Chapter 19: Do You Want to Die?
Just as Li Yan began sinking into the pond, the blank expression on Strategist Ji's face suddenly loosened a little.
"He's endured until seventy or eighty percent of the medicinal power has been absorbed, same as that previous disciple."
"But if that's the case, with his mixed spiritual roots, refining the medicinal power to reach the first level of Qi Condensation will be even harder. Regardless, it still needs to be tested. Hopefully, it won't end the same way as last time."
At that thought, he no longer hesitated. With a stomp of his feet, his figure leapt into the air. His arms stretched out horizontally, and his wide sleeves billowed in the wind as he glided over the pond like a black roc.
At the instant he neared the water's surface, one sleeve flicked toward the ten strands of thick black energy still hovering and undulating above the pond. With a series of "pop pop pop" sounds, the ten strands of black qi dispersed into countless wisps of black smoke.
Then, with a sudden dive in midair, his other hand reached out from within his wide sleeve. In the next moment, with a splash, he grabbed Li Yan's body from under the surface and dragged him out of the water.
His toe tapped lightly on the water's surface, and his body twisted midair, soaring toward the shore with Li Yan in hand.
In his unconscious state, Li Yan felt almost weightless. Strategist Ji, light as a puff of smoke, landed gently on the bank. The entire sequence of movements was swift and graceful, like a falcon swooping and retreating.
But what he didn't notice was that when his left hand brushed away the black qi from the water, a golden flash silently escaped from the strange book he always kept hidden in his sleeve, tightly clutched at all times.
The golden light mixed into the dissipating black smoke on the water's surface, passed through it, then shot toward Li Yan's body with incredible speed, vanishing without a trace the moment it made contact.
After landing, Strategist Ji laid Li Yan flat on the ground, then rapidly formed a few hand seals in front of his chest and pointed a finger at Li Yan's abdomen. Several streaks of green light shot into him.
Li Yan's body trembled briefly, then returned to stillness.
Strategist Ji frowned, then formed another set of hand seals. This time, more green light flew into Li Yan's abdomen, but this time, Li Yan's body didn't even twitch.
Strategist Ji's brows furrowed deeper. He strode quickly to Li Yan's side, bent down, and pressed his fingers beneath Li Yan's nose. His frown deepened further as he muttered to himself:
"This is strange… he's not dead, but he won't wake up either. Last time, a single infusion of spiritual energy was enough to wake the other one. Why is it different this time?"
He stood up, placing a hand on his forehead in deep thought.
Meanwhile, inside Li Yan's body, the fire poison was rampaging uncontrollably. Wherever it passed, the meridians were being utterly destroyed.
Just as his life force was on the verge of extinction, a strange new force suddenly arose within him. This power was vast, like surging tides, cool and fast-flowing.
It swept through every part of his body at great speed. Wherever the searing fire poison had scorched and damaged his meridians, this tide would flow through and restore them at an astonishing rate.
The rampaging fire poison was also gradually being suppressed by this immense power, eventually pushed into one corner of his body.
The moment Strategist Ji's first few strands of green light entered his body, Li Yan's mind briefly regained a sliver of clarity. The many days of arduous cultivation had already ingrained certain instincts.
Just as his body began to rise, instinctively preparing to refine today's medicinal power, suddenly, a voice shouted in his mind:
"Do you want to die?!"
Li Yan's mind exploded like thunder. In the next moment, a wave of dizziness overtook him, and he completely lost consciousness and awareness.
It was unclear how much time had passed when Li Yan slowly came to. Just as he was about to open his eyes, a voice echoed softly in his mind:
"Kid, don't open your eyes yet. If you do, you'll be dead in no time."
Li Yan froze, instinctively trying to speak, but found he couldn't make a sound at all. Panicking, he tried to open his eyes and look around, only to discover that he couldn't open them either.
"Told you not to open them, and you still try. You're even making me use what little magic power I have left."
The voice returned again, tired and exasperated.
