Chapter 2: Returning to the Journey to the West

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In Shi Yu’s eyes, two streaks of golden light tore through the silent night sky like shooting stars—brief yet dazzling. After lasting for two seconds, the golden glow gradually faded away.

He himself was caught off guard, never expecting that upon opening his eyes, he would witness an extraordinary phenomenon identical to that of the Great Sage Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong’s golden radiance had shaken the entire Heavenly Court.

Though Shi Yu’s golden light lacked such grandeur, it still stirred the entire training area of the school, like a firefly glowing in the darkness, drawing all eyes.

“This golden light… can only be described as a spiritual anomaly!” Shi Yu’s mind raced. Apart from this explanation, he could think of no more reasonable reason to quell everyone’s curiosity.

Was he really going to recount the entire Journey to the West story to everyone?

He shook his head, feeling it would only complicate matters further.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yu quickly restored a calm expression, feigning composure as he left the training pod.

It’s just a spiritual anomaly, nothing to worry about—stay calm, stay calm.

However, the onlookers did not share his calmness.

Teacher Lin, with his thick eyebrows, was immensely excited!

He rushed over to Shi Yu at once and slapped his shoulder heavily with his large hand like a fan.

“Good, good, good!” he exclaimed repeatedly, his joy overflowing.

Having such a gifted student naturally filled him, the homeroom teacher, with pride.

In the future, Shi Yu might even earn a place in the school’s history or on the wall of honor.

“Shi Yu!”

“Shi Yu~~”

Classmates surged forward like a tide, surrounding Shi Yu with great excitement, greeting him enthusiastically.

Spiritual anomalies were exceedingly rare; no one had expected to witness one firsthand.

Amazing.

So amazing that even machines couldn’t measure his values.

Shi Yu had already ranked among the top of the class, and now, after this spiritual evaluation and the sudden phenomenon, his reputation as a genius was solidified.

Through conversations with his classmates, Shi Yu learned that he had only been inside the spiritual training pod for one minute.

Though he showed no outward surprise, inside he was stunned.

He had clearly spent six or seven hours in that Journey to the West world!

The time difference between the two worlds was astonishing.

Silently calculating, Shi Yu realized that one day in the Blue Star world equated to an entire year in the Journey to the West world!

A sudden inspiration struck him.

“Teacher Lin, since this machine malfunctioned, can I try another one for testing?” Shi Yu asked.

He wanted to see whether he could enter the Journey to the West world again and explore the mechanism of entry and exit, as there must be endless mysteries within.

“Of course, no problem. I was planning to have you retake the test anyway,” said Lin Zhenfeng, nodding his large head and agreeing at once.

If anyone was eager for the retest, it was him even more than Shi Yu.

Lin asked the remaining students to wait their turn and then hurriedly took Shi Yu to the exclusive teacher training area on the fourth floor.

There, two advanced-model spiritual training pods—the Tian Gong T800—stood.

They were not only more exquisite in appearance but also astonishingly expensive.

The pods were made of special alloys, coated with radiation-proof and soundproof materials to ensure a stable and quiet environment inside.

The doors used advanced biometric technology, allowing only authorized personnel to enter.

Lin Zhenfeng skillfully swiped his card, quickly input Shi Yu’s personal information, and granted temporary access.

Considering Shi Yu’s special situation and to ensure student safety, he said after careful thought: “I’ll set the usage time for ten minutes.”

“This is mainly to more accurately assess your spiritual level. Ten minutes should be sufficient.”

“When time’s up, the system will automatically disconnect. Just follow the steps I taught you before. Regardless of the pod model, the basic procedures are the same,” Lin Zhenfeng instructed carefully.

Shi Yu sat inside the pod. The door closed, and a gentle system prompt sounded inside.

[Welcome to the Tian Gong spiritual testing pod. Please adjust your seat to the most comfortable position.]

[Training mode selected. Adjusting environment, please wait…]

…

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A spectacular play of light and shadow flickered.

Shi Yu heard the whooshing sound of wind rushing past his ears.

The wind carried the distant sound of ocean waves and birdsong from the air.

The air was filled with the rich fragrance unique to flowers and fruit.

He slowly opened his eyes to a familiar scene.

Indeed, he had returned to the Journey to the West world.

Shi Yu glanced around and found himself still standing atop that towering mountain.

Nearby lay scattered stones, clearly from the earlier collapse of huge boulders.

This second crossing confirmed several things.

First, entering this new world indeed required the spiritual training pod.

Although the mechanism was still unclear, the pod was definitely the current medium connecting the two worlds. Perhaps in the future, as his level and abilities rose, he could enter directly.

Second, the entry point was the same place from which he had previously exited; the location had not changed.

Third, regarding the flow of time: when he left, it was noon, but now the sun had already tilted westward, and in a while, night would fall.

Shi Yu thought carefully. Between leaving the spiritual training pod and entering the fourth-floor pod again, about ten minutes had passed.

Combining this with his earlier estimate of the time flow difference.

This meant that the sunset he now saw was actually three days later.

The time flow difference between the two worlds was truly staggering.

This reaffirmed Shi Yu’s earlier inspired idea.

That was to exploit the time difference between the two realms for rapid cultivation.

In the education system of Great Xia, after spiritual evaluation in the second year of high school, students would be assigned cultivation methods of martial arts starting in their third year, based on their levels.

Martial cultivation methods were divided into four ranks by quality:

Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Ancestral.

Each rank further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

For high school students just building their foundation, only the Ancestral rank cultivation methods were accessible.

The lowest aptitude would begin with the Ancestral rank lower grade.

The best aptitude would naturally receive the Ancestral rank upper grade.

For Shi Yu, there was no doubt that his spiritual rank would secure him the Ancestral rank upper grade cultivation method.

