Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 302 The True Man Battles Miao Le, Chen Xiang Learns the Way

Outside the main hall of the Tushita Palace, Jiang Yuan and Miaole Tianzun were sparring and testing their supernatural powers. They looked at each other but did not make a move.

Laozi, calm and collected, sat on a futon in the central hall, looking at the two outside, and said, "Since you two want to spar, why haven't you started yet? Do I need to give you a prelude before you can make a move?"

Upon hearing this, the two people outside the main hall shook their heads and smiled.

The Celestial Venerable Miaole said, “We cannot disobey our master’s orders. In that case, please, True Man, perform your magic, and we two will test our supernatural powers.”

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Your Excellency Miaole is free to display your skills. I have long heard of your abilities and reputation. It is my honor to be able to test my skills with you."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Venerable Miaole smiled and asked, "Have you truly heard of my illustrious reputation?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "I have heard of it before."

The Celestial Venerable of Wonderful Joy asked, "In that case, could you tell me the origin of my renowned reputation?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Of course it is possible. I have heard that the Heavenly Venerable Miaole once helped the Supreme Emperor Xuantian escape from the sea of ​​suffering. He provided great help to the Emperor Xuantian at the beginning of his cultivation and personally assisted him when the Emperor Xuantian was subduing demons. Such a reputation has already spread throughout the human world."

The Celestial Venerable Miaole said, “I thought you were joking, but I didn’t expect you to actually know my name. To be honest, I have not traveled much in the mortal world, nor have I done anything of great importance. This is my nature. I prefer peace and tranquility, so my reputation is not well known. I thought you had never heard of me.”

Jiang Yuan said, "If the Heavenly Venerable says this, I am ashamed. If the Heavenly Venerable says that his reputation is not well-known, then what about my reputation?"

The Celestial Venerable Miaole laughed and said, “The True Man is being modest. Your reputation is far greater than mine. I heard many years ago that when the True Man attained enlightenment, all the immortals of the Ancient Cave Mountain paid homage to him. Later, I also heard that the Great Celestial Venerable invited the True Man twice but was refused, and that the Buddha of Mount Ling invited him many times but was refused. He even won a contest against the Buddha, and he subdued the demon in the Northern Luzhou. There are many other things, such as subduing the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but let’s not mention them. Your reputation far surpasses mine.”

Jiang Yuan shook her head and said, "I dare not accept such praise."

The two talked.

Laozi came out and said, "Don't say too much. This is not for the two of you to discuss the Dao. If you two want to discuss the Dao and cultivation, it's not too late to talk about it later after you've finished your exchanges and trials."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan turned around, bowed, and said, "Lord Lao, are we truly testing our supernatural powers here without any reservations? But I fear we might disturb the Tushita Palace."

Laojun said, "There is no need to worry. You two can use whatever supernatural powers you have. My Tushita Palace will not be disturbed."

Jiang Yuan said, "Only then can I feel at ease."

The Celestial Venerable of Wonderful Music laughed and said, "True Man, come and test your supernatural powers!"

Jiang Yuan said, "Heavenly Venerable, please be careful."

Say it.

The real man's purple robe emitted a divine light, and several cauldrons at his waist hummed, with immense magical power bursting forth from his body.

Upon seeing this, the Celestial Venerable of Wonderful Joy also generated immense magical power within himself, his divine light appearing and disappearing, making him no less powerful than a True Person.

The Celestial Venerable Miaole said, "True Man, behold my divine powers."

With a flick of his sleeve, the Celestial Venerable conjured wisps of green smoke that transformed into powerful warriors who rushed toward the True Man, intending to challenge him to a duel of martial arts.

With his discerning eyes, the Celestial Venerable could see at a glance that the True Man's magical power was no less than his own, and that he also possessed great supernatural abilities that were difficult to break through. However, his martial arts were his weakness. If he wanted to defeat the True Man, he should seek out his weakness.

