Commanding the vast ocean, subduing the jade sea—its tides surge like silver mountains as fish enter their caves; its waves churn snow-white billows as mirages rise from the abyss. In the corner of wood and fire, towering peaks rise high above the Eastern Sea.
Crimson cliffs with strange rocks, sheer walls and wondrous peaks—on the crimson cliffs, a pair of phoenixes sing; before the sheer walls, a unicorn lies alone. At the mountain peaks, one often hears the golden pheasant's call; in the rocky caves, one always sees dragons come and go.
In the forest are long-lived deer and immortal foxes; on the trees are spirit birds and black cranes. Rare grasses and exotic flowers never wither; green pines and verdant cypresses bloom eternally. Immortal peaches bear fruit constantly; tall bamboos always hold the clouds. A single ravine is thick with vines and creepers; on all sides, the grass on the embankments is fresh and green.
...
Waves crash against the shore. On a lone island in the sea, immortal herbs grow in quiet seclusion—a scene of untouched wilderness, like a paradise on earth.
Standing atop a solitary peak, Feng Lin turns a blind eye to the breathtaking beauty before him.
His face is caught between a cry and a laugh as he stares blankly down at the rocky shell beneath his feet, then repeatedly touches his own furry golden fur.
Though he can't see his full appearance, Feng Lin roughly gets an impression: a thunder-god mouth, a gaunt face, bowlegs...
That's right, I'm a monkey now!
Bah!
I'm not a monkey—I've just become one!
No!
I haven't become a monkey; I just look like one now!
...
What a mess!
Feng Lin shakes his head, feeling that becoming a monkey has addled his brains too.
Blue and miserable! Mushroom!
He takes a deep breath to calm himself, fingers rubbing the rocky ground beneath him, finally accepting this reality: he's a monkey, a stone monkey just born.
But as he thinks it over, his thoughts grow chaotic again.
But this isn't right!
Legend says when a stone monkey is born, it shoots golden light from its eyes and bows to the four directions.
Why is it so low-key for me? So low-key it makes you want to cry!
That's not right either.
Why am I getting hung up on this?
I should be wondering why I suddenly became a monkey!
...
Every time Feng Lin tries to get back on track, his thoughts keep veering off, straying a hundred thousand miles away...
In the end, his head becomes a complete mess, tangled like hemp.
Gurgle, gurgle...
A thunderous rumble jolts him from his endless troubles—not because he's figured anything out, but because...
Feng Lin frowns and clutches his stomach.
He's hungry!
Without realizing it, he's spent an entire night on the solitary peak. Dawn has broken, and he's hungry...
Feng Lin gazes into the distance with tearful eyes, speechless, feeling more and more like a goofy monkey!
The hunger surges fiercely, leaving him weak all over.
After all, Feng Lin is now just a newborn stone monkey, frail and without a single bite to eat.
Helpless and resigned, he sets aside all his grief and confusion to search for food.
Luckily, this overseas island is a paradise on earth, with blooming flowers, lush trees, and countless immortal fruits.
As soon as he walks down the mountain, Feng Lin spots a dense peach grove. Each peach is as big as a fist, red and glossy, sweet and fragrant.
Unable to resist, he licks his lips and, with a whoosh, scrambles up.
Why "scramble"?
He doesn't know why, but since becoming a monkey, his instincts have shifted toward monkey behavior.
He climbs the tree with such agility that he might as well be a real monkey.
No, he already is a monkey!
Don't dwell on the past—life's already full of storms.
No, monkey life is full of storms.
This is truly a sad story...
Trying to smile to hide the falling tears.jpg.
His stomach growling with hunger, Feng Lin's eyes turn red as he channels his grief into appetite, chomping down on peaches.
With one bite, juice splatters everywhere, even soaking the fur on his chest.
Feng Lin's eyes widen instantly—this is the best peach he's ever tasted. Sweet without being cloying, tender and delicious, with a fruity fragrance that refreshes the soul. The more he eats, the more he wants, unable to stop...
Out here in the wild, no one's competing with him, so Feng Lin doesn't hold back.
He grabs a peach in one hand, cradles a pile in his arms, and holds one in each foot.
Something feels off!
Feng Lin pauses, but who cares...
He quickly pushes all thoughts aside, burying his head in the peaches, eating with abandon. Eventually, he gets picky, only eating the best parts and tossing the rest.
A rich monkey, just that extravagant...
Soon, the ground beneath the tree is littered with pits.
Not very eco-friendly or hygienic.
Feng Lin looks down at his handiwork and grins.
I'm a monkey—who's afraid of who?
His golden fur is soaked with peach juice, his teeth bared in a silly grin, looking every bit the monkey.
He pats his round belly, stretches comfortably, and leans back on a branch. The mountain breeze blows, cooling him off, his face full of contentment.
"When have I, Old Sun—no, Old Feng—ever eaten this well?"
His heart stirs with excitement, and he loses his balance, tumbling from the fork in the tree.
From a tree over thirty meters high, he crashes heavily to the ground, leaving a monkey-shaped hole in the earth.
But the next moment, he flips up and crawls out, completely unharmed.
A stone monkey, born of heaven and earth, with a rocky hide and iron bones, impervious to blades—that's no joke.
What's a little impact like this?
A male monkey has to be tough—who can say otherwise?
Feng Lin nimbly gets up, dusts himself off, and is about to scramble back up the tree.
Suddenly, his expression changes. He feels a rich energy within the peach flesh, cool as water, rapidly spreading through his body.
This energy isn't violent—it's very gentle—but there's just too much of it, surging like a flood. Water is the source of life, but when it turns into a deluge, it's a disaster.
He's about to burst from the flood of energy inside him!
How can such a small peach contain so much energy?
Feng Lin is baffled.
And this cool energy feels familiar—it's the spirit particle energy from gene potions!
What now?
Feng Lin grows frantic. If he doesn't find a way out, he'll definitely explode.
At this critical moment, it seems an ancient memory deep in his mind is triggered and surfaces. Though long forgotten, it naturally recalls itself when the right opportunity arises.
This is an innate instinct, knowledge born with him!
Feng Lin has a sudden epiphany. He sits cross-legged, hands resting flat on his abdomen, palms facing upward.
A miraculous change occurs within him. A vortex appears in his dantian, three inches below his navel, like a black hole devouring everything.
The spirit particle energy streams into it like weary birds returning to the forest, where the vortex grinds it into pure energy, absorbed by his body.
Feng Lin immediately senses a difference. Every part of his body continuously absorbs the spirit particle energy, undergoing some mysterious transformation.
His body grows like an inflated balloon, bones cracking, muscles stretching, golden fur growing brighter and more dazzling.
A cool sensation surrounds him, as if a gentle breeze encircles him. Every pore and acupoint opens, making him transparent inside and out, clear as crystal.
The spirit peaches he ate turn into nutrients and energy, rapidly replenishing him, flowing through his meridians along specific paths like a spring nourishing a long-dry desert.
Every cell in his body, like a starving ghost, greedily devours the energy to strengthen itself.
After a long time, Feng Lin slowly awakens. The pain is gone, and his round belly has deflated.
He stands up, bones creaking. His perspective suddenly shifts—everything seems three inches shorter.
He's felt this before; it's the change from a rapid growth spurt.
Feng Lin rushes to the seaside. The clear water reflects a furry monkey: a thunder-god mouth, bared teeth—a perfect gibbon.
But unlike before, where he was a scrawny little monkey, he's now a full-grown adult ape.
A world-shaking change. Recalling that strange state he was in, Feng Lin's heart stirs.
Was that...?
The legendary "refining essence into qi" from myth?