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

The next day, it was time for Patriarch Bodhi to preach again. In the preaching hall of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave, the cloud platform was built high, and the disciples crowded together.

Everyone sat down according to their seniority as disciples, except for Ning Chen and the monkey, who sat upright below the ancestral altar, where they could see the ancestral master's long beard when they looked up.

The Bodhi Patriarch sat serenely on a lotus throne, his countenance solemn and dignified, uttering true words as he expounded on the profound mysteries of the Yin-Yang Dao.

When the patriarch preached, it was truly a riot of words, with golden clouds rising from the earth, and the Taoist spirit permeating Fangcun Mountain.

The disciples were completely absorbed in it, mesmerized.

However, two unusual phenomena in today's lecture hall were particularly eye-catching, drawing countless glances and causing great shock.

Ning Chen sat cross-legged on the futon.

He consumed a nine-thousand-year-old peach yesterday, which increased his lifespan by 60,000 years and boosted his physical attributes by 600 points, bringing him to the realm of the Innate Dao Body.

At this moment, guided by the true words of the ancestral master, and in conjunction with the Hunyuan Yin Yang Creation Scripture that he had just practiced a few days ago, he suddenly felt enlightened, and all the key points and obstacles were cleared!

Ning Chen's 36,000 pores opened, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A slowly rotating vortex of purplish-blue spiritual energy formed above his head, overflowing with pure spiritual energy. The surrounding blue brick ground was nourished by it, and countless tender shoots sprouted, climbing and growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even blooming into flowers.

This is Ning Chen's innate Dao body, which spontaneously resonates with heaven and earth, drawing in the tides of spiritual energy and causing all things to grow!

Not far from him, Sun Wukong's condition was even more astonishing.

The spiritual energy vortex above the monkey's head was much larger than Ning Chen's, and it had a primordial silver-gold color, like the beginning of chaos.

As the vortex spun, it subtly revealed the two energies of Yin and Yang, sometimes as fiery as fire, sometimes as icy as an abyss.

Even more astonishingly, at the core of the vortex, a slightly blurry phantom of a giant ape was faintly emerging!

The two men's imposing presence startled many of their fellow disciples.

"Hiss... Junior Brother Wu Chen, just what kind of talent does he possess? He's only been a disciple for a little over two years, yet he's already able to materialize spiritual energy and nourish all things?"

"Look, Junior Brother Wukong! What is that phantom? Could it be the Dharma Body of Heaven and Earth? This monkey's fighting talent is truly astonishing!"

"Those two must have recently received some extraordinary stroke of luck! The scale of their absorption of spiritual energy is simply unheard of!"

"The patriarch's teachings are indeed profound and boundless, but unfortunately, we are of mediocre talent, and though we have entered a mountain of treasures, we can only return empty-handed!"

"How despicable, how lamentable, how hateful..."

The senior students were stunned and discussed among themselves, feeling both envy and awe. They even lost focus while listening to the lecture.

As the sermon ended, the Daoist aura slowly dissipated, and a divine realm notification popped up before Ning Chen's eyes.

Listen to the teachings of Patriarch Bodhi, gain profound insight and enlightenment, and accumulate 50 years of spiritual progress!

Ning Chen was also slightly surprised. This time, after listening to the teachings, he actually gained fifty years of cultivation!

I gained far more than I had ever done in a lecture before!

He immediately understood. His cultivation level soared. On the one hand, it was due to the profound knowledge of the Bodhi Patriarch's Dao. On the other hand, it was also due to his own innate comprehension and the recent leap in his abilities, as well as his innate Dao body's affinity for the Dao, which was almost at its source.

Having cultivated for over a century, Ning Chen's resolve only grew stronger.

Although the patriarch's words yesterday were heavy, they did not make him despair.

On the contrary, a thought became increasingly clear in Ning Chen's mind.

The future is not entirely predetermined, as the patriarch said!

The third level of the Divine Realm in Journey to the West is clear proof!

Sun Wukong, who should have been imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain and waiting for the pilgrims to subdue him, was not subdued by Buddhism!

