I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

He paused, and seeing that Bodhi Patriarch's expression had not changed, he continued.

"This disciple comes from a distant land. By chance, I learned of the venerable name of the Patriarch and the supreme Daoist site of Fangcun Mountain's Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave. I felt an infinite longing for it. After many twists and turns, I finally arrived at this sacred mountain and entered the sect with my senior brother Wukong. This disciple has no other wish but to become a disciple of the Patriarch, listen to the Great Dao, cultivate and seek truth, so as to transcend life and death and understand my true nature!"

"I concealed my origins before because I didn't know how to bring it up, and I was also afraid of disturbing the peace of the immortal master. It was absolutely not an intentional deception. I hope the patriarch can understand!"

After saying this, he bowed deeply again, remaining prostrate on the ground, yet his heart was at peace.

What needs to be said has been said. Although some key points have been vague, the true facts are entirely true.

In the eyes of a powerful being like Bodhi Patriarch, who was at least at the quasi-saint level, visitors from another world were not something difficult to accept.

The hall was completely silent, with only Ning Chen's breathing and heartbeat faintly audible.

He waited quietly for the patriarch's final decision.

After a long while, the unreadable voice of the Bodhi Patriarch reached his ears.

"Get up..."

"What I said today is enough for you and me to know. Go back and continue your cultivation as usual. Don't overthink it."

"Yes, disciple will humbly follow the teachings of the Patriarch!"

Ning Chen quickly stood up and bowed again.

He looked up and saw that the patriarch had already disappeared.

Knowing that staying any longer would be pointless, Ning Chen respectfully took a few steps back, turned around, and left the lecture hall.

As he stepped outside, the sunlight shone on his face, somewhat dazzling.

Ning Chen took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and felt a slight dampness on his back.

The pressure of being questioned by Patriarch Bodhi was truly immense.

"Junior Brother Ning! Junior Brother Ning!"

Sun Wukong suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed him, and his hairy face was full of urgency.

"What did you say to the Patriarch? I was so worried for you outside! The Patriarch asked you so many questions about your background, he clearly has taken a liking to your talent, and might even formally accept you as a disciple! You didn't say anything wrong, did you?"

Seeing how the future Monkey King truly cared for him, Ning Chen felt a warmth in his heart.

He smiled and walked side by side with the monkey back to his dwelling, briefly recounting his conversation with the patriarch.

"What? You said you came from another land?"

After hearing this, Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks and jumped up and down.

"Oh dear! You idiot! How could you be so honest! At least make up a more plausible background! Like, an ordinary farmer's son, or a fallen noble family. Now look what's happened, the founder's plan to accept you as a disciple is completely ruined..."

Seeing the monkey's anxious and flustered appearance, Ning Chen smiled calmly and casually.

"Brother Wukong, don't be anxious. What kind of person is the Patriarch? He has eyes that see through the three realms. Trying to outsmart him and weaving lies in front of him is just showing off your skills in front of an expert, and will only make him despise you."

"I am completely honest and speak the truth from the bottom of my heart. The Patriarch will naturally be able to sense my desire for the Dao. If he is willing to accept me, it will be my blessing. If he does not accept me because of my unclear origins, I will have no regrets. Being able to listen to the Great Dao on this mountain and cultivate with my fellow disciples is already a great opportunity."

He paused, looking at the distant, mist-shrouded mountain peaks.

I couldn't help but think to myself, "You monkey, even the Patriarch can accept you. What am I, a visitor from another land? The reason you haven't accepted me is simply because my performance wasn't impressive enough for the Patriarch."

"Using lies to gain entry into the path is neither my wish nor the right path. Cultivation and self-cultivation begin with integrity. If one lays the foundation on lies from the start, one's heart for the path will be flawed. How can one then see one's true self and attain the Great Dao?"

Sun Wukong listened, paused for a moment, scratched his head and thought for a while, then muttered to himself.

"That seems to make some sense. The patriarch really can't hide anything from him. Oh well!"

