Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 387 A Grain of Rice's Light Shines Brighter Than the Moon

Time flies like an arrow; the time spent in quiet meditation in the mountains always passes quickly. In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.

I remember returning to the mountains in the summer, the lion was still complaining about the heat when Marshal Kui captured me and took me to learn magic. It feels like only a few days have passed, and autumn is already here. The golden wind scatters the cicadas' chirping, and with each rain, the weather grows three degrees colder.

Before we knew it, it was September 19th, three days after the start of winter.

Feeling a long-lost peace and a sense of lethargy, Cheng Xinzhan knew he couldn't delay any longer; it was time to go out and undergo his tribulation.

The ancients said, "Where the heart finds peace is home," and this is absolutely true. When one wanders far and wide, with one's mind taking on multiple forms, slaying demons and devising strategies, one often feels weary. But each time one returns to the mountains, this weariness is quickly washed away, leaving one feeling relaxed once more.

That's why Cheng Xinzhan now prefers to live in the mountains and doesn't want to go out.

I had originally planned to undergo my tribulation at the Winter Solstice, thinking it would be safer to go to Tiecha Mountain, where the sea is blocked by the Yellow Sea and the land by Laoshan Mountain. The tribulation formations were already in place, requiring only minor modifications, so there was no need for advance preparation; I could leave at the Beginning of Autumn. However, when the day arrived, I became too lazy to go out, so I procrastinated until White Dew, then continued until the Autumn Equinox, finally giving myself an ultimatum: I had to leave by the Beginning of Winter. Now, three more days have passed since the Beginning of Winter.

"Hey!"

Cheng Xinzhan sighed deeply, and after much painful reflection, he steeled his heart and walked out of the Worry-Free Cave.

The mountains are high and the snow comes early; fine snowflakes have already begun to fall in the Sanqing Mountains, mingling with the wind and making it bitterly cold. The biting wind and snow, however, have made the persimmons on the trees even redder. The bright red fruits came into Cheng Xinzhan's view, awakening some memories that had been buried in his heart for many years.

September 19th is my birthday.

How many years has it been since I celebrated my birthday? Thinking back, it seems like the last time I celebrated my birthday was the first time I went down the mountain after becoming a disciple of the master, and I celebrated it in a Miao village. That day, I went into the mountains to gather two bundles of firewood, hunted a wild boar, and had a lively bonfire party with the villagers that evening.

That was forty-six years ago.

Most of an ordinary person's life passes by like this. To this day, the village is deserted, the old village chief is gone, and even the rooster that used to crow has embarked on the path of cultivation.

I'm already sixty-two years old.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan asked himself if he was really getting old, why was he suddenly reminiscing about the past? Moreover, when he was young, he couldn't stay in the mountains and always wanted to go out and explore, but now he was too lazy to move.

How strange, how very strange.

"I'm leaving, I'm going out."

Cheng Xinzhan patted the lion that was blocking the entrance to the cave and fast asleep in the wind and snow.

The Marshal is capricious, the Lion is lazy; one teaches only when he remembers, the other only learns when he is taught. The rest of the time, the Lion stays still as much as possible.

The lion was startled awake, yawned widely, and then waited for Cheng Xinzhan to sit down before getting up and riding away on a cloud.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Iron Cha Mountain remains shrouded in mist and clouds.

Cheng Xinzhan released the cloud seal, transformed into a streak of light, and flew into the Cloud Light Cave. Having received Cheng Xinzhan's permission, the lion plunged into the Yellow Sea and went off to play in the Dragon Palace.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The second day of the eleventh lunar month.

Winter Solstice, the first yang energy is born.

All things in the universe are driven by the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang. At the summer solstice, Yang energy is at its peak, but Yin energy begins to grow; at the winter solstice, Yin energy is at its peak, but Yang energy begins to resurface. This is what is meant by "things reach their extremes and then reverse, adversity turns into prosperity."

The winter solstice corresponds to the 24th hexagram in the I Ching, "Earth over Thunder".

