Great Tribulation, Mahākāla Secret Method

Emperors and generals, all must one day die. Some cultivate the Dao to escape birth, aging, sickness, and death, seeking eternal life without perishing.

A thousand war chariots cannot match the might of heaven. Some cultivate the Dao to pursue power that surpasses others.

The mysteries of heaven and earth, the vastness of the stars—some cultivate the Dao to seek the origin, to comprehend the secrets of the universe.

"Why do you want me to accept you as my disciple?" Squinting, Old Zhao Nan stood hunched with hands hanging behind Yuan Tianyi, while Yuan Tianyi stood before a few wooden huts, asking the youth in front of him, "What do you seek?"

The youth looked up. The radiance of seven colors reflected into his eyes. At that moment, the rain over Luofu had just cleared, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. That rainbow burned hot in the youth's eyes, just like the disdainful gaze of the seven-colored dragon boat and the two palace-gowned beauties!

In his heart, there were many reasons, but he was dull by nature and not eloquent. For a moment, he looked up at Yuan Tianyi but couldn't utter a single word in reply.

"What is your name?" Yuan Tianyi, having received no answer, seemed unfazed and asked again.

The youth shook his head with difficulty. "I have no name." He had been an orphan for as long as he could remember, not even knowing where he was born. The only one who had been with him, a little girl, called him Brother Stone. That was because one day, she had heard the destitute fortune-teller Old Man Wu, who couldn't even know the youth's birth characters, fabricate that the youth lacked earth in his five elements and that his name should be supplemented with earth and stone. The kind-hearted girl, who couldn't even distinguish between surname and given name, used this address, but it could hardly count as a real name.

In truth, the youth didn't know that if he hadn't climbed this peak, Yuan Tianyi wouldn't have needed to know his name at all. But now, everything was completely different. The youth shone with a desperate, unwavering gaze of pursuit of the Dao—a fearless and courageous look that had once flashed in Yuan Tianyi's own eyes. Yuan Tianyi looked at this youth, recalling the first time he saw him holding the Mò Chà Pearl, then thinking of how he had placed that pearl in Fairy Cangyue's hand, and how he had first met her north of the Luo River. Time passed like fleeting clouds, flames and flowing gold—decades of light and shadow flashed through his Sea of Consciousness in an instant. No one expected that at this moment, Yuan Tianyi would see his own "Heavenly Tribulation"!

Only cultivators who had reached the legendary Tribulation Stage would face their "Heavenly Tribulation," and those who could survive it were called Tribulation Immortals. Depending on one's experiences and the techniques practiced, the final "Heavenly Tribulation" varied. Some cultivators of the Wind and Thunder Art faced the Nine Heavens Gale and Seven-Layered Thunder Tribulation; those practicing Soul Secret Methods encountered the True Demonic Realm and Three Lives Memory Illusion Tribulation; those cultivating Heart Secret Methods faced the Greed, Hatred, and Delusion Reincarnation Tribulation. Among the countless cultivators under heaven, those who reached this final step over thousands of years were few and far between. Thus, no one could clearly say what "Heavenly Tribulation" a particular technique would ultimately bring.

Only cultivators who had reached this realm could sense the "Heavenly Tribulation" they were about to face. Between gain and loss, Yuan Tianyi's cultivation had inadvertently advanced another step, finally taking that last step. Yet, what made Yuan Tianyi smile bitterly inwardly was that he discovered his "Heavenly Tribulation" was the even rarer "Karma Tribulation!"

"Your name shall be Luo Bei."

"Luo Bei?" The youth repeated the name. He had yet to step into the world of cultivation and had no idea that Yuan Tianyi had finally reached a realm only a few had achieved in thousands of years. When Yuan Tianyi spoke, his tone was still as calm as an ancient well, indifferent and cold, but the youth felt a warmth rise in his heart for no reason.

"From today on, you are a disciple of my Luofu Sect. I have already told you that cultivating the Luofu Technique is a matter of nine deaths and one life. Since you have made this choice, you have placed your life and death entirely in my hands. So from today, you must not defy any command I give you, nor even doubt me in your heart. Can you do this?"

The youth nodded firmly. A roll of yellowed silk fell from Yuan Tianyi's hand. He said lightly to the youth, "If you cannot read, Old Zhao Nan will read it to you. If you have any questions, you may ask him. But within ten days, you must memorize it all. After ten days, you will begin cultivation on your own."

The youth took a deep breath and picked up the roll of yellowed silk. The golden characters and images on it looked as obscure as could be. He nodded stiffly, glancing at Old Zhao Nan, who grinned at him.

There were no majestic immortal caves as he had imagined, no jade pools and nectar as the fortune-teller had described, no immortals riding flying beasts, no resplendent towers and palaces. Looking at Old Zhao Nan, who seemed as frail as an elderly Miao tribesman, and Yuan Tianyi, standing alone, the innocent youth couldn't help asking, "Where is our Luofu Sect? Where are the other teachers?"

"Where you and I are is where the Luofu Sect is. Our Luofu Sect has always passed down its teachings through a single lineage."