If he could use the Journey to the West world to accelerate his cultivation,

By the time of the college entrance exam a year from now, he could compete for the top rankings alongside those born with privilege and talent, standing shoulder to shoulder with the chosen elites.

He might even surpass them and reach even greater heights!

More importantly, he now possessed a contract with a divine demon, an external ability to share power.

No, this was not a cheat—it was an expression of his innate talent.

Previously, in the school’s training area, Shi Yu had not yet had time to study the divine demon contract system deeply.

Now that he had returned to the Journey to the West world, he had ample time to explore.

Teacher Lin had granted ten minutes.

Converted, he could remain in this new world for a full sixty hours, or two and a half days!

Shi Yu’s determination solidified. Seeing the late hour, he found a giant tree nearby with lush branches, climbed up, and settled comfortably.

He lay down and sank his spirit into his sea of consciousness.

As he concentrated his spiritual power on the [Heavenly Falling Rock Spirit Body], golden words appeared once more on the golden scroll in his mind.

[Heavenly Falling Rock Spirit Body is formed from the ancient Nuwa’s sky-mending stones, naturally imbued with pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This body is as hard as a rock, indestructible.]

[With this spirit body, one gains not only extraordinary defense but can unleash astonishing power in battle.]

[Ability traits: indestructible, immense strength, vitality resonance, keen spiritual perception.]

Shi Yu’s eye twitched.

The Great Sage, just born and still a blank slate without any skills, was already extraordinary, truly worthy of having been formed from the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon.

Even these four traits alone were enough for him to reign supreme over Flower-Fruit Mountain, dominating the region.

According to the system’s feedback, because Shi Yu was only level one, the bonuses he received from the Heavenly Falling Rock Spirit Body were a mere 1%.

And yet, that 1% bonus had already greatly enhanced his spiritual and physical values, far surpassing his peers.

Curious, Shi Yu also checked the specific values of the newly born Spirit Bright Stone Monkey.

[Contracted Divine Demon: Spirit Bright Stone Monkey (Newborn Form)]

[Spiritual Level: 1200]

[Physical Constitution: 1500]

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He gasped, his shock surging like a tidal wave.

The Great Sage’s values were terrifyingly high!

What would his stats be once he returned from cultivation in the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave?

Shi Yu calmed himself after the initial shock.

Stay calm—after all, this was the Great Sage.

After this study, Shi Yu relaxed. He had worried about staying two days in Flower-Fruit Mountain being dangerous.

But now it seemed that with the Heavenly Falling Rock Spirit Body, his survival here was assured.

As for food and drink, the mountain abounded with celestial peaches and spirit fruits, ready to be plucked, posing no problem.

Feeling at ease, Shi Yu began to ponder another matter that weighed on his mind—where was the Great Sage Sun Wukong now?

Logically, he should be playing and frolicking with the monkey tribe on Flower-Fruit Mountain.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the words [Contracted Divine Demon: Spirit Bright Stone Monkey] on the golden scroll began to flicker.

Shi Yu focused his spiritual power on it.

In an instant, his spirit was drawn by an invisible force, sensing a familiar and intimate aura from a hundred miles to the east.

He immediately understood—the Great Sage was there!

Tomorrow, he would go find him!

Filled with excitement, Shi Yu fell into a deep sleep in the tree.

……

The next day, the morning sun rose.

Shi Yu awoke refreshed, gazing up at the endless sky, feeling boundless and serene.

He jumped down from the tree, wiped his face at a nearby stream, and ate some fruits from the trees.

Satisfied, he patted his belly and headed eastward.

The entire Flower-Fruit Mountain spanned tens of thousands of miles, vast in expanse, known as the ancestral root of the Ten Continents and the origin of the Three Islands.

The mountain was full of red cliffs and strange stones, sheer walls and unique peaks.

Occasionally, immortal deer and foxes wandered the forest, while mystical birds and mysterious cranes called from the branches.

Everywhere were rare herbs and exquisite flowers, green pines, and lush cypresses.

Though the scenery was beautiful, for ordinary people, traversing the dense forest would be difficult, with thick vines and rugged mountain paths.

But for Shi Yu, now in spirit form, passing through was effortless.

He thought to himself, “I heard that in senior year there’s a survival practice course in the wild—well, this is an early experience.”

The hundred-mile mountain path was neither too long nor too short.

As the sun dipped westward again, Shi Yu finally saw the monkey tribe playing and frolicking in the forest from afar.

Some leaped among the trees, picking ripe fruit; some groomed each other, biting and scratching; others swung on vines, shouting and laughing.

Only one figure sat quietly by a clear mountain spring, gazing motionlessly into the water, seemingly lost in thought.

Shi Yu watched him; he watched the water.

After a long while, Shi Yu stepped forward, descending the mountain step by step.

His clothes were tattered, but his eyes shone bright.

The monkey tribe curiously observed the strange newcomer, chattering softly.

Some little monkeys wanted to approach to see more closely but were gently stopped by an elder gibbon, who shook his head.

Shi Yu crouched by the mountain stream as well.

The clear water reflected the ever-changing clouds above, shifting forms like a dream.

The two silently watched for a long time.

“Did you come here to watch the sunset clouds too?” the stone monkey finally broke the silence, curiously asking.

Shi Yu smiled and shook his head.

“No, I didn’t come here just to admire the scenery.”

“Then why have you come?” The monkey raised his head, eyes bright with curiosity as he scrutinized this strange visitor.

“The sunset clouds in the water are indeed beautiful,” Shi Yu answered honestly, “but I crossed mountains and came here to see you.”

“See me?” The monkey’s lively eyes widened in confusion.

“Why?”

Shi Yu looked at the innocent, lively Spirit Bright Stone Monkey before him, a faint smile curling his lips as he whispered, “Because you are the Great Sage!”