Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 217 Golden Body of Merit
As Niu Yi moved into Meishan, Yang Jian and the six brothers of Meishan held a grand banquet in front of the palace that night to welcome Niu Yi's arrival.

In the plum blossom grove, under the bright moonlight and amidst the starry sky, the group drank and made merry, the sounds of toasts and clinking glasses filling the air, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

At this moment, in front of everyone, colorful ribbons surrounded Yang Chan, who danced gracefully to the sound of Yang Jian's flute, creating a dreamlike and ethereal beauty.

After Yang Chan finished this dance, she conjured two sharp swords and performed a magnificent sword dance with hidden sharpness, winning cheers from the crowd.

Niu Yi looked at Yang Chan dancing gracefully under the moonlight with admiration.

Yang Jian's younger sister is quite capable, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and also very skilled in both literature and martial arts. Although her magical powers have not yet been seen, it is clear that she is stronger than any of the six brothers of Meishan.

The Three Holy Mothers of Mount Hua are renowned far and wide, and seeing them today, I can confirm they are truly extraordinary.

But it makes sense. As Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Manifestation, how could Yang Chan be someone who is all show and no substance?

He was simply curious how such a celestial fairy could have fallen for Liu Yanchang's silver spear and wax head.
Just as Niu Yi was feeling emotional, Yang Chan's dance was nearing its end, and the six Meishan brothers beside her cheered again!
"it is good!!!"

"Sister Yang Chan's dance truly captures the essence of swordsmanship; her dance exudes a chilling, desolate feeling, like the autumn wind."

Yang Chan smiled, sheathed her longsword, and walked confidently to the front of the crowd with her brother. Yang Jian, holding his bamboo flute, looked at Niu Yi and smiled:

"Brother Guangyi, how was my sister's dance?"

Niu Yi, seeing Yang Chan looking at him in the same direction, said:
"The dance of the Three Holy Mothers was as graceful as a startled dragon, as elegant as a phoenix soaring through the air. It was absolutely beautiful and truly the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life."

Looking into Niu Yi's clear eyes, Yang Chan said in a gentle voice:
“Brother Guangyi, you flatter me. Since you and my brother have become sworn brothers, why don’t you just call me Sister Yang Chan like the other brothers do?”

Her understanding of the Daoist Guangyi before her mostly came from her own brother and the sworn brothers of his six other brothers. But after half a day, she had developed some goodwill towards him and knew that what her brother had said was true.

Furthermore, her brother and the Meishan brothers all treated her like one of their own, and she naturally trusted their judgment.

"In that case, then I'd better obey your command respectfully."

Niu Yi stood up, patted the gourd at his waist, took out a white jade box that exuded a pure and spiritual aura and was exquisitely carved, and handed it to Yang Chan.

"Since Yang Chan called me Brother Guangyi, I can't let my own sister call me that for nothing."

Yang Chan curiously took it, opened it, and saw that inside was a stick of incense with nine colors, exuding fragrance and a restrained charm.

"This is the Nine-Flower Jade Fragrance, which is made from nine kinds of rare flowers from heaven and purple ganoderma and jade grass. It has nine flavors, each with its own characteristics, but all of them are fragrant and refreshing."

"The fragrance of this incense changes every day. From the day it is lit, this spiritual incense can burn for eighty-one years, which is also very beneficial to cultivation."

Yang Chan looked at the precious incense in the box, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

She had heard of this Baoxiang before, but it was not as simple as Brother Guangyi in front of her described.

First, there are the nine rare flowers in the sky, which are hard to find even in the heavens. Then there is the Purple Ganoderma and Jade Grass, which requires at least ten thousand years to be used to refine this incense.

Besides this main material, there are at least a thousand other auxiliary materials.

Even if all these materials are collected, without a profound understanding of incense, one still cannot refine this incense.

Moreover, the most important effect of this Nine-Flower Jade Fragrance is to help someone at the Taiyi Realm cultivate and comprehend the Dao.
Seeing Yang Chan hesitate, Niu Yi said:
"This isn't difficult for me to craft, and besides, it's a gift for my little sister!"

"Okay, thank you very much, Brother Guangyi~"

Seeing that Yang Chan accepted it, Niu Yi smiled and nodded.

Over the years, his skill in making incense has never diminished. Most of the rare flowers and herbs planted in the flower garden of the Heavenly Dao Lord Palace were collected for him to use in the Hunyuan Furnace to make incense.

A few years ago, he brought back several ancient purple ganoderma and jade grass from Fangzhang Immortal Mountain. Coincidentally, the Heavenly Palace also had these nine rare flowers, so he refined two sticks of Nine-Flower Jade Incense.

In addition, over the years he has also refined precious incense more than ten times, as well as many other spiritual incenses.