The hexagram Fu (复) is formed by combining two trigrams: Zhen (震) at the bottom and Kun (坤) at the top. Zhen represents thunder and movement; Kun represents earth and compliance. Movement implies compliance, following the natural course of things. Movement is within compliance, with inner yang and outer yin, moving in an orderly manner, advancing and retreating freely, which is advantageous. Zhen, representing thunder, is the inner trigram; Kun, representing earth, is the upper trigram.

Thunder within the earth signifies the resounding thunder, the loosening of the earth, and the sprouting of all things. "Fu" signifies revival and return, a turning point for the rebirth of all things. Looking at the hexagram, except for the first line which is yang, all the remaining lines are yin, precisely an image of yin waning and yang waxing.

At this time of year, the weather is cold and the earth is frozen, representing Yin, but Yang energy is sprouting and reviving in the earth, representing Yang. The vigorous Yang energy surges out from the ground, breaking through the Yin energy, and the world begins to slowly recover, which is the Yin within Yang and the return of Yang.

This yang energy surging from the earth is called the Earth Yang Returning Qi.

The earth's energy is at its peak on this day, and there are many examples of this.

For example, the hot springs flow more vigorously, and the steam becomes more prominent, like white pillars shooting into the sky; the bottom of the wells and lakes begins to warm, gathering strength for thawing and melting; and the wintersweet blooms in the wind, budding in the icy and snowy world, announcing the approach of spring. Of course, this also includes the warm earth energy of Tiecha Mountain rising up, turning into clouds and mist, swirling around the nine peaks of Tiecha.

Today is the day Cheng Xinzhan has chosen for himself to undergo tribulation.

He thought that, based on the previous tribulations, his golden core had undergone four rounds of refinement: the first round of the three-nine water thunder, the second round of the five-nine fire thunder, the third round of the three-nine wood thunder, and the fourth round of the seven-nine wood thunder. This was exactly the same as the Yin-Yang division of his five palaces.

The Daoist Canon's "Wuzhen Pian" states: "If Li and Kan do not contain Wu and Ji, even if they contain the four symbols, they cannot form the elixir. It is only because they each hold true earth that the golden elixir can be returned."

What Master Ziyang described was exactly the same as his own situation. His golden core had already gone through water and fire, encompassing the four elements, and was just waiting for a true earth to govern the four elements, complete the yin and yang and the five elements, and then he could approach perfection.

Therefore, whether based on Taoist internal alchemy, the order of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang, or the timeless truth of seeking immortality and cultivating truth to perfection, Cheng Xinzhan deduced that his Four Tribulation Lightning should be the Yang Earth Tribulation Lightning. At that time, his Golden Elixir would be nearing perfection, and the Elixir Qi would be fully contained within the Five Elements.

He believed that, based on his current understanding of Yin and Yang, inner alchemy, and celestial secrets, this deduction should be correct. Therefore, he had been preparing accordingly all along. Since Heaven intended for his three realms of cultivation to reach perfection within the Earth element, he might as well add fuel to the fire, carefully controlling the influence of the Pure Wind and the Mysterious Female Pearl on the tribulation clouds, and choosing to undergo the tribulation on the winter solstice when the earth's energy and Yang energy were at their peak.

At midnight, the geothermal heat reached its peak. After surging out of the ground, it was suddenly met with cold and turned into a white mist that rose straight up. At the same time, Cheng Xinzhan activated the formation and summoned the Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth, which completely locked the entire mountain in place.

He spat out the golden pill.

A pill the size of a lotus seed flew out of the Cloud Light Cave, standing between the Nine Iron Ridges, bathed in the earth's energy and mist. The golden pill emitted a vibrant, leaping aura, radiating brilliant light.

Immediately afterwards, purple aura began to appear in the sky.

The Purple Heaven Tribulation.

The calamity cloud started as wisps of cloud and slowly grew larger, soon transforming into a thousand-acre sea of ​​clouds that covered the entire Iron Cha Mountain.

"Rumble--"

Thunder rumbled in the winter.

The tribulation lightning began to brew.

From the moment the thunderclouds began to form, Cheng Xinzhan kept his eyes fixed on the sky, watching the movements within the clouds.

