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

Ning Chen nodded in satisfaction. To achieve such accomplishments in less than a year in the Journey to the West world was something even the monkey with the Heavenly Spirit Embryo couldn't match.

He stood up, facing the mountain wind, and took a deep breath.

The world became incredibly clear in his perception.

Refining Qi into Divine Power is not only an improvement in magical power, but also a leap in the level of life and the dimension of cognition.

The path to immortality is long and arduous, and at this point, he finally truly stepped into the threshold of cultivation.

The next goal is to nurture one's spiritual consciousness, stabilize one's realm, and advance towards the higher realm of Refining Spirit and Returning to Emptiness.

The Sun and Moon Pearl floating in his middle dantian sensed his breakthrough and trembled slightly, emitting a more gentle and peaceful Daoist aura. It gradually synchronized with his breathing and the flow of his magical power, further nourishing his bones and body, silently laying the foundation for the next stage of cultivation.

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

On this day, a divine light screen appeared before Ning Chen's eyes, and a message from Luo Zhantian popped up.

[Everyone, tomorrow at midnight will mark the end of your first journey through the Divine Realm. You will automatically return to Earth. There's no need to worry about being detected by the beings within the Divine Realm. If you have the opportunity to enter again, the timeline will seamlessly connect without any flaws. This is why we are called Divine Realm Travelers—we can move freely within the Divine Realm!]

Everyone cheered and jumped for joy.

Tang Hao: [Finally, I can go home! I've been craving my mom's cooking so much!]

Zhao Zhenyuan: [Finally, I'm finally able to return to Earth alive!]

Wu Dajin: [Let me go back! This godforsaken place is a constant battleground; we're always hungry and cold. I've had enough!]

Sun Rongrong: [Teacher, will we be admitted to Peking University after we go back?]

Luo Zhantian reassured everyone.

Everyone has worked hard!

[Based on the intelligence you provided, you can receive a cash reward of 10 to 200 million, and you will also be directly admitted to the Journey to the West Divine Realm Class at Beijing University!]

[Gentlemen, I look forward to seeing you all on Earth tomorrow!]

After reading it, Ning Chen felt a sense of unease.

The Divine Realm Traveler can travel through time and space, and ordinary people in the Journey to the West world may not be able to detect it.

However, for a great being like Bodhi Patriarch, who transcends the river of time and can foresee the future, it would be difficult to conceal the truth.

After much deliberation, he decided to take the initiative to inform the patriarch.

Fortunately, he had told the patriarch the truth about his origins beforehand, so there shouldn't be too many twists and turns this time.

Ning Chen arrived at the Three Star Cave, paid his respects to the patriarch, and then spoke thoughtfully.

"Master, due to certain circumstances, I need to leave the mountain gate for a period of time, and I have come to inform you of this."

The patriarch sat upright on the cloud bed, his gaze as deep as an ancient well. He looked at Ning Chen quietly for a moment, but did not ask for the reason. He simply nodded slightly and said calmly.

"You may go on your own, but just remember, you are not allowed to mention Fangcun Mountain to outsiders!"

Ning Chen felt a chill run down his spine, wondering why Bodhi Patriarch always repeatedly instructed him not to mention Fangcun Mountain or his existence to outsiders.

He vaguely remembered that when the monkey later became a disciple, Patriarch Bodhi gave him the same instructions.

"Your journey will surely bring trouble. No matter what mischief you commit, you are not allowed to say you are my disciple. If you utter even half a word, I will know it, and I will skin you alive, grind your bones to dust, and banish your soul to the deepest hell, so that you will never be able to rise again!"

Although Bodhi Patriarch did not utter such harsh words to him, Ning Chen knew that he must never mention Bodhi Patriarch or the existence of Fangcun Mountain to outsiders.

Ning Chen bowed again and withdrew, returning to the teahouse. He happened to see the monkey holding the Tai Xuan Shang Qing Jing, studying it diligently. His thin back looked so focused under the oil lamp.

The monkey sensed Ning Chen's return, turned its head, and grinned.

"Junior brother, I'm gradually starting to understand this book passed down by our patriarch, and I owe it all to you for teaching me how to read and punctuate."

Ning Chen was slightly startled.

With his current level of cultivation, he naturally knew that this Tai Xuan Scripture mainly talked about the methods of subduing the mind monkey and taming the will horse, which was tailor-made for Sun Wukong by the patriarch.

Once Wukong has fully understood this book, it means that he will soon be passed on the Great Celestial Immortal Technique by his patriarch and officially begin cultivating the fundamental method.

At that time, the monkey's cultivation speed will advance by leaps and bounds, as if it has been given a cheat code.

For others, the celestial realm may be the end.

But for the monkey, it was just the beginning.

When the monkey graduated from Fangcun Mountain, he was at least at the Celestial Immortal realm, and possibly even at the Golden Immortal realm.

Although Ning Chen has had many fortuitous encounters and has taken advantage of the great conveniences of the Divine Realm and the Low Martial World, he seems to be getting further and further away from the freakish Monkey.

