Another year had passed since Son Gohan was laid to rest. The two brothers prepared a meal and three sets of tableware, then went to Son Gohan's grave to share a meal and talk with their grandfather.
After cleaning up, Sun Wuchen called out to Sun Wukong.
"Wukong, now that we're both ten years old, I'm going to start teaching you how to cultivate." Yes, he was finally going to begin cultivating. He had waited until now mainly to give their foundations time to develop.
Cultivating too early could damage one's foundation. Those who wanted to get a head start could take medicinal herbs to nourish their bodies. Once their bodies were strong enough, they could begin cultivating a little earlier, and make a smoother start.
However, both the dosage and the herbs' properties had to be carefully considered. Sun Wuchen knew all about these things, but there were no spiritual herbs here, or even spiritual energy in the world. So he had kept putting off cultivation.
Now, although their bodies had not yet fully matured, he thought they could probably handle it. They just had to be careful not to overdo it.
"Cultivation? What kind of cultivation? Will it make me as strong as Grandpa?" Over the past year, Wukong had come to terms with their grandfather's death.
After all, they still shared meals and conversations with "Grandpa" every so often. It was almost as if he had never left.
"Well, I'm not sure either. We'll find out after we try." To be honest, Sun Wuchen wasn't certain whether cultivation was even possible here.
There was no spiritual energy in this place, so there was no way to cultivate in the usual manner. But he had an ancient cultivation method that might solve the problem.
The Yin-Yang Creation Method was an ancient technique passed down through the Yin-Yang Immortal Sect for countless years. When he had first become an elder of the sect, he'd been allowed to borrow it once, but he hadn't chosen to cultivate it.
Later, after becoming the sect's Supreme Elder, he'd gained free access to the technique and studied it for a time. In the end, he'd concluded that this ancient, extraordinary method was outdated.
The Yin-Yang Creation Method held that all things in heaven and earth possessed their own spirit, and that all paths and techniques should follow nature. It was a method of converting essence into spirit without binding the spirit.
Put simply, it absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and refined it into spiritual energy. But it didn't force the cultivator to absorb that energy. Instead, it let nature take its course: the energy could either return to the world and nourish it, or be used to nourish the body.
In ancient times, spiritual energy had been abundant, and creation had been boundless. This method might have been top-tier back then. It relied mainly on absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, while drawing on the essence of the sun and moon as a supplement—a perfect complement to the former.
But by his era, the world had changed. Spiritual energy was scarce, and even ordinary cultivators had become overly dependent on medicinal pills made from spiritual herbs to aid their cultivation.
How much worse it was for those who practiced the Yin-Yang Creation Method. Most of the spiritual energy they refined would be taken by heaven and earth, leaving them with very little.
The Yin-Yang Immortal Sect owed its founding to this method, yet could only enshrine it rather than practice it. There was no other choice!
In an age when spiritual energy was scarce, spreading this world-altering method might have helped restore the world. But in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, anyone who practiced a method that weakened themselves to strengthen others would be devoured by the world!
Now that he had been reborn here, there was no spiritual energy in heaven and earth at all, making it even harder to cultivate this method. Still, it was their only hope. It was the only technique that didn't rely entirely on spiritual energy.
"Wukong, sit cross-legged like this. I'll teach you how to breathe and meditate... Keep your back straight, open your chest, relax your shoulders... Rest your hands on your knees, palms facing up; bring your legs together in front of your hips, with your feet turned upward but not crossed; keep your body upright and your face straight, the crown of your head pointing skyward..."
"Let the soles of your feet commune with the earth—that's the earth pillar. Let your palms control the dantian in your lower abdomen—that's the palm wheel. Let the crown of your head resonate with the heavens—that's the celestial spirit..."
"Big Brother, I don't understand." Wukong followed Wuchen's instructions and managed to strike a decent pose, but he didn't understand a word of what Wuchen was saying.
