Chapter 10: The Battle for the Heavenly Gate on Mount Dangyun (1)

Lin Yuan shook his head and said, "Mo Yuan is only thirteen years old, and it would be unfair to win against him. Senior brother knows that I have always valued my reputation, so please do not press me on this matter."

She grabbed the arm of the Taoist priestess and shook it, complaining, "Master Uncle, why did you let that little thief off so easily? Last time he caused my elder brother to spit blood, and I haven't settled the score with him yet!"

Now that I have calculated the time, the Dharma assembly has already been ongoing for more than three days. However, the duration of the assembly lasts a total of one month, and even for the sake of gaining fame, there is no need to rush at this moment

The person snorted and sat down again. They were actually eager to take action, but the Guangyuan Sect had sent a thirteen-year-old boy this time. It would not reflect well on their reputation to resort to force.

Dangyun Peak is the sixth peak of Cangwu Mountain, featuring a Taoist temple named Shangze Temple, which occupies a spacious area. Among the eighteen peaks, its cascading waterfalls and flowing springs stand out for their scenic beauty, making it the chosen venue for this Dharma assembly. As he walked along the mountain path, he gazed around and saw disciples from various sects coming and going, all adorned in tall hats and flowing robes, exuding an air of otherworldliness.

He did not achieve a breakthrough as he did last time, which left him somewhat regretful, yet he understood that this was within reason. That occasion was the result of three years of hard work culminating in a sudden release of potential; such fortunate events cannot be expected to occur every time.

Zheng Xun displayed a bitter smile and continued to inquire of several disciples. Some suggested that Mo Yuan was merely a nominal disciple, and that going there would not secure any status for himself; even if he won, he would be ridiculed. Others expressed concerns about reputation, unwilling to bully the weak. Still others mentioned that recent excessive training had led to mental exhaustion, rendering him unfit for a fight.

The Taoist priestess gently touched Zhao Ying's head and indulgently said, "Do you know how your master answered when the ancestral master asked your master this question back in the day?"

Although she was not as proficient in the principles of numerology as her senior brother, she could still discern that Zhang Yan bore great karma. She couldn't help but sigh, wondering whether the presence of such a person on Cangwu Mountain was ultimately a blessing or a curse

Zhao Ying nodded in a seemingly understanding manner

Zhang Yan performed a disciple's salute to the Taoist priest, who said: "The disciple is proficient in the deep understanding of Zhang Yan."

As a result, some could not bear to see it. The Guangyuan Sect sent representatives to the Tushulian to establish a good relationship with the Nanhua Sect, and more than ten disciples came forward to argue. Ultimately, they could no longer restrain themselves and resorted to violence. However, Chen Feng, though alone, faced the crowd and not only did he not fall behind, but he also beat them to a bloody pulp. In the end, he even declared that disciples of the Guangyuan Sect were also not allowed to pass.

Kill an elephant

In short, no one is willing to go

For ten consecutive days, Zhang Yan secluded himself in his cave dwelling, striving for a breakthrough.

After Zhang Yan entered the mountain gate, he walked towards the Second Mountain Gate. However, he was unaware that for the past three days, the newly admitted disciples of the Mingcang Sect had been blocked by a young man from the Guangyuan Sect at the "Heavenly Gate," unable to advance or retreat. Not a single person had been able to reach the top of the Third Mountain Gate, and they were acutely aware of their own shortcomings, thus refraining from using force.

After January, none of the disciples from the Nanhua Sect and the Guangyuan Sect were able to ascend to the summit of the Three Mountain Gate, resulting in a significant loss of face for both sects. Consequently, they have harbored resentment ever since. This time, it is the Mingcang Sect's turn to host, and the disciples from the two sects have specifically come to reclaim their honor. Meanwhile, those sects aware of the underlying grievances are deliberately feigning ignorance, pretending not to know.

At that time, your grandmaster was also very satisfied. Later, I asked your master about the reason, and your master said that this response was because nine is the ultimate number, while ten is excessive; excess leads to overflow, and deficiency leads to perfection. This is the way of heaven, hence one must eliminate an elephant. The Taoist sighed and said, "Zhang Yan's thoughts resonate with the way of heaven; a person like this will achieve immeasurable success in the future. If we do not eliminate him now, it would be unwise to offend him lightly. Do you understand?"

Not long after he left, a young girl flashed out from the side door next to the Taoist priestess; she was Zhao Ying, the younger sister of Zhao Yuan

In fact, they are also aware of the name of the prodigy Mo Yuan. The two disciples who just lost have been seen by them, and they know that they may not necessarily win. Not to mention the shame of losing, which would also bring disgrace to their families. As for the honor and disgrace of the sect, it naturally cannot compare to the reputation of the family. Therefore, they would rather endure the situation here than take the risk.

