Sun Wukong saw all these and confirmed many things.
Firstly, Ao Lie was not having a happy time in the Dragon Palace of the West Sea, even oppressed, which was why Yang Chan called him a pushover.
Secondly, Ao Lie's apprenticeship was mainly to escape his predicament in the West Sea, and of course, this involved his admiration for the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.
Last, in the original timeline, the Little White Dragon would later set fire to the Luminous Pearl that lit up the West Sea, which might have been a deliberate act by the Little White Dragon to stake everything and break free from it all.
Clearly, he succeeded and henceforth joined the pilgrimage team.
But unfortunately, it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.
The Little White Dragon probably didn't know that the mystical pool behind Mount Ling was made from his father, the Guangjin Dragon King.
