Just as Li Yan began to sink into the pool, a subtle slackening appeared on Master Ji's normally impassive face at the water's edge. In his mind, the master noted, "He's managed to absorb two-thirds of the medicinal energy—just like that other disciple did last time. But with his mixed spiritual root, refining this energy into even a first level of Qi condensation will be far more difficult. We'll have to test it out, and I hope it won't end like before."
Without a moment's hesitation, Master Ji pushed off the ground with both feet and leapt into the air. Arms stretched out parallel to his body and his wide sleeves billowed in the wind, he cut through the air like a black roc skimming over the water's surface. In that split second as he neared the water, with a swift flick of his sleeve he brushed away the swirling black qi that still hovered above the pool. In a chorus of "bo bo bo" sounds, the ten streams of dark energy shattered into fine wisps of smoke that scattered in every direction.
Then, in one fluid motion, his body pivoted in a diving trajectory. From within his billowing sleeve his other hand shot out to grasp the sinking form of Li Yan. With a resounding splash, Li Yan was caught by the chest and hauled from the water. After a light tap of Master Ji's toes on the water's surface, he arched in midair and carried Li Yan back toward the bank. In his grasp, the unconscious Li Yan felt weightless—as if he were nothing more than a wisp of smoke drifting swiftly to the shore.
What Master Ji hadn't noticed, however, was that as his left hand swept across the dark qi on the water, the bizarre spellbook he habitually kept clutched inside his sleeve was jostled loose. A streak of golden light burst from its pages and merged with the dissipating black smoke. In an instant, that beam of light shot toward Li Yan's body—and vanished without a trace.
Once on shore, Master Ji set Li Yan down gently. Forming several quick hand seals in front of his chest, he pointed at Li Yan's abdomen, sending a few glimmering blue sparks racing into his body. Li Yan's form shuddered briefly before settling back into stillness. Noticing this, Master Ji's brows knitted with concern. Without delay, he formed another series of hand seals and sent additional blue sparks into Li Yan's abdomen—but this time, Li Yan no longer reacted even the slightest.
Frowning deeply, Master Ji hurried over and bent down to gently prod Li Yan's nose with his finger. His expression grew even sterner as he murmured, "This is odd. Last time, even a single infusion of spiritual energy was enough to rouse him. Now, although he is not dead, he cannot regain consciousness. What is causing this?" He then straightened up, hand pressed to his forehead as he pondered the situation.
At this very moment, within Li Yan the vicious fire-toxin was ravaging his body, destroying his meridians almost entirely. Just as his life seemed to hang by a thread, an inexplicable force suddenly arose within him—a massive, surging tide of cool, turbulent energy that raced through every part of his body. Miraculously, the meridians that had been scorched and nearly obliterated by the toxin began mending at an alarming rate, while the destructive fire-toxin itself was pressed off to one corner of his body by this overwhelming force.
Earlier, when those blue sparks had first entered his body, Li Yan's inner spirit had briefly cleared—years of relentless training had honed his instincts. As his body stirred and began to sit up to integrate the day's medicinal energy, a sharp, cutting voice suddenly boomed in his mind: "Do you want to die?!" With that, his thoughts were drowned in a buzzing haze, and he lost all consciousness.
After what felt like an eternity—or perhaps just a short while—Li Yan gradually awoke. He was about to open his eyes when a soft voice urged, "Don't open your eyes yet, or you may be even closer to death." Stunned, he tried to speak, but found he couldn't utter a sound. In desperation, he attempted to look around, only to discover that his eyes would not open either.
The voice continued gently yet wearily, "I told you not to open your eyes, but you wouldn't listen—you've forced me to expend what little power I have left." Li Yan's heart pounded as he thought, "Am I already dead? Is this what hell is like—so pitch-black that I cannot see, with even speaking a luxury?"
Then a wave of dizziness swept over him. His mind exploded into a flurry of rapidly changing images. When his vision returned, he found himself standing atop a small stretch of black water—the surface utterly still and silent beneath an oppressive, dark sky. Trapped in this suspended state, he could neither descend nor rise; he was forced to remain motionless, standing exactly where he was.
As Li Yan gazed around in bewilderment, the space before him began to warp and twist. Dark lines curled and interlaced until they gradually coalesced into a vague human silhouette. Slowly, that indistinct figure began to approach, and as it drew nearer, its form sharpened. Li Yan could now clearly see an elderly man: tall with flowing, snow-white hair that fell to his shoulders, his face stern and alert, with eyes as deep as bottomless pools that seemed to pierce millennia. Clad in a flowing gray robe, the old man carried an air of exhaustion, yet as he walked, a formidable aura pressed upon Li Yan so strongly that he almost lost his balance.
A bitter smile tugged at Li Yan's lips as he mused, "Is this the Acheronian Hell spoken of in Buddhist scriptures? Perhaps below lies the sea of Asura, and this man must be the soul-collecting envoy. Strangely, though, he doesn't seem frightening at all."
The old man came to stand right before him, fixing his unyielding gaze on Li Yan, and an icy aura emanated from him so that the very space seemed frozen. Then he spoke slowly, "If you delay awakening for even a moment longer, you will die."
Stunned, Li Yan managed to croak out, "Great Envoy, have I not already died? Otherwise, why have I been brought to this place of torment?"
In that moment, he was startled to realize he could speak—just moments before, he had been utterly mute. It dawned on him that his soul must have separated from his body; it was now his disembodied spirit speaking.
