Volume One: The First Steps into the Dao Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Sea of Consciousness Brings Benefit

When the two finally arrived at the dormitory building, Lin Xin stopped and said, “Alright, I’ll head back now.”

“Okay, see you, Senior,” Ye Junze replied with a nod.

“See you. If you have any questions about cultivation, just send me a message. That’s all,” Lin Xin said.

“Alright then, I won’t stand on ceremony,” Ye Junze responded with a smile.

“It’s fine.” Lin Xin waved her hand, then turned and left.

As soon as Lin Xin departed, Ye Junze didn’t linger either. He lifted his feet and headed to his own room.

Back in his dorm, Ye Junze, as was his habit, ordered his meal, preparing to reward his stomach, which had been growling for some time. Once he tidied up, he calmly waited for lunch to arrive.

Not long after, the familiar, fast, and delicious meal was transported from its usual place. When Ye Junze caught the scent of the food, he couldn’t help but feel his appetite stirred; it seemed as if his entire stomach was painted with the aroma, making him even hungrier.

After arranging all the dishes, Ye Junze no longer restrained himself, and began to enjoy the feast before him.

The process of savoring good food is always delightful. When Ye Junze finally finished the meal and soothed his now contented stomach, he couldn’t help but marvel once again at the skill of Anze’s chefs, and the sense of fulfillment their food brought.

After his musings, Ye Junze cleared away the remnants of his meal, leaving them for the dormitory system to handle.

Having settled these matters, Ye Junze recalled what he had learned in class today.

“Why do I feel like I’ve forgotten something?” he muttered to himself.

As he gradually sorted through his thoughts, it occurred to him, and he slapped his forehead. “Right—the Sea of Consciousness. I was so focused on absorbing the power from the Thunder Dao seed during class that I forgot to check what’s happening with my Sea of Consciousness now.”

He only remembered that his Sea of Consciousness had turned a shade of violet. He hadn’t had the chance to observe any other changes and was now completely in the dark.

“Hm, better let Meng Yuan take a look.” Ye Junze considered. “He’s lived for who knows how many years, so he surely knows far more than I do. I’m sure the changes in my Sea of Consciousness won’t pose much of a challenge for him.”

Fortunately, Meng Yuan wasn’t privy to Ye Junze’s thoughts, or he would surely have refused to cooperate, leaving Ye Junze helpless.

With this in mind, Ye Junze quickly entered the realm of the Grand Illusion.

No sooner had he arrived than Ye Junze called out enthusiastically, “Meng Yuan! Meng Yuan!” If it were anyone else facing Ye Junze’s eager attitude, they might suspect some hidden agenda and respond with caution.

But Meng Yuan was different. He declared himself merely a simple spirit of illusion. So, in the face of Ye Junze’s enthusiasm, Meng Yuan responded without a trace of wariness, “I’m here. What is it?”

“Could you check my Sea of Consciousness for me? After today’s class, it started to change. I don’t know exactly what happened, so I need your reliable help,” Ye Junze said, fawning.

Though Meng Yuan lacked human emotions, as a spirit of illusion he still appreciated such praise from Ye Junze. He promptly replied, “Alright, leave it to me.”

Hearing Meng Yuan’s ready agreement, Ye Junze asked, “Do I need to do anything?”

“Just maintain your cultivation state. You can come with me into the Sea of Consciousness and have a look,” Meng Yuan replied.

“Alright.” Following Meng Yuan’s instructions, Ye Junze sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state.

Seeing this, Meng Yuan said nothing further and entered Ye Junze’s Sea of Consciousness to inspect it.

Upon arrival, even someone as experienced as Meng Yuan was taken aback at the sight of Ye Junze’s entirely violet Sea of Consciousness. “How did this happen?” he exclaimed in surprise.

Ye Junze’s manifestation of spiritual consciousness appeared within the Sea and replied, “It’s the Dao Mark from today’s class. Did you see the Thunder Dao seed in my dantian?”

Meng Yuan listened, then looked closely at Ye Junze’s dantian, observing for a while before saying, “Yes, I see it. Are you saying the Sea of Consciousness changed because of the Dao seed in your dantian?”

“Yes. When the Dao seed first entered my body today, nothing seemed to happen. So I tried sending a strand of consciousness into the seed. It seemed to connect my Sea of Consciousness to the seed’s interior, and eventually, my Sea became what you see now.” Ye Junze described the process in detail.

If Meng Yuan had a human body and face, Ye Junze would surely have seen a look of shock and alarm. But Meng Yuan had none, so he could only express his astonishment through a brief silence. For someone who had existed for untold ages and witnessed countless events, Meng Yuan couldn’t help but think that this was truly the audacity of the young and fearless. Yet, Ye Junze had acted so boldly and was somehow unscathed; Meng Yuan didn’t know whether to attribute it to luck or destiny.