Li Yan was shocked. He thought to himself:
"Am I already dead? Is this what the Nine Nether Underworld is like? So dark I can't see, can't speak… even that is a luxury."
Just then, his mind suddenly reeled with dizziness. Before him, countless images began flashing past at high speed. When things finally settled, he found himself above a small lake of black water.
His body floated inexplicably in the air. The sky here was also pitch black, the small lake below utterly still, no wind, no waves. An oppressive silence pervaded the space.
He couldn't descend, nor could he ascend higher into the sky. He could only remain suspended in place.
Just as he looked around in confusion, the air before him began to distort and twist. Black lines wove and coiled through the distorted space, interlacing and overlapping. Finally, a blurry human figure began to take form.
As the figure approached, it gradually became clearer.
It was a tall, imposing old man with long white hair flowing to his shoulders. His face was sharp and well-defined, and his eyes deep as abyssal waters, profound and unfathomable. It felt as though he could peer through time itself, seeing across millennia with a single glance.
The old man wore a gray robe. His face carried a look of weariness, and as he walked, an invisible pressure swept toward Li Yan, making it hard for him to stay upright. His body instinctively swayed.
Li Yan let out a bitter laugh in his heart:
"Is this the Incessant Hell the Buddhist texts speak of? The sea of Asura must lie beneath, and this old man before me, he must be the soul reaper come to fetch me. Though... he doesn't look that frightening."
The old man slowly came to a stop in front of Li Yan. His eyes locked onto him, and a chilling aura quietly filled the space.
"If I'd awakened even a moment later, you'd already be dead."
Li Yan froze and couldn't help but speak:
"Esteemed Reaper… haven't I already died? Otherwise, how could I have come to this Incessant Hell?"
As soon as he finished, he was startled again.
"Wait, when did I regain the ability to speak? Just a moment ago, I couldn't even make a sound. It must be that my soul has left my body. This must be my soul speaking now."
Hearing this, the old man was taken aback. Then, a faint smile slowly appeared on his sharp, aged face.
"You think you're just a wisp of soul? Well… what you said is right and also not entirely right."
Seeing that the other party didn't look particularly fierce, Li Yan grew a little bolder. Upon hearing those words, he hesitated and asked:
"Esteemed Messenger, why do you say that? Just a moment ago, I was still in the valley at Great Qing Pass, and then all of a sudden, I ended up here. If my soul wasn't drawn away, then what else could it be?"
Hearing Li Yan's explanation, the old man curled his lips slightly into a playful smile.
"Would you belive me if I said you're inside your own Sea of Consciousness? Ah, or you could call it your awareness space."
Li Yan's expression froze.
"Sea of Consciousness? My awareness space?"
Li Yan had never heard of the term "Sea of Consciousness," but he did understand "awareness." When he cultivated, it was through meditation and directing his awareness, what martial artists often called "will" or "intent."
"My body… appearing inside the awareness of my own mind?"
A strange expression surfaced on Li Yan's face.
"You could say that. The Sea of Consciousness is a space of the mind. It can be vast or small. However, ordinary people are unable to enter their own, or anyone else's Sea of Consciousness.
"But now, I've drawn your awareness into your own Sea of Consciousness, and this body you see is nothing but a projected shadow of your consciousness. So technically, when you say you're a 'wisp of soul,' you're not entirely wrong."
The old man spoke with a gentle smile.
Li Yan's face was filled with disbelief. His body… appearing inside his own mind? What kind of concept was that? He couldn't wrap his head around it.
Seeing his confusion, the old man gave a kind smile and continued:
"I don't have much time right now, so I can only briefly explain this to you before I move on to something far more important.
"The Sea of Consciousness or awareness, as you call it is stronger in beings with greater willpower. The more powerful the awareness, the more vast the Sea of Consciousness becomes. However, this space is intangible and cannot be touched by ordinary people.
"But to cultivators, it's different. They can not only observe their own Sea of Consciousness, but even that of others. The wider the Sea of Consciousness, the greater the power that can be harnessed through immortal arts. Of course, the Sea of Consciousness has many uses… which you'll have to slowly learn about in time."
