks and green trees, stepping into it felt like entering a natural forest, giving a refreshing and pleasant sensation.

Wait.

Something wasn’t right.

Li Yi immediately sensed something unusual; standing here felt like being in a completely different world compared to the outside. Here everything felt naturally beautiful and relaxed, which wasn’t the same outside.

Very strange.

He didn’t know why, but he could tell that the energy field here seemed unique.

In the middle of the park, there was an open area where about twenty or so Cultivators were sitting patiently on the grass, attentively listening to a lecture. These cultivators were all no ordinary beings; though some were at the inspiration realm, even more were high masters of the Spiritual Realm, and in the front row, Li Yi could even sense the presence of strong individuals from the Soul Realm.

The students in just this one class were equivalent to a city’s worth of elite cultivators.

In front of them, under an ancient pine, sat a middle-aged man about forty-odd years old on a stone bench. This man had long flowing hair, a beard, and wore a loose long robe, resembling an ancient Daoist priest. Strangely, though, his facial features seemed surreal—wide ears, thin lips, a prominent forehead, and an elongated neck, looking like an Immortal from a Daoist temple or an otherworldly being.

This man was Lin Yue’s teacher, known as Zhang Songlin.

According to Lin Yue, before the Sky Tipping event, Zhang Songlin was a university professor. After the path of cultivation opened up, he resigned to cultivate at home. Just like others from six years ago, he, too, had experienced a lapse in soul consciousness but had later awakened. Since then, he stayed in Tian Han City, teaching students and giving free classes.

Lin Yue was one of the third batch of students he took in.

At that moment, Zhang Songlin, with a light voice echoing, said, "Last time, we discussed the changes in the three realms of Spirit Medium, Inspiration, and Spiritual Sense, as well as their causes. This time, we’ll focus on the mysteries of the soul. Upon reaching Spiritual Sense realm, your body is already cultivating a soul—the ’sense’ implies awakening, indicating that at this stage, your body and soul are awakening, allowing you to perceive special things, like murderous intent, crisis... All these perceptions are actually your soul aiding you."

"What is the soul? Scientifically speaking, it is a combination of your thoughts and intentions, a manifestation of the brain—what is the brain? It is a complex and intricate organ constructed of countless neurons, powered by an energy type, which essentially is the initial state of your soul."

"Ordinary people’s bodies are too weak, and their brain energy is minimal; once they die, the energy quickly dissipates. However, Evolvers are different. The strength of their individual consciousness means that their energy also becomes stronger. When this energy reaches a certain level, it forms a true soul."

"Therefore, the essence of a soul is essentially the evolution of a strong individual consciousness."

"Of course, this is just one interpretation. Just listen to it; don’t take it too literally. All you need to know is that breaking through from Spiritual Sense to the Soul Realm primarily involves the evolution of your body. As your body transforms repeatedly and your bodily energy becomes more abundant, and the consciousness in your brain grows stronger... eventually, your soul will emerge."

At this point, a student from the Spiritual Realm raised his hand and asked, "Teacher, why can some people break through to the Soul Realm, while others remain stuck in the Spiritual Sense Realm? If what you said is true, shouldn’t everyone be able to become a strong being of the Soul Realm without encountering bottlenecks?"

His question was not only his own but something other masters in the Spiritual Realm also wanted to ask.

All eyes turned to Zhang Songlin, hoping for an answer, as it concerned their subsequent cultivation and breakthroughs.

Zhang Songlin merely smiled slightly and said, "As I mentioned before, human consciousness is a mass of energy. Only when this energy is strong enough can a soul be nurtured. Under normal circumstances, everyone could condense a soul, which is why Buddhism says everyone has the root of wisdom. But ask yourselves, have you truly fostered your own consciousness energy? Have you done anything to consume this energy?"

These words plunged many into deep thought.

"Ah, so that’s it. I understand now. I have too many stray thoughts, leading to the dispersion and constant consumption of my soul power, which is why I haven’t been able to condense a soul till now," suddenly realized a master in the Spiritual Realm, his excitement palpable.

"Stray thoughts?"

