In the Xie Yue San Xing Cave, within the quiet chamber, Jiang Yuan experienced an epiphany and returned here to cultivate in solitude.
Jiang Yuan sat on the mat, calming his heart, preparing to guide the Golden Sovereign back to his rightful place.
As he entered a meditative state, focusing his spirit on his lungs, he did not rush to search but instead made an intention, summoning the Heart Monkey, 'Black and White Two Fish,' to come forth.
Once Black and White Two Fish returned to their positions, they protected his spirit and moved together with him.
With his spirit focused in his lungs, he instructed Black and White Two Fish to launch a fierce assault on the lungs.
Receiving the command, Black and White Two Fish surged towards the lungs, their immense strength causing him unbearable pain, tears streaming from his eyes.
This pain was unlike any other; it was an internal agony, as if countless ants and centipedes were gnawing within him.
Fortunately, Jiang Tong'er possessed great willpower and gritted his teeth to endure.
Time passed, though he could not tell how long.
Jiang Yuan felt the pain in his lungs gradually lessen, a faint burning sensation emerging, causing his face to flush.
He steadied his mind and looked deeper, seeing Black and White Two Fish darting around in his lungs, making it feel as if they were on fire.
After a moment, his eyes were reddened as if stirred by smoke, and he rubbed his tears, unable to find relief, feeling as if his lungs were being burned through.
"Burned through, burned through!"
"Could it be that I guessed wrong? The lungs should be treated as the Lung Palace, existing within the lungs, only revealing themselves when burned by fire. Truly, it is a case of fire overcoming metal, but why is it so difficult?"
"Not so! There is a saying that true gold fears not the fire's forging. The Golden Sovereign is indeed true gold. This is a realization; if the two spirits conspire, how dare they disrupt my cultivation!"
Jiang Yuan, in excruciating pain, became furious.
He held the Yu Ding and placed it before the Mud Palace.
Buzz!
The Yu Ding trembled, and a cool breeze swept through, easing the discomfort in his lungs.
Jiang Yuan then heard whispers in his ears, urging him to give up, to descend the mountain and marry a wife and children, telling him that his current abilities were sufficient, and there was no need to endure hardship in cultivation.
They encouraged him to use his current skills to create a prosperous era in the Southern Zhanbu Continent.
It turned out that the two spirits, seeing him suddenly comprehend the method of 'seeing the Golden Sovereign,' could not contain themselves and came to disrupt his cultivation.
Jiang Yuan turned a deaf ear to them.
Before long, his Mud Palace shook violently, his primordial spirit exerting force to dispel the whispers, allowing him to focus on seeing the Golden Sovereign.
He steadied his mind and observed Black and White Two Fish swimming in his lungs.
After a long while of swimming, Jiang Tong'er indeed saw the 'Lung Palace' emerge from within the lungs.
His heart surged with excitement; it was just as he had imagined.
The Heart Monkey resides in the Heart Palace, while the Golden Sovereign dwells in the Lung Palace.
The Golden Sovereign serves as the weapon for the Heart Monkey, undoubtedly related to it.
He understood that the 'words of the lungs' were the truth, with truth being paramount.
The Golden Sovereign must be true gold; as the saying goes, true gold fears not the fire's forging.
As he had guessed, the Lung Palace would only manifest under the Heart Monkey's fierce assault.
Jiang Yuan then immersed himself in his thoughts, peering into the Lung Palace.
The Lung Palace took the shape of a three-legged furnace, empty inside, with no fire beneath and a tightly closed lid on top, revealing no sign of the Golden Sovereign.
Jiang Yuan murmured, "The Golden Sovereign is a weapon; could it be that I need to refine it? This must be the principle: the Heart Monkey needs to stabilize its nature, and the Golden Sovereign needs to be forged by fire."
Refining a weapon must indeed be done with fire, turning it into steel through a hundred forges.
The Black and White Two Fish represented the state of Taiji; where should he seek fire?
As Jiang Yuan pondered, he heard the voice of the Ancestor from outside the chamber.
"Tong'er, come to the altar."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan rose from the mat, inadvertently tripping and realizing that his body felt three parts lighter.
He feared that if he leaped now, he would not stop until reaching a hundred and fifty zhang.
The Golden Sovereign's form appeared, adding another layer to his abilities.
Jiang Yuan donned his outer robe, pushed open the chamber door, and headed towards the Yao Terrace.
Upon reaching the Yao Terrace, he saw the Ancestor seated high on the altar, waiting for him for quite some time.
