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

[Tang Hao]: Brother Ning, have you joined any Taoist sect? If you've acquired any profound skills, don't forget your brothers!

Ning Chen smiled without saying a word.

In the world of Journey to the West, becoming a disciple of a powerful figure is not an easy task.

After a series of events, Ning Chen gradually realized that he was only able to barely enter the Bodhi Patriarch's sect because he had gotten on the coattails of Monkey King.

If he were alone and came to Fangcun Mountain, he probably wouldn't even be able to find the entrance to the Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

When Bodhi Patriarch taught his disciples, he emphasized that there should be a different method for each person, and the teachings he gave to each disciple were not exactly the same.

Even if Ning Chen wanted to share the profound teachings passed down by the patriarch, such as the Tai Xuan Shang Qing Jing, Zi Xiao Xuan Zhen Wu Yuan Gong, and the Tao Te Ching, he couldn't do it in the group.

However, the Daoist techniques he exchanged with his senior brother Fangcun Mountain could be freely shared.

After a moment's thought.

[Ning Chen]: Everyone, I'm still at the inn. It's relatively peaceful for now. The town hasn't been affected by the war. That Taoist priest recently gave me some Taoist techniques in exchange for food and drink. I'll share them with you now.

Ning Chen sent the three Daoist techniques, "Wind Control Technique," "Ember Fire Technique," and "Dust Purification Technique," to the group chat, and everyone went crazy with comments!

Awesome, Brother Ning, you're like my own father!

Brother Ning, I love you like a mouse loves rice!

[Luo Zhantian]: Very good, Ning Chen. During this time, have you obtained any cultivation methods on how to perform these Taoist techniques?

The group chat immediately fell silent; it was clear that everyone was concerned about this issue.

They had all practiced the Clear Water Technique provided by Ning Chen, but immortal and Taoist techniques cannot be performed using internal force.

[Ning Chen]: No, I heard that Taoist priest say that these are just basic techniques. The real fundamental cultivation methods require opportunity and aptitude. He said that my opportunity and aptitude are not yet there, so he is unwilling to teach me. Teaching me would only harm me. For now, I can't ask for more. Teacher Luo, do you have any other techniques similar to the Yi Jin Jing? We need to improve our physical attributes as soon as possible in order to have a chance to come into contact with the immortals.

[Luo Zhantian]: Okay, Ning Chen, I understand your situation. Don't worry, I will find a way to solve your aptitude problem as soon as possible.

[Zhao Zhenyuan]: That's pretty good. Brother Ning is really lucky. Our escort agency has hundreds of people, but they are all rough-around-the-edges martial artists. Not a single one of them knows any Taoist magic!

[Qian Quan]: Brother Ning Chen, could you ask a Taoist priest if there's a way to quickly increase internal energy? Even exchanging something else would be fine!

At this point, Luo Zhantian spoke again, steer the conversation back on track:

[Luo Zhantian]: Ning Chen's opportunity cannot be replicated, so please don't force it. I also have some important news to share: the Journey to the West Divine Realm is accelerating its erosion of reality. In the past half month, there have been 12 new cases of illusions appearing in the world globally, 10 of which have been confirmed to be related to the Journey to the West Divine Realm.

[Luo Zhantian]: Lady White Bone, Spider Demon, Black Bear Demon, these monsters that should have been in the divine realm can now appear in the real world. The most serious incident occurred in India, where a city with a population of one million was slaughtered by seven giant spider demons, resulting in the extermination of the entire city with no survivors!

[Sun Rongrong]: Huh? Is it that serious? Suddenly I feel like I can accept living in the Journey to the West world.

[Luo Zhantian]: Time waits for no one. You must complete the first level of the Divine Realm journey as soon as possible and return to Blue Star. After you return, we will concentrate our resources to help you conquer the second level of the Journey to the West Divine Realm. The goal is to find out the root cause of the anomaly in the Divine Realm and try to prevent the two worlds from merging further.

[Luo Zhantian]: So, hold on, survive, and use the remaining months to improve your strength as much as possible. Ning Chen, you continue to maintain contact with the Taoist, but be careful not to expose your special abilities. As for the others, survival is the top priority, and avoid getting involved in any large-scale conflicts.

[Luo Zhantian]: Remember, you are the only hope for Blue Star. Don't die in the Divine Realm.