In ancient times, at the foot of Mount Gao, there was a group of villagers who relied on a spiritual stream for survival due to the scarcity of water sources. However, this stream was often intermittent, causing great suffering for the villagers. As they frequently observed ten elephants playing in the stream, they believed the elephants were to blame. After repeated unsuccessful attempts to drive them away, they decided to capture and kill the ten elephants, resulting in a clear flow of the stream

Before long, a young man entered from the side hall, bowed to the surrounding disciples, and with a somber expression said: "I, as a junior disciple, am lacking in skill and can only place my hopes on Senior Brother Zhen. I feel ashamed."

Originally, there was a saying about passing through the Mountain Gate: as long as one believes in their exceptional abilities, they may stop any fellow practitioner on the road to engage in skillful exchanges. This serves to enhance their reputation, and regardless of the outcome, it becomes a noteworthy tale. Therefore, the disciples of the Nanhua sect do not take it to heart

That junior brother Chen repeatedly waved his hand and said, "Brother Zheng need not say more; as a disciple of the Chen family, it is inconvenient for me to intervene in this matter."

Approximately one hour later, he finally arrived at the entrance of Shangze Guanshan.

Everyone fell silent.

Some disciples believe that although the water flow is intermittent, the villagers can still survive, and therefore, the status quo should be maintained and endured; others believe that since the villagers can kill elephants, they should also be able to kill giant snakes, and thus should go upstream to slay the giant snakes; even more disciples argue that the villagers are unaware of the underlying causes and can only remedy the situation afterward, so one person should be sent out daily to feed the snake

At this moment, Ai Zhongwen was seated at the lower end of the table. Upon hearing these words, he couldn't help but shake his head. With such a stalemate, when would it come to an end? Did the Mingcang Sect truly not care about their reputation?

The path of cultivation sometimes requires perseverance and bold advancement, while at other times it necessitates caution and a gradual approach. The choice lies entirely within oneself. At present, he lacks neither scriptures nor elixirs, and a breakthrough in his realm is imminent. Therefore, there is no need to compete for these two or three days.

In fact, what Master Zhao Ying said that day was not "kill one elephant," but rather "leave nine elephants." Although there is no essential difference between "one kill" and "one leave," the disposition and demeanor revealed are entirely different. From the response, it can be seen that Zhang Yan's temperament is decisive yet cautious. However, when he uttered this phrase, he was filled with killing intent, his gaze sharp and electric, and this aura made her feel a chill of fear.

In summary, the answers are varied and numerous

About a quarter of an hour later, a young boy entered to report: "Brothers, Brother Zhen has fainted."

In that case, there is no need to insist

He thought for a moment, stood up, and exclaimed: "Senior Brother Zheng, I know of someone in the Shanyuan Temple who has profound expertise in the art of inscription, and he will surely surpass Mo Yuan!"

However, it is uncertain whether it is due to the timing not being right; although he feels that his energy flows smoothly along the meridians and the essence within his navel is becoming increasingly robust, he has yet to take the step he desires.

Some time ago, Ai Zhongwen had come to invite him to attend a Dharma assembly together, but he politely declined, citing insufficient merit as the reason.

Zheng Xun's gaze fell upon a young man in white, and he said: "Junior Brother Chen, you..."

Zhang Yan thought for a moment and immediately replied without hesitation: "One elephant is enough to kill."

Zhang Yan immediately said without hesitation: "It is from 'New Explanations of Language and Diagram', authored by the recluse Kong Lan a hundred years ago"

The Taoist priestess fixed her gaze on Zhang Yan's eyes and said, "Since you are aware, I will ask you again: if you were that villager, what would you do?"

Three years ago, the Nanhua Sect's lower house served as the host for a Dharma assembly. At that time, there was an entry-level disciple from the Mingcang Sect named Chen Feng. His younger sister had joined the sect of a Nanhua master ten years prior, but for reasons unknown, she met a tragic end. The details of the incident remain unclear; nonetheless, from that point on, the two families harbored mutual animosity.

On the following day, at the early hour of the Yin, he bathed and changed his clothes, calmly tidying himself up. After donning a dark robe adorned with cloud patterns, he leisurely made his way to the Cloud-Swaying Peak.

At this moment, sitting in the prominent position is Zheng Xun, the eldest disciple of the lower house of Dexiu Temple. Among the crowd, he is the oldest and possesses the highest level of cultivation. However, this individual has a peaceful disposition and is not inclined to engage in conflicts with others

"Are you Zhang Yan?" This Taoist priestess seemed to have heard of Zhang Yan's name. She looked him up and down and said, "I have heard that you are well-versed in the art of erosion script. Then let me ask you, from which classic does the term 'Xianghe' originate?"

Zheng Xun sighed and said, "Although Mo Yuanmo, a junior brother from the Guangyuan Sect, is still young, it is said that he can interpret the inscriptions in books with just a gesture. I have now dispatched Junior Brothers Ma and Zhen to confront him. Whether they can win remains to be seen."

