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

Sun Wukong dared not say more. He wiped away his tears, retreated nervously, and gently closed the stone door.

With a crisp click, only the Patriarch and Ning Chen remained inside the cave.

The stern expression on the patriarch's face gradually softened, eventually turning into a soft sigh.

"Wu Chen..."

The patriarch waved his whisk, setting up a barrier, and looked at Ning Chen, speaking frankly.

"This matter did not originate from you. Wukong has been restless for some time. I observe his fortune and he still has a tribulation to overcome. If he does not overcome this tribulation, his mind will be unstable and his foundation for cultivation will be difficult to solidify. He will not be able to step into the gate of cultivation. This tribulation should be at Flower Fruit Mountain. I just scolded him to make him think of returning home to face the tribulation."

Ning Chen suddenly realized.

"I see. The patriarch was far-sighted, and I am but a fool."

The patriarch continued.

"However, this calamity is perilous. Wukong has not yet mastered the Dao and is returning home in a daze, which may lead to his unforeseen misfortune. I observe that you are calm and composed, have profound connections, and share a bond with him as fellow disciples. Therefore, I would like you to protect Wukong and return to Flower Fruit Mountain together to help him overcome this calamity, sever his worldly ties, and thus be able to focus on the Dao in peace."

Originally, Ning Chen was no match for Sun Wukong, but after obtaining three spiritual treasures in succession, Ning Chen's combat strength is now above that of his senior brother.

But this is only for a short period of time. Once Wukong begins to cultivate the Great Celestial Immortal Technique, his leveling speed will be like a rocket launch, leaving Ning Chen far behind.

Upon hearing this, Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed with a troubled expression, saying, "I'm in trouble."

"As the Patriarch commands, this disciple will naturally obey. However, this disciple has heard that Flower Fruit Mountain is far away in the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory, while we are in the Western Continent of Hezhou. The two places are separated by more than 108,000 miles."

"This disciple's cultivation is currently shallow, and I cannot ride the clouds or mist. The journey is long and arduous, with dangerous mountains and rivers and rampant demons. I fear it will take a year or two to make it back and forth, which may delay the Patriarch's teachings and ruin Brother Wukong's tribulation."

Ning Chen said this precisely because he wanted to take the opportunity to ask for a method of flying through the clouds. It would be best if the patriarch could pass down the Somersault Cloud, so that he could travel 108,000 miles in one somersault. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Bodhi Patriarch remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"You sly little devil, you can't even run yet, and you want to ride the clouds? It's not that I don't want to teach you the art of cloud flight, but your skill is still too shallow. You can't fly more than a hundred miles before your magic power is exhausted. Be careful not to fall half to your death, or people will think I've failed as a teacher!"

Ning Chen was seen through by the patriarch, but he was not afraid and chuckled.

"Then the patriarch taught me the method of shrinking the earth to an inch, otherwise how could I possibly reach Flower Fruit Mountain?"

Bodhi Patriarch snorted coldly.

"Since I'm sending you, I won't let you suffer the hardships of travel. You can go on your own, and you'll return when you're done. It won't interfere with your cultivation!"

Having said that, before Ning Chen could react, the patriarch gently waved the whisk in his hand.

Ning Chen felt a blur before his eyes, and his body was enveloped by a gentle force.

Time and space distorted and stretched before his eyes, then suddenly contracted.

The wind whistled in his ears, and light and shadow shifted. In the blink of an eye, his feet touched the ground, and the force dissipated.

He looked closely and realized that he was no longer in the ancestral cave, but in an unfamiliar mountain wilderness.

Surrounded by ancient trees reaching for the sky, abundant exotic flowers and rare herbs, and babbling mountain springs, the area is full of spiritual energy, far surpassing ordinary places.

Not far away, a monkey dressed in a Taoist robe was scratching its head in confusion, looking around. It was none other than its senior brother, Sun Wukong!

"Where...where am I? Wasn't I repenting before the patriarch's gate? How did I suddenly end up here?"

"Junior brother, what are you doing here?"

When Sun Wukong saw Ning Chen, he blinked, not quite understanding what was happening.

Ning Chen took a deep breath, feeling the abundant spiritual energy of the place, and looked at the majestic and beautiful mountain peaks in the distance, faintly shrouded in the glow of the sunset. He already understood.

He smiled wryly.

