Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

For the mighty ones, legacy was of utmost importance, the more profound their divine skills, the more attentive they became in nurturing their disciples.

After all, the character and accomplishments of a disciple, once they ventured forth, were entirely a reflection of one's own reputation.

If the disciple was well-trained, it was a matter of gaining respect; otherwise, it naturally became a matter of losing face.

Because of this, even though Laozi had founded the Human Sect, in reality, the disciples Laozi took in within the Human Sect were limited to only Xuandu!

Moreover, Yuxu Palace prioritized aptitude, so the disciples from Yuxu Palace all came from extraordinary backgrounds.

In the eyes of Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable, setting aside the matter of strength for the moment, just the backgrounds of the disciples under his command were beyond question.

Thus, it was precisely because of this that Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable had significant differences with Sect Master Tongtian, feeling that Sect Master Tongtian lacked discernment in his teachings, and that Green Tour Palace was filled with all forms of beasts with scales and horns.

This was debasing oneself, which, in turn, caused embarrassment to himself as a fellow member of the Three Pure Ones.

Although Master Zhenyuan could not compare with those saint-level powerhouses in terms of status, he was, after all, among the top supernatural power experts in the three realms and six paths, hence, he highly valued the nurturing of his disciples.

For countless years, there had only been forty-eight disciples in Wuzhuang Temple, and naturally, Master Zhenyuan took their nurturing very seriously.

Today, after merely two months, the Taoist boys Qingfeng and Mingyue already appeared somewhat corrupted. Should Jiang Liu really be left at Wuzhuang Temple? Once his own disciples returned from Yuxu Palace, who knew what the consequences would be?

Compared to those disciples, a few ginseng fruits were minor; obviously, Master Zhenyuan understood which was more important.

Jiang Liu's face darkened somewhat, as the developments took him quite by surprise; having barely secured a six-month extension after a tough stand against Guanyin, he had wanted to give himself a pat on the back. Unexpectedly, Master Zhenyuan had rejected him.

Even though others were willing to offer nine ginseng fruits, clearly showing how much they wished for him to leave immediately, Jiang Liu, even if he wished to stay, couldn't possibly impose by staying against their will, could he?

"Amitabha, since this is the case, then I thank the great immortal for his generosity and magnanimity!" After a brief moment of silence, Jiang Liu, looking utterly disappointed, shook his head and spoke.

Hearing that Jiang Liu had finally agreed to leave, Master Zhenyuan felt a great relief in his heart; indeed, inviting gods was easy, sending them away was hard.

Soon, Master Zhenyuan had the Taoist boys Qingfeng and Mingyue pick nine ginseng fruits from the tree and held a Ginseng Fruit Feast to send off Jiang Liu.

"Ah, what a pity..." Upon hearing that Jiang Liu had actually agreed to leave, Guanyin sighed lightly, looking somewhat disappointed on the inside.

Normally, Guanyin should have been pleased that Jiang Liu was willing to move on, but now she felt somewhat disappointed.

In fact, with the Journey to the West having been planned for so long, waiting another half-year was not a big deal; but if Xuanzang were to have stayed at Wuzhuang Temple and Master Zhenyuan's disciples were all led astray, turning to drinking, eating meat, gambling, and cursing, that seemed appealing?

"Amitabha, since the matter here is concluded, I will not stay longer!"

Internally shaking her head, Guanyin spoke, and in a moment, she was seated on the Lotus Platform, quickly transforming into an escape light that faded away.

The original purpose had been to get Xuanzang and his party on the road, and now this goal had been achieved. They even managed to secure a few extra ginseng fruits from Master Zhenyuan, arguably completing the task beyond expectations; Guanyin should have been happy.

But now, whether she felt happier or more disappointed was something Guanyin couldn't quite decide for herself.

Setting aside what thoughts Guanyin had after she left, over at Wuzhuang Temple, a Ginseng Fruit Feast was to be held.

Since it was a grand event, it naturally had to be conducted with much fanfare; so, apart from the ginseng fruits, Jiang Liu also personally prepared a large table of food as a way to repay Master Zhenyuan for his kindness during this period.
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Although Master Zhenyuan could hardly wait for him to leave, which disappointed Jiang Liu, he was clear about gratitude and grudges; at least so far, at Wuzhuang Temple, Master Zhenyuan had offered him two ginseng fruits and now brought out nine more for the Ginseng Fruit Feast, which was an act of utmost righteousness and generosity.

Personally cooking a meal as a symbol of appreciation, Jiang Liu deemed it necessary.

At the level of Master Zhenyuan, eating was, in fact, no longer of any concern; previously, the food had been prepared by Qingfeng and Mingyue, so Master Zhenyuan had only tasted it once and never ate again.

However, at today's Ginseng Fruit Feast, the food personally prepared by Jiang Liu indeed looked and smelled delicious.

As these dishes were served, Master Zhenyuan's nose twitched slightly, and his eyes brightened a lot; soon after picking up his chopsticks to taste the food, he exclaimed loudly, "Delicious!"

"If the great immortal likes it, that's wonderful. Let's all eat together!" Following Master Zhenyuan's lead with the chopsticks, Jiang Liu smiled and nodded, also inviting everyone else to join the meal.

