The peak of Magic Square Mountain, where the flowing sea of clouds began to ripple slowly.
Surrounding Sun Wukong, there shone a radiance of five colors, swirling like five dragons.
Five Qi's converging toward the primal, with the interweaving radiance, three unopened flowers appeared in gold, silver, and leaden hues, faintly emerging around him.
Immediately, the wondrous mystery of immortality spread throughout his whole body, transforming and elevating his flesh and Primordial Spirit.
Boom, boom, boom!
Strong auras burst forth in an instant, and as the heavens and earth roared, the sea of clouds spiraled into angry waves and surges.
"Disperse!" the Bodhi Patriarch waved his sleeve, and everything returned to calm. The momentum just now had not spread beyond Magic Square Mountain.
On the huge rock at the mountaintop, Sun Wukong opened his eyes and glanced at the now tranquil sea of clouds, aware of how substantial the recent disturbance had been.
"It must have been the master secretly protecting me," he thought, moved.
He stood up again, gazing out at the sea of clouds, his slender figure under the wide Daoist robe now looking even more upright.
"Immortal and deathless as a Golden Immortal, I have finally attained eternal life!" he declared.
Now immortal, how far could sainthood be?
With the Persuasion System in place, Sun Wukong was brimming with confidence and then made his way back to the Three-Star Cave.
As the master had said before, once his cultivation reached a certain level, he would transmit to him The Way of Divine Powers.
Now that he had achieved the deathless state of a Golden Immortal, surely his cultivation was sufficient, wasn't it?
Atop the clouds, the Bodhi Patriarch and the woodcutter silently watched Sun Wukong depart.
"Shouldn't the master consider teaching him more now?" the woodcutter suddenly asked.
"That depends on how grand his heart is," the Bodhi Patriarch said gently, stroking his beard. "If he can keep to his true nature and embrace the world, then everything will follow his heart's desires.
Otherwise, the more I teach him, the more I harm him."
"Little junior brother, you must be more daring, your heart must be broader," the woodcutter adjusted his axe at his waist, filled with expectations for Sun Wukong.
...
Sun Wukong returned to his dwelling, his consciousness already connecting with Zhihu.
Initially, it was the Omniscient of the Wild that taught him the dynamic and static cultivation techniques, advising him to practice both every day to cultivate the Nine Turn Xuan Gong and the Nine Turn Yuan Gong.
With these two pieces of advice, not only was his cultivation no difficulty, but he also received two first-level treasure boxes from the Persuasion System every day. The rewards from those boxes mostly enhanced his physical and Primordial Spirit's cultivation.
It was thus that he managed to become a Golden Immortal in just one year's time.
Although only in the early stages of being a Golden Immortal, it was still an immortal body.
Therefore, he held feelings of gratitude towards the Omniscient of the Wild, his senior.
Soon, Sun Wukong found the earlier inquiry post about cultivation and replied to the Omniscient of the Wild: "Thank you, senior, for your guidance. In one year of cultivation, I have become a Golden Immortal.
Please leave the location of your immortal mountain cave abode, and I will surely repay the favor someday."
After a while, the Omniscient of the Wild replied, "No need, no need, it was a slight effort. I just find the Sun Wukong's simulated life you are playing quite interesting. I have followed you."
Sun Wukong scratched his face, realizing through the year's insights that the seniors on Zhihu all thought he was playing a game called Simulated Life, which is why they often participated.
This was fine; it saved him from owing favors to these seniors without being able to repay them.
Afterwards, he posted another question.
"I am Sun Wukong, and my mentor is about to transmit to me the Way of Divine Powers. Are there any points I should be aware of?"
The responses came quickly this time, as many seniors were already following him.
Embarrassment Eight: "Thanks for the invite, I'm in the States, just got off the plane. Over here, I'd suggest you definitely learn all of the Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends. After all, only children make choices!"
All-Knowing of the Primordial Chaos: "The person above is right!"
Miss YY from Class 1-2: "Monkey bro, Monkey bro, the person above is right!"
Not A Place To Stay Long: "Don't mess up the formation above!"
Lord of the Love Burial Clan: "Don't mess up the formation above!"
Let Uncle Wang Have a Look: "Don't mess up the formation above!"
…
Sun Wukong immediately shut off the Zhihu page in his mind; these seniors, once they go crazy, are truly incomprehensible.
But he already got what he wanted; a voice had just risen in his mind.
[You have received a new suggestion: Learn all the Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends, complete the suggestion to receive a fourth-tier treasure box.]
"Hmm, Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends?" Wukong scratched his head and his eyes darted about, a plan forming in his heart.
Next, he was just waiting for the Grandmaster's summon to impart on him The Way of Divine Powers!
He had only waited half a day when he heard Master Bodhi's voice in his ear: "Come and see me immediately."
It was deep into the night, and Wukong moved forward, bathed in moonlight, occasionally hopping along, his heart brimming with joy and self-satisfaction.
Although he had yet to learn any Supernatural Spells, with his current level of cultivation, none of the senior brothers on Magic Square Mountain could sense his movements.
In no time, he arrived at Master Bodhi's place.
"I pay my respects to Master," Wukong said joyfully, bowing. "Disciple has become a Golden Immortal; please impart some of The Way of Divine Powers."
"Not bad," Bodhi, Master laughed and nodded, "So be it, here I have the numbers of Heavenly Guards, which include thirty-six transformations, and the numbers of Earthly Fiends, which include seventy-two transformations. Which do you want to learn?"
After speaking, he looked at his pupil, whose eyes were shining, and felt a sense of expectation.
"Master, you're not making it easy," Wukong chuckled, "Knowing that your disciple desires strength, how could you make me choose? If you ask me to choose, of course I want to learn both types of transformations."
"Ha-ha, good, very good!" Master Bodhi laughed heartily, very pleased.
This showed that the last time Wukong wanted to learn a stronger Cultivation Technique, it wasn't just a whim; he truly wanted to grow stronger.
His disciple's ambition was greater than he had thought!
This was very good!
"If you wish to grow stronger, then I also have the Art of Riding Clouds. Would you like to learn it?" Master Bodhi offered again.
"Master, please enlighten me, what is the Art of Riding Clouds?" Wukong asked, scratching his head.
"Those who master the Art of Riding Clouds can journey to the North Sea in the morning and reach the Cangwu Forest by dusk," Master Bodhi explained with a smile, "Starting from the North Sea in the morning, then traversing the East, West, and South Seas, before returning to the Cangwu Forest, around the four seas, across nine provinces and four seas, the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks—all can be traversed in a single day."
"Master, this is splendid!" Wukong gleaming with excitement. He continued, "The birds, insects, and fish of this world each have different speeds, and so must the Art of Riding Clouds. Disciple also wants to learn a faster way to ride the clouds!"
"In that case, I'll teach you the Somersault Cloud," Master Bodhi was even more satisfied and elaborated further, "With this cloud, you form the hand seals, chant the incantation, clench your fists tight, give your body a shake, and leap up. One somersault will take you a hundred and eight thousand miles!"
"A hundred and eight thousand miles, ha!" Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks in sheer delight.
What a Divine Skill!
After the teachings of the Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends numbers and the Somersault Cloud were finished, Wukong left, contented, leaving behind an equally satisfied Master Bodhi.
As he was imparted with the teachings, a voice also resounded in Wukong's mind.
[Congratulations, you have completed the suggestion—Learn all of the Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends, and received a fourth-tier treasure box.]