Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 428 - 422: Breakthrough in Cultivation [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
Sha Chen murmured in a low voice, frowning deeply. It wasn’t a random guess but rather one based on some evidence. Such is the human heart.
Seeing Sha Chen frown as if mired in a great dilemma, Nezha didn’t dare to make a sound. He just watched, carefully keeping him company.
After thinking for a long time, Sha Chen shook his head, casting off those thoughts and deciding not to dwell on them.
Moreover, he told Nezha what Li Zhenying had said.
He said indifferently, "I think you know that I was chosen by the Heavenly Court to be offered to Buddhism as the scripture seeker."
Nezha nodded. As the son of the Heavenly Court’s premier scheming family, how could he not know? The Li Family was also extremely eager to join in.
Sha Chen continued, "Now, the Heavenly Court is no longer appeasing but planning to treat me with the same method used against Sun Wukong. I suspect Buddhism is thinking similarly."
Nezha asked, "What should be done then?"
Sha Chen replied evenly, "We’ll deal with problems as they arise. Such situations are bound to happen sooner or later; I just didn’t expect them to occur so soon."
He said profoundly, "But it doesn’t make much difference. Three hundred years have passed, and in another two hundred years or so, it will come."
Nezha asked in astonishment, "What will come?"
Sha Chen looked at him, a smile on his face, offering no further explanation. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Instead, he smiled and said, "Remember this: cultivate well. I’m sure you know of the great catastrophe of the westward journey. You must increase your strength before it arrives."
Nezha immediately became serious, nodding earnestly, and then began his cultivation.
Sha Chen had already imparted all the Dao Techniques and Divine Powers he intended to.
Having already taught the Tao Te Ching and the Jade Purity Scriptures, the later Chapters for Quasi-Saints would require Nezha to reach a certain level of strength before they could be imparted.
Food must be eaten one bite at a time, and roads must be walked one step at a time. One shouldn’t bite off more than one can chew.
Sha Chen didn’t rush to impart everything to Nezha at once. Although Nezha was eager for more, he also knew that these things could not be rushed.
Therefore, he began to study earnestly, striving to improve his own strength without being overly greedy.
Sha Chen also gave him some resources to enhance his talent and change his potential, giving him a better future. Otherwise, no matter how many Dao Techniques were infused, it would be of no use.
Nezha’s original talent was around the High Order of Da Luo Golden Immortal. Now, Sha Chen had changed his talent and potential, giving him the capacity to become a Quasi-Saint.
Yet it wasn’t easy; he had to risk his life to strive and work hard in his cultivation.
Nezha also felt a competitive drive; having been left behind by many, he knew he had to work even harder in his cultivation.
Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally cultivated with all his might.
Sha Chen did not disturb him, letting him cultivate on his own.
As for the Three Holy Mother, she was also cultivating. Her Treasured Lotus Lantern had been borrowed by Sha Chen for his own cultivation.
The Three Holy Mother’s cultivation level was not yet at Da Luo; she planned to use this opportunity to break through directly to the Da Luo realm.
Sha Chen had also imparted all the Dao Techniques and Divine Powers he could and had given her all the resources that could change her potential.
Whether she could make a breakthrough depended on her own aptitude and destiny. What had to be done, must be achieved.
Sha Chen took the Treasured Lotus Lantern. Having already learned the incantations, he proceeded with his own cultivation practice without much trouble. Although he couldn’t manipulate the lantern as adeptly as the Three Holy Mother, he could still use it to strengthen his Primordial Spirit. The once bustling cave thus fell back into a state of cultivation.
Sha Chen’s cultivation this time, besides strengthening his Primordial Spirit, focused primarily on increasing his cultivation level. He felt it was time to enhance his cultivation and build up his strength.
Previously, a lack of resources had been a problem. Later, he slowly acquired more, but though he wanted to cultivate, he didn’t have the time.
Now, with both time and resources, he could finally cultivate without distraction.
He aimed to achieve a breakthrough to the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint in a short period, a state that was only half a step away.
However, this period of cultivation was not brief but rather extensive. Sha Chen spent thirty years in closed-door cultivation, during which time the scripture seeker had died once again. But even after thirty years, Sha Chen had not made a direct breakthrough, and his resources had been more than halved, with not much remaining.
Looking at Nezha, he had already broken through to the High Order of Da Luo Golden Immortal realm and was brimming with excitement. However, seeing Sha Chen still cultivating, he didn’t dare to stop and continued his practice.
The Three Holy Mother was in a similar situation. She had broken through to Daluo Golden Immortal more than a decade ago and wanted to act coquettishly and be intimate with Sha Chen. But seeing him still engaged in cultivation, she couldn’t bear to disturb him and had no choice but to continue her own. Her closed-door cultivation also took a considerable amount of time.
About thirty years later, when Sha Chen opened his eyes to take a breath, she was still in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Mid-level Da Luo realm. Nezha was also aiming for the peak of Da Luo.
Two other individuals had also awakened from their cultivation: Ao Lie and the Dragon Girl, brother and sister. They had awakened during this period and, upon seeing Sha Chen cultivating, did not disturb him. Since they were all cultivating in their own palaces, they did not encounter Nezha or the Three Holy Mother. Naturally, Nezha and the Three Holy Mother also did not meet them.
