Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

Flower and Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave.

The Monkey King led his monkeys in a feast and revelry. In the midst of their revelry, an old macaque suddenly collapsed, lifeless. The monkeys were filled with grief, and the Monkey King stared blankly at the old monkey's corpse, experiencing for the first time the true fear of "death."

"I, Old Sun, don't want to die!" He suddenly stood up, scratching his ears and cheeks. "I want to find a way to achieve immortality, escape reincarnation, and live as long as heaven and earth!"

This idea spread like wildfire and could no longer be contained. The next day, he built a raft, bid farewell to the monkey troop, and resolutely set sail to seek immortals and the Dao.

"The script begins." High above, Guanyin Bodhisattva, holding a jade bottle, watched the Monkey King set sail. "After he has gone through many hardships, he will find Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, become a disciple of Bodhi Patriarch, and learn supernatural powers. At that time, the foundation for protecting the Dharma in Buddhism will be established."

She was about to follow the Buddha's instructions and secretly guide the raft's course to ensure that the Monkey King would "just happen" to drift to Xiniu Hezhou and find the "Crescent Moon Three Stars Cave".

Suddenly, a thick fog rose up from the East China Sea without warning. The fog spread for thousands of miles, causing chaos and confusion. Even Guanyin Bodhisattva's divine sense could not penetrate it, as if it were a mud ox sinking into the sea, unable to discern the direction.

"Who is causing this trouble?" Guanyin frowned slightly, trying to calculate with her fingers, but the secrets of heaven were unclear. "Could it be a remnant of the Jie Sect? Or that Lu Chen...?"

She dared not delay and immediately used a secret method to send a message to Mount Ling.

Meanwhile, the monkey king on the raft was shrouded in thick fog. He was initially panicked, but recalling the fragments of "observation and reasoning" in his mind, he forced himself to calm down and carefully perceive the water flow and wind direction.

"This fog is strange; it seems like someone did it on purpose." The Monkey King scratched his head. "Whatever, since we're out here, we might as well give it a try!"

He adjusted the raft's direction based on his intuition, drifting in the thick fog for an unknown amount of time, when suddenly a misty island appeared ahead. The island was filled with towering peaks, cascading waterfalls and flowing springs, and even cranes soaring and monkeys offering fruit—a truly ethereal scene.

The most striking feature is the mountaintop, where a simple and ancient cave can be vaguely seen amidst the clouds. There seem to be words on the lintel, but they are obscured by the mist.

"Could there be immortals here?" The Monkey King was overjoyed and quickly went ashore, climbing up the mountain path.

At the end of the mountain path, a cave dwelling was indeed seen, with three large characters on the door written in a vigorous and elegant style: "Crescent Moon Three Stars Cave!"

"This is it! I, Old Sun, have found it!" The Monkey King danced with excitement, quickly straightened his tattered tiger-skin skirt, and went forward to knock on the door.

Before long, the cave door opened, and a beautifully carved boy stepped out, saying in a clear voice, "Where did you come from, you wild monkey? Why are you making such a racket here?"

The Monkey King quickly bowed and said, "Immortal Child, this disciple is from Flower Fruit Mountain in the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory. I have traveled across the ocean to seek immortality and the secret to eternal life. I beg you to inform him!"

The boy looked him over a few times and nodded: "You wait here while I go and report to the Patriarch."

A moment later, the boy led the Monkey King inside. Deep within the cave, on a cloud bed, sat an old man with white beard and hair, exuding an air of otherworldly grace. His body emanated a pure aura, radiating Taoist charm—it was none other than the "Bodhi Patriarch"!

Of course, this "Bodhi Patriarch" is a fake body that Lu Chen created by using the power of the Chaos World Brick, combined with his own understanding of the Dao of "change" and "illusion and reality", and with the help of the natural formation of this place!

The True Bodhi Patriarch (an incarnation of Zhunti) is still waiting on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou. He waited until the flowers withered but his disciple still didn't come. He was wondering if he had miscalculated something.

"Disciple pays respects to the Ancestral Master!" The Monkey King bowed deeply.

Lu Chen (the fake Bodhi) nodded slightly, his voice ethereal: "You monkey do have a heart that yearns for the Dao. Very well, I will accept you as a disciple in name only and bestow upon you the Dharma name—Sun Wukong."

