Taking a Disciple: A Choice of Cultivation

"You, what is it?" Dijiang asked knowingly, his tone calm.

"This little demon, Six Ears, kowtows in thanks for Ancestor Shaman's grace in imparting the Dao!"

The mud monkey knocked his head heavily against the ground three times, then raised his head, his eyes brimming with fervor and longing. "This little demon's aptitude is dull, but my heart toward the Dao is steadfast. I beg Ancestor Shaman to accept this little demon as a disciple. I am willing to serve at your side through life after life, never shrinking even from ten thousand deaths!"

The moment these words left his mouth, the surrounding living beings erupted into an uproar.

"Has that mud monkey gone mad? He actually dreams of taking Ancestor Shaman as his master?"

"Exactly! How exalted is Ancestor Shaman? Why would he accept a wild monkey that has not even fully taken human form as a disciple?"

"He truly does not know his own limits!"

Faced with the mockery and ridicule around him, Six-Eared Macaque turned a deaf ear. He merely stared fixedly at Dijiang in midair, without the slightest hint of retreat in his eyes.

Dijiang looked at Six-Eared Macaque and nodded to himself.

This monkey's comprehension truly defied the heavens. From his simple exposition of the Dao, he had actually grasped a trace of the rudiments of Space Law.

Moreover, such a heart for the Dao and such steadfastness of character were exceedingly rare.

Still, Dijiang did not agree at once.

"The Dharma must not be passed on lightly."

Leaving behind those words, Dijiang's figure vanished from midair in an instant.

When they saw Dijiang leave, the surrounding jeers grew even louder.

"See? I told you Ancestor Shaman could never accept him."

"A toad dreaming of swan meat!"

Six-Eared Macaque looked at the spot where Dijiang had disappeared. A trace of disappointment flashed through his eyes, but it was soon replaced by an even firmer light.

"Ancestor Shaman said the Dharma must not be passed on lightly. That means my sincerity is still not enough!"

Ignoring the laughter around him, Six-Eared Macaque sat cross-legged once more and silently began to contemplate what Dijiang had taught.

A thousand years later, Dijiang appeared again to expound the Dao.

Once the sermon ended, Six-Eared Macaque again knelt on the ground and begged to become his disciple.

Dijiang still did not agree and turned to leave.

Another thousand years passed.

When Dijiang finished his third sermon and prepared to depart—

"I beg Ancestor Shaman to accept this little demon as a disciple!"

For the third time, Six-Eared Macaque knelt upon the ground, his forehead smashing heavily against the hard rock. Blood streamed down his face, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain, his gaze still as unwavering as before.

This time, Dijiang did not leave directly.

He quietly looked at the mud monkey below, covered in blood yet still stubbornly holding his head high. At last, the corner of his mouth lifted into an exceedingly faint smile.

"Are you willing to enter Pangu Hall with me?"

Dijiang's calm voice echoed over the Spirit-Gathering Formation, yet it exploded beside the ears of a hundred billion living beings like a thunderclap.

The beings who had been planning to laugh at Six-Eared Macaque all became like ducks with their throats seized, their mouths hanging open in utter disbelief.

"Ancestor Shaman... actually agreed?!"

"What kind of damned luck did that mud monkey stumble into?!"

Countless gazes filled with jealousy, envy, and even regret converged upon Six-Eared Macaque in unison.

Had they known Ancestor Shaman liked this sort of thing, they would have cracked their heads open kowtowing just to become his disciples!

At the center of the storm, Six-Eared Macaque froze the instant he heard Dijiang's words.

He stared blankly at the towering figure in midair. His eyes reddened in an instant, and two trails of hot tears mingled with the blood on his forehead as they flowed down.

"This disciple, Six Ears, pays respects to Master!"

Six-Eared Macaque trembled with excitement as he knocked his head heavily against the ground three more times. His voice had become somewhat hoarse from extreme exhilaration.

"Rise."