The old man paused, a momentary look of astonishment crossing his crystal-clear features before a slight smile appeared. "You fancy that this is your soul? Well, in a way you are not entirely wrong."
Hesitantly, Li Yan asked, "Great Envoy, what do you mean? I was just in the valley of Qingshan Pass—and suddenly I'm here. If my soul were simply snared, what else could it be?"
With a playful curl at the corner of his mouth, the old man replied, "I mean that you are now dwelling within your own Sea of Consciousness—in other words, your mental realm. Do you understand?"
Li Yan's expression turned bewildered. "Sea of Consciousness? My mental space?" Though he had never heard the term "Sea of Consciousness" before, he was familiar with the idea of one's inner mental realm—after all, he had long practiced using meditation and willpower to guide his qi.
"Think of it this way: the Sea of Consciousness is a space formed by one's mental energy—a realm of thoughts and will. Ordinary people cannot enter their own or others' consciousness. But now, I have taken your essence and brought it into that inner space, creating a projection of your body. In a sense, this is a fragment of your soul," the old man explained with a gentle smile.
In disbelief, Li Yan wondered aloud, "My body appearing in my own mind? What kind of logic is this?"
Seeing the confusion on Li Yan's face, the old man softened his tone and said, "Time is short. I can only explain briefly. The Sea of Consciousness—or what you might call your realm of will—expands as your spiritual power grows. For the common person this space is inaccessible. But for those who pursue the way of immortality, it can be observed—not only in oneself but even in others. The broader your Sea of Consciousness, the more formidable your mental-based spiritual techniques become. There are many other uses for it, but you will learn those details with time."
Li Yan felt as though he were drifting in a fog. "Spiritual attacks? Cultivators? Immortals? Aren't those things the stuff of legend?" he thought, his mind reeling with questions. Just as he was about to press for more, the gray-robed old man interjected, "I know you have many questions, but my time is short. I can only relay the most important matters. In time—if you have the chance to join a sect of immortals—you will learn much more."
After a moment's reflection and watching the old man's weary expression, Li Yan chose not to press further. He stood quietly, waiting for the old man's next words. Nodding slightly, the old man began his narrative, and as he spoke, an immense, awe-inspiring panorama unfolded before Li Yan's eyes—a picture of epic grandeur and turbulent destiny that left him utterly dumbfounded.
"Do immortals really exist?" the old man began. "Yes, they do. Since ancient times, immortals have walked the earth. After Pangu split the heavens from the earth and Nuwa mended the sky, the world was divided into several realms—the Mortal Realm, the Immortal-Spirit Realm, and the True Immortal Realm.
Within each of these major realms there exist many sub-realms—for example, the Netherworld, the Demon Realm, and even a realm exclusively where spiritual plants thrive. These realms, like human beings and other living creatures, possess vitality, thought, and their own domains.
The Mortal Realm is the lowest, originally populated by ordinary folks and lowly beasts. Though their abilities are common, their capacity to reproduce is exceptionally robust.
The Immortal-Spirit Realm lies between the Mortal Realm and the True Immortal Realm. Here many beings are descendants of the ancient humans, beasts, or other species from the primordial era. This realm is suffused with abundant celestial energy; beings here—whether human or otherwise—enjoy long lifespans. Their ancestors passed down ancient immortal techniques, enabling feats such as flying, traversing the earth, and overturning seas. Yet, nature's law imposes limitations; while long life is granted, these descendants reproduce with great difficulty, making their numbers sparse.
The highest is the True Immortal Realm, the very realm of legend. In this realm reside the supreme immortals—ancient figures like Pangu and Nuwa, who live as long as the heavens and the earth, shining alongside the sun and moon. Each True Immortal wields awe-inspiring powers that can reshape the world with a mere gesture, pluck stars, and even create their own sub-realms to mold new races. Although the number of True Immortals is not fixed (for they, too, face the peril of falling from grace in struggles or in pursuit of deeper, unknown laws), many who practice ancient techniques in the Immortal-Spirit Realm may, upon reaching the initial stage of true immortality (beyond the Mahayana level), manage to break through the boundary between realms and ascend into the True Immortal Realm.
To reach this initial true-immortal stage, one must endure the rigorous training of nine major realms. Most mortals can only progress through three or four of these stages in a lifetime; eventually, their lifespan is exhausted and they dissolve into reincarnation. These nine major realms are: • Qi Condensation • Foundation Establishment • Golden Core • Nascent Soul • Spirit Transformation • Void Refinement • Integration • Tribulation Crossing • Mahayana
Each of these major stages is further divided into smaller phases. For instance, the Qi Condensation stage is split into ten levels—the first three being the initial phase, the fourth through sixth the mid-phase, the seventh through ninth the late phase, and the tenth representing perfection. Only then can one rush toward the next stage: Foundation Establishment. Once a cultivator enters the Foundation Establishment stage, each subsequent realm is divided simply into early, middle, and late phases. Qi Condensation merely whets one's appetite for absorbing celestial energy to nurture the body, while true immortality only begins with Foundation Establishment. At the Qi Condensation stage, a cultivator might gain slight physical improvements and even use some rudimentary spells, but their lifespan is only marginally longer than that of ordinary beings. Yet once they enter the Foundation Establishment stage, their lifespan might suddenly extend to over two hundred years; at the Golden Core stage, to over five hundred years; and at the Nascent Soul stage, to a staggering two thousand years or more. With each subsequent realm, lifespan grows even longer, and once one breaks through the Mahayana stage to reach true immortality, eternal life is assured."