Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!

Spirit Mountain, inside the Great Thunderclap Monastery.

"The Heavenly Dao has its own decrees, The Divine Enthronement's calamity caused the Mysterious Gate, Chan and Jie to battle for selfish desires, leading to massive suffering and the shattering of The Primordial World, and the abandonment by the Heavenly Dao."

"However, our Buddhism, with compassion at heart, strives to deliver all beings. The fulfillment of becoming a saint within our order has been decreed by the Heavenly Dao. Hence, our Buddhism has determined the Journey to the West to mend the rifts created by the Divine Enthronement!"

"Allowing our Buddhism to illuminate the human world."

The Buddha who spoke at the forefront was none other than the Tathagata Buddha, majestic like a deity, resembling a mountain, with Buddha energy vast like a sea of stars.

Under the limitless glow of Buddha energy, even his face couldn't be clearly seen, and seated below were countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.

Each was enveloped in flowing Buddha energy, surrounded by Buddha Energy, all of them great wielders of Divine Skills.

One could see just how quickly and powerfully Buddhism had developed since the God-Sealing Tribulation!

The Journey to the West was essential to their agenda.

Suddenly, Tathagata, who had been continuing his proclamation, stopped his motions and looked to one side, precisely where Sun Wukong's eyes were shooting beams of light into the sky.

He made calculations in secret, yet he could not deduce anything at all.

Had the heavenly secrets become obscured even before the tribulation of the Journey to the West had begun?

Tathagata pondered silently.

He then spoke, "Where is Guanyin? Where is that monkey now?"

A beautiful woman in white, holding a Jade Clean Bottle, with kind eyes and a benevolent brow, stepped forward and respectfully said, "Back to Buddha Ancestor, that monkey has now reached the Mountain of Mind and Heart."

As the primary person in charge of this Journey to the West, Guanyin also did her utmost, watching the movements of this key individual in the scripture-seeking mission at all times.

As an important participant in Buddhism, success in the Journey to the West would allow her to gain a great amount of Merit Points!

Tathagata nodded.

Patriarch Bodhi is the benevolent manifestation of Saint Zhunti; with him on Mount Fangcun, nothing can go wrong!

He continued to speak, "The matter of the Journey to the West is of utmost importance. The ninе-nine tribulations cannot lack even one; everything must be prepared thoroughly before the Journey begins!"

Guanyin nodded and said, "As you command, my Buddha!"

Upon hearing the reply, Tathagata no longer dwelt on his prior concerns, with Buddha energy filling the air: "The tribulation of the Journey to the West, our Buddhism shall flourish, excellent, excellent..."

"Amitābha Buddha..."

All the Buddhas, with hands clasped together, chanted the Buddha's name; for a time, the entire Spirit Mountain radiated with Buddha Energy's brilliance.

In the Three Star Cave, Patriarch Bodhi, who had been lecturing on the scriptures, suddenly halted his voice, and his disciples beneath, as if waking from a dream, stirred to awareness.

Patriarch Bodhi also sensed the golden light, but he paid it no mind; his task here was merely to nurture his heaven-designated disciple, Sun Wukong.

Comprehending the timing, it was now about right.

"Go, bring that monkey to me," commanded Patriarch Bodhi, flicking his horsetail whisk.

The little Taoist boy did not dare delay, bowing deeply before hurrying off.

Soon after, the little Taoist boy came running back in a panic, yelling, "Disaster! The monkey has disappeared!"

Disappeared?

Patriarch Bodhi was startled; knowing the monkey's immense yearning for immortality, how could he have left so easily?

He immediately began to calculate.

And indeed, the monkey was nowhere to be found!

Patriarch Bodhi was shocked; it was not just in Budong Gate that the monkey was missing, but he was nowhere to be found throughout Mount Fangcun. How could this be?!

This monkey was key to Buddhism's Journey to the West; there must not be any mishaps!

Before his disciples could react, Patriarch Bodhi disappeared from the spot in an instant.

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong retracted his divine light, blinking rapidly, a slight smirk appearing on his furry face.

He had just seen something rather scandalous undergarments of a divine being above, and it was quite an eye-sore.

It took less than three seconds, yet it exhausted all of his strength.

