Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 59 Various Cultivation Methods

When the scorpion demon arrived at the Purple Bamboo Pond with three Taoist priests clad in black armor.

The spiritual liquid in the pool still shimmered with a faint purple light.

The roots of the three-thousand-year-old spiritual fruit by the pond were completely empty, not even a single withered leaf remained.

A gust of wind swept across the pond, rippling the surface and reflecting her ashen face.

"They ran away?"

The scorpion demon lashed out with its tail hook, splitting a blue stone beside it in two.

Pebbles flew into the pool, splashing water everywhere.

"A bunch of useless trash! They couldn't even stop one person!"

She turned to look at the black-armored Taoist behind her, her voice forced out through clenched teeth.

"Chase them! Chase them!"

"The spiritual energy fluctuations of the spiritual fruit can last for at least half an hour."

"I don't believe they can fly out of Xiniu Hezhou!"

The black-armored Taoist bowed his head in agreement, his face cold and stern.

Clearly, this purple scorpion demon has quite a background; her family is powerful.

……

On the other side, the blue ox carried people flying over several mountain ridges.

Only after confirming that the pursuers behind them had been temporarily shaken off did they slow down their pace.

The wind in the air shifted from swift to gentle, and the Rakshasa woman, who was pressed against Zhong Xuan's back, stiffened slightly, only then realizing how long she had been holding him in her haste.

She quietly loosened her grip on her arm slightly.

But the ox's back was bumpy, so he had to put his arm around the boy's waist again.

The Rakshasa woman's mind raced for a moment, and her palms, which were gripping the fabric around his waist, became slightly sweaty.

Zhong Xuan sensed the warmth of the hands around his waist, but pretended not to notice. He simply turned around and asked, "There's something I've always been wondering about."

"Why are there monsters everywhere on this journey through Xiniu Hezhou?"

"Whether it's the cave dwelling of a powerful demon or the little demon hopping around by the roadside, it seems that this place was born to be the domain of monsters."

As soon as she finished speaking, the hand around her waist tightened.

The Rakshasa woman's voice came from behind his ear, suddenly turning cold: "So what if she's a demon? Demons can be good or evil too. Can you judge them by their appearance alone?"

Zhong Xuan was taken aback.

Before he could answer, Qingniu burst into laughter.

The blue ox's voice was like muffled thunder: "Interesting, very interesting, boy. Don't you know yet what race this girl riding with you is?"

There was a moment of silence on the cow's back.

Zhong Xuan did not press further, nor did the Rakshasa woman offer any explanation.

A gentle breeze blew her hair to Zhong Xuan's neck, tickling him and carrying a faint, delicate fragrance.

Zhong Xuan had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, but felt there was no need to ask.

Anyway, when "Yunniang" is willing to tell her background, she will naturally explain it clearly.

After a moment of silence, the Rakshasa woman said in a low voice, "You don't need to ask. You will know when the opportunity arises in the future."

The green ox, having missed the spectacle, snorted and said no more, instead asking, "Let's not talk about that, kid. I'm curious..."

"Just now in that cave, your spiritual energy went berserk like that. It's a wonder you didn't explode and die."

"An ordinary cultivator would need at least three days to recover, how did you stabilize so quickly? Do you perhaps possess some extraordinary magical treasure?"

The blue ox became curious, for it had been secretly instructed by its master to come here.

We need to not only settle the score with Golden Horn, but also see what kind of person he is.

If possible, offer some guidance and see what the "future" holds.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xuan raised his right hand, his fingertips pressed together slightly, and a crystal-clear liquid seeped from his fingertip, hanging in the sunlight like a solidified dewdrop.

The droplets contained shimmering light, with faint traces of spiritual energy swirling and churning like threads, yet remaining steadily and without dissipating, clearly indicating that they were highly compressed.

"Since this spiritual energy is formless and shapeless, and easily changes as it wanders around in the meridians, I've changed my approach," Zhong Xuan said.