Yuan Tianyi's calm explanation made the youth tremble all over.

At that moment, Yuan Tianyi, barefoot with disheveled hair and clad in coarse linen, stood like a white lotus, isolated and alone among the mountains.

***

"Luo Bei." Under the dim oil lamp, the formerly nameless youth put down the yellowed "Mahākāla Secret Method" he had been memorizing by rote and wrote his name in the sand tray. "Uncle Zhao Nan, look, is what you taught me written correctly?"

The decrepit Old Zhao Nan put down the coarse linen robe he was sewing, squinted, and laughed. "Young Master, you've written it correctly."

"Uncle Zhao Nan, aren't you a disciple of Luofu either?"

"Yes, didn't the master tell you? Luofu has always passed down through a single lineage, one disciple per generation. I am only the master's servant." Old Zhao Nan patiently answered in his Miao accent.

"But why only one? Don't other sects have many disciples?"

"Different sects have different rules, just as everything exists for a reason. According to Luofu's rules, when you grow up and take disciples, you can only take one too, Young Master."

"Uncle Zhao Nan, don't call me Young Master. Call me... call me Luo Bei. It feels awkward to me."

"As you command, Young Master." Old Zhao Nan grinned. "Luo Bei, that's a nice name."

Creak, creak. The wind atop the mountain was strong, rattling the window frame again, and the oil lamp flickered. But the youth's heart was very warm. Though he had only known Yuan Tianyi and Old Zhao Nan for a few days, they had given him a taste of home he had never known before. Though he knew he was ordinary in talent, he resolved not to let this name disappoint his master!

He recited the "Mahākāla Secret Method" carefully again. After a full nine days of effort, the ordinary Luo Bei finally memorized the entire thirty-four volumes of the "Mahākāla Secret Method," including Old Zhao Nan's annotations on the words and phrases he didn't understand.

"Can I start cultivating a day early?" After finishing, Luo Bei asked Old Zhao Nan tentatively. He felt he should have asked his master Yuan Tianyi, but looking at Old Zhao Nan didn't inspire the same awe as facing Yuan Tianyi.

The withered, hunched Old Zhao Nan nodded. "The master instructed that once you've fully memorized and understood it, I can take you to begin cultivation."

"Won't the master come?"

"He's busy with other things now. But he said that when you reach the second level, you can come see him."

Luo Bei looked at the "Mahākāla Secret Method" in his hand and nodded, then suddenly asked, "Was the master watching me climb this mountain all those days?"

"Yes, but we didn't expect you to make it up so quickly."

"And what was that two-headed monster that day?" The youth finally asked the question that had been bothering him. "And what did it give me to eat? I still feel like I have endless strength."

"That was a Two-headed Mountain Salamander. It's a unique Spirit Beast of Luofu. Normally, Two-headed Mountain Salamanders look like two-headed giant lizards, but the one you saw must have eaten some Spiritual Herb or Exotic Fruit, awakened its Spiritual Sense, and slowly cultivated a human form." Old Zhao Nan paused his work, his hands like withered branches. "What it gave you is called Zhanxikezha Grass. In the local dialect, Zhanxikezha means 'Power of the Mountain God.' If it had eaten it, it would have gained the equivalent of several years of absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. For an ordinary person, it not only makes illness rare but also strengthens the blood and qi, multiplying physical strength several times over. You saved its life, and it knew to repay the favor."

"Can Spirit Beasts cultivate too?" the youth asked curiously.

"Of course." A glint flashed in Old Zhao Nan's amber-like eyes, then faded. "All things in the world—plants, animals, and spiritual beings—are nourished by Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Any living creature that understands the methods of cultivation can certainly cultivate. But humans are born with awakened Spiritual Sense, able to explore the mysteries of heaven and earth. Among them, those who comprehend the Dao leave behind many techniques for later generations to cultivate. Creatures like the Mountain Salamander are mostly born ignorant, living and dying by fate. Those who happen to awaken their Spiritual Sense often lack existing techniques to cultivate, and without education, they act purely on instinct. Many are not accepted by humans, who call them demons. Some cultivate according to their own nature, forming inner cores or treasures, which become prized possessions in the eyes of many cultivators, who often hunt and kill them. So their path of cultivation is far harder than that of humans."

Luo Bei had just begun to touch this world he had never known. Though he didn't understand everything, he listened with great interest. He asked again, "With one head cut off, will it be okay?"

"A Two-headed Mountain Salamander won't die unless both heads are severed, so don't worry." Old Zhao Nan squinted and smiled.

"And what were those fruits it took away?" Luo Bei seemed to have endless questions. "It attacked me because it thought I wanted to steal its fruits."

"Those were Pagoda Fruits. They're nothing special—just the Mountain Salamander's favorite fruit. It's like the Golden-haired Wild Monkey here in Luofu, which loves a certain yellow-shelled nut and treats it as its life. It's simply a lack of cultivation, not having shed its nature." But at this question, Old Zhao Nan's face took on a rare solemn expression. "To cultivate this 'Mahākāla Secret Method,' you must first resist the temptations of your own nature."