寻师

Yan secretly went to stay at Jian Yiru's place for a few days before being summoned back by the old dean, who then mysteriously brought him before a cave dwelling.

The area was surrounded by a thousand aged cypresses and ten thousand sections of tall bamboo. The old cypresses, rain-soaked, gleamed a hazy green half in the air; the aged bamboos, mist-veiled, displayed a deep, lush hue across the gorge. At times, the cry of immortal cranes was heard; phoenixes were often seen soaring. Black apes and white deer appeared and vanished among them; golden lions and jade elephants roamed freely at will.

The old dean bowed respectfully towards the cave dwelling, gave Yan a slight push forward, then turned and left, leaving Yan alone on the spot, bewildered.

"Yan Sheng, come in!" A voice full of authority and brooking no doubt sounded out. Yan stepped into the cave, heart full of trepidation.

The outside aura made the place seem like an immortal realm, but the interior was not overly adorned. It appeared to be simply a larger cave, with a relatively smooth boulder in the center where the old man sat.

"You... who are you?" Not daring to act rashly, Yan bowed and then asked stiffly, remaining rooted in place.

Seeing Yan so restrained, the old man meaningfully pursed his lips. To ease the atmosphere, he spoke first. "Very well, allow this old man to introduce myself! I am the master of the latter three realms. The world knows me as 'Punian' or 'Grand Patriarch Bodhi'!"

"This... this junior is Yan... a disciple of the Sub-Institute 'Micro'!" Yan hurriedly bent in a bow and stammered out his reply.

"What is your 'Dao', child?" Thinking he might have frightened Yan, Grand Patriarch Bodhi softened his tone considerably.

"My brothers have perished, my clan members are all dead. This junior dares not pursue a Dao solely for myself. I live on behalf of the deceased!"

"Heavy on sentiment and loyalty, very good. However, for any Dao practitioner, one must not be trapped by the past. Remembering the dead is indeed fine, but you cannot abandon the pursuit of your own Dao because of it!"

"This junior takes your teaching to heart!" Yan remained rigid in place after finishing his bow, not daring to make the slightest sound.

For a moment, neither knew what to say, and the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.

The Patriarch, momentarily at a loss for words, felt directly accepting Yan as a disciple would seem too abrupt. As for sending him away, that was even more impossible.

"Do you have a Dao companion, child?" After pondering for a moment, the Patriarch decided to ask Yan more about his daily life and such to bridge the gap, though it seemed to make the atmosphere even more awkward.

"This junior... is unwed." Yan was momentarily confused, unsure how to respond.

"Weren't you accompanied by that junior of Feng Keng the previous few times?"

"The one senior speaks of is...?" Yan was temporarily at a loss for an answer.

The Patriarch looked at Yan, found it somewhat peculiar, and nodded with satisfaction. "In time, you yourself will come to know of matters past!"

The words "matters past" lingered in Yan's mind. Biting his lower lip, he wrestled with difficult thoughts before suddenly kneeling before the venerable ancestor. "Senior, Yan does not know what the latter three realms are, nor does he know your renowned name. Yet, Yan feels an indistinct connection to you..." Yan closed his eyes, speaking nervously. "Yan's cultivation is shallow. Not to mention knowing the past, I can't even protect the people before my eyes. Therefore, I beseech you to accept Yan as your disciple. Yan will surely cultivate diligently, without the slightest slack, I beg you to grant this request!"

The ancestor hadn't expected his words to elicit such a strong reaction from Yan. However, this plea coincidentally aligned perfectly with the ancestor's own intention. Yan only felt his body lighten as he was stood up. "No need for this. This old man already had such thoughts. Since you have proposed it, it is settled!"

Before Yan could rejoice, the ancestor added, "On the path of cultivation, what matters is steady, down-to-earth progress. Strange tricks and depraved cleverness are certainly unacceptable! This old man, after a bitter battle, has little cultivation power left in this remnant soul. I can borrow the karma of heaven and earth to resolve three predicaments. One has already been expended. You must be cautious!"

"This disciple respectfully follows the master's instructions!" Yan bowed deeply. The ancestor looked at him, perhaps reminded of someone, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Cultivation must begin with refining comprehension, then refining the body and mastering techniques. However, comprehension is deeply connected to one's own breadth of experience and knowledge; it cannot be forced. Thus, I shall first impart to you the entry-level foundation!" The Grand Patriarch pointed a finger across the void at Yan's glabella. This technique imprint automatically branded itself into Yan's memory.

