On Western Spirit Mountain stood the Thunderclap Treasure Monastery.
Tathagata Buddha sat upon the Nine-Rank Golden Lotus seat, his expression calm, boundless Buddhist light surrounding him.
The venerable Ananda and Kashyapa stood attending him on either side. Below, thousands of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats pressed their palms together and bowed. "Welcome back, World Honored One."
Tathagata nodded slightly, his sacred countenance solemn. "The first piece has been placed on the scripture pilgrimage's board."
Venerable Ananda raised his head and asked cautiously, "World Honored One, that demon monkey has been pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain, preserving the Heavenly Court's dignity.
"But this upheaval in the Heavenly Dao brought a backlash of fortune that nearly shook the Heavenly Court's foundations. As for Haotian Shangdi... was he displeased?"
Tathagata shook his head. His lips parted slightly, and his Sanskrit voice resounded through the void. "What Haotian wanted was not the Heavenly Court's dignity.
"He wanted to use this great turmoil to fathom the depths of the various factions within the Heavenly Court.
"Moreover, Haotian still needs the strength of our Buddhist Sect to control the Heavenly Court's broader course."
Kashyapa hesitated. "That Sun Wukong... is he truly this tribulation's child of destiny?
"He wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, ruined the Flat Peaches, and stole the golden pills, yet he was merely suppressed beneath Five Elements Mountain.
"This disciple is slow-witted. Was this punishment... or tempering?"
Tathagata's Buddha eyes shifted slightly, and the Buddhist light around him surged like an ocean.
"Taishang Laojun put that unruly monkey into the Eight Trigrams Furnace and refined him with Samadhi True Fire for forty-nine days.
"It appeared to be an attempt to refine him away, but in truth, it helped him fully refine the medicinal potency of the Flat Peaches and golden pills within him, condensing