"You don't have to understand. Just do as I say. Try to calm both your body and mind as much as you can, and remember whatever tips I give you."
Wuchen naturally wouldn't be too strict. Cultivation was something to take slowly.
Besides, he hadn't planned to formally teach Wukong a technique today. He only wanted to help him build a solid foundation. "Next, I'll teach you a breathing technique to use while meditating."
"Breathing means drawing in and letting out your breath, taking in energy and gathering spiritual essence. The technique I'm teaching you is the Whale-Swallow Turtle-Exhale Technique. Inhale fiercely and exhale slowly. When you inhale, open your internal organs; when you exhale, gather your breath and release it gently. The key is a rhythm of three and nine: inhale through your nose in three quick counts, then exhale through your mouth in nine slow ones. Repeat this cycle to nourish the breath of life..."
Wuchen demonstrated as he explained, while Wukong listened and tried to follow along.
"Pfft!" Before long, Wukong, who was meditating cross-legged, let out a fart. Wuchen beamed. "Not bad! You've already mastered the trick of circulating your breath and the secret to opening your airways. That's it—keep it up!"
Nearby, Wuchen also sat down cross-legged. Once his mind was calm and focused, he began circulating the Yin-Yang Creation Method. A mysterious, gentle aura spread around him, growing more vibrant under the sunlight.
By the time the sun had set and the moon had risen, Wuchen wore an expression of pure contentment. Both he and Wukong were surrounded by a faint haze of spiritual energy. Even the flowers and grass around them swayed without a breeze, as if they were delighted too.
After a while, as the air began to cool, Wuchen stopped circulating the technique and opened his eyes.
They were still very young, and their cultivation was shallow. They couldn't practice for too long, especially late at night, when the chill was too strong and could damage their foundations.
"Wukong... Could he really be a genius?!" Just as Wuchen was about to wake Wukong and get him a late-night snack, he found himself surprised.
At that moment, Wukong was using the breathing technique to absorb the spiritual energy still lingering in the surrounding air, nourishing his body even though he hadn't yet learned a formal cultivation method.
What surprised Wuchen most, however, was that his lively, restless little brother seemed to have entered a state of complete focus. His mind was free of distractions, as still as a mountain rock.
In cultivation, techniques and resources were especially important, but their effects could be traced and understood.
Only one's state of mind couldn't be mastered without years of practice. And even years of practice didn't guarantee success. Many reclusive hermits spent years cultivating their minds, only to have all their progress undone in a single moment.
It was hard to cultivate and easy to lose, yet something one had to cultivate all the same.
"Fortune hides within misfortune, and misfortune lurks within fortune. Fortune and misfortune are truly mysterious—impossible to explain, impossible to explain." Wuchen had watched his younger brother grow up. Innocence and naivety were part of who Wukong was.
But those traits had come about by accident—the near-fatal calamity when he'd fallen and hit his head. For a moment, Wuchen couldn't tell whether that fall had been a blessing or a curse.
Seeing that Wukong wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, Wuchen didn't disturb him and went back inside alone.
"Wukong, come eat something. Don't eat too much. Afterward, rest for a little while, then it'll be time for bed." By the time Wukong had absorbed the remaining spiritual energy, Wuchen had already prepared some food.
"Big Brother, what just happened? That feeling was so comfortable." Wukong was still savoring the sensation. The warm feeling that had spread through his whole body had been truly wonderful.
"Come on, let's eat while we talk." Wuchen invited Wukong to eat and explained some basic ideas about cultivation as they shared their food.
At the same time, Wuchen had a new idea about how to train Wukong. There was no need for both brothers to hang all their hopes on the same path.
Soon, the brothers had nearly finished eating. After cleaning up together, Wuchen taught Wukong a little more about cultivation. Then they stood outside and enjoyed the cool breeze for a while before going back inside to rest.
After the brothers left, the flowers and grass that had absorbed spiritual energy seemed reluctant to let their presence go. Under the moonlight, they swayed from side to side.
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