Within Zixiao Palace, three thousand cultivators sat in solemn silence.
On the high platform, Ancestor Hongjun's figure was plain and unadorned, yet he seemed to blend into Chaos itself.
He made no deliberate effort to release any pressure.
Simply sitting there in silence, he inspired awe in everyone present, deep in their souls.
The lowest cultivation among these three thousand cultivators was Early-Stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
Grand Unity Golden Immortals had transcended the Three Realms and escaped the Five Elements. They had begun to touch the laws of space and time and had already reached the pinnacle of the Primordial Wilderness.
Those who had reached this stage were all people of great fortune, great perseverance, and great wisdom.
As for cultivators who were not even Grand Unity Golden Immortals, they were simply incapable of crossing the boundless Chaos to find Zixiao Palace, hidden in its depths.
"This lecture will last three thousand years."
Hongjun's voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to every listener.
"We will begin with the Heavenly Immortal realm and proceed step by step. Those with the fortune to hear may listen."
The great hall fell silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the first lecture by a Sage since the Creation of Heaven and Earth.
Hongjun slowly began.
"The Way of the Heavenly Immortal..."
His voice was even, without deliberate rises or falls, yet every word seemed to contain boundless Dao resonance.
He spoke no profound or abstruse theories. He simply began with the Heavenly Immortal realm, gradually breaking down the essence of the path of cultivation.
The Way of the Heavenly Immortal lay in building a foundation, understanding one's true nature, and first connecting with Heaven and Earth.
The mighty figures who were already Grand Unity Golden Immortals should have found these introductory teachings tedious.
Strangely, when Hongjun spoke of these most basic principles, they too listened, utterly absorbed.
The truths they had believed they fully understood seemed to reveal new dimensions in Hongjun's words.
Laozi nodded slightly, his gaze deep.
Yuanshi wore a solemn expression, lost in thought. Tongtian's brows furrowed and relaxed by turns, showing how deeply absorbed he was.
Jieyin and Zhunti sat upon their cushions, their expressions calm, faint Dao resonance circulating around them.
Nuwa listened quietly, flashes of understanding appearing in her eyes from time to time.
At the back, Xuande sat cross-legged among the crowd. As he listened to Hongjun begin with the Heavenly Immortal realm, he nodded inwardly.
He knew Hongjun was laying a foundation for everyone.
Regardless of their cultivation, the firmer their foundation, the farther they would be able to go in the future.
After finishing the Heavenly Immortal realm, Hongjun did not stop. He continued with the Mysterious Immortal realm.
The Way of the Mysterious Immortal lay in refining qi into spirit, uniting spirit and qi, and building a bridge to communicate with Heaven and Earth.
His tone remained even, his language simple. Yet the Dao resonance that penetrated to the marrow left every listener spellbound.
Many independent Grand Unity Golden Immortals could no longer hold back their tears.
They had cultivated for countless years, and only today did they realize how many wrong turns they had taken.
After finishing the Mysterious Immortal realm, Hongjun continued with the Golden Immortal realm.
The Way of the Golden Immortal lay in uniting spirit with the Dao, refining the Five Qi within the chest, and glimpsing one's own destined Dao.
In the great hall, someone began to sob softly.
It was an unknown independent cultivator, with an aged face and a cultivation level of no more than Early-Stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
He had cultivated for several million years, advancing step by step to where he was today. He had endured countless hardships and taken countless wrong turns.
Only after hearing Hongjun's lecture today did he understand what he had missed over the years.
After finishing the Golden Immortal realm, Hongjun continued with the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
The Way of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal lay in gathering the Three Flowers at the crown, bringing the Five Qi to the origin, and refining one's own Dao into flowers. When the flowers bloomed, one's true nature became visible; when one's true nature was revealed, the Dao was complete.
Hongjun's voice remained even, but the Dao resonance grew ever more profound.
The entire Zixiao Palace was enveloped in an indescribably wondrous aura. The three thousand cultivators listened in rapt fascination, immersed in the Supreme Dao.
However, just after Hongjun finished explaining the Way of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal and was about to continue, he suddenly stopped.
His voice, as gentle as a flowing stream, abruptly fell silent.