The group chat fell silent as everyone digested the heavy news brought by Luo Zhantian.

Ning Chen closed the light screen, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

The pace of erosion of the real world is accelerating. The second level of the Divine Realm in Journey to the West is about to be conquered, while I have only just stepped into the realm of refining essence into qi.

He opened his palm, and a wisp of Dao fire slowly emerged.

This was the only damaging spell he could cast after mastering the Emberfire Technique...

A hint of purple appeared at the base of the flame. Although he had made rapid progress, he still had a long way to go before he could easily overcome all eighty-one tribulations of the Journey to the West.

"There's still not enough time!"

The next moment, Ning Chen's eyes hardened again.

At least, he's on the right track.

The Purple Cloud Mysterious True Enlightenment Skill, the Tao Te Ching, and Fangcun Mountain will all be his assets for dealing with future changes.

"Set a small goal first."

Ning Chen raised his head and gazed at the endless sea.

"Before leaving the first level of the divine realm, cultivate the Purple Cloud Profound True Enlightenment Technique to the second stage and step into the realm of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation."

"As for the Taiping Daoism, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the changing of dynasties, those are none of my concern."

Ning Chen looked up. The journey to the West was fraught with eighty-one tribulations. Many of these tribulations were caused by ancient demons sent by the Heavenly Court, such as the Golden-Winged Roc, the Buddha's uncle, and the Green Ox, the Supreme Lord Laozi. These demons were at least Golden Immortals or higher in cultivation.

Even Sun Wukong couldn't get through this easily and had to seek help from all sides.

Upon thinking of this, Ning Chen, who had just completed the first level of the Purple Cloud Profound True Enlightenment Technique, felt no more pride in his heart.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, concentrated, and began to circulate his energy again.

Although the purple aura on the mountaintop has dissipated, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth continues to gather there.

Cultivate, keep cultivating. Only strength is the fundamental way to cope with all changes.

.......

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Ning Chen sat cross-legged on a blue stone atop the mountain, surrounded by purple aura. With each breath, purple aura emanated from his mouth and nose, like clouds encircling him. Numerous birds and beasts bowed down to him, hoping to gain a share of benefits from Ning Chen, thereby shedding their demonic bodies, refining their transverse bones, and having a sliver of chance for immortality.

Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes, a hint of regret flashing in them.

He has reached the peak of the Refining Essence into Qi Realm, and is only a hair's breadth away from breaking through the barrier and stepping into the Refining Qi into Spirit Realm!

However, despite his arduous cultivation over the days, the barrier remained as solid as a rock. No matter how much he tried to activate his magic power, it was like waves crashing against a rock, yielding no results.

Ning Chen looked inward and his attribute panel appeared before his eyes.

[Divine Realm Walker: Ning Chen]

[Base Bone: 512]

[Physique: 523]

[Comprehension: 999]

[Cultivation Level: 9.8 years]

While his physical constitution and physique improved significantly, his comprehension remained stuck at 999.

No matter how hard he tried to comprehend the fragments of the Tao Te Ching or practice the Zixiao Xuanzhen Wuyuan Gong, he could not break through the thousand-point mark.

After finishing his training, the boy dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe quietly appeared.

"Junior Brother Wuchen, the Patriarch summons you."

Ning Chen felt a chill run down his spine, straightened his robes, and followed the boy into the Three Star Cave.

The patriarch sat upright on his cloud bed, his gaze as calm and still as an ancient well.

"Your cultivation has been stagnant lately; is it because you're struggling to break through certain barriers?"

Ning Chen bowed respectfully.

"This disciple is dull-witted. Although my true energy is abundant, I always feel as if I am separated by a layer of mist, making it difficult to break through."

The patriarch lightly raised his whisk and spoke slowly.

"This is your tribulation. When you were building your foundation, the inner demon calamity should have manifested, but Wukong unintentionally blocked it with his immaculate and exquisite body. Since you have not experienced the inner demon, your foundation is flawed, which is why you are having difficulty opening the key points today."

Ning Chen suddenly realized that Sun Wukong's shout had dispelled the inner demons and temporarily averted the calamity.

But now that a breakthrough is imminent, this tribulation must be rectified, otherwise the foundation of the Dao will be incomplete and there will be no hope for the Great Dao.