"While using spiritual energy to cleanse the body and improve physical constitution, it is also being refined into magical power and incorporated into the dantian. Simultaneously!"

He flicked his finger, and the drop of spiritual liquid flew into the air, where it solidified and did not disperse.

"A set of circulation channels was temporarily constructed within the body to compress the three thousand years of purple Ganoderma spiritual energy into a liquid state and refine it drop by drop. In this way, the runaway spiritual energy was restrained."

Zhong Xuan's eyebrows and eyes held a hint of smug curiosity.

This approach was something he had learned from reading some contemporary fantasy novels in his previous life, and he wanted to see if it was really possible to do.

But to my surprise, it actually worked.

After highly compressing a large amount of spiritual energy into the lower dantian, instead of refining it into mana as usual, it was mixed with mana and compressed desperately...

It actually worked!

It turned into a spiritual liquid.

Upon hearing this, the blue ox suddenly stopped its hooves in the clouds, bringing the entire ox to a halt.

liquefaction?

It didn't quite understand the word, but it recognized both characters separately.

Combined, even a blue ox can easily guess the meaning of this strange word.

So it turned its huge head and stared at the drop of spiritual liquid for a long time with its copper bell-like eyes.

Then Qingniu said in a muffled voice, "There's such a method? But isn't that just taking a shortcut?"

"The method I'm passing on to you uses the human body as a great elixir, spiritual energy as the fire to refine it, and the acupoints throughout the body as a furnace, ultimately making the spiritual energy and the physical body a unified whole!"

"You've gone too far, directly refining the spiritual energy of the three-thousand-year-old spirit fruit into liquid pills. Aren't you putting the cart before the horse?!"

Although Qingniu said that, he wasn't really in a hurry.

It's actually quite happy to see anything new or interesting.

After all, it's too boring up there, especially beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens...

There's really nothing fun to do on ordinary days!

Zhang Chengming's voice came from the wooden fish, a series of cold laughs and sarcasm: "This is simply a heretical and crooked way!"

"Zhong Xuanzi, you've gone astray without realizing it! Quickly return and find a proper way! Otherwise, you'll never even be able to reach the Great Dao, let alone the Three Tribulations and One Gate!"

Zhang Chengming's sarcasm at this moment actually carried a bit more sincerity.

No one knows what Master Zhang is thinking now.

But gradually... it seems that beneath the harshness and malice, his relationship with Zhong Xuan gradually harbored some other strange thoughts.

Zhong Xuan withdrew the spiritual liquid from his fingertips, showing no sign of panic. He simply said, "I don't know much about the mainstream cultivation methods of this era. It was just that at the moment when the spiritual energy in my body went berserk, my intuition told me that this was interesting, so I did it."

Upon hearing this, the Rakshasa woman lifted her face from his shoulder.

Her expression froze for a moment, then turned serious, her tone tense: "Zhong Xuan! If you're willing... after we go back, I'll teach you some basic mental techniques and formulas, but you must swear to me that you will never pass them on to anyone else."

"I will help you to quickly absorb the spiritual energy of this spiritual fruit using orthodox refining methods... Otherwise, wasting the spiritual fruit is a minor matter, but if your Dao foundation is damaged as a result, you will regret it later."

As she spoke, she pressed her soft chest against Zhong Xuan's back, her warm breath brushing against the boy's ear, making even herself a little shy.

But even though I wanted to push it away, I couldn't bear to.

The Rakshasa woman vaguely sensed the changes within herself, but she gradually became more and more entangled in this agonizing emotional struggle, finding it increasingly difficult to extricate herself.

Zhong Xuan could feel the frequency of Yun Niang's heartbeat; even through two layers of clothing, it was beating more rapidly than when they were fleeing for their lives.

Upon hearing this, the blue ox let out a heavy snort from its nasal cavity, and its four hooves once again paved the way through the clouds, flying forward at a leisurely pace.

It flicked its tail again, completely unconcerned, and said, "You two youngsters are making a big fuss over nothing. So what if you have a minor health problem?"

