Evening sunlight filtered through the swaying trees, casting golden-orange light across the path outside the teaching building.
On the second floor of the media center, inside a quiet seminar room, Lu Chen sat at a table, fingers flying across his keyboard. Nearby, Su Qingyu stood by the window, speaking softly into her phone—her voice calm and precise.
When the call ended, she returned to the table and glanced at Lu Chen's screen.
"That opening statement you wrote… not bad."
Lu Chen typed the final period, then turned his head slightly.
"You read it?"
"You type louder than a machine gun. Hard not to."
He shrugged.
"Guess I should be careful what I whisper, huh? You'd hear that too."
Su Qingyu ignored the joke and plugged in her USB drive.
"Your style's a lot more… casual than I expected from someone so 'quiet and mysterious.'"
"That's your mistake," Lu Chen leaned back, grinning."I'm not mysterious. I'm broke and emotionally repressed. Different archetype."
She let out a rare chuckle, then composed herself again.
"Honestly though… what did you used to do? Your writing doesn't feel like it comes from just doing exam drills."
"My family used to run a company," Lu Chen said after a pause."When I was a kid, I tagged along to a lot of business events. Picked up a few things by osmosis."
"And now?"
"Went bankrupt." He said it lightly, like it was someone else's story.
Su Qingyu didn't smile. But she didn't pity him either.
"At least you're not lying down and giving up."
Lu Chen looked at her, his usual laziness in place.
"And you're not the type who only looks at grades and family background."
"I only care about capability," she said simply."And you've got it."
Lu Chen stared at her for a second, then asked with a playful glint:
"Are you… complimenting me?"
"I'm stating facts," she replied, a slight smile on her lips.
"That's the nicest thing you've said all day," Lu Chen muttered.But deep down… he felt strangely happy.
10:00 p.m., the campus was quiet under sparse lights.
In his dorm room, Lu Chen closed the curtains, turned off the lights, and sat cross-legged on the bed.Breathing slow and steady, he let his consciousness slip inward—like water flowing deep into the mind.
In the void, a vast sea churned in silence.At its center, a floating ancient temple radiated an aura of age and mystery.
From within the darkness, a vague shadow formed.Ye Guming's voice rose from the chaos:
"Your mind is steady tonight. You may begin the first stage of the Sea Origin Scripture."
Lu Chen stood within the sea of consciousness, staring up at a glowing array of ancient runes hovering in the void. He frowned.
"Who… are you, really?" he asked again.
The shadow pulsed faintly.
"I am Ye Guming. Once, I founded a sect in the Realm of Silence and mastered the Dao of Spirit and Soul."
"That world and yours are as distant as the water in a well is from the stars in the sky.They do not exist on the same plane."
Lu Chen took a breath.
"Then how did you end up in my mind?"
"My remnant soul was swept into a chaotic rift between planes. I would have perished completely—unless I found a host."
"Your sea of mind was open and receptive. You could contain me.You and I—this is fate. And utility."
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Well, at least you're blunt."
"I am not your parent. I owe you no warmth."
That made Lu Chen blink—then he laughed.
"Alright. Fair enough."
His eyes narrowed.
"So what do I get out of this?"
"The Primordial Sea Scripture. Seven stages in total. I can teach you three."
"Your path is not of the body or the fist—it is of the spirit, the soul. The true foundation."
"The stages you'll face are: Focused Mind, Foundation, Core, Infant Soul, Divine Form, Void Crossing, and Final Silence."
Lu Chen exhaled slowly.
"That many? I thought it'd just be some punching and energy blasts…"
"This path starts slow, but ends in power.The body cultivators gain small success in three years, mastery in ten, but rarely live past a hundred."
"But those of the spirit path… may see no results for a decade.Yet with a single breakthrough, you form a Golden Core.And from there—your lifespan could reach a thousand years."
Lu Chen's mind raced. It all sounded fantastical, yet… something about it felt real.A quiet, noble path—unseen, but powerful.
He looked up suddenly.
"You want me to help you rebuild your physical body, don't you?"
The shadow paused. Then answered calmly:
"Correct. If you reach sufficient strength, I will need your help to be reborn in flesh."
"I won't force you. But if you succeed—I may return to my world."
Lu Chen sighed and smirked.
"So I'm not just a host. I'm your future… construction contractor?"
"If you succeed—no one in this world will dare look down on you."
"If you fail—you'll be dust in the wind."
Silence stretched. Then Lu Chen whispered:
"Then I'll gamble."
Within the sea of mind, the runes pulsed.Golden light flowed into his forehead, lighting up corners of thought he never knew existed.
Pain surged through him—but he clenched his jaw and endured it.
"The Focused Mind stage… trains not the body, but the will."
He exhaled slowly, deeply.
The sea of consciousness calmed. His eyes opened.Outside, the lights of the campus buildings twinkled like distant stars.
Lu Chen leaned back against the wall, murmuring:
"Step one—Focus the Mind, enter the path…"
"Let's see just how different… this 'noble path of cultivation' really is."