Sage of Humanity
Chapter 891 - 889: Divine Pool?

Lu Ye felt like he had a long dream, but when he woke up, he couldn't remember the contents of the dream.

However, his mind was unusually clear at this moment, and even his own thoughts seemed to spin faster than before, vaguely giving the impression of some kind of transformation.

He didn't understand what had happened to him, only remembering that he and Nian Yuexian had combined forces to fight their enemy using Twin Flying Phoenixes, and with a furious shout from Wan Zhanggang, he felt a sharp pain in his head and then lost consciousness.

Something seems different...

He looked at Yiyi in front of him and found that Yiyi was frowning as she stared behind him, her gaze seeming to pierce through the barrier of his body.

With uncertainty in her eyes, Yiyi turned to the side and asked, "Sister Yuexian, is this...?"

Lu Ye wanted to ask what she was looking at, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out.

This startled him.

It was only then that he realized something incredible: he actually didn't have a body!

Although he was clearly standing there and could see everything around him, there was no physical presence!

Had he...died?

This thought left Lu Ye stunned.

"Mental Consciousness is unique to the Divine Sea Realm. You, at the True Lake Realm, have nurtured a soul body and birthed Mental Consciousness, which inevitably leads to some discomfort. Your Mental Consciousness leaving the body is not an accident; calm your mind and your Mental Consciousness will return to your body!" came the voice of Nian Yuexian from the side.

Lu Ye turned his head and met the cool gaze of Nian Yuexian.

She seemed to be able to see him and nodded slightly, "Do as I say, and you'll be fine!"

Lu Ye quickly calmed his mind, dispelling the many distractions within.

The next moment, he sensed something beside him that was closely connected to him. When he turned his head, he saw something astonishing.

His body was lying on a bamboo bed nearby!

Recalling Nian Yuexian's words earlier, Lu Ye roughly understood what had happened to him.

With a single thought, his Mental Consciousness returned to his body, and all previous discomfort vanished in an instant, allowing him to feel his presence again.

He suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the bed.

"Lu Ye, you're awake!" Yiyi rushed over, looking at him with concern, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Amber also jumped onto his knee, staring at him with wide tiger eyes.

Lu Ye slowly shook his head, "No, I feel...very good!"

Indeed, he felt very good, from inside out, as if he had never felt this good before. He lightly clenched his fist, and although his strength had not changed, some internal transformation had silently been completed.

"Sir!" He stood up and cupped his fists towards Nian Yuexian not far away, asking for guidance, "Sir, you said I nurtured a soul body and birthed Mental Consciousness?"

Nian Yuexian nodded, "In the previous battle, you took a Mental Consciousness attack from Wan Zhanggang. An ordinary True Lake Realm cultivator would likely have died, but your psyche is strong enough to survive, though it was still heavily damaged, leaving you unconscious. To protect itself, it nurtured a soul body to escape hardship. Now that you've awakened, it shows the nurturing was successful. The earlier situation was just your Mental Consciousness leaving your body, nothing to worry about."

"Soul body, Mental Consciousness..." Lu Ye couldn't help but lose himself in thought, "So am I True Lake or Divine Sea now?"

"Is there such a weak Divine Sea?" Nian Yuexian replied indifferently.

Lu Ye thought the same. Even though he had nurtured a soul body and birthed Mental Consciousness, his cultivation remained at True Lake.

But on the other hand, having birthed Mental Consciousness meant he could employ some methods unique to the Divine Sea Realm, like Bewitchment Divine Runes, which require Mental Consciousness for constructing and driving.

"You've only just birthed Mental Consciousness, so there are likely many things you're not used to. With time, you'll adapt. Everyone has to go through this stage."

"Yes!"

"If you have any questions about Mental Consciousness, feel free to ask me anytime."

"Okay!"

"Here is some common knowledge about the Divine Sea Realm, take a look yourself." Nian Yuexian handed him a jade slip, evidently prepared for him.

Lu Ye accepted it, "Thank you, Sir."

"Also, wear this; it has some effect in resisting Mental Consciousness attacks." Nian Yuexian took out something else.

Lu Ye looked up and saw a small golden lock, similar to a longevity lock, seemingly meant to be worn around the neck.

"I wore this when I was at True Lake Realm, and it's no use for me now, so I'm giving it to you." Nian Yuexian said, tossing it to Lu Ye, and added, "Return it to me once you no longer need it."

Holding the golden lock, Lu Ye instinctively felt it must be a significant item to Nian Yuexian. He wanted to refuse, but recalling his recent experience, he received it earnestly.

For True Lake Realm cultivators facing a Mental Consciousness attack from a Divine Sea Realm, there is no real way to counter it other than relying on their psyche to withstand it. Someone like Lu Ye, with a strong psyche, could survive Wan Zhanggang's Mental Consciousness attack, but for those with weaker psyches, their fate would depend on their luck.

However, cultivators from big sects often wear treasures like this to ward off Mental Consciousness attacks to some extent.

