harleyscars Chapter 27 Temple Cultivation
Chapter 27 Temple Cultivation
"Have you made up your mind?" the god asked again after learning of Sun Wukong's intentions. "It might be more painful than death."
"Hmm! I don't care!"
"Then let's go to Mount Kolok and retrieve the sacred crown."
"A crown? Is that the thing you wear on your head?" Sun Wukong asked, puzzled.
"Yes."
"Okay, I understand. Is it enough to just get that crown back? But where is that mountain?" Sun Wukong asked expectantly.
"Don't worry, I'll take you there right away." Mr. Bobo operated the machine next to him.
The machine emitted a burst of colorful light, and a moment later, Sun Wukong arrived at a mountain.
……
"Shang Yun, your temperament and cultivation are different from Sun Wukong's. I have already asked Bobo to send Sun Wukong to Mount Keluo to retrieve the Sacred Crown." The celestial being came to Shang Yun's side.
At this moment, Shangyun seemed to have merged with the sky, and his aura was like the occasional breeze blowing in the temple, sometimes present and sometimes absent.
"Huh!" Mr. Bobo, following behind the Celestial, exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Shang Yun's state. Even the Celestial's expression shifted slightly, no longer as calm and composed as before.
Shang Yun awoke from his meditation, gently opening his eyes to look at the Celestial God and Mr. Bobo following behind him. His eyes were like deep pools, clear and without impurities, reflecting a mind free of distractions. Yet, deep within those eyes seemed to lie endless emptiness, as profound as the universe, containing infinite mysteries.
Shang Yun's mind raced as he thought about Sun Wukong's recent training.
The Sacred Crown was placed atop Mount Kolo. Whenever someone wore it, lightning would strike, binding the crown firmly to their head until they were struck. Only those faster than the lightning could remove the Sacred Crown from Mount Kolo. Although Sun Wukong eventually obtained the Sacred Crown, strictly speaking, he didn't initially pass the trial completely, even being struck by lightning and remaining unconscious for three whole days. However, this experience greatly helped improve his strength; his agility and sense of danger were both honed and enhanced.
Later, the gods used the properties of the Divine Crown to place it on Raditz's head to restrict his movements and prevent him from doing evil.
Having understood Sun Wukong's predicament, Shang Yun was not worried about his danger.
In fact, throughout the entire Dragon Ball series, Goku's talent and hard work are certainly important, but there are many people who are more hardworking and more talented than him, such as Krillin and Tien Shinhan in the beginning, and Piccolo and Vegeta later. The former constantly worked hard to train, but their talents were limited. The latter not only worked hard, but their talents were also superior to Goku's. However, in the end, they could only follow behind Goku and were overshadowed by him, and could never turn the tables.
Shang Yun believes that Sun Wukong's greatest fortune is that someone guides him, directing him in the best direction according to his greatest talent. Every time his strength reaches a certain peak, an even better teacher appears in the next stage, continuing to provide him with better guidance, so that he can strive in the best direction, not take the wrong path, not linger in place, and certainly not regress.
Otherwise, if the direction of effort changes, even the greatest talent is useless. Take Vegeta, for example. As the Saiyan prince, his fighting talent is undeniable. However, before coming to Earth, he trained on his own, his training direction and methods stagnating. His power level of over 10,000 was entirely due to his innate talent pushing him to that level. Even under these conditions, Vegeta was stronger than Goku, who had a renowned teacher, demonstrating his exceptional talent. Later, by training with Goku, he found the right direction, and his strength began to increase like a rocket. But ultimately, he wasted his youthful talent and could only remain second-in-command to Goku.
This is also why Shang Yun wanted to cultivate alongside Sun Wukong.
"Shang Yun, it seems you have some understanding of what Bobo meant by 'nothingness'?" the Heavenly God asked, looking at Shang Yun's thoughtful expression.
"Yes, Your Majesty, what I mean by 'nothingness' is not the absence of thought or self, but rather the integration of oneself into all things. I am within all things, and I am all things. I simply watch all things grow and all things happen without helping or stopping them, without having any thoughts or intentions," Shang Yun said calmly, looking at the God.
"And how did you manage to remain without any thoughts or intentions?" the god continued to ask.
"No matter what thoughts arise in your mind, just look and ignore them." Shang Yun continued to look at the celestial being, his mind free of distractions.
In fact, Mr. Bobo's concept of "nothingness" is somewhat similar to the "nothingness" mentioned in the Heart Sutra. The so-called "nothingness" does not mean not thinking about anything, but rather no longer relying on the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin to judge the world. Instead, one should look inward, calm the mind, abandon distracting thoughts, and seek the feelings and thoughts of the present moment within oneself, seeking the most original thoughts, thoughts undisturbed by any distracting thoughts, and believing in oneself.
"You're very good. As I just said, your cultivation method is different from Sun Wukong's. Your talent is not as good as Sun Wukong's, but your comprehension is very good. Tell me how you want to cultivate." The god nodded approvingly.
"I need to cultivate my mind; when the mind is open, all things come into being."
"The heart is the most elusive and difficult thing to find; you need to understand it yourself. How can I help you?"
"I want to reincarnate a hundred times and experience a hundred lifetimes."
"Reincarnation through a hundred lifetimes requires the power of Yama, which I cannot do. But I think I can help you experience a hundred lifetimes of life."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shang Yun clasped his hands together and bowed in gratitude.
"Come with me." The god nodded and turned to signal Shang Yun to follow.
"This time machine can take you to Earth's past for a short time, allowing you to experience other people's life stories. I hope you will only observe and not participate," Mr. Bobo said as he led Shang Yun to a machine.
"The past, can it take me to my past?" Upon hearing that it was possible to travel through time, Shang Yun wanted to go back and see his wife and children, even if it was just for a short time, even if he could only see them from afar.
“I can take you back to your past life. Although I don’t know where you come from, I can sense that your power is compassionate, so I did not refuse your cultivation in the temple and am willing to help you cultivate. However, I think I do not have the ability to send you back.” The god looked at Shang Yun, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"You...you already know?" Shang Yun's mind was in turmoil, and he could no longer look directly at the gods as before.
"Gods are beings who maintain order in the world, and the divinity possessed by divine power is bestowed by the entire world. Divine power has magnitude, but divinity has no magnitude. My abilities cannot perceive your difference, but my divinity tells me that you are different from before." The god looked into Shang Yun's eyes, seemingly trying to discern something from them.
"Thank you, God, for helping me keep it a secret."
"No, I didn't hide anything for you. My duty is to maintain world order. Everything else is none of my business. If you're talking about help, I'm only helping you with your cultivation. As for what you want, perhaps you can achieve it once your strength increases. So now, are you ready?" The god reached out to stop Shang Yun from continuing.
"Ready!"
Mr. Bobo started the machine, and a dazzling seven-colored light enveloped Shangyun.