Chương 26: Chapter 26
"You are fortunate that no life form has yet to manifest within your spiritual bead. The consequences would have been far more severe than you can imagine. Nonetheless, your recovery time was remarkably short," Lien observed. "Are you sure you restored your universe correctly?" she asked, her curiosity evident.
"Yes, the withered parts have been completely restored, and I even made some enhancements that weren't there before. I can sense that it's in a better state now," Da Zihan replied confidently.
"That's unusual. Typically, it takes years to repair even minor damage, yet you managed it in just a few hours," Lien remarked, puzzled.
Standing beside her, Xiu interjected, "Let's see the size of your spiritual bead."
"Huh?" Da Zihan responded, confusion written across his face.
"Yes, yes, let's see it," Lien said excitedly, catching Da Zihan off guard.
"How am I supposed to do that?" he asked, bewildered.
"It's simple. Just will it, and a projection of your spiritual bead will appear from your forehead," Lien explained eagerly.
Amazed, Da Zihan nodded. He, too, wanted to see the projection of his spiritual bead. He closed his eyes, preparing to meditate, but Lien interrupted him, "Don't dawdle. You don't need to close your eyes or meditate. Just think of it, and it will appear," she said impatiently.
"Okay," Da Zihan agreed.
With a single thought, Da Zihan willed the projection of his spiritual bead to manifest. Instantly, a brilliant light shot out from his forehead, revealing a small, colourless orb that hovered in the air. He gazed at the orb, noting it was just the size of his thumb.
Suddenly, laughter erupted, mockingly piercing the air. Bewildered, Da Zihan saw Lien and Xiu laughing uncontrollably. He smiled awkwardly, expecting them to stop soon so he could ask for their reason, but they continued, laughing so hard that tears streamed down their faces.
Angered, Da Zihan stomped his foot. Clearly, they were mocking his spiritual bead. This only fueled his frustration. "Why…why are you laughing? Stop it!" he demanded angrily.
"Lien, I told you earlier he wouldn't form a remarkable spiritual bead. I thought he might at least create a common one like the other heaven dwellers, but this is even worse. Who ends up with a colorless and tiny spiritual bead?" Xiu laughed, thoroughly satisfied with the result. His disdain for Da Zihan was clear; he had never wished for him to succeed.
Hearing this, Da Zihan's face flushed with worry. He watched them as they continued to laugh, feeling a mix of confusion and anger. Why did it matter if his spiritual bead was common or worse? Was the path to immortality supposed to be more than this? As these thoughts ran through his mind, he willed the projection back into his body and waited silently for Lien and Xiu to exhaust their laughter.
"Can you tell me what all this is about?" Da Zihan asked, confusion evident in his tone.
"I was wondering why it took you less time to restore your universe. Now I understand the reason," Lien replied.
"What reason?" Da Zihan pressed.
"See..." Lien began, but Xiu abruptly interjected, his voice laden with a sharp sneer. "Your spiritual bead is T.R.A.S.H, boy."
Pa! Lien slapped Xiu's head. "Don't make him feel worse!" she chastised.
"Why do you always defend him like this?" Xiu complained, rubbing his head.
"You don't have to call his spiritual bead trash. He would realize it naturally if I explained it gently," Lien berated, but her words seemed to make Da Zihan even more agitated. Lines formed on his forehead, and his mouth twitched with anger. Isn't she making him feel worse herself? he thought.
Lien turned to Da Zihan and smiled. "Da Zihan, in life, people are born and they flock everywhere. That's normal. Among these people, most are common and lack distinctive qualities. They are just too common; what they possess is found everywhere and is nothing special. However, among this mass, a few possess unique qualities that make them stand out. Regarding spiritual beads, you might not know, but there are trashy ones often belonging to commoners. In contrast, geniuses in the heavens have extraordinary spiritual beads, which make them significantly more powerful than the average folk. Do you understand?"
"So what does this have to do with anything?" Da Zihan asked, still confused, which made Lien laugh even more.
"You don't get it, do you? In the first heaven, even the second and third heavens, there are always competitions, and there will always be. It is not your daily mundane mortal life. Everywhere in the heavens, immortals and devils strive to outdo one another, leading to conflicts and combats everywhere. Now you see, with your spiritual bead, you cannot survive anywhere in the heavens, unless you wish to die sooner than expected."
Lien shook her head with a mix of pity and disbelief as she continued, "You see, a normal spiritual bead typically measures around five inches and is always white. They are common and can be found everywhere. However, for geniuses, their spiritual beads are often larger, ranging from seven inches upwards with a limit of ten inches. These unique beads come in various colors, unlike the common white beads. There are also super geniuses with beads larger than ten inches by fractional increments. But I've never seen a one-inch spiritual bead, the size of my thumb, and utterly colorless. What is that?" Lien tried to stifle her laughter, but it was futile as Xiu couldn't help but join in once more.
