Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Fifty-Two: An Astonishing Change in the Sea of Consciousness

Following Ye Junze’s gaze, he saw that the mysterious symbol in the corner was emanating a purple glow. Like the other symbols, it possessed a unique design—this purple mark resembled a minuscule bolt of lightning, shrunken countless times, quietly floating in the corner. Though outwardly tranquil, Ye Junze could sense an extraordinarily unusual power within it, as if this tiny bolt of lightning harbored an immensely potent energy. Upon feeling it, Ye Junze was even struck by the illusion that, if he could master it, he might wield the power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

Shaking his head to dispel this thought, Ye Junze forced himself to focus once more on the mysterious symbol before him. The longer he observed it, the more intense the strange sensation in his heart became, as if a voice were whispering to him from the void, “Why not reach out and experience this symbol for yourself?” Ye Junze could not tell whether this was merely his own inner thought or if some unknown presence was truly speaking to him. Influenced by this notion, and with curiosity already piqued, Ye Junze made up his mind without further hesitation.

He stretched out both hands to touch the lightning symbol. The instant his fingers made contact, a strange fluctuation surged forth, and an overwhelming force erupted from the mysterious symbol. This energy seemed to use his hands as a conduit, pouring continuously into his body, as if transforming Ye Junze into a new vessel for its power.

The moment he noticed this anomaly, Ye Junze instinctively tried to pull his hands away, but found them stuck fast, utterly immovable. From the moment the change began, he had lost all control over his own hands. Realizing this, Ye Junze could only wait helplessly.

“At least, for now, there doesn’t seem to be any danger,” he silently reassured himself.

“I can only hope this proves beneficial. I must be more cautious in the future.” After such an experience, Ye Junze’s sense of vigilance grew even sharper.

……

Time slipped by. Ye Junze, who had lost all sense of time in this strange space, watched as the mysterious symbol continued to channel energy into his body, endlessly, tirelessly, without cease. Still unable to control his hands, he could do nothing but pray for the process to end soon.

As Ye Junze prayed, the symbol before him seemed to sense his desire; the stream of energy entering his body gradually diminished, as if the process was finally drawing to a close. Before long, the flow ceased entirely. Realizing this, Ye Junze tried once more to withdraw his now-numb hands. This time, the feeling of adhesion vanished, and at last, he reclaimed his hands as if they had never belonged to him.

He flexed his hands for a while before turning his attention back to the lightning symbol. Now, with its energy depleted and absorbed, the symbol’s glow was much dimmer than before—only the faintest glimmer revealed its presence.

Sensing that the formidable energy once contained within it had all but vanished, Ye Junze shifted his focus inward to examine his own body.

To his astonishment, he discovered a peculiar energy now circulating within him. Closer inspection revealed that its fluctuations matched those he had sensed in the lightning symbol, and he felt certain this was the very same energy he had absorbed just moments ago. Even as he pondered how this could be, the energy inside him began to change once more.

What was once a diffuse mass gradually converged, as if summoned by some unseen force, gathering in perfect order at Ye Junze’s lower dantian. Noticing this, Ye Junze considered intervening, but found himself powerless to do so. Yet as the energy posed him no harm, he resigned himself to wait, quietly observing as it collected at his dantian.

The process did not take long. Soon, all the dispersed energy had coalesced at his core, forming a small sphere. This sphere then began to compress, shrinking steadily under invisible pressure. After some time, the purple orb transformed into a tiny bolt of lightning, almost identical to the mysterious symbol in the outside world but many times smaller. When the compression was complete, the changes ceased.

The miniature violet lightning now floated serenely within Ye Junze’s dantian, like a sleeping planet. Its faint, rhythmic pulses of light resembled gentle breaths. Other than this, there was no movement at all. Ye Junze observed the little lightning for a while, confirming that nothing else was amiss. Then, compelled by a sudden impulse, he resolved to probe the interior of the lightning.

After carefully weighing the risks and finding nothing obviously dangerous, he sent a wisp of his spiritual sense directly into the lightning. He had expected resistance, but to his surprise, his consciousness slipped inside effortlessly. After a brief moment of astonishment, he accepted this fact and began to explore what lay within.

As his spiritual sense entered the lightning, everything he experienced was immediately transmitted back to his mind. The interior was filled with innumerable violet bolts, striking down from the heavens to the earth, bathing the entire space in dazzling purple light. Ye Junze gazed in wonder, entranced by the spectacle, as though mesmerized by the endless rain of lightning.

While he was thus absorbed, the purple lightning in the sky suddenly rallied, as if recognizing an intruder. In unison, they hurtled toward his consciousness. Realizing his predicament, Ye Junze tried to flee, but the lightning was far swifter than he. Resigned to his fate, he closed his eyes, ready to forfeit this sliver of spiritual sense.

The lightning struck in an instant.

Yet the pain he anticipated never came. Instead, as the bolts approached, they seemed to recognize him as a kindred spirit, radiating a warmth and friendliness almost human in its eagerness to please. From a distance, they resembled children clamoring for sweets—utterly adorable.

Ye Junze, discovering there was no harm, opened his eyes. The scene before him left him as shocked as if thousands of wild horses had thundered across the steppe of his mind.

“What is going on here?”
“You’re lightning! Where’s your dignity?”
“Stop acting like children!”

His inner complaints surged forth like a barrage.

After some time spent digesting this bizarre turn, Ye Junze reluctantly accepted that these fearsome-looking bolts of lightning behaved more like children than anything else. The sense of absurdity was overwhelming, but only he could truly understand just how strange it felt.

Noticing their eagerness to please, Ye Junze recalled past experiences and reached out to stroke the lightning. Once again, the bolts displayed their human-like side, basking in his attention with even greater enthusiasm.

Watching their antics, Ye Junze’s face remained impassive, but inwardly he wanted to laugh. Images popped into his head of these bolts with childlike faces, all vying for his affection—a thought that sent a chill down his spine.

Bored, Ye Junze continued to pet the lightning, wondering whether to stop, when suddenly the bolts began to change. Like children who, having received their fill of sweets, wished to repay their benefactor, the first bolt shrank, then slid along his hand and into his body, followed by the second, the third… More and more bolts shrank and entered Ye Junze’s spiritual form.

As the lightning poured in, unexpected changes occurred within his sea of consciousness. Once a tranquil expanse of pale blue, it now began to take on a purple hue, at first barely noticeable. But as the lightning continued to descend, the entire sea was soon awash in violet, the blue giving way as purple spread rapidly.

The lightning danced across his consciousness, leaping from the sky into the sea below, accelerating the transformation from blue to violet.

Simultaneously, Ye Junze became aware of new sensations emerging in his mind. Sensing these novel presences, he murmured, “So that’s how it is.”

With that, he let the transformation continue, focusing his attention on absorbing the new power that had arrived with the purple lightning.