The Fruits of Cultivation

Ten days into practicing the Object Manipulation Art, Goten could already make seven stones of varying sizes float in mid-air simultaneously, circle his body, and land steadily back in their original positions.

But Patriarch Bodhi said it wasn't enough—"The Object Manipulation Art isn't for performing acrobatics."

Goten stood on the training ground, the seven stones placed before him.

He didn't control them all at once as before—he first made the smallest one float, then used it to touch the second—not directly—but by extending his Origin Energy to envelop the second stone, like one hand reaching out to grasp another.

Two stones floated simultaneously—then he touched the third in the same manner. Like dominoes—one after another—the seven stones rose in sequence, suspended in mid-air, forming a straight line.

But he didn't stop.

He controlled the seven stones—making them slowly rotate in the air—faster and faster—then he suddenly thrust out his hand—the seven stones shot out in the same direction simultaneously—Boom—!

On a target not far away, the seven stones hit almost at the same time, blasting a bowl-sized hole in the wooden bullseye.

At the edge of the training ground, Patriarch Bodhi watched the scene unfold quietly, holding a cup of tea. He didn't speak—but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Practicing the Object Manipulation Art to this extent—you can proceed to the next step."

Goten's eyes lit up: "The Star Gate?"

Patriarch Bodhi put down his teacup and glanced at him. "Your memory is good. Not the Star Gate—it's Distance Folding."

"Distance Folding?"

"To 'fold' a distance." Patriarch Bodhi picked up a fallen leaf between his fingers, "For example—you stand at this end, and your destination is at that end—imagine the distance in between as a piece of cloth, and pull it hard—"

He placed the leaf in his palm—and the leaf vanished. The next second—it appeared on a branch of a tree ten zhang away, firmly lodged in a fork.

Goten's eyes widened. "Isn't that teleportation?"

"No. Teleportation is moving yourself—Distance Folding is moving space. You stand still, and the road itself becomes shorter."

"How do I practice?"

"First, learn to fold." Patriarch Bodhi pointed to the ground beneath them, "From here to that Old Locust Tree—twenty zhang. Lock onto the Old Locust Tree's position with your Origin Energy, imagine this distance as a piece of cloth—grab it—and fold it."

Goten took a deep breath, extended his right hand, and his Origin Energy flowed from his palm, locking onto the Old Locust Tree twenty zhang away.

He could clearly sense the Old Locust Tree's Origin Energy—it was breathing, in rhythm with the wind. Then he imagined the distance—like a piece of cloth—and reached out to grab it.

Nothing happened. The distance remained unmoved.

"Your Origin Energy isn't precise enough," Patriarch Bodhi reminded him from the side. "Folding space isn't like lifting stones—stones are solid, space is fluid. You can't grab it forcefully—you have to fold it along its grain."

Goten adjusted his perception—no longer trying to grab forcefully, but following the grain of space to find its "texture."

He discovered—space wasn't uniform—some places were dense, others sparse. Where Origin Energy flowed faster, space was "thinner" and easier to fold. He chose three points where the flow was faster—and applied force to fold them simultaneously.

The scenery before his eyes flickered—like ripples on water—then—he found himself standing under the Old Locust Tree.

He hadn't walked over—it was real—he had crossed twenty zhang in one step.

He looked back at the training ground—Patriarch Bodhi was still standing in his original spot. He confirmed a fact—he had truly done it.

"I did it—!"

Patriarch Bodhi still held his cup of tea and said calmly, "To succeed on the first try—half a day faster than that Sun the Monkey."

At noon, Zhu Bajie squatted by the kitchen door, peeling potatoes.

His movements were slow—he was using the Nine-Toothed Rake.

"Isn't a rake for fighting?" Goten squatted beside him, curiously watching him use the tips of the rake's tines to peel potato skins—his technique was quite skilled.

"It's a weapon when fighting—when not fighting, it's a multi-purpose farming tool," Zhu Bajie said without looking up. "When I was Gao Village's son-in-law all those years, I used this thing for farm work every day."

Goten watched him finish peeling a pile of potatoes, then saw him start cutting radishes—each cut was neat, and the pieces were uniform in size.

His speed was neither fast nor slow—there was an indescribable rhythm to it.

"You were really Marshal Tianpeng before?"

Zhu Bajie's hand paused—then he continued cutting. "Really." His voice was very flat, giving no hint of emotion.

"Then why did you—"

"Demoted—for molesting Chang'e," Zhu Bajie finished the sentence himself. "But it wasn't really because of her."

Goten remained silent—Zhu Bajie was silent for a long time before continuing, "It was because I saw something I shouldn't have."

"What did you see?"

Zhu Bajie put down his knife—this was the first time Goten had seen an extremely unfamiliar expression on the face of this eternally jovial pig—seriousness. "When I was patrolling the Heavenly River—at the bottom of the Heavenly River, I saw a door."

"A door?"

"A door that shouldn't exist in the Heavenly River. The light seeping from the crack—wasn't the light of the Three Realms—it was light from outside."

"Outside—what do you mean?"

"Beyond the Three Realms." Zhu Bajie's voice lowered. "I didn't know what it was then—but now I suspect—it was a passage for Heavenly Demons."

Goten was stunned.

Zhu Bajie—the Zhu Bajie who only cared about eating and sleeping—had once seen a passage for Heavenly Demons.

This was something he had never mentioned to anyone before.

"Why are you only telling me now?"

"Because I was demoted then—no one would believe a demoted Marshal Tianpeng," Zhu Bajie picked up his knife again and continued chopping radishes. "Besides—that door was already closed. But it wasn't locked."

A chill ran down Goten's spine. There was a door at the bottom of the Heavenly River—a door that wasn't locked—leading outside the Three Realms.

"I'm telling you now because—" Zhu Bajie put the chopped radishes into a bowl. "You might go there."