Sha Chen’s thirty-year cultivation retreat did not lead to an immediate breakthrough, but he had awakened. This was mainly because someone outside was calling his name; someone had come to the Flowing Sand River. They weren’t strangers but two of Tathagata Buddha’s disciples, Kassapa and Ananda. They had been outside, continuously calling Sha Chen’s name, indicating they wished to meet him.
"It has been detected that the Host is being sought by Kassapa and Ananda. You have the following choices:"
"Choice One: Agree to meet with them. Reward: [Tathagata’s Palm]. Tathagata’s Palm: A Great Divine Power that contains infinite destructive force."
"Choice Two: Ignore them. Reward: [The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion]. The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion: This relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion contains a million years of Buddhist Law merit and the formidable power of gods and Buddhas. Refining it can increase Divine Power."
Upon seeing this, Sha Chen’s expression turned peculiar. He hadn’t expected Kassapa and Ananda to seek him out, nor had he anticipated the reward for ignoring them to be so generous. The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion contained the power of a million years of Buddhist Law. Even if it couldn’t be completely preserved to this day, and some would be lost in its conversion to Divine Power, it was still an enormous treasure. A single Shariputra, if refined by an ordinary Monk, could most likely allow them to attain Buddhahood on the spot.
Sha Chen had been diligently cultivating lately and had refined more than half of his resources, yet he had still not achieved a breakthrough. This was a source of great distress for him. He had to obtain The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion. The Divine Power contained within this Shariputra was plentiful, and refining it would undoubtedly yield substantial gains. Perhaps it would even allow him to more swiftly enter the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint. For this reason, Sha Chen chose to ignore them.
「Outside.」
Kassapa and Ananda had been calling out for a long time. Seeing that Sha Chen gave no reaction whatsoever, they became angry. Their brows furrowed, and their expressions gradually turned ugly.
The two of them muttered to each other. Kassapa said, "Junior Brother, based on your understanding of Sha Chen, why would he be so indifferent to our calls?"
Ananda replied, "This monk does not know."
Ananda, known as the Buddhism Great Wisdom Buddha, claimed not to know, which made Kassapa frown even more.
He frowned and said, "It is said that Sha Chen is unruly, but he shouldn’t be so arrogantly dismissive. We’ve called out to him. Even if he doesn’t come out, he should at least answer. To ignore us altogether is simply too presumptuous! If I get the chance, I won’t let him off easily."
Ananda glanced at his senior brother Kassapa and rolled his eyes. We came here with no intention of letting him off in the first place.
After the two brothers called out for a long time more, Sha Chen still did not respond. Angry, they waited for three days and three nights. When Sha Chen still ignored them, they left in a huff. They had intended to cause a scene, but then they remembered that the Flowing Sand River Cave was impregnable; their commotion would be futile. Instead, it would only add to their embarrassment, so they could only stalk away.
As they left, they delivered some threatening parting words, "Sha Chen, don’t be so arrogant! You dare to ignore us this time? When our Master comes, you’ll see!"
"We spoke to you politely, and you ignored us. Next time our Master comes, let’s see how you’ll handle that!"
Their Master, of course, was none other than Tathagata Buddha.
After they left, Sha Chen received the reward. But, for a moment, he could not feel any joy. The words of the Kassapa brothers had left him unable to calm down for a long time. From their tone, could it be that Tathagata himself is planning to come here?
Sha Chen’s face turned grave, but he didn’t dwell on it too much. Although Tathagata is very powerful, it’s uncertain if he can even enter my cave. As long as he can’t get in, I don’t have to worry. No matter how Tathagata tries to cause destruction outside, I just won’t go out.
Taking The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion, Sha Chen immediately began refining it to increase the Divine Power within his body.
Never mind all that. Prioritizing the enhancement of my strength is what’s most crucial. The true foundation and confidence to face all problems lies in having sufficient personal power.
Sha Chen pursed his lips, his demeanor serious, and continued his cultivation.
He could do nothing about the turmoil outside; there were only two paths open to him. One was to grovel, become someone else’s lackey, and join in their corruption. The other was to strengthen himself, tirelessly improve his abilities, and gain the power to confront his enemies. Sha Chen’s knees weren’t good; he disliked groveling, so he had no choice but to work hard at enhancing his own strength.
This time, refining The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion took Sha Chen another twenty years. Including his first period of seclusion, fifty years had now passed.
During these decades, the scripture seeker was born into the world once again, embarked on the journey anew, and once again died along the way.
For several lifetimes, the scripture seeker proceeded according to the trajectory set by Buddhism without error. This allowed the members of Buddhism overseeing him to heave a sigh of relief and become much more composed. They concluded that the past troubles with the scripture seeker might have been accidental, or that Daoist Hanshan, who had caused issues for him, had perished. Consequently, they became lax in their vigilance.
Sha Chen indeed did not allow Daoist Hanshan to contact the scripture seeker again because it was unnecessary; he let the scripture seeker develop for a while longer. Daoist Hanshan would also develop on his own. When the time was ripe, Sha Chen would astonish the entire Three Realms by revealing just how many followers he had!
As for Sha Chen, after many years, having refined The relic of the Buddha of Great Compassion and a large portion of his other resources, his cultivation finally broke through to the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint.
"Congratulations to the Host on breaking through in cultivation! You have the following choices:"
