Li Yundong was deep in visualization within his Sea of Consciousness. The first image that came to mind was the sweet young girl beside him. As soon as he thought of Su Chan, the surrounding clouds began to slowly shift.
Li Yundong felt as if his soul was being yanked from its original location in the world, soaring suddenly to a peak, looking down upon the chaotic world previously enveloped by the clouds.
In this vast, dark world, Li Yundong noticed that the swirling mass of clouds beneath his feet gradually formed and condensed into the shape of a girl, her features clear and vivid—it was unmistakably Su Chan.
This transformation brought Li Yundong both shock and elation, as if a strange and mysterious gate had swung wide open before him.
Like a child with a new toy, he continuously shifted his visualization from one object to the next, never tiring of the game.
While Li Yundong was enjoying himself, Su Chan waiting nearby was growing anxious.
Li Yundong was stirring up storms and turning the seas within his Sea of Consciousness, yet his outward appearance betrayed not the slightest change. Su Chan’s heart was fraught with worry, fearing that Li Yundong might fail to pass this trial, or at least fail to achieve a satisfactory outcome within it.
“What if Yundong can’t visualize anything at all?” the little fox worried anxiously, feeling an overwhelming sense of dread. After pondering for a moment, she tried to comfort herself: “No, no, he’s so clever; it’s impossible that he wouldn't be able to visualize something.”
But the young girl felt this was mere self-deception: “What if he can only visualize something very rudimentary?”
If that were the case, wouldn't his entire Golden Core essence be wasted?
Su Chan couldn't help but feel regret. If his talent wasn't high, even with the support of his Golden Core essence, he ultimately wouldn't be able to reach the pinnacle and become one of the foremost figures in the cultivation world—for instance, True Immortal Bai He of the Zhengyi Sect, or the Supreme Celestial Venerable of the Danyang School, or Master Yuan Kong of the Chan Sect, or perhaps the Heaven-Mysteries Profound Fox, a rare prodigy born once every few centuries in the Huchan Gate where she resided!
The young girl let her thoughts run wild: “If he can’t become a peak True Immortal like them, then settling for being a carefree Loose Immortal would also be good. But, but what if his aptitude isn't even enough to reach Loose Immortal status? Then wouldn’t I be failing the oath I once swore to help Li Yundong become a towering master?”
Su Chan pondered in fearful solitude. After thinking for a while, a look of grim resolve gradually surfaced in her eyes: “If he can’t even cultivate to the level of a Loose Immortal, then I will risk punishment and plead with my Master to open the Celestial Eye for Yundong and steal heavenly secrets!”
While the young girl was agonizing over this grim scenario, Li Yundong was thoroughly delighted with his play. In a flash, he visualized hundreds of things. Especially when Li Yundong visualized towering mountains and vast rivers, the majestic scenery conjured by the condensing cloud currents made his blood surge, as if he himself had become the Creator shaping heaven and earth, controlling everything with his baton—heaven, earth, mountains, rivers, stars, sun, and moon; he could have whatever he desired!
“Ha, haven’t I basically become a founding Buddha or a deity like Hongjun?” Li Yundong secretly chuckled. Overcome with a playful mood, he decided to visualize the image of the Buddha.
This visualization was a disaster. Instantly, his Sea of Consciousness world roared with noise, like tumbling thunder and clashing lightning.
These masses of cloud energy surprisingly did not form into the shape of the Buddha according to Li Yundong’s will. Instead, they boiled upward, appearing as if they were about to surge directly above Li Yundong’s head.
Li Yundong was startled and immediately ceased visualizing the Buddha. The moment he stopped, the tumultuous clouds immediately subsided.
Li Yundong pondered secretly: Why couldn’t I visualize the Buddha? Was it forbidden?
Li Yundong’s guess was entirely correct. Cultivators have two major taboos. The first is using magical arts on mortals, which invites heavenly tribulation. The second major taboo is visualizing deities when one’s own strength is insufficient during cultivation.
