Sun Wukong knew that the senior who was well-versed in all matters of the Primordial Era had inadvertently revealed his original future, just as the earliest naive netizen and the sixth-grade netizen could predict it.
"Just as the eighty-eight senior mentioned, Wukong has learned of this and must not allow himself to be driven down the mountain!"
Show off skills?
In fact, even without the reminder from the senior netizens, he now had no intention of showing off in front of his fellow disciples.
The reason being nothing else but disdain!
Thanks to frequently consulting with the senior netizens on Zhihu, his perspective had long since changed.
The next day, Sun Wukong took the initiative to visit Patriarch Bodhi.
Within the Three Stars Cave Daoist Palace Great Hall.
Patriarch Bodhi, sitting cross-legged on high, asked with a calm face, "Wukong, what brings you to see me?"
This time, Sun Wukong did not jest or act carelessly but seriously performed a salute, "Master, your disciple has become a Daluo Golden Immortal. Last night, I had an enlightenment and realized that what I have learned is still lacking."
"Oh? What is still lacking?" Patriarch Bodhi asked.
"Struggle, there is no Way of Struggle!" Sun Wukong scratched his hand, "If your disciple encounters a strong opponent in the future, I'm afraid I can only run away in defeat, which would tarnish Master's reputation."
"You unruly monkey, to be so fixated on this!" Patriarch Bodhi solemnly reprimanded him, yet in his heart, he was greatly pleased. One cannot speak of embarking on the path of a chess player without understanding struggle.
"Please teach me the Way of Struggle, Master!" Sun Wukong knelt on the cushion, prostrating himself on the ground.
"Alas," Patriarch Bodhi sighed softly, "Wukong, do you know that struggle is also the way to the Demon Way? The more thoughts of killing, the more evil thoughts, the easier it is to fall into the Demon Way."
"Master, rest assured, your disciple will definitely not enter the Demon Way!" Sun Wukong hurriedly promised.
"Do you remember when I imparted you with a stronger Cultivation Technique, I asked you to maintain your true nature, can you do it now?" Patriarch Bodhi continued to inquire.
"Your disciple can do it," replied Sun Wukong.
"It cannot be just talk," Patriarch Bodhi shook his head, "You have not yet suffered hardships, nor have you experienced great sorrow or great grief, how do you know you can keep your true nature, not to fall into the Demon Way?"
After thinking it through, Sun Wukong added, "Master makes a good point, but your disciple knows one thing; if my strength is inadequate and I truly face hardships in the future, yet cannot resist, I would only leave regrets,
At that time, I might regret not learning the Way of Struggle today and be too late to lament. Then, after experiencing great sorrow and grief, that's when it would be easy to fall into the Demon Way.
But if I learn it today, I could strive without regret, and even in defeat, I could laugh it off and accept it outright."
"You're able to think this way, and that puts my mind at ease," Patriarch Bodhi finally nodded appreciatively, "In that case, I will impart to you the strongest Way of Struggle."
"The strongest?" Sun Wukong's eyes immediately lit up.
"Though it's called the strongest, it's actually the most difficult, and it will depend on how much you understand," Patriarch Bodhi smiled.
"As long as Master imparts it, your disciple will surely grasp it completely," Sun Wukong said excitedly, scratching both his hands and face.
Yet Patriarch Bodhi did not immediately impart it, and gently stroking his beard, said, "The so-called strongest Way of Struggle, in truth, is not the Way of Struggle, but the Way of the Laws,
If you can enter this Way, you will naturally understand struggle."
"The Way of the Laws?" Sun Wukong was puzzled, having never heard of it.
"Remember what I told you earlier," Patriarch Bodhi continued, "Above the Daluo Golden Immortals, there are the Quasi-Saint Realm Primordial Golden Immortals and the Saint Realm Great Primordial Golden Immortals. Neither of these can be achieved through Cultivation Technique alone; they require enlightenment and destiny.
The enlightenment here refers to the understanding of the Great Laws of the Dao.
So as long as you can enter the Way of the Laws, you can not only understand struggle but also continue to elevate your cultivation, eventually reaching the Primordial Realm one day."
"That's great! That's wonderful!" Sun Wukong was highly anticipative.
"Then today I shall teach you the Way of the Staff, hoping you will earnestly comprehend it," Patriarch Bodhi said.
