90: Enlightenment, bestowal of a name, and enlightenment of emptiness

After a long while, Li Muchen slowly reached out and took the Crimson Flame Vermilion Fruit floating in the Demon Ape's palm.

The fruit felt warm in his hand, not scorching as he had imagined, but instead carrying a restrained, inexhaustible, and vigorous life force along with a pure Yang warmth. Its skin was crystalline, as if one could see a red-gold liquid slowly flowing within. The fragrance it emitted was refreshing; just smelling it made his spirits lift, and the True Yuan within his body flowed a bit faster.

It was indeed a rare natural spiritual item.

He placed the Vermilion Fruit into a jade box within his robes, then raised his eyes, his gaze calm and profound as he looked at the Demon Ape, which still maintained its posture of offering the fruit.

"Since you have such a heart for the Dao, it is truly commendable," Li Muchen spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the cave with a peculiar solemnity. "However, the Dao cannot be taught lightly, and the Law is not passed to those who are not human. Although you are of a different species and your ignorance has just begun to clear, your Heart-Nature is unsettled, your murderous aura is still heavy, and you have caused trouble in the past. If I were to pass the orthodox Law to you, what would you do?"

Hearing this, the Demon Ape's massive body trembled slightly. It raised its head, its crimson eyes looking directly at Li Muchen; there was no evasion in its gaze, only contemplation and struggle. It seemed to be working hard to understand those words, and also questioning its own heart.

After a moment, it let out a low, resolute growl. Then, it raised its front paw, first pointing to its own heart and shaking its head vigorously; then it pointed to the cave opening above and made a gesture of "discarding" and "severing"; finally, it pointed toward Li Muchen again, making a gesture of "listening" and "following."

It was expressing in its own way: it was willing to discard its past ignorant ferocity, sever its old Karma, and from then on turn over a new leaf to follow and seek the Dao wholeheartedly.

Li Muchen nodded slightly. He could feel that the Demon Ape's stance was not false. That Vermilion Fruit was not just a gift, but perhaps also a symbol of its determination to "sever" its reliance on pure power and show its resolve to seek the Dao.

"Very well," Li Muchen sighed softly. "To meet is to have an affinity. Since you have offered a treasure to prove your resolve, your sincerity is evident. I shall grant you a sliver of Opportunity; whether you can grasp it and truly step onto the path of the Dao will ultimately depend on yourself."

He paused, thought for a moment, and continued, "You possess an Ancient Variant Bloodline, endowed with the attributes of Fire, Earth, and Metal. You have plenty of ferocity and strength, but lack spiritual wisdom and flexibility. Forcing you to practice the Human Race's Dao of Quietude and Non-action would contradict your nature, leading to half the result with twice the effort."

The Demon Ape listened with only partial understanding, but it focused its mind as hard as it could, fearing it might miss a single word.

"Today I will not teach you a specific Cultivation Technique, but will only give you three mantras and a visualization map to help you clear your spiritual terrace, refine your baleful Qi, and perceive the harmony between your own Bloodline and the Fire, Earth, and Metal spirits of heaven and earth. If one day you can use this to clear your spiritual terrace and eliminate your ferocity, you will naturally find your own 'Dao' within your Bloodline Legacy or through communion with heaven and earth."

As Li Muchen spoke, he held his fingers together like a sword, and a faint golden light flickered at his fingertips. He drew in the air, using his own Divine Thought mixed with True Yuan as ink to sketch.

First, three ancient and mysterious runes, seemingly composed of flame and mountain stone patterns, appeared in sequence in the air, golden light flowing and a dao rhyme naturally arising. These were not specific words, but "Heart Seals" containing the Concepts of "Concentration," "Peace of Mind," and "Dispelling Evil."

"These are the 'Three Seals of Mind Stabilization.' Every day at dawn, when the earth-fire rises, and when the stars and moon are in the sky, visualize each for fifteen minutes while silently reciting the mantra: 'The spiritual terrace is but an inch; wash away the turbid and return to the clear.' This will help you suppress your restless mind, refine your baleful Qi, and gradually give rise to spiritual clarity."

The Demon Ape stared unblinkingly at those three golden Heart Seals, the golden light reflected in its crimson eyes as if it wanted to brand them deep into its Divine Soul.

