In the library, Maitreya Bodhisattva was astonished by the profoundness of the Eastern Buddha's teachings.
He felt that this method was difficult to cultivate, heavy on the heart, heavy on awareness, and heavy on enlightenment.
Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands and asked, "Guangxin Zhenren, may I ask if you have achieved the Zen method?"
Jiang Yuan shook his head and replied, "I have not achieved the Zen method; Maitreya Bodhisattva knows that I am cultivating the Golden Elixir's righteous path."
Maitreya Bodhisattva asked again, "What enlightenment do you have regarding the Zen method?"
Jiang Yuan said, "I have received the teachings from my master and once entered a dream, thus gaining the Zen method."
Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands in respect, acknowledging Jiang Yuan's spiritual nature, which indeed was as the World Honored One described—a true 'spiritual child.'
Jiang Yuan returned the gesture of respect.
Maitreya Bodhisattva then said, "Zhenren, if I were to teach you while you travel, may I accompany you?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "Since the Bodhisattva is cultivating with me, if you wish to follow, there is no reason you cannot."
Maitreya Bodhisattva smiled and nodded, filled with a joyful spring spirit.
Jiang Tong'er did not say much, conversing with the Bodhisattva for a while before returning to the quiet room to practice mastering the fire.
...
After Jiang Tong'er returned to the quiet room and rested for a while, he began to practice the fire when the time was right.
Jiang Yuan's mind settled, and he resonated with his primordial spirit in the Niwan Palace, inviting the primordial spirit to emerge.
In the Niwan Palace, the primordial spirit responded immediately to the command, without delay.
He saw a 'little person' emerge outside the Niwan Palace.
This 'little person' was wondrous; he could perceive, could teach movement, could teach thought, clear and bright in every way, unaffected by disturbances—this was the true self, the primordial spirit.
He used the primordial spirit to practice mastering the fire.
The primordial spirit received the command and called five people to work the fire together.
Jiang Yuan entered a meditative state, slowly inhaling true breath.
However, as the true breath entered his body, the primordial spirit was not yet fully prepared, causing the true breath to disrupt the formation of the primordial spirit.
His internal formation was in chaos, and he focused his mind to calm it.
After two or three moments, he finally settled down.
He thought to himself, "This fire is not as easy to master as I imagined. There is a dense cycle; it requires the primordial spirit and me to be of one mind, and the five people to work together, to master the fire. Otherwise, it cannot be achieved. Fortunately, when I burned the Golden Elixir, I had some means; otherwise, I might not have found the path for a hundred years."
Jiang Yuan understood that to master the fire, he needed to practice more to grasp it.
He did not think much further and commanded the primordial spirit to practice this fire together with him.
True breath inhaled and exhaled...
Primordial spirit transformed into fire...
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tong'er failed again.
However, he did not feel discouraged.
After resting, he began to practice mastering the fire once more.
...
The gentle wind brought warmth, the fragrant breeze carried away the rain, and once again, the golden wind rustled, while the north wind blew fiercely, cycling back and forth.
Time truly passed swiftly, and before he knew it, ten years had gone by.
Jiang Yuan practiced mastering the fire in the quiet room, not stepping outside even once.
Outside the quiet room, Maitreya Bodhisattva sat cross-legged, quietly waiting for Jiang Yuan to complete his practice.
However, Jiang Tong'er was unaware of how many years had passed in his cultivation.
The Patriarch emerged from the quiet room and saw Maitreya Bodhisattva sitting there.
He approached and asked, "Maitreya Bodhisattva, why are you here?"
Maitreya Bodhisattva replied, "Dao Brother, I am waiting for Zhenren to return from his travels, accompanying him in his cultivation."
The Patriarch said, "I do not know how many years it will take for my child to master the fire; what are you waiting for here?"
Maitreya Bodhisattva clasped his hands and said, "Dao Brother, you do not know. I have yet to grasp the subtlety of the Zen method, so I wish to glean some insights from Zhenren's words and actions."
The Patriarch sighed and said, "My child is cultivating the Golden Elixir's righteous path; how could he possibly understand the Zen method? How have you learned this? I fear you have seen too much and have mistaken the Buddhist teachings for the Golden Elixir path! Maitreya Bodhisattva, let me tell you something my child has said; you may share your thoughts with me."
Maitreya Bodhisattva then recounted Jiang Yuan's words to the Patriarch.
Upon hearing this, the Patriarch nodded and said, "Not establishing written words, directly pointing to the original mind, seeing nature and becoming a Buddha, is heavier on enlightenment. Did my child not express this very clearly?"
