Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 193: Is this Shanks’ Possession?

Haotian opened his eyes, excitement illuminating his face as he suddenly stood up.

"I have finally awakened my Divine Skills!"

Haotian let out a long roar towards the heavens, shouting as if to release all his pent-up emotions.

Watching the hysterical Haotian, Ao Ling was somewhat dazed. Could this really be the same Jade Emperor her father had described, known for his imposing majesty?

After venting, Haotian took a deep breath and turned to Chen Nuo with a look of respect, "Shopkeeper Chen, I am deeply grateful for the Divine Skill you have bestowed upon me!"

As an Awakener of Divine Skills, Haotian knew very well the formidable power of the Divine Skill he received, and it suited him exceptionally well.

As the Jade Emperor, the most exalted being, face was indeed more important than anything else!

Chen Nuo casually responded, while also secretly thinking to himself, "Synchronized Awakening."

How could he be absent from such an interesting development?

However, Chen Nuo’s brow furrowed slightly.

It seemed that the Divine Skills of Haotian, Jade Pool, and Gold Star Taibai all shared a similar genius—they could all influence others inconspicuously.

They lacked combat abilities, yet they were undoubtedly Divine Skills.

Haotian’s gaze then fell upon Ao Ling, and he nodded slightly.

"Are you the new disciple Shopkeeper Chen has taken under his wing?" Haotian asked.

Though it was posed as a question, his tone was very certain—the female of the Dragon Clan, with Golden Immortal cultivation level, matched exactly what he had heard from Jade Pool.

"Yes."

Ao Ling clenched the hand hidden in her sleeve, steadying her voice as she spoke.

Haotian’s eyes held admiration; indeed, she was neither servile nor overbearing in his presence!

To break through to the Golden Immortal level at such a young age, for the current state of the Dragon Clan, she was truly a rare gem!

Seeing that the Dragon Clan no longer had pure bloodlines, Haotian did not mind Ao Ling’s lack of formal greeting.

He thought it was perfectly normal, given that she was Shopkeeper Chen’s disciple.

He himself often assumed a demeanor akin to that of a junior when facing Shopkeeper Chen.

With Shopkeeper Chen’s vast array of Divine Skills, his disciple could even speak to him on equal footing; no excessive formalities were needed.

However, what Haotian did not realize was that Ao Ling was not as indifferent as he imagined.

She wondered if she had managed not to embarrass herself, Ao Ling thought to herself.

Although her face betrayed no sign of it, she still felt a bit flustered.

It had only been a few days, and yet one powerhouse after another had visited the shop; any of them were enough to make her father look up in admiration.

Chen Nuo observed this scene with a touch of satisfaction in his eyes. A change in mentality wasn’t instantaneous, and his disciple was already doing well given the circumstances.

Fearlessness is often a sign of ignorance. In the original Journey to the West, Sun Wukong wasn’t afraid of heaven or earth, not due to actual fearlessness, but because he was unaware of the terror known as disparity.

But this world’s Sun Wukong, after being mentored by him, was no longer the Sun Monkey who could be easily toyed with, resorting to minor cunning but ultimately ignorant.

Although he had not divulged all matters to Wukong, he had warned him against arrogance and complacency.

Compared with the original Wukong’s callousness, cruelty, and murderousness, the character of Wukong now had vastly improved.

Chen Nuo’s brows slightly relaxed, feeling a pride in his heart that went without saying, having nurtured his childhood hero into someone of worth.

Since she was Shopkeeper Chen’s disciple, Haotian pondered for a moment, then motioned with his hand, and a bead emitting a blue radiance appeared out of thin air.

"Let this Imperial Ice Pearl be my gift upon our meeting," he said.

Haotian moved his spirit, manipulating the Imperial Ice Pearl to float before Ao Ling.

Ao Ling was momentarily at a loss, unsure of what to do, she turned to Chen Nuo for guidance. Seeing his nod, she finally eased her worries.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Ao Ling, inclining slightly with due respect, yet without any hint of groveling in her tone.

Haotian nodded, "It’s nothing, as it should be."

He, the illustrious Jade Emperor, could not go without offering a greeting gift—such an omission would be terribly embarrassing!

