It Was Time

"Dao Venerable!"

The Little Stone Monkey ran wildly, and before it even reached the mountain hollow where the Dao Venerable was, it was already calling out impatiently.

Lin Tian was sitting at a stone table, slowly sipping his tea.

The Little Stone Monkey rushed to the stone table and, without the slightest hesitation, knelt down heavily with a thud.

"Dao Venerable! I beg you! Save Mao Tou and the others! Save my people!"

His voice trembled as he pleaded, "That Silver Snake Great King... he... he kidnapped the monkeys we went out to find food!"

"The Old Monkey King said... he said he's Earth Immortal, so powerful, so incredibly powerful, we can't beat him... He's eaten so many of us monkeys before... Please, Dao Venerable! Only you can save them! Please help us, this Little Stone Monkey kowtows to you!"

"No rush," Lin Tian put down his teacup and looked at the little monkey. "That so-called Silver Snake Great King, with his Earth Immortal cultivation, can be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye."

The Dao Venerable is indeed Supernatural Power powerful!

He's willing to help! Mao Tou and the others are saved!

Our community is saved!

"But," Lin Tian slowly shook his head, "If I were to intervene now and clear away all obstacles for you, what meaning would it have for you or your people?"

"Meaning?" The Little Stone Monkey was stunned, bewildered. "Meaning... is to save Mao Tou and the others, and protect everyone from being bullied again!"

"If we save you this time, what about next time? If the Silver Snake Great King is destroyed, won't there be Golden Serpent Great King and Tiger and Leopard Great King in this Primordial Wilderness? As long as you are not strong enough, the bullying and predation will never end."

"I can protect you for a while, but can I protect you forever? Even if I could, what would be the meaning of your existence? Are you just trembling fledglings forever clinging to my wings?"

The Little Stone Monkey opened its mouth, wanting to refute, but found that it couldn't utter a single word.

Ultimately, everything depends on yourselves.

Lin Tian stood up. "Rely on yourself to become strong enough, strong enough to protect your clan and make any covetous people hesitate."

"But... but I can't beat them!"

Tears welled up in the Little Stone Monkey's eyes again, filled with resentment. "That Old Monkey King said that Earth Immortal are incredibly powerful, and I've only been cultivating for a short time... I... I'm no match for them at all!"

Lin Tian reached out and gently placed his hand on the Little Stone Monkey's shoulder.

You must believe in yourself.

"Now, it's time."

"It's time?" The Little Stone Monkey looked at Lin Tian, puzzled. "What do you mean by 'it's time'?"

Lin Tian did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you know why, when I first met you, I only taught you techniques to strengthen your foundation and cultivate your vital energy, and not any killing techniques or Supernatural Power abilities?"

The Little Stone Monkey shook his head; this was also the question that had always puzzled him.

The Dao Venerable is clearly so powerful, yet he only teaches it the most basic things.

"Power is a double-edged sword. Without a strong enough heart to wield it, even the greatest power will ultimately be a curse, blinding the user and causing them to lose their way in the illusion of power, becoming its slave, or even turning against them."

The Dao Venerable had been watching him all along, testing him, and waiting for him to grow!

"Thump!"

He knelt down again, raising his head. "Dao Venerable! Please... please teach me! Teach me to become stronger! Teach me the skills to protect everyone! This Little Stone Monkey... this Little Stone Monkey wishes to become your disciple!"

As he spoke, he respectfully prepared to perform the formal ceremony of becoming a disciple.

Lin Tian shook his head, his voice gentle yet carrying an unyielding resolve. "I will not accept you as my disciple."

The Little Stone Monkey was immediately disappointed.

"But I can teach you." Lin Tian changed the subject. "I never take on disciples."

"Thank you Dao Venerable!" The Little Stone Monkey bowed its head and said, "This Little Stone Monkey... will never forget the Dao Venerable's kindness!"

Lin Tian nodded slightly and said no more.

He stretched out his right hand, and a golden light appeared at the tip of his finger, which he gently touched on the Little Stone Monkey's forehead.

"Buzz!"

In an instant, the Little Stone Monkey felt a flood of information rushing into his mind!

<The Great Evolution Battle Heaven Art>.

"What an amazing technique!!!"

Immediately following were two more texts on Supernatural Power and secret techniques.

Seventy-two Earthly Fiend Transformations and Thirty-six Heavenly Gang Great Laws!

He possesses unparalleled abilities such as summoning wind and rain, dividing rivers into land, shifting stars and changing constellations, turning back the heavens and the sun, subduing dragons and tigers, and carrying mountains to chase the moon!

"This... this..."

The Little Stone Monkey was utterly astonished!

That's amazing!

Lin Tian's voice rang out. "The <Great Evolution Battle Heaven Art> is the essence of the Great Dao of War, perfectly suited to you. Its Seventy-two Earthly Fiend Transformations and Thirty-six Heavenly Gang Great Laws are wondrous arts for dealing with all the laws of the world. If you combine these three and diligently cultivate them, in time, in the vast Primordial Wilderness world, below the level of a sage, there will be very few who can defeat you."

Below the level of a sage, there are very few!

Although we don't know how strong a sage is, he should be more than capable of dealing with a mere Earth Immortal like the Silver Snake Great King.

"Dao Venerable, I..."

Just then, Lin Tian flipped his hand, and something appeared in his palm.

A stick.

It is dark gold in color, with a smooth body and a golden hoop at each end, on which dragon and phoenix patterns are faintly visible.

"This item was forged using fragments of the Nine-Aperture Immortal Stone from when you were born as the main material, mixed with several innate materials such as Star Iron, Mount Shou Red Copper, and Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, and then forged with a wisp of Chaos Qi."

Lin Tian handed the staff to the Little Stone Monkey. "It weighs 13,500 jin, but its size and weight can change at your will. It can be as large as a pillar supporting the sky, or as small as a needle hidden in an ear. It is indestructible and impervious to all magic."

"Let's call it— the Ruyi Golden Cudgel)."

"Ruyi... the Golden Cudgel?"

The Little Stone Monkey murmured to itself, its gaze already firmly fixed on the stick.

He reached out his hands and carefully took it.

The moment I held it, a wonderful feeling welled up inside me!

It's as if this stick was born to belong to it!

As soon as he thought of "small," the Golden Cudgel hummed and instantly shrank to the length of a chopstick.

Then I thought about it again, and it went back to normal!

"What a wonderful baby! What a wonderful baby!"

The Little Stone Monkey stroked the Golden Cudgel with great affection, his heart filled with excitement!

"Thank you Dao Venerable, for bestowing upon me the Dharma and the treasure! I, the Little Stone Monkey, will forever remember your great kindness and virtue! I will go and cultivate now! I will surely master these skills as soon as possible and wipe out the snake's lair!"

Lin Tian nodded. "Go. Everything depends on you."

The Little Stone Monkey nodded, put the shrunken Golden Cudgel into its ear, bowed to Lin Tian again, and then went to cultivate.

He needs to improve his strength quickly in the shortest amount of time.

Lin Tian shook his head and muttered to himself, "I wonder... will you still have the title of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven in the future?"