Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 290 The Cloud-Soaring Technique and the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven"

"The Somersault Cloud Technique is a technique used by a senior immortal. It is quite difficult to learn, but it can be called the ultimate escape technique. One somersault can cover 108,000 li, hence the name Somersault Cloud."

When Zhang Chengdao talked about his childhood idol, he became unusually enthusiastic and began to speak at length.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind, as if he had returned to his youth when he held a tattered novel and dreamed of being a hero.

Lu Mao'er and Zhong Hui listened with great interest.

Lu Mao'er rested her chin on her hands, her eyes wide open. Although she couldn't fully understand the mystery, she could still feel the overwhelming momentum contained in the words. Zhong Hui, on the other hand, opened his mouth wide and unconsciously gestured in the air with his fingers, trying to imagine the concept of 108,000 li.

Lu Mao'er had only recently entered the path of immortality. Although it sounded incredibly powerful, she didn't really grasp the concept of it. She only felt that it must be an extremely remarkable ability. Zhong Hui, on the other hand, was stunned: "One hundred and eight thousand li!? That far!? You can fly that far in one somersault!? Then, if it's from our White Stone Mountain to the capital, wouldn't it be over in the blink of an eye?"

"Hehehe, yes." Zhang Chengdao laughed, "Let alone the capital, even to the shores of the East China Sea or the far western desert, it's just a matter of somersaults. This senior is extremely famous and highly skilled. His body is like black iron, impervious to swords and spears, and his fiery eyes can distinguish demons. He is immortal, living as long as heaven and earth, and has seventy-two transformations. He transcends the Three Realms and is not within the Five Elements. He calls himself the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' and all the gods and immortals in heaven and earth give him some respect."

He paused, lowered his voice, and spoke with a touch of mystery, as if telling a story: "Legend has it that he was so angry about the Heavenly Emperor's unfair actions that he once stormed the Heavenly Court with only a stick, and even 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals couldn't subdue him!"

Lu Mao'er's eyes lit up as she listened, but she still only vaguely understood the profound words such as "seventy-two transformations" and "transcending the three realms and not being within the five elements." She tilted her head and thought for a moment before asking, "So amazing! How does this senior compare to you, Sect Master?"

The question, though innocent and naive, left Zhang Chengdao speechless, his smile instantly freezing.

After a long pause, he coughed lightly, stroked his non-existent beard, and carefully replied, "Uh... well... it's difficult to simply categorize immortals as strong or weak; they each have their own strengths. Like rice seedlings in a field versus fruit trees on a mountain, which is better? There's no comparison!"
“The Great Sage Equal to Heaven is a natural-born fighter and warrior. If we’re talking about protecting the Dharma, subduing demons, and fighting, even if ten of me were tied together, I probably wouldn’t be able to get close to him. Not to mention me, among the many powerful immortals and gods I know, those who can defeat him in a direct battle are probably very few.”

He changed the subject, his tone returning to composure: "However, the path of immortality is vast and not just about fighting and killing. If we're talking about alchemy, medicine making, array formation and weapon crafting, educating the masses, regulating the earth's spiritual energy... he may not be good at these other things, so I may not be at a disadvantage. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, that's the principle."

While Zhang Chengdao tried to save face, he secretly thought to himself: Putting everything else aside, when it comes to laying bricks, planning the sect, and building infrastructure, with a cheat code in hand, I'm definitely still the better one!
Lu Mao'er had no doubts and her face was full of admiration: "Sect Master, you know so much! If we include other worlds, there must be quite a few immortals like him, right? So many immortals don't have many who can defeat the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, so he must be really amazing!"

The concept of "world" was mentioned by Chang Ping'an when he first lectured his disciples.

The general public was informed about the fact that the spiritual energy concentration in their world was too low, which would affect the speed and efficiency of cultivation, as well as the scarcity of rare and precious natural treasures and the extreme poverty of various spiritual resources.

At the time, some people asked curiously, since the spiritual energy in this world is so thin, why not leave this world and go somewhere else?
Chang Pingan also patiently answered:
“Looking at the vast world, the small world, and even the endless void, there are barriers between them that are difficult to break through unless one becomes an immortal and possesses immense magical power.”

"Even if one manages to break through, it's difficult to find coordinates or determine direction, and one can easily get lost in the endless void. This involves the principles of the Heavenly Dao, as well as the self-circulation and protection of many worlds..."