Zhang Songlin smiled and said, "That’s just one way soul power is consumed. There are also bodily desires. Why did ancient cultivators seek dao through a mind free of stray thoughts? Because the moment a thought arises, soul power is consumed. When desires emerge, soul power is scattered. To put it scientifically, your brain is wandering aimlessly, constantly self-consuming like an idling car engine, needlessly burning fuel. Therefore, calming the body is very important."

"There’s a saying that goes: ’From tranquility comes the Dao.’"

"And bodily desires are even more dreadful. When desires arise, your brain energy is consumed rapidly to stimulate the secretion of bodily hormones and accelerate organ functions. Thus, ancient practitioners reduced this energy consumption through purification of desires and meditation, and by unifying thoughts, they gathered consciousness energy and finally condensed a soul."

"So that’s how it is..." Everyone understood once again.

They couldn’t condense a soul not because of insufficient potential or cultivation but due to excessive desires and cluttered thoughts that prevented the unification of thoughts and dispersed soul power, hence the inability to break through.

Having a purified heart and unified thoughts naturally allows the soul to condense and take form.

At this moment, Li Yi was astounded by Professor Zhang Songlin’s speech, as it closely resembled the White Bone Temple Cultivation Skill he had learned about from the remnants within the Sword Coin.

What is White Bone Temple?

Seeing beauty as bones and bones as beauty, creating a mind free of desires and fears.

Without desires and fears, naturally, the mind is free of stray thoughts, and at that point, the energy of consciousness is highly concentrated and the soul is naturally nurtured.

Zhang Songlin continued, "Of course, not only stray thoughts and desires consume soul energy but also your hearing, sight, and speech. Therefore, when someone is very weak, the best method is to sleep, as it shuts down your hearing, smell, sight, and taste, allowing your soul energy to recover."

"Buddhism has a term called ’the purification of the six senses.’ What are the six senses? They refer to the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. If you can purify these six senses, then condensing a soul is naturally not difficult at all."

"Thus, the ability to condense a soul depends not on external factors, but on internal ones."

At this moment, Zhang Songlin unraveled the mystery of the soul, giving every master in the Spiritual Realm who understood a sensation of clearing the clouds away.

The cultivation of this world is too shallow; many only know to absorb universal energy to evolve their bodies but neglect the cultivation of the spirit, which is why they can’t break through and are stuck in the Spiritual Realm, unable to condense a soul.

"No matter how many times I listen to the teacher’s lectures, I always gain a lot, though he doesn’t talk about how to cultivate. But by clarifying the principles, cultivation becomes much easier," Lin Yue couldn’t help but exclaim.

The purification of the six senses, the condensation of the soul, who truly knows the relationship between them?

Li Yi also wholeheartedly nodded in agreement, "Your teacher is indeed extraordinary. Anyone slightly intuitive can break through to the Soul Realm in the future."

"It’s not that simple. Knowing the principles is one thing, but doing it is much harder. It’s like I know climbing a mountain is easy, but actually scaling a high peak requires enduring great hardships."

Lin Yue shook her head, having experienced the illusion of the Bone Mural, she naturally knew how difficult it was to control desires and purify the six senses.

Of course, it is precisely because of this difficulty that there are always so few strong individuals in the Soul Realm.

Professor Zhang Songlin continued, "The ancients said that to become an immortal, one must sever the seven emotions and six desires. Although this isn’t exactly correct, there is some truth to it. Evolvers condense a soul precisely at the moment they overcome bodily instincts. From then on, magical disturbances cease, and the soul dominates the body."

"And this is the Soul Realm."

"Professor, after the soul dominates the body, what changes will there be?" another master in the Spiritual Realm asked.

Professor Zhang Songlin smiled and answered, "After the soul dominates the body, the most obvious change is that the shackles limiting your bodily potential will be continuously unlocked. For example, strength—our bodies naturally limit our strength to protect themselves, fearing that excessive strength could harm us. But once these shackles are released, you can utilize your body’s strength to its fullest, even temporarily exerting power beyond its limits."

"At that moment, your body is no longer just a body, but a machine controlled by the soul. Though surpassing the limits may damage the body, your soul doesn’t care, because then you will feel that the soul is the real you. You won’t mind if the flesh is destroyed, damaged, or impaired, as long as your soul remains intact, free, and flawless."