"Senior brother, if I'm not mistaken, this should be the foot of Flower Fruit Mountain."

"Flower and Fruit Mountain?"

Sun Wukong shuddered, leaped up, and instantly climbed to the top of the tree, gazing into the distance.

The familiar mountain shape and the swirling clouds and mist—although he had been away from this place for decades, the image of Huaguo Mountain was already etched deep into his soul.

"This is truly Flower and Fruit Mountain! It's my Flower and Fruit Mountain!"

Sun Wukong was overjoyed and danced with glee!

But then, feelings of fear and resentment welled up inside me.

Suddenly, the monkey burst into loud wailing.

"Master! Master really doesn't want me anymore! He's sent me back to Flower Fruit Mountain! I haven't even learned the great skill of immortality yet, what am I going to do now!"

Seeing the monkey crying so heartbrokenly, Ning Chen felt both amused and touched.

That's just how monkeys are—genuine and sincere; a teacher for a day is a father for life!

Five hundred years later, he was repeatedly humiliated by Tang Sanzang, but he never harbored any murderous intent towards that pedantic monk.

At this moment, when Bodhi Patriarch sent him back to Flower Fruit Mountain, the monkey felt as if the sky had fallen.

Ning Chen stepped forward, patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder, and comforted him gently.

"Senior brother, don't cry. You've misunderstood the Patriarch. The Patriarch didn't abandon you. On the contrary, returning to Flower Fruit Mountain was precisely the Patriarch's arrangement. Think about it carefully. Since I'm here, how could the Patriarch expel me from the sect as well?"

Sun Wukong sobbed, looked up at him with tearful eyes, and showed a look of sudden realization.

"That's true. Our patriarch has always favored you. Even if he doesn't want me anymore, he would never abandon you, my junior brother..."

Ning Chen was so angry he almost fainted. These words made it sound like he was the illegitimate son of the founder.

When it comes to the patriarch's favoritism, who can compare to you, the naturally born and nurtured intelligent stone monkey!

Ning Chen explained patiently.

"Senior brother, you miss your hometown day and night. This is your simple nature and not your fault. The patriarch foresaw that you have a tribulation in your life, which should be in Flower Fruit Mountain. If you do not pass this tribulation, you will always be attached to it in your heart, and it will be difficult for you to reach the highest level of cultivation."

"The Patriarch specially sent us back so that you could sever your worldly ties, resolve your tribulations, and only then could you pursue the Great Dao without distraction in the future."

As Sun Wukong listened, his crying gradually subsided, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

"Is that really so? Didn't the Patriarch abandon me? Would he really let me go back?"

Ning Chen nodded affirmatively.

"Of course it's true, even if we take a step back..."

He put his hands behind his back, thinking to himself, "If I don't try to win over the monkey now, when will I ever get another chance?"

"Even if the Patriarch really... doesn't let you go back, don't you still have your junior brother me? We are fellow disciples and fellow students. Although my skills are not even a fraction of the Patriarch's, I will do my best to teach you anything I know, and I will never let your path of cultivation be cut off."

These words were like a reassuring pill, and Sun Wukong immediately stopped crying and started laughing. He scratched his ears and cheeks, and was so happy that he did several somersaults on the ground.

Ning Chen taught him several cultivation techniques, which proved remarkably effective, so he naturally trusted Ning Chen.

These days, we've lived and eaten together in Fangcun Mountain. If you were to ask who he's closest to, it would undoubtedly be Ning Chen.

"Good junior brother! Good junior brother! I believe in you! I also believe in the Patriarch! Come, I'll take you to Flower Fruit Mountain, to see my Water Curtain Cave, and to meet my monkey descendants! They'll be overjoyed to see you!"

The monkey was in high spirits, all its previous gloom and despair vanished, and it grabbed Ning Chen and ran up the mountain.

The two brothers walked along a mountain path for a while before realizing something was wrong.

The atmosphere in Flower Fruit Mountain was oppressive, with few traces of birds and beasts, and the noisy play of the monkey troop in the past was nowhere to be heard.

Occasionally, a few monkeys would be seen, but they would panic. When they saw Sun Wukong in the distance, instead of cheering and rushing to greet him, they would dart into the depths of the dense forest to hide, as if they had seen a ghost.

Sun Wukong stopped a little monkey, wanting to ask what was going on, but the little monkey shook its head repeatedly and burst into tears!