Li Yan felt as if he were falling into a fog.
What's all this about? Cultivators? Immortals? Aren't those just myths and legends?
Just as he was about to ask more questions, the old man in gray seemed to anticipate his confusion and spoke again:
"I know you have many questions. But I have little time. I'll tell you only what is most important. If you're fortunate enough in the future to enter an immortal sect, you'll understand the rest gradually."
The old man looked visibly fatigued as he spoke.
Hearing this and looking at the old man's expression, Li Yan, though still completely lost, didn't press further. He simply stood quietly and waited for what the old man would say next.
Seeing his demeanor, the old man nodded slightly, then extended a finger. A wisp of black light rose from his fingertip.
Before Li Yan could react, the old man pointed across the air directly at his forehead.
In that instant, an enormous force surged into Li Yan's mind. At the same time, his consciousness was flooded with vast and incomprehensible information.
A majestic, sweeping tapestry unfolded within his mind, filled with scenes he had never seen nor even heard of in his life. It left him wide-eyed and stunned.
Are there really immortals in this world?
The answer was yes.
From the ancient times, immortals have existed. After Pangu split the heavens and earth and Nuwa patched the sky, the world was divided into multiple realms: the Mortal Realm, the Spirit Realm, and the True Immortal Realm.
The Mortal Realm is the lowest plane. In the beginning, it was inhabited by ordinary people and low-level beasts. Though weak in ability, they multiplied rapidly.
The Spirit Realm lies between the Mortal Realm and the True Immortal Realm. Many beings here were descendants of the ancient primordial era, both humans and demon beasts.
This realm is rich in spiritual energy. Both humans and other beings live long lives. Their ancestors passed down ancient immortal techniques, and through cultivating these arts, they gained powers such as flying through the skies, burrowing into the earth, overturning seas and moving mountains.
But the laws of heaven and earth are balanced. Long lifespans come with other limitations. These ancient races have difficulty reproducing. Be they humans, demon beasts, or other races, their birthrates are extremely low, and their numbers sparse.
At the highest level lies the True Immortal Realm, the fabled domain of the real immortals. Legendary figures like Pangu and Nuwa reside here.
They share the lifespan of heaven and earth, shine alongside the sun and moon, and are truly immortal. Each true immortal wields unimaginable power, capable of altering heaven and earth with a gesture, plucking stars from the sky, and even creating small worlds of their own, birthing entirely new species.
But even in the True Immortal Realm, immortals are not eternally safe. They too may fall, be it from battles between immortals or in their pursuit of greater truths and the unknown laws of the universe.
As for the cultivators in the lower Spirit Realm, once they reach the Mahayana Realm, they may attempt to pierce the boundary and ascend through the void to the True Immortal Realm.
The path of cultivation is divided into ten major realms:
Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refinement, Unity, Tribulation Transcendence, Mahayana, and True Immortal.
Each major realm is subdivided into smaller stages.
For example, Qi Condensation has ten minor levels:
Levels one to three are Early Stage, four to six are Mid Stage, seven to nine are Late Stage, and ten is considered Perfection.
After that, one can attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment.
From Foundation Establishment onward, each major realm is typically divided into Early, Mid, and Late stages.
Qi Condensation is merely the beginning, it is the process of drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into oneself and laying the foundation for immortal cultivation through these ten steps.
Only after reaching Foundation Establishment does one truly embark on the path of cultivation. Qi Condensation allows for increased physical strength and the use of simple spells, and slightly extends lifespan beyond that of normal mortals.
But once a cultivator reaches Foundation Establishment, their lifespan can jump to over 200 years. At the Core Formation stage, it can exceed 500. At the Nascent Soul stage, a cultivator may live for more than 2,000 years.
And with each higher realm, the lifespan continues to grow, until one breaks through Mahayana and enters the True Immortal Realm, attaining true immortality and indestructibility.
(Chapter End)