Chapter 7: Return
Isaac sighed as he watched his host sit and meditate. Boredom was a recurring feeling he had. He was a ghost of sorts who had no attachment to the physical world. It had been 2 months since he had been stuck with this host and all he could do was watch him go about his life.
The host had a hard time with the people of the town. They were afraid of him and it didn't help that he constantly played tricks on them as a means of revenge. The worst time would be when he yelled through the village, lying about a nearby volcano that was about to erupt. This sent the town into a state of panic. Every person tried their best to evacuate and save themselves and their loved ones.
The Master quickly put a stop to this and forced the host to make a public apology in front of the town. Since then, the people of the town started to accept the host after realising he was the master's disciple. He would often venture there and assist the townspeople with their everyday life. Because of this, he had become quite the likeable fellow. Not to mention he quite liked their company.
Isaac enjoyed the whole process of the host becoming accepted into the town. He laughed at the trickery of the host and smiled when he saw him finally fitting in with them. It was a feeling he had yet to feel. Acceptance.
He observed the world and its people, therefore, he had learnt a few things. First of all, this world he was in, wasn't earth. He felt annoyed he didn't realise this sooner. Although they looked the same, there were some obvious differences. For example, the dragons flying in the air.
It wasn't just dragons either. Countless animals he had considered to be mythical, such as Unicorns, roamed the world and lived peacefully. When he did notice this wasn't his world, the small details he had previously dismissed stuck out like a sore thumb.
Unusual architecture, unusual culture and clothing, and even the jobs and regular life of people seemed to be peculiar. Although this fact caught Isaac by surprise, he couldn't help but admire the beauty and complexity of this world.
While here, he had also learnt a thing or two about the host. The first thing was, the host was quite literally a monkey. Hence the name 'Monkey King' he referred to himself as. The vast amounts of golden hair on his hands and arms were a dead giveaway. During this time, Isaac has also gained a closer bond with the host. In terms of understanding his feelings and thoughts. However, when he tried to communicate with the host in any way, it always proved useless.
Not to mention the host himself has also made vast amounts of progress in his training. This brought us to the last reason Isaac loved this world so much. Cultivation and Qi. Concepts that would only be seen in stories and novels were real here. The host had been training in this for the past 2 months.
'To my knowledge, there are 9 Qi cultivation stages. The first is the initiation stage. It's also the stage the host currently seems to be cultivating. To cultivate, he would use a breathing technique called the Serenity Breath. It was quite the simple and humble name for the useful tool that it was.'
Not much was said of the other stages since the host is still far from them, however, it's clear that each is better than the last. Some say the first stage is the hardest since one has to learn to gather and circulate Qi from scratch. Fortunately, the host was given a head start. His Master had infused some Qi into him and helped him along the first steps.
This stage comes with basic body strengthening, which to Isaac, sounded amazing. For him, the ability to strengthen one's body seemed extremely useful. Considering he had a terminal heart condition, this ability would've worked wonders for him. The master had refused to allow the host to test this to teach patience which left Isaac constantly on the edge of his seat, hoping to see some powers.
However, the most exciting and extraordinary aspect of this world was also the thing that brought him the most displeasure. He currently didn't have a body, meaning he couldn't cultivate and put this knowledge to use. The best he could do was concentrate and try his best to experience what the host was experiencing. He had only gotten a taste of Qi before he lost concentration due to the excitement. It felt warm and calm yet powerful and violent. He had only felt the touch of Qi for a second yet it gave him a rushing sensation of power and vigour. Since then, he hadn't come close.
The host would separate his day between cultivating, combat training, going to the town and helping the master's assistant with some of her chores. He quite liked her company and even went as far as to call her his friend.
To Isaac, what stuck out the most was the combat training. This thought bothered him for all the time he's been here. The combat, he had seen it somewhere before. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was something familiar about it. It tortured him that he couldn't figure this out.
Nevertheless, it still intrigued him to watch. Isaac especially liked the kicks the host would perform. He would perform a sequence of kicks as he jumped and flipped. The host would jump, throwing a knee and multiple other kicks in the air. To a normal human like Isaac, this seemed utterly superhuman.
