Journey to the West: Bodhi Won't Take Me, So I Use Simulations to Become a Demon Saint

[Journey to the West, simulations, System, immortality, a somewhat dark tale where the strong rule] Xiao Yuan is reborn as a demon monkey. When the Black Bear Spirit appears, Xiao Yuan realizes which White Snake King serves as his master: the unlucky fellow who was beaten to death by a monkey. There’s no future in following such a hopeless loser. But there’s always a way forward. A demon bone from Black Wind Mountain awakens the Demon Life Simulation System, allowing Xiao Yuan to simulate the lives of local spirits as well as demonic beings from other worlds.

After two simulations, he fulfills the tiger demon’s dying wish and kills the Black Bear Spirit. Unexpectedly, this leads Xiao Yuan to uncover some secrets, and he resolves to keep his distance from those characters.

In his final simulation as the tiger demon, he successfully uses Brother Monkey to gain entry to Mount Fangcun. Though the path to immortality cannot be casually shared, Patriarch Bodhi still grants Xiao Yuan a life-changing opportunity.

The more Xiao Yuan learns about this world, the more he realizes that seeking freedom is even harder than seeking immortality.

Worldbuilding notes: Cultivation levels do not determine actual combat strength, martial skills are unrelated to supernatural powers, and magic treasures have a huge impact on one’s strength. Most of the setting is based on the original Journey to the West, with no elements from the prehistoric cultivation genre, such as Sages, though some cameo appearances may occur.