Next, the light at Li Muchen's fingertips changed again, turning into three colors—red, yellow, and white—interweaving in the air to form an even more complex pattern. It depicted a vast land where a volcano erupted, melting gold and iron as flames rose, eventually merging the fire with the earth and the metallic Qi to return to a single point of tranquil, embryo-like dark red halo in the center. The pattern flowed ceaselessly, containing the Concepts of the earth's endurance, the fire's tempering, and the metal's immortality, all eventually returning to the Origin.

"This is the 'Map of Earth-Fire Refining Metal and Returning to the Origin.' In your spare time, you may visualize this map, sensing the earth-fire beneath you and perceiving the power hidden in your Bloodline. Realize that strength must have a Foundation (Earth), tempering leads to purity (Fire), and resilience allows one to remain unbroken (Metal), eventually returning to simplicity and truth to find your own 'Origin.'"

As the Demon Ape looked at that flowing visualization map, it seemed to feel some resonance deep within its Bloodline. Its massive body trembled slightly, and it let out unconscious, low moans as if in a state of realization.

"Remember," Li Muchen said finally with solemnity, "on the path of cultivation, the most important thing is to cultivate the heart. If the heart is not settled, power becomes a disaster; if the heart is settled, power can be put to use. Since you have a heart for the Dao, you should polish it diligently at all times and let no dust alight. Yuntai Mountain can serve as your temporary place of residence for realizing the Dao, but you must never again commit violence against humans or disturb the peace. When the day comes that your Heart-Nature is truly clear and your ferocity is completely gone, perhaps we can discuss other matters."

After speaking, the light at his fingertips faded, and the Heart Seals and visualization map in the air slowly dissipated, but that dao rhyme and Concept had already been deeply etched into the Demon Ape's consciousness.

The Demon Ape lay prostrate for a long time, seemingly digesting this sudden "gift" that far exceeded its imagination. After a long while, it raised its head, a golden light faintly appearing in its eyes, and its ferocity seemed to have truly faded by a few points. It once again made that clumsy yet incredibly devout gesture of "bowing" toward Li Muchen, letting out a low and clear roar from its throat that sounded like a vow.

It had understood, and it had remembered.

Looking at it, Li Muchen suddenly felt something in his heart and said, "Since you have developed a wise heart and seek the true fruit, you should have a name to clarify your resolve. You were born of Earth-fire, you are of the ape kind, and your nature is inherently violent, yet now you seek peace and emptiness... I shall call you 'Wukong'."

"Wukong?" The Demon Ape—now perhaps to be called Wukong—repeated those two tones in a low voice. A flash of confusion crossed its crimson eyes, which then turned into a strange realization and joy. It seemed to instinctively feel that this name was subtly aligned with the Concept of the "Three Seals of Mind Stabilization" and "returning to simplicity and truth."

It roared again, as if accepting the name and also as if thanking the one who bestowed it.

Within the cave, the magma remained as before, and two Vermilion Fruits were still left.

An encounter that began with conflict had ultimately evolved into an enlightenment and a bestowing of a name that crossed racial boundaries.

Li Muchen looked at the Demon Ape "Wukong" before him, which now had a name and eyes sparkling with the light of wisdom and pursuit, and he felt quite moved. This, perhaps, was also the beginning of a brand new Karma.

He stood up and said to Wukong, "Cultivate well here, consolidate your injuries, and contemplate the Heart Seals and the map. Unless there is an urgent matter, do not easily leave the mountain to disturb Mortals. I shall return to my temple. If fate permits, we shall meet again another day."

Wukong roared in agreement and watched Li Muchen's figure as it floated up the cave like light smoke, disappearing into the light of the opening.

The cave returned to silence, with only the surging magma and the spiritual light of the Vermilion Fruits.

Wukong lay on the black rock, its massive eyes slowly closing. In its mind, those three golden Heart Seals and the Map of Earth-Fire Refining Metal and Returning to the Origin became clearer and clearer.

In a low, unpracticed voice, it mimicked Li Muchen's tone and recited the mantra:

"Spiritual... terrace... but an inch... wash away... turbid... return... clear..."

The coarse and low voice echoed slowly within this ancient Earth-fire Secret Realm, as if a dust-covered stubborn stone had finally begun its... path of refinement.