Journey to the West: Break the entire Western Heaven!

"You have three minutes to showcase your talent. If you qualify, you will accompany me on my journey westward. If not, just go on doing whatever you were doing... Alright, please begin your performance!"

At that moment, Master of Heaven was stunned in place.

Now he finally understood why Sun Wukong and the others had brought stools and were cracking sunflower seeds; they were waiting to watch a grand show!

Master of Heaven's face turned dark, but then he saw Tang Sanzang's serious and expectant little expression.

Master of Heaven forced a smile and said, "This… I… it seems like… um…"

Zhu Ganglie shouted, "Talent is actually very simple, dancing or singing would do! But don't even think about tasks like leading horses or doing laundry and cooking; we've got all that covered."

Master of Heaven gave him a glare, then looked at his twenty-odd disciples, who also wore expectant looks, and with a bitter smile, bowed to Tang Sanzang, saying, "Senior, I really don't have any talents, maybe we shouldn't go west after all."

Jokingly, if it were just Tang Sanzang, he wouldn't need to play it up too much, and performing something might still be considered.

But in front of a chatty monkey, a usually unrestrained pig, and a seemingly honest but sly monk, he believed that if he dared to perform, by tomorrow it would be known throughout the Three Realms.

Most importantly, if he really performed some act in front of his own disciples, he would lose all the face he had accumulated over countless years…

Tang Sanzang scratched his head and said, "Oh, no talent, then never mind."

Realizing he wouldn't gain much from Master of Heaven this time, Tang Sanzang simply changed direction, pulling Sun Wukong aside, "Brother Sun, following Senior Tang on our journey west, you must have learned a lot, right? Why don't we exchange some pointers?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong inwardly smiled bitterly. He indeed wished Tang Sanzang could have guided him well, but this bald monk didn't cultivate at all! Along the way, it was either eating, gallivanting, or eyeing female demons on the mountains...

With such a mentor, he really couldn't find any learning points!

Seeing Sun Wukong hesitating, Master of Heaven said, "Brother Sun, I felt a connection with you at first sight, and we seemed to get along through our scuffles. Why don't we become sworn brothers?"

Master of Heaven's thinking was simple; he had lived through that era and was well aware of the power that Tang Sanzang represented. Though he held a high status himself, he still harbored his own ambitions and knew he needed a patron's support to reach new heights.

Nowadays, with ancient gods gone, Buddhism and Taoism divided, and no saints emerging while Quasi-Saints were establishing sects, it was hard to find such a patron.

Having finally found Tang Sanzang, the bald monk, there was no way he could let him slip by.

The reason for choosing to be sworn brothers with Sun Wukong was simple too. He had realized that being a disciple of the bald monk first required talent, and secondly… it seemed quite risky.

Thus, becoming sworn brothers with Sun Wukong and maintaining a connection to later pay respects to Tang Sanzang seemed like the way to go.

Sun Wukong's thoughts were even simpler; since he couldn't learn anything from Tang Sanzang, learning something from Master of Heaven wouldn't be too bad.

So, the two joyfully became sworn brothers.

Inside the grand hall of Wuzhuang Temple, the two stood before the characters for heaven and earth, burned incense, kowtowed, and loudly declared, "Today, I Sun Wukong [Master of Heaven] and Master of Heaven [Sun Wukong] become sworn brothers, witnessed by heaven and earth, judged by the sun and the moon. We do not ask to be born on the same day, month, or year, but to die on the same day, month, and year!"

Just then, a bald head came over and said, "I like that phrase, although I can't help with the first part, I might try the latter."

The two of them: "@#￥#...MMP!"

…

In the next few days, Tang Sanzang was not eager to travel west. Each day, he took Sha Wujing and wreaked havoc on small animals in the mountains, setting up a stove on the east side and a roasting rack on the west, feasting until their mouths were greased, much to their delight.

Zhen Yuanzi then took the opportunity to start rigorously training Sun Wukong. While he taught Sun Wukong about the Dao and scriptures, he also sparred with Wukong day and night.

"Second brother, you are exceptionally gifted and have tremendous potential, but you are also hindered by this very potential. Do you know what kind of elixirs you originally ate?" Zhen Yuanzi asked.

Sun Wukong shook his head, a bit embarrassed, and chuckled, "At that time, I was just focused on eating, I really didn't notice what they were."

Zhen Yuanzi said, "In the world, immortals are divided into True Immortal, Profound Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi True Immortal, Taiching Profound Immortal, Daluo Golden Immortal, Hunyuan Daoguo, Quasi-Saint, and Saint—nine levels in total.

True Immortal, Profound Immortal, and Golden Immortal account for seventy to eighty percent of the immortal population.

This is because advancing from a Golden Immortal to a Taiyi True Immortal is as difficult as a stone trying to attain immortality.

Advancing from a Taiyi True Immortal to a Taiching Profound Immortal is more difficult than summing up the difficulties from True Immortal to Golden Immortal.

And for a Taiching Profound Immortal to step into the realm of a Daluo Golden Immortal, the difficulty surpasses the sum of all previous difficulties!

Therefore, those who can reach the step of Daluo Golden Immortal are considered famed and first-rate experts in this world. Not to say that they can act unbridled, but they are respected wherever they go. Even if ascending to the Lingxiao Palace, there is no need for them to kneel or show deference!
Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

Among those elixirs you ate, the best was the Nine Turns Golden Elixir, which is said to help a peak Taiching Profound Immortal step into the realm of a Daluo Golden Immortal with just one pill!"

Sun Wukong, hearing this, was a bit frustrated and said, "Big brother, you said that a single Nine Turns Golden Elixir could create a Daluo Golden Immortal, but I ate quite a few of those! Why am I still stuck in the Taiyi True Immortal realm?"

Zhen Yuanzi chuckled bitterly, "As I said, your strength and your trouble are both rooted in your foundational capabilities. Your deep foundation and profound potential allow you to absorb more power at your level, strengthen your body and soul, and thus unleash a power far surpassing those of the same level.

This is precisely why in battles among peers, hardly anyone is your match, and even when you cross major thresholds in battle, you face little pressure.

But here lies the problem, your body every time it wants to advance, needs several times, dozens of times, even hundreds of times more energy and fundamental understanding of the Dao than others.

This makes your advancement in realms exponentially more difficult!

Therefore, while others may break through with one golden elixir into Daluo Golden Immortal, you have consumed over a dozen without any effect."

Sun Wukong opened his mouth and said, "So... is this a good thing, or a bad one?"

Zhen Yuanzi replied, "It's both a good thing and a bad thing.

Those Daluo Golden Immortals who ascended through elixirs, although they also display the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Qi's facing the Yuan aspects, because they did not transcend the realms through their own comprehension, are essentially fluffy pillows embellished with embroidery—seemingly Daluo Golden Immortals but in reality, they are easily defeated.

In the presence of a true Daluo Golden Immortal, they are no different from ants, hardly worth mentioning, and can only deceive those who are ignorant.

Therefore, they are more commonly referred to as 'pseudo-Daluo Golden Immortals.' The lower their own potential, the easier it is for them to step into this realm, but of course, the lower their potential, the weaker they are after becoming pseudo-Daluo Golden Immortals.

But you are different, your body is destined to rely on its own comprehension to advance, so you are forced to proceed one step at a time.

Such grounding makes your foundation exceptionally stable; once you truly step into Daluo Golden Immortal, none under the heavens would be your match."