Seeing the many strongmen rushing towards him, the True Man was neither surprised nor afraid. He simply spread his sleeves lightly in the wind and came forward with a whoosh. All the hundreds of strongmen in front of him were drawn into his sleeves and could not get close to the True Man.

Miaole Tianzun's eyes lit up, and he said, "This is the skill of 'Universe in the Sleeve'. I have heard that Zhenyuan Daxian in the lower realm has mastered this supernatural power, but I never thought that you, True Man, could also master this supernatural power."

Jiang Yuan spread his sleeves, and a handful of beans fell to the ground. He laughed and said, "The Heavenly Venerable's ability to 'scatter beans to form soldiers' is truly rare. If I didn't have such supernatural powers, I would find it difficult to defeat him."

The Celestial Venerable of Wonderful Music laughed and said, "If you rely solely on ordinary supernatural powers, it may be difficult to defeat a True Person. In that case, True Person, behold my supernatural power!"

Say it.

The Celestial Venerable chanted a spell, and with a single grab, a Mount Tai appeared out of thin air and pressed down upon the True Man.

The master reached out and made several cauldrons at his waist hum, as if the fortune of several provinces was on his body, blocking the mountain. He was secretly shocked: "This mountain is not the real Mount Tai. It has its weight but no power. This is Mount Tai that was created out of thin air."

When the Celestial Venerable saw that the True Man of the Mountain Sect was blocking his way, he reached out and grabbed, and tens of thousands of more mountains came to suppress the True Man.

The True Man simply uttered the word "transformation," and with the ability to manifest the heavens and the earth, he grew to a height of ten thousand feet, like the summit of Mount Hua, gazing afar at the Celestial Venerable of Wonderful Joy. He allowed countless mountains to come, and with a single flash of his divine light, all laws were shattered.

Just as the Celestial Venerable of Wonderful Joy was about to cast another spell, several cauldrons came crashing down upon him, true water came from in front of him, and true fire attacked from behind. His feet seemed to be frozen in place, and he could not escape for a while.

The Celestial Venerable used all his skills to break the immobilization spell and block the true fire and water. When he saw the several cauldrons pressing down on him, he found it difficult to resist. Upon closer inspection, he realized that these were the Ji Cauldron, the Yong Cauldron, and the other three cauldrons.

Miaole Tianzun blocked the several cauldrons and was about to break the spell and leave when he turned around and saw that the True Man had withdrawn the Heavenly Manifestation and Earthly Manifestation at some point and was standing not far from him, smiling and looking at him as if he had been waiting for a long time.

The Celestial Venerable was speechless. He already knew that he had lost this test of supernatural powers. If the True Man had attacked him when he was breaking the Nine Cauldrons of Law, he would have been overwhelmed and unable to resist.

The Celestial Venerable Miaole was puzzled as to why the True Man's attacks were so fierce, leaving him unable to recover. He could clearly see that the True Man's magical power was almost equal to his own. If it were a regular battle, he should not have been defeated so easily.

The Celestial Venerable was somewhat annoyed, as he had not been able to use many of his supernatural powers, nor had he even taken out many of his magical treasures.

After pondering for a long time, the Celestial Venerable sighed, bowed, and said, "True Man, I have been defeated."

Jiang Yuan returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer."

Laozi came over and led the two back into the central hall.

The True Man looked around and saw that there was no change outside the central hall. He and his companions had been fighting for a long time, but they had not caused any changes outside the central hall. He was amazed by Laozi's magical power, which was indeed profound.

He clearly remembered that when he blocked Wanshan before, he had disturbed the area outside the main hall, but now everything outside the main hall was as before.

The True Man put aside his thoughts and followed Laozi into the central hall, where he sat opposite the Heavenly Venerable.

The immortal smiled and asked, "Heavenly Venerable, could you tell me where those myriad mountains came from? I see that those myriad mountains are not sent here, but seem to have appeared out of thin air, and I do not know their origin."

