And of course the read ahead is very, very long. Potentially unending. Can shen replace qi in a physical body and become a source of postnatal jing? Will this result in a physical immortal? Is there a secret to thse further steps of cultivation, or is it just a matter of focusing the laser to ever increasing levels?

Kreiter suggests it's a fun but grindy process that can be summarized as: "live from the shen". But is there more to it? Is qi that is left not transmuted a hindrance? And so, should we take all the qi coming in and transmute it consciously? This looks like it would require enormous dedication. Beyond the harmful emotions stored in the cow's meat, the very air we breathe and the photons that bombard us constantly contain a flurry of karmic symphonies originating in millions of different minds.

Can this transmutation be really comprehensive unless the whole cosmos is in on it?