However, his stomach was still warm, and the heat was gradually restoring his body. Although he became a pawn before he was even born, it didn't mean Sun Wukong was a fool.

Sun Wukong naturally knew that what had caused this transformation was the egg fried rice before him.

Feeling the memories awakening inside him, Sun Wukong's face was full of excitement.

Delusion-breaking Golden Eyes, seeing thousands of miles, shattering all falsehoods!

Sun Wukong remembered that he seemed to have this ability when he was first born, but for some reason, he couldn't use it afterwards.

But now, because of a serving of egg fried rice, the ability that had disappeared reemerged!

"Ding! Sun Wukong has finished the egg fried rice, awakened the Innate Supernatural Power of Delusion-breaking Divine Power, do you wish to synchronize the ability?"

At that moment, the system's voice suddenly rang out.

Chen Nuo immediately said in his mind, "Synchronize!"

So that's how it is. Looking at Sun Wukong, Chen Nuo nodded his head; he remembered that in his previous life there was talk of Delusion-breaking Golden Eyes, a unique Innate Supernatural Power of the Intelligent Stone Monkey, definitely an ability that could trounce the Eyes of Golden Flame!

However, Innate Supernatural Powers required the nourishment of Innate Objects to gradually consolidate, and the cost was too high, so Buddhism gave it up, allowing the monkey to drink river water after his birth, causing the Divine Power to vanish, and in the end, he begged Saint Zhunti for the lowest-quality Eyes of Golden Flame.

This serving of egg fried rice was equivalent to directly purifying Sun Wukong's bloodline, forcibly achieving the aptitude required for the awakening of Innate Supernatural Power.

In an instant, a flash of golden light appeared and vanished from Chen Nuo's eyes. In contrast to Sun Wukong's grand display, Chen Nuo was restrained, a sign of even greater proficiency.

This was the most awesome part of the system, as long as an ability was awakened because of his cooking, he could synchronize and obtain it, and the proficiency would be above that of the Awakener!

However, whether the person eating would understand the enlightenment was also a matter of luck.

Sun Wukong truly deserved to be the protagonist of the Journey to the West, with towering luck, he succeeded in one strike!

"Shopkeeper, no, Immortal! Please take me as your disciple!" Suddenly, Sun Wukong knelt down and kowtowed, his sincerity immense.

Merely through a serving of food, he underwent such a transformation; this shopkeeper must surely be the legendary Immortal!

While Sun Wukong was kowtowing, he gazed at Chen Nuo, who was seated behind the counter.

That delicate appearance, at this moment in Sun Wukong's eyes, seemed like the most sacred visage in the world—the very image of an Immortal!

The ethereal and elegant demeanor, wasn't that the embodiment of an Immortal's grace?

This must be what the Human Race often refers to as a hidden expert who conceals their greatness within the mundane world. He faced trials and tribulations on his sea journey in search of an Immortal, all for this very moment!

Forget Three Star Cave, forget the Immortals; at this moment, all words previously told to Sun Wukong by the woodcutter were tossed to the back of his mind. What could be more amazing than gaining strength through food?

Three Star Cave didn't want him; he wouldn't bother with it!

He, Sun Wukong, would take as his master only the best; he wanted to learn cooking!

Sun Wukong's fervent kowtowing made even Chen Nuo concerned.

He wasn't worried about the monkey's head having issues—after all, it was a stone monkey—but rather about whether the ground might collapse.

"Get up," Chen Nuo said hurriedly.

Upon hearing the Immortal's words, Sun Wukong quickly stood up.

Chen Nuo felt he should clear things up with the monkey, "I'm not an Immortal, I'm just a simple person who cooks."

Sun Wukong couldn't believe it.

Not an Immortal, yet capable of making such a miraculous egg fried rice?

"I earnestly implore the Immortal to take me as your disciple!" This time Sun Wukong didn't kneel because the Immortal had previously told him to stand up.

But his attitude was just as sincere!

Observing Sun Wukong's demeanor, Chen Nuo felt a headache coming on. Although he was proud that his cooking skills convinced Sun Wukong to give up pursuing immortality to learn cooking instead,

But Sun Wukong was the protagonist of the Journey to the West!

How could he not study spells with Patriarch Bodhi, and instead come to learn cooking?

If this news got out, who the hell would believe it!