"As long as that Dao heart remains perfectly pure and undefiled, even if this body is damaged, at worst one can reincarnate a few more times. As long as one's mind remains clear, why worry about not being able to start over?"

That's quite a boast.

That's how it sounds, but neither Zhong Xuan nor Rakshasa, nor even the usually arrogant Zhang Chengming, refuted it.

Amazing... This blue ox is truly amazing.

At least in some of his previous words and actions, Qingniu truly embodied the image of someone of extraordinary origin and cynical nature, and he put that image into practice through real changes.

……

West of Jisaguo City, Cuiyun Temple.

Zhong Xuan and Rakshasa Girl dismounted from the green ox and had barely stood firm when they saw two familiar figures standing at the temple gate!

Ye Quanzhen stood with his sword on his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

Master Jingyuan sat serenely on a stone bench under the locust tree, holding prayer beads in her hand.

It turned out that the two had arrived at Cuiyun Temple at some point and were waiting for their return.

Zhong Xuan went up and greeted them, and then everyone sat down under the old locust tree.

"Bald monk! Are you perhaps plotting to kill me?"

Zhang Chengming shook out the Yin spirit from the wooden fish, and the illusory figure appeared much more solid.

Clearly, they had secretly benefited greatly from the previous Purple Bamboo Forest Pond.

Master Jingyuan shook her head: "The one with the deepest karmic connection to you is Zhong Xuanzi. Now even he doesn't care about keeping you by his side. I didn't want to get involved in your karma back then, so what happens to you is Zhong Xuanzi's business."

Ye Quanzhen stared back and forth between Rakshasa and Zhong Xuan.

She originally came to tell her junior brother some good news.

That means the soul-summoning ritual of her sisters went well, but one of the three souls was still missing and could not be found.

But when Ye Quanzhen saw his junior brother and this female cultivator kissing and hugging as they got off the ox, he felt uncomfortable.

So her expression became even colder than usual, and she didn't say anything.

Zhong Xuan didn't care.

However, Abbess Jingyuan's attitude is quite interesting. It seems she really doesn't regard me as a disciple. Could it be that she knows some more inside secrets, or that there have been other changes that he is unaware of?

Just then, the Rakshasa woman brought up the important matter again.

Zhong Xuan understood immediately and steered the conversation back to the previous topic.

The massive spiritual energy "bomb" inside him hasn't been completely defused yet.

It's only barely under control right now.

"I also need everyone to share their opinions and help me broaden my horizons..."

Zhong Xuan sincerely requested that everyone discuss their respective methods of cultivation.

Zhang Chengming first said proudly and arrogantly, "Our Longhu Mountain Zhengyi Yishi Dao reveres the Three Pure Ones and follows the glorious righteous path!"

"We communicate with heaven and earth through talismans and refine our true form through the elixir cauldron. We take one step at a time, accumulating merit and virtue, progressing step by step. This is the path a cultivator should take, unlike some others!"

Master Jingyuan paused slightly as she moved the prayer beads, then continued the conversation.

The graceful and wise nun spoke in a calm and unhurried tone: "In our Buddhist practice, we don't really emphasize things like tempering our bodies and accumulating magical power."

"We have always been single-mindedly focused on cultivation, believing that all phenomena are empty."

"As long as one understands Buddhist principles and has a clear mind, even if this physical body decays, one's wisdom can still remain intact."

"Whether one is reincarnated and begins anew, or directly enters the Pure Land, there are also great virtuous monks who can wield great magical power solely through their consciousness and soul; why should they care about this mere physical body?"

After hearing this, Zhong Xuan neither agreed nor disagreed, nor did he express his opinion.

Deep down, he actually disliked this kind of practice.

However, it cannot be denied that this method of practice has its obvious benefits.

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Quanzhen scoffed.

She stood with her arms crossed.

"Learning this and that, in the end you're bad at everything."

Ye Quanzhen's voice is sharp, like a sword being drawn from its sheath.

