[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t":3,"chapter-i-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t-i-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t-chapter-7":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Invincible, and You Tell Me This Is Journey to the West?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2360508,4615,"Chapter 7: Seven Years of Chopping Wood, the Monkey King Learns to Read","i-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>Time flies like an arrow; days and months weave like a shuttle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For mortals, seven years are enough to turn a child into a youth, to streak the brow of a strong man with white hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for seekers of the Dao in the Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave, seven years are but a few cycles of blossoming and falling, a few passes of winter and summer—a mere blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For seven years, Su Chen’s life had been reduced to its simplest form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day before dawn, he appeared at the firewood shed in the back mountain, picked up his axe, and walked into the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huff—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each swing of the axe seemed ordinary, yet carried a unique rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over seven years, he did not know how many times he had swung the axe or how much firewood he had chopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every single log used in the Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave—from the Patriarch’s meditation chamber to the kitchen stove—came from his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, disciples whispered behind his back, saying this “Wu Chen junior brother” must be a fool; the Patriarch had casually said “the Dao is in the axe,” and he actually took it literally, ignoring the profound Daoist methods within the cave, instead fixating on a pile of wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But gradually, those voices vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they realized Su Chen’s aura was deepening and solidifying at an astonishing rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never sat in meditation, never breathed or studied scriptures like the other disciples, yet his cultivation progress outpaced everyone else in the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first year, he advanced from the initial stage of Qi Refining to its fullness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the third year, the “Qi” within his body underwent a qualitative transformation; fine threads of spiritual sense emerged from his Qi, merging with it, officially entering the Qi Refining to Spiritual Sense realm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Su Chen felt his senses infinitely amplified; every rustle of wind, every chirp of insect and bird within several li was vividly imprinted in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lifespan also surged, granting him a full two hundred years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This advancement left all his senior brothers speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of them had been stuck at the Qi Refining stage for over a decade, even decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Su Chen had completed in just three years what most of them would spend most of their lives trying to achieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Senior Brother Wu Ming, whose heart was filled with complex emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He prided himself on orthodox cultivation, having practiced for decades, yet still remained only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining to Spiritual Sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this junior brother he dismissed as a “back-alley path” cultivator was now, with the momentum of a latecomer, gradually catching up to him in cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he bear it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Wu Ming’s suppression of Su Chen and Sun Wukong shifted from covert to open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Chen junior brother, today the Patriarch is teaching the Huangting Jing—why aren’t you attending?” In the dining hall, Wu Ming blocked Su Chen as he was about to eat, his face stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen answered calmly: “Master ordered me to seek the Dao through the axe. The firewood is not yet sufficient—I dare not slack off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph! The Patriarch meant for you to seek the Dao, not to become a woodcutter for life!” sneered one of Wu Ming’s disciples. “You’re picking up sesame seeds while losing the melon. The Patriarch’s own profound scriptures you ignore, yet you waste time on lowly axe techniques.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Su Chen could speak, Sun Wukong leapt onto the table with a “whoosh!” and pointed his finger at the disciple’s nose. “You know nothing! My little brother’s Dao is approved by the Master himself! Who the hell are you to chatter here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over these seven years, Sun Wukong had changed greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was no longer that wild monkey who only jumped and climbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Su Chen’s urging and companionship, he had patiently read every scripture, history, philosophy, and treatise stored in the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though many profound truths still eluded him, he had completely shed his ignorance—he could read and write, and his speech and conduct now carried a measure of order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his innate defiance had never been worn down. Especially when someone bullied Su Chen, he became more agitated than anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impudent!” Wu Ming’s face darkened. “Sun Wukong, you wild monkey, how dare you make noise in the dining hall and disrespect your senior brothers! Clearly, all seven years of scripture reading have gone straight into your dog’s belly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what if I’m impolite?” Sun Wukong bared his teeth, his posture daring Wu Ming to say another word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All disciples in the cave knew this monkey feared nothing; if he truly fought, those among them who had not yet developed great spiritual powers might not be able to defeat this naturally powerful monkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere grew tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Monkey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen gently tugged Sun Wukong’s sleeve, signaling him to calm down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to Wu Ming: “Senior Brother Wu Ming’s reprimand is just. Yet the Dao has three thousand paths—all lead to Bodhi. You walk the broad highway; I walk perhaps a narrow bridge—but the destination is the same. To judge superiority now is premature.