Sun Wukong returned to his residence and couldn't wait to engage in contemplation and cultivation.
True to the adage "When one portal opens, all others follow," once he learned the incantations and practiced on his own, he quickly mastered both the Heavenly Gang Transformation and the Earthly Fiend Transformation.
It was the same with the Cloud Somersault, he practiced the divine techniques, and learned it very quickly as well.
Only at dawn did he remember that there was a fourth-order treasure chest yet to be opened.
"Open!"
[You have opened a fourth-order treasure chest, congratulations on obtaining the Heavenly Gang Method and the Earthly Fiend Method.]
"Eh? Isn't this what Old Sun just learned?" Sun Wukong was puzzled.
But soon, a rush of memory and understanding flooded into his mind, and he then realized what rewards came from opening the chest.
The Heavenly Gang Method encompassed thirty-six Divine Skills, such as Spinning Creation, Reversing Yin and Yang, Shrinking and Enlarging at Will, Instant Flower Blossoming, Subduing Dragons and Tigers, and Exuding Primordial Yang, among others.
The Earthly Fiend Method included seventy-two Lesser Divine Skills, such as Ghost Passage, God Driving, Carrying Mountains, Borrowing Winds, Praying for Rain, Body Immobilization, Dream Implantation, and others.
The numbers of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends were merely two different types of transformational Divine Skills.
"Excellent, Old Sun has even more techniques at his disposal now!" Sun Wukong was delighted and immediately resumed his contemplation and cultivation.
However, after practicing for a while, he found the Divine Skills from the Heavenly Gang Method and Earthly Fiend Method were significantly more difficult to cultivate.
What's more, some of the Greater Divine Skills required a certain level of cultivation; one must reach a specific realm of strength to perform them.
Therefore, he still needed to continue improving his cultivation in order to become stronger!
Following this, he tirelessly practiced both dynamic and static cultivation techniques daily. Under these two peculiar methods of cultivation, the realms of both the Nine Transformations Mysterious Primordial Technique and the Nine Transformations Origin Technique steadily improved.
Furthermore, with the daily reward from opening chests, which invariably enhanced his bodily cultivation and Primordial Spirit cultivation, his strength increased much faster than anyone had anticipated!
Before long, another year passed.
Atop Magic Square Mountain, Sun Wukong sat cross-legged on a huge rock, emitting a powerful aura that surged towards the heavens, threatening to break through the sky, causing the sea of clouds in all directions to roar once again.
Patriarch Bodhi appeared above the clouds just as he did before and with a wave of his sleeve, calmed everything down.
Soon after, a woodcutter carrying a bundle of firewood arrived, looking at Sun Wukong on the mountain summit in astonishment, "Does his talent know no bounds? Just one year, and in just one year he went from Golden Immortal to Daluo Golden Immortal?!"
If we speak of difficulty, the task of advancing from Golden Immortal to Daluo Golden Immortal is much more arduous than that of a mortal cultivating to the level of Golden Immortal!
It's not just a hundred times more difficult, but a thousand times, ten thousand times, or even a million times.
Keep in mind that since the Primordial Era, countless cultivators have been trapped at the Golden Immortal realm, unable to produce the Daluo spiritual fruit.
At this moment, divine light circulated within both Sun Wukong's body and Primordial Spirit. The previously dormant Golden Flower, Silver Flower, and Lead Flower began to emanate mysterious Daoist ripples.
Suddenly, the three flowers blossomed at once, each producing twelve petals and ascending above Sun Wukong's head, known as the Tri-Floral Crown.
The next moment, the three flowers coalesced and withered, rapidly forming a tri-colored fruit of gold, silver, and lead as a dazzling halo surrounded it, seemingly filled with endless Daoist charm and capable of reflecting the vast expanse of space and time.
The Daluo spiritual fruit!
"Flowers blooming with twelve ranks?" Seeing this, the woodcutter could hardly contain his shock and asked Patriarch Bodhi, "Master, did you secretly feed the little junior brother some chaotic treasure?"
Even during the Primordial Era, not a single being managed to produce flowers with twelve ranks while bonding with the Daluo spiritual fruit.