One, two, three… The thunder continued incessantly, the lightning increasing in number, even the tribulation clouds that covered a thousand miles seemed crowded, the thunder growing more restless. After dozens of thunderclaps, the tribulation clouds finally could no longer conceal them, and several bolts of lightning shot out from beyond the clouds. Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, he clearly saw that those bolts of tribulation lightning were as thick as palace pillars, bursting with deep yellow lightning, like intertwined and fighting yellow-scaled celestial dragons!
In addition, as the thunder roared, a heavy, stable, and incomparably powerful aura spread across the sky, as if what floated in the sky were not clouds, but endless mountain peaks and rocks.

At this moment, his eyes gleamed, his face lit up with joy, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief—

Rock Thunder!
The Cardinal Academy, the Rock Thunder of the Kun Palace Wu Lei Division!
It really is Yang Earth Tribulation Lightning!
Thunder roared eighty-one times, then silence returned.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

As soon as the thunder subsided, in the brief lull before the lightning struck again, when all was silent, Cheng Xinzhan suddenly burst into laughter.

At this moment, he was overjoyed. He was happy that he had guessed the calamity correctly, that his golden core was about to be perfected, and that the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, which drive the operation of all things in the world, were so powerful.

He was equally pleased with the Rock Thunder. There were many types of thunder in the Yang Earth, but his tribulation was Rock Thunder. Wasn't this a blessing from heaven, indicating that his golden core would be as solid as a rock?
"boom!"

Thunderbolts struck, and the yang energy of the heavens and the earth yang energy of the earth converged in the clouds, exploding into a dazzling electric net that enveloped the golden elixir.

"Crash-"

The sound of turning pages echoed from the sky.

Cheng Xinzhan summoned an apricot-yellow book of magic. The book was spread out, with the cover facing up and the pages facing down, like a roof in the shape of a human, protecting the golden elixir and bathing it together in the thunder.

Cheng Xinzhan held the magic umbrella in his hand, ready to switch to it as soon as the Earth Book got tired.

19.

Twenty-nine.

39.

Cheng Xinzhan was surprised by the Earth Book's ability to resist earth lightning. Despite being struck by three waves of twenty-seven lightning bolts, the Earth Book remained unscathed, hovering in the air, bathed in the thunder. Moreover, this magical artifact sensed the abundant earth energy in the air and, without Cheng Xinzhan's intervention, spontaneously began to capture this energy to nourish itself and heal its lightning wounds, leaving Cheng Xinzhan amazed.

However, the benefits of this rare tribulation lightning on the Yang Earth Rock should not be monopolized by the Earth Book. Next, Cheng Xinzhan subjected all his magical treasures, including his avatar, physical body, and primordial spirit, to the tribulation lightning to refine and cleanse them, imbuing them with vitality.

However, after using other magical treasures and undergoing the tribulation with their physical bodies, they discovered that it wasn't that the "Purple Heaven Nine-Nine Rock Tribulation Lightning" wasn't fierce, but rather that the Earth Book had an exceptionally strong tolerance for earth-type tribulation lightning. Only after the other magical treasures stepped in did they realize the power of this tribulation lightning.

The eight flying swords only withstood two waves of eighteen tribulation lightning strikes, numbered forty-nine and fifty-nine.

"Taodu" underwent two transformations from formless to tangible during the first two tribulations. The third tribulation lightning was special and could not be used to refine magical artifacts. However, after two years of tempering in the Li Yuan Fire Cave, it transformed from tangible to intangible for the third time. Today, having experienced the tribulation of Yang Earth, it has once again transformed from intangible to tangible, completing three transformations from formless to tangible. "Youdu," on the other hand, lagged behind, completing only two transformations.

Of the Five Elements Sword and Thunder Sword, the Earth Sword benefits the most, followed by the Thunder Sword, then the Metal Sword, and the rest are roughly equal.

The gourd, the Dharma umbrella, the precious seal, the Mysterious Female Pearl, the Shangqing Register, and all the treasures of the scripture master withstood two waves of eighteen tribulation lightning strikes, numbered sixty-nine and seventy-nine.

