Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 379 - 373: Issued an Invitation to become a Saint【Seeking subscription and monthly pass】_1
Sha Chen fell silent.
In Tongtian Hierarch’s words, both spoken and unspoken, he was discussing fate and qualifications.
As he had said, Sha Chen indeed seemed to lack the fate to become a Saint. He hadn’t occupied one of those six positions, but that shouldn’t be the sole determinant of his fate. As for qualifications, Sha Chen hadn’t ventured out to accumulate merit. He had merely remained secluded, working in isolation, which seemingly meant he could never attain Sainthood through merit.
However, was that really the case? Perhaps it was true ninety-nine percent of the time, but it definitely wasn’t the only truth.
Sha Chen looked at the Tongtian Hierarch and said, "May I ask the Saint, is the only path to Sainthood to go out and heal the world, to accumulate merit?"
But the Tongtian Hierarch smiled and said, "If it’s just about healing the world, you could not gather enough merit to become a Saint in a lifetime."
"The merit that allows one to become a Saint has always stemmed from tremendous contributions, bringing profound transformations to the Realm of People. Jieyin and Zhunti founded the Western Sect. They established the practice of offering incense for the Realm of People, admonished the wicked to lay down their butcher knives and attain Buddhahood on the spot, and taught the virtuous that ten lifetimes of good deeds could lead to Buddhahood. Such merit is truly immeasurable."
"Li Er established the Human Religion, ushering in an era of peace for countless generations in the Realm of People. Yuan Shi founded the Chan Sect, guiding all beings in the Realm of People toward goodness and cultivation, teaching them to protect themselves, thereby establishing immortal merit. As for myself, I founded the Sect of Interpretation. I accepted multitudes of beings, restrained demons from disturbing the Realm of People, and guarded the peace of the Realm of People in the world."
He calmly said, "Any one of us has established a school of thought, creating boundless merit for the Realm of People. And here you are, contributing nothing to the Realm of People. Even healing the world is not enough."
Sha Chen smiled and nodded, "The Saint makes sense, but it seems you’ve omitted one."
Tongtian Hierarch said, "You’re referring to Nuwa, right? She is indeed a special case. The founding of Nuwa Palace occurred after she became a Saint. Before that, her contributions were even greater because she created humans, thereby establishing the very foundation of the Realm of People. At that time, the Realm of People was not yet dominant and couldn’t influence the destiny of the Primordial World, so she couldn’t directly become a Saint then."
His eyes filled with reminiscence, and he lamented, "However, after that, during the great war between witches and monsters, Buzhou Mountain was struck and collapsed. A hole appeared in the sky, and the Realm of People was on the brink of annihilation. She stepped forward, refined the seven-colored stones to mend the sky. Her merit was perfected, and she naturally became a Saint."
Sha Chen nodded. What the Tongtian Hierarch said about Nuwa was indeed special. Without founding a school or teaching and enlightening disciples, her contributions were no less than any other Saint and even far surpassed them. The sage Laozi, the mightiest among the Saints, might not surpass Nuwa in terms of merit alone.
However, Nuwa, the one with the most merit, was, in fact, the weakest among the Saints. This was because when Nuwa became a Saint, she was only at the Initial Quasi-Saint Level. The others, however, were already at the middle tier, some even at the high tier or the peak. If the strength before Sainthood was lacking, the foundation after Sainthood was weaker. And naturally, there were differences in strength.
Sha Chen said, "If Saint Nuwa could become a Saint without founding a sect, why don’t I have the same opportunity?"
Tongtian Hierarch laughed heartily before saying, "Her path was more difficult than founding a school. We also attempted it at first, but we all failed. Only after receiving guidance from our master did we establish schools and guard the peace of the Realm of People."
Sha Chen nodded; it was indeed so. Nuwa’s path was truly the most difficult, for she had accumulated countless merits. Nuwa creating humans and mending the sky were both incredibly rare deeds of merit. She saved uncountable lives.