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, his gaze sweeping over Wu Ming and the disciples behind him, then sharpened: “Rather than wasting time criticizing my cultivation, you senior brothers might better spend your energy on yourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I observe your Qi floating on the surface, your spirit scattered outward—this is a sign of instability in the Qi Refining to Spiritual Sense realm. If you do not stabilize it soon, you risk regressing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen’s voice was quiet, yet clear to every ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ming’s face turned instantly pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Su Chen spoke the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, his haste to advance had left his cultivation shallow and his aura unsteady—this had been his private torment, never spoken aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, Su Chen had named it in one sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did this mean? It meant Su Chen’s perception and insight had surpassed his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding disciples’ glances toward Wu Ming grew strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-you’re lying!” Wu Ming, shocked and furious, had no rebuttal—finally he could only bluster: “Hmph! Sharp-tongued brat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he stormed off with his followers, head bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Sun Wukong burst into loud laughter, sticking out his tongue at their retreating backs: “A bunch of cowards—scared off by one word from my little brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen shook his head helplessly and pulled him down from the table: “Enough. Eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, you’re amazing!” Sun Wukong mumbled through his food. “When will I ever be able to see others’ flaws like you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you can recite the Daodejing backward, maybe you’ll be able to.” Su Chen teased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” Sun Wukong’s face fell instantly. “Nah, forget it. That ‘Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao’ stuff is more tiring than chopping wood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen smiled and said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the monkey’s destiny lay not in these scriptures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything done so far was merely to temper his unruly heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen sat cross-legged in his stone chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him floated the old axe that had accompanied him for seven years. Now, under the moonlight, this ordinary iron axe faintly emitted a soft, luminous glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over seven years, he had nurtured it day and night with his essence, Qi, and spirit—it had long since become inseparable from his mind, transformed into a unique magic treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen focused his thought, and the Heaven’s Mechanism Mirror’s interface appeared in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Host: Su Chen (Dharma name: Wu Chen)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Cultivation: Qi Refining to Spiritual Sense (mid-stage)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Lifespan: 200 years】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Cultivation Method: Qi Refining Scripture (Patriarch Bodhi’s Revised Version)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Techniques: None】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Magic Treasure: Nourishing Dao Axe (forged from ordinary iron, imbued with seven years of the host’s Dao rhythm)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Heaven’s Mechanism Points: 50】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For seven years, he had remained obedient within the cave, making no major changes to karmic threads—so his Heaven’s Mechanism Points had never increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still too slow,” Su Chen thought inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Refining to Spiritual Sense seemed impressive, but in the entire Journey to the West world, it was still bottom-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even mentioning celestial immortals or Jin Xian, even a mountain-dwelling demon was stronger than him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now possessed two hundred years of lifespan, yet for the long path of immortality, those two hundred years were but a fleeting moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Sun Wukong—his destiny was about to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he mastered Patriarch Bodhi’s Great Celestial Immortal Scripture, the Seventy-Two Transformations, and the Somersault Cloud, his power would undergo a revolutionary transformation in a short time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When that day came, if his own cultivation did not keep pace, he might not even have the right to cheer him on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—he must find a way to raise his power quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen’s gaze settled on the impending opportunity: Patriarch Bodhi’s next teaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the original tale, the Patriarch taught only Sun Wukong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with himself as a variable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must seize this chance—ride this free ride!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Sun Wukong’s voice came from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, asleep yet? I don’t recognize a character—take a look for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen stilled his thoughts, rose, and opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Wukong held a bamboo scroll, scratching his head in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen took it, glanced, and smiled: “This character is ‘chen’—as in ‘chen language.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, ‘chen language’…” Sun Wukong muttered, then asked, “Little brother, when will Master finally teach me real skills? I spend all day reading or sweeping—haven’t learned a single real technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his impatience, Su Chen’s heart stirred, and he comforted him: “Big Brother Monkey, don’t rush. Master is tempering your nature. When your heart is steady, the Dao will come to you. Perhaps… tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tomorrow?” Sun Wukong’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen smiled, saying nothing further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew—the time was truly near.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Patriarch Bodhi indeed opened his lecture again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All disciples sat on their cushions, listening as the Patriarch expounded the wondrous Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The secret of seamless esoteric and exoteric truth, for cultivating life and nature, there is no other path. All is essence, Qi, and spirit—guard and store them tightly, never let them leak…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Patriarch’s voice carried a peculiar magic, calming the mind and drawing one into deep immersion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen listened intently, verifying every word the Patriarch spoke against his own “Axe Dao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Sun Wukong beside him suddenly began dancing and gesticulating wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scratched his head, pulled at his ears, alternated between grinning foolishly and leaping about in excitement, his face beaming as if he had just comprehended some supreme, transcendent truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciples around him turned to stare, eyeing him as if he were a madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ming frowned deeply, his face filled with clear distaste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Su Chen, witnessing this, understood everything clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here it comes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment when Patriarch Bodhi would transmit the Great Dao had finally arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, the Patriarch would surely signal Sun Wukong to come to him at midnight through the back door by tapping him three times on the head, crossing his arms behind his back, and walking through the central gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Sun Wukong’s immense destiny, but Su Chen refused to be merely an onlooker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must seize this opportunity, and with legitimate reason, stand beside Sun Wukong to meet the Patriarch and seek the true Dao of Immortality!\u003C\u002Fp>",1898,"2026-06-21T05:42:07.836Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d3885934bd7c9e2acceb2b93a1dfce053881fcdb20ac6cd36d3a7fac3ccb2d06","i-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t-chapter-8","i-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t-chapter-6",470,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-invincible-and-you-tell-me-this-is-journey-t-cover.jpg"]