Chapter 5: The Formless Has Taken Shape

Master Puti had long been aware that Stone Monkey hadn't seriously secluded himself for introspection.

Lately unrestrained, his natural disposition laid bare, he had actually reached a certain level in the cultivation of Formless Skill.

It was more a delight than concern to Grandmaster.

As for the other disciples, they were truly like decayed wood beyond carving; if they let Stone Monkey's storytelling disturb their minds, they were bound to never make any significant achievements.

"Wukong."

The Grandmaster got up and dressed: "Accompany me for a walk."

He led Stone Monkey out of the room, strolling through the mountain forest under the cover of night.

Following a forest path, the two ascended a cliff.

A gentle breeze was approaching, and the moonlight shone like shimmering water.

"You've deciphered the hidden riddle in my words, I shall teach you another spell."

Admiring the night, Grandmaster suddenly said, "What do you wish to learn?"

Stone Monkey promptly replied, "Master, I wish to learn the path to eternal life."

"The path to eternal life?"

A gleam flashed in the Grandmaster's eyes, followed by him stroking his beard: "That shouldn't be difficult for you."

The Grandmaster did not refuse, but neither did he teach Stone Monkey Daoist Skill as described in the tales.

"You have a demon in your heart; you must overcome it before I can teach you."

The Grandmaster reminded Stone Monkey.

Stone Monkey's brow furrowed slightly: "Master, I have no Heart Demon."

"It is the nature of man to be blind to his own faults."

Grandmaster turned: "You have hidden too many secrets within your heart. Now that your law form nears completion, the Heart Demon arises naturally."

Seeing Stone Monkey's disbelief, with a flick of Buddha Dust, a drifting black mist rose from Stone Monkey's body.

The black mist circled in the air and then condensed into Stone Monkey seated in a lotus position.

"Eh!"

The Grandmaster uttered in surprise.

Even he had not expected Stone Monkey's Heart Demon to turn out to be a Buddha Demon.

Stone Monkey looked up at the black mist; the Heart Demon looked just like him, except its eyes were filled with Buddhist nature.

Stone Monkey then understood that this Heart Demon was the manifestation of thoughts he himself had denied.

"With a holy heart, one should ferry all beings to enlightenment."

The Heart Demon suddenly spoke: "You are meant to become a Buddha."

What kind of Heart Demon was this, persuading one to become a Buddha?

"Marvelous, marvelous!"

The Grandmaster couldn't help but praise inwardly.

His disciple must indeed be wholly bent on goodness, for what else could have spawned such a Heart Demon?

Stone Monkey was also surprised and then shook his head.

"In this world, devils run rampant, and people are no more than weeds; to ferry all beings is but to indulge in delusions."

He disagreed with the Heart Demon.

The Heart Demon's gaze darkened, speaking again.

"Your spirit is higher than Buddha's, yet you are bound by a thousand knots without solutions."

"Let me ask you, if you wish for devils not to feast on humans, then devils must wish for humans not to kill. How can humans not kill? How would you untie this knot?"

The Heart Demon pressed Stone Monkey, whose expression changed subtly, and he involuntarily took a step back.

That retreating step exposed a weakness; the Heart Demon seized it to enter Stone Monkey's body.

Stone Monkey collapsed on the ground.

The Grandmaster couldn't stop it, and he could only shake his head and sigh.

The Heart Demon's words were extraordinary, demonstrating that the disciple harbored ambitious aspirations, of an unimaginable height.

Bending down, the Grandmaster reached out to help Stone Monkey, but found his body enveloped in dark energy, immobilized.

The Grandmaster then set up a Barrier and returned to his room.

The next day, Grandmaster informed the other disciples that Stone Monkey was in seclusion, being punished.

Without mentioning the disciples who took joy in Stone Monkey's misfortune, the Grandmaster couldn't help but ponder the monkey's questions about devils and people; fearing there were no answers—

The more Grandmaster thought about it, the more disturbed he became; humans killing, devils consuming humans, it was the natural cycle of the cosmos, impossible to cease, perhaps even Buddha himself could provide no answer.

"The monkey is in peril..."

Grandmaster thought to himself.

If unable to answer the Heart Demon, Stone Monkey might never wake again.

Three days later, the Grandmaster visited the cliff again.

