He was only a half-step away from the Supreme Unity stage.
It's said that he hadn't broken through because Saint Cundi was holding him back.
Just like how she suppressed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Maitreya Buddha was also part of the Western Religious Native Faction.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was a direct disciple of Saint Jie Yin, yet he was still sent to the Underworld to avoid causing internal strife between the parachuted faction and the native faction of the Western Religion.
Of course, Saint Cundi had to maintain appearances of impartiality, otherwise where would she place Saint Jie Yin's dignity?
Just suppressing the disciples of Jie Yin and not her own would affect their fraternal bonds if brought into the open.Therefore, Maitreya was merely named the Future Buddha, implying that he would inherit the Western Religion only after the death of Tathagata, making it like a pie in the sky that he could never taste.