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

Road trip?

Ning Chen immediately perked up.

When I was in school, they talked about internal energy, a system of extraordinary power.

The strength level of a Blue Star Divine Realm Traveler is also determined based on the number of years of internal energy accumulated.

With one year of internal energy cultivation, one becomes a first-tier cultivator; with ten years, a third-tier cultivator; and with sixty years, a seventh-tier expert. For a ninth-tier grandmaster like Luo Zhantian, internal energy cultivation starts at a hundred years!

But what kind of extraordinary power is this Dao Xing?

Ning Chen focused his mind on the attributes of his cultivation.

Immediately afterwards, as if some mechanism had been triggered, an explanation suddenly appeared on the light screen in front of Ning Chen.

[Introduction to the Divine Realm Features!]

[Cultivation Ability!]

[The ratio of cultivation level to internal energy is 1:100!]

[Consuming one year's cultivation can be exchanged for 100 points of Comprehension! The same applies to Root Bone and Physique!]

[Increased comprehension will significantly enhance the ability to understand and learn cultivation techniques, mental cultivation methods, and the laws of heaven and earth!]

"One year of cultivation can be exchanged for a century's worth of internal energy and a hundred points of comprehension?"

Ning Chen's heart was instantly filled with turbulent waves.

He remembered his teacher saying in class that if he encountered a high-level cultivation technique in the Divine Realm that he could not comprehend, he could use a year's worth of internal energy to exchange for comprehension and physical attributes.

One year is exchanged for a little bit of enlightenment and physical strength, so internal strength is of utmost importance to all practitioners. As long as their internal strength is deep enough, there is no skill that practitioners cannot learn.

But very few people do this. To spend a year painstakingly cultivating inner strength just to exchange for a little bit of enlightenment is simply a waste of resources, since human lifespan is limited.

But the Journey to the West world is different; a year's cultivation can be directly exchanged for 100 points of enlightenment!

The difference between Taoist cultivation and internal strength is like heaven and earth!

However, upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense, considering this is a sermon given by Bodhi Patriarch, who is at least a quasi-saint level master.

He was dull-witted, and after listening to the lecture for so long, he only gained a year's worth of cultivation.

A spiritual stone monkey like this would likely gain at least a century's worth of cultivation in this short time.

No wonder the monkey only cultivated on Fangcun Mountain for ten years before reaching the Golden Immortal realm!

In Ning Chen's understanding, Dao Xing is a power that touches the level of rules, and its value is far beyond that of internal energy.

Using one's cultivation level to exchange for enlightenment is equivalent to directly transforming high-level insights into one's fundamental aptitude!

Knowing that there was still a second half to come, Ning Chen did not hesitate at all and decisively chose to exchange all the cultivation he had just acquired, which still carried the warmth of the patriarch's teachings, for enlightenment!

[Exchange successful! One year's cultivation points were consumed to exchange for attributes.]

[Comprehension Improvement: Normal (38) → Occasional Sudden Enlightenment (138)]

"Buzz!"

A refreshing aura, like a sweet spring from the heavens, poured in from the top of the head, instantly flowing through the limbs and bones, eventually converging into the depths of the mind between the eyebrows.

Ning Chen did not feel pain, but felt an unprecedented clarity in his mind, as if a thick layer of dust covering his soul had been suddenly wiped away, and the world became clear and vivid.

He carefully recalled the profound and obscure words spoken by the patriarch, which kept echoing in his mind.

Surprisingly, this time, the words were no longer obscure or difficult to understand.

Ning Chen was even able to discern the underlying context or imagery from the literal meaning of some of the words and phrases.

Although I still can't fully understand it, it's no longer completely unfamiliar; instead, I have a sense that I can try to figure it out.

Ning Chen looked around and noticed that the clear light surrounding the patriarch on the platform seemed to have gained a touch of Daoist charm.

The swaying pine branches and drifting clouds outside the window seem to contain some kind of natural truth.

As the saying goes, the Tao follows nature; is this the benefit of improved understanding?

Ning Chen was shocked. So the world seen by the monkey was probably completely different from the world he saw!

At that very moment, Patriarch Bodhi began to preach the Dharma again.

His gaze swept over the many disciples below the stage. Apart from the monkey, the others were all dull and unchanging.

