Since You've Called Him Brother, What More Is There to Say?

Sun Wukong blinked, clearly tempted.

Su Yuan's heart tightened. He knew the main event had arrived; success or failure would be decided in one stroke.

Without another word, he painted a huge pie in the sky and tossed it straight at Sun Wukong.

"Junior Brother, do you know how this recruitment differs from that previous 'Horse Groomer' post? They're worlds apart! This time, you'll be directly admitted into the Heavenly Court's highest-level 'management trainee selection' system!"

Seeing Wukong's puzzled expression, he immediately explained in plainer terms:

"What does that mean? It means you've been personally recognized by His Majesty the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Court's central administration as one of the most important reserve officials! You'll be placed in the 'top talent pool' for focused cultivation! Once you spend a little time accumulating valuable experience, your future will be boundless!"

"With your origins and abilities, Junior Brother, three thousand years will be enough for you to govern a heavenly grotto or blessed land. Five thousand years! In five thousand years, you'll absolutely attain the throne of a great emperor! That's who knows how much higher than your current empty title of 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' which has neither troops nor authority!"

Wukong was so excited that he scratched at his ears and cheeks, golden light flashing wildly in his eyes.

"Senior Brother... isn't this... a little too great a favor? What virtue or ability does Old Sun possess...?"

Su Yuan immediately thumped his chest so hard it rang like a drum.

"You've already called me brother. What more is there to say?"

He stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Hurry back and get things in order. Pick out some capable confidants. In three days, come up to Heaven with us to report for duty!"

Su Yuan quietly calculated to himself.

Over these three days, I can find a channel to sell off the fleet's supplies. That'll be another batch of spirit stones in the account.

Hearing this, Wukong leaped up in delight, sprang down from his stone seat, and rubbed his hands together.

"Good Senior Brother! Old Sun will go prepare at once!"

He took two steps, then turned back and pulled two jars of fragrant brewed liquor from behind his ear.

"Senior Brother, this monkey wine brewed on my Flower-Fruit Mountain may not compare to the Heavenly Court's imperial brews, but it has a flavor all its own. Take it and drink it on the road!"

With that, he stuffed the two jars of fine wine into Su Yuan's arms without allowing any refusal, then strode away without looking back.

Su Yuan helplessly waved a hand.

"Ah, Brother, you're too straightforward. Isn't this a bit much?"

Back aboard the heavenly vessel, Taibai was overjoyed to hear that Sun Wukong had agreed to ascend to Heaven. Stroking his long beard, he nodded repeatedly.

"Good! Excellent! Su Yuan, I knew it. When you handle things, I can rest easy!"

Xu Jingyang, the True Person, also stroked his beard and smiled as he nodded.

"Without spilling a drop of blood, you recruited the demon monkey. At the top of a hundred-foot pole, you've achieved another new merit! Venus Star Lord, you truly took in a fine disciple."

A weight lifted from Su Yuan's heart. Smiling, he bowed.

"It was all thanks to Master's brilliant command and Martial Uncle's proper coordination. This disciple merely ran a few errands under the guidance of you two elders. Shall we return in three days to submit our report?"

Before he could finish, Venus Star Lord smiled and waved a hand, his tone gentle. "Little Su, you did extremely well this time, but there is still one shortcoming: your vision is not far-reaching enough, and your scope is not broad enough."

The moment Su Yuan heard that, he inwardly cried, Damn it!

Whenever someone began with "vision" and "scope," what followed was bound to be PUA.

Sure enough, Venus Star Lord paused. Seeing Su Yuan wearing an expression of patient attention, he seemed quite satisfied and continued.

"There is an old saying in the Heavenly Court: 'Aim for the highest, and you may only reach the middle; aim for the middle, and you will fall beneath it.' Are we truly to be satisfied with merely skimming low over His Majesty's task and barely completing it? That is absolutely not the way of ministers!"

At that moment, the stone in Su Yuan's heart fell completely to the bottom. It's over. The leadership is stirring up trouble again.

Xu Jingyang smoothly picked up the thread beside him.

"Just now, we received a decree from Gouchen Dijun. The Dijun believes that recruiting Sun Wukong alone merely treats the symptoms. If, taking advantage of this opportunity, we employ both favor and force to make the other six unruly Demon Sages revoke their titles as well and submit to the Heavenly Court, only then can the root cause be addressed."

Venus Star Lord immediately took over and raised the pitch even higher.

"More importantly, after deeply comprehending the Dijun's intentions, we must pressure ourselves, raise the standards again, raise the demands again, raise the quality again! We must completely disband the demon soldiers and generals under their command who occupy mountains as kings and refuse discipline! Only then can we truly display the Heavenly Court's supreme majesty in cherishing the four seas and spreading virtue over all living beings!"

The smile on Su Yuan's face froze completely.

Isn't this just piling on layer after layer? You two move your lips, and the standards rise another level. Recruiting one Sun Wukong was already like snatching a chestnut from the fire, and now you want to recruit the other six Great Sages too? Why don't I just defect to the Demon Race!

Venus Star Lord walked smilingly up to Su Yuan and warmly patted his shoulder.

"Little Su, your abilities are outstanding. You even managed to properly recruit a stubborn troublemaker like Sun Wukong."

"Since that is the case, the heavy responsibility of persuading the other six Great Sages to revoke their titles and disband their demon troops can belong to no one but you! I'll hand it to you as well!"

Xu Jingyang seized the chance to flatter him to death from the side.

"The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility!"

Hearing this, Su Yuan could not help probing cautiously.

"Master, True Person, since the task is so arduous and the standards so high, then... could the policies from above perhaps be loosened a little?"

"For example, could there be a few more 'Great Sage' titles? That would at least give this disciple a little room to maneuver..."

Venus Star Lord's brows furrowed slightly.

"Hm? What's this? You still want to bargain with the Dijun?"

Su Yuan immediately lowered his head. "This disciple would not dare."

But inwardly, everything had become crystal clear.

The standards are meant to rise without limit.

There are not even the slightest resources.

The work is for me to figure out how to do myself.

And the credit—well, it will surely be because the two senior leaders directed things properly.

Seeing that he still seemed unable to turn the corner, Xu Jingyang patiently tried to persuade him.

"Little Su, it isn't that we won't fight to secure anything for you. Calculate it yourself: among the Four Imperial Dijuns and the Five Elders of the Five Directions, how many are there altogether? If seven 'Great Sages' were granted titles in one go, what would that be for? To establish a new Heavenly Court?"

Su Yuan wore a bitter smile and spread his hands.

"Master, surely you can't really expect this disciple to catch a wolf empty-handed?"

Seeing Su Yuan's furrowed brows, Venus Star Lord scolded him in a tone of exasperation.

"You child! Usually, you're so sharp and perceptive. Why are you burrowing into a bull's horn now?"

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.

"Your master will give you eight more words. Go back and ponder them carefully: 'Each harbors his own schemes; divide and rule.'"

Su Yuan listened closely. His eyes gradually brightened, and the more he considered it, the more profound the meaning seemed.

Sun Wukong had already made it clear before: he was the strongest in battle, yet ranked at the bottom. Clearly, the other six had been excluding him.

This alone showed that the Seven Great Sages were not a single slab of iron. Wherever there are people, there is struggle—let alone seven great sages of the Demon Race!

His thoughts suddenly cleared, as though clouds had parted to reveal blue sky. The stifling gloom lodged in his chest was swept away.

Su Yuan bowed deeply.

"Master, those words—'Each harbors his own schemes; divide and rule'—are profound indeed!"