Chapter 35: The Enlightenment Jade Slip

Shi Yu gazed at the golden scroll within his divine consciousness, a surge of pleasant surprise rising in his heart.

He had actually unlocked another achievement: [Enlightenment Jade Slip].

According to the description, as long as he learned a new cultivation technique in the Blue Star world, he could return to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and impart it directly to the Great Sage via this jade slip. There would be no need for him to act as a middleman. Shi Yu pondered if the system felt his own teaching was subpar, hence granting him this tool. Hmph, he was clearly a great teacher! Just look at how formidable the Great Sage had become; the way he swung that staff was truly awe-inspiring!

Shi Yu glanced at the Stone Monkey. Having mastered one staff technique, the monkey was currently brandishing a large staff with great enthusiasm, charging into the mountain forest and sending birds and beasts scattering in a chaotic frenzy. Shi Yu’s eyelid twitched—this was clearly the behavior of a child who had just learned a new skill and couldn't wait to show off in front of others.

He continued to study the jade slip's description carefully, his gaze finally resting on the words "Full Deduction." Shi Yu’s eyebrows arched as realization dawned on him. The most critical aspect of the [Enlightenment Jade Slip] was this deduction function! In other words, even if a technique was unformed, a semi-finished product, or a flawed version, he could deduce it to completion and pass it on to others. No, not just others! The description mentioned "those in need." Shi Yu’s eyes brightened—this meant he himself was within the scope of recipients.

The implications were immense. Once he spent more time with Sister Song, Xia Yuan, and other transcendent beings, and became more familiar with them, couldn't he "swipe" skills from them? Was this what they called "shearing the wool" from acquaintances? Shi Yu felt a sudden sense of ease. From now on, please call him: The Copycat Warrior with a Thousand Skills.

On the other side, the Stone Monkey finished his joyful romp and ran back to Shi Yu’s side. "Brother, I have mastered the first move. When will you teach me the next?"

Shi Yu: "..." He muttered to himself, *Your brother hasn't even mastered the first move yet, how can I teach you the second...*

"Too much to chew is hard to swallow; I shall teach you next time," he said with a chuckle, wandering toward the Water Curtain Cave. The longer he stayed with the Great Sage, the more he felt his own aptitude was dull. After a few steps, Shi Yu stopped. A look of shock appeared on his face as he blurted out, "I am such a fool!"

"Brother, why do you say that?" the Stone Monkey asked, puzzled, following behind. If his brother were a fool, then he, who had spent years practicing calligraphy without success, must be an even bigger fool.

Shi Yu turned around and habitually patted the Stone Monkey’s head. "...It is nothing; your brother just realized something."

Just then, he had realized that although he lacked proficiency in the first move of the staff technique, the Great Sage had already mastered it. Why not use the jade slip to extract it from the Great Sage and teach it to himself? This was a golden path to mastering skills while lying down!

As he continued to stroke the Stone Monkey’s head, Shi Yu activated the [Enlightenment Jade Slip] within his soul.

[Extraction Target: Lingming Stone Monkey]
[Extraction Goal 1: Tiangang Qiankun Staff Technique, First Move—World-Shattering]
[Extraction Goal 2: Self-Sealing Technique (Semi-finished)]
[Please select extraction target...]

Shi Yu looked confused. The first target was expected, but what was the second? Where did it come from? He pondered for a moment. Could it be because he had taught the Stone Monkey to restrain his divine power and use only ordinary strength to practice? And then the Great Sage had developed a method himself, which the jade slip refined into a [Self-Sealing Technique]? The name was certainly straightforward and simple.

However, this skill was incredibly useful! Having read extensively in both his lives, Shi Yu immediately grasped that this was an excellent technique for concealing his true trump cards. During this period, his strength had developed rapidly. Whenever he tested his various parameters, he had to rely on acting to pass, lest he be suspected of being contaminated by otherworldly organisms. But one cannot walk by the river without getting one's shoes wet. If he were to accidentally reveal his true strength one day, it would bring numerous troubles. With this sealing technique, his worries would vanish into thin air. When the right opportunity arose, he could gradually unseal it and release his true power. This way, his growth in strength would appear entirely logical, matching society's expectations and perceptions of a genius.

Without hesitation, Shi Yu changed his initial plan and directly chose the [Self-Sealing Technique (Semi-finished)]. As for the staff technique, he would eventually master it through practice; it was only a matter of time, so extracting it later would not be too late.

[Target Extraction Successful]
[Do you wish to deduce the Self-Sealing Technique (Semi-finished)?]
[Deduction requires consumption of divine soul power]

Shi Yu grew thoughtful. Consuming divine soul power was essentially exhausting mental energy, similar to performing high-intensity cognitive labor. That was fine; in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, he did nothing but cultivate, eat, drink, and sleep. If he got tired, he would just take a nap. He confirmed the deduction in his sea of consciousness.

