Three Stages of Heart Cultivation

In the Virtual Universe, on Black Dragon Mountain Island, near the lake in Nine Star Bay, three figures sat. One was a tall, black-haired youth with a short, cropped haircut, dressed in casual clothes. As he sat, he subtly exuded the aura of a spear poised to pierce the heavens. To his left sat a bald youth in a pristine white robe, a smile gracing his face. The bald youth's smile was so pure and sacred that it captivated the soul. Beside these two sat a slightly lean youth, emanating a faint aura of malevolence. He was like a cold, blood-stained blade forged from a sea of blood, his chilling, bloodthirsty intensity astonishing.

"Sanzi, your state of mind is increasingly pushing to the extreme," the bald youth (Lei Shen) said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Second Brother, in terms of heart cultivation, I'm not as good as you. For now, I can't see through it, so I'll just keep pushing to the extreme. At least it's still an improvement," Luo Feng said with a smile. He himself had noticed the change, as he had spent decades in the ancient god ruins of the 'Xueluo World' within the Taichu Secret Realm, constantly exposed to the influence of malevolence. His very bones were already bloodthirsty and cold, and with the further intrusion of malevolence, coupled with his Golden Horn Behemoth clone integrating so many Xueluo Crystals, Luo Feng now subtly exuded malevolence even within the Virtual Universe Network.

"Pushing to the extreme is, in the end, a minor path," Lei Shen said, shaking his head.

"Second Brother," Hong said, sitting calmly with a faint smile. "You don't need to force Sanzi. In terms of heart cultivation... Sanzi is an anomaly! To be able to refine his state of mind to such an extent, untainted by a speck of dust, unaffected by a single temptation. Absolute purity, absolute rejection, absolute cohesion... this absolute nature is, in fact, a form of mental elevation."

Lei Shen paused, then nodded slightly, before asking with a hint of doubt, "Big Brother, but in the end..."

"Hmm," Hong said, looking at Luo Feng. "Sanzi."

"Big Brother," Luo Feng said, smiling at Hong.

"Your Second Brother and I have guided you extensively in heart cultivation, but heart cultivation... is completely different from other forms of training. It's a transcendence of the spiritual realm," Hong said, smiling at Luo Feng. "Many profound truths have been discussed in the past, but today, I will outline the stages for you from the highest perspective."

"Oh?" Luo Feng's eyes lit up.

"Heart? What is the heart?"

"State of mind, what is the state of mind?" Hong asked with a faint smile. "From a warrior's cultivation perspective, the heart is essentially willpower!"

"The strength of your willpower is already an anomaly," Hong said slowly. "However... generally speaking, from a broader perspective, you are still only in the first of the three major stages of heart cultivation."

"The first stage?" Luo Feng was startled. "Three major stages of heart cultivation?"

"This is my own categorization," Hong said with a slight smile. "In Huaxia's ancient culture, the cultivation of the state of mind has always been highly valued... and various forms of self-reflection and tempering are all aimed at directly perceiving one's true heart, seeing through its essence. The saying, 'Bodhi has no tree, nor a mirror bright; since all is void, where can dust alight?' is precisely a state of heart cultivation that points directly to one's true nature, achieving enlightenment of the mind."

Luo Feng's brows furrowed slightly.

"Right now, your heart is like a bright mirror, untainted by a speck of dust, and your mind is refined like a blade, cutting through all obstacles. You have already reached an extremely high level in the cultivation of directly perceiving your true heart and achieving enlightenment of the mind," Hong said with emotion. "And even now, you continue to refine your true heart, making your willpower even more condensed! No matter how much more you refine it, it still falls within the first stage."

"What about the second stage?" Luo Feng quickly asked.

"Simply put... the unity of heaven and man!" Hong said, pointing to Lei Shen beside him. "Your Second Brother, he is in this second stage."

"What does 'unity of heaven and man' mean?" Luo Feng pressed.

