The First Step Beyond Fate

At this thought, Sun Wukong felt a chill run down his spine.

In Sun Wukong's eyes, Wu Feng had become even more profound and terrifying.

Even his own teacher, Patriarch Bodhi, probably could not compare to him.

Otherwise, how could he compile a person's fate into a book?

The story of Journey to the West continued. He was offered amnesty by Heaven and assigned the minor official position of Bimawen, which infuriated Sun Wukong so much that he fought his way out.

At Flower-Fruit Mountain, he proclaimed himself the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.

Afterward, Heaven sent Li Jing and the others to capture Sun Wukong, but Sun Wukong resisted with all his might.

In the end, Heaven took a step back and continued assigning Sun Wukong official positions, making him responsible for managing the Peaches of Immortality.

But Sun Wukong soon caused trouble again.

He disrupted the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet, and Heaven naturally sent people to capture him once more.

After a series of events, Sun Wukong was captured again, only to fight his way out once more.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong felt his blood begin to boil.

Although these things had not happened, Sun Wukong subconsciously believed that this was originally his future—his fate.

His future self was so powerful, and that made Sun Wukong extremely happy.

When he defeated many Immortals and Gods in Heaven,

Buddha Tathagata suddenly appeared. He wanted Sun Wukong to see whether he could escape from his Five Finger Mountain.

Just as Sun Wukong wanted to keep reading,

"Rustle..."

The book in Sun Wukong's hands turned into white light and vanished. Journey to the West reappeared on the cabinet.

"What happened to it?" Sun Wukong stared blankly for a moment.

The story had only just reached its most exciting point.

"Sun Wukong, you ran out of Exchange Points."

Wu Feng spoke.

Chapter Eight: The First Step Beyond Fate

"I ran out of Exchange Points?" Sun Wukong came to his senses.

Just like with Journey to the West, he had spent nearly a thousand points to finish reading that book.

Sun Wukong had originally thought that his current points would also be enough to finish Journey to the West.

But he had not expected that even the first volume of Journey to the West would require more points than he currently had.

It cost far more than Journey to the West.

"That's right. Sun Wukong, you have no Exchange Points left." Wu Feng nodded.

"Shopkeeper, is this Journey to the West my fate?" Sun Wukong asked, pointing at the book.

From the moment he was born until now, it was as if this were entirely Sun Wukong's story.

That was why Sun Wukong had asked such a question.

"Sun Wukong, the moment you encountered me, your fate had already changed," Wu Feng said meaningfully.

"Shopkeeper, when I reached the crucial part just now, I encountered Buddha Tathagata. What happened to me in the end?" Sun Wukong asked repeatedly.

"Sun Wukong, I think you should already understand from Journey to the West," Wu Feng said with a smile.

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong had been suppressed for five hundred years.

"How could that be? The people of Heaven were no match for me." Sun Wukong found it hard to believe.

In Journey to the West, it had merely been described on the surface. The truth behind it had never been revealed.

That was why Sun Wukong found it so difficult to accept.

He was clearly so powerful. He had wreaked havoc in Heaven and had been utterly invincible.

"Sun Wukong, you're too arrogant." Wu Feng said calmly, "Do you really think King Yama of the underworld was that weak, or that the Jade Emperor of Heaven was that weak? You should know that your strength is only at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level."

"As the two powerful forces of this world—the underworld and Heaven—do you really think they don't possess experts at the Great Firmament level?"

"I..." Sun Wukong opened and closed his mouth, unable to say anything.

"Sun Wukong, you're like a frog at the bottom of a well right now. You have no idea how vast the world is. If I had to put it plainly, King Yama and the Jade Emperor were merely putting on an act." Wu Feng shook his head. "The monkey called Sun Wukong in the book was a pitiful person. He was unable to transcend his fate and could only sink within it."

"Then what about you now? Do you want to break free from your fate, Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong?"

"Yes, Shopkeeper. You're right. I'm merely a frog at the bottom of a well. I have no idea how vast the world is. I was even nothing more than a puppet manipulated at will by the Immortals and Gods." Sun Wukong murmured, "But starting today, I understand. I'll fight my fate to the very end, even if it means death..."

"That's more like it." Wu Feng patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder. "Work hard. By the way, I have another task for you."

"Please tell me, Shopkeeper." Sun Wukong spoke respectfully.

Now, in Sun Wukong's eyes, Wu Feng was a true supreme expert.

Perhaps he was even the legendary supreme existence—the Saint.

In the Journey to the West World, immortals had very few opportunities to see a Saint.

After all, following the Battle of the Gods, Hongjun had forbidden the Saints from interfering in mortal affairs.

"Go find more people to bring to the General Store. As long as each person spends something here, I can give you one hundred Exchange Points." Wu Feng said, "Of course, you should preferably find people with decent strength and some spending power. They can't be as poor as you."

"..."

Sun Wukong's face flushed red.

Fine. In the Shopkeeper's eyes, he really was a pauper.

But compared to some wealthy immortals, he truly had no money.

What the Shopkeeper said was correct.

Still, if he found a new person to bring here, he could obtain one hundred Exchange Points. That was certainly a good thing.

If he found ten people, he would have one thousand Exchange Points.

"Shopkeeper, I'll definitely do my best," Sun Wukong said firmly.

"Sun Wukong, I believe in you," Wu Feng said with a smile.

His General Store had to make a name for itself.

As the first customer, Sun Wukong was only the beginning.

"Shopkeeper, according to my original fate, someone should come looking for me soon. When that happens, I'll find some treasures in Heaven." Sun Wukong spoke rapidly.

When Sun Wukong went to Heaven to take office for the second time, he would have access to many good things.

"Mm. Keep it up." Wu Feng nodded.

Just like that, Sun Wukong hurriedly left the General Store.

As he left the General Store, Sun Wukong's heart trembled. A wondrous piece of information emerged in his mind.

It was the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformation.

"Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformation." Sun Wukong murmured, "Is this one of the cultivation techniques Master wanted me to learn back then?"

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformation and the Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations.

Back then, Sun Wukong had chosen the Seventy-Two Transformations because he believed that the technique with the larger number had to be more powerful.

But Sun Wukong had been completely mistaken.

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformation was far more powerful than the Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations.

The Heavenly Spirits method could accomplish such abilities as manipulating creation, Invert Yin Yang, shifting the stars and changing the constellations, returning the sky and reversing the moon, among thirty-six total abilities.

As for the Heavenly Spirits method cultivated by Zhu Bajie, that was truly nothing more than a superficial understanding.

"The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformation is actually this powerful?" Sun Wukong looked dazed.

He had never expected the cultivation technique he had once been unwilling to think about to be so powerful.

At the same time, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformation seemed to be something Sun Wukong had cultivated before, and he instantly reached the entry level.

This was the reward he had gained from reading Journey to the West.

"Perhaps the Heavenly Spirits method is my first step toward transcending fate," Sun Wukong murmured.

In this regard, Sun Wukong's understanding was indeed correct.

The Heavenly Spirits method would subtly alter Sun Wukong's destiny.

When Sun Wukong left Flower-Fruit Mountain, a figure slowly appeared there.

The figure wore a kasaya and radiated golden Buddhist light. It was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who had come from the underworld.

He knew that Sun Wukong was in Flower-Fruit Mountain, so he had naturally come here to investigate first.

Who exactly was the shopkeeper Sun Wukong had mentioned?

Could this truly be the work of a Saint?