Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 51: Refining the Spirit

"Refining the Spirit?" Su Ming's heart stirred.

"Correct. The fundamental essence of a human lies in essence, energy, and spirit. The tempering of your body you are doing now is refining essence; drawing energy into the body is refining energy; and this Refining the Spirit is tempering your soul, your will, your perception."

Lin Yu's voice became ethereal: "A strong spirit leads to a firm will. A firm will leads to keen perception, photographic memory, and a mind as clear as a mirror. In battle, it allows you to foresee the enemy's moves. In cultivation, it doubles the results with half the effort."

(Inner thoughts: "Finally, we've reached my area of expertise—the mystical packaging class! Packaging modern meditation, concentration training, and sensory enhancement into the grand-sounding 'Refining the Spirit' method. I give myself a hundred points for this move!")

"Master, teach me!" Su Ming became excited.

"Don't rush." Lin Yu said leisurely, "The methods of Refining the Spirit are numerous and complex, but they all share the same core. Today, I will only teach you the first step—'Listening to Sounds' and 'Observing the Flame'."

He paused, then continued, "Right now, calm your heart and listen."

Su Ming immediately obeyed, pricking up his ears.

He could hear the faint snores coming from his parents' room, and the rustling of leaves as the night wind blew through the old locust tree outside the courtyard.

"Not enough." Lin Yu said lightly, "These sounds are too close, too noisy. Forget them. Listen for sounds that are farther away, more subtle. Listen... to the cricket chirping under the eaves of Limping Wang's house at the east end of the village. Its left third antenna just twitched."Su Ming was stunned.

The east end of the village? That was separated from his house by seven or eight households, at least half a li away!

Hear a cricket's antenna? How is that possible?

(Inner thoughts: "Hehe, exaggeration, understand exaggeration? First set a small goal, like listening to a hundred million of them... ahem, first set an impossible goal to maximize the stimulation of his potential. This is called expectation management!")

"Focus your spirit. Don't listen with your ears, use your will to 'capture' it." Lin Yu guided, "Your spiritual sense is like an invisible net. Cast it out, covering the entire village. Then, on this net, search for the faintest vibration."

breath, dismissed distracting thoughts, and tried

first, his mind

drunken sleep-talking of villagers

simply couldn't distinguish

"Master, it's too chaotic."

amidst thousands of troops and horses, can you

Ming

trying to sift

passed bit by bit. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The intense mental concentration

as he was about to give up, the cacophony of sounds in his mind suddenly seemed to be

extremely faint "chirp" abruptly

so clear, as if it were right by his

black cricket was vibrating its wings, its two long antennae

Ming's

"This is 'Listening to Sounds'. Next is

Ming relight

"Look at it."

eyes, his

"What do you see?"

flickering flame, yellow, with a

'birth' and 'extinction'. Every instant, old lamp oil is vaporized, burned, turning into light and heat; meanwhile, new lamp oil climbs up the wick

of the flame, to 'see' clearly the tremor of every strand of light, to understand why it shines and why it dances. Immerse your mind completely into this bean-sized flame, until you feel... you

micro-physics! Energy conversion, matter combustion, how wonderful! Much more interesting than memorizing those

Ming stared at the

that flame began

the faint blue color in the flame's inner layer, saw each subtle sway of the outer