With a sweep of his sleeve, Dijiang used a gentle force of space to lift Six-Eared Macaque up, instantly healing the wound on his forehead at the same time.

"Follow me."

Dijiang ignored the living beings below, each harboring their own thoughts. Turning into a streak of light, he led Six-Eared Macaque directly into Pangu Hall.

Inside Pangu Hall, an ancient and boundless aura rushed toward them.

The moment Six-Eared Macaque stepped into the great hall, the terrifying pressure originating from Pangu's bloodline made his legs go weak, and he nearly fell to his knees again.

He cautiously surveyed his surroundings. At the center of the hall, a massive blood pool churned and rolled, radiating an immense vitality that made one's heart tremble.

Around the blood pool sat eleven figures cross-legged, their eyes closed in cultivation, each emanating the terrifying aura of a Primordial Golden Immortal.

"Big Brother, you're back."

Zhu Jiuyin was the first to open his eyes. His gaze fell upon Six-Eared Macaque behind Dijiang, and surprise flashed through his eyes. "This monkey is..."

"My newly accepted disciple, Six Ears."

Dijiang walked over and took a seat upon the jade platform, speaking indifferently.

"A disciple?"

At those words, the other ten Ancestor Shamans were startled awake from their cultivation and all turned their gazes toward Six-Eared Macaque.

"Big Brother, you actually took on a disciple?"

Zhu Rong widened his eyes and looked Six-Eared Macaque up and down. "This monkey looks skinny as a reed. He's only a Golden Immortal, and he has not even fully taken human form. What is so special about him?"

"That's right, Big Brother. If our Pangu Orthodox Lineage is taking disciples, shouldn't we at least choose an innate divine being with profound roots and heaven-defying aptitude?" Gonggong was also somewhat puzzled.

Under the immensely oppressive gazes of the eleven Ancestor Shamans, Six-Eared Macaque shrank his neck in fright. Still, he forced down his fear and respectfully saluted them. "This little demon, Six Ears, greets all Martial Uncles!"

"Profound roots? Heaven-defying aptitude?"

Dijiang looked at Zhu Rong and Gonggong, then gave a light laugh. "There are plenty of innate divine beings with profound roots in this Primordial World, but how many are like him? After listening to me expound the foundational Great Dao merely three times, he grasped a trace of the rudiments of Space Law with only the body of a Golden Immortal."

"What?! He comprehended Space Law?!"

Upon hearing this, all the Ancestor Shamans drew in sharp breaths.

Space Law was one of the laws that defied the heavens, obscure and difficult to comprehend to the utmost extreme.

Even ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals found it harder than ascending to heaven to touch the threshold of Space Law, let alone a mere Golden Immortal!

"This monkey's comprehension is indeed somewhat uncanny."

A phantom of the River of Time flowed within Zhu Jiuyin's eyes. He carefully examined Six-Eared Macaque for a moment, then nodded. "Moreover, he seems to possess an extraordinarily special instinct, one that can listen to the voices of all things and perceive the principles of heaven and earth."

"Second Brother has sharp eyes."

Dijiang gave Zhu Jiuyin an approving look. "He is Six-Eared Macaque, one of the Four Monkeys of Chaos. He is skilled at hearing sounds, able to perceive principles, knows what came before and what follows after, and understands all things. If such talent is properly nurtured, his future achievements will be without limit."

Hearing Dijiang's praise, Six-Eared Macaque was filled with excitement, and his gratitude toward Dijiang became even more impossible to repay.

"Six Ears."

Dijiang's smile faded, and his expression became solemn.

"This disciple is here!" Six-Eared Macaque hurriedly straightened himself as he knelt.

"Since you have entered my sect, you are a direct descendant of my Pangu Orthodox Lineage."

Dijiang said in a deep voice, "Our Pangu Orthodox Lineage cultivates the Primordial Spirit, physical body, and laws together. But you are not one of us and do not possess Pangu's bloodline. You need not take this path. You may focus primarily on cultivating the Primordial Spirit and laws, with the physical body as secondary."

"Which path will you choose?"