"I feel warmer?"
"Exactly so! And not only that, by focusing mentally on the spirit stone you should become even hotter! Try it!" Nine Clouds Purple Miasma was being enthusiastic and put in his all to teaching.
Hou tried it, he focused on the spirit stone.
"In your mind imagine your consciousness is grabbing the spirit stone and pumping it like a heart, imagine it" Nine Clouds Purple Miasma whispered softly when Hou closed his eyes.
He did just as his master said, he followed the instructions and started imagined grabbing the spirit stone and pumping it. Almost instantly he felt a warm pulsing sensation start to rise out of his body. Radiating from the crystal he started to heat up.
"Aaand stop. You don't want to burn your new house down, do you? No obviously. But you could feel it. That heat I presume. Heat generating from the spirit stone and pumping through your body. That is the basis of body cultivation, the passive effects of laws, your spirits in the stone, on the body. It can be stimulated with mental energy. Mental energy is the basis for everything. Mental energy is made by the consciousness and can influence laws in many ways. So let me ask you a question, if that is body cultivation what is non-body cultivation?"
"If body cultivation is using the passive effects on the body, is non-body cultivation....using the laws active power to do something?" Hou put together all the knowledge that he had been bombarded with yesterday and parsed an answer.
"Exactly so! Non-body cultivation is called external cultivation but normally it's just referred to as 'cultivation'." Nine Clouds Purple Miasma taught Hou genuinely, wanting his face to be welcoming.
He did not want to come off as grouchy or mean. Nine Clouds Purple Miasma wasn't truly being himself but it was close, he was really a cultivation fanatic. He was a crafty person but he still felt the need for human connection, that is what he hoped to gain with Hou.
"So how do I use external cultivation then?" Hou was wanting to rush like he had always done, but Nine Clouds Purple Miasma had other plans.
"No. Not yet. I won't tell you. First I should warn you about the disadvantages of external cultivation. Body cultivation is like a closed gourd of water. You shake it and it makes sound, that is the heat in your case. External cultivation though, is like pouring that same gourd of water onto a metal pan. Yes, it'll make more sound and more beautiful sound. But it comes at a cost, the water is used up. And keeping with the metaphor, the hand shaking or pouring is like your mental energy, at some point you'll become tired."
"...ohh, Master that is truly an enlightening metaphor. I understand it perfectly, yes. But even knowing that why cannot I not do external cultivation yet?"
"It is a mere metaphor, doing is understanding. But let me continue with the metaphor for a bit. Anyone can shake the closed gourd, nothing will happen. But with the poured gourd, the water could splash everywhere!"
"And the water, is...the ability of the laws?"
"Yes, not the ability though. Call it the expression. It can be dangerous so you need to learn first. And you need to build up a foundation. You cannot rush cultivation without consequences."
"...I understand" Hou sighed a vague response.
"Don't dismay, you have plenty of time. This body is young, learn carefully. Today contemplate and memorise today's teachings. I shouldn't rush and complicate everything. Work on your body cultivation, it can do many extraordinary things. If you're ever in danger just shout my name."
Nine Clouds Purple Miasma gave Hou his lesson for the day and again disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
'That went well...actually. but he was a bit slow and didn't teach much. But I said I would follow his teachings...'
Hou contemplated on Nine Clouds Purple Miasma's lesson, trying to think deeper. And one thing caught his attention.
'Expression'
That's what Nine Clouds Purple Miasma called the abilities of laws. What did it mean? An expression.
'Laws, what are laws. They are the reason for things. No not the reason, they are the...workings of... everything. They dictate concepts and objects. They can be conceived but at the same time they are unknowable. I see.'
Hou had an epiphany and realised why Nine Clouds Purple Miasma used that word. The laws are not singular, they are a part of a whole, the Dao. Even the laws are expressions of the Dao. And the laws have expressions on the real world, such as heat.
Hou put this in motion and used body cultivation, he activated his fire spirit stone. A heat started to radiate and pump through his body. Hou then thought of it, the law is expressing heat. But the sun is more than heat. The sun can also be light.
With that thought, a flip switched in Hou's mins. The expression had changed and light was radiating from Hou's skin.
From the spirit stone outwards light veins started to appear, letting out warm yellow light. This was another expression.
'I completely get it! Maybe Nine Clouds Purple Miasma will be a good teacher, even if I don't like him personally. This must be what he meant, that experience and practice is better than teaching. He only taught me what I needed to hear, the rest I figured out myself by thinking and practice.'
***
Nine Clouds Purple Miasma looked at Hou in delight. He had pretended to disappear like he always did, but this time he stayed to watch Hou.
He saw him think and contemplate for days. He did not realise days had went by though. He had gone into a deep meditation and suddenly sat up.
Then he did something that delighted Nine Clouds Purple Miasma, he had used the expressions. He had said it but not expected him to learn it so quick. In only a few days he found, by himself, the meaning of expressions.
This was much better than Nine Clouds Purple Miasma telling him everything, this was building a good foundation for thought and independence, while still trusting his teacher to deliver.