"If you gentlemen are interested, you may wish to borrow the complete set of books, 'Hypotheses on the Origin of Heaven, Earth, and the Universe,' from the library. It not only describes the barriers of the world but also contains various conjectures about the Dao of Heaven, as well as preliminary experiments and explorations into the consciousness of the world..."

Well, Zhang Chengdao had just pulled out this set of books not long ago. At first glance, the name sounded impressive, and he thought it contained some kind of amazing secret manual of techniques or skills. However, after excitedly flipping through a few pages, he found that it was actually several thick volumes of speculative books exploring the essence of the world and the possible forms of spiritual energy in different worlds. It was full of assumptions, inferences, and incomprehensible symbols and diagrams, the kind of books that would make you drowsy!
Zhang Chengdao tried several times but couldn't get into it, while Xu Wen was very engrossed in it, even recommending it to his disciples everywhere, praising how ingenious the ideas were and how broadening their horizons were.

However, most disciples gave up after only flipping through a few pages due to the difficult content. Only Chang Ping'an, an honest man, persevered and read more than half of it, seemingly gaining quite a bit of knowledge, and often quoted a few lines during his lectures...

However, Lu Mao'er's concept of "world" was still limited to the idea that each "world" was just a larger "village" or "city". Therefore, she believed that what existed in one "village" or "city" would probably also exist in another "village" or "city", and she could not fully understand the possible essential differences between "worlds".

Of course, from a certain perspective, Lu Mao'er's understanding cannot be said to be entirely wrong. When the base number is large enough, some things can be summarized in general terms.

So, regarding the question of whether there are many "immortals"...

Although Zhang Chengdao has never personally seen any deities that conform to traditional understanding since his transmigration, apart from himself, a half-baked immortal, if we follow the immortal cultivation system he has been practicing and the bits and pieces revealed by the Golden Finger Shop, theoretically the world is infinite, then the number of immortals is naturally countless.

So Zhang Chengdao nodded, his tone certain: "In truth, the world is infinite, and the number of immortals is naturally countless."

Zhong Hui, standing to the side, suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! The saying 'there is no first place in literature' applies here too, even in the path of immortality!"

"Exactly that."

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he gave Zhong Hui an approving look.

Zhang Chengdao chatted with the two outer disciples for a while, answering some of their minor questions about cultivation, and then did not linger any longer.

With a slight thought, he rose on a cloud, deliberately controlling himself, and slowly circled the main peak of White Stone Mountain at a height where he could be seen by the disciples on the ground but not so much that the details were clear. That night, "how to ride the cloud" and "the cloud that the sect leader rode during the day" became the most popular topics among the outer disciples.

As soon as darkness fell, the disciples, who loved excitement, gathered by the Heavenly Pool as usual.

This place has relatively abundant spiritual energy and a tranquil environment, making it a popular spot for people to cultivate and exchange ideas in the evenings.

At this time, if he has no other business to attend to, Chang Ping'an will take the initiative to come over. In addition to his own unwavering cultivation, he also helps Shi Yizhi, the youngest disciple who has recently joined the master's tutelage, to familiarize himself with the environment. He also keeps an eye on the other disciples, answers their questions, maintains order, and silently shoulders the heavy responsibility of being the "senior brother".

Even Murong Ruyan, who usually prefers to be alone or only cultivate with her own disciples on Spirit Medicine Peak, now has to bring her five chattering, curious little burdens with her every day so that her five newly accepted disciples can interact more with other fellow disciples. With more people in the sect, it would be inappropriate to just occupy that small spiritual spring pool on Spirit Medicine Peak, as it would easily attract criticism.

However, while a large crowd can be lively, it can also easily distract attention and lead to complacency.

For example, at this very moment, twenty or thirty disciples gathered by the Heavenly Pool, mostly discussing in twos and threes the various gossips they had heard and seen during the day. In particular, the sight of their sect leader leisurely strolling in the sky on clouds, which almost everyone had witnessed, made everyone eager to discuss it. Those who could truly calm down and silently meditate and cultivate were actually a minority.

Murong Ruyan had already heard some stories from her disciples, and later went to consult her master, so she knew quite a bit about the "somersault cloud" that Zhang Chengdao had been riding during the day. When she was first asked about it, she even took the initiative to answer many of her disciples' questions with a bit of pride, embellishing the anecdotes about the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" that she had heard from Zhang Chengdao, which drew gasps of surprise from those around her.

But soon, she got annoyed when the same question was asked repeatedly by different people. She waved her hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, be quiet! That's not some 'Cloud Control Technique'! It's an extremely profound 'Cloud Ascent Technique'!"