The Celestial Venerable shook his head and said, "It is merely a minor supernatural power fabricated out of thin air, but it cannot compare to the True Man's overwhelming attack. The True Man may be able to explain to me why his attack is so overwhelming, leaving people overwhelmed and unable to stop him."

Jiang Yuan laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that? Venerable Miaole, do you know the numbers of heaven and earth?"

The Celestial Venerable said, "Since you have cultivated the Dao of Alchemy, how could you not know the numbers of Heaven and Earth? True Man, what does this have to do with the numbers of Heaven and Earth?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "Heavenly Venerable, the reason I was able to defeat you by a margin is due to the workings of Heaven and Earth. It is because of the workings of Heaven and Earth that I was able to launch such an attack."

The Celestial Venerable, not understanding his meaning, asked, "What do you mean?"

Jiang Yuan replied again: "Heaven and earth have a number, so the world can follow it. Although the Heavenly Venerable knows the number of heaven and earth, he does not understand the truth within it, nor does he understand the way within it. He does not know that the Heavenly Venerable's supernatural powers leave traces within the number of heaven and earth. Just find the traces and cast spells from them, and you can make the Heavenly Venerable unable to keep up. This is the way to use the number of heaven and earth."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Venerable pondered in silence, then said, "But I did not know that the numbers of Heaven and Earth could have such wondrous uses. When applied to battles of supernatural powers, they have such miraculous effects. Just as the True Man said, the numbers of Heaven and Earth are entirely within one's grasp, so how can one possibly win? I recall that in the past, when the Great Sage Equaling Heaven wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, the Buddha suppressed him with a single palm. At that time, no matter what skills the Great Sage Equaling Heaven possessed, he could not escape the Buddha's palm. This must be the application of the numbers of Heaven and Earth." Jiang Yuan smiled without saying a word.

The Celestial Venerable Miaole said, "But if one learns all the laws of heaven and earth, and can fight and compete with the Buddha and the Taoist, wouldn't one be unafraid of the laws of heaven and earth?"

Jiang Yuan remained silent.

Miaole Tianzun rose and bowed to Laozi, saying, "Master, your disciple knows his mistake."

Laozi smiled and asked, "What wrong have you done?"

Miaole Tianzun said, “My master often advised me to cultivate the Dao of Alchemy, but I ignored him and did not understand his true meaning. Now, I have been defeated by the True Man and have finally gained enlightenment. I have wasted my master’s efforts and I am guilty.”

Laozi said, "It's not too late for you to realize this now."

Miaole Tianzun bowed again and said, "Master, this disciple wishes to study alchemy with you. I hope you will grant me permission."

Laozi stroked his beard and laughed, "That's how it should be. You should go and cultivate in seclusion first. Once you have mastered the external alchemy, I will teach you alchemy as well."

Upon hearing this, the immortal bowed and thanked Laozi.

The Celestial Venerable Miaole was somewhat surprised and asked, "Is the True Man practicing the complete external alchemy?"

Lao Jun said, “That’s right. But right now, Guangxin doesn’t need to study. He’s busy making the elixir. It will take a little more time. In a few more days, Guangxin will surely finish making the elixir.”

Miaole Tian respected and admired the True Man, but he was unaware that the True Man had already mastered the complete art of external alchemy.

The group talked for a long time, but the Celestial Venerable had other important matters to attend to, so he left first, leaving only the True Man and Laozi in the central hall.

Laozi sat cross-legged on a futon and asked, "What does the True Man think of my disciple?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "The Heavenly Venerable is highly skilled and exceptionally talented; how can I possibly offer my opinion?"

Lao Jun laughed and scolded, "You Guangxin, how can you say such things? You say my disciple is highly skilled, yet you easily defeated him. Aren't you mocking him?"

Jiang Yuan said, "Laojun should be able to see that my victory over the Heavenly Venerable was due to trickery, not because I could easily defeat him. If we were to compete with the Heavenly Venerable in terms of magical power, I would not be able to defeat him easily."

