The novel continues the fantasy background of "Journey to the West", but strips away the sense of suspension of myth and focuses on "the ordinary practice after becoming a Buddha." There is no earth-shattering battle, but more of the trivial struggles of the four masters and apprentices in the human world: Wukong learns "patience", Tang Seng learns "flexibility", Bajie learns "choices", and Sha Seng learns "letting go". The final proof is that the so-called "Buddha" is just someone who has seen through the suffering of life and is still willing to bloom flowers in the dust with a sincere heart.