It can only be said that once one's skills and status rise, many things that were once unattainable become less difficult.

Yang Jian and the others watched with smiles on their faces.

They genuinely admired the Guangyi brothers and were naturally happy to see this scene.

The singing and dancing continued, and as the night passed and the sky cleared, perhaps because Yang Chan was there, the group did not get as drunk as before. Instead, they dragged themselves away, said goodbye to each other, and went back to rest.

Yang Jian, Yang Chan, and Niu Yi did not return to their rooms to rest, but instead came together to the plum blossom screen in the main hall and sat down to discuss the Dao.

Yang Jian was sitting in the main seat, gently stroking the sleeping Howling Celestial Dog beside him, and was talking eloquently about his insights into the Dao of Change to Yang Chan and Niu Yi.

Beings like Yang Jian have already comprehended the changes of Yin and Yang in the world, which is why they can change at will, and this is truly remarkable.

At least among the 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals who besieged Flower Fruit Mountain, only Sun Wukong's transformation skills were comparable to Yang Jian's. If other immortals wanted to compete with these two in transformation, they would be asking for trouble.

Those who understand this path are like his junior brother Wukong. After seeing Nezha's three heads and six arms, they can also perform the same supernatural power. After seeing Yang Jian's Dharma Body, they can also transform into that ten-thousand-foot Dharma body.

Niu Yi didn't possess the terrifying talent of his junior brother Wukong, who could connect one meridian to all meridians, but after hundreds of years of cultivation, he was constantly getting closer to that level.

Five days later, after Yang Jian finished explaining the Dao of Change, Yang Chan spoke up and recounted the many Daos she had cultivated. Her understanding of the Dao of Water Flow was so profound that even Niu Yi benefited greatly from it.

The saying "stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade" is why Niu Yi always sits down and discusses philosophy with his many friends whenever they meet.

At this moment, the six brothers of Meishan and Xiaotian Dog awoke and sat below, listening to the three above preach.

Three days later, after Yang Chan finished her sermon, Niu Yi, holding a whisk, pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and sat down to talk eloquently, sharing his insights on the Earth Path and many other Great Paths.

As Yang Chan listened to Niu Yi's story, she frequently had insights that arose in her mind. In particular, after Niu Yi obtained the Water Spirit Pearl and the Heavenly Treasure Bottle, his understanding of the Great Dao of Water was also extremely remarkable, which made Yang Chan look at Niu Yi with some surprise.

She didn't have much talent in the art of transformation; rather, it was Brother Guangyi's understanding of the various Great Daos that resonated with her more. Five days later, Niu Yi finished explaining his understanding of the Great Dao he cultivated, calmly picked up the tea on the table, and took a satisfied sip.

For Niu Yi, sharing his teachings with others is also a way of organizing and reflecting on what he has learned.

Looking at Niu Yi, the leader of Meishan, Kang Anyu exclaimed in admiration:
“I already knew that I was far inferior to Brother Guangyi, but I never imagined that the difference was so vast.”

Even the fierce-looking Zhang Boshi, the second brother of Meishan, nodded seriously and said:
"Indeed, we are far inferior to Brother Guangyi."

Although everyone is at the Taiyi realm, the difference between these realms is enormous. Even if the six of them joined forces, they might not be a match for the Guangyi brothers.

Of course, in many cases, realm is realm and combat power is combat power. Just like the old man of Penglai Immortal Island, he is also a Great Luo realm being, but he is superior in cultivation and ability, not combat power.

We can't expect this old man to go and fight with someone while carrying his wooden cane.

Yang Chan laughed from the side:
"Yang Chan has also gained a lot from Brother Guangyi's sermon. Meeting Brother Guangyi during this trip to Meishan was truly an unexpected joy."

Yang Jian understood Yang Chan's intention to leave and looked at his younger sister.

"Going back so soon?"

"Indeed, we cannot stay away from Mount Hua for long. It has already been quite difficult for us to be away for so long this time."

Yang Jian nodded. He knew that his younger sister was also a responsible person. As the Third Holy Mother of Mount Hua, one of the Five Sacred Mountains, Yang Chan also had her own responsibilities.

Yang Jian has always been very proud to have such a younger sister.

After bidding farewell to everyone, Yang Chan decisively left Guanjiang Estuary, riding the clouds and mist towards Mount Hua.

Niu Yi and the Seven Sages of Meishan stood atop the mountain, watching the departing figure before slowly withdrawing their gaze.

Yang Jian looked at Niu Yi and said:
"Brother Guangyi, if you have nothing to do recently, you might as well stay on Meishan for a few more years. These months are the perfect season for spring flowers to bloom and for fish to be plump in the river."