Under the bright moonlight, the Stone Monkey suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze reflecting a deep and mysterious starry sky, yet as clear as a child's, untainted by any impurity.

The Grandmaster, seeing this, could not contain his joy.

"Wukong, you've rid yourself of the Heart Demon."

He eagerly asked, "What then is the answer?"

The Stone Monkey rose to pay his respects to the Grandmaster: "Disciple has not found the answer."

The Grandmaster was astounded.

"How then has the Heart Demon vanished?"

"The master once said, 'At the beginning of Hongmeng, there was no inherent nature; one must break through ignorance to realize emptiness.'"

The Stone Monkey replied: "Disciple has realized, blindly seeking an answer is an endless pursuit, which is of no help."

The Grandmaster stared at the Stone Monkey, stunned for a long while, before he burst into resigned laughter.

He understood.

This was a grand question of the universe, into which countless sages and immortals devoted themselves, never to be freed.

Yet this monkey, with his carefree nature, broke through his obsession, extricating himself from the question and directly abandoning his fixation.

Once the fixation was gone, the Heart Demon naturally disappeared.

"The question has no answer; ordinary people trouble themselves over it."

The Grandmaster shook his head, realizing he had played the part of the ordinary man this time.

"Wukong, have you let go?" asked the Grandmaster.

"No."

The Stone Monkey shook his head, a flicker of light seeming to pass through his eyes.

"Countless puzzles may lack solutions, but ultimately, there is a path that will lead me to the answer."

The Grandmaster was deeply shocked and looked at the Stone Monkey again.

"I am not up to par!" the Grandmaster thought.

The Stone Monkey believed he had not found the answer, the Grandmaster thought he had let go, but unexpectedly—The Stone Monkey had already found a better answer.

Indeed, the Tao is profoundly simple, and great wisdom often seems foolish, precisely what this entails.

"Wukong, your heart is set on the good, and this fills me with joy."

The Grandmaster sat cross-legged on the cliff, and suddenly chanted softly.

"The profound truth of ultimate union, none other speaks of the secret to cherish life.

Always be full of spirit and essence, guard and store them well, avoid any leakage.

Avoid leakage, keep it within, receive my transmission and you'll surely thrive.

The oral teachings remembered are quite beneficial, remove all sinful desires and you will be cool and refreshed.

Attain coolness, radiantly clear, gladly stand on the alchemical platform and admire the bright moon.

The moon hides the jade rabbit and the sun, the crow; naturally, the tortoise coils with the snake.

Coiled together, life is strengthened, and one can cultivate the Golden Lotus amidst the flames.

Aggregating the Five Elements, using them contrarily, one's work completed, become either Buddha or Immortal."

This then, was the way to Immortality.

Thus, the Stone Monkey had learned the secret of Immortality. After another three years, his natural traits became more evident; he frolicked every day like a child, yet his fundamental nature grew increasingly firm.

The Grandmaster then taught the Stone Monkey the 72 Transformations.

Several years passed, and one night, the Grandmaster observed the stars and realized his bond with the Stone Monkey had come to an end.

"It's time to let him go back."

The Grandmaster's heart was reluctant, but with the Stone Monkey's Immortal Law perfected, such a heaven-shaking person staying here any longer would likely bring disaster.

The Grandmaster calculated with his fingers; the Stone Monkey, being inherently mischievous, would surely show off his Transformation Technique, and that would be the chance to drive him away.

Thus, the Grandmaster secretly kept an eye on the Stone Monkey. About half a year passed by, and he was shocked to find that, despite the Stone Monkey's daily playfulness, he never flaunted his Immortal Law.

"This monkey has perfected the Formless Skill!"

The Grandmaster was both surprised and delighted; to achieve Great Success in the Formless Skill is to let no form shadow one's true heart—like viewing flowers in a mist, unfathomable and invisible—the Stone Monkey did not give the Grandmaster a chance to send him away.

For more than a decade, while learning in Three Star Cave, the Stone Monkey was often ridiculed by his fellow disciples, yet he never revealed his abilities, and none within the sect knew that he had achieved the Tao.

Now, even the Grandmaster's calculations were futile against him.

Real and illusory, truth and falsehood intertwined, the Stone Monkey had indeed mastered the Formless Skill.

His profound wisdom had transcended the Three Realms, grasping that slender chance of life.