Noticing Meng Yuan’s silence after his explanation, Ye Junze thought something was wrong and quickly asked, “Meng Yuan, are you still there?”

After a long pause, Meng Yuan finally emerged from his shock and spoke seriously, “I advise you not to attempt such dangerous things again in the future.”

“Huh? Is it really dangerous? I felt fine, no discomfort at all,” Ye Junze replied.

Meng Yuan could only fall silent once more.

Ignoring Ye Junze, Meng Yuan said, “Let’s return to the Sea of Consciousness.”

“Alright, I’m listening,” Ye Junze said, adopting an attentive posture.

“I’ve just examined it. The changes in your Sea of Consciousness seem to be beneficial—so, overall, there are many advantages,” Meng Yuan explained.

Ye Junze, intrigued, asked, “And the downsides?”

“According to my repeated calculations, no negative effects have appeared,” Meng Yuan answered truthfully.

“That’s good. So, tell me, what are the advantages?” Ye Junze asked again.

Meng Yuan replied, “This transformation has further strengthened your Sea of Consciousness and the tenacity of your spiritual awareness within it.”

“Tenacity? What does that mean?” Ye Junze asked in confusion.

“It refers to the solidity of your spiritual awareness. In other words, your consciousness will have greater resistance when subjected to attacks,” Meng Yuan explained.

“I see. That makes sense,” Ye Junze nodded.

“Any other benefits?” he continued.

“Because your Sea of Consciousness has absorbed the power of the Thunder Dao seed, your spiritual awareness now carries elements of the Thunder Dao,” Meng Yuan replied immediately.

Ye Junze nodded to show he was listening.

Meng Yuan paused, then continued, “According to my calculations, you’ll be able to use Thunder Dao secret techniques in the future. If you acquire divine abilities or cultivation methods related to spiritual awareness, combining them will yield unexpectedly powerful results.”

“Thunder Dao secret techniques? Spiritual awareness methods?” Ye Junze murmured.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. “Wait—Meng Yuan, you’re so powerful. Surely among the previous rewards, or the things left by my cheap master, there must be such techniques?”

This time, Meng Yuan didn’t answer right away. He fell silent, as if pondering something.

Ye Junze didn’t rush him, waiting patiently.

After a while, Meng Yuan spoke again. “After searching, I’ve found that the available rewards do include the relevant techniques you mentioned.”

Ye Junze’s eyes lit up at this; he exclaimed in delight, “What are we waiting for? Bring them out now—I’ll start cultivating immediately!”

If I master them, won’t I become even stronger? Ye Junze thought gleefully.

However, Meng Yuan quickly dashed his hopes with a bucket of cold water.

“The techniques left in storage are quite advanced, so they aren’t suitable for you at your current level,” Meng Yuan said.

“What?” Ye Junze’s spirits instantly drooped.

Yet, despite his disappointment, Meng Yuan’s blows did not stop.

“Moreover, acquiring these techniques will require you to pass future trials, and the difficulty will increase accordingly,” Meng Yuan continued.

“That’s enough, you don’t have to say more. I understand,” Ye Junze replied, waving his hand, battered.

Still, Ye Junze didn’t stay down for long. If Meng Yuan’s resources were out of reach for now, perhaps he could find related divine techniques at the academy. Resolute, Ye Junze decided not to dwell on it.

He shook his head and asked again, “So, there are no other issues with my Sea of Consciousness, right?”

“Yes. To be safe, I’ve left a mark there. If anything unusual arises, I’ll ensure it’s handled immediately. You have nothing to worry about—just focus on your cultivation,” Meng Yuan assured him.

“Alright, thank you,” Ye Junze said earnestly, moved by Meng Yuan’s thoughtful gesture.

“No need to thank me. Ensuring your safety is my duty,” Meng Yuan replied, not quite understanding Ye Junze’s emotion, as he was merely following the commands embedded in his consciousness and saw nothing particularly deserving of gratitude.

Ye Junze shook his head. “It’s different. No matter what, I’m truly grateful.”

Seeing Ye Junze’s insistence, Meng Yuan gave up trying to explain and simply remained puzzled.

If Ye Junze’s so-called cheap master had overheard this exchange between human and spirit, he would surely stroke his beard and say with satisfaction, “A promising pupil indeed.” As for whom he meant, only he would know—perhaps Ye Junze, perhaps Meng Yuan, or perhaps both.

With Meng Yuan’s assurance, Ye Junze no longer worried about his Sea of Consciousness. “I’ll get back to cultivating, then,” he said, and left the Sea.

Meng Yuan acknowledged him and departed as well.

Ye Junze then resumed his daily, ceaseless cultivation.