"Comprehension mostly requires personal insight; it cannot be conveyed by others. You, my disciple, should contemplate within the Sub-Institute. If you encounter matters you cannot decide, you may ask the various Masters. Do not disclose this teacher's name unless absolutely urgent!" The Grand Patriarch's figure gradually dissipated, leaving Yan alone, sitting cross-legged in his spot, repeatedly reading and re-reading that technique within his sea of consciousness.

Going from first reading to initial comprehension of the first half of the entry-level technique took less than a day. But cultivating it to a minor mastery level took over a full month. During this period, Yan had no sense of time, no concept of space; he was wholly unaware of everything outside, immersed in comprehending this technique. This was an extremely rare state of deep meditation in his life.

He felt he could see his own physical body, see the entire Sub-Institute. The mountain ranges were laid out before him without obstruction, the starry sky was completely visible. Not a single blade of grass or tree could hide. The inhale and exhale, every movement and stillness of each living being could be perceived. Even each individual rotation of every 'sub-particle' did not escape his gaze.

Actually, reaching this level of perception wasn't particularly difficult. But the vast influx of information would directly scatter a cultivator's consciousness. He needed to slowly accept everything he saw and felt, until he could bear it, regain his awareness, before he could continue expanding.

Unconsciously, Yan's physical body's breathing quickened, his heartbeat accelerated. His entire body released immense heat; sweat turned directly into steam expelled from within. His frame rapidly shriveled. Then, his breathing slowed, his heartbeat decelerated, and his whole body became as cold as if in an ice cavern, like a black hole directly absorbing all moisture from the surroundings.

Yan began to feel unsatisfied with the current state. His consciousness expanded again, gradually covering the entire universe, then began spreading toward other universes. No one stopped him; no one could stop him. Across the myriad worlds of the cosmos, all sapient beings took humanoid form. He faintly felt some astonishment, but didn't pay it much mind.

Only after covering multiple universes did he realize that the galaxies of other universes vaguely formed a certain structure, arranged orderly. Zooming out to the whole universe, they resembled the minute units constituting a living organism. Only the Chaos Universe he resided in was different. Although it also had various structures, they were scattered, arranged with no discernible order whatsoever.

Even this did not make Yan pause. After recovering his awareness, he expanded again. Perhaps a long time had passed, perhaps merely an instant.

Soon, universes became minuscule. Yet the arrangement of each universe displayed certain patterns—stripes, blocks, spirals—difficult to describe as merely spectacular. The most anomalous, however, was still the Chaos Universe, and, of course, another universe practically adjacent to it.

The Chaos Universe was already considerably larger than ordinary ones. But that other universe was over a hundred times larger than the Chaos Universe. Even now, Yan had not glimpsed its full appearance; he couldn't even manage to survey its entirety.

His interest was piqued. Disregarding whether he could endure it, he forcibly expanded. His consciousness grew increasingly blurred, yet more excited. Vaguely, within that universe, he saw a tall tower. A tower visible from any universe, provided the direction was correct. Only the top floor of the entire tower was occupied, by a man clad in purple robes. He held a wine cup, filled, and was drinking. Suddenly, he noticed Yan. First, he seemed somewhat startled, then quickly sized Yan up. His gaze softened considerably, tinged with nostalgia for the past.

"Stop here for now, little one. Once you've adjusted, I myself will take you to see vaster worlds!" The man nodded at Yan, his voice soft yet precisely transmitting into Yan's mind. The voice felt so familiar, seemingly stirring those memories. Yan couldn't recall, but subconsciously felt he was reliable, so he stopped before the tower and began to recover.

"Calculating by time, over ten epochs have passed. Even judging from Candle's departure, it's been at least nine epochs. Who would have thought we'd meet again, and in this manner." The man poured a cup of wine, placing it before Yan's spirit. He also filled his own cup and downed it in one gulp.

"Judging by the time, she's about to arrive. I wonder what her reaction will be upon seeing you!" Watching as the wine before Yan also vanished quickly, the man smiled and nodded.

"Zun, the first Ghost-Attendant of the Divine General Candle, Wei, seeks an audience!" A voice sounded from the entrance. Hearing it, Yan felt only an inexplicable chill run down his spine.

"Speak of the devil!" The man took another small sip of wine. "Let her in."

A short-haired woman pushed the door open. She was about seven chi tall, clad in black robes. Her eyes were ethereal yet sharp, her face round with a pointed chin. Her figure was unclear beneath the long robe.