Jiang Yuan approached the Ancestor, bowing deeply, "Thank you for your patience, Master!"
The Ancestor did not respond, instead sizing up Jiang Yuan, feeling joy in his heart, secretly thinking, "This child is not of this world; cultivating the Golden Elixir's righteous path, he is so swift. The Lung Palace cannot be revealed without fire forging. I originally thought it would take him thirty years to comprehend, but unexpectedly, he understood in just one year! A prodigy, indeed!"
"In no time, this child will cultivate great magical power! Although he is greedy for longevity, his nature is pure. When he ventures out into the world, he will surely encounter calamities. Once the five return to their positions, he should be taught some protective techniques."
Having thought this, the Ancestor rose from the altar and personally assisted Jiang Yuan to take a seat.
Jiang Yuan, feeling anxious, said, "Why trouble the Master to assist me!"
The Ancestor smiled, "You and I are master and disciple; why speak of such things? Is the Golden Sovereign revealed today?"
Jiang Yuan nodded, saying, "Indeed! Master, I instructed the Heart Monkey to attack the Lung Palace, causing the Golden Sovereign to manifest, but within the Lung Palace, it resembles a furnace, with nothing inside. At that time, the Heart Monkey must perform water grinding techniques to subdue it. How should the Golden Sovereign be utilized by the disciple today?"
The Ancestor replied, "Child, what do you think?"
Jiang Yuan answered, "Master, I see it is furnace-shaped. There is a saying, 'True gold fears not the fire's forging.' Should it not be that fire is needed to burn it, refining a weapon to assist the Heart Monkey?"
The Ancestor clasped his hands and said, "Child, you are wise! Indeed, a weapon cannot be forged without true fire. However, there is a method concerning the timing of the fire; come closer, and I will teach you the timing, so you may forge the weapon."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan listened intently, kneeling before the Ancestor.
The Ancestor lowered his head and imparted the method of timing the fire to Jiang Yuan.
Only then did Jiang Yuan suddenly realize how difficult it was to refine the Golden Sovereign.
According to the Ancestor's words, he needed to chant spells daily to control the fire and must also inhale and exhale 'Yin-Yang Fire.'
The so-called inhaling and exhaling 'Yin-Yang Fire' meant that he should sit in the eastern or western position daily, receiving the burning of the great sun, using the sun's fire to heat the furnace and forge the weapon.
There was a method here: the winter solstice is in the west, and the summer solstice is in the east.
This means that after each winter solstice, he must sit in the western position daily to obtain 'Yin Fire' for forging, and after each summer solstice, he must sit in the eastern position daily to obtain 'Yang Fire' for forging.
Forging the Lung Palace is also no simple task.
The Ancestor said, "Once your luck reaches the eye, you can peer into the Dueling Palace above and explore the Underworld below; that will count as the Golden Sovereign taking shape, ready for the Heart Monkey's use."
Jiang Yuan asked, "Master, what shape does the Golden Sovereign take?"
The Ancestor laughed upon hearing this, "You child, why do you not ask about your Heart Monkey but come to ask me? How would I know what shape your Golden Sovereign takes? What your Heart Monkey lacks, your Golden Sovereign will take that shape."
Jiang Yuan extended his hand and summoned the Yin-Yang Fish, realizing that these Yin-Yang Fish were lacking something.
He examined them closely but could not discern what the two fish were missing.
He thought of the Ruyi Jingu Bang used by Sun Wukong in Journey to the West; he wondered what kind of weapon these two fish should wield.
Jiang Yuan was at a loss.
The Ancestor lightly patted Jiang Yuan's Mud Palace and said, "Just cultivate well; when your Golden Sovereign is forged, you will know what it is."
Jiang Yuan exclaimed, holding his head, feeling his spiritual platform clear up a bit, realizing it was the Ancestor's method guiding him to reduce his distractions.
He said, "Thank you, Master!"
The Ancestor nodded, saying, "Go now, go now! Cultivate well, so you may soon cultivate great magical power."
Jiang Yuan shook his head, stood up, and asked, "Master, what constitutes great magical power?"
The Ancestor replied, "You refine a Golden Elixir, obtain the wonders of the longevity path, and gain various techniques; then you will possess great magical power."
Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and then asked, "Master, with great magical power, is it possible to enter the Underworld unscathed?"
The Ancestor did not answer, instead taking a ruler and pointing it at Jiang Yuan, pretending to strike, scaring Jiang Tong'er into fleeing outside...
(End of Chapter)