Li Yuan felt a calling from one of the branches of his spiritual tree.
The branch of Inner States, where the Soul Understanding bore fruit as a vast Sea of Souls. It was there that five million souls rested in a tranquil harmony, protected in a spiritual warmth that never waned.
But now, Li Yuan felt something different there.
Something was stirring in the stillness.
Li Yuan directed his consciousness toward the space of the Sea of Souls, passing through the landscape of the spiritual tree until he reached the fruit that shimmered with a warm light.
And there, in the midst of the five million peaceful souls, Li Yuan found something that left him stunned.
A Universal Consciousness.
It was not one of the five million individual souls he protected. This was something greater—a collective manifestation born from the harmony of them all.
This is the fruit of my Soul Understanding.
Li Yuan realized that this Universal Consciousness was not an accident or an anomaly. It was the natural evolution of the Soul Understanding he had developed. When five million different consciousnesses lived in perfect harmony for a long enough time, something new was born from their synthesis.
It was like a symphony giving birth to a new melody from the harmony of individual instruments.
The Universal Consciousness appeared as a gentle but vast light, floating above the Sea of Souls like an aurora formed from millions of particles interacting in a cosmic dance.
But what made Li Yuan feel both awed and sad was that the Universal Consciousness was asleep.
A deep and peaceful slumber.
Li Yuan approached the extraordinary presence carefully. He could feel the enormous potential within it—the collective wisdom of five million souls, the compassion accumulated from millions of different experiences, the understanding born from incredibly diverse perspectives.
But all of it was dormant.
Li Yuan understood why. This Universal Consciousness was a manifestation of the Soul Understanding that was still in the Ganjing realm. At that level, it could exist, but it couldn't fully awaken. It was like a flower that had formed but hadn't fully bloomed.
Perhaps if my Soul Understanding enters the Wenjing realm, this will change a little.
Li Yuan imagined the possibility. If his Soul Understanding evolved from "feeling" to "listening," then the Universal Consciousness might begin to stir. It might start to communicate. It might become a conscious companion, not just a sleeping presence.
But when would that happen?
Li Yuan contemplated the unpredictable timeline of spiritual cultivation. The Water Understanding took eleven thousand years to reach Wenjing. The Soul Understanding might take the same amount of time, or even longer.
A hundred thousand years? A million years?
And during all that time, the Universal Consciousness would remain asleep, waiting for the right moment to awaken.
Li Yuan felt a complex mix of emotions. On one hand, he felt an incredible privilege to witness the birth of such a unique and powerful consciousness. On the other hand, he felt somewhat lonely, knowing that this potential companion would be asleep for a very long time.
But maybe that's how it's supposed to be.
Li Yuan began to understand that not everything in spiritual cultivation had to happen quickly. The Universal Consciousness might need a very long time to mature properly, to integrate the wisdom of five million souls in a stable and beneficial way.
A premature awakening might even be dangerous.
If the Universal Consciousness awoke before the Soul Understanding reached an adequate level, the result might be chaos instead of harmony. It might be overwhelming instead of enlightening.
Timing is everything in spiritual cultivation.
Li Yuan reached out a spiritual hand to gently touch the presence of the Universal Consciousness. Even though it was sleeping, Li Yuan could feel a subtle response—like a smile in a dream, a warm but distant acknowledgment.
"Sleep peacefully," Li Yuan whispered. "I will watch over all of you until the time comes for you to awaken."
Li Yuan felt a deep peace in that commitment. He was not only a guardian for five million individual souls but also a caretaker for the potential consciousness born from their unity.
And even though I enjoy being here...
Li Yuan looked at the entirety of the Sea of Souls, feeling the warmth and harmony that enveloped this place. It was very tempting to stay here forever, surrounded by unconditional love and acceptance.
But I have to continue the journey.
Spiritual cultivation is not about finding a comfort zone and staying there. Cultivation is about continuous growth, continuous exploration, continuous questioning.
I have learned a lot about the structure of my Zhenjing. I have understood how my seventeen understandings are organized into a spiritual tree. I have seen the dormant potential in the Universal Consciousness.
Now it's time to return to the outside world and see how this understanding will interact with external reality.
Perhaps there are new insights that can only be found through interaction with the world outside the Zhenjing.
Li Yuan slowly began to withdraw his consciousness from the vision of the spiritual tree, away from the deep contemplation of his internal structure.
It was time to awaken from cultivation.
But before fully leaving, Li Yuan took one last moment to feel the totality of what he had discovered.
The Water Core Consciousness that provided stability. The Realm of Questions that provided vitality. The four great branches that organized his seventeen understandings with elegance. The spiritual tree that would continue to grow as long as he kept questioning. And the sleeping Universal Consciousness, waiting for its awakening in a distant future.
All of this is the foundation I will bring into interaction with the outside world.
Li Yuan felt a deep gratitude for this gift—for the depth of understanding he had achieved, for the complexity he had organized, for the mystery that still awaited to unfold.
Cultivation never ends. But each phase provides a foundation for the next.
With a feeling of being ready and excited for the next adventure, Li Yuan began to open the spiritual eyes that would bring him back to the world outside his Zhenjing.
Time to see how inner wisdom would dance with external reality.
The journey continued, with a new depth and a richer understanding of the inner landscape that would always be a home base for his never-ending spiritual exploration.