Time in cultivation is timeless, truly ‘not knowing the eight festivals and four seasons,’ since Jiang Tong'er accompanied Laozi westward through the Hangu Pass, it has been nine years.
Jiang Yuan stoked a furnace, the flames blazing red.
His Golden Sovereign had taken form, and the fire he kindled was used to smelt Kun Steel, which he refined into two pearls.
Kun Steel was indeed an extraordinary treasure.
He taught his master the secret of the fire's intensity, and after nine years of tempering with both civil and martial flames, he finally refined the Kun Steel into two pearls.
On this day.
Jiang Yuan observed the ‘sun setting behind the western mountains hiding the fire mirror, the moon rising over the eastern sea revealing the ice wheel.’ At this moment, the night was quiet, the perfect time to extinguish the fire and retrieve the Golden Sovereign.
He held the Yu Ding before him, commanding the ding to guard him, ensuring that the two spirits would not find a flaw and disrupt his cultivation.
Today was crucial; he could not afford to be careless.
After painstakingly cultivating for two to three hundred years, how could he allow negligence to cause the two spirits to ruin his hard work?
Jiang Yuan sat on a mossy stone, inhaling the heavenly wind, allowing the wind to extinguish the fire beneath the furnace.
Before long, the fire beneath the furnace went out, and the Golden Sovereign finally appeared in his lung palace.
Jiang Yuan entered a meditative state and saw within the lung palace, there were two pearls, one black and one white, merging into a singular essence, revealing profound mysteries.
The black was turbid, the white was clear, the dual energies of yin and yang creating transformations.
What formidable weapons could be forged from this?
Jiang Yuan rose from the mossy stone, opened his mouth, and spat out the two pearls.
He saw the black and white pearls appear at his sides, exuding divine might.
The black pearl surged forward fiercely, while the white pearl remained steadfast.
His heart was restless, as he saw the Golden Sovereign, wanting to use the heart monkey for this purpose.
He waved his sleeve, and the black and white fish appeared.
The two pearls fell onto the black and white fish, transforming into their eyes.
The black fish's eye had a white spot, while the white fish's eye had a black spot, perfectly embodying the Taiji, with yin within yang and yang within yin.
“I often thought my heart monkey was lacking, but what was the reason? It turns out that it was missing an eye, truly a ‘having an eye but no pearl.’ The Golden Sovereign is to be used, transforming into an eye to complete the heavenly number, revealing the Taiji. Now that the Golden Sovereign has returned to its rightful place, I must protect my primordial spirit well, ensuring it is not oppressed by the two spirits!”
Jiang Yuan extended his hand and gently caressed the black and white fish.
The black and white fish, having received their ‘eyes,’ leaped joyfully, swimming around his palm, forming a Taiji diagram to protect him.
In that moment, Jiang Yuan understood the purpose of the Golden Sovereign.
The Golden Sovereign, as the two pearls, had the black pearl's turbid nature, capable of subduing all kinds of weapons.
No matter how divine the weapon, if it touched the black pearl, it would surely become useless.
The white pearl was clear, possessing the ability to evade water and fire; no matter what water or fire, it could not approach, truly a protective weapon.
Jiang Yuan understood the efficacy of the Golden Sovereign and felt joy in his heart, secretly saying, “What a fine weapon, what a fine weapon.”
He thanked Laozi for the treasure, realizing that the two pearls had vast divine powers, yet they had a significant flaw.
The two pearls were made of magnetic material, causing iron objects to shatter upon contact.
The Golden Sovereign was fragile, making his hard work seem futile.
With Laozi's gift of Kun Steel, he refined the two pearls from Kun Steel, mending the flaw, making them unbreakable and impervious to damage.
Cultivating the righteous path is the most arduous; a hundred years of hard work may yield no results.
If one were to cultivate the left-hand path, they might achieve great efficacy in just a year or two.
However, though the righteous path is difficult, its results cannot be compared to the left-hand path.
To glimpse the mysteries of the path to immortality, one must follow the righteous path.
Jiang Yuan guided the two fish back to the heart palace, and the Golden Sovereign returned to the lung palace.
He descended from the mossy stone, filled with joy, wanting to inform his master that the Golden Sovereign had returned to its rightful place.
…
Jiang Tong'er returned to the Three Stars Celestial Cave.
The night was deep and quiet, the secluded chamber empty of people.
He walked directly to the Yao Platform and saw a figure sitting high on the altar; it was his master.
The master surely knew that today he had finally returned the Golden Sovereign to its rightful place and was waiting for his return.
Jiang Yuan took two steps for every three, arriving at the altar, and said, “Master, today the Golden Sovereign has returned to its rightful place!”
The master looked at Tong'er, and upon seeing him, was very pleased, saying, “Good child, good child! Truly exceptional, today I see your Golden Sovereign has taken form, you are closer to the truth.”