Seeing that visualizing the Buddha was impossible, Li Yundong didn't force it. Instead, he switched to visualizing the lotus pedestal upon which the Buddha sits.
“If I can’t visualize the Buddha, visualizing the lotus pedestal should work! Haven’t these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas always sat on lotus pedestals since antiquity?” Li Yundong mused to himself.
As he visualized, the misty currents of the cloud sea slowly condensed. At first, the mass of energy appeared quite irregular. Li Yundong felt the cloud masses trying to escape outward—something that hadn't happened during his previous visualizations. He became even more intensely focused, pouring all his concentration into visualizing the lotus pedestal.
Under Li Yundong’s visualization, the thick cloud currents gradually took the shape of a pedestal. Slowly, the edges began to form the shapes of lotus leaves and petals. Seeing that his visualization was proving effective, Li Yundong was overjoyed and continued his thought: The pedestal is too empty; it won't look right without lotus seeds!
With that thought, a faint glimmer of light subtly shone through the rolling darkness of the clouds, like a single star adorning the lotus pedestal.
Li Yundong saw that this point of light precisely resembled a lotus seed. He laughed heartily: “One lotus seed isn't enough; I need more!”
Immediately, small points of light appeared one after another on the pedestal. Soon, the light from these seeds illuminated even the dark world Li Yundong occupied. The lotus petals surrounding the pedestal were cast in a translucent glow, looking stunningly beautiful, like a lotus-shaped lantern in the dead of night.
Li Yundong gazed contentedly at the lotus pedestal before him. He reached out his hand, curious about the sensation.
Although Li Yundong was merely an ethereal soul at this moment, the instant he formed the intention to reach out, the lotus pedestal’s petals rolled inward and closed, instantly transforming into a bud waiting to bloom.
Li Yundong paused. He then formed the thought of withdrawing his hand, and as soon as this intention arose, the half-open lotus instantly burst forth, radiating blinding light with vibrant petals, so dazzling it seemed to illuminate this entire minor world, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open!
Li Yundong was both shocked and delighted, finding it wonderfully magical. He formed the intention to reach out again, and the pedestal transformed back into the lotus flower. He laughed heartily, repeating this process like a playful child until he had done it nine times in a row.
When the ninth repetition ended, Li Yundong visualized again, but suddenly the lotus pedestal exploded with a loud boom. Petals scattered like falling blossoms, and luminous lotus seeds flew out from the center, drilling into Li Yundong’s body like shooting stars.
Li Yundong’s body shuddered violently. He snapped his eyes open, abruptly waking from his visualization. He gasped for air, his eyes wide and fixed, seemingly unable to believe what had just occurred.
Seeing him awake, Su Chan was both startled and thrilled. She asked cautiously, “Yundong, what did you visualize?”
Li Yundong breathed deeply for a while until his heart calmed. He spoke with a strange expression, “Many things…”
Su Chan’s heart leaped. She thought: One can only easily visualize the simplest things when visualizing many. Could it be…
She couldn't help but press further, “What kind of things?”
Li Yundong recounted an overview of everything he visualized: birds and beasts, flowers, insects, mountains, and rivers—there was nothing missing. Finally, remembering something, he smiled and added, “Oh, and I visualized you, too.”
Previously, upon hearing Li Yundong list those items, Su Chan had been quietly distressed. These were the easiest things to visualize because although mountains and rivers were vast and imposing, they were mostly inanimate objects. Flowers, birds, insects, and beasts were living things lacking true spiritual essence; none of them could truly test a cultivator's talent or comprehension.
When Su Chan heard Li Yundong say he visualized her, she immediately rejoiced and eagerly asked, “You visualized me? How was it? Did it look like me?”
Humans are the most spiritual of all beings, naturally possessing inherent clarity, and each appears unique—making them incredibly difficult to visualize. To capture both the form and the spirit perfectly is exponentially harder, achievable only by those with exceptional innate intelligence.
Li Yundong smiled proudly, “Of course it was like you, exactly the same!”