"The unity of heaven and man signifies a state of great perfection in the mind," Hong explained with a smile. "What is great perfection? When Yin and Yang harmonize, the Dao naturally arises. What is the harmony of Yin and Yang? Your direct perception of your true nature... pursuing the extreme, that's pushing to the limit! As the saying goes, extreme Yin gives rise to Yang, and extreme Yang gives rise to Yin. Simply pushing to the extreme might bring improvement, but the harmony of Yin and Yang is true perfection. For example, in dealing with people and matters, one needs to combine firmness and flexibility; be firm when firmness is required, and gentle when gentleness is needed! The same applies to the state of mind. When it should be refined like a blade, it should be refined. And when it should be gentle like water, it should be gentle like water. As the saying goes... 'drawing a sword to cut water, the water flows on,' water can never truly be cut! In terms of defense, water is more formidable than even the hardest shield," Hong said with a faint smile. "The combination of Yin and Yang, the unity of heaven and man, a state of great perfection in the mind—of course, this ideal peak of perfection... is also known as the 'Heart of an Infant'! It's already considered a theoretical pinnacle. Your Second Brother embodies this."

Luo Feng listened, holding his breath, then quickly asked, "A heart like a blade, I understand. But how can a heart be like water?"

"The principle can be explained to you, but the realm itself cannot be fully articulated," Hong said, shaking his head with a smile.

"So... the first stage is directly perceiving one's true heart, achieving enlightenment of the mind, and seeing through all illusions. The second stage is the harmony of Yin and Yang, the unity of heaven and man, the Heart of an Infant, a state of great perfection in the mind," Luo Feng quickly summarized. "If the second stage is already a theoretical pinnacle, what about the third?"

Lei Shen, sitting nearby, chuckled, "For the third stage, Big Brother has just touched its edge."

"The third stage."

Hong said softly, "Even I have only just touched its edge. The heart becomes ethereal and boundless; the heart can be infinitely vast. The heart can encompass everything."

"Big Brother, what do you mean?" Luo Feng asked.

"It's hard to explain in words," Hong said with a smile. "Let me put it this way: if the second stage, the harmony of Yin and Yang, is considered the unity of heaven and man, a perfect harmony with the world, then the third stage... is when the heart becomes infinitely vast, encompassing heaven and earth, encompassing the boundless cosmos, encompassing everything. Any and all willpower can be embraced, whether it's the will to kill, the desire for wealth, the desire for beauty, or the desire for power—everything can be encompassed."

Luo Feng was astonished. "Everything can be encompassed?"

"If the third stage of the state of mind is achieved, then no matter how powerful the expert, no matter how formidable the life form, no willpower... can affect me," Hong said with a faint smile.

"Damn, that's insane," Luo Feng exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Insane, isn't it?" Lei Shen, the bald man in the white robe beside him, said with a laugh. "The unity of heaven and man, the Heart of an Infant—these are considered theoretical limits in both ancient Yoga and Huaxia's ancient culture. But your Big Brother's stage... it has been mentioned in the history of Huaxia's ancient culture, but whether anyone has ever reached it, no one knows."

Luo Feng looked at Hong, his admiration growing even deeper.

The Three Stages of Heart Cultivation.

The first stage: achieving enlightenment of the mind and directly perceiving one's true heart. In many Buddhist and Taoist scriptures, this is considered a manifestation of 'attaining the Dao'.

The second stage: the unity of heaven and man, the Heart of an Infant. This is already considered a theoretical pinnacle.

The third stage: the heart is infinitely vast, encompassing everything. This is somewhat unbelievable.

"Big Brother, how can one reach this third stage of mind cultivation?" Luo Feng couldn't help but ask. "I've vaguely touched upon the second stage, but I haven't fully comprehended it yet." Heart cultivation relies entirely on one's heart. Luo Feng's enlightenment of the mind had reached an extreme, and he indeed vaguely understood the principle of 'Yin and Yang harmony'.