The Three Pure Ones, Nu Wa, and the two saints of the West all had nine ranks.
And yet, here was Sun Wukong, unfolding a flower with twelve ranks!
Bodhi Patriarch glanced at the woodcutter and was also surprised.
Even if one practiced both the Eight or Nine Profound Techniques and Nine Transformations Mysterious Primordial Technique, one couldn't bring forth a ninth-grade Dao flower, let alone a twelve-grade one. How did Sun Wukong manage it?
"It must be his foundation, hmm, and variables." Bodhi Patriarch pondered, "The variables concerning him these past two years have increased,
According to destiny, he should have only reached Golden Immortal this year, and not until next year when he leaves the mountain should he become a Daluo Golden Immortal, now everything has happened ahead of time.
Moreover, he has also taken the initiative to learn stronger cultivation techniques and more varied Divine Skills."
"So, Master, what are your plans?" the woodcutter asked earnestly.
"Since he doesn't wish to be a pawn, then let's give him another push with the tide." Bodhi Patriarch gently stroked his beard.
"Master intends to make him a player of the game? That's indeed an excellent idea!" The woodcutter laughed, obviously having the same thoughts.
"Of course, first we need to see whether he has this realization himself," Bodhi Patriarch said gravely.
The woodcutter nodded in agreement; everything depended on Sun Wukong's own choices, otherwise all their efforts would be in vain.
…
"Old Sun has become a Daluo Golden Immortal!" Sun Wukong, donning a loose Taoist robe, stood tall and proud on the peak of the mountain with a lean figure that appeared extraordinary.
But soon enough, he showed his monkey nature, dancing and jumping around joyously as he descended the mountain.
Once back at his residence, he connected to the internet community Zhihu to show off to those senior netizens.
Suddenly, a post appeared on the Zhihu page.
"I'm Sun Wukong. Today I have become a Daluo Golden Immortal, thanks to all the seniors for their guidance all this time!"
Overjoyed Trash Eater: "What's the use of being a Daluo Golden Immortal? The techniques that Bodhi Patriarch passed on to Sun Wukong are all for running away and saving one's skin, only good for bullying the mediocre; they can't defeat real masters."
"That bastard!" Sun Wukong angrily scratched his head and ears. To belittle him like this and even slander his Master!
Even if it's a senior, that won't do!
Ziwei Strangle Him: "The comment above makes sense, Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends is for saving life, Somersault Cloud for running away, not a single technique for fighting, it all relies on realm and brute strength."
Ten Heavenly Emperors: "Since ancient times, fists have been the hard truth, better learn some offensive skills."
Primordial Know-It-All: "Considering your life simulation so far, even though Sun Wukong's life has changed, Great Immortal Heavenly Decree turning into Nine Transformations Mysterious Primordial Technique, Earthly Fiend Method into Heavenly Gang Method, the path of killing and fighting is indeed missing, go back to Bodhi Patriarch to learn some."
Reading the responses, Sun Wukong was initially furious, wanting to show off and instead got disparaged, but then he had to admit that the seniors were right.
[You have received a new suggestion: Learn the art of killing and fighting from Bodhi Patriarch, completing the suggestion will reward you with a Sixth-Tier Treasure Chest.]
Sun Wukong quickly calmed down.
At that moment, Primordial Know-It-All added, "Forgot one thing, I remember Sun Wukong was chased off the mountain by Bodhi Patriarch for showing off in front of his senior fellow disciples after he became a Tai Yi Golden Immortal,
The realms of Tai Yi and Daluo are the same, and since you've now simulated becoming a Daluo, you're not far from being sent down the mountain.
So, you should complete this simulation of learning the art of killing and fighting before you're sent down the mountain if there is still time."
Eighty-Eighty: "The above is revealing the secrets of heaven, since it's a life simulation, if it were the real Sun Wukong reading this, would he still let himself be chased down the mountain?"
Primordial Know-It-All: "My bad, my bad, sins, sins, I'll say no more."
Seeing this, Sun Wukong stopped his scratching hand midway, full of shock and doubt.
Would he really be chased down the mountain by his Grandmaster for showing off?