Instantly, a surging wave of soul power was drawn into the [Enlightenment Jade Slip] like a flood, as if a hungry beast were devouring everything. Shi Yu could clearly feel his mental energy draining rapidly, the "pond" of his spirit visibly receding. *Is the suction power this astonishing?!*

"Little Kong!" he quickly called out to the Stone Monkey behind him.
"Brother, what is it?"
"Take me back to the Water Curtain Cave; I need to have a long sleep," Shi Yu said, struggling to maintain his focus. Once finished, he could no longer hold on; his eyelids grew heavy, and he immediately began to snore.
The Stone Monkey couldn't help but admire: "My brother is truly a marvelous person; he can fall asleep whenever he says so, without the slightest hesitation."

...

He did not know how much time had passed when Shi Yu awoke from his deep sleep, feeling fully refreshed. He looked around and found the Great Sage was not by his side. After all, the Stone Monkey was now the Handsome Monkey King and had a whole family to manage in the mountains. He was usually very busy. It was said that if any monkey couple had a domestic dispute, they would come to him to mediate.

"King Shi, you're awake!" The little golden-haired monkey was there. Seeing Shi Yu wake up, it excitedly jumped onto the stone bed and handed him a slice of watermelon. "Here, eat some!"

Shi Yu didn't dare refuse; after all, this little golden monkey was also a powerhouse he couldn't beat—tears welled up in his eyes. As he ate, he checked the golden scroll inside him. Sure enough, the text had changed.

[Technique deduction successful, Self-Sealing Technique (Semi-finished) upgraded to Void Spirit Sealing Technique]
[Void Spirit Sealing Technique: A powerful sealing technique that can seal one's soul and physical power within the body. When power release is needed, the seal can be lifted to restore one's true strength.]

Shi Yu nodded secretly. Excellent; from now on, he would rely on this skill to play the pig to eat the tiger. However, this skill could only be used on the Blue Star side; it was completely useless here in the Journey to the West world because his combat power here was already quite pathetic...

"King Shi, why are you eating so slowly?" The little golden monkey looked at him with disdain. "My mother said, only by eating fast can you eat more. And only by eating more can you have great strength!"

Shi Yu looked up at the sky helplessly. He was even being outperformed in eating a melon. *I must cultivate! Cultivate diligently!*

"Little golden monkey, bring me some wine!" Shi Yu felt bold and heroic. He hadn't forgotten the effects of the fruit wine on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Although it couldn't compare to the system's Monkey Wine, it could accumulate over time. *Cultivation—drinking wine can also be cultivation!*

However, the little golden monkey spread its hands. "It's gone."
"What?!"
"The wine stored previously was all drunk by you and the Great King. The rest has only just begun to ferment and can't be drunk yet."

Shi Yu’s eyes widened. Was he saying that coming to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit meant he could only drink once? His dream of cultivating through drinking wine was instantly shattered. *Oh well, relying on external objects is ultimately futile. It is better to be down-to-earth and practice honestly; that is the right path.*

In the days that followed, Shi Yu began to cultivate diligently. Apart from spending a few hours each day accompanying the Stone Monkey to handle the affairs of the monkey tribe and watching him fight, he spent almost all his time practicing the [Five Peaks Yuan-Gathering Art].

Ten days later, immersed in his practice, he slowly opened his eyes.
[Host realm improved: Na-Yuan Fifth Layer progress increased from 66% to 68%]

Shi Yu had broken through the third and fourth layers of the Na-Yuan realm in succession, and his progress in the fifth layer had also passed the two-thirds mark.

His Divine Demon System panel was now as follows:
[Divine Demon Contract System]
[Level: 1]
[Host: Shi Yu]
[Contracted Divine Demon: Lingming Stone Monkey (Handsome Monkey King)]
[Divine Ability List: Heaven-Fallen Boulder Spirit Body]
[Skill List: King of Glory, Void Spirit Sealing Technique, Tiangang Qiankun Staff Technique (First Move)]
[Possessions: Measuring Ruler, Enlightenment Jade Slip]
[Martial Cultivation: Na-Yuan Realm Fifth Layer 68%]
[Host Soul: Level 15.4]
[Host Physique: Level 17.7]
[Host Evolution Value: 22/100]

Shi Yu had stayed in this world for fifteen days and made significant progress. However, today was also the day of his departure. Several days ago, he had sat down for a long, heart-to-heart talk with the Stone Monkey. In a way the Great Sage could understand, Shi Yu told him, "I come from outside the Three Realms and am not within the cycle of this world, so I cannot stay for long."

That day, the Stone Monkey was teary-eyed: "After you leave, Brother, when will you return?"
"If all goes well, we shall meet again in seven years!"