"That's exactly what I was thinking too, I just hope Brother Yang won't find it troublesome~"

"Hahaha~ How could that be? I'm overjoyed that you're willing to stay for many more years, brother!"

Niu Yi stayed in Meishan for several years. For someone like him or Yang Jian, several years or even decades are just a blink of an eye.

On this day, Yang Jian was flipping through the "Three Books on Acupuncture" in his hands, nodding slightly from time to time.

"This book is truly excellent for the world. It is comprehensive yet easy to understand. If it is combined with the 'Hundred Herbs Elixir Classic' which is still being improved, it will truly raise the level of doctors to several levels."

"Brother Guangyi has truly cultivated a group of extraordinary individuals. In my opinion, your actions can be considered a great act of merit that has saved countless lives."

Niu Yi smiled and shook his head, saying:
"It's too early to talk about this. After all, it's different from reading prescriptions and filling medicines in the Hundred Herbs Elixir Classic. Even if the three volumes of Acupuncture are easy to understand, it still takes a long time to practice and requires enough talent to master them, let alone become proficient in them."

“The training of each physician takes years. This is nothing to us, but for ordinary people, it would take at least ten years to train a doctor who can stand on his own.”

"That's enough for a young person to live to almost middle age."

Yang Jian nodded in agreement, fully acknowledging Niu Yi's words.

He wasn't some lofty deity; he knew what kind of lives mortals led. After all, he and his sister had also spent an unforgettable time as mortals.

Niu Yi also visited several Daojun Temples at the mouth of the Guanjiang River. With the help of his brother Yang, they were indeed thriving with worshippers, for which he was quite grateful.

Over the years, it was thanks to the help of many ghost generals from the Erlang Temple that the three volumes of "Acupuncture" and "The Classic of Herbal Elixir" were able to spread so smoothly in this Southern Continent.

During his time in Meishan, Niu Yi also consulted Yang Jian about the application of merit.

Upon hearing Niu Yi's question, Yang Jian told Niu Yi everything he knew about the uses of merit. In Yang Jian's description, this merit of heaven and earth was truly like a panacea.

Leaving aside the condensation of merit wheels and the refinement of merit-based magical treasures by integrating them into magical artifacts, which is the most important and fundamental part of the divine path system, other things like refining elixirs and miraculous medicines can also be added to it.

But his most important suggestion to Niu Yi was to use his many merits to create a golden body of merit.

“Brother Guangyi, if you can master this Golden Body of Merit, not only will it be incredibly powerful, but it can also bear karma and avoid calamities. Although it is extremely difficult to master, it is also the most miraculous. The Seventy-Two Transformations and the Thirty-Six Transformations are methods to avoid the Three Calamities. This Golden Body of Merit also has such abilities.”

Yang Jian directly handed over his family's method for condensing the Golden Body of Merit to Niu Yi, and explained the various secrets involved to Niu Yi.

Speaking of these three calamities, Niu Yi still had the wind calamity and the fire calamity to overcome, but with his current abilities, he was not afraid of these two calamities and did not pay much attention to them.

This Golden Body of Merit, like the Seventy-Two Transformations, might not be able to save him from the three calamities, but Niu Yi still intends to cultivate this Golden Body of Merit.

If this golden body is successfully cultivated, it can also be regarded as a method of incarnation. Most importantly, it can bear karma. If someone wants to use karma to deal with him or his divine incarnation, then karma can be grafted onto this golden body of merit, which is an excellent layer of protection.

After thanking Yang Jian, Niu Yi began to carefully study the method for condensing the golden body of merit.

Meanwhile, in the incense-burning space on Daojun Mountain.

The Divine Physician Daoist on the third floor of the pavilion slowly opened his eyes. His hand seals changed rapidly, and the golden light of merit accumulated over the past few hundred years began to fluctuate, gathering and condensing behind him.
Niu Yi spent fifteen years on Meishan Mountain. During these fifteen years, he used the Wood Spirit Pearl to comprehend the Great Dao of Wood, so that of the Five Great Daos, only the Great Dao of Fire has not yet been perfected.

He planned to fully comprehend the Five Elements Dao before returning to Jindu Mountain after his visit to his friends, so that the Five Elements could be gathered together and transformed into the complete Five Elements Dao. At that time, his skills would make great progress.

As for the Fire Spirit Orb, we can think about it later.

At least he has already started collecting fire-attribute natural treasures in the Heavenly Palace, preparing to try refining several kinds of fire-attribute incense to see if he can exchange them for the Fire Spirit Pearl. Even if he can't, it can still be used as part of his bargaining chips.

Fifteen years later, Niu Yi bid farewell to the people of Meishan, left Meishan, and flew towards the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain.

(End of this chapter)