Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter 87: Breaking Through in a Dream

After Fang Lin finished speaking, those who had already sat cross-legged within the pillar of light sensed a mysterious wave of spiritual energy emanating from above. This spiritual fluctuation seemed to harbor an uncanny power; as the group felt its influence, they suddenly sensed as if some enigmatic force was guiding them into slumber. No one could resist—it was as if their bodies were compelled to close their eyes and succumb to sleep.

Ye Junze, like everyone else, listened to Fang Lin and sat cross-legged, and before long, he too felt this strange spiritual energy. Sensitive as ever, he immediately mobilized all his defenses to resist it, but found, to his dismay, that this power acted solely upon the mind; no matter how much spiritual energy he summoned around himself, it had no effect. His consciousness began slipping beyond his control, as if he were being dragged into sleep. Ye Junze sighed inwardly, gave up resisting, and withdrew all his defenses.

“It must be a function of the array. There shouldn’t be any danger,” he thought.

No sooner had this thought passed through his mind than he lost consciousness, falling into slumber like the others, oblivious to anything happening outside.

...

Fang Lin observed the group as they went from initial panic to acceptance, finally succumbing to sleep under the array’s guidance, and at last felt her heart settle.

“Now, everything depends on these children. I, at least, am free from worry,” she murmured with a soft smile, watching the now unresponsive group.

Fang Lin crossed her arms in contemplation, muttering, “So, what should I do now?”

“It’s a little dull to suddenly have nothing to do. What should I do, what should I do…” She paced back and forth, rubbing her chin, her expression conflicted.

As she wandered, she suddenly seemed to think of something, snapped her fingers, and smiled, “I’ve got it! Since I’m idle, why not take a look at what kind of dreamscapes these children are creating?”

“Hmm… Who should I start with?” Fang Lin assumed a pondering pose, her gaze roaming over the group.

In an instant, she brightened like a treasure-seeking adventurer, clapped her hands, and exclaimed in delight, “Ah! That’s it, him.”

With that, she produced, seemingly out of nowhere, a blue crystal sphere. She placed it carefully before her, resting her left hand atop it.

A mischievous smile crossed her lips as she murmured, “Now, let me see what you’re dreaming.”

Only she knew what visions appeared within the crystal sphere. All that was visible to the outside was Fang Lin’s ambiguous smile, somewhere between cunning and dazed.

...

“Where is this place? It feels oddly familiar, yet so strange,”

A quiet voice suddenly broke the long-standing tranquility of the air.

Following the sound, a figure stood alone in this space; drawing closer, it became clear that it was Ye Junze, who had already succumbed to sleep in the outside world.

He appeared as if just awakened, surveying his surroundings in bewilderment.

His gaze revealed a scene resembling a wasteland: all around was darkness, punctuated only by scattered points of light, just enough to make out the contours of the land. The desolation reminded Ye Junze of old science-fiction films, the barren surface of lifeless planets. He studied his surroundings for a while, finding nothing but emptiness. Shaking his head, he suppressed his curiosity about the place and began to examine himself instead.

“If I remember correctly, the teacher said we would enter a random dreamscape. But this dream seems to have its own consciousness—did she mention that? I wonder if it’s the same for the others.” Ye Junze pondered, stroking his chin.

His speculation was close to the truth: the dream conjured by the Dream Manifestation technique indeed possessed its own consciousness, which was why Fang Lin had said it was like a normal dream, yet not quite the same.

He raised his hands to touch his hair, finding it still long and white, just as before. “Seems my appearance hasn’t changed,” he mused.

“But the teacher said that powers here could be amplified limitlessly. I wonder if that’s true.” He thought again, rubbing his chin.

“Since that’s the case, I might as well try it.”

With his mind made up, Ye Junze prepared to put his plan to the test. Then, another thought struck him, and he mused, “But I have no idea what the powers of higher realms are like. That could be troublesome.”

