Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

Chen Jiao snapped back to his senses, sighing inwardly, realizing that he had momentarily lost his composure and spoken carelessly.

But his resolve was firm, and he instantly calmed the ripples, his face showing no change in expression, his eyes calm and deep.

Facing the questioning gazes of the crowd, he hesitated for a moment, then calmly spoke, following the words "Taibai".

The voice was steady, as if the whisper just now was a well-thought-out opening:

"When refining gold in dry soil, what is sought is not merely gold, but gold that is extremely pure and hard."

Chen Jiao's voice was indifferent, yet it possessed a convincing power:

"Gold is extremely hard and white in color. When the firing temperature is sufficient and impurities are eliminated, the gold becomes pure, its light shines brightly, and its color is clear and bright; this is called 'Tai Bai' (Great White)."

It is not merely white in color, but also pure in spirit, with a restrained sharpness and inner radiance that does not leak out.

The stillness that Fellow Daoist Jin Guang speaks of is not a deathly stillness, but rather the stillness after being tempered by the fiery fire, where the gold's nature returns to its true essence, remaining as immovable as a mountain, its light shining forth naturally, which is called "Tai Bai" (Venus).

Chen Jiao paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the thoughtful crowd before finally settling on the slightly enlightened Golden Light Master, and continued:

"Tai Bai, in the heavens, is the day of Geng metal, which is auspicious and killing. It governs weapons and war, and its energy is sharp and unparalleled. It travels through the heavens, and its light is cold and cold in the sky."

On earth, it is the essence of refined gold, which remains untarnished through countless eons. It is refined to perfection, concealing its sharpness in a box, not for any disadvantage, but to wait for the right time to act.

However, if something is too sharp, it will easily break; if it is too dazzling, it will be difficult to conceal.

Dry earth produces metal, but what kind of metal is produced? If one only seeks sharpness and brilliance, like Venus hanging in the sky, stealing all the glory, one may lose the nourishing and nurturing virtue, and instead become a solitary and malevolent force.

Fellow Daoist Jin Guang used the intense heat of Yang fire to temper the restlessness in his heart; this is called using fire to refine stillness.

Therefore, the gold produced after being refined by fire is not an outwardly sharp and ostentatious material, but rather like Venus hidden in the morning light, its light contained within and its nature calm and serene.

In this way, the gold produced from dry earth becomes true gold, which can serve as the foundation for the Dao, and will not degenerate into violence, thus harming the Dao itself.

After saying this, Chen Jiao said no more, picked up the jade cup on the table, and took a sip.

The clear tea soup in the cup rippled slightly, reflecting the high sky and flowing clouds.

It was as if he had just casually expressed his views on the introverted nature of metal, which was perfectly integrated with the evocative name of Li Bai.

Only Chen Jiao himself knew that although the words "Taibai" had been uttered because the strange phenomenon in the spring disturbed his mind, it was not entirely without reason.

His seemingly impromptu explanations were actually a natural expression of his profound understanding and skill.

This deity, Huangtian Jingfa Zhenjun, has evolved the element of metal to its extreme, which in turn generates thunder, giving rise to the supreme thunder magic.

Venus also praised it, saying: "Gold is in the nine heavens, representing killing and reform. Its nature is sharp, its sound is thunder, and it transforms into blazing white thunder, which is the true thunder of the Lord."

Meanwhile, in the square, Chen Jiao's discourse on the nature of Taibai metal slowly came to a close.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, each lost in thought.

A moment later, exclamations of realization arose from all sides.

"So that's how it is! The Taibai Mountain conceals its sharpness, refining true gold within! Brilliant!"

"The Flood Dragon King means that Fellow Daoist Jin Guang's method has reached the required level, but it still needs the skill of 'contraction'! After the dry earth gives birth to metal, the metal's nature must be internalized to achieve perfection!"

"That's right! After being tempered by fire, its sharpness is revealed, which is actually inferior."

"One must be like Venus at dawn, shining brightly but not dazzlingly—that is the true path!" The Dragon King's words awakened those who were lost in their dreams!

The guests clapped and exclaimed in admiration, revealing expressions of realization, believing they had grasped the Dragon King's profound meaning.

The initial shock and confusion instantly transformed into admiration for the profound Taoist teachings, with the Dragon King's words being concise yet profound.

The Golden Toad Demon Lord also deeply agreed, feeling that this explanation was profound and comprehensive, and even touched upon a higher level of cultivation philosophy.

On the altar.

Upon hearing the phrases "concealing one's sharpness" and "possessing true gold within," Jin Guang Zhenren's heart stirred.

He has cultivated the Thousand-Eyed Golden Light Divine Power for many years. Once this divine power is used, the golden light transforms into ten thousand paths, dazzling and captivating, which is extremely powerful.

Just like Venus hanging in the sky, its brilliance is dazzling!

However, this supernatural power also has its flaws. Although the golden light is abundant and powerful, it is scattered and difficult to concentrate into a single point.

When facing an opponent with truly profound magical power, unparalleled escape skills, or who is not afraid of being disturbed by light, it is often difficult to achieve complete success.