At the current time, the host sat in a clear green grass field as Isaac waited for him to finish his daily cultivation. However, today it seemed to take longer than usual.
'Jeez, what's taking him so long?' As Isaac thought this, the host started to make a strange face and started to sweat. He breathed rhythmically and his fists started to tighten.
'Is this guy taking a dump in his pants?' Asked Isaac with a raised eyebrow. After a few seconds, the host opened his eyes as he took a deep breath.
In the next second, the host jumped up into the air as he cheered.
"I did it, I did it, I did it." Yelled the host as he jumped and laughed.
'Did what? Hey, what did you do?!' Asked Isaac, the suspense killing him.
"Well done, young one. You've come far." Said a man wearing a white robe.
'Where did he come from?' Isaac had yet to get used to the supernatural aspect of the world.
"Master! Did you see me? I did it. I broke through the first stage. I'm now a second-stage cultivator." Said the host cheerfully as he ran toward the man.
"I saw perfectly. This calls for a celebration. I'll ask Lin to make the preparation." Said the man as he smiled, patting the host on the head.
"Celebration? Is there going to be a banquet?" Asked the enthusiastic monkey.
"Of course. What's a celebration without food?" Said the master while the host jumped and applauded.
"Before that, I have a separate gift to give you. You've made great strides, young one. Not only have you broken through the initiation stage in a mere two months when it takes most almost a year, but you've also turned out much differently than what I was expecting."
"I surpassed your expectations? But how? You're the wise Master. You're really old and even have the white beard to prove it."
'Well, he's not wrong.' According to these two, the title of wise could only be given to those who were old and had a white beard.
"I'm not that old." Said the master as slight veins popped from his head. The unintended insult almost made him break character which made Isaac roll in laughter.
"You've exceeded my expectations. You've not only become a fine warrior, but you're also proving to be a kind and benevolent soul."
"Therefore, I think it's time I stop calling you 'young one'. From today onwards, your name shall be Sun Wukong."
The host stared at the man and slowly raised his eyebrows.
"Sun…Wukong?"
"Yes. It means to be awakened to emptiness. Let this be a badge of honour for you. An achievement. Today, you've altered your destiny."
The host stared at the Master and after a few seconds, tears started to form in his eyes. He started to completely wail as he pressed his forearm onto his eyes. No one had ever cared for him like this. He gave himself the name 'Monkey King' after he became the leader of his fellow monkeys. No one ever cared for him enough to give him anything, let alone a name.
"Thank you. Thank you, Master." Said the monkey in between breaths as the Master patted him on his head as he smiled.
Isaac looked at this and couldn't help but envision his grandfather. The Master was to the host what his grandfather was to him. Isaac couldn't help but tear up slightly, knowing the emotion the host was feeling.
However, Isaac was given no time to appreciate the scene. All of a sudden, the world started to go black as the voices of the host and the sounds of nature started to fade and muffle.
'What's going on?' It wasn't long until he found himself in the same black abyss he had left a while ago.
Isaac panicked at the thought of experiencing all the torture he went through again. He tried to look for a way out but to no avail.
'No, no, no, no. Please, not again!' Isaac screamed as his previous experience with insanity started to flash before his eyes. The feeling of powerlessness, sorrow, anger, guilt and regret, all the overwhelming emotions bombarding his mind leaving nothing but a scrambled and fried sanity. He didn't want to experience that again.
As he thought this, Isaac started to see a faint light and a distorted silhouette. His view started to become more visible as he saw a familiar scene.
He felt a sense of Dejavu as the smell of garbage flooded his nose. The feeling of blood and dried liquid stuck to his senses. The metallic taste that he so remembered lingered on his tongue. The sound of the buzzing street lamps. And finally, a sight he had begged to see once more. A sight that he could only imagine in the restricting mind of the monkey and the dark abyss. A sight that he had never appreciated and always took for granted.
Isaac mustered all the strength he could to move his lips and utter the first words that came to his mouth.
"Grandpa?"
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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