After pondering for a while, Ye Junze’s expression relaxed, as if he’d reached a conclusion.

He muttered, “Since I don’t know about more advanced realms, I’ll let that go. But I’ve heard the teacher explain the Nascent Soul stage before—let’s see if I can achieve that.”

Ye Junze recalled the knowledge he'd learned about the Nascent Soul stage. “The teacher said that in the Nascent Soul stage, a miniature version of oneself forms in the dantian. But I haven’t gone through the usual preparations. Will it work?”

“If Fang Lin said it’s possible, then it must be. But how do I do it?” He shook his head, furrowing his brow in thought.

Various ideas flitted through his mind, and suddenly, inspiration struck.

Ye Junze clapped his hands, exclaiming, “Right! The teacher said this is a dream, and I am the master of it. I just need to imagine myself as a Nascent Soul cultivator, don’t I?”

“That should work,” he said confidently, clenching his fist.

Without hesitation, Ye Junze began testing his theory. He recalled the descriptions he’d heard of the Nascent Soul stage and began to repeat to himself, “I am a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.”

He chanted, “I am the Nascent Soul, I am the Nascent Soul.”

As if his method was truly effective, a series of mysterious changes began to manifest around him. Infinite spiritual energy started to gather, forming a colossal storm that enveloped him, making him appear from a distance like a giant cocoon with only his head exposed. His white hair was swept up and danced wildly in the vortex, creating a spectacle that would startle any onlooker.

These transformations were only external; within Ye Junze’s body, even more dramatic changes were underway.

Sensing the anomaly, Ye Junze focused inward. His attention landed on his dantian, where he witnessed an astonishing sight: the area was flooded with countless streams of spiritual energy, so dense that his vision blurred. And this was only the beginning.

Suddenly, all the spiritual energy in his dantian converged as if guided by an unseen force, compressing and condensing, as though constructing something tangible.

Ye Junze watched intently, not daring to relax. In just a few breaths, he saw a square foundation, like the base of a pyramid, form in his dantian. But the process continued; more platforms of identical shape emerged, layering atop the first, repeating for an indeterminate length of time—perhaps a few breaths, perhaps just a blink. At last, a small, fully formed pyramid appeared at the center of his dantian.

Ye Junze thought this was the end, but to his surprise, the pyramid began to fracture. Within the shattered pyramid, something seemed to be gestating. The fragments continued to crumble, merging into whatever was growing inside. When the last piece was absorbed, the pyramid vanished, replaced by a golden pellet that glowed brightly.

“Is this the Golden Core? Then the pyramid must have been the sign of the Foundation Establishment stage,” Ye Junze wondered.

He barely had time to ponder before the Golden Core itself began to shatter.

As the core broke apart, Ye Junze thought he heard the strange cry of an infant—though when he listened closely, it was gone.

He looked again and saw, within the broken core, a tiny figure no bigger than a thumb. Studying it closely, he realized it looked just like himself, except its hair was gold instead of white. The miniature figure stretched its arms, rubbed its eyes, and seemed to be thinking, fingers pressed to its face.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded: the tiny figure opened its mouth and took a bite out of the broken Golden Core. Tasting the fragments, it brightened, eyes sparkling with delight, and began to devour the rest, bite after bite, like a child with a favorite treat.

Ye Junze stared in astonishment, never imagining the so-called Nascent Soul would behave in such a way. As he watched, the little soul finished off the last fragments, burped contentedly, and wore a look of satisfaction.

Once done, the golden Nascent Soul, like a child too full to move, rubbed its belly and settled cross-legged at the center of the dantian.

As the little soul sat quietly, the dantian returned to calm, and Ye Junze felt a surge of immense power coursing through his body.

With the dantian at peace, the storm of spiritual energy around him gradually faded.

Ye Junze ended his inner vision and clenched his fists, instantly sensing a strength unlike any he’d felt before.

“So this is the Nascent Soul?” he murmured, awed by the newfound power.