Sun Wukong frowned slightly and said, "The demonic energy is swirling all around us..."

After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "For some reason, the demons don't dare approach us this quickly. Alright, I'll be generous. Although you didn't choose the Thunder Seal, Wind Seal, or Fire Seal earlier, to give you some means of self-defense so you don't perish too soon, I've decided to teach each of you one of the Five Element spells."

A few seconds later, he turned back to me and said, "I've observed that your element is Wind. This chubby kid's element is Fire, and your twin brother, despite having very weak psychic power, possesses the extremely rare Metal element. I will teach you the Gale Technique. The little fatty will learn the Fireball Technique, and your brother will learn the Falling Sword Technique."

The three of us bowed in gratitude, saying in unison, "Thank you, Great Sage."

The Monkey scratched his cheek and said, "These spells aren't like the ones I taught you before, which activated merely by reciting an incantation. Attack methods require practice to unleash their full power. Furthermore, as these are foundational techniques, they will branch out into various other methods that you must comprehend on your own. We've only met once, and I cannot stay to help you forever."

Even before the time for parting arrived, Wukong was already showing a degree of reluctance to leave us, which deeply moved me.

Daxiong knelt first and said, "Great Sage Grandpa, what you have taught us will benefit us for a lifetime. We do not ask that you accompany us long-term, only that you permit us to take you as our master. Then, if others inquire, we can truthfully say we are disciples of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

Hearing this, we all knelt down as well and said in a single voice, "We beg the Great Sage to allow us to become your disciples."

The Monkey seemed a little pleased, chuckling softly. He leaped onto a fallen tree trunk and said, "Aren't you afraid of being mocked? In your world, there is no such person as Sun Wukong; he only exists in novels."

We quickly insisted, "We are not afraid of ridicule. The true teachings of the Great Sage will speak for themselves."

Wukong hurried to say, "Good, good, good! Get up, both of you, get up."

The three of us showed no intention of rising, instead asking in unison, "We won't get up unless the Great Sage agrees. If you accept, we will kowtow to become your disciples."

The Monkey seemed overjoyed, saying, "Good, good, good! Kowtow, kowtow!"

Hearing this, we were almost too excited to stand still. We quickly bowed our heads more than a dozen times, proclaiming, "Master above, please accept this offering from your disciples!"

Seeing that our kowtows didn't cease, Wukong hastily helped the three of us up, repeatedly saying, "Good, good, good! Good disciples!"

The three of us could only grin foolishly, looking at Wukong without speaking.

At that moment, Wukong's brow furrowed, and he said, "Let me think—what did my Master say back then?"

A few seconds passed, and then he composed himself and announced, "I remember now. Listen closely, the three of you. I, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, am a disciple of the Buddhist path. Since you three have entered my lineage today, you shall be considered lay disciples. Although you are not required to observe fasts or chant sutras, from now on, you must adhere to the Buddhist tenet of accumulating virtue through good deeds and must not commit evil. Do you understand?"

The three of us knelt again and kowtowed several times, saying, "We understand, Master."

Wukong smiled, "Excellent! Rise now. The connection between us is fated. If you hadn't held me in your hearts and summoned me, this master-disciple bond would not exist today. This is fortune you have cultivated yourselves. Though our time together is brief, I will remember the three of you. I perceive that all of you possess pure hearts, and you are destined for great things."

After saying this, he added, "Enough idle talk. The three of you, begin your practice."

The three of us dared not be slow, and we immediately began practicing the three techniques Wukong Master had taught us.

Before long, Daxiong and I had each managed to conjure gales through sheer willpower, while the other could launch fireballs the size of a fist.

That wind was no ordinary breeze; it was a tempest capable of lifting boulders weighing a thousand catties. As for the fireballs, though small, anything they touched would be reduced to ash within a dozen seconds.

Only Nie Chuan, due to the paucity of psychic energy within him and his inability to meditate to gather power, could ultimately only summon a few lumps of iron from the air.

During the practice, the Great Sage ignored me and Daxiong, focusing his attention entirely on Nie Chuan.

When we paused to rest, he said to Nie Chuan, "There is a colossal energy within you, but you cannot control it, correct?"

Without waiting for Nie Chuan to reply, I interjected, "Yes! Master, please examine my brother and see what is happening!"

Nie Chuan smiled awkwardly when he heard me call him my brother.

A flash of golden light suddenly shot from Wukong's eyes; he had clearly activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth.

After observing for a few seconds, he told us, "What potent power. It is almost identical to what I witnessed within Laozi's alchemical furnace back then."

"Laozi's alchemical furnace?" I asked.

