"Thus have I heard: The Buddha said to Subhuti, 'Only after completing the Muscle-Tendon Change can one begin to practice this. … With patience for one full cycle, there will be no overstepping this time limit. Empty heart, self-transformation, follow the will without hindrance."
In the blink of an eye.
Lin Rong entered a state of meditative tranquility, his heart and mind transforming into a realm of emptiness.
It was an indescribable, profound, and mysterious sensation.
His heart was empty, desires absent—everything in the world seemed incapable of affecting him.
In the past, although the state of Empty Heart, Self-Transformation was close at hand, a thin barrier stood between him and it, and for a long time, he couldn't cross that boundary.
Through the fog, it was as if he was looking at flowers in the mist, or the moon reflected on the water. It was within reach but still forever unattainable.
Now, beneath the clarity of his empty heart, the fog dispersed, and his blurred vision cleared. Lin Rong could finally see the true face of the mountain.
Outside, in a remote wilderness.
The carriage driver guided the horse southward.
Suddenly, all the heaven and earth's vital energy within a one-mile radius began to flow toward the carriage.
Above the carriage, a visible milky-white vortex formed, with its center directly above Lin Rong.
The sudden occurrence left the coachman stunned and confused, his movements flustered.
"Stop the carriage!"
The voice of the butler, Mr. Yu, rang out in the driver's ears.
Years of obeying orders had instilled such habits in the coachman that even in his panic, he quickly came to his senses and stopped the carriage.
Inside the carriage.
The air was thick with vital energy that had transformed into tiny liquid droplets.
These droplets filled the entire carriage, enveloping it in mist so dense that one could not see one's hand in front of one's face.
Even Mr. Yu, the butler, had to use his spiritual power to sense the young master's position.
Upon sensing that nothing was wrong with the young master, Mr. Yu silently muttered to himself:
"Has the young master broken through the unnamed secret technique he's been practicing?"
"Such a huge disturbance... It's a good thing we are in a remote area. Otherwise, if this happened in a bustling city, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause."
Mr. Yu was aware of Lin Rong practicing the Washing Marrow Sutra, but the way Lin Rong explained it was that he had discovered it by accident in the family's library.
Originally, after Lin Rong trusted Mr. Yu completely, he allowed the butler to try the Washing Marrow Sutra as well, though he failed.
At that time, Lin Rong realized that to practice the Washing Marrow Sutra, one needed a certain foundation in the Muscle-Tendon Change first.
He had never practiced the Muscle-Tendon Change, yet he could succeed with the Washing Marrow Sutra because of the mysterious prenatal breathing technique.
While still in the womb, with his meridians yet to form, he did not need to practice the Muscle-Tendon Change to begin practicing the Washing Marrow Sutra.
As for the details of the Muscle-Tendon Change, Lin Rong's past-life memories only retained fragments, so he couldn't pass the technique on to others.
Time passed.
The mist in the carriage grew thicker. Mr. Yu kept a careful watch on the young master's condition, unable to absorb any of the vital energy, leaving his clothes soaked through.
But Lin Rong was different.
At this moment, his dantian (a central energy point in the body) seemed like a black hole, emitting an immense gravitational force that sucked in all the vital energy within a one-inch radius.
Before the vital energy could even touch Lin Rong's clothing, it was drawn into his dantian.
Once inside, the vital energy was guided by an unknown force and spread throughout his blood and meridians, gradually purifying and expelling impurities from his body.
The phenomenon of heaven and earth's phenomenon lasted for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
After the incense's time had passed, the vortex above the carriage gradually dissipated, blending back into the natural world.
"So, this is the first stage of the Washing Marrow Sutra: Empty Heart, Self-Transformation?"
Lin Rong returned his awareness to the outside world and carefully observed his condition.
"Since leaving the womb, this is the first time I've felt this comfortable."
"My physical constitution has improved, my spiritual power has increased, and my soul power has even risen by two levels, reaching level 25."
The first stage of the Washing Marrow Sutra, Empty Heart, Self-Transformation.
Once a practitioner reaches this stage, they can enter a state of empty heart at will.
In this state, no external force can disturb the practitioner's mind.
The practitioner can also freely shift between emotional states, quickly switching between various emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Lin Rong experienced this sensation for a while before reluctantly exiting the empty heart state, feeling a hint of reluctance and wishing to return to the state to experience the mysterious sensation once more.
This is the desire for meditation!
Once one tastes the joy of cultivation, it becomes hard to stop, and they desire to remain in that joy forever.
Before Lin Rong could suppress this desire, another, more intense emotion took control.
Instinctively, Lin Rong held his breath, unwilling to breathe in the nauseating stench coming from his own body.
"What the hell... I've been cultivating the Washing Marrow Sutra since I was in the womb, and I still end up with this mess..."
At this moment, Lin Rong was covered in thick, black filth, feeling uncomfortable with the sticky sensation all over his body.
Luckily, the carriage was large enough, so he took a wooden bucket from the tools he was carrying and filled it with water.
Not minding that the water wasn't heated, he jumped in to wash off the filth.
After changing five buckets of water and cleaning for a full half-hour...
Lin Rong finally felt clean again.
After receiving fresh clothes from Mr. Yu, Lin Rong leaned against the carriage window and looked back.
In the time he spent bathing, the carriage had already traveled quite a distance.
Although Lin Rong wasn't sure how much noise his breakthrough had caused, he knew it wasn't insignificant.
The vital energy was drawn from a radius of one mile, but the heaven and earth phenomenon was visible for several miles.
The phenomenon lasted for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Although Mr. Yu had not detected any outsiders with his spiritual power during this time, one could never be too cautious.
After the phenomenon ended, the coachman was ordered to drive the carriage away from that location swiftly.
"Well, this is a stroke of luck, turning disaster into fortune!"
"If I had broken through the Washing Marrow Sutra in Tian Dou City, the disturbance would have been so great that people would think some legendary treasure was emerging."
"Looks like in the future, when breaking through the next stages of the Washing Marrow Sutra, I'll need to find a secluded place to do so, at least until I have enough strength."
"I wonder how long it will take before I can reach the next stage, Complete Understanding and Freedom, after breaking through Empty Heart, Self-Transformation?"
According to the Washing Marrow Sutra, once a practitioner reaches the first stage, they can quickly succeed in the second stage.
The real difficulty lies in the third and fourth stages.
But Lin Rong had doubts about this. The first stage alone had taken him almost eight years. Who knows how long "quickly" in the scripture means?