Endless sword qi constantly scoured Six-Eared Macaque's body, while the formation's powerful pressure bore down on him. He was covered in blood, without a single uninjured spot on his body.
Yet Six-Eared Macaque still gritted his teeth and endured, because he knew this might be his final chance.
Because of Dao Ancestor Hongjun's decree that the Dharma would not be passed to the Six-Eared, every great power in the Primordial World had shut him out. If he failed this time, perhaps no one would ever take him as a disciple again.
His powerful desire to seek the Dao made Six-Eared Macaque fearless.
"Come on! I will never give up!"
Sensing Six-Eared Macaque's unwavering resolve, Xuan Yi smiled faintly.
"Not bad. He's a good prospect. In that case, I shall give you something."
As Xuan Yi's words fell, a powerful surge of heaven and earth spiritual energy flew toward Six-Eared Macaque.
Whoosh—
Six-Eared Macaque, who had been struggling bitterly within the formation, suddenly erupted with golden light.
At that moment, Six-Eared Macaque seemed to have been restored to his original state. All his injuries healed completely, and even the realm he had been stuck in for so long broke through.
As heaven and earth spiritual energy poured into him, Six-Eared Macaque's cultivation finally stabilized at the middle stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm. This was also due to the reserves he had accumulated over time.
Having broken through, Six-Eared Macaque found it noticeably easier to withstand the formation's pressure. An hour quietly passed.
"Ha! I succeeded! I succeeded!"
He had passed the test. A great power could now take him as a disciple. After seeking the Dao for years without success, the path now lay right before him.
Unable to contain the emotions he had suppressed for so many years, Six-Eared Macaque shouted wildly.
"Not bad, not bad. Little monkey, your heart in seeking the Dao is firm. Are you willing to take me as your master?"
Before long, two figures appeared before Six-Eared Macaque.
One was a refined and elegant man, with a mysterious vertical mark between his brows that made him impossible to fathom. The other was a woman as beautiful as a heavenly immortal, whose cultivation could not be perceived at all. They arrived hand in hand, and it was the man who spoke.
"The middle stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm? Isn't that the same realm as mine?"
Six-Eared Macaque was dumbfounded. He had thought this would be a peerless great power, but it turned out to be someone in the same realm as him.
"He has shown me kindness. If not for him, I would still be a little monkey in the Earth Immortal realm. No matter what lies ahead, since he is willing to take me in, I cannot miss this opportunity."
After struggling inwardly, Six-Eared Macaque ultimately chose to acknowledge Xuan Yi as his master.
"This disciple greets Master!"
Six-Eared Macaque turned and kowtowed.
"Good, good, good."
"From now on, you shall be my eldest disciple."
"I am Xuan Yi, also known by the Daoist title Xuan Qingzi. This is your master's wife, Nuwa."
Xuan Yi said with a smile.
"Xuan Yi? The Xuan Yi who wiped out hundreds of Grand Unity Golden Immortals with a single move a thousand years ago? He is a peerless great power!"
Xuan Yi's feat of annihilating hundreds of Grand Unity Golden Immortals in a single strike had long spread throughout the Primordial World. Since Six-Eared Macaque had spent all these years seeking the Dao everywhere, he had naturally heard Xuan Yi's name.
"Master, Master's Wife, please accept a bow from Six-Eared."
After learning Xuan Yi's identity, Six-Eared Macaque knelt and bowed once more. This time, he was completely convinced.
"Now that you have become my disciple, you must remember the rules of our sect."
"First, fellow disciples must not kill one another."
"Second, you must respect your master and honor the Dao."
"Third, you must not harm innocent living beings."
"If you violate these rules, do not blame me for cleansing the sect."
Every great power had rules when accepting disciples. Xuan Yi did not know what rules to establish, so he casually set down a few based on memories from his previous life.
"Come with me into the Daoist grounds. I will pass on cultivation techniques to you shortly."
With that, he led Six-Eared Macaque into Nuwa's Daoist grounds.
"Little monkey, eat. These are for you."
Seeing how pitiful Six-Eared Macaque was, Nuwa brought over a plate of spiritual fruits and placed it before him.