This perfectly matches Xuan Ling's assessment: "Too sharp is easily broken, too dazzling is hard to hide," and "Solitary and ruthless"!

This drawback has always been a hidden pain in the heart of Master Jin Guang.

He had been racking his brains about how to improve, whether by further refining the golden light or by using other methods, but he had never achieved perfection.

Jin Guang Zhenren believed that it was due to his own insufficient cultivation or that his supernatural powers had not yet reached a high level of mastery.

Upon hearing Chen Jiao's words, an unprecedented thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

Since the golden light is scattered and difficult to condense, why not do the opposite?

Instead of focusing on instantly killing enemies with golden light, we use it as the core to construct a grand golden light array!

Use formations to trap and wear down the enemy, turning the scattered golden light into the solidity of the formation.

At that time, wherever the supernatural power reached, the golden light became a cage, and it rushed left and right as if hitting a golden barrel, and was as solid as a bronze bell in all directions!

No matter how strong your body is or how skilled you are at hiding, once you enter my golden light array, you will be like someone trapped in a quagmire, unable to unleash your full power.

He could only watch helplessly as his magic power waned, his strength waned, and his muscles went numb.

One thought leads to understanding, and all thoughts lead to understanding.

Jin Guang Zhenren suddenly felt that the bottleneck that had troubled him for many years had suddenly become clear.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and bowed deeply to Chen Jiao, his voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling...you are truly a teacher, even for a single word! This humble Daoist has learned a great deal!"

His bow was sincere.

In everyone's eyes, it was the Flood Dragon King who revealed the key to the matter, enabling the Golden Light Immortal to reach a higher level of understanding of the Dao, which made everyone envious and admiring.

Chen Jiao did not know what kind of Daoist technique Jin Guang Zhenren had comprehended. His expression remained unchanged as he accepted the greeting, simply saying:

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist. It was just a fleeting thought."

Master Jinguang straightened up, his eyes gleaming, clearly eager to return and carefully study the method of transforming golden light into an array.

Many cultivators looked at Chen Jiao with not only awe, but also admiration for his profound cultivation.

Master Jin Guang glanced at the other guests and said gently:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling has already offered his insightful opinion. If any of you have any thoughts to share, please feel free to speak as well."

Once the discussion began, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

The cultivators and demon cultivators present, whether sincerely seeking the Dao or wanting to show off their abilities, quoted scriptures or combined their own cultivation experiences to express their opinions.

Although there were occasional disagreements and sharp exchanges, the overall atmosphere remained one of refined discussion and exchange, with no one causing trouble and no one daring to do so.

The Golden Toad Demon Lord also offered a few witty and clever business analogies, such as "accumulating wealth is like gathering fire, and circulation is like growing soil," which drew a few light laughs.

Another incense stick's time passed, and the sun gradually set, casting a warm golden glow over Huanghua Temple.

Suddenly, from deep within the temple came three clear and melodious jade chime sounds.

Unlike the bells and drums that were played at the previous opening ceremony, this one carried a strange rhythm that calmed the mind and made one's mouth water.

Upon hearing the sound, everyone stopped talking and looked towards the source of the chime.

An elder, dressed in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, slowly approached from the direction of the Five Grains Hall. He bowed respectfully to the Golden Light Immortal on the altar and proclaimed in a clear voice:

"Your Excellency, the banquet is ready. Please, Your Excellency and all distinguished guests, proceed to the banquet hall."

The discussion session has now come to an end.

The Golden Light Immortal rose from the altar and smiled at the crowd:

"Fellow Daoists, please follow me to the table. Let us continue our Daoist friendship over a cup of wine."

The guests rose one by one, their faces beaming, and in twos and threes, they followed the young Taoist priest, chatting and laughing as they headed toward the Five Grains Hall.

The opportunity to expound the Dharma and discuss the Tao is a matter of chance, and this gathering of Dan Yan is also a good opportunity to make friends with like-minded people, exchange information, and expand one's network.

Jin Guang Zhenren was the first to descend from the altar, bowing to Chen Jiao once more, his attitude showing a greater degree of intimacy than before.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling, please."

Chen Jiao nodded slightly, stood up and left his seat. The fierce tiger stood up silently, following him like a mountain shadow.

The group followed the young Taoist priest through several moon gates and around the corridors to an open area on the back mountain.

Built against the mountain, this place is situated on slightly higher ground with a wide view. Named Wugu Hall, it is actually a grand, semi-open hall with simple and ancient pillars, which has now been properly arranged.

Dozens of long tables were arranged in a wing-like pattern, covered with plain brocade, and displayed dishes such as spirit grain rice, herbal soup, vegetarian stew of three delicacies, and honey-preserved spirit fruit.

Although there is no meat, everything is exquisite and full of vitality.

The jade tables at the central main position and the left and right chief seats are even more spacious. In addition to the above, several dishes of vegetarian Eight Treasures, made with secret methods and shaped like dragon liver and phoenix marrow, have been added.

And pots of fine wine brewed with morning dew, spiritual spring water, and exotic flowers and fruits.