Seeing that some people were still trying to squeeze in and ask for more details, she simply raised her voice and said to the crowd, "Those of you with cultivation levels should not be so ambitious! At the Qi Refining stage, you can barely even ride the wind, let alone fly on clouds? At the very least, you need to reach the Core Formation stage before you have even a slight chance of learning such techniques!"

Upon hearing this, Chang Ping'an earnestly corrected her, "Junior Sister Murong, you can't be so absolute. I've heard Master mention that there are countless exceptions in this vast world."

Murong Ruyan rolled her eyes dismissively: "Even if there are exceptions, they are extremely rare, one in ten thousand! Even my master has only heard of one or two legendary exceptions, which is practically the same as none at all! Telling them now would only disturb their peace of mind and delay their solid cultivation!"

"I know, I know! The sect leader is talking about the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"

Zhong Hui excitedly squeezed near Murong Ruyan and Chang Ping'an and said, "I found a book in the library this afternoon! It's thick, called 'Journey to the West'! The stories in the first few chapters are exactly the same as the story of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, that the sect leader talked about today! He also sprang from a stone, went to an overseas immortal mountain to learn magic, and learned the somersault cloud and the seventy-two transformations from some Bodhi Patriarch!"

Murong Ruyan asked in surprise, "Hmm? Journey to the West? Where did you find it? I've never seen it in the library."

"It's that rosewood bookshelf at the far east end of the library, against the corner!" Zhong Hui gestured as he spoke. "The bookshelf right next to it on the west side has those strange books: 'The God of Poverty in the Washroom and His Followers,' 'The Three Flower Goddess and Her Raised Taoist Priest,' and 'The Northern Expedition Begins with a College Student Transmigrating into an Emperor'! I was originally reading 'The Ancestor Who Rose from His Coffin and His Successor Who Could Create Fireballs,' a story that, though strange, was surprisingly interesting... But then I suddenly noticed the books on this next bookshelf, whose titles were all very short and looked relatively normal, so I casually picked up the thickest copy of 'Journey to the West' and flipped through it. Unexpectedly, I happened to turn to the biography of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven that the sect leader was talking about today!"

"biography?"

Murong Ruyan frowned, muttered something to herself, then suddenly remembered something and said with certainty, "No! The area you mentioned, I remember Master specifically instructed that it should be filled with 'novels'! Not cultivation manuals or biographies!"

Zhong Hui's eyes widened instantly, his excited expression freezing: "A short story!? No, no way!? Such a wonderful story, such powerful characters, made up?"

The disciples listening nearby also let out a chorus of disappointed boos.

Some of the bolder outer disciples, who weren't yet familiar with Murong Ruyan's reputation, also came up and asked curiously, "Senior Sister Murong, what is a novel?"

Chang Ping'an kindly answered on his behalf: "They are similar to the folk tales circulating in the marketplace, mostly strange and unusual stories and legends compiled by scholars. Although the stories are fascinating, they are not true records. We cultivators can read them for entertainment, but we must not become addicted to them, and we must not take the plots seriously."

“That’s right! It’s a novel!” Murong Ruyan said with certainty. “My master told me this himself! He even specially put those books together in that corner, just in case we mistook them for cultivation scriptures.”

She had asked her master curiously why he collected so many storybooks. Zhang Chengdao was afraid that his few apprentices would take the settings in the novels seriously and go astray, so he specially set aside an area for the novels and explained: "These novels are works of fantasy. They contain a lot of exaggeration and fiction. Just read them for entertainment and relaxation. Do not listen to them or believe them, and do not blindly imitate their behavior."

But if it's a novel, how could there be a so-called Monkey King? And how could he match what Master said so perfectly?

Just then, Ye Shuyun, who was passing by, heard the discussion and chimed in with a smile: "That's not hard to understand. Just like the eight grandmasters who created the martial arts cultivation system thousands of years ago, their true deeds have long been lost in the river of history, but haven't all sorts of folk tales and legends about them circulated among the people, sung by countless storytellers and widely spread? There are countless embellishments and misattributions in them."

"It seems that this Great Sage Equaling Heaven is too famous and his supernatural powers are too amazing. Even in other worlds, he may have left behind legends, which is why even our local folk tales have compiled his story and spread it. Perhaps Master also saw a few words about him in some ancient book and that's how he learned about him."

This explanation was reasonable, and everyone nodded in agreement, accepting the explanation. However, the passion that had been ignited in their hearts by the "108,000 li" and the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" had not been completely extinguished. Instead, they developed an infinite longing for that realm of great supernatural powers.

(End of this chapter)