Zhao Ying's curiosity was piqued, and she asked, "What did the master say?"

A couple of days ago, Mo Yuan obstructed the road, claiming he wanted to compete with Shi Wen. At that time, he did not take this matter to heart. However, until today, no disciple has been able to reach the summit of the Three Mountains Gate. Only then did he realize something was amiss and understood that this was a retaliation from the Guangyuan Sect. If they continued to wait, it would be truly embarrassing for the Mingcang Sect, as the leader would have no one at the peak. Therefore, he summoned all the disciples to discuss countermeasures together.

Zhao Ying exclaimed, "My master answered in the same way?"

However, the villagers were unaware that there was a giant snake cultivating upstream. Every time the giant snake came down to drink water, the elephants would step forward to drive it away. Once the herd of elephants perished, there was no one to control the giant snake. After it cultivated into a spirit, it descended the mountain and began to devour people daily, leading to the scattering of the villagers.

As soon as he stepped through the mountain gate, someone reached out to block his way and coldly said: "Hold on, which sect's disciple are you?"

Chen Feng hails from the Dengyang branch of the Chen family, while Chen Shidi comes from the Luochuan branch of the Chen family. Although they share the same lineage, they had already split into separate branches a century ago. His statement, while an excuse to avoid involvement, is not entirely unfounded. Zheng Xun should not press too hard, and his gaze shifted to another man with a stern expression.

Afterward, whether it was interpreting the eclipse script or engaging in combat, all the disciples of the Nanhua Sect were defeated one by one by Chen Feng. Originally, if he had chosen to withdraw at this point, no one would have blamed him. However, this individual insisted on blocking the mountain path, claiming he would trap the disciples of the Nanhua Sect there until the Dharma assembly concluded

Zhang Yan glanced over and discovered that standing before him was a Daoist nun, approximately in her thirties, holding a whisk. She had fair skin and a beautiful appearance; however, her eyebrows were raised, and her gaze was piercing. Her nose was straight like that of a man, making it evident at a glance that she was a person of strong character

Zhang Yan cupped his hands in salute, lifted the hem of his Daoist robe, stepped over the threshold, and strode inside.

Zhang Yan, a disciple of the Shanyuan Temple, naturally had to enter through the "Heavenly Gate." He presented the copper token, and the attendant did not dare to obstruct him, allowing others to enter the mountain gate.

The Taoist priestess gazed into the distance, seemingly deep in thought

The young disciple hurriedly said: "Brother Mo has fainted, solely due to exhaustion of spirit and energy"

"Yutu Xinshuo" is a travelogue, and "Elephant River" is one of the stories within it

The disciples looked at each other in confusion, and one of them stood up and coldly said: "Could it be that the distant vision cannot prevail, hence the use of force?"

Three years ago, after Chen Feng returned to the mountain, he opened the celestial vein and went to the upper courtyard for cultivation. Given his current status, it is naturally impossible for him to return here. However, he left, leaving this disastrous consequence to the lower courtyard

Zhang Yan said in a deep voice: "Although today is the day of the Ten Elephants, if we allow them to proliferate, how can we be certain that tomorrow will be the same? As the number of elephants increases, there will come a day when Lingxi will be completely cut off. Therefore, the elephants cannot be spared; the Ten Elephants can drive away the giant snake, indicating that the herd is in a position of strength. Whether there is one more or one less makes no significant difference. The water flow is originally intermittent; with one less elephant, it will flow more smoothly, allowing the villagers to survive without the giant snake coming out to devour people"

This story does not have a standard answer, the Taoist priestess remained expressionless and cleared the way, saying: "You may enter."

The original intention of this story is to admonish practitioners not to be deceived by superficial appearances during their cultivation journey, but rather to investigate the underlying causes and find appropriate methods to address them. Therefore, it is also used by mentors to assess the character and disposition of their junior disciples.

Junior Brother Lin Yuan... ...

During the occasion of the Dharma Assembly, Chen Feng blocked the "Heavenly Gate" path, loudly proclaiming his intention to compete with the disciples of the Nanhua Sect.

The Taoist priestess's gaze flickered as she pressed further, "Why?"

In the偏殿 of the mountain gate, more than twenty entry-level disciples from the Mingcang Sect's lower house have gathered. These individuals all hail from prominent families within the Xuanmen sect, and they typically have their own social circles. Therefore, in the eyes of the other disciples on Cangwu Mountain, they are all known by name but seldom seen in person

The entrance to the Head Mountain Temple is traditionally divided into three doorways, inscribed with the characters "Heaven," "Earth," and "Human" respectively. The "Heavenly Gate" has historically been reserved for the disciples of the Eastern Master, the "Earthly Gate" is for the disciples of various sects to pass through, and the "Human Gate" is designated for the nobility, officials, and wealthy individuals to come and go.