Wukong nodded. "Indeed. Laozi's furnace contained the most powerful energy in heaven and earth, which is why it could forge the immortal elixir that granted the Jade Emperor eternal life. Your brother also harbors an energy of comparable magnitude within him. This energy is usually generated by your brother himself—a thought, no matter how powerful, should be controllable. But now, this thought is slowly generating self-awareness. This is very dangerous."

I quickly followed up, "Are you saying my brother will develop schizophrenia?"

Wukong shook his head. "Quite the opposite. The sheer magnitude of that force is enough to completely devour your brother's original consciousness. What he will become then, I truly cannot say. Whether it is a blessing or a curse, if it is a curse, it cannot be avoided. I cannot help you much further; this tribulation is meant to be yours, just as I was once pinned beneath the Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years."

Upon hearing this, the three of us were at a complete loss.

After a moment, Wukong smiled and said, "It is fortunate that you met me. Otherwise, the moment you began meditating to gather your own strength, you would have encountered resistance from the energy within. But I possess a scripture here that can enable you to harmonize effectively with the power inside and guide it."

As he spoke, Wukong flipped his palm, and a scripture appeared as if from nowhere. Written on its cover were the words: "Heart-Cleansing Incantation."

After Nie Chuan gratefully accepted the scripture, Wukong continued, "This was given to me by the Bodhisattva Guanyin back in the day. You only know of the Tightening-Fillet Spell, but not the Heart-Cleansing Incantation. In truth, it was the cultivation of this scripture that allowed me to finally suppress my own power and devoutly pursue the scriptures. This was bestowed upon me by the Bodhisattva Guanyin, and there is only one copy in existence."

The mention of the Bodhisattva suddenly gave me a strange sense of unease.

However, the Bodhisattvas in the novel were clearly great beings who alleviate suffering, a point that was beyond doubt.

Seeing such a precious gift, Nie Chuan quickly expressed his thanks to Wukong.

Seeing the worried look on Nie Chuan's face finally ease, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief myself.

Wukong smiled and said, "The matters here are mostly settled. Let us proceed forward."

"Yes! Master!" the three of us replied simultaneously.

They were once four figures on the journey to the West, with Wukong as the disciple; now he was the Master, a role that made him quite smug as he walked ahead, humming a tune.

We followed behind him, murmuring incantations and making hand gestures, looking like three lunatics.

It couldn't be helped; the incantations Wukong taught were mere phonetic syllables, easily forgotten if one didn't memorize them diligently.

And those attack spells required far more practice to master and upgrade.

While practicing, I suddenly had a very important question and asked, "Master! I want to ask, will we still be able to use these spells when we get out? I mean, when we return to normal human society."

Wukong replied, "Of course, you can. But you'd best not use them carelessly, lest some people take notice of you."

Daxiong inquired, "What people? The Supernatural Research Association? I know a few of them; they are all rich second-generation types who waste their days. Nothing to fear there."

Wukong said, "Not the Paranormal Research Association, nor the State Academy of Sciences or American secret agents. There is an organization called the Qiankun Tribulation, which harbors many formidable figures."

"Qiankun Tribulation?" The three of us repeated in unison.

Wukong let out a helpless smile and said, "Don't ask. Just remember this: if you have no choice and truly fall into the Qiankun Tribulation, when the time comes to determine the Star Gate, you must choose the Qian Gate, which corresponds to the Buddhist path. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire."

We were utterly bewildered, but Wukong refused to elaborate, so we didn't press further.

Before we realized it, the path pressed open by the Golden Cudgel had become increasingly narrow, and a thin layer of mist had gathered ahead of us at some point.

Recalling Wukong's earlier words that the vegetation here was alive and would automatically regenerate after being damaged, I could roughly guess why the path was narrowing. But that strange mist—was that the demonic energy Wukong mentioned?

As I was thinking, Wukong ahead suddenly stopped dead.

The three of us froze instantly. At that moment, I inadvertently spotted several powerful, yellow psychic entities approaching us through the mist not far ahead.

Wukong retrieved his Golden Cudgel from his ear. "It's Bloodthirsty Wolves. Your first trial has begun. I will observe from the side."

Having learned the techniques, we had long been eager to test them out. Hearing his words ignited a surge of excitement, devoid of any tension or fear.

I used my utmost speed to condense three layers of Flame Psychic Power on my arm, while simultaneously reciting the incantation for the Gale Spell.

Daxiong conjured a fireball in the palm of his hand. Only Nie Chuan quietly drew a dagger and stood behind the two of us, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

As the yellow psychic forms drew nearer, Nie Chuan warned, "Be careful, eighty meters left. In nine seconds, we will have our first contact. They are agile; I haven't found a weakness yet. I suggest the weaker Daxiong provide cover and maneuver while *seeking a killing blow."

Hearing him, both Daxiong and I stood ready, preparing for a good fight to gauge the true power of our spells.