Maitreya Bodhisattva smiled with a troubled expression and said, "Dao Brother, there has been no explanation of how to cultivate here, and there are no scriptures to read. How can one achieve mastery?"
The Patriarch chuckled a few times and pointed at Maitreya Bodhisattva, saying, "Maitreya Bodhisattva, you are obstructed by a leaf! Why must there be cultivation? Why must there be scriptures? My child's words are extremely clear; it is about enlightenment, about Zen, not about cultivation. This method cannot be cultivated, and there are no scriptures needed. You say it is the Eastern Buddha's teachings; how could it be the same as the teachings here?"
Upon hearing this, Maitreya Bodhisattva radiated boundless light, and he suddenly gained some understanding.
His troubled expression vanished, replaced by a joyful smile.
He clasped his hands in respect and said, "Indeed, I was obstructed by a leaf. Thank you, Dao Brother, for clearing my confusion!"
The Patriarch nodded in silence.
Maitreya Bodhisattva departed.
The Patriarch looked at the quiet room where Jiang Tong'er was practicing, knowing he was mastering the fire.
He went to the Yao Tai to ascend the platform and expound on the Great Dao.
...
In the quiet room, Jiang Yuan gradually became proficient in mastering the fire.
However, when refining the four herbs in the cauldron, it was still insufficient.
This required him to be of one mind with the primordial spirit, and for the five people to work together, in order to manipulate the fire with precision.
If not, any mistake in the fire would lead to failure in the Great Dao.
After 'stopping the fire,' Jiang Tong'er sighed, "The fire is indeed difficult. If I were to master the entire fire, when refining the great medicine, it would not only be the great medicine that succeeds; I would also burn into a unified whole, with the primordial spirit, the five people, and me, inseparable."
He deeply felt the power of the Golden Elixir's righteous path.
In every step, there were secrets of the Dao.
When establishing the cauldron, the two energies of heaven and earth entered his body, marking the beginning of forming the elixir, gathering the innate medicine within.
This fire, while refining medicine, also taught him to be undistracted.
The remaining four steps—refining, nurturing, merging, and the nine transformations into the Golden Elixir—would surely yield miraculous effects.
In this cultivation, step by step, he would reach immortality and perfection, and at that time, the Golden Elixir would be formed.
Jiang Yuan felt something in his heart, gathered his thoughts to rest, and then practiced the fire again.
...
In the mountains, there were no cycles of years, and the cold passed without knowing the time.
Another ten years passed.
Jiang Yuan had mastered the superior fire for over twenty years, gradually gaining control, teaching the primordial spirit to be of use, with the five people working together, the three becoming one.
Often, when Jiang Tong'er inhaled and exhaled true breath, the primordial spirit would cooperate effortlessly, and the five would gather their strength.
The primordial spirit would start and stop the two fires, and as the literary and martial energies rotated, Jiang Tong'er would also adjust his true breath to harmonize with it.
This was the completion of mastering the fire.
He had previously burned the Golden Elixir, which provided a foundation, allowing him to teach for twenty years and learn to master the fire.
With the mastery of the fire, his three steps in the elixir path were already complete.
Once the remaining four steps were completed, he would attain the Golden Elixir.
Jiang Yuan then rose and walked outside, his expression calm.
Twenty years of hard cultivation felt like floating clouds to him; he had spent much time on this path, and twenty years did not seem like much.
Jiang Tong'er left the quiet room and headed towards the Patriarch's quiet room.
As he approached, he saw the door to the Patriarch's room wide open, clearly waiting for him.
Jiang Tong'er stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, I have mastered the fire."
The Patriarch opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Yuan, nodding with a smile, "Child, you have taken another step closer to forming the elixir. I expected you to take forty years to master the fire, but I did not anticipate you would succeed in twenty years."
Jiang Yuan replied, "Master, you taught me to burn the Golden Elixir in the past, so I had a foundation, making it not difficult."
The Patriarch asked, "Now that you understand the nature of the fire, how do you feel?"
Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Master, in the Golden Elixir's righteous path, mastering the fire is of utmost importance! This fire teaches the primordial spirit, the five people, and me, to be inseparable, forming a unified whole, marking the beginning of perfection and the appearance of the elixir!"
Upon hearing this, the Patriarch was very pleased and thought to himself, "Good child, good child! You are indeed on the path to forming the elixir. Those who cultivate the righteous path must be cautious of mastering the fire without understanding the harmony of the three, unaware of the appearance of perfection, which ultimately leads to deficiency. My child has gained insight, bringing joy to others. Here, I can teach the methods of refining."
(End of Chapter)