Handsome Monkey King
After settling the monkey troop, the Little Stone Monkey returned to the Dao Venerable's residence.
In a secluded mountain valley, in a makeshift thatched hut, they found Lin Tian and asked him the question that had been bothering them.
"Dao Venerable, why did you make me their monkey king? I... I know nothing, I can't even manage myself, how can I manage so many monkeys?"
It didn't know what the Dao Venerable meant, but it was still terrified of the unknown.
I'm afraid I won't do a good job.
Lin Tian didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Little Stone Monkey, do you know what cultivation is?"
The Little Stone Monkey thought for a moment, then answered somewhat uncertainly, "Is it... is it about becoming more powerful? Like you Dao Venerable?"
Lin Tian smiled slightly and shook his head, "Yes, but it's not cultivation. What we cultivate is the mind, the nature, the understanding and grasp of heaven and earth and all things, and of our own origin. Power is merely a natural result of this improved understanding, not the goal."
He paused, then continued patiently, "You are Spiritual Stone Monkey, born of heaven and earth, with extraordinary potential; this is your Creation."
"I made you the Monkey King so that you could better understand that only through personal experience can you truly grasp the meaning of responsibility, commitment, protection, and sacrifice."
Although the Little Stone Monkey still didn't understand, he grasped a principle.
The Dao Venerable did it for his own good, to give him real training and growth, which is why he made him the Monkey King.
He nodded vigorously, his eyes hardening. "Dao Venerable, I understand! Rest assured, I will certainly be a good Monkey King and protect my people!"
Lin Tian was quite satisfied. "However, you must remember, I will not help you. You must walk the real path yourself, and overcome the real difficulties yourself. Everything depends on yourselves."
The Little Stone Monkey nodded solemnly again. "Yes! Dao Venerable! I remember! We'll rely on ourselves!"
"Go," Lin Tian waved his hand. "Your people are still waiting for you."
"Goodbye, Dao Venerable!" The Little Stone Monkey stood up, bowed respectfully, then turned and ran towards the waterfall.
Behind the large tree behind him, a figure slowly emerged; it was Tongtian.
Tongtian clicked his tongue in amazement. "Dao Venerable, are these the primordial beings that triggered the extraordinary phenomena of heaven and earth? They are indeed extraordinary in origin. The Four Mixed-World Monkeys are all remarkable."
"In terms of background alone, this Spiritual Stone Monkey is a high-grade Innate Demon Gods, seemingly no less powerful than my personal disciples, Duobao and Jin Ling, when they were first born."
"No wonder he has such Creation, to be favored and personally guided by you, Dao Venerable. It seems his future achievements will surely be extraordinary."
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Roots and luck are merely the starting point. How far one can go in the future ultimately depends on oneself."
Tongtian nodded slowly, said no more, and then bid farewell to Lin Tian.
In the days that followed, under the leadership of the new monkey king, Little Stone Monkey, the relocation of the ape tribe progressed quite smoothly.
Having learned from their first experience crossing the waterfall, and with the Old Monkey King's guidance and the help of the young and strong monkeys, all the monkeys entered this blessed land bestowed by heaven.
The environment inside thrilled all the monkeys.
They chirped excitedly, running around in the cave, exploring every corner.
Soon, under the guidance of the experienced Old Monkey King, the apes began to divide up the areas.
Everything was clearly arranged, with each place having its own tasks and responsibilities.
The monkeys were extremely happy with their new home and very grateful to their new king Little Stone Monkey.
Here, they felt a sense of security they had never experienced before.
On this day, the Old Monkey King patted the Little Stone Monkey on the shoulder and said, "Your Great King, according to the tradition of our monkey clan, every newly appointed monkey king should adopt a resounding title to demonstrate the majesty of our monkey clan and let other creatures in the mountains know who our new king is."
"A title?" The Little Stone Monkey turned its head, its eyes shining with curiosity. "There's such a thing?"
"Of course." The Old Monkey King stroked the sparse white fur on his chin, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. "For example, three thousand miles to the west, there is a deep ravine where a Silver Scale Great Python, who has cultivated to a high level, is coiled. He calls himself the Silver Snake King, and he has a fearsome reputation."
"Five thousand miles to the south, on Black Wind Ridge, lives a Black Bear Spirit of immense strength and a violent temper, known as the Violent Bear King, whom ordinary spirits dare not provoke."