Su Chan was instantly overjoyed, and the anxiety that had been hanging over her lifted. Her face broke into a radiant smile, and she threw her arms around Li Yundong, giving him a huge kiss: “That’s wonderful, wonderful!”
Li Yundong took the opportunity to embrace the young girl, pressing a kiss back onto her cheek: “Well? Am I amazing or what?”
The young girl nodded her head like a rattle-drum, beaming with delight, “Amazing, amazing! Even more amazing than I imagined!”
Li Yundong chuckled. He suddenly remembered the strange phenomenon that occurred when he subsequently tried to visualize the Buddha, so he told Su Chan about the bizarre situation during his visualization.
Upon hearing this, Su Chan instantly broke out in a cold sweat, looking at Li Yundong with sheer terror, her voice trembling: “You, you actually tried to visualize the Buddha? Are you insane?”
Visualization signifies the extent of a person’s mental power and creative richness. Cultivators can visualize anything, but they must never visualize a deity.
This is because a cultivator’s visualization occurs internally, within their Sea of Consciousness, where their soul resides—this is their own inherent deity.
But when a cultivator visualizes an external deity, it means their internal spiritual power connects with the divine power existing between heaven and earth. This not only attracts heavenly lightning tribulation but also invites the deity’s power to possess their body, leading to the usurper taking control and the cultivator’s own divine spirit being annihilated.
Li Yundong’s visualization of the Buddha immediately caused his Sea of Consciousness to surge and boil, nearly scattering his soul, yet he remained completely unaware, having skirted death without realizing it.
Li Yundong was quite perplexed by Su Chan’s terrified expression. Only after Su Chan, pale-faced, explained the reason did Li Yundong, though still skeptical, at least commit to memory that he shouldn't indulge in idle thoughts, lest he suffer Qi deviation.
Su Chan stared at Li Yundong with wide eyes, stuttering, “You keep calling me foolish with good fortune, but I think you are the truly foolish one blessed by luck!”
Li Yundong feigned anger: “Nonsense! Be careful, or I’ll spank you!”
After playing around with him for a while, Su Chan’s earlier heart-pounding fear gradually dissipated. She asked casually, “In any case, don’t visualize random things in the future. If you can’t think of anything else, visualize the lotus pedestal.”
Visualizing the lotus pedestal was the final lesson in the second stage of 'Qi Refining.' The lotus pedestal was considered the most difficult object to visualize among all visualization techniques.
This is because the lotus pedestal is not only complex but is also the most spiritually imbued object in existence. Though it rises from the mire, it remains untainted by dust. Not only are its petals beautiful and dignified, but the seeds it produces are also fresh and sweet, possessing properties beneficial for health and medicine.
The lotus seed giving rise to the lotus symbolizes the cultivation process of a practitioner.
Beginning with the body of a common mortal, a ghost, or a demon, is not this symbolized by growing in the sludge? Once cultivation succeeds, the flower blooms and bears fruit; doesn't the resulting Inner Core correspond to the lotus seed produced by the pedestal?
Su Chan finished speaking. Li Yundong laughed heartily, “I visualized it long ago, and I visualized it nine times in a row! It was the visualization of the pedestal exploding that woke me up.”
At these words, Su Chan’s eyes widened, and she stared at Li Yundong as if he were a monster, speechless for a long time.
Li Yundong waved his hand in front of her eyes: “Hey, did I scare you silly?”
Su Chan looked at him, her color drained with shock, and stuttered, “You, you visualized the lotus pedestal? And, and nine times in a row? Don't tell big tales!”
Li Yundong said displeasedly, “Who’s telling tales? You don’t believe me!” So, he recounted the entire process of his visualization and the feelings associated with it.
Only then did Su Chan believe him, thinking in horrified amazement: “The first time I visualized it, I only managed the pedestal once. He visualized the lotus pedestal nine times in one go? That’s the 'Nine-Nine Lotus Pedestal' of visualization techniques—it signifies supreme, unparalleled talent and aptitude! Could it be that he is actually a genius that appears once in five hundred years?”