"I've been learning cooking from my master for years, and I've made some achievements!" As soon as he mentioned himself, Sun Wukong suddenly remembered what Chen Nuo had said about not being too proud, and with a touch of his head, he chuckled.
Six Ears first sized him up and marveled inwardly; indeed, this get-up was that of a chef. Then, looking at the cleaver in his hand, he believed him a bit more.
Who would have thought that after all the efforts of Buddhism, they would be unaware that this monkey was right here at Mount Fangcun of the Mountain of Mind and Heart.
The two of them had been neighbors for over a decade.
Instead of walking the clear path to Tongtian greatness, he chose to learn cooking -- how ridiculous!
Wasn't this simply handing over the opportunity to him on a silver platter?
Without any hesitation now, Six Ears's mouth curled up as he said, "Since we're on the topic of finding immortals, why have you turned into a chef? You're clearly lying; you're the fake one!"
No sooner had these words come out, the other monkeys began to follow Six Ears's line of thinking, nodding in agreement, thinking it made sense, and also looking at Sun Wukong with eyes of doubt.
"I too have cultivation!" Sun Wukong retorted.
Six Ears, standing arrogantly on the throne, pushed his luck further: "Then do you have the guts to compete with me?"
Naturally, Six Ears could discern some level of cultivation from Sun Wukong's move that had intimidated the monkey children, but he didn't care in the least.
The monkey children were just some who had newly attained spiritual wisdom, or even monkeys that hadn't awakened it yet. It was not that remarkable to influence them.
Perhaps this monkey had acquired some cheap tricks from an unorthodox source, none that would withstand scrutiny.
Guided by the saint Shan Shi, he was extremely confident.
"Let's compete then!" Sun Wukong was not afraid at all.
The two, surrounded by a crowd of monkeys, walked out of Shuilian Cave and came onto a large open space.
"I see you're unarmed, so I won't take advantage of you. There's no need for weapons," Sun Wukong said, and tucked the cleaver that Chen Nuo had given him, which he had used for ten years, back at his waist.
Six Ears sneered coldly: "If you say that your weapon is only this sorry cleaver, I think you might as well use it."
Sun Wukong's face chilled; someone was actually insulting his cooking utensils!
He stopped what he was doing, and the hand gripping the handle of the cleaver tightened its hold.
"You, come at me anytime you're ready!" Six Ears beckoned provocatively, his eyes exuding supreme confidence.
Whoosh!
The words had barely left his mouth when Sun Wukong disappeared from his spot before Six Ears's eyes. Almost at the same moment, a sharp whooshing sound arose near his ear.
The look on Six Ears's face changed drastically as he transformed into a flying insect in an instant, narrowly evading the strike.
"How can you be so fast!" Ten meters away from Sun Wukong, Six Ears finally reverted from his spell.
His face was full of shock; it had been too fast, and had he not reacted with quick wits, he might have been sent straight to the Western Heaven.
"I got this speed from sipping soup!" Sun Wukong said nonchalantly, as if the slash just now had not come from him.
"Sipping soup? Are you joking with me?"
Six Ears utterly refused to accept this, but Sun Wukong was indeed not lying.
It was a divine skill he had enlightened himself with from Chen Nuo over the past ten years, comprehended through the Long Feitang soup, named Carefree Thought, allowing him to travel a hundred thousand miles in a single thought!
"You call this learning to be a chef?!" Six Ears roared, frustrated. When had chefs become so formidable!
"Quit the chatter, are you going to fight or not?" Sun Wukong, picking his ear, was getting impatient.
"Fight!" Six Ears, grinding his teeth, took the offensive.
He swung his fist towards Sun Wukong's face, but Sun Wukong did not dodge or strike with his cleaver; he simply raised his left hand and met the blow.
Bang!
Upon the clash of fists, Six Ears instantly felt a tremendous force from his arm that he couldn't resist and was sent flying backward.
It crushed several of Huaguo Mountain's natural fruit trees.
"Impossible!"
Six Ears was utterly astonished; although he was not known for his strength, he was still of higher attacking rank!
The punch he had just thrown was wrapped in mana; how could he possibly lose, especially since he was at the early stages of a Taiyi Golden Immortal!
However, how could Six Ears have known how much Sun Wukong had grown over the years in Chen Nuo's little store? In a mere decade, his cultivation level had progressed from nothing to the mid-stage of a Taiyi Golden Immortal!
He had also gleaned a variety of divine skills from Chen Nuo's dishes, not to mention a nine-thousand-year-old Flat Peach—the enormity of its energy was imaginable!
If it weren't for Chen Nuo deliberately suppressing Sun Wukong's realm, allowing this energy to solidify Sun Wukong's cultivation and temper his physical strength,
the monkey now would probably be on the verge of becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal.
Moreover, Sun Wukong was cultivating the same Great Celestial Skills, thus there was only one possible outcome for Six Ears confronting him—he would get thrashed!
Ten years to reach Taiyi, indeed unbelievable, but Sun Wukong was transformed from the Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone and was situated on Heaven-Mending Merits, having absorbed the Essence of Sun and Moon for who knows how long; it was entirely within reason.
After all, many innately powerful beings are born as Daluo Golden Immortals.
Heavenly Court.
"Reporting to the Jade Emperor, something terrible has happened, that monkey has started fighting!" Thousand-Mile Eye rushed in, with a hint of urgency on his face.
Haotian, with his head lowered looking at the Immortal Official's memorial, did not even lift his eyelids: "So it's fighting, what's there to report?"
It's not just now that that monkey is fighting—later on, it'll even come here to fight in the heavens!
"No, it's that the monkey started fighting with itself!"
Haotian was instantly baffled; what was this situation?
Seeing the bemused expression on Haotian, Thousand-Mile Eye quickly organized his thoughts and spoke again: "Reporting to the Jade Emperor, two stone monkeys have appeared on Huaguo Mountain, and they have started fighting!"
Two stone monkeys? How could that be possible? Haotian and the other immortals were still dumbfounded.
Saint Nuwa clearly left only one Heaven-Mending Stone, could it be twins?
Haotian raised his hand, and immediately, the Haotian Mirror was summoned; the immortals looked intently, and couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts.
"It's true, there are two! They are just dressed differently, but, the disparity in their strengths is huge."
"That monkey holding a kitchen knife is constantly chasing the one in the Daoist robe, slashing wildly, with the slashed monkey only managing to dodge in embarrassment."
...
"You... are courting death!" Six Ears, who had been retreating in defeat, finally couldn't bear it any longer; his eyes bloodshot, he leaped into an open area and bellowed, "Dharma Characteristic Heaven and Earth!"
As these words fell, Six Ears' body began to ascend, swelling with the wind, and in an instant, it was as large as a mountain.
His features were ferocious, like a colossal beast, his massive body bolstering Six Ears' confidence.
Swinging his fists, Six Ears laughed aloud: "Just now, I let you run wild, now witness my true capabilities!"
Dharma Characteristic Heaven and Earth is an extremely powerful combat supernatural power; as one's body grows larger, combat strength increases exponentially—this was Six Ears' ultimate move.
"You were already like an eel that old Sun couldn't flatten, and now you've done it, aren't you just asking for a beating?"
Sun Wukong chuckled insouciantly, not at all intimidated.
Six Ears scoffed coldly, his voice thundering as he threw a punch towards the ant-like Sun Wukong.
Boom!
With that punch, more than half of Huaguo Mountain trembled; some monkeys were shocked off the trees, grimacing in pain.
Cracks spread out from where Six Ears' fist hit the ground.
"Squash you like squashing an ant!" Six Ears laughed.