Following years of rigorous spiritual training and the mastery of the Tao under the tutelage of the patriarch Subhuti, Sun Wukong returned to his home on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Although he had become a peerless immortal capable of soaring through the heavens on a cloud and transforming into any of seventy-two different forms, he felt a profound sense of incompleteness. He was a king without a proper scepter, a warrior without a worthy blade. He had trained his monkey subjects in the arts of war, yet when he attempted to demonstrate his own martial prowess using the finest steel swords crafted by human hands, the weapons would shatter like glass under the weight of his divine grip. The realization struck him that no weapon forged in the mortal realm could ever hope to withstand the sheer magnitude of his celestial strength.
Observing their king’s frustration, the elder monkeys of the tribe, particularly the four four-legged monkeys—two red-bottomed baboons and two long-armed apes—approached him with a suggestion born of ancient lore. They spoke of the deep waters surrounding their island, specifically the East China Sea, where the magnificent Crystal Palace of the Dragon King Ao Guang resided. They whispered of hidden treasuries filled with gold, silver, and ancient artifacts that dated back to the beginning of the world. They suggested that only a deity of the sea, who ruled over the vast and heavy depths, would possess a weapon heavy enough for the Great Sage. Wukong, ever impulsive and filled with a sense of destiny, immediately decided to pay the Dragon King a visit, not as a humble guest, but as a fellow immortal demanding his due.
Wukong approached the edge of the shore and performed a magic gesture, reciting a water-avoidance spell that allowed him to walk through the waves as if he were on dry land. The sea parted before him, creating a shimmering tunnel of blue water through which he descended into the lightless depths. As he sank deeper, the pressure of the ocean became a weight that would have crushed a mortal, but to Wukong, it was merely a refreshing breeze. He soon reached the outskirts of the Crystal Palace, a breathtaking structure built of coral, jade, and translucent pearl. The gates were guarded by soldiers with the heads of fish and the bodies of men, wielding spears of jagged bone. However, Wukong’s reputation had preceded him. The guards, sensing his overwhelming aura, did not dare to block his path. He marched into the throne room where Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, sat in his majestic robes of scales and silk.
Ao Guang was a sophisticated ruler, accustomed to the company of gods and spirits, yet he was visibly unsettled by the arrival of the Stone Monkey. He greeted Wukong with practiced politeness, offering him tea and celestial fruit. Wukong, cutting through the pleasantries, announced his purpose: he was in need of a weapon that would match his stature as a Great Sage. Ao Guang, hoping to appease the intruder and see him depart quickly, ordered his generals to bring forth the best weapons from his armory. First, they brought a massive nine-pronged fork of polished bronze, weighing three thousand six hundred pounds. Wukong took it, spun it once, and tossed it back with a look of disdain. 'Too light!' he shouted. 'This is a toy for a child. Do you have nothing heavier?'
The Dragon King was surprised, for that fork was a weapon few could even lift. He then ordered his strongest guards to bring out a Great Black Halberd, a weapon of legendary proportions weighing seven thousand two hundred pounds. Wukong grasped the halberd and executed several complex strikes, the force of which created powerful currents that shook the palace walls. Yet, he stopped and frowned. 'Still too light. This is like holding a stalk of wheat. Surely the Dragon King of the East Sea, ruler of the vastest waters, is not so poor in weaponry?' Ao Guang began to sweat, his scales shimmering with anxiety. He had never encountered a creature with such impossible strength. He insisted that these were the heaviest weapons in his collection, but his advisors and the Dragon Queen whispered to him of a relic that sat in the very center of the sea treasury—a relic that no one had moved in centuries.