Tongtian Hierarch said, "Actually, for later generations who wish to become Saints, it’s countless times more difficult than for us few. The Saint Positions are limited; to displace us, one needs greater merit and stronger fate."
"Hou Tu established the cycle of reincarnation, giving innumerable lost souls and wandering ghosts in the Primordial World a place to go and the opportunity for rebirth. Her contributions, it can be said, are no less than any one of us; her merit is immeasurable. Yet, she is merely a Sub-Sage." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
The rest of his words, he did not continue. However, Sha Chen understood; everything was conveyed without words. Hou Tu establishing reincarnation could have led to Sainthood, but the Saint Positions are limited, and without significantly exceeding the merits of the six Saints, she couldn’t surpass them. Unless she received the recognition of the Heavenly Dao. And the Heavenly Dao clearly didn’t wish for more Saints, as that would reduce the transcendence and preciousness of Saints.
It was not only Hou Tu; the Three Sages of the Fire Cloud Palace were the same, all helping the Realm of People tremendously and possessing great merit. If it were before, prior to the appearance of the Six Saints of the Primordial World, they would have qualified for Sainthood through their merits. But, unfortunately, the Six Saints of the Primordial World blocked their path. Without recognition by the Heavenly Dao, they could only be Sub-Sages, not true Saints.
Tongtian Hierarch said, "Perhaps you could become a Sub-Sage, but even to be a Sub-Sage, you must go out and accumulate merit. Hiding here, ending up like Zhenyuanzi, is where your path terminates."
He made it clear: if one goes out to accumulate merit, one is eligible to become a Sub-Sage. Otherwise, you could only end up like Zhenyuanzi, just at the Peak Quasi-Saint level. Countless people long to become Peak Quasi-Saints but cannot achieve it.
However, Tongtian Hierarch knew that Sha Chen’s ultimate limit should not be Peak Quasi-Saint. He possessed the qualifications and the ability to rise even higher. Although he couldn’t become a Saint, becoming a Sub-Sage was still within reach. However, the precondition was that Sha Chen leave this place, depart from the Flowing Sand River, and start accumulating merit from now on.
Tongtian Hierarch looked at Sha Chen and said, "You are a Quasi-Saint now, and you’ll be even stronger in the future. From now on, go out and accumulate merit. Maybe by the time you reach the Peak Quasi-Saint level, you’ll have gathered enough merit to finally become a Sub-Sage through merit."
Sha Chen smiled. It turned out that the Tongtian Hierarch hadn’t deceived him—he genuinely believed that becoming a Saint was impossible for him. At most, he would be a Sub-Sage. And even becoming a Sub-Sage isn’t easy; it requires leaving this place and accumulating merit.
But would Sha Chen leave? The answer was no; he wouldn’t go out. If he had intended to leave, he would have done so long ago. As for becoming a Saint, perhaps it seemed too distant, yet in reality, it was within arm’s reach. He was already a Quasi-Saint. In the Primordial World, as long as one accumulated enough merit, one could become a Saint at any time, without needing to reach the Peak Quasi-Saint realm. But was establishing sects and competing for resources truly the only way to accumulate merit? Was Nuwa’s path genuinely impossible to replicate? Moreover, was there really only one path to contribute merit to the Realm of People? Sha Chen felt that this might not necessarily be the case.
Within the Divine Enthronement War, there was another person who seemed to have become a Sub-Sage in the end. That person was the most mysterious Taoist Lu Ya from the Investiture of the Gods. He might have accumulated substantial merit beforehand. Then, during the Divine Enthronement War, he assisted King Wu in his campaign against King Zhou, dealt with many from the Sect of Interpretation, and thus facilitated the smooth progress of the Divine Enthronement. His contribution was enormous, his merit boundless. With the augmentation from the Divine Enthronement catastrophe and his prior accumulations, he did not ascend to the Investiture of the Gods after the Divine Enthronement concluded. No one knew his whereabouts. However, in the end, he went overseas and became a Sub-Sage through his merit.
