Three years later, Sun Wukong had mastered the 72 Transformations from the Patriarch Subhuti.
He further acquired the Somersault Cloud technique, which carried him 108,000 miles in a single leap.
Arrogance invites calamity
One day, as spring turned to summer, the disciples gathered beneath a pine tree. His peers asked, “Have you truly mastered the 72 Transformations?”
“By the Patriarch’s grace,” Wukong preened, “every secret lies within my grasp.”
At their urging, the Monkey King summoned his vital energies. With a flourish, he recited an incantation and soared into the sky on his Somersault Cloud, vanishing in an instant. Moments later, he returned to thunderous applause.
“Now turn into a pine tree!” they urged. Wukong chanted again, transforming into a towering pine.
Then, shifting once more, he became a celestial crane, bowing elegantly.
The commotion drew Patriarch Subodhi outside. “Who dares disturb this sanctum?” The disciples knelt, trembling. “Forgive us, Master! We cheered Wukong’s marvels.”
Banishment by Patriarch Subhuti
The patriarch dismissed the crowd but kept Wukong. “Your arrogance invites calamity. Return to whence you came.”
Tearful, Wukong pleaded, “How can I leave without repaying your grace?” “Grace? Just ensure your recklessness doesn’t drag me into chaos!”
As Wukong prepared to depart, the patriarch warned, “Should you ever speak my name, I’ll strip your flesh, grind your bones, and banish your soul to eternal torment.” Swearing silence, the Monkey King bowed one last time.
After the farewell to his fellow disciples, Wukong vanished upon his cloud —a storm brewing in his wake.
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