Among them, the most benefited were the Mysterious Pearl and the Immaculate Seal.

The main body, along with two avatars and three primordial spirits, barely withstood the eight or nine tribulations of lightning, and also gained essence and sublimation within the tribulations.

When the final and most powerful Nine-Nine Tribulation Lightning descended, Cheng Xinzhan once again unleashed the Earth Book, which still had some power left.

The Earth Book also sensed the power of the Nine-Nine Tribulation Thunder and turned to the page "Nine-Peak Iron Raft Mountain" on its own, where the ink painting by Cheng Xinzhan and two poems were clearly visible.

The Earth Book shone brightly, illuminating Iron Chariot Mountain.

"Rumble--"

Instantly, the ground shook violently, and a "thump-thump" sound came from the bottom of the mountain.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan used his divine eye to see that the earth veins below the mountain were pulsating like a human pulse. The earth was reviving, the earth energy was surging, and the white mist was surging into the sky like a waterfall, and then being completely absorbed by the Earth Book.

"boom!"

The ninth wave of tribulation lightning descended, which was also the last of the entire tribulation lightning. At this moment, even the Earth Book was teetering on the brink of collapse.

However, at this moment, the Golden Core, which had been hiding under the various magical treasures, suddenly flashed, bypassed the Earth Book, and flew onto the Earth Book. Like a shooting star chasing the moon, it actually took the initiative to meet the last tribulation lightning.

That's quite rare.

Cheng Xinzhan did not stop him; this was a manifestation of the Golden Core's spirituality, and also a reflection of his subconscious extreme confidence.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The golden elixir was struck by lightning, but its upward momentum was not interrupted; it surged upstream in the river of lightning. Simultaneously, having undergone the refinement of the first eighty bolts of lightning, the golden elixir underwent a qualitative change. The pill gradually condensed within the lightning, shrinking further, but its surface became increasingly round and smooth, emitting an even brighter light. The elixir's energy, like the earth's energy beneath Iron Chariot Mountain, surged forth like a waterfall, soaring into the sky in a magnificent spectacle.

The golden core flew faster and higher, and as the last tribulation lightning disappeared, the golden core arrived at the place where the tribulation lightning had originated. Then, like a sword pellet, it pierced through the Purple Heaven Tribulation Clouds and arrived above the tribulation clouds.

At this point, the golden elixir had condensed to its extreme, becoming as small as a grain of rice.

At this moment, before midnight, the bright moon hangs high in the sky, like a celestial bow suspended in the night, its silvery light fully revealed.

However, though the grain of rice was small, it was full of cinnabar energy and shone brightly, as if it were competing with the bright moon!

"So this is the second supernatural power that comes with the legendary completion of the Golden Core stage?"

Inside the Cloud Light Cave, Cheng Xinzhan sensed the changes within his body, and a rather surprised smile appeared on his face. Then, he looked at the golden elixir in the sky, leaped up, flew out of the Cloud Light Cave, followed the trajectory of the golden elixir to the summit of the Nine-Peak Iron Raft, stood above the tribulation clouds, looked down at the mountains and seas, and gazed around with divine grace.

At this moment, the thousand acres of purple clouds had not yet dissipated, shimmering with a purple-yellow glow, making him appear as lofty as a banished immortal.

Gazing at the rising clouds over the night sea, he felt an urge to compose a poem about the scene, but when he felt the crimson light shining upon him like the bright moon, he realized that even the most beautiful scenery couldn't compare to the mesmerizing pill the size of a grain of rice above his head.

Moved by his inspiration, he opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the tiny yet colossal golden elixir. Then, above the night sky and sea of ​​clouds, he recited the timeless masterpiece of the Purple Sun Immortal, expressing his deepest feelings.

"Medicines only take shape when they encounter their corresponding qi type."

The Way is in harmony with the subtle and the natural.

One golden pill was swallowed.

Now I realize that my fate is not in the hands of Heaven.

　Requesting monthly votes and recommendations! Comments and messages are welcome!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)