Days passed by gradually, and since the Monkey had received his master's techniques for cultivation, his progress was advancing by leaps and bounds. Before long, Lu Yu, during his nocturnal Soul Travel to absorb moonlight, saw a Monkey dancing and making faces in front of him, also absorbing the moonlight.
Seeing the Monkey's incredibly rapid progress in cultivation, Lu Yu couldn't help but marvel at the terror of this Child of Heavenly Destiny, for whom the difficult hurdles of cultivation seemed as easy as drinking water. Of course, it wasn't long before he no longer felt closely pursued by the Monkey, because the Monkey had reached the Realm of the Yang God before him!
Of course, regarding being surpassed by the Monkey, Lu Yu had been prepared inside, yet he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly, giving him the feeling that what was so-called Heavenly Gate Foundation Establishment might just be a myth passed down incorrectly.
One day after the master finished imparting his teachings, he called Lu Yu and the other to his side and said, "Both of you have now achieved minor success in your cultivation, comprehended the essence of techniques, and recognized the roots, already embodying the Divine Body, yet you are merely preparing against the 'Three Disasters'."
"Master speaks in error. I always hear that with high cultivation and virtue, one can live as long as heaven, with water and fire overcome, one is free from all illnesses, so how can there be such Three Disasters?" the Monkey asked, puzzled.
The master replied, "Everything in nature follows a cycle of growth and decay, life and death; this is the fundamental law. The path to becoming a Heavenly Immortal goes against nature, how can it be without calamities, especially since the techniques you practice are of the Heavenly Immortal's Great Dao, seizing the creation of heaven and earth and the mysteries of the sun and moon, thus there are the 'Three Disasters'."
"Five hundred years later, a Thunder Calamity will strike you. You'll need to see through your nature and understand your heart in advance to evade it. If you evade it, your life will last as long as heaven's; if not, you will die. Another five hundred years later, a Fire Calamity will burn you. This fire is neither celestial nor mundane; it is called 'ignis fatuus.' It will start burning from the Gushing Spring Point beneath you, penetrating the Mud Palace, turning your five viscera to ash, all limbs decaying, turning a thousand years of arduous cultivation into illusion. Another five hundred years, and then a Wind Calamity will strike you. This wind is neither from the southeast nor from the northwest, not the gentle breeze of gold or the wind of flowers and trees but is called 'Strong Wind.' It will enter from the fontanelle, passing through the Dantian, piercing nine orifices, dispersing bones and flesh, resolving itself. So, all must be evaded."
Although in his previous life he had read about these so-called Three Disasters, having the master explain it still sent shivers down his spine as if he could already see himself perishing under these three calamities. He hastily kowtowed and worshipped, asking the master to teach him a Disaster Evasion Technique.
The master replied, "I have two types of techniques, one is the Celestial Constellation Techniques, comprising thirty-six transformations; the other is the Earthly Fiend Techniques, comprising seventy-two transformations."
The Monkey hastily said, "Disciple wishes to delve deeper, let me learn the Earthly Fiend transformation." The master then allowed the Monkey to come forward and he imparted the incantations to him.
Lu Yu said, "Disciple is naturally slow-witted, let me learn a Celestial Constellation Transformation." The master still had him come forward to impart each incantation to him one by one.
Lu Yu had also thought about learning the seventy-two transformations, but he knew that the reason the Monkey's seventy-two transformations were so formidable was not because the techniques were powerful but because the Monkey was a Lingming Stone Monkey, naturally able to see through the heart and mind, most suited for this Art of Transformation, and additionally, the Monkey was quick-witted, naturally appearing formidable. Lu Yu, lacking the Monkey's abilities, worried that coveting more learning in the Earthly Fiend transformations could likely impede his own cultivation.
After learning the incantations, Lu Yu realized that this Art of Transformation was generally referred to, which could naturally change a thousand forms in the mundane world. However, the most formidable aspect of this technique was that if there was Essence Blood of the Ancient Exotic Beasts, one could transform to appear indistinguishable from the original form. The so-called distinction between thirty-six and seventy-two lay in this. Yet, the Ancient Exotic Beasts had long since disappeared from the world; ordinary people were fortunate to encounter one once in their lifetime, let alone gather so much Exotic Beast Essence Blood.
Several days passed, and Wukong, having mastered the Realm of the Yang God, received the Art of the Somersault Cloud from the Grandmaster. From then on, the monkey was overjoyed, spending his days frolicking outdoors and was rarely seen. Lu Yu felt no envy; although his cultivation progressed slower than the monkey's, he advanced steadily, step by step. The technique he perceived was profound, akin to the sea that embraces streams and rivers. If he were to succeed in one day, a vast ocean would exist within his Dantian, which he called the Boundless Sea Technique.
Cultivation knows not the passing months or the heat and cold of years. In the span of three years, which felt like the flick of a finger, Lu Yu continued his unbroken practice, and his Yin God gradually reached perfection. One day, he suddenly felt his Soul stabilize, and when he tried Soul Travel under the sunlight, he found no discomfort at all, realizing he had reached the Realm of the Yang God.
"Scholar! I've found what you were looking for," a voice announced, accompanied by an Auspicious Cloud. A spirited golden-furred monkey leaped down from the cloud, holding a pile of soil, none other than the accomplished monkey, Sun Wukong.
The soil in his hands was no ordinary soil. It was the Five-Colored Soil that the monkey had collected from the Four Great Continents during his travels, gathered on behalf of Lu Yu.
"Good, good, good, you've really outdone yourself, monkey," Lu Yu said, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the Five-Colored Soil. This material was crucial for his future path, and without the monkey's aid of the Somersault Cloud, it would not have been so easily obtained.
A few days later, on the platform in front of the dojo, the monkey and Scholar stood facing each other. In an instant, both transformed into giants a hundred zhang tall. With a single stomp of their foot, they tore open a huge fissure in the ground from which fierce Earth Fire erupted, shooting up to the sky and turning it a fiery red.
This technique, known as the Embodiment of Heaven and Earth, was derived by Lu Yu from the Taoist scriptures. Once transformed into a giant, his mana increased manifold, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas—Lu Yu's most proud spell.
As soon as the Earth Fire emerged, the rest of the disciples quickly took their places at the four corners, linking their mana to draw four peculiar patterns, recognizable to any cultivator as the famed Four Spirits Array.
No sooner had the array been drawn than it emanated multicolored light, forming four Sacred Beasts in the air: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Turtle, reigning over their respective directions. At that moment, Lu Yu threw the Five-Colored Soil upward, and it landed steadily above the Earth Fire.
The spectral images of the Four Spirits stabilized the Five-Colored Soil. Under the relentless burning of the Earth Fire, the soil gradually morphed. When Lu Yu saw that the heat was optimal, he dared not be careless. A wisp of Purple Qi exhaled from his mouth, spiraling towards the Five-Colored Soil. Before long, the melted and reshaped soil gradually took on the form of a Treasure Vase.
Just then, the sunlight intensified, and soon the stars and moon appeared together. For a moment, the sun, moon, and stars shared the sky, casting three divine rays upon the Treasure Vase, which continued until the light slowly dispersed and everyone could clearly see its features: pure white like jade, with drawings of the sun, stars, and the moon above and a vast sea below, undoubtedly a rare treasure.
"Haha, thanks to all my fellow disciples!" Lu Yu gazed at the Treasure Vase in the sky, feeling utterly satisfied, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter and quickly expressed his gratitude to his fellow disciples.
The fellow disciples were also elated, after all, their contribution had played a part in the creation of this Magical Treasure, and temporarily, the front of the dojo was abuzz with excitement.