He patted Ning Chen on the shoulder and resumed his optimistic demeanor.

"We're brothers anyway, as long as you're here, I'll protect you! If the patriarch won't accept you, we'll train ourselves! Once I've learned some powerful skills, I'll teach you the same!"

"Then I, your junior brother, thank you in advance, Senior Brother Wukong!"

Ning Chen smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. He knew that his honesty before the patriarch today might not immediately earn him the title of a formal disciple, but it did bring him inner peace.

Moreover, there's also the friendship with Sun Wukong.

Perhaps the last words spoken by Bodhi Patriarch suggest that his chances of entering the inner sanctum were not entirely hopeless.

The patriarch did not rebuke or expel him, but allowed him to continue his practice as usual. This in itself is an attitude.

......

Ning Chen and the monkey returned to the house, and before they could even sit down, there were three knocks on the door.

The monkey's ears twitched, and it darted over to open the door.

Standing outside the door was a middle-aged Taoist priest with a thin face, dressed in a blue Taoist robe.

Ning Chen recognized the person in front of him as his senior brother of the Zhi generation, whose Daoist name was Zhiyuan.

I had met him a few times before during meals, and I knew that this Senior Brother Zhiyuan had been cultivating on Fangcun Mountain for decades. He was usually quite calm and rarely interacted with younger disciples.

"Senior Brother Zhiyuan..."

Ning Chen and Sun Wukong quickly greeted each other.

Daoist Zhiyuan nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Ning Chen for a moment.

He then went inside and spoke slowly and calmly.

"Junior Brother Ning Chen, Junior Brother Wu Kong, I apologize for the intrusion and disturbance."

"Senior brother, you're too kind. Please have a seat."

Ning Chen led him to sit down, secretly wondering about his purpose.

After a few pleasantries, Daoist Zhiyuan got straight to the point, glancing at Ning Chen with a glint in his eyes.

"To be honest, my two junior brothers, these past few days I've seen you practicing your fist and foot techniques in the mountains. Your movements are quite disciplined, and your aura and physique are improving day by day, especially Junior Brother Ning Chen..."

He paused, seemingly considering his words.

"When I first saw you, your aura was turbid and your physical constitution was mediocre. You were only of average talent. However, in a short period of time, your inner light has become more radiant, your steps are more graceful, and a pure aura is faintly visible around you. It seems that you have already stepped into the threshold of refining essence into qi and washed away all the turbidity in your body. Such progress is truly astonishing."

Ning Chen understood; this senior brother must have noticed.

The changes he and Sun Wukong experienced while practicing mortal martial arts such as the Yi Jin Jing, the Cloud Ladder Leap, and the Ape Strike Technique.

However, his great improvement was mainly due to the transformation of his spiritual foundation and comprehension provided by the Divine Realm Central Hub.

The Yi Jin Jing, the Ladder Cloud Leap, and the Ape Strike Technique only provide some assistance.

Of course, among these three martial arts, the Yi Jin Jing is indeed extraordinary, after all, it was written by Bodhidharma and is not just a simple cultivation method.

Ning Chen said modestly.

"Senior brother, you flatter me. What we practice is nothing more than minor skills for strengthening the body. We cultivate day and night, and have only made slight progress!"

Daoist Zhiyuan shook his head and sighed softly.

"Junior brother, you are too modest. Since I entered the sect, I have cultivated diligently for decades, and I have been struggling at the stage of refining Qi into spirit for a long time. I have always found it difficult to break through the bottleneck and condense my primordial spirit. The Great Dao is difficult, with one hurdle after another. Although I do not look old, my lifespan is actually running out..."

Ning Chen sighed inwardly; cultivating immortality was no easy task.

Unless one possesses a natural talent like a monkey, the path to immortality is fraught with obstacles at every step.

The senior brother of the Zhi generation is ranked after the Guang and Da generations. In Fangcun Mountain, each generation is ten years, so he has been a disciple for more than seventy years.

The actual age of this senior brother Zhiyuan in front of me is enough to be his great-grandfather.