The food was extremely delicious, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal; in a short while, everyone's mouths were greasy.

Even Master Zhenyuan was moving his chopsticks as fast as a blur; for a time, the atmosphere among the diners became much more harmonious.

"Xuanzang, your cooking indeed ranks first across the three realms and six paths, well done!" Master Zhenyuan gave a thumbs up, slurping a piece of green vegetable into his mouth, and spoke with admiration.

"Great Immortal is too kind!" Jiang Liu humbly smiled at Master Zhenyuan's praise.

They probably thought his cooking was good because he specifically crafted an iron pot and used modern cooking techniques to stir-fry the food, which might have seemed novel to them. To say it was extremely delicious? Jiang Liu himself didn't quite believe it.

"Since you have now stayed in my Wuzhuang Temple for two months, it is indeed fate. How about you and I become sworn brothers?"

Just at that moment, suddenly, Master Zhenyuan spoke, making a proposal that left everyone present dumbfounded.

"Master? You, you..." The Taoist boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue, dropped their chopsticks with a clatter, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at Master Zhenyuan.

Clearly, they found their own master's proposal unbelievable.

"Ah!? Become sworn brothers with me!?" Jiang Liu, being the concerned party, was naturally stunned, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning, staring blankly at Master Zhenyuan.

Who was Master Zhenyuan!? A powerhouse at the Quasi-Saint Peak! A listener at the Primordial Plane's Zixiao Palace, Zhu Bajie had said that even the Tathagata and the Great Jade Emperor would have to greet him first. His stature was evident.

Yet, he was actually the one taking the initiative to become sworn brothers with him!?

Although Master Zhenyuan had sworn brotherhood in the original story, wasn't his brother Sun Wukong? How did it turn out to be him today?

"Master, what are you spacing out for? This is a great fortune! How can you not agree!?" While Jiang Liu was confused and felt his mind go blank, not knowing how to respond, Zhu Bajie, who was next to him, reacted quickly and gave Jiang Liu a push, urging him to agree.

"Oh, in that case, Jiang Liu pays his respects to Big Brother!" Pushed by Zhu Bajie, Jiang Liu snapped back to reality and sincerely saluted Master Zhenyuan.

Regardless of why Master Zhenyuan had suddenly made this proposal, for Jiang Liu, being able to become brotherhood with Quasi-Saint Peak's Master Zhenyuan was naturally a great thing.

"Jiang Liu!?" Hearing Jiang Liu's address, Master Zhenyuan's expression shifted slightly, and he soon nodded secretly to himself.

Indeed, before Xuanzang took his holy orders, this indeed was his secular name.

"Thus, with me older by some years, I am now your elder brother. Qingfeng, Mingyue, go and please bring out some fragrant herbs!" After nodding, Master Zhenyuan, satisfied with Jiang Liu's response, spoke while gesturing to Qingfeng and Mingyue to prepare items like fragrant herbs, yellow paper, and the altar table.

Jiang Liu was the person of destiny in this great cosmic trial of the Journey to the West, akin to Jiang Ziya during the great deification tribulation, naturally no ordinary person.

And there was no need to speak of Master Zhenyuan, a top powerhouse in the Three Realms and Six Paths, with strength at the Quasi-Saint Peak.

Their swearing brotherhood could not merely be a verbal agreement; they needed to ritually declare it to heaven and earth.

Following the declaration to heaven and earth, heavenly thunder roared as it had when Jiang Liu swore to the heavens before, clearly, this declaration to heaven and earth had been acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao!

"Elder brother!"

"Younger brother!"

After the swearing ceremony, Jiang Liu and Master Zhenyuan addressed each other, officially establishing their fraternal relationship.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Following the completion of the swearing ceremony, Sun Wukong and Qingfeng Mingyue, with joyous expressions, came forward to offer their congratulations.

The Ginseng Fruit Meeting naturally became even more lively and harmonious.

...

On Western Spirit Mountain, inside the Great Thunder Monastery.

The Tathagata sat quietly on his Lotus Platform when suddenly, the sound of heavenly thunder arose, stirring his heart and prompting a premonition—clearly understanding that Jiang Liu and Master Zhenyuan had become sworn brothers. This revelation brought both shock and anger to the Tathagata's face.

"Damn it, that shameless Master Zhenyuan! As an elder, he actually became brothers with Golden Cicada? By doing so, he's divided the cosmic fate and virtues of my Journey to the West! How infuriating!"

...

Below the Nine Nethers, amidst the crimson Netherworld Blood Sea, a red ocean filled with sinister and ominous aura surged with mighty waves.

"Master Zhenyuan? Quite the cunning one, indeed managing to take a share of virtue and destiny from the Buddhist Sect. What a clever trick! Who cares about face when grabbing a piece of destiny is the real jackpot! Too bad, the traveler of the West won't be passing by here; otherwise, I might have tried something similar myself!"

...

In another place, under a mysterious and pitch-black environment, a man dressed in a black Taoist robe slowly opened his eyes, his lips slightly curling upwards.

"That lucky fellow, Master Zhenyuan! He really stumbled upon a treasure indeed! Ahem, ahem, ahem..."