At the third level, Wukong went to the front of the Lotus Cave to challenge, fought thirty rounds with Silver Horn King, and it was a tie. Wukong threw the幌jin rope, and it tightly bound the demon head. Unexpectedly, although Wukong had the treasure, he did not know how to chant the spell. The demon head recognized it as his own treasure, so he chanted the "Loosen the Hoop Spell" and freed himself from the rope, instead capturing Wukong. What a sudden change in situation! Wukong turned from an advantage to a disadvantage, being tied up and taken back to the Lotus Cave by the demon head. However, the demon underestimated the capabilities of Great Sage. He merely tied him to a pillar, giving him a chance to escape. Taking advantage when the demon was asleep at night, Wukong used his iron rod to transform into a pure steel file, cutting the golden hoop into two pieces. Then he transformed into a little demon and conveniently stole the幌jin rope.
Subsequently, Wukong challenged again, but this time he changed his name to "Zhe Xing Sun". The demon used the purple-gold red gourd to try to capture Wukong, who thought to himself: "My real name is Sun Xingzhe, my ghost name is Zhe Xing Sun. My real name can be captured, but my ghost name cannot." However, the treasure didn't care about the authenticity of the name; as long as there was a response, it would work. Once again, the situation placed Wukong in a very unfavorable predicament. Inside the gourd, it was pitch black, and Wukong couldn't breathe. Fortunately, he had been refined in Laozi's alchemy furnace for forty-nine days, forming a "golden heart and liver, silver lungs, copper head, iron arms, and fiery eyes", preventing him from turning into pus within a short period. But how could he escape? The author here arranged a highly imaginative plot: Wukong urinated and then deliberately cried out loudly, deceiving the demon into believing that his waist bones were melting. This trick made the demon loosen the bottle cap, allowing Wukong to transform into a small insect and fly out. Readers might smile at this point because, on one hand, it shows Wukong's resourcefulness and fearlessness in danger; on the other hand, it aligns perfectly with Wukong's monkey nature. It's different from when Wukong left a puddle of urine on Buddha's palm, which reflected disrespect for heavenly authority; this time, the urine more so demonstrates Wukong's mockery and disdain for the demon.
Wukong followed the same method, transforming once again into a little demon, using a switch-and-replace tactic to steal the purple-gold red gourd, and then challenging again. This time, his identity changed again, becoming "Xingzhe Sun". At this point, Sun Wukong was truly confident. His mischievous and teasing nature came out again:
The demon, unaware of the deception, truthfully revealed the origin of the gourd: "This gourd dates back to the beginning of chaos, when heaven opened and earth split. There was a Great Supreme Elder who transformed into Nuwa, refining stones to mend the sky and save the world. When mending the sky reached the Kunlun Mountain, there was a strand of immortal vine, on which hung this purple-gold red gourd, left behind by Laozi until now." The Great Sage, hearing this, imitated his tone and said: "My gourd also comes from there." The demon asked: "How do you prove it?" The Great Sage replied: "Since the separation of clear and turbid elements, the sky was incomplete in the northwest, and the earth was incomplete in the southeast. The Great Supreme Daoist transformed into Nuwa, mending the sky's deficiencies. Upon reaching the foot of Kunlun Mountain, there was a strand of immortal vine, bearing two gourds. I obtained the male one, and yours is the female one." The monster said: "Don't talk about male and female; as long as it can hold people, it's a good treasure." The Great Sage said: "You're right; let you go first."
The monster was delighted, leaping up into the air, holding the gourd, and shouting "Xingzhe Sun!" Hearing this, Wukong continuously responded eight or nine times without stopping, yet he wasn't captured. The demon fell down, stomping his feet and pounding his chest, saying: "Heaven! I thought worldly affairs never changed! Such a treasure also fears a husband; the female sees the male and dares not to capture!"