My senior brother is still fighting!

The monkeys and their offspring from Flower Fruit Mountain are still alive!

His existence, Ning Chen's teachings to his senior brothers, such as the Yi Jin Jing and the Golden Bell Cover, and now the Hunyuan Yin Yang Creation Scripture, are already changing the predetermined course of history!

"Eighty-one tribulations..."

A sharp glint flashed in Ning Chen's eyes.

"If I were to take my senior brother's place and overcome each of the eighty-one tribulations, could I completely sever the fateful connection between him and the one destined for this calamity? Could I carve out a truly carefree future for him?"

This thought burned like a raging fire in his chest.

Power! He needs even greater power!

A power strong enough to overcome any difficulty!

As long as you can perfectly pass through the eighty-one tribulations, you will continuously gain cultivation, magical treasures, innate talent, and comprehension.

With this thought in mind, Ning Chen's worries about the fourth level, Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, resurfaced.

That little white dragon Ao Lie was the third prince of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea. He was a true dragon in the world, born with at least the cultivation of an immortal, and possessed great supernatural powers. He was not someone to be trifled with!

With his and the God-level Walker team's strength alone, their chances of winning in a head-on confrontation are almost nonexistent!

When in doubt, consult the patriarch!

Since the patriarch has regarded him as his successor, he will certainly not let his path of cultivation end here!

Unable to pass the fourth test, Ning Chen directly performed a personal evaporation technique for the patriarch!

Ning Chen took a deep breath, stood up again, and came to the foot of the Ancestral Cloud Platform, where he bowed deeply.

"Disciple Wuchen has a question and humbly requests guidance from the Patriarch."

Bodhi Patriarch's gaze fell upon him. Yesterday, he had debated the future with Wuchen, and they had quite a disagreement about his senior brother.

He had thought that Wu Chen would be depressed and somewhat dejected, but today he saw that the boy's Dao heart was indeed extraordinary, and he had already adjusted himself in just one night.

Bodhi Patriarch nodded slightly, his eyes showing a hint of approval.

"Please feel free to speak!"

"During my previous training, I encountered a formidable enemy..."

Ning Chen used careful wording, slightly altering the description of the little white dragon's situation.

"This enemy is a dragon, its power vast and boundless, capable of summoning wind and rain, riding the clouds and mist, and changing unpredictably. From what I've observed, its cultivation has likely reached the realm of immortals. Moreover, dragons possess innately powerful supernatural abilities, capable of overturning rivers and seas with ease. I've pondered deeply, and if we were to confront it head-on, I would have little chance of victory. I wonder if the Ancestor has any ingenious method to subdue this dragon with my current Void Returning cultivation?"

"A dragon?"

The patriarch raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with great interest.

"Tell me, what kind of dragon did you encounter? You should know that dragons are inherently lustful, and there are many different kinds. There are true dragons that control clouds and rain, such as the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, who are born with divine abilities and hold noble positions. There are hornless dragons called Chi dragons, who are also skilled in controlling water. There are also jiao dragons, which are transformed from snakes and pythons and whose scales are not yet fully developed; they are fierce and cunning. There are also young and tender qiu dragons with boundless potential. There are also tuo dragons, which are thick-skinned and brutal by nature... Which kind did you encounter?"

Ning Chen answered respectfully.

"Reporting to the Ancestor, the one I encountered was none other than a true dragon from the direct lineage of the Four Seas Dragon Kings! Its scales gleamed, its dragon might was awe-inspiring, and its supernatural powers were immense!"

"Oh? It's actually a real dragon?"

Bodhi Patriarch stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, seemingly quite troubled. After a while, the Patriarch slowly spoke.

"These kinds of true dragons are born sacred and possess profound magical power. Furthermore, they are protected by the treasures of the Dragon Palace and rely on the advantageous terrain and water features, making them truly difficult to deal with. However, they are not invincible in open combat..."

The patriarch leaned forward slightly, looked at Ning Chen, and a hint of amusement seemed to flash across his lips.

"Why not take a different approach and secretly maneuver?"

"A covert maneuver?"