A smile hung on the corner of Sha Chen’s mouth, and before he spoke, Tongtian Hierarch seemed to see through his thoughts.
He said with a faint smile, "Are you thinking that by surviving a catastrophe and helping the Realm of People, one can also become a Saint?"
Sha Chen replied, "It is said that Taoist Lu Ya did just that."
Tongtian Hierarch said, "Not only did Taoist Lu Ya do that, but the Three Sages of the Fire Cloud Palace also did the same. They led the Realm of People, expanded its territory, and protected it, thus achieving Sainthood through merit."
"Theoretically, while such a contribution might not be the greatest, it still qualifies one to become a Saint through merit. However, the Divine Enthronement has ended, and you don’t have a catastrophe to surpass!"
Then his eyes flickered as he said, "Except for the... Journey to the West catastrophe coming in more than two hundred years!"
The Journey to the West catastrophe! A light sparkled in Sha Chen’s eyes; indeed, he had also been thinking about the Journey to the West catastrophe.
According to his knowledge of Journey to the West, after the events, Buddhism encountered Wutian and then declined from its peak. Then Sun Wukong emerged, defeated Wutian, and saved Buddhism. In doing so, he also saved the Realm of People and accumulated merit. Ultimately, he surpassed Yang Jian and became a Sub-Sage.
It seemed that within the Journey to the West catastrophe, that was the sole opportunity for merit-based Sainthood.
However, just becoming a Sub-Sage was not enough.
Sha Chen furrowed his brow; that was the opportunity he planned to compete for. However, he also intended to try another method—attainment of Sainthood through the physical body!
This method had never been successfully executed by anyone from ancient times until now. However, no one ever doubted whether Pangu, with his immensely powerful physical body, was a Saint. He created the heavens and the earth; his flesh and blood transformed into the twelve Ancestral Witches, and his Primordial Spirit became the Three Pure Ones, who have already become Saints. Pangu defeated three thousand Chaos Fiendgods, and it is rumored that Taoist Ancestor Hongjun was one of those three thousand Chaos Fiendgods from primordial times. Perhaps Pangu was not a Saint, but he was definitely more formidable than any Saint! Sha Chen planned to try walking Pangu’s path. Attainment of Sainthood through the physical body.
Tongtian Hierarch watched Sha Chen, appearing to wait for him to speak, to ask to be guided by him on the path to Sainthood. After all, the temptation of becoming a Saint would be irresistible to anyone. Zhenyuanzi and other old eccentrics disregarded their reputations in their later years for the sake of Sainthood. Sha Chen, a prodigy on the rise and brimming with ambition, would undoubtedly crave power even more. Sainthood represented power, represented might. Sha Chen must be craving it intensely.
Tongtian Hierarch looked at Sha Chen, but seeing him remain silent, coughed lightly and said, "Sha Chen, Nuwa’s path is not suitable for you. The paths of Hou Tu and our own may be worth your consideration. However, the easiest would still be the path of your humble teacher and the others."
He spoke of the paths of the other five of the Six Saints of the Primordial World, excluding Nuwa. Their paths all involved establishing sects, protecting the peace of the Realm of People, and thus achieving Sainthood through merit.
Sha Chen understood what Tongtian Hierarch meant, which was to become his disciple, follow his lead, and then accumulate merit.
Seeing Sha Chen remain silent, Tongtian Hierarch decided to be more direct, getting straight to the point. "You shouldn’t confine yourself here; your future lies among the stars and across the seas. Leave this place. Follow me, your humble teacher, and join my Sect of Interpretation. With the Sect of Interpretation as your foundation, you can create an era of everlasting peace and guard the Realm of People for billions of years of security. This way, you can walk the path to Sainthood."
"Notice of the host being tempted by the Saint Tongtian Hierarch to become a disciple has been detected, here are your options."
