"This soup truly lives up to its Pangu bloodline, actually boosting even a Sage like Yuanshi, the second of us!"
Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun’s satisfied expression, his aura surging and churning the heavens and earth, yet he could still control it to a nano-level, not harming those around him.
Sun Kong praised, was greatly impressed, and felt immense awe.
He also saw within this a colossal business opportunity that was hard to describe!
To use an analogy:
Mortal cultivation is from 1 to 100.
The lower the number, the weaker their physical condition and overall combat power. They could break through to 100, the limit of Postnatal martial artists, but would always struggle to surpass the weakest Earth Immortal.
The cultivation of Immortals or demons, ghosts, gods, and Buddhas of the same level is from 100 to 100 million.
Similarly, hundreds represent Foundation Establishment, thousands represent Golden Core, tens of thousands represent Nascent Soul, hundreds of thousands represent Earth Immortal, millions represent Heavenly Immortal, and tens of millions represent Golden Immortal.
Then, after Golden Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal, and Quasi-Saint.
They should roughly correspond to 100 million to 10 billion, 10 billion to 1 trillion, 1 trillion to 1 quadrillion, and 1 quadrillion to 100 quintillion.
Currently, Sun Kong, due to various special encounters, is a lower-grade Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal, with a value around one trillion.
However, his actual strength might have already surpassed ten trillion.
And the ultimate Saints are quintillion quintillion!
The lower the number, the easier it is to improve.
The higher the number, the more difficult it becomes.
Especially after breaking through to Golden Immortal, every step is incredibly difficult. After achieving Sainthood, bound by the rules of Heaven's Dao, it is almost impossible to improve, as Yuanshi Tianzun stated.
This is why, during the Investiture of the Gods war, the six Great Sages had no difference in cultivation among themselves, relying only on alliances, schemes, stratagems, and the aid of special spiritual treasures to gain an advantage.
Otherwise, without the intervention of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, that Investiture of the Gods would have dragged on for hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years, wouldn't it?
Because of this, the six Great Sages' state of mind was like still water, undisturbed, unless a great tribulation arose again. Nothing and no one could stir their emotions.
But it was different now.
Sun Kong’s pot of Sage water could actually allow Yuanshi Tianzun, a Sage, to improve, albeit by one hundred quintillionth, it was still an unprecedented event.
Never mind what Yuanshi Tianzun was thinking.
Sun Kong himself, with a gleam in his eyes, perceived a series of plans, businesses, transactions, and exchanges!
On the other hand, Yuanshi Tianzun, though a Sage, didn't have as many schemes as Sun Kong, nor did he have the leisure to consider Sun Kong's ulterior motives.
He laughed heartily, the first time he had done so since the Investiture of the Gods.
This moved everyone around him.
It also brought a bit of vitality to the otherwise cold and gloomy Jade Void Palace!
"Hahahaha, I, the second of the Sanqing, the Jade Clarity Sage of hundreds of millions of years, whose cultivation was once evaluated by the Dao Ancestor as unincreasable by us six Great Sages."
"Has actually improved again."
"It's simply unbelievable. This soup, it's not just ordinary soup; it must be a relic from the ancient Desolation that Little Friend Sun obtained from some fortuitous encounter, right?"
Yuanshi Tianzun’s face was full of smiles, making even an outsider like Sun Kong feel a sense of shared emotion. Sun Kong had initially been a bit nervous, fearing that Yuanshi Tianzun would pressure him, or deduce the truth.
But unexpectedly.
At this crucial moment, Yuanshi Tianzun showed some Sage-like demeanor, not resorting to malicious tactics, but smiling even more joyfully.
"Hehehe, don't be nervous, don't be afraid. As a Sage, I enjoy your benefits, and I will never bite the hand that feeds me or force you to reveal where you obtained it."
"You are not a Sage; you don't understand. We Sages are already immortal, neither born nor dead, without desires, only a slight intention to oversee the running of the Desolation."
"Therefore, I will remember this favor. In the future, any trouble you encounter, as long as it doesn't involve the Heavenly Dao or the Dao Ancestor, I can guarantee you three lives!"
"As for this soup, it's a pity. It's useful for those below Saints, but for me, only the first sip had any effect. Subsequent sips are useless."
"But to have witnessed such divine soup, I consider my horizons broadened, Hahaha!"
"You all handle matters here yourselves. I still need to take a bowl… hmm? Little Friend Sun just softly said, shall we name it Sage Water Soup?"
"Hmm, it’s quite fitting. A soup that can make a Sage lose composure is indeed worthy of the name Sage Water Soup. I shall ascend and have a drink and catch up with Senior Brother."
"As for matters here, I will entrust them to Guang… hmm, I will entrust them to Great Guangzi this time for you to handle, and make no mistake!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
This top-tier figure, ranked among the top seven in the Desolation's three realms, with one hand designated Guangchengzi to handle the aftermath, and the other, flicked the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain within the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi back hundreds of millions of miles to Spirit Mountain.
Then.
Without further ado.
He flickered, disappearing from the Jade Void Palace, and in the next instant, appeared at the Eight Views Palace in Xuandu Heaven, a place only Saints could reach so quickly.
As soon as he entered.
He heard his Senior Brother, the foremost of the Sanqing, the Taiqing Sage Laozi, laugh heartily!
Evidently, Laozi, the second most powerful among the Seven Great Sages.
Had long foreseen the visit of his second brother, Yuanshi Tianzun!
"Second Brother, do you have some good news to tell me? Hahaha, look at your radiant face; you're even more excited than Junior Brother was back then. Could it be that the Eight Great Golden Immortals have truly recovered their cultivation?"
"Hmm?"
"That's not right. Although the Sages of the Heavens cannot deduce each other, nor can they deduce the karma of each other's lairs, I can still deduce some peripheral information after you emerge."
"What is it? It doesn't seem like their happy occasion, but rather someone else's?"
Laozi is Laozi.
With his white beard and white hair, he didn't need to deliberately deduce; he could naturally figure out related situations or minor details.
At this moment, sensing that Yuanshi Tianzun had something else on his mind, he withdrew his congratulations to the Eight Great Golden Immortals and instead invited him in.
The two martial brothers had not seen each other for tens of millions of years since the last Investiture of the Gods war, and some pleasantries were inevitable.
After the pleasantries.
Yuanshi Tianzun presented a bowl of extraordinary Sage Water Soup for Laozi to taste.
"What capabilities does this soup have to dare call itself Sage Water? Hmm? This is interesting. My state of mind, which has been undisturbed for hundreds of millions of years, has been stirred by it. Moreover, my cultivation has increased by one hundred quintillionth?"
"This soup, could it be that the Monkey Sun brewed it? This Monkey Sun is quite extraordinary."
Laozi deduced the truth, his eyes narrowed, his imposing aura undiminished. However, although this matter was unexpected, it seemed to indirectly benefit him.
Therefore, he did not blame Sun Kong.
Instead, he became greatly interested in him.
Subsequently, Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun indeed discussed Journey to the West, Sun Kong, and Spirit Mountain for several hours, exchanging many opinions.
Inadvertently, this also influenced the minor trends of future heavenly destinies!
…
On the side of the Jade Void Palace, Guangchengzi happily saw Sun Kong off, almost calling him "Big Brother." Sun Kong found his obsequious expression…
Very much to his liking!
Following that.
Sun Kong returned to Spirit Mountain. Before he could converse with the Buddhas, he received two new prompts!