A Golden Immortal Magical Treasure was not presentable, while those from the Daluo Golden Immortal realm and above were too advanced for her level and thus useless.

And he was giving something too precious, to be honest, he felt a pang of regret. This Imperial Ice Pearl was a Taibai Golden Immortal level Magical Treasure, capable of controlling water and turning it to ice, and it was indeed a decent Magical Treasure.

Not too high, not too low, just perfect, and most importantly, it wouldn’t cause him to lose face—for Haotian, if nothing else, cared greatly about his image!

With a single thought, Haotian immediately destroyed the restrictions he had placed inside the Imperial Ice Pearl, rendering it ownerless, and the pearl fell straight down.

Ao Ling reached out with both hands to catch the Imperial Ice Pearl, feeling its icy chill, and her eyes instantly became as bright as snow.

If you like it, then that’s good.

Haotian nodded contentedly.

For a Golden Immortal, the rarity of a Taibai Golden Immortal’s Magical Treasure was self-evident, but what Haotian didn’t know was that Ao Ling hadn’t paid much attention to the rank of the treasure.

The reasons she liked it were simple— the Imperial Ice Pearl was round, and moreover, it was shiny.

Gold Star Taibai clicked his tongue, reluctantly setting down the wine jar in his hand, and upon witnessing this scene, he felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

Alright, now that His Majesty had finished, it was his turn to make a gesture.

But, he couldn’t afford to give away a Taibai Golden Immortal level Magical Treasure like His Majesty did.

After all, he didn’t have many of those himself.

As he stroked his beard, Gold Star Taibai revealed a friendly smile, stepped forward, and took out a strangely shaped object.

"This old man isn’t rich, but this Gold Crystal Stone is a top-grade Refining Material. You take it as my way of saying hello."

Gold Star Taibai was crafty and cunning; his true form was that of Taibai Jin, and the gift he gave was the most produced mineral in Taibai Jin.

Though it was precious in the Three Realms, to him, it was just a trifle.

"Thank you, senior."

Ao Ling accepted the gift with delight. She didn’t know who Gold Star Taibai was, but calling him senior was surely correct.

Someone as amiable as he must be truthful—if he said he wasn’t affluent, then he certainly wasn’t.

Ao Ling initially didn’t want to accept it, after all, the senior had it tough.

But seeing his affable smile, Ao Ling couldn’t bear to refuse the kindly old man’s goodwill—it wasn’t easy at his age.

The value of a gift lies not in its worth, but in the thought behind it.

Seeing this, Haotian felt inexplicably irritated; a mere stone was on par with his Imperial Ice Pearl!

Curse it, where was his face, Haotian, to be found?

But Haotian knew that this had nothing to do with Ao Ling.

It was all because of that conniving Gold Star causing trouble—outrageous!

Haotian was seething with indignation. Once he returned to heaven, he would make sure Gold Star Taibai got a taste of his endless bureaucratic hassles too.

Then, turning his head to look at Chen Nuo, who was watching the drama unfold, Haotian suddenly remembered the other purpose of his visit.

"Shopkeeper Chen!" Haotian called out.

Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow, glancing toward Haotian.

"I have some urgent matters to discuss with you, Shopkeeper," Haotian said, looking around hesitantly. His gaze lingered on Ao Ling for a moment longer, but he did not continue speaking.

Chen Nuo understood immediately.

"Ling’er, you go back to your room and cultivate on your own, no need to work anymore."

After the expansion of Chaos Residence, not only were his and Wukong’s rooms preserved, but there were many more, including one for Ao Ling.

"Yes," Ao Ling nodded, silently stepping back.

Although she was no longer averse to working, being allowed to cultivate was obviously more than welcome; since the matter was not meant for her to know, she chose not to listen.

Once Ao Ling had gone upstairs,

Haotian lowered his voice, leaned in, and said seriously, "Shopkeeper Chen, your disciple, Sun Wukong, may be facing a scheme by Buddhism!"

Buddhism plotting against Wukong, Chen Nuo was speechless.

Would Buddhism ever stop scheming against Wukong? Please.

Journey to the West could easily be called the most advanced monkey business in history!