"I don't care," Da Zihan declared firmly, stomping his foot.
"Da Zihan, I've previously warned Lien not to discuss matters like immortals with you, let alone aid you in opening a path to immortality. She disregarded my advice. It would have been better if you remained ignorant of these things. Nonetheless, you can still choose to stay in the mortal realm and ignore the call of the bell when it sounds."
"What bell?" Da Zihan asked, now even more confused.
"The bell is the sole means to ascend from the mortal world to the heavens. Once you've formed a spiritual bead, you'll naturally hear the bell ring. Those who can't hear it are unaware of its existence. The bell will chime continuously for three days and nights, providing individuals with ample time to prepare for their ascension. However, if you're unprepared after the third day and miss the bell, you'll have to wait a hundred years for the next opportunity," Lien explained.
Da Zihan swallowed nervously. "When will the next bell ring?" he inquired.
"In three months," Lien replied excitedly. "I've eagerly awaited this moment. In three months, I'll be able to return along with Xiu."
Da Zihan mulled over numerous thoughts. "So when you requested me to return after three months, were you planning not to show me the path to immortality...?"
"Exactly. Initially, I had no intention of helping you. I wanted you to return after three months, at which point I would have ascended to heaven and wouldn't need to guide you. However, I thought after discussing immortals and devils, knowing it would spark your curiosity and raise your hopes, so I gave in and taught you. I take full responsibility," Lien conceded. "But you must continue as a mortal. Resist the urge to ascend. Cease absorbing essence; let your creation wither, allowing your spiritual bead to slowly dissipate until you fully return to mortality."
Da Zihan was deadly quiet as he pondered for a long time, the excitement of becoming immortal shattering around him. He closed his eyes, and different thoughts arose. Instinctively, he entered his spiritual bead, looking around with satisfaction at his creation. Would he need to destroy everything just as he had begun? He looked at the Tree of Life, flourishing, and the beautiful little garden forming around it. Then his eyes fell upon the two embryos nestled in their wombs, stirring sympathy within him. If he chose to remain mortal, wouldn't that mean killing these two beings?
"No!" he exclaimed, feeling a profound stirring within. "I will not take that path. I have begun this journey, and I will see it through."
Emerging from his spiritual bead, he met Lien's gaze as she asked, "Where did you drift off to?"
Without replying, he declared, "I will continue on the path of immortality."
Lien opened her mouth to speak but closed it quickly, seeing the determination in his eyes. She realized it would be pointless to persuade him otherwise. Inwardly, she cursed herself for showing him this path.
"Alright, if you insist," she said reluctantly, "but don't blame me when things don't work out for you in the immortal realm. I already tried to warn you."
Xiu sneered at Da Zihan's resolute gaze. "What a fool!" he muttered under his breath.
"Then it seems I will have to start teaching you how to cultivate and show you some martial art movements," Lien said resignedly.
—-------------------------
A brilliant radiance enveloped Da Zihan as he absorbed the essence of his surroundings into his spiritual bead. Only immortals could perceive this ethereal essence. Seated cross-legged on the mountain where Lien had previously guided him to repair his spiritual bead, he now delved deeper into gathering the essence. Drawing from the knowledge passed on by Lien, he learned that basic immortals progressed through nine stages, known as the stages of the nine paths, ranging from first creation to the ninth.
"Hmm," Da Zihan mused to himself, "It appears I have partially entered the first creation level."
Referencing the guidance provided by Lien, Da Zihan embarked on the task of condensing his first string to signify his full transition into the first creation level. He required both a material for condensation and a suitable location to anchor his strings.
After assessing his surroundings within his universe without success, Da Zihan turned his attention to the tree of life, the cornerstone of his universe, as the source from which he could extract his string. He decided to construct a miniature housing within the tree trunk to store the condensed strings at various levels, feeling uplifted as he promptly began his task.
Beginning with the creation of the housing, he selected a prime location within the tree trunk and began to sculpt using his essence, devoid of physical carving tools. After painstaking efforts to achieve perfection, he completed a satisfying arc-shaped housing and entered it. He extracted a lengthy, thin bark from the tree of life to serve as the material for his string.
Suspending the bark in the air with the aid of his essence, Da Zihan diligently followed the procedures ingrained in his memory. Manipulating the essence's temperature to a high degree, he melted the bark into liquid, purifying it by removing impurities. Following this, he shaped an invisible, elongated line from essence in the airspace and poured the liquid into it. Witnessing its gradual solidification into a string, excitement surged within him as he observed his first string taking shape and affixing itself to the tree of life.
Exhaling with a mix of satisfaction and fatigue, Da Zihan acknowledged that his efforts were a one-time undertaking. He understood that as he progressed to higher levels of creation, subsequent strings would naturally manifest based on the properties of his first string.
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