"Zun, this is what the Demon Lord asked me to deliver to you!" Wei handed a document to the man. Noticing the other wine cup before him, she curiously leaned forward to look.

"Wei'er, what are you looking at?" From Wei's tone, the man's identity was evidently extremely exalted, yet he himself carried no airs, being rather approachable.

"That's..." Wei's eyes widened. She raised a hand to shade her forehead, straining to see forward, seemingly incredulous. She rubbed her eyes and stared again.

"Familiar?" Zun took the documents Wei handed over, opened them, glanced casually, then set them aside, squinting at Wei.

"It's that brat!" Wei was shocked, likely mistaking Yan for an old acquaintance of hers. Yet her expression suggested that old acquaintance might have grass growing half a zhang high on his grave by now. "Wasn't he..."

"Heaven and Earth's True Spirit—this is the final hope left by several seniors. How could it end so simply?" Zun warmed the wine, poured it into a cup, blew on it, and after feeling the temperature was right, handed it to Wei.

"Thank you, Zun." Wei accepted the wine, still in disbelief, though clear anger now showed in her eyes. "That little rascal, pretending to be dead to hide from me! Just wait till I return; I'll go demand answers!"

"Look at his divine sense—it's slightly incomplete. You know him; after repeated setbacks, he developed cunning far beyond his peers. I suspect that's his own handiwork!" Zun didn't directly stop Wei but patiently explained to her: "Even if you go back aggressively looking for him, you likely won't wake him. Better to wait quietly. After all, times are unstable!" A trace of weariness showed in Zun's eyes. A chessboard seemed to materialize before him, the pieces already forming an initial layout. The white pieces attacked fiercely but lacked stamina; the black pieces secretly maneuvered, seemingly retreating step by step on the surface, yet biding their time for a counterattack.

"Pan, why did Zi pass that technique on to him? You must know, Chaos divides into seven; merging them causes calamity!" Zun wearily placed a piece. The situation was about to shift.

Afterwards, it was a time of waiting. Wei received her summons and hurriedly departed. Zun had originally intended to forcibly send Yan's spirit back after a long period, but unexpectedly, within merely a few days, Yan had adapted, astonishing Zun.

"Little one, follow me!" Zun raised his arm. Beneath his sleeve, a finger pointed at Yan's spirit. Yan's consciousness swiftly enveloped everything here and, incidentally, encompassed all the universes. These universes together seemed to form a humanoid shape—a woman. By proportions, she should be double six chi tall. Yan should have needed much more time to adapt, but with Zun's aid and this world's consent, he accepted it all quickly.

Zun led him through a faint, shimmering portal, arriving at a distinct world. A woman waited behind them; her appearance clearly matched the one formed by countless universes.

"How many times is this now, acting first and reporting later?" The woman was visibly displeased, glaring at Zun. However, upon seeing Yan beside him, she shook her head, choosing to forgive this action.

"Here, you cannot behave as freely as you did within her form, lest you stir up trouble!" Zun kindly cautioned Yan, but his words were cut off by a voice from the distance.

"Why care about them? Child, observe openly. Even if you wish to reach further outward, your grand ancestor has your back. See who dares utter a single word of complaint!" The moment Yan appeared, his aura was detected, drawing the attention of many. Yet only this old man, the source of the voice, arrived first. His features were rugged and unkempt, but everything about him—his attire, his face—struck a perfect balance, unrestrained yet not excessive.

Zun and the woman fell silent upon seeing the old man's arrival.

With the old man's approval, Yan's divine sense expanded once more, this time imbued with the old man's overwhelming spiritual power, deterring anyone from attempting to probe.

"Feng Keng, your junior goes too far!" As Yan's divine sense spread over the mountain forest, an angry roar erupted. Before the sound faded, the old man delivered a slap through the air. "Swallow your grievance if you're displeased!"

With the old man's aid, Yan's divine sense rapidly expanded until it had covered more than half the area, finally stopping when his strength gave out.

"Hmm, not bad for a first attempt at this technique! You've reached half your father's level!" The old man was overjoyed, laughing heartily to console Yan. Perhaps it was nothing in his eyes, but it ignited envy in countless others.

Afterwards, with the help of the old man, Zun, and the woman, Yan quickly compressed his divine sense and withdrew it back into his physical body.

Grand Patriarch Bodhi observed the entire process, nodding in satisfaction at the final outcome.