Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Unlocking the Sea of Consciousness

“This is impossible. Chen Yang was clearly poisoned by the Spirit-Eroding Gu; even with Silver Moon Academy’s aid, there’s no way he could recover his cultivation so quickly,” Song Yiyun exclaimed in astonishment.

“It’s possible!” Wei Junhao narrowed his eyes and murmured, “That day in the alley, we only saw some bloodstains on the ground; we never actually saw him get hit.”

“Senior means that the opponent deliberately left bloodstains to make us believe he was poisoned by the Spirit-Eroding Gu, so as to avoid our second round of pursuit?” Song Yiyun seemed to understand.

“Not only to evade us, but also to dodge assassinations from other major factions.”

“What a cunning plan. Looks like this person is even tougher to deal with than Lu Yijun,” Wei Junhao said with a grim expression.

Once the news spread, no one doubted that Chen Fei could ignore the Spirit-Eroding Gu poison. Like Wei Junhao, everyone believed it was just a trick Chen Fei used to confuse others.

Immediately, some tried to make another move against Chen Fei, aiming to prevent him from entering the secret realm.

But at that moment, Sun Qianyi, the vice dean representing Silver Moon Academy, sent a message to everyone:

“No one is allowed to attack Chen Fei again, or else don’t blame me for retaliating harshly.”

Sun Qianyi’s status as a True Spirit Master carried great weight, forcing the various powers to cancel their plans to ambush Chen Fei again.

That night, Chen Fei returned to the Su family residence.

“Where have you been?” Su Ran asked, curious as soon as he entered.

“Just went outside for some fresh air,” Chen Fei replied, surprised that Su Ran came back so early.

“Really?” Su Ran said indifferently, “If you were going out for fresh air, why didn’t you use the front door? Why climb over the wall to leave and enter? Anyone who didn’t know might think the Su family was being burglarized.”

Chen Fei was momentarily stunned. He knew his secret would eventually be exposed and was about to explain when Su Ran took out a pill bottle and said, “No need to explain. I keep my promises. This is a Vitality-Nourishing Pill. Whether it can restore your shattered dantian depends on your own fate.”

Chen Fei’s expression changed. The difficulty of repairing a broken dantian was immense.

“This pill…” Chen Fei was surprised that Su Ran had actually kept her word and found such a precious elixir.

A pill that could repair the dantian! Chen Fei couldn’t even estimate its grade.

“You’re lucky. Take it,” Su Ran said, then turned and headed toward the secret chamber.

“Miss Su, thank you,” Chen Fei said, gazing at her retreating figure, “Do you want to hear a story?”

“Take the pill first and try to restore your dantian. I’ll call you later,” Su Ran smiled over her shoulder.

“All right!” Chen Fei replied joyfully.

Chen Fei’s dantian had long been replaced by the Void Heaven Cauldron, so whether it recovered or not was less important. But this Vitality-Nourishing Pill, upon inspection, gave off a delicate fragrance far more precious than any pill he had encountered before.

“How many spirit stones would such a precious pill cost?”

Though Su Ran didn’t say how she obtained it, Chen Fei was sure the price was substantial.

He immediately sat cross-legged, activated the Myriad Paths cultivation technique, and began refining the pill.

The Vitality-Nourishing Pill melted instantly in his mouth like a warm current flooding his body. The Void Heaven Cauldron radiated a glow, like a vortex, actively absorbing the essence.

In a moment, Chen Fei sensed a marvelous transformation. As the cauldron refined the pill, two different energy streams surged: one flowed from the dantian into the extraordinary meridians, strengthening them and stimulating changes throughout the body.

The other transformed into a warm current flowing upward against the normal flow, reaching the crown of his head, as if breaking some kind of confinement. Chen Fei felt his head buzz violently, as if his brain was about to shatter.

“Ah!” Chen Fei groaned, unable to withstand the intense pain in his body and head.

Just as he thought he could bear no more, a warm current spread down from his forehead, accompanied by a faint and pleasant fragrance.

A cooling power surged from his forehead into his body, easing the excruciating pain.

Chen Fei then realized, without knowing when, Su Ran had returned, her fair fingers resting gently on his forehead.

Through the perception of the Spirit-Eye Serpent, Chen Fei saw a phoenix mark flickering on Su Ran’s forehead, bathing her in a golden halo, making her look divine and exquisitely beautiful.

In that moment, Chen Fei’s heart raced inexplicably, completely captivated by Su Ran’s unique aura and beauty.

“Fairy!” Chen Fei blurted out.

“What?” Su Ran looked at him puzzled, not understanding the meaning of ‘fairy.’

“What’s wrong with you at a time like this? Stop daydreaming—do you want to die?” Su Ran scolded, “Now, do as I say.”

“All right!” Chen Fei responded promptly.

“Calm your mind, gaze into the starry sea, and stand within it…” Su Ran’s gentle voice seemed to echo right beside Chen Fei’s ear.

Trusting her completely, Chen Fei calmed his thoughts, looked into the starry sea, and followed the warm current flowing upward, suddenly breaking the confinement in his mind…

At that moment, Chen Fei was stunned, unable to believe his eyes as he saw a vast, chaotic star sea before him.

“This is the Spirit Sea that everyone possesses; it can also be called the Star Sea.”

“Only by opening the Spirit Sea can one comprehend all things, even the stars and oceans.”

“From now on, you will embark on the path of a Spirit Mage.”

“The number of star points you see corresponds to how many star forces you can draw upon, transforming them into spiritual power. Spiritual power is the foundation for a Spirit Mage to wield their arcane arts…”

Su Ran guided Chen Fei through this revelation.

As time passed and Chen Fei emerged from this special state, he felt refreshed and indescribably comfortable.

Even the Spirit-Eye Serpent’s perception was greatly enhanced, with heightened sensitivity and detail; it could clearly sense even the fine pores on Su Ran’s beautiful face.

“Have I become a Spirit Mage?” Chen Fei asked, recalling that Spirit Mages were one in ten thousand, possessing supreme status among spirit masters.

The mysterious Spirit Mage back then could control Su Mingcai’s consciousness and actions through a single artifact—a truly unfathomable power.

For this reason, Chen Fei had always been wary of that enigmatic Spirit Mage.

Now, he was a Spirit Mage himself!

“This is unexpected. I originally intended the Vitality-Nourishing Pill only to help you repair your damaged dantian. But by some twist of fate, you’ve opened your Spirit Sea instead.”

“That’s right. You now have the foundation to become a Spirit Mage. To truly become one, your spiritual power must reach the tenth level.”

Su Ran explained to Chen Fei.

“The tenth level?” Chen Fei was puzzled.

“That means when you can sense ten star points within your Spirit Sea, your spiritual power has reached the tenth level.”

“How many star points did you sense just now?” Su Ran asked.