"Master, is the way of the staff the strongest?" Sun Wukong hastily asked.
"No," Bodhi shook his head, "Of the three thousand great paths, the way of strength is supreme, but I do not understand the principle of strength, so I cannot teach you."
Sun Wukong felt somewhat disappointed.
"However, the way of the staff is most suited for you," Bodhi said with a smile. "If you can reach the transformative realm in this way, you may have the opportunity to comprehend the principle of strength through it."
"Disciple shall learn the way of the staff!" Sun Wukong scratched his head joyfully. He too thought the way of the staff was excellent; he simply wanted to learn something even stronger, that was all.
Next came the transmission of the staff cultivation technique. Sun Wukong, naturally intelligent, soon mastered it, but this was not the staff's underlying principle.
He still needed to study and practice diligently. Only after he had greatly advanced his skills would he have the chance to step onto the path of principles through them.
After the teaching had ended, Sun Wukong expressed his thanks for his master's grace, and only then did he leave cheerfully. The voice of the advising system also rang in his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the suggestion—Learning the way of slaughter from Bodhi. You have obtained a sixth-rank treasure chest.]
Bodhi watched Sun Wukong depart. After a while, he turned to look at another place and reprimanded, "If you come, then come. Skulking about is not the proper way."
Just then, the void split open a crack, and a man with an ax at his waist stepped out. It was the woodcutter.
"What are you saying, Master?" the woodcutter laughed. "The little junior brother is now a Daluo Golden Immortal. If I'm not careful, he'll surely detect me."
"Just tell him directly," Bodhi said.
"That would be much less fun. It's more interesting if little junior brother guesses it himself," the woodcutter said as he put the firewood aside and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Although he is clever, he is too unguarded against others. How would he ever suspect you of deceiving him?" Bodhi shook his head.
"Then that's not my fault," the woodcutter chuckled and then asked solemnly, "But Master, I am indeed surprised that you are willing to lead him onto the path of principles. Given the difficulties of this path, can the little junior brother do it?"
"I do not expect him to become a Saint; being a quasi-Saint of principles is enough," Bodhi said evenly.
"A quasi-Saint of principles?" the woodcutter frowned. "From the Primordial Era to now, only Donghuang Taiyi has ever achieved anything on this path, and it took him endless years to do it.
Compared to him, does little junior brother have the time?"
"That will depend on his fate," Bodhi said.
…
Returning to his dwelling, Sun Wukong couldn't wait to open the chest.
The last time he opened a sixth-rank treasure chest was two years ago when he learned a stronger cultivation technique from his master, and in the end, he got the even stronger Nine Transformations Mysterious Primordial Technique from it.
With this technique, he blossomed a twelve-petaled Daluo flower, culminating in the ultimate Daluo cultivation achievement.
So what reward could the sixth-rank treasure chest yield this time?
"Open!"
[You have opened the sixth-rank treasure chest, congratulations on obtaining the introductory understanding of the staff principle, physical cultivation at the early phase of Daluo Golden Immortal, Primordial Spirit cultivation at the early phase of Daluo Golden Immortal, enlightenment in the cultivation of the Heavenly Gang Divine Ability, enlightenment in the cultivation of the Earthly Sha Divine Ability, enlightenment in the cultivation of the Cloud Somersault Technique… and the woodcutter's cultivation insights from the Huangting Scripture.]
This time the rewards were exceptionally abundant; a string of announcements made Sun Wukong so happy he couldn't stop scratching his head and grinning.
Not only was there a surge of memories and realizations flooding into his mind, but his physical body and Primordial Spirit were also clearly growing stronger.
In the blink of an eye, his strength climbed another level.
More importantly, he had directly grasped the principles of the way of the staff!
Although Sun Wukong believed that with diligent practice, he would eventually comprehend the principles of the staff, now that he had direct entry thanks to the chest reward, it was naturally far better, saving him much effort!
"There are twelve realms in the great principles at the quasi-Saint stage. Old Sun just has to comprehend them. Once my cultivation reaches the perfect state of Daluo, hehe, Old Sun will become a quasi-Saint of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal in an instant, standing at the pinnacle of the three realms!"
Sun Wukong joyfully imagined the future and then examined the other memories that appeared in his mind, with one segment in particular drawing his attention.