Registered Disciple

Hearing Xuan Heng's words, a flicker of disappointment crossed Six-Eared Macaque's eyes. He had braved enormous danger to force his way into the Chaos this time precisely so he could go to Purple Cloud Palace and listen to the Dao.

"Then there will be another lecture three thousand years from now, right? Along the way, I heard many people saying that Purple Cloud Palace would teach the Dao again in three thousand years."

But Six-Eared Macaque quickly recovered and continued to stare at Xuan Heng as he asked anxiously.

"Purple Cloud Palace is not a place you can go." Xuan Heng shook his head. Six-Eared Macaque was one of the Four Monkeys famed alongside the future Sun Wukong. After pondering for a while, he still decided to stop him.

"Why? Why can you go, but I can't??" Upon hearing Xuan Heng's words, Six-Eared Macaque immediately grew agitated.

"Because your ears are far too special. When a Sage teaches the Dao, there are rules as to whether one may listen or not. If you hear something the Sage does not wish you to hear, your path of cultivation may very well be severed then and there."

Xuan Heng slowly explained his reasoning.

"Then what should I do? I have only just taken form. I have no cultivation, nor do I have any innate cultivation method. If I cannot listen to a Sage teach the Dao, how am I supposed to cultivate?"

Having heard Xuan Heng's words, Six-Eared Macaque's ears drooped as he spoke dejectedly.

"If you truly wish to learn, I can temporarily accept you as a registered disciple," Xuan Heng said, looking at Six-Eared Macaque.

"You'll accept me?" Six-Eared Macaque was rather startled to hear this.

Xuan Heng nodded.

"Six-Eared greets Master." Seeing Xuan Heng nod, Six-Eared Macaque immediately bowed. Though he did not know exactly how strong Xuan Heng was, he could sense that Xuan Heng's realm surpassed his by far more than a little.

After all, Xuan Heng could walk steadily through the Chaos, while even a slight Chaos gale could send him tumbling over.

"I can accept you as a registered disciple, but I must first lay down proper rules for you." After receiving Six-Eared Macaque's bow, Xuan Heng spoke.

"Please speak, Master! Six-Eared will strictly obey them," Six-Eared Macaque said respectfully.

"First, you are only my registered disciple for now. I will not bring you back to Kunlun, nor will I teach you my core cultivation methods. After returning to the Primordial Wilderness, find a spirit mountain and quietly refine the innate qi you carried with you at birth. I inspected your body just now, and it has not yet been completely refined."

"Second, learn to restrain your ears. You may not come to the Chaos again in the future, nor are you to think of listening to the teachings at Purple Cloud Palace. After returning to the Primordial Wilderness, you must not eavesdrop on mighty cultivators discussing the Dao. You must know what should be heard and what should not."

"Third, you are not permitted to travel through the Primordial Wilderness under my name. If you fail to uphold these three rules in the future, I will cleanse my own house."

Xuan Heng laid out all three rules in one breath.

"Six-Eared shall obey Master's orders." Without a moment's hesitation, Six-Eared Macaque agreed, respectfully cupping his hands.

Seeing Six-Eared Macaque's respectful manner, Xuan Heng nodded. Then he raised a hand and tapped a strand of world-purifying white light into Six-Eared Macaque's brow.

As the world-purifying white light entered his body, Six-Eared Macaque shuddered. The chaotic sounds all around him receded like a tide. Since his birth, Six-Eared Macaque felt true silence for the first time.

"Thank you, Master. Then this disciple will return to the Primordial Wilderness first?" Six-Eared Macaque asked respectfully.

"Mm. Be obedient. Once you return to the Primordial Wilderness, find a spirit mountain rich in spiritual qi and refine your innate qi. When you have thoroughly refined it and can control your ears, that will be the time we meet again."

Xuan Heng nodded as he spoke.

"This disciple obeys Master's orders." With that, Six-Eared Macaque directly turned and flew toward the Primordial Wilderness.

After seeing Six-Eared Macaque leave, Xuan Heng turned and flew back toward the Three Pure Ones. This was all he could do for now.

"Fourth Brother, you were gone for quite a while this trip," Tongtian said with a chuckle when he saw Xuan Heng return.

"I encountered a little macaque along the way and accepted a registered disciple, so I was delayed somewhat. I made my brothers worry," Xuan Heng said, scratching his head as he watched Yuanshi's expression.

Sure enough, the moment Xuan Heng finished speaking, Yuanshi frowned and said, "You have only taken form not long ago, and you are already accepting disciples?"

"Second Brother is right. That is why he is merely a registered disciple rather than a personal disciple. When I found him, he was trying to eavesdrop at Purple Cloud Palace. If I had not stopped him, his future path of cultivation would likely have been severed," Xuan Heng said without arguing, merely stating the facts.

"Little Brother, is there anything special about that macaque?" Taiqing looked toward Xuan Heng and asked. From what he knew of this younger brother, Xuan Heng would certainly not accept a disciple casually.

"Born with six ears, skilled at hearing all things." The moment Xuan Heng said this, the Three Pure Ones all understood.

Hearing that, Tongtian's interest was immediately piqued. "No wonder you stopped him. If such a talent is not strictly disciplined, it may bring about a great calamity someday."

Yuanshi spoke in a deep voice. "Temporarily accepting him as a registered disciple is acceptable. But you must not lightly teach him Kunlun's methods, much less allow him to wave our banner and run wild through the Primordial Wilderness."

Xuan Heng nodded. "I have already set rules with him. He is forbidden from going to Purple Cloud Palace again, and he is not allowed to act in our name."

Only then did Yuanshi let the matter rest.

"That will suffice. Let us return to Kunlun." Taiqing nodded. Then the mystic yellow qi once more enveloped the four of them, protecting them as they passed through the Chaos and returned to the Primordial Wilderness.

When the clouds of Kunlun Mountain appeared before his eyes once more, Xuan Heng's tightly wound heart finally eased somewhat.

This upheaval had been far too great, especially Hongjun giving him that small prayer cushion.

"Xuan Heng, come. Let us go to your place of cultivation and first see whether anything is wrong with the World-Purifying White Lotus." After returning to Kunlun, the Three Pure Ones did not immediately enter seclusion. Taiqing walked up to Xuan Heng and spoke.

"Alright." Xuan Heng nodded, warmth stirring in his heart.

Before long, the four arrived at Xuan Heng's cave dwelling.

Xuan Heng summoned the World-Purifying White Lotus.

The Twelve-Rank World-Purifying White Lotus floated silently in the air, its white radiance as pristine as ever. Yet deep within its lotus heart, there was now a faint hint of green.

Yuanshi stared deep into the white lotus for a long time. After pondering, he said, "It is not an external object parasitizing it. It is more like the fusion of origins."

Taiqing nodded as well. "Their origins have indeed fused."

Tongtian circled the white lotus for a long while, then smiled. "This is rather interesting. This white lotus itself was differentiated from the Chaos Green Lotus, and now it has obtained another Chaos Green Lotus seed. Does this count as returning to the root and reverting to the source?"

Tongtian's words stirred Xuan Heng's heart.

Returning to the root and reverting to the source—yes, how had he not thought of that? Those four words faintly matched his own feeling exactly. The instant that lotus seed entered, he had sensed the World-Purifying White Lotus growing stronger. Yet this strengthening was not immediate, nor was it a direct elevation in rank.

The white lotus seemed more as though it had gained a possibility of growth—a possibility that would allow it to slowly grow and bring the Chaos Green Lotus back into being!