Jiang Yuan bowed in gratitude, saying, “All thanks to Master’s efforts!”
The master descended from the altar, lightly tapping Jiang Yuan's crown, laughing and scolding, “Do not act like this; I have seen your hard work. The heart monkey has returned to the right path, the water grinding effort, the Golden Sovereign has taken form, and the fire tempering effort is not something that can be achieved without the world’s creation. I never expected you to succeed; how difficult it is to cultivate the righteous path! Who would have thought that your heart would be without flaw, allowing you two to return to your rightful places, the great way is ahead!”
Jiang Yuan served his master, sitting on the mat in the center, saying, “If it were not for Master’s Tai Xuan Qing Sheng talisman, I would have long since perished.”
The Golden Elixir righteous path is the hardest to maintain; how can a mortal body cultivate to success?
It takes nearly a hundred years to invite one person to the righteous path, and this is with the guidance of a good teacher.
Without a good teacher, how could one succeed in a hundred years?
In the Southern Zhanbu Continent, people live for a hundred years, many die young, and living to fifty is already considered longevity; many do not live to forty.
Jiang Tong'er knew that if it were not for the Tai Xuan Qing Sheng talisman protecting him from aging, and the Yu Ding guarding him, causing the two spirits to retreat, how could he have succeeded?
The master smiled, saying, “All things are due to fate.”
Jiang Yuan, feeling emotional for a moment, suddenly asked, “Master, many years ago in the Shangjing Mountains, when I was nineteen, I ascended the mountain to seek a master. You refused to let me enter the door; why did you create so many quiet rooms in the cave during my first year on the mountain?”
Years ago, when he asked this question, the master pointed at him in silence; even now, he still did not understand.
The master said, “Years ago, when you ascended the mountain, I saw your primordial spirit was agile. I anticipated you would cultivate a minor path, creating a quiet room, intending to teach you for a year or two before you would leave. I taught you to make withered trees bloom in spring, and I saw our fateful connection. I thought your primordial spirit might guide you, but I did not expect you to use grafting, which surprised me.”
Jiang Yuan suddenly understood; this was indeed the fateful connection between him and the master.
The master said, “Child, now that your Golden Sovereign has returned to its rightful place, it is time to invite the next one.”
Once the five have returned to their rightful places, one can cultivate the Golden Elixir!
Jiang Yuan then knelt and said, “Master, for the next one, should I invite the Mind Horse?”
The five refer to the heart monkey, the Mind Horse, the Golden Sovereign, the Wood Mother, and the Yellow Granny.
Now, his heart monkey and Golden Sovereign have both returned to their rightful places.
He only needed to invite the Mind Horse, Wood Mother, and Yellow Granny.
The master nodded, saying, “You should invite the Mind Horse! It is said that the Mind Horse is difficult to invite; you may need to exert effort, for the heart monkey can control the Mind Horse, acting as its reins. However, the heart monkey is not good with water; when inviting the Mind Horse, you will need to exert effort.”
Jiang Yuan earnestly noted this, saying, “Master, I understand.”
There are no shortcuts in cultivating the righteous path; there is no need to ask the master where the Mind Horse is; one must seek it out oneself, and in the end, one will surely find the way.
The master suddenly asked, “Child, during the day I ascended the altar to preach and heard someone discussing your cultivation of the ‘fire’ character path. What is the principle of this path?”
Jiang Yuan smiled and said, “The other disciples often ask me what path I cultivate, and I simply say it is the ‘fire’ character path, speaking of daily inhaling and exhaling heavenly fire, allowing the essence of heavenly fire to determine my vitality, gaining a bit of the side path to longevity. However, I must endure the scorching pain of heavenly fire daily, with the wind stirring the smoke, blinding my eyes and causing pain to my spirit, scaring the other disciples.”
The master nodded upon hearing this and asked, “Why do you say this? Are you afraid of disaster?”
Jiang Yuan replied, “All the other disciples cultivate side paths; how can I cultivate the righteous path? If I speak of it, I fear it may bring disaster. Others see me having it and may not seek me; if I pass it on, I would mislead others and misguide the law. If I do not pass it on, I fear the weapons will come upon me, and I worry the disciples will blame you for favoritism.”
The master gently stroked Jiang Yuan's crown, saying, “Learn the way and learn propriety, maintain yourself with righteousness. The hearts of the disciples are unstable. You are the eldest disciple under me, my true transmission. If anyone asks again in the future, just say you cultivate the righteous path; I will see who dares to harm you.”
Jiang Yuan thanked him and bowed, then conversed with the master for a long time, setting up a chess game before finally leaving the door, returning to the quiet chamber to rest well, quietly cultivating for a while, and then seeking the traces of the Mind Horse…
(End of Chapter)