Suddenly, Patriarch Bodhi noticed Ning Chen, an unnamed disciple who had just arrived at the mountain gate yesterday.

Just moments ago, Ning Chen had been looking constipated and in great pain, but now he was sitting perfectly still, with a faint air of clarity on his face. It was clear that he had gained some understanding from the lecture.

"Huh! Could I have misjudged it yesterday?"

Bodhi Patriarch was slightly puzzled. He did not ask Ning Chen about his background yesterday, mainly because he could tell from a glance that Ning Chen's aptitude and comprehension were only average. He was the kind of person who had six out of seven orifices open and none out of the others!

Even among his many disciples, Ning Chen's aptitude was at the bottom.

Even if such a disciple wastes decades of his life in his temple, it will all be in vain.

If it weren't for the fact that he came with a monkey, they probably wouldn't have even opened the gate.

Therefore, at that time, he did not inquire about Ning Chen's background in detail, intending to let Ning Chen give up on his own after a while and return to the mortal world to marry and have children.

But now it seems that Ning Chen has improved after only listening to one sermon.

Bodhi Patriarch suppressed his doubts and did not pay much attention to Ning Chen.

Finally, the sermon ended, its lingering echoes dissipating into the grotto.

[After listening to the teachings of Patriarch Bodhi, I gained some insights, and my spiritual practice has increased by 3 years.]

As expected, it works! Ning Chen's lips curled up slightly!

Some of the disciples were completely absorbed, pondering deeply.

Some were shaking their heads and reciting, while others looked blank, as if listening to cicadas and frogs.

Sun Wukong couldn't contain himself any longer. He somersaulted to Ning Chen's side, grabbed his sleeve, and grinned with delight.

"Wonderful! Wonderful indeed! Brother Ning Chen, did you hear that? The Patriarch's words are truly unparalleled! Listening to them felt like a thousand windows had opened in my heart, making it incredibly bright! What do you think?"

Ning Chen suppressed the shock and joy brought about by the sudden surge in his understanding of the Dao.

He let out a long sigh of relief, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

"Wukong, you are exceptionally gifted, so your understanding is naturally profound. I am of duller aptitude, and I'm completely lost, it's giving me a headache, but..."

He paused, savoring the unusual clarity in his mind.

"After listening to the patriarch's teachings, I have gained a little bit of insight. This great Dao is indeed unfathomable and requires slow and gradual understanding."

His words were partly true; his comprehension had leaped to a level of sudden enlightenment, more like opening the door to the laws of nature. But the path beyond that door still required him to accumulate knowledge step by step.

The profound truths and principles spoken by the patriarchs are as vast as the sea, and cannot be grasped instantly by simply increasing one's comprehension by a hundred points.

But this is undoubtedly a beginning, meaning that from this day forward, the efficiency of his listening to the teachings and cultivating himself will undergo a tremendous change.

He has only exchanged 100 points of enlightenment so far. If he exchanges more enlightenment later, will he be able to gain more cultivation every time he listens to a lecture?

If this cycle continues, he will eventually become an unparalleled genius!

"Haha, no rush, no rush!"

Sun Wukong waved his hand dismissively.

"The Tao follows its own course, and things will fall into place naturally. If you are inclined towards the Tao, come here every day to listen. You will be influenced by what you see and hear, and eventually you will attain enlightenment! Come on, come on, I'm hungry, let's go eat! I enjoyed what I heard today, I'm going to eat ten bowls full!"

Ning Chen smiled and agreed, then followed Wukong toward the dining hall.

He glanced back at the empty platform, his heart burning with warmth, all traces of the frustration and anxiety he felt when he first heard it gone.

"A year of cultivation can be exchanged for a hundred points of enlightenment. From now on, every lesson I learn can be converted in the same way. Over time, what level will my enlightenment reach? Once my enlightenment is sufficient, I will find a way to learn the Great Celestial Immortal Technique, the Heavenly Gang, and the Earthly Fiend Transformations from the Patriarch..."

Ning Chen seemed to see a clear road, though thorny, that led straight to the heavens.

The fellow travelers from the Journey to the West are still struggling in the mortal world, searching with difficulty for that elusive opportunity.

He himself was already in the midst of the greatest opportunity, and had found the key to amplify it to its fullest potential...

With the Bodhi Patriarch as a powerful figure, the path to enlightenment is within reach! The path to enlightenment is indeed within reach!