"It's impossible to explain clearly; I also gained some insights from reading books and experiencing certain events," Hong said with a smile. "There's a common saying—'Without desire, one is strong,' and an ancient saying, 'He who does not contend, none in the world can contend with him.' In fact, Huaxia's ancient culture contains many profound truths about heart cultivation. These two sayings... served as an inspiration for me as I touched the edge of the third stage of mind cultivation."

"Without desire, one is strong? He who does not contend, none in the world can contend with him?" Luo Feng's brows furrowed deeply. "The meaning of these two sayings is simple, I understand. But what do you mean by..."

"Huaxia's civilization is brilliant, with countless remarkable figures. Those who could achieve the unity of heaven and man and possess the Heart of an Infant were all ancient sages. You should first reach this second stage," Hong said with a smile. "Oh, I recommend a method: reading some ancient Huaxia texts might be helpful to you."

"Hmm," Luo Feng nodded gently. Suddenly, his heart stirred. "The Demon Killer Clan clone has arrived!"

...

The Demon Killer Clan clone, aboard a mechanical race spaceship, finally returned after several months of near-light-speed travel through the void outside the Xueluo World. From within the blood-red clouds, an ethereal figure instantly traversed thousands of kilometers, landing at the edge of the giant pit, then, with a flicker, entered the pit.

Inside the Giant Pit Manor.

Luo Feng, clad in bronze combat armor, had already risen from his stone bed, gazing towards the cave entrance ahead. A black figure appeared out of thin air—it was indeed the Demon Killer Clan Luo Feng.

"Ten Xueluo Crystals." The Demon Killer Clan clone casually left ten Xueluo Crystals, then quietly departed again, directly passing through the 18 cloud layers and boarding the mechanical race spaceship, hovering in the void outside the Xueluo World. For safety... having the Demon Killer Clan clone carry the core outside in the void was at least very safe.

Meanwhile, inside the Giant Pit Manor.

"Finally, Xueluo Crystals," Luo Feng said, collecting the ten crystals, a helpless smile on his face. "Last time, I gave all the Xueluo Crystals to the Golden Horn Behemoth for integration, not leaving a single one, so my main body had none to integrate."

Thirty years.

For a full thirty years, he had endured the transformation of his body by malevolence, yet he had no Xueluo Crystals to attempt integration.

"Let's try it, see if I can integrate the third one," Luo Feng said, taking out a Xueluo Crystal. His main body had already integrated two... now, thirty years later, he would attempt to integrate the third. Hiss! His palm was cut open, and the Xueluo Crystal was placed on the wound, its killing intent assaulting Luo Feng's willpower. "Compared to the Golden Horn Behemoth's integration, this bit of killing intent is ridiculously weak," Luo Feng mused with emotion. Immediately, intense pain spread throughout his body as it began to transform... However, for Luo Feng, who had successfully endured the integration of the 91st and 92nd crystals, the pain of integrating this third one was truly nothing. The blood-thread energy continuously poured into Luo Feng's body...

The Xueluo Crystal became increasingly transparent. Snap! A sudden cracking sound, like breaking ribs, came from Luo Feng's chest. "It actually failed," Luo Feng said, looking at the nearly transparent Xueluo Crystal in his palm. A large amount of blood-thread energy flowed back, quickly restoring the Xueluo Crystal to its original state, leaving him feeling helpless.

"Indeed, the more you integrate, the harder it gets. I integrated the second one after staying in the ancient god ruins for two years. But now, after a full 30 years, I can't integrate the third," Luo Feng shook his head. "It seems the Golden Horn Behemoth's genetic structure is indeed far more perfect than a human's, at least in certain special aspects, it's vastly superior."

Although he failed, Luo Feng wasn't annoyed in the slightest; instead, he was filled with anticipation. "From the looks of it, there's still hope for me to integrate the third Xueluo Crystal. Becoming a Blood Warrior and obtaining a Xueluo Medal will earn me 100,000 points upon my return."