Chapter 95: The Bodhi Transcends Clouds, Two Monkeys Practice Spiritual Powers

  In about the time it takes to eat a meal, the two monkeys returned again on their cloud, but they only went back and forth for five or six miles.

  Teng Yun returned, and the two monkeys were extremely excited. The Tengyun technique was different from driving the crazy wind, driving the crazy wind was like navigating a small wooden boat in an angry sea, while Tengyun was like riding on an aircraft carrier in a calm sea, the two cannot be compared.

  Two monkeys came forward and saluted, saying: "We report to the Master, your disciples have returned. This is the method of riding the clouds and driving the fog."

  Upon hearing this, the ancestor couldn't help but smile wryly. He glanced around and said, "Your learning is indeed extensive, but your perception is quite poor. It's like this: it can't be considered 'riding on clouds', to put it bluntly, it can only be considered 'climbing on clouds'. As the ancient saying goes: 'Divine people travel to the North Sea in the morning and arrive at Mount Cangwu by dusk.' Compared to that, your half-day journey is merely a few miles. To be honest, you can't even be considered 'climbing on clouds', but only 'hanging onto clouds'."

  Longxuzi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "In the morning I tour Beihai, in the evening I am at Congwu. What is the meaning of this? Please, Ancestor Master, enlighten me, dispel my confusion, so that I may be prepared for future events."

  The old ancestor nodded slightly and said, "Today's weather is still early, I will explain it to you all, and it can also be considered as increasing knowledge once, not in vain for going out and practicing once."

  "Teacher's mercy!" Everyone bowed down and thanked him.

  "All immortals can ride on clouds, and those who ride on clouds start from the North Sea in the morning, drive white clouds, travel through the East Sea, West Sea, South Sea, and return to Cangwu. This is considered a great achievement! Cangwu is actually a place name of Beihai Zero Ridge, but now it has been occupied by a big demon, which is very far away from here. Only when you have traveled through all four seas in one day can you be considered a cloud-rider."

  "Following the teachings of our ancestors, this matter is extremely difficult. How many people in the world can possess such a skill to ride on clouds?" Sun Yuan raised his head and asked.

  "This kind of cloud-soaring people are not many, this kind of evaluation method is the standard for a long time ago, now there are only a few people who have this kind of divine power, but cloud-soaring people can still travel all over the world in a short period of time." Bodhi Old Ancestor said.

  The Monkey King shook his head and said, "This is indeed difficult, extremely difficult! I have crossed the Eastern Ocean and the Western Ocean, and seen their boundless vastness, so I deeply understand its difficulty."

  The ancestor smiled and said, "Have you not heard that there is no difficult task in the world, only people who are afraid to try? As long as one dares to think, there will be a way in the world."

  Sun Yuan heard this and immediately thought to himself "The opportunity has arrived!", he took a step forward, knocked his head on the ground in respect, and said "Master has already taught us the way of longevity, which means we have a master-disciple relationship. One should be thorough in their actions, Master why not show great compassion and also teach us the art of riding the clouds? In the future when we go out, it will not bring shame to Master's reputation. We will definitely not dare forget this kindness."

  The Monkey King also knelt down on the ground, constantly knocking his head and saying "Master, have mercy."

  Bodhi's face showed a look of difficulty, and he hesitated, saying, "The orthodox Tengyun technique is really complicated, it's all about falling down and getting up again. Wu Kong isn't like that, just now I saw you flying on the cloud, and with a pull, you jumped up. Here, there is a momentum called Jin Dou Yun, which can be passed on to you. However, Sun Yuan has some reservations. This Tengyun technique is broad and profound, not as simple as it appears on the surface. You should think carefully about what you want to learn."

  Sun Yuan had long been prepared in his heart, knowing that Bodhi would not pass on the Tendon Leap Cloud to him. He said in a low voice, "The Ancestor is merciful and kind, the disciple has recently practiced the Small Mustard Seed Maze Step and has made some gains. Therefore, I hope Master will teach me the technique of shrinking the earth into an inch. As for the Tendon Leap Cloud, the disciple does not have that heavenly talent, but dare not indulge in wild hopes."

  "Can you shrink the earth to the size of an inch?" A glint of light flashed in Bodhi's eyes, and at this moment, Sun Yuan's face turned pale again, having suffered another backlash. Bodhi's mind stirred, thinking to himself, "Forget it, forget it, I've had a run-in with this kid, it's fate. Since he won't live long, destined to die on the road, why not teach him how to shrink the earth to the size of an inch? This great divine ability is rarely achieved in a thousand years, and it's hard to accomplish."

  "Alright! Since you've spoken up, I won't refuse. However, the art of shrinking space is vast and profound; you'll need to use your heart to comprehend it."

  "Thank you, Master, for your kindness and compassion. I will follow your teachings carefully and not dare to be lazy!" Sun Yuan was overjoyed in his heart and immediately kowtowed.

  "Master, how does this shrinking-the-earth-to-an-inch technique compare to the Cloud Somersault?" The Monkey King couldn't help but ask.

  "The two cannot be mentioned on the same day, this Tendon Leap Cloud, pinching the trick, reciting the true words, clenching fists, shaking his body, jumping up, one tendon leap has 108,000 miles of road! And shrinking the ground to an inch requires self-enlightenment, its content is profound and unparalleled, and after its great completion, the speed is not necessarily comparable to Tendon Leap Cloud." Bodhi Old Ancestor said with a serious face.

  Although these words are somewhat true, Bodhi's old ancestor still has some concealment. There is a sentence that Bodhi's old ancestor did not say, that is, if you really practice to the point of great success, this shrinking land into inches can't be compared with筋斗云 at all. It is said that the fundamental of cloud soaring and the reason for movement are the techniques of shrinking land into inches. Only when shrinking land into inches is mastered, will it be like the ends of the earth being next to each other!