Lao Jun shook his head and said, "How can the laws of heaven and earth be described as trickery? Besides, even without considering the laws of heaven and earth, you are still better than my disciple. With the help of the Nine Cauldrons, you have your own destiny. Even if my disciple fought you, you would still win in the end. There is no need to think about this."

Jiang Yuan shook her head and remained silent.

Laozi stopped talking about this matter and instead spoke about his alchemy. After talking for a while, the True Man, mindful of the alchemy furnace, bid farewell to Laozi and returned to his alchemy room to continue refining elixirs.

……

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The story goes that at the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain Xieyue Sanxing Cave in Xiniu Hezhou, after studying for another three years, Chenxiang finally received Sun Wukong's permission to cultivate.

Sun Wukong summoned him into the quiet room.

When Chenxiang learned that Sun Wukong had taught him the secrets of cultivation, he was overjoyed. He went into the quiet room, bowed to Sun Wukong, and said, "Disciple Chenxiang greets Master."

Looking at the joy in Chenxiang's eyes, Sun Wukong sighed inwardly and said, "Chenxiang, please get up."

Chenxiang said, "Yes, Master."

Sun Wukong said, "Chenxiang, do you now know why I summoned you here?"

Chenxiang smiled and said, "Is it to teach me the way of cultivation?"

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "I am going to teach you the way of cultivation, but before I teach you the way, there is something I need to ask you."

Chenxiang asked, "Please ask me, Master."

Sun Wukong said, "Chenxiang, do you still remember why you became my disciple?"

Chenxiang replied, "I remember. I became an apprentice to learn martial arts in order to save my parents and defeat Erlang Shen."

Sun Wukong clasped his hands together and asked, "In that case, let me ask you, if one day you rescue your parents and defeat Erlang Shen, what will you do?"

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang was slightly confused, and then replied, "It should be to accompany my parents and enjoy eternal peace."

Sun Wukong sighed inwardly and said, "Get up, but it will be very difficult for you to defeat Erlang Shen. I have sparred with Erlang Shen and know his magical abilities. If you rely on ordinary methods, I'm afraid you will not be able to defeat him even after cultivating for thousands of years."

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang became somewhat anxious and said, "If that's the case, Master, what should I do?"

Sun Wukong said, "If you want to defeat Erlang Shen, you must use unconventional methods to win. But you can find out the specifics after you have cultivated yourself."

Chenxiang was no longer in a hurry, and asked Sun Wukong to teach him the secrets.

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and asked, "I know this myself, and I will pass on the secrets to you, but I don't know what kind of secrets you want to cultivate?"

Chenxiang asked, "But what method is the most dangerous?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "How can there be any talk of benefits or harms in the ways of things?"

Chenxiang said, "If that's the case, then I wonder what kind of cultivation path Master is practicing?"

Sun Wukong replied, "What I cultivate is the righteous path of the Golden Elixir."

Chenxiang said, "This disciple will learn the true path of the Golden Elixir."

Sun Wukong said, "This path is difficult to cultivate, but if you are determined, I will certainly pass on this knowledge to you."

Chenxiang asked, "Master, why is this path so difficult to cultivate?"

Sun Wukong replied, "To master this path, one must spend a thousand years. There are countless difficulties along the way, and the slightest carelessness will lead to death. However, eight or nine out of ten who attempt this path fail."

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang was horrified and waved his hand, saying, "If that's the case, then this disciple will not learn this, will not learn this."

Sun Wukong said, "But if you succeed in this path, you will have great supernatural powers, such as moving mountains and filling seas, summoning wind and rain, and even the power to live forever. Whether you learn it or not is up to you. You can decide for yourself."

Without hesitation, Chenxiang replied, "I won't learn it. But please teach me another way of cultivation, Master. That's too difficult, and I'm afraid I'm not up to the task. Are there any other methods?"

(End of this chapter)