All three thousand cultivators jolted at once, awakening from their wondrous state of understanding.
They looked blankly toward the high platform, unsure what had happened.
Hongjun's gaze turned toward a certain point in the void.
His expression was calm, without the slightest hint of emotion.
Yet the instant he looked in that direction, a mild voice, seemingly imbued with boundless authority, rang through all of Zixiao Palace.
"The Dao is not passed on to Six Ears."
Just five simple words.
There was no anger, no reprimand, not even the slightest hint of emotion.
Yet those five words made everyone present tremble deep in their souls.
These were the words of a Sage.
His words became law.
At the same time, somewhere in the Primordial Wilderness.
It was an unremarkable mountain, in a remote corner of the eastern Primordial Wilderness.
Deep within a hidden cave, a furry monkey sat cross-legged.
The monkey looked quite unusual.
Its body was covered in fine golden fur, its eyes bright and keen. Energy circulated around it, and it had the cultivation of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
But its ears were the strangest thing about it. They were much larger than those of an ordinary monkey.
Within each ear, six small rims could be seen, layered one over another like six blooming fleshy flowers.
The Six-eared Macaque.
One of the Four Spiritual Monkeys of Heaven and Earth, gifted with Keen Hearing, Discern Truth, Know Past and Future, and understand all things.
At that moment, the Six-eared Macaque had its eyes tightly shut. Its six ears quivered slightly, as if listening to something.
Its face was filled with barely suppressed excitement and greed.
It was eavesdropping on the lecture at Zixiao Palace.
It had no right to enter Chaos.
Although it possessed the cultivation of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal and counted as a powerful figure in the Primordial Wilderness, it had neither the ability nor the courage to seek Zixiao Palace in the depths of Chaos.
It had ventured to the edge of Chaos before. The endless void had left it chilled with fear.
It knew that if it ventured in recklessly, it would only get lost.
Besides, it knew that those permitted to attend the lecture at Zixiao Palace were at least Grand Unity Golden Immortals.
As a mere Grand Unity Golden Immortal, it had no right to be there.
But it was unwilling to accept that.
A Sage was lecturing for the first time since the Creation of Heaven and Earth.
Even hearing just a tiny fragment would be enough to benefit it immeasurably.
So it thought of its innate talent.
The Six-eared Macaque had Keen Hearing and could Discern Truth.
Its ears could hear countless sounds throughout the Three Realms and Six Paths.
They could pierce through restrictions, pass through barriers, and catch secrets of Heaven that ordinary cultivators could never touch.
It hid in a remote corner of the Primordial Wilderness.
It activated its innate talent and pointed its six ears toward the depths of Chaos, toward Zixiao Palace.
It heard the lecture.
At first, the sounds were faint and indistinct. Gradually, they became clearer and clearer.
The sounds were like heavenly music, every word containing boundless Dao resonance.
The Way of the Heavenly Immortal, the Way of the Mysterious Immortal, the Way of the Golden Immortal, the Way of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal...
It trembled with excitement.
It could hear the lecture! It really could!
It listened greedily, engraving every word into its heart.
It thought that once the lecture was over, it would surely break through and become a Great Luo Immortal, perhaps even... even something greater!
Yet just as it was listening in a daze,
the voice suddenly stopped.
Immediately afterward, a calm voice seemed to cross endless space and time, ringing directly in the depths of its Primordial Spirit.
"The Dao is not passed on to Six Ears."
Boom!!!
The Six-eared Macaque felt a thunderclap explode inside its mind!
Those five words struck its Primordial Spirit like five towering mountains!
Pain shot through all six of its ears, as if countless steel needles had pierced them at once!
"Ah—!"
It let out a bloodcurdling scream, clutched its ears, and tumbled off its cushion, rolling wildly across the ground.
Blood gushed from its ear canals, staining its fur and the floor crimson.
Pain.
When those five words fell, blood poured from its six ears, and its path of cultivation was severed.
Countless kalpas later, during Journey to the West, it would die at Sun Wukong's hands, becoming one of the tribulations along the journey west.
Its greedy pursuit of fortune had only brought it ruin.