Chapter 15: Moonlight Between Two Realms

“An immortal, huh...”
The Stone Monkey listened silently to the words of the old ape Tong Bei.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke, “Three years ago, my elder brother suddenly appeared before me, and we watched the waters and admired the scenery together.”
“He said he came for me.”
“He said I am the Great Sage.”
“He said my talent is extraordinary.”
“Yet to this day, I still do not know how to truly become the Great Sage.”
“I have always wondered if conquering all of Flower-Fruit Mountain would make me the Great Sage...”

The Stone Monkey looked up and reached out, as if trying to pluck the bright moon from the sky.
“So these days, I’ve been leading the monkeys in constant battles throughout Flower-Fruit Mountain, fighting for territory.”
“My followers are growing in number, and our territory is expanding.”
“But I always feel this isn’t what brother meant by the Great Sage.”

He kept gazing at the moon, his expression filled with confusion.
The crescent moon hung high, cold and distant.

He murmured softly, as if speaking to old Tong Bei, or perhaps to himself.
“I still remember when I was still a naive stone monkey inside the immortal rock.”
“I vaguely saw a figure appear outside.”
“When he touched the immortal stone, it was as if I gained enlightenment and was able to break free from the rock.”
“Looking back now, that person was clearly my brother!”
“Sadly, I didn’t realize it at the time.”
“When I first met my brother, I only felt a sense of warmth, nothing more.”

The Stone Monkey sighed deeply, “In truth, brother came to see how I was doing after I was born.”
“For those few short days, he named me and taught me to recognize words.”
“He even told me to find the Water Curtain Cave.”
“He guided me to become the Handsome Monkey King.”
“Once I became king, he quietly left, as if his mission was complete.”

The Stone Monkey’s voice gradually softened as he continued.
Finally, he lowered his head, his gaze falling on the scattered sand and stones beneath him.

Upon closer inspection, countless irregular marks could be seen, as if scratched with twigs — resembling characters.
At first, the characters were messy and crooked.
But gradually, they became more upright and neat.

The Stone Monkey picked up a twig and carefully wrote the character “Shi” beside them.
Just as his brother had taught him long ago, a faint shadow of Shi Yu appeared behind him, writing alongside him.

If counted carefully, there were 1,201 “Shi” characters on this land!
Every night, the Stone Monkey came here to write one “Shi.”

After writing “Shi,” he penned the characters “Yu” and “Kong.”
He stared blankly for a moment, then picked up the twig again and clumsily wrote “Sun,” and finally added “Wu.”

However, these last two characters, having more strokes, were never as neat as the first two.

“Brother, whether you are immortal, human, or monkey, when will I see you again...”

A drop of clear water fell onto the rocky ground, moistening a large patch.

The old ape looked up at the sky, puzzled.
The night was clear, the moon bright and stars sparse—where was the rain coming from?

Yet drops kept falling, landing on the sandy ground, on small grass, and at the Stone Monkey’s feet.

Tong Bei’s expression trembled, and he looked up at the back of the Great King.
He sighed softly and quietly departed.

Beneath the moonlight, a monkey only three years old wept silently.

...

At Yali Middle School’s Martial Arts Hall, Shi Yu was deeply immersed in his training when suddenly his heart jolted.

He immediately stopped his cultivation and opened his eyes.
“What’s going on...”

Shi Yu clutched his chest, sensing the sudden stir.
“Did something go wrong with my cultivation?”

He carefully examined the circulation of his internal energy through the Great Cycle—everything was normal.
According to the “Five Mountains Gathering Essence Technique,” the flow of energy was stable, steadily advancing his realm.

At this moment, his Na Yuan stage had risen from 13% of the second level to 47%!
He was nearly halfway through breaking into the second level.

Checking the time, it was already midnight.
“Well, time to rest. I’ll get up early tomorrow to train again.”

After washing up and turning off the lights, Shi Yu lay down in the rest room as moonlight streamed through the window.
He gazed at the moonlight by his bedside and couldn’t help recalling a famous verse from his former world.

His homeland might never be returned to.

Shi Yu sighed and gradually drifted into deep sleep.

In his dream, he saw under the moonlight a furry figure silently shedding tears.
Unconsciously, he reached out and gently stroked the figure’s head.

Strangely, this scene felt so familiar.
He felt as if he had seen it somewhere before.

He looked down at the sandy ground beneath their feet.
Countless “Shi” characters were etched into the earth!

What is this?!

He looked up and saw that the tearful figure was clearly the Stone Monkey!

“Xiao Kong!”

Shi Yu shouted, waking up.

He was stunned for a moment before gathering himself.
Looking out the window, dawn was breaking in the east.

...

“That’s right... I’ve been here for over three days, so three years have passed in the Journey to the West world,” Shi Yu pondered.

“According to the school’s previous arrangements, I won’t be able to use the Soul Capsule until at least next Tuesday.”
“That means five more days...”
“The wait is too long.”
“I have to find a way to use it sooner and check on the Great Sage.”

“Although nothing major is happening on Flower-Fruit Mountain right now according to the timeline, I have to see it to be assured.”
“Besides...”

Shi Yu sprang out of bed and opened the “Five Mountains Gathering Essence Technique” on his computer.

According to the manual, training in a mountain rich with spiritual energy accelerates cultivation progress comparable to the initial ranks of the Profound Stage!
And what mountain in this world could rival Flower-Fruit Mountain from the Journey to the West?!

This cultivation method in Shi Yu’s hands could fully realize its true potential.

“It’s still early. When Principal Song arrives, I’ll see if I can discuss using the Soul Capsule earlier.”
“If not today, then tomorrow or the day after.”

Having made up his mind, Shi Yu wasted no time.
He quickly washed up and resumed training.

From five to seven in the morning, two hours of cultivation pushed his realm from 47% to 71%!
Today, he would definitely break through to the second level of the Na Yuan stage.

Meanwhile, his classmates would only receive their cultivation manuals today, and it was uncertain when they would sense the spiritual energy.
The gap between them was widening bit by bit.

...

After morning classes, Shi Yu went directly to find Principal Song to express his wish to use the Soul Capsule earlier.

Song Yunwei’s beautiful eyes sparkled as she thought for a moment and said, “As long as it doesn’t affect the allocation of time shares, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll coordinate this.”

After reassuring Shi Yu, she didn’t let him leave but stayed in her office.
She said someone was coming to discuss matters with her, and Shi Yu could listen in.

Curious, Shi Yu wondered if this had something to do with him.

Soon, the door to Principal Song’s office was knocked upon.

A towering man about two meters tall, with a shiny bald head, strode in heavily.

“Principal Song!” His voice was rough and resonant.

Song Yunwei stood and nodded in greeting, “Director Xia!”

“You’ve come just in time. This is the person you’re looking for—student Shi Yu.” She introduced him to the newcomer.

Shi Yu stood as well, curiously eyeing the imposing man before him.

If Teacher Lin was considered sturdy, this man was like a mountain, easily larger by a whole size.

The man extended a large hand, “I’m Xia Yuan, head of the Tianheng Nanhu Province Xingcheng Branch.”

“Student Shi Yu, a pleasure to meet you!”