It paused, a hint of melancholy on its face. "I once had a title, the Vajra Monkey King."
"Back then, I ruled over a vast mountain forest, commanding tens of thousands of ape soldiers. Even ordinary monsters would flee in terror at the sight of me. But then..."
The Old Monkey King sighed, shook his head, and didn't continue, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.
The Little Stone Monkey listened with great interest and longed to hear the stories of these Great King.
Suddenly, he remembered what the Thin Monkey had said about Qi Refining to Godhood, and asked, "By the way, Old Monkey King, I heard from the Thin Monkey that you are at the level of Qi Refining to Godhood? What exactly does Qi Refining to Godhood mean? Is it a very powerful realm?"
Upon hearing this, the Old Monkey King smiled and patiently explained, "Your Great King, do not be impatient. This Qi Refining to Godhood is itself a cultivation realm."
"In our Primordial Wilderness world, the path of cultivation is long and winding, and can be broadly divided into the Immortal Path below the Immortal Path and the path above the Immortal Path."
"Below the Immortal Path, there are four realms, in order: Essence Refining to Qi, Qi Refining to Godhood, Spirit Refining to Void, and Void Refining to Dao."
"Each realm is further divided into initial, middle, and late stages. For example, at my peak, I reached the initial stage of Spirit Refining to Void, but later I was severely injured, and my origin was damaged. Now I can only barely maintain the late stage of Qi Refining to Godhood."
"And what about beyond the Immortal Path?"
The Little Stone Monkey pressed on, its eyes filled with a thirst for power.
"Above the Immortal Path."
The Old Monkey King's eyes also revealed longing, "It is said that there are many profound realms such as Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, and True Immortal, each of which possesses immense supernatural Supernatural Power such as moving mountains and filling seas, and plucking stars and seizing the moon."
"As for those above that, I don't know; they're all legendary figures."
It added, "By the way, this division of the four realms under Immortal Path is said to have been created by the Taiqing Saint and is widely known."
"And then there are the humans, who are said to not practice Immortal Path but rather martial arts."
"Wow! Old Monkey King, you know so much!"
The Little Stone Monkey's eyes lit up as he listened, filled with boundless longing for the world of cultivation.
The Old Monkey King smiled with satisfaction, but then sighed, his expression somewhat somber. "My knowledge of these things is a matter of chance. Back then, I was just an ordinary little monkey on Monkey Mountain. In an accident, I was swept away from the island by a storm and drifted overseas. Fortunately, I survived and even met a like-minded friend."
"These common sense practices of cultivation, as well as the rudimentary methods I later practiced, were all generously taught to me by that fellow Daoist. But later... alas, things are unpredictable. Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it."
It waved its hand, clearly indicating that the past had touched a sore spot.
Seeing that the Old Monkey King was in low spirits, the Little Stone Monkey stopped asking questions.
The Old Monkey King composed himself and said, "Look at me, I've gone off on a tangent. Your Great King, let's think about your title! This is a big deal; it needs to be catchy, fitting, and memorable enough for those guys outside to hear it immediately!"
The Little Stone Monkey scratched his head; how could he possibly understand these things?
He looked at the Old Monkey King: "Old Monkey King, you are so knowledgeable and experienced, please help me think of something! I'll listen to whatever you say!"
The Old Monkey King carefully examined the Little Stone Monkey from head to toe.
He had a handsome and refined face, and his eyes were bright, piercing, and exceptionally lively.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in his mind, and he laughed, "I've got it! Your Great King, your appearance is considered handsome among monkeys. In my opinion, why not... call yourself the Handsome Monkey King?"
"The Handsome Monkey King?"
The Little Stone Monkey's eyes lit up.
"It sounds beautiful, it sounds beautiful."
He immediately made the decision. "Alright! Old Monkey King, I'll listen to you! From today onwards, I am— the Handsome Monkey King!"
"Haha, good! Handsome Monkey King!" The Old Monkey King laughed heartily, then turned around and announced loudly to the busy monkeys in the cave, "My people! Listen up! From this day forward, our Great King's title will be—Handsome Monkey King!"
"The Handsome Monkey King!"
"Your Great King is the Handsome Monkey King!"
"The Handsome Monkey King! The Handsome Monkey King!"
The monkeys liked the name and cheered along.