Born a Hundred Years Before Wukong

For his first nine lifetimes, every time Ye Wuya reached the Great Ascension stage and stood on the ascension platform, nine bolts of heavenly lightning chased him down and blasted him to pieces. In his tenth life, he finally understood: he was done cultivating immortality. He’d become an animal keeper instead. While others meditated and gathered spiritual energy, he fed fruit to monkeys. While others secluded themselves to forge weapons, he taught monkeys to wield staffs. After he bound himself to the [Fivefold Rebate System], the deal became even more absurd: whatever resources he fed his spirit pets, they returned five times as much. He crossed the frozen plains of the Northern Frontier and passed through the Myriad Beasts Mountains before finding the unhatched immortal stone atop Flower-Fruit Mountain. A hundred years ahead of schedule, he used his blood to claim it as his own, then spent his entire fortune feeding it to the limit. “Wukong, this thousand-year-old vermilion fruit is yours.” “Go on, dive into the sea and find your master a nice iron staff.” “Those scum in the Underworld dare put your name in their records? Go cross it out in the Book of Life and Death!” The stone monkey burst from the rock and was already at the Golden Core stage at birth. Ye Wuya reaped the benefits and shot straight to the Divine Transformation stage. When Wukong went to the Dragon Palace and stole an iron staff, Ye Wuya got five pieces of supreme divine iron in return. When Wukong erased his name from the Underworld’s records, Ye Wuya gained five hundred years of life. When Wukong wreaked havoc in Heaven and smashed the Hall of the High Heavens to pieces, Ye Wuya sat on a cloud smoking. “All right, all right. Keep this up and no one will be left to attend court.” The Heavenly Court sent soldiers to arrest them. “Ye Wuya! You let your monkey run wild and commit crimes. You deserve to die!” Ye Wuya set the monkey on his shoulder. “Nonsense. This is called raising a spirit pet.” In this life, he would not only ascend to immortality. He would take this monkey with him and punch a hole through the Ninefold Heavenly Court.