The Monkey King was overjoyed and repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

"Now that you have joined my sect, I will teach you the righteous path." Lu Chen pointed out a finger, and a beam of clear light entered Sun Wukong's brow. "This is the first part of the original Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, the supreme method for refining the body and soul and directly pointing to the Great Dao. Study it diligently and do not slack off."

This is not the simplified version given during the initial enlightenment, but a top-level body-refining technique that Lu Chen combined with his own understanding of the Great Dao of Power, removing the dross and retaining the essence, truly suitable for Sun Wukong's innate stone monkey physique! Once mastered, the physical body will become a saint, with boundless strength, far surpassing the original Seventy-Two Transformations!

Sun Wukong felt a vast amount of information flooding into his mind, his blood and qi boiling, as if every cell in his body was cheering and jumping for joy. He quickly sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate according to the incantation.

Lu Chen then taught him an improved version of the Somersault Cloud technique, which was 30% faster than the original and required less mana.

As for supernatural abilities such as the Seventy-Two Transformations and the Law of Heaven and Earth? Lu Chen didn't teach them.

"It's not that I'm stingy," Lu Chen said, feigning profundity. "Your foundation is not yet solid, and you can't bite off more than you can chew. Besides, those transformation techniques are easily seen through by experts, which could bring trouble. You should first cultivate the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to a minor level, until your physical body is flawless and you are strong enough to lift mountains, before we talk about anything else."

Although Sun Wukong felt regretful, he thought his master's words made sense, so he focused on cultivating the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique.

This repair took three years.

Over the course of three years, Sun Wukong made rapid progress. The stone monkey was naturally strong, and with the help of genuine Xuan Gong training, his physical strength increased by leaps and bounds each day. He could lift boulders weighing tens of thousands of kilograms and run like lightning. What was even more remarkable was that Lu Chen would occasionally preach and discuss the Dharma with him in the guise of "Bodhi Patriarch," but what he instilled in him was not Buddhist doctrine or Xuanmen rules, but rather the philosophy of seeking truth from facts, respecting strength, and living a carefree life.

"Master, what is the purpose of cultivation?" Sun Wukong asked one day.

Lu Chen (the fake Bodhi) stroked his beard and smiled: "Cultivation is about taking control of your own destiny. To live forever, to roam freely across the world, to be neither bullied nor controlled by others. Remember, with power in your hands, you are your own destiny."

These words were deeply imprinted in Sun Wukong's mind.

When the three-year term was up, Lu Chen summoned Sun Wukong to his side.

"Wukong, you have entered the path and your foundation is beginning to take shape. However, the true path lies in the mortal world. You need to experience life in the world and understand the ways of the world before you can go further." Lu Chen handed him a black iron staff (ordinary iron that Lu Chen had casually forged). "This staff is for you, for your own protection for now. Go now, do not mention your master, and do not linger here."

Although reluctant to part, Sun Wukong knew that his master's words made sense. He bowed and bid farewell, then rode his somersault cloud back to Flower Fruit Mountain.

As soon as he left, the entire "Crescent Moon Three Stars Cave" island vanished like a bubble, the mist receded, as if it had never existed.

Lu Chen himself stepped out of the void, looked in the direction Sun Wukong had gone, and grinned.

"Monkey, the true teachings have been passed on to you, and the path has been shown to you. Now, let's see how muddy you can get into this Journey to the West."

He used his brick-遁 (a type of teleportation technique) to fly towards Xiniu Hezhou.

"We should go and meet that real Bodhi Patriarch. He must be very worried about his lost disciple, right?"

Xiniuhezhou, Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Bodhi Patriarch (an incarnation of Cundi) frowned, constantly calculating.

"Strange indeed! The stone monkey's destiny clearly points to this place, so why has it been so long since arrived? Who has disturbed the secrets of heaven?"

Suddenly, he sensed something and looked up. He saw a stream of chaotic light coming from the east, landing in front of the mountain, and transforming into a smiling Taoist in a green robe, carrying a dusty brick on his shoulder.

"Fellow Daoist Bodhi, I've long admired your name." Lu Chen cupped his hands, his smile radiant. "I heard you're waiting for a disciple? Coincidentally, I just saw one off. Shall we have a chat?"