"The Heavenly Venerable, mindful of the difficulty of your cultivation, has specially dispatched the two of us to invite you to Heaven to receive your ordination."
Above the white clouds, Taibai Jinxing gently revealed his intention to offer amnesty.
"I wonder... I wonder what official position the Heavenly Court will give Old Sun, Old Sun?"
The Stone Monkey finally remembered his business: becoming an official in the Heavenly Court was a good job for any cultivator.
Taibai Jinxing and Xu Xiao exchanged a glance. Taibai Jinxing smiled and said, "His Majesty has decreed that you temporarily enter the palace to meet the Emperor. As for where you will be assigned to a post, that depends on your wishes. However, Cao Shou highly recommends you as the God of Battle."
"I recommend you, for your unparalleled supernatural Douzhan and innate righteousness make you the most suitable to become a Douzhan god who slays demons and monsters."
"This God of Douzhan's only profession is slaying demons and Douzhan in all directions. He only obeys the Jade Emperor and is very free."
"However, everything still depends on your audience with the Heavenly Venerable, who will then make the final decision."
"Indeed! Good, good, good, I knew you were the best to me, Immortal."
Sun Wukong was overjoyed and was about to pay his respects to Xu Xiao with great ceremony. At this moment, he also realized that Xu Xiao's official position was Zhi Cao, and only he would speak up for him.
"I know you are free-spirited and undisciplined, yet deep down you yearn for the Douzhan. Therefore, I pleaded with the Great Heavenly Venerable Great Heavenly Venerable on your behalf, but the specifics are up to him to decide, and I cannot guarantee anything."
Xu Xiao helped the excited Sun Wukong up and refused the bow.
Before coming, he made a special trip to see Laojun, the Great Emperor Ziwei, Sovereign Lord Zhenwu, and other figures to discuss the matter of the monkey becoming an official in the Lingxiao Palace.
The so-called position of God of Battle is not actually within the normal ranks of Heavenly Officials; it is merely a new position with a title.
They have no official rank or grade, are not subject to the command or control of other deities, and are only directly under the leadership of the Jade Emperor.
Aside from the fact that the title doesn't sound as imposing as the original Great Sage Equal to Heaven, it's actually exactly the same.
This was also a concession made by the Jade Emperor after Xu Xiao explained the advantages and disadvantages to him.
After all, Sun Wukong was born out of necessity, and the Heavenly Court couldn't do anything about him. Rather than being tormented by him and then losing face, it was better to give him face from the start.
Do you think the Jade Emperor didn't want to bring the Monkey King into the Heavenly Court's ranks? He wanted to claim a larger share of the immense merit from the journey to the Journey to the West.
No, He did think about it too, but there just wasn't a good opportunity.
From the moment the Journey to the Westward Calamity was established, the Stone Monkey was under close surveillance by the Western Sect. As the ruler of the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor could not bring himself to actively fight for it.
However, this time, since the Daoist Sect was willing to take action, and with Xu Xiao as the mastermind behind it all, He didn't mind going with the flow.
Once the monkey successfully submits to the Heavenly Court, the initiative for the Journey to the West will fall entirely into the hands of the Heavenly Court.
At that time, the Journey to the West will no longer be determined by the Western Sect; the Heavenly Court will have the initiative.
Auspicious clouds pierced through the nine heavens and arrived in the vast Heavenly Realm.
Sun Wukong stood on a cloud, gazing at the majestic heavenly palace in the distance, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
Ultimately, he was no longer the arrogant and domineering monkey he once was. Having read the Tao Te Ching, Sun Wukong had gained an understanding of the word "morality" and developed a greater reverence for propriety.
"Immortal, are there many rules in Heavenly Court? Old Sun, have a quick temper and am afraid of offending some great god," the monkey asked, scratching his head.
Xu Xiao smiled and said, "It's alright. You just need to stay true to yourself and be respectful and courteous to the Great Heavenly Venerable. The immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court are all enlightened beings and generally won't make things difficult for you."
Taibai Jinxing, standing to the side, stroked his beard and nodded. " The Great Heavenly Venerable is benevolent and knows you are new here. He will not be harsh. Do not be afraid."
The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the majestic South Heaven Gate. They descended from the clouds, and led by Taibai Jinxing and Xu Xiao, they walked inside together.
The heavenly Heavenly Soldiers and Generals bowed and made way for Taibai Jinxing and the Duty Officer of the Sky-Patrolling Bureau, but their eyes couldn't help but linger on Sun Wukong.
Seeing that the golden-haired monkey was dressed in a Daoist robe and had no fierce aura, he vaguely guessed that this was another Daoist who would receive special favor and become a lucky one.
Aside from envy, everyone felt only a touch of bitterness.
They were all wandering cultivators in the lower realms, yet some of them could ascend to heaven in one step and become ordained deities, while others could only serve as low-ranking Heavenly Soldiers and Generals or even idle laborers. It was truly a case of different fates for different people.
Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor sat high on his dragon throne, with celestial beings standing solemnly on either side.
Taibai Jinxing entered the hall first to announce, "Your Majesty, the mortal cultivator Sun Wukong has arrived and is waiting outside the gate."
"Announce!"
"Summon the mortal cultivator Sun Wukong to an audience!!"
"Come on, I'll take you inside."
Xu Xiao gently tugged at Sun Wukong's Daoist robe, then led half a body length ahead of him, heading towards the Lingxiao Palace.
Sun Wukong followed closely behind Xu Xiao, straightening his chest as he walked in.
Stepping over the threshold, a bright and open view suddenly appeared before me.
On both sides stood a forest of immortals, each radiating divine light; looking up, a majestic figure was shrouded in the Great Dao, obscuring his face.
Sun Wukong's heart tightened. Seeing Xu Xiao bow, he remembered Xu Xiao's instructions and returned the bow with his hands clasped in return.
" Sun Wukong, a cultivator from the lower realms, pays his respects to the Jade Emperor!"
Remembering Xu Xiao's instructions, Sun Wukong did not act rashly or sneakily spy on anyone this time, which made the surrounding immortals smile slightly.
This monkey is quite well-mannered, unlike most creatures of the world, which are unruly, reckless, and audacious.
The Jade Emperor at the head of the table nodded in approval. This time, the monkey had changed a lot; it seemed that this outsider had some tricks up his sleeve.
Sun Wukong was fully aware of His original nature and the events that were about to happen, but he was unable to change it due to his status.
Now, even the most unruly troublemaker of these three days is willing to obediently bow, which makes the Dixin with emotion.
Looking at the monkey bowing respectfully below, the Jade Emperor slowly spoke, " Sun Wukong, you are a spiritual creature of heaven and earth, and have achieved great success in your cultivation. Today, I summon you to heaven. Are you willing to serve the Heavenly Court?"
Sun Wukong replied without hesitation, "I'm willing! Old Sun, admire the righteous immortals and gods who slay demons and monsters the most. If I can obtain a divine position, I will do my utmost!"
The Jade Emperor nodded and looked at Xu Xiao: "Minister Xu, since you have recommended him, I have considered the position of God of Battle you mentioned that day and I also think it is a good one. Today, I will bring this matter up for all of you to consider as well."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. A single statement is certainly not enough to convince everyone. Let's have all colleagues speak freely and discuss it. This way, not only will everyone get to know Fellow Daoist Sun, but everyone will also have greater faith in this new position of Heavenly Official."
As soon as Xu Xiao said this, a light lit up in the eyes of some people.
I thought the Jade Emperor would decide right away and place this destined monkey in the Heavenly Court, but it turns out it's not decided yet!
Since nothing is settled yet, there is always room for maneuver!