This increases their chances of survival when facing a strong cultivator from the Divine Sea Realm.

Without hesitation, he wore the golden lock around his neck at once.

"Don't go out in the next few days; first get familiar with your Mental Consciousness." Nian Yuexian advised and then turned to leave.

Lu Ye always felt she was a bit strange.

Earlier interactions with the Mountain Pass Chief showed her as someone who put me through various troubles and assigned me all sorts of bizarre tasks. Her temperament seemed somewhat cold, disinclined to interact much with outsiders, yet overall, she didn't seem too difficult to get along with.

After this incident, Lu Ye felt that their relationship might improve somewhat, but now it seemed that her aura of keeping people at a distance had grown even stronger.

Although she reminded him of many things and even gave him presents, that feeling was unmistakable.

"Has the Second Senior Sister come?" Lu Ye suddenly sniffed lightly and asked.

Yiyi was amazed, "How do you know?"

When Shui Yuan arrived, Lu Ye was unconscious, and when she left, he was still not awake. It made no sense for Lu Ye to know this.

"I can smell the Second Senior Sister," Lu Ye replied casually.

Everyone has a unique scent, and Shui Yuan's scent gives off a very warm feeling.

Yiyi couldn't help but glare at Lu Ye and said, "When Sister Yuexian brought you back before, she informed the Second Senior Sister, so the night we returned, the Second Senior Sister rushed here. She's the one who treated your injuries and found out the reason for your coma. However, the Second Senior Sister has already returned to the sect headquarters."

Lu Ye sighed, "She left without waiting for me to wake up."

As he spoke, he examined the jade slip that Nian Yuexian handed him.

The jade slip recorded detailed information about the Divine Sea Realm and matters that new cultivators entering the Divine Sea Realm should be aware of, including extensive explanations of the soul body and Mental Consciousness.

It took Lu Ye no time to finish examining it.

Closing his eyes, he immersed his mind as instructed by the jade slip.

In the next instant, something wondrous happened to his being.

Lu Ye hurriedly inspected and found himself no longer in the bamboo loft, but rather in a strange world.

This should be the depths of his psyche.

At this moment, he was in a soul body state; every person's soul body is a reflection of themselves, mirroring their original appearance.

The soul body is shapeless and formless, seemingly both void and real; when gathered, it forms a soul body, when dispersed, it becomes Mental Consciousness.

Only when a cultivator takes a step like Lu Ye, nurturing their soul body and generating Mental Consciousness, can they enter the Divine Sea Realm.

This is a major hurdle, one that countless True Lake Realm cultivators throughout history have stumbled upon.

However, for Lu Ye, this hurdle was already overcome. In other words, advancing to the Divine Sea in the future will pose no obstacle, as long as his Cultivation Realm reaches the required level, it will all fall into place naturally.

This is undoubtedly good news; experiencing what needed to be experienced ahead of time indeed brings certain conveniences.

Looking ahead, ripples shimmer, and waves ripple.

Lu Ye's expression turned peculiar.

The name "Divine Sea Realm" comes from Mental Consciousness forming a sea.

But the rippling before me could hardly be considered a sea—not even a lake.

At most, it could be described as a small pond.

A Divine Pool?

Yet thinking about it, since he was, after all, a True Lake Realm cultivating a soul body, shattering the ancient shackles, it seems reasonable that the Divine Sea would be a bit smaller in scale.

It's not something to force.

If I continue to cultivate step by step, one day, the Divine Pool will transform into a Divine Sea.

With a thought, the psyche left the body, and Mental Consciousness spread outward.

Upon waking earlier, he instinctively activated his Mental Consciousness, but at that time, he wasn't clear about the situation, so he didn't feel much.

Until he actively exerted it at this moment.

With Mental Consciousness permeating all around, everything is vividly detailed, more so than with the naked eye.

Before having Mental Consciousness, Lu Ye relied mainly on his perception for the surrounding environment, but mere perception was extremely vague.

It's like someone standing behind you.

Through perception, Lu Ye knew there was someone behind him, but whether this person was male or female, or what they looked like, was completely unclear.

But now, with perception relying on Mental Consciousness, he can clearly observe even the person's appearance and what clothes they are wearing—nothing escapes scrutiny.

The perception relying on Mental Consciousness indeed had a qualitative breakthrough.

Moreover, when his Mental Consciousness left his body just now, Yiyi clearly noticed some clues, which resulted from his unfamiliarity in controlling his own Mental Consciousness, causing an aura leakage. If one were adept in control, this ability could be used to spy on some secrets.

It's just a question of how far it can see...

With this thought, Lu Ye extended his Mental Consciousness outward, reaching outside the bamboo loft in an instant.

Not far away, he spotted Nian Yuexian.

She was guarding nearby, sitting on the branch of a big tree, holding the fine wine Lu Ye had previously bought her from a nearby mountain pass, drinking alone under the moonlight.

Her figure was desolate and lonely.