Despite his many thoughts, Ning Chen still smiled and said.

"Senior brother is naturally intelligent, with a brilliant mind. As long as you can calm your mind, a mere Daoist manual is no challenge for you."

The monkey shook its head.

"No, no, junior brother is too modest. To this day, I can't even look at the Tao Te Ching without my eyelids drooping. Listening to you recite a few lines is like being hit on the head with a stick; I just fall asleep on the spot..."

Ning Chen chuckled to himself. For some reason, Sun Wukong and that scroll of Tao Te Ching had absolutely no affinity for it. He would fall asleep as soon as he heard it and get sleepy as soon as he looked at it.

It's likely that when Laozi wrote the Tao Te Ching, he never intended for the demon race to understand it.

When the Three Pure Ones founded the Chan Sect, the Human Sect, and the Dao Sect, Lao Tzu founded the Human Sect, which did not accept beasts, birds, or strange creatures. The Tao Te Ching set up restrictions, so it is normal that the demon race could not see them.

The two brothers chatted for a few minutes before each studying diligently. Monkey was reading the Tai Xuan Shang Qing Jing, while Ning Chen was reading the Tao Te Ching.

The monkey watched for only half an hour before yawning incessantly. He blew out the oil lamp and went to sleep.

Ning Chen sat cross-legged and silently circulated the Yi Jin Jing. Although he had already cultivated to the level of Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation, the Yi Jin Jing still had an effect on him.

As midnight approached, Ning Chen's aura gradually disappeared.

Even the monkeys that were right next to them didn't notice what was happening.

Only Bodhi Patriarch's eyes were half-open; he stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.

"I see!"

When Ning Chen opened his eyes again, he had already returned to the Divine Realm Space. The huge Journey to the West scroll behind him shone brightly, with streams of light constantly emerging from it. In a few moments, it transformed into a human form on the spot.

After waiting for a while, only a dozen or so people remained, and then there was no further movement...

It seems that of the more than one hundred people who entered the Journey to the West Divine Realm that year, only a dozen or so returned alive.

Although it coincided with the dynastic change at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when heroes vied for control of the Central Plains, the difficulty of the Journey to the West's divine realm was evident from this.

These adventurers from the divine realm, who had endured countless hardships, finally reunited, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Ning Chen carefully observed everyone.

Over there stood a burly, dark-skinned man, dressed in the attire of a bodyguard, with a long sword hanging at his waist; he was presumably Zhao Zhenyuan, who had joined the bodyguard agency.

Over there was a village girl, dressed in rags, but her beautiful features were still evident. She had fair skin and a high, rounded chest, and she must be Sun Rongrong, who claimed to be fair-skinned and beautiful with a 36D bust.

There was also a young man wearing military leather armor, his face weathered and his arms wrapped with blood-soaked bandages. If there were no surprises, he was Tang Hao, who was on the frontier.

And the one dressed in a scholar's robe with a short beard should be Qian Quan, an official in the imperial court.

The tall, thin, fair-skinned young man, dressed in a yamen runner's uniform, must be Zhou Tao.

Wu Dajin was the most pitiful, dressed in coarse cloth clothes with several patches, his face pale and thin...

The group looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then Sun Rongrong looked at Ning Chen, who was the most eye-catching among them.

A young man stood tall and elegant, dressed in a blue and white Taoist robe, with a long sword hanging from his waist. His eyes shone with a restrained divine light, and his long, black hair flowed naturally down his back, making him look like a deity descended to earth.

"Ning... Ning Chen? You've been taken in by that Taoist priest?"

Ning Chen nodded. He had no intention of hiding the fact that he had embarked on the path of cultivation when he returned to Blue Star.

He didn't bother changing his clothes and returned wearing the Fangcun Mountain Taoist robe.

Everyone immediately became excited.

"Brother Ning! It really is you!"

During this period, Ning Chen shared several more Taoist techniques with the group, and everyone had long regarded him as their backbone.

Tang Hao strode forward, patted Ning Chen on the shoulder, his eyes reddening.

"I thought I'd never see you all again!"

Sun Rongrong burst into tears.

"Everyone, we're all alive! That's wonderful..."

Wu Da immediately tried to curry favor with Ning Chen.

"Godfather, I've finally met you!"

Everyone chimed in, recounting their own experiences, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Although everyone looks and has different experiences, they have already formed a deep friendship through the chat group in the Divine Realm over the past year.

During their conversation, Ning Chen noticed that there was another group of people gathered together. The leader was a young man wearing a gray Taoist robe. He would occasionally look in Ning Chen's direction. The moment their eyes met, the young man would cast a provocative glance at them.

Before long, the spatial passage suddenly opened, and Luo Zhantian appeared in front of everyone.

He was still wearing a leather jacket, bald, and wearing sunglasses; Luo Guangtou had a serious expression.

"It's good that all the students are back!"

Noticing Ning Chen and the young man's attire, Luo Zhantian took a deep breath and raised his voice.

"Let's go back to Earth first! We can talk about it when we get back."