Chapter 4: Achievement Unlocked

The Stone Monkey listened to his elder brother’s words and felt quite pleased.

“All right, all right, elder brother, quickly give me a name,” it urged eagerly.

Shi Yu pondered for a moment. To be cautious, even a nickname shouldn’t be chosen carelessly; it should ideally connect somehow to the future titles of the Stone Monkey — Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

“Very well, as you said, since you sprang from the stone crevice, you shall share my surname, Shi.”

“And your name shall be Kong.”

“Kong?”

Shi Yu smiled faintly. “My own name is Yu.”

“Yu means the vast space encompassing up, down, left, right — the boundless expanse.”

“Since you follow me, I shall name you ‘Kong.’”

He paused briefly, then continued: “Kong signifies purity and freedom from defilement, a state beyond all worldly troubles.”

“I see you as innocent, romantic, unrestrained—just fitting the essence of ‘Kong.’”

Though Shi Yu spoke earnestly, he was in truth merely selecting the character “Kong” from “Sun Wukong.” Yet to the Stone Monkey, these words sounded deeply meaningful.

“My name... is Kong,” it murmured.

“Hahaha! I have a name now!” The Stone Monkey tumbled and flipped several times, leapt onto a branch, and joyfully darted through the forest.

Its hearty laughter echoed through the valley, lingering until the last rays of sunset vanished beyond the horizon.

...

Meanwhile, as Shi Yu and the Great Sage pledged brotherhood, outside in the real world, Lin Zhenfeng sat beside the spiritual cultivation pod, waiting for the session to end.

“Teacher Lin, I’m here,” a voice greeted as someone entered the staff-only training area.

Lin Zhenfeng stood and nodded politely.

The visitor was Yu Guochuan, the dean of Ya Li High School.

His gaze fell on the pod in use.

“Shi Yu is inside?”

“Yes, it’s been about four minutes now,” Lin Zhenfeng replied. “Everything is normal so far.”

“You’re decisive, quite generous,” Yu Guochuan remarked. “This spiritual cultivation pod only grants you an hour’s usage per week.”

Lin Zhenfeng shook his head. “Compared to Shi Yu’s talent, that’s nothing.”

For a teacher, seeing a student achieve success and promise is the greatest comfort.

Yu Guochuan patted Lin Zhenfeng on the shoulder, inviting him to sit and wait for Shi Yu to finish.

Shi Yu, a sophomore, had manifested a radiant spiritual golden light phenomenon at once, immediately drawing the attention of Ya Li High’s leadership.

...

Since the principals were attending an external meeting, Yu Guochuan came first to assess the situation.

For Ya Li High School, this was undoubtedly a momentous event.

Though Shi Yu’s exact spiritual level was still being evaluated, the basic spiritual cultivation pod couldn’t even measure his value, implying his spiritual level was at least ten — already the standard of a typical university graduate.

Ordinarily, students begin spiritual cultivation after class divisions in their senior year; the higher the spiritual level, the faster the cultivation progresses, aided by cultivation methods of varying ranks.

The gap in martial prowess widens significantly over time.

Although Lin Zhenfeng had said that even if the spiritual evaluation wasn’t ideal, it didn’t mean the opportunity was lost.

But very few actually achieve success under such circumstances.

Historically, if a sophomore’s spiritual evaluation reached level nine, then in over eighty percent of cases, the student would break through the Mortal Realm and enter the Transcendent Realm.

The Mortal Realm includes stages like Nascent Soul, Foundation Building, and Opening Orifices.

The Transcendent Realm encompasses Outer Strength, Primordial Domain, and Earth Boundary.

Countless martial artists sweat and strive along this vast path of cultivation, standing at the forefront against otherworldly threats to protect fragile peace.

For Ya Li High, Shi Yu’s spiritual talent unveiling directly related to their most immediate interest—the college entrance examination.

Rankings in the gaokao are crucial for both students and schools.

In Star City, the top high schools—Star City No. 1 High, Changjun High, Ya Li High, and Mingde High—have formed the top echelon for centuries.

They are known as the “Big Four.”

Yet within these four, there are hierarchies.

In the past decade, Ya Li High had been firmly overshadowed by No. 1 High and Changjun High, battling only with Mingde for third place.

This put enormous pressure on Ya Li’s leadership, which trickled down to every teacher and student.

The current year’s gaokao had concluded without notable achievements for Ya Li.

But next year...

Yu Guochuan and Lin Zhenfeng exchanged glances, both clearly sensing an excitement within.

What thrilled them was not only the potentially high spiritual level Shi Yu might achieve.

More importantly, it was the golden light emanating from his eyes and the extraordinary constellations shining forth.

Throughout the Great Xia Empire, sophomore spiritual evaluations were conducted uniformly as a screening for all enrolled students.

Most would experience their first spiritual awakening at this time.

The spirit hidden deep within the sea of consciousness would gradually surface, stimulated by the external cultivation pod.

Only a very few would manifest extraordinary phenomena.

According to centuries of records, there are nine such phenomena.

...

Shi Yu had displayed one of these.

This golden light phenomenon indicated a perfectly pure spiritual essence.

Such a spirit meant his will was as firm as a rock, unbreakable.

A born warrior!

...

Night descended.

Mount Huaguo gradually fell silent, shedding the daytime clamor.

The monkey tribe yawned and settled into sleep.

Shi Yu gazed at the Stone Monkey beside him, fast asleep.

His mind once again sank into the sea of consciousness.

A booming voice sounded:

[Achievement Unlocked: Brotherhood]

[Evolution Points: +2]

[Current Evolution Points: 5/100]

Shi Yu raised his brow in surprise—he hadn’t expected an achievement system to exist.

Curious, he tapped it with his spiritual power.

[Brotherhood]: Formed a brotherly bond with Lingming the Stone Monkey. Together, you will endure hardships, share thoughts, and achieve greatness.

[Achievement Reward: Huaguo Mountain Monkey Wine]

[Usage Instructions: Huaguo Mountain Monkey Wine is brewed by spirit monkeys gathering rare mountain fruits, blended with dawn dewdrops, matured over years in a hidden cave cellar. It enhances the spirit, strengthens the body, and heals wounds. Single-use. Usable upon return to the original world.]

What a precious item—enhancing both spirit and physique!

After a burst of excitement, Shi Yu’s gaze returned to the golden scroll in his consciousness, pondering deeply.

Receiving achievements brought generous rewards, indeed very good.

But he must avoid causing excessive impact on the entire world.

In this light, the only way was to let Journey to the West proceed along its original storyline, so the Great Sage could truly become the Great Sage.

And he could also gain more achievements along the way.

The Stone Monkey grunted softly, turned over, and rested its head on Shi Yu’s leg, feeling comfortable and drifting back to sleep.

Shi Yu smiled and shook his head. The Great Sage now was like a child, pure and clear as the creek beside them.

The mountain stream shimmered faintly, flowing from afar and onward.

Shi Yu mused softly to the Stone Monkey, “Little Kong, tomorrow we will follow this stream to find the Water Curtain Cave.”

“Before becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, you are the Handsome Monkey King of Mount Huaguo!”