The water around Li Yuan no longer felt cold.
His body of consciousness—formed from the Comprehension of the Body and the Comprehension of Existence—had become solid as before. There were no longer any cracks glowing like kintsugi. No more unstable vibrations.
Only a deep tranquility.
Li Yuan raised his hand, looking at the fingers that appeared as real as flesh and bone, yet were actually made of manifested meaning. Every line on his palm was a trace of comprehension. Every non-existent blood flow was a resonance with the Dao.
I have accepted everything.
His inner self was no longer in turmoil. His seventeen comprehensions vibrated within his Zhenjing with a new harmony—not a perfect, flawless harmony, but a harmony born from the acceptance of imperfection.
Water.
His first comprehension vibrated with a subtle tone. Around him, the dark ocean responded with a barely perceptible movement. Not because Li Yuan was controlling it, but because of the natural resonance between his comprehension and the element surrounding him.
Silence.
Although in the deep sea, Li Yuan felt an absolute stillness. Not because there was no sound, but because the Comprehension of Silence created a space where all sounds became a tranquil whole.
Existence.
The comprehension that allowed him to exist without depending on ordinary laws of physics. At a depth of ten thousand kilometers, the pressure should destroy anything. But Li Yuan existed in a way that transcended pressure, transcended physics, transcended the limitations of matter.
Doubt.
The comprehension that taught him never to stop questioning. Even now, in this deep tranquility, he still questioned: "What will happen next? What should I do with this ever-deepening understanding?"
Breath.
Though he didn't need oxygen, Li Yuan still breathed—not for physical necessity, but as a spiritual ritual. Each inhale was an acceptance of the world. Each exhale was a giving back to nature.
Sky.
Even in depths that had never seen the sun, the Comprehension of the Sky still vibrated with boundless freedom. Because the sky is not about physical space, but about the openness of the soul.
Body.
The comprehension that allowed him to form this body of consciousness vibrated with solid stability. Not a rigid strength, but a flexible one—like bamboo that can be bent but not easily broken.
Loss.
The comprehension born from pain, now vibrated with calm wisdom. Loss is not an enemy to be fought, but a teacher who teaches the value of what is held.
Fear.
The comprehension that taught him that fear is another form of love—anxiety about losing what is precious. In the depths of the sea, fear vibrated with acceptance: "I am afraid because I care."
Wrapping.
The comprehension that allowed him to hide his true power. Now it vibrated with a new purpose: not to hide from the world, but to protect the world from a resonance that was too strong.
Soul.
The comprehension that allowed him to save the souls on the ship. Within the Sea of Souls in his Zhenjing, five million souls rested in peace. They were not lost. They were just... waiting.
Chaos Qi.
The comprehension of irregular energy, which taught him that even chaos has its own pattern. In the depths of the sea, the seemingly random currents actually followed a hidden rhythm.
Chaos.
A broader comprehension of disorder as part of a larger order. Destruction is the beginning of creation. An end is a disguised beginning.
Memory.
The comprehension that kept the memories of Lila, Anna, Marcus, and Elena alive in his consciousness. Not as painful ghosts, but as a light that continued to illuminate his soul.
Anger.
The comprehension that was born when he saw injustice in Millbrook. Now it vibrated not with a burning rage, but with a fire that gave warmth—a motivation to protect the weak.
Emotion.
The comprehension that taught him that feelings are not weaknesses, but the soul's way of speaking to the world. Love, sadness, joy, anger—all were nuances in the symphony of consciousness.
The Eldest Breath.
The most fundamental comprehension. The cosmic vibration that underlies all existence. In the depths of the sea, the Eldest Breath vibrated with the same rhythm as the heartbeat of the earth—slow, deep, eternal.
Li Yuan felt his seventeen comprehensions vibrating in perfect harmony within his Zhenjing. No more conflict. No more imbalance. Everything had found its place in the symphony of his complete consciousness.
But within that harmony, he began to feel something new.
The water around him moved with a different pattern. Not just flowing, but... speaking. As if the ocean was trying to communicate something deeper than mere physical movement.
Li Yuan closed his eyes, focusing his consciousness on the Comprehension of Water. And for the first time, he not only felt the water—he began to hear what the water wanted to say.
Flow is not just movement. Flow is communication.
Adjustment is not just adaptation. Adjustment is wisdom.
Depth is not just a dimension. Depth is a mystery waiting to be understood.
His Comprehension of Water vibrated with a different tone than before. It was still in the Ganjing realm—the realm of "feeling"—but it had already begun to touch something deeper.
Something that would change the way he understood water forever.
Li Yuan opened his eyes in the absolute darkness of the sea. His body of consciousness floated in perfect tranquility, surrounded by a pressure that no longer felt oppressive.
He was ready for the next step in his never-ending journey.
His first comprehension—Water—was beginning to prepare for a transformation that would take it beyond merely "feeling" to the ability to truly "hear" what the essence of water in the universe had to say.
At a depth of ten thousand kilometers, surrounded by a pressure that could crush mountains, Li Yuan began to smile.
The journey had just begun.