  How did the Monkey King know this, and was naturally fooled. Indeed, the Monkey King was overjoyed after hearing it, and no longer asked about the shrinking method, but instead kept kowtowing and begging the Patriarch to teach him the Cloud Somersault skill.

  The Bodhi Patriarch did not refuse, and slightly nodded his head, passing on the oral formula of the Cloud-riding and Fog-conquering Technique he created to Sun Wukong. At the same time, he secretly passed on the technique of shrinking the earth to an inch to Sun Yuan. After the transmission was over, the two monkeys each gained something. The crowd thought that the Monkey King had taken advantage of them, and they laughed and said, "It's still good luck for Wukong. If he learns this method, he can be a messenger, deliver letters, send battle reports, and no matter where he goes, he can find food to eat. It's really good luck."

  After a long time, everyone's laughter and chatter came to an end. As the sky had already darkened, the masters and disciples each returned home. That night, Sun Yuan, apart from practicing his Heaven Splitting Palm, also allocated some time to carefully comprehend the technique of shrinking space into inches. He gained some insight in his heart. Wukong, on the other hand, found it much easier. After returning, he immediately practiced the divine cultivation method and mastered the incantation that Bodhi Patriarch had tailored for him. In a short while, he grasped the筋斗云 (Tendon Fighting Cloud).

  The two monkeys have a big difference in what they got. Sun Wukong's attainment is the foundation, and if he understands it thoroughly, all the cloud-stepping techniques in the world will come easily to him, without any constraints. However, it is extremely difficult to learn and cannot be accomplished quickly. The Monkey King's attainment, on the other hand, is a practical method created by the saint, which can be learned quickly, but there is no chance for further progress. It can be said that both have their own advantages.

  From then on, the Monkey King mastered the seventy-two transformations and practiced the筋斗云神通 (Cloud Somersault Divine Art), and also discovered his innate divine art of external transformation (i.e. plucking out a hair to transform into a small monkey). Every day, he would frolic in the mountains and forests, play by the streams, and when he felt like it, he would find Dragon Beard to compare rod techniques with him; when he was hungry, he would venture deep into the Western Cowherd State to search for food. He was indeed carefree and unparalleled.

  Looking back at Sun Yuan, after he obtained the technique of shrinking the earth into an inch, his daily schedule became even tighter. The highest peak of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain seemed to have become Sun Yuan's home, and every moment he was cultivating on this peak, either practicing the Heavenly Palm or testing the Thunderbolt Palm, or comprehending the technique of shrinking the earth into an inch, or refining the Golden Elixir in his body. Unbeknownst to him, this mountain peak had already been shaved off by half, and due to the intense shockwaves that burst out from time to time, and the flashes of lightning that filled the sky, it was designated as a forbidden area by the other disciples, where no one dared to come unless there was something major.

  Time flew by, and Sun Yuan was still on the mountain top, cultivating bitterly, without checking the changes of day and month, and not avoiding the invasion of wind and rain. He had trained his demon body to be even more robust, and the progress of his Heaven Splitting Palm was also greatly accelerated. The backlash force brought by the 72 transformations of the second category was also within his control.

  After a long period of cultivation, Sun Yuan can now relatively freely display the 72 transformations without worrying about his body suffering heavy injuries. However, his demon body is still not strong enough, and Sun Yuan still dares not to cultivate the next major transformation, so he has been staying on this mountain top, never again descending from the highest peak of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

  After teaching the two monkeys the art of riding on clouds, Bodhi Patriarch had not opened his altar to preach for several months, as if he had also completed his own task and no longer cared about these disciples.

  On this day, spring returned and summer arrived. Sun Yuan was still cultivating bitterly on the mountain cliff, while the many disciples of Bodhi who had not been seen for several months gathered near the Xie Yue San Xing Cave, coming to pay their respects to their ancestor master. However, the gate of the cave was tightly closed, and Bodhi did not show any intention of coming out to see them. The disciples did not dare to disturb him, so they left the main hall of the cave and came to the mountain slope in front of the cave entrance, gathering under a pine tree to exchange their experiences in cultivation and talk about their encounters.

  Everyone was speaking to their heart's content when a cloud of misty vapor appeared in the distance, and a flash of golden light passed by. Before the crowd could react, a yellow-haired monkey appeared before them, bowed, and stepped forward, saying: "Why are you all not entering the cave to pay respects to our ancestor, but instead chatting here? Is our ancestor still in closed meditation?" It was none other than the beautiful Monkey King who had obtained the筋斗云.

  "The Patriarch's door remains tightly closed, but we dare not disturb him." Long Xuzi stepped forward and sized up Sun Wukong, a look of excitement suddenly appearing on his face. "Monkey, the wild rabbit you transformed into the other day was quite impressive. Now that everyone is gathered here, it's also a good opportunity for you to show us a thing or two, satisfying our desire for enlightenment. Let's all have some fun together."

  "Exactly!" Another senior brother took over the conversation, stepping forward with a look of envy on his face. "What a wonderful monkey you are! What kind of karma did you cultivate in your past life? You have such great fortune! Some time ago, Master secretly told us about the method to avoid the three disasters and transformations. Did you understand it?"

  Seeing everyone's gaze fixed on him, the beautiful monkey king smiled and said, "To be honest with you all, it's because my master taught me the subtleties of the technique, secondly, it's because my brothers and I have been pointing out each other's mistakes, and thirdly, it's also because I've been diligent day and night, not daring to slack off even a bit. After some time has passed, I can now use those transformations with ease."