Zhong Xuan was a little surprised and looked at the nun.

Master Jingyuan winked at him very slightly, with a hint of playfulness, as if to say... she couldn't do anything about Ye Quanzhen either.

Although Ye Quanzhen respected his teachers, he seemed to be too straightforward and rigid.

"I only cultivate one sword, and it is the orthodox lineage of sword cultivators. I am the sword and the sword is me. I nurture my natal flying sword with my blood and sweat."

"A strong sword makes a strong person, and a sharp person makes a sharp sword."

"The so-called absorption of spiritual energy to temper the body is nothing more than a side effect of the water and fire techniques during the tempering of the sword pellet."

She loosely clenched her fists, then suddenly opened them.

A sword pellet the size of a pigeon egg spun rapidly in his palm, gleaming coldly!

The reflection in the young woman's eyes and brows revealed a fierce and stern expression.

Anyone who witnessed this sudden burst of heroic spirit felt as if it were a precious sword.

"This sword pellet is my second body."

Ye Quanzhen was quite pleased with herself; this was her most prized possession.

However, fearing contamination during combat, it has always been used only in life-or-death battles.

In normal combat, he uses the precious sword on his back that can cut through iron like mud.

Zhang Chengming then scoffed, "Haha, refine yourself into a magical artifact? Is there really such a foolish method of cultivation in the world!"

Ye Quanzhen suddenly glared at him.

Zhang Chengming said bluntly, "As expected, it's a heretical and unorthodox path that can't be taken seriously. What right do you have to call yourself a legitimate sword cultivator!"

"What good is it if you refine yourself into the best flying sword? You're just waiting for some powerful being to pass by, grab you, and refine you and the sword together."

"By then, you won't even have time to cry; your mind will be erased and you'll be turned into a sword spirit, never to be reincarnated!"

Zhang Chengming was blunt, but Zhong Xuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

He involuntarily turned his head and carefully examined Ye Quanzhen.

The Rakshasa woman beside him kept her gaze lingering on his body and face.

Ye Quanzhen's sword-like eyebrows shot up, the sword pellet in his palm hummed, and a cold glint flickered within it: "You're quite smug now! But what kind of cultivation are you practicing? Your orthodox methods from Longhu Mountain, will they even make you a ghost immortal in the end? Will they allow you to secure a minor official position in the underworld?"

Zhong Xuan was speechless.

That's a slap in the face!

It's no wonder he comes from a swordsman background.

Zhang Chengming suddenly stood up, his face flushed red, and the veins on his neck bulged: "You ignorant and foolish madman! How do you know about the extraordinary abilities of the Dragon Tiger Celestial Master?!"

"Our Celestial Master Zhang Daoling is currently on duty in the Heavenly Court. Every memorial presented to the Jade Emperor from the Three Realms has been reviewed by our Celestial Master. How noble and powerful he is!"

"How could a mere unorthodox swordsman like you possibly understand!"

Zhang Chengming was furious, but as a Yin spirit, he could do very little.

Rakshasa was sitting beside Zhong Xuan, and had been quietly listening with her chin in her hand, but when she heard this, she burst out laughing.

She leaned slightly towards Zhong Xuan and spoke with a bright smile.

"I've happened to hear some things about the Heavenly Court before."

"Your ancestor of the Celestial Masters sounds very powerful. He can deliver memorials for the Three Realms and even speaks to the Jade Emperor!"

"But isn't this the same thing that the eunuchs in red robes standing beside the emperor in the imperial palace do?"

A sudden silence fell beneath the old locust tree.

Zhang Chengming stood there, his lips trembling. His face turned from red to white, then from white to green, and finally his whole face turned a deep liver color—it was remarkable that he could still express himself so vividly in his Yin God state.

Master Jingyuan lowered her eyes, turned a bead in her rosary, and sighed softly, "Amitabha."

Ye Quanzhen laughed heartily, and the sword pellet spun even more merrily on his fingertips.

For the first time, she found this female demon somewhat pleasing to the eye.