"Thank you, Master's Wife. Thank you, Master's Wife."
Six-Eared Macaque thanked her, then grabbed the spiritual fruits and began wolfing them down. Suddenly, he froze.
"What is it, little monkey? Why are you crying?"
Nuwa asked with concern.
But Six-Eared Macaque only stared blankly at the spiritual fruit in his hand.
He had forgotten how long it had been since he last ate spiritual fruit. Other than when he had just been born, when he had accidentally found a spiritual root and picked a few fruits from it, he had never eaten spiritual fruit again.
Right after he was born, Hongjun had issued the decree that the Dharma would not be passed to the Six-Eared, completely cutting off his path to the Dao. No one dared take him in.
Every day, he had to hide and flee, terrified that the Witch Race might eat him someday. He could only eat wild fruits to fill his stomach and drink rainwater to quench his thirst.
"Thank you for your concern, Master's Wife. Six-Eared merely remembered his past experiences and felt a little sad."
Then Six-Eared Macaque continued devouring the spiritual fruits in his arms.
"What a pitiful little monkey. Xuan Yi, you must treat him well from now on."
Six-Eared Macaque's miserable appearance made Nuwa's heart ache, and she reminded Xuan Yi.
"Nuwa, don't worry. With me here, no one will dare bully him again."
As the son of the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Dao, who in the Primordial World did Xuan Yi need to fear? Naturally, his disciple could not be bullied anymore.
Thud!
After finishing the spiritual fruits, Six-Eared Macaque knelt before Xuan Yi.
"Thank you, Master and Master's Wife, for taking me in. But Six-Eared cannot stay here, or I will bring disaster upon you."
Tears streaming down his face, Six-Eared Macaque heavily kowtowed several times to Xuan Yi and Nuwa.
"Dao Ancestor has decreed that the Dharma shall not be passed to the Six-Eared. If Master teaches Six-Eared divine abilities, Dao Ancestor may punish you.
"Since Six-Eared was born, only Master and Master's Wife have treated me sincerely. Six-Eared is endlessly grateful and cannot allow this disaster to implicate you."
Humans were not plants or trees; how could they be without feelings? If Six-Eared Macaque had initially only wanted to take a master and learn the arts, he now truly regarded Xuan Yi as family.
Having drifted from place to place ever since his birth, Six-Eared Macaque felt warmth for the first time. He did not want this hard-won familial bond to be destroyed because of him.
"Hahaha! I did not misjudge you."
Hearing this, Xuan Yi was moved as well.
Previously, Xuan Yi had only decided to accept Six-Eared Macaque as a disciple because he wanted to disrupt the Journey to the West. Only at this moment did he truly acknowledge him.
"Do not be afraid. Do you know who we are?"
Xuan Yi asked with a faint smile.
"Yes, yes. Master is the peerless great power who destroyed hundreds of Grand Unity experts with a single blow in the chaos world, while Master's Wife is Dao Ancestor Hongjun's fourth personal disciple."
Six-Eared Macaque was deeply confused. He did not know why Xuan Yi was asking about something everyone in the Primordial World knew.
"Then do you know that Dao Ancestor Hongjun is my father?"
"Ah!"
Six-Eared Macaque's little jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
"If there is anyone in the Primordial World who would dare defy Dao Ancestor's decree and accept you as a disciple, it would likely be me alone."
Rarely did he get the chance to show off before his disciple, so Xuan Yi naturally would not let it pass.
"Do you still want to leave now?"
After showing off, Xuan Yi looked at Six-Eared Macaque again.
"I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving! Thank you for taking me in, Master."
Having learned of Xuan Yi's formidable backing, Six-Eared Macaque no longer wanted to leave. He repeatedly kowtowed.
Watching the master and disciple, Nuwa covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Enough, you two. Stop fooling around!"
"Little monkey, stay here peacefully from now on. This will be your home."
"If you truly wish to repay us, then cultivate diligently and do not tarnish your master's name in the future."
Once everything had settled, Xuan Yi looked at Six-Eared Macaque seriously.
"Next, it is time to pass the Daoist teachings on to you. Follow me."
With that, he brought Six-Eared Macaque to a spacious, empty hall.
Before you continue