His elders had once told him that having a clear manifestation in his sea of consciousness from the very start was a sign of extraordinary talent.
Most cultivators could only form a vague outline of such a manifestation when they reached the Golden Core stage, or even later at the Nascent Soul stage.
When he reached the Golden Core stage, the image in his sea of consciousness had become much clearer. He could still hear his elders' teachings in his mind:
"Each person's sea of consciousness is unique. It represents your heart, your desires, and everything you seek. The vast fog surrounding it is the endless sea we all explore. Don't be confused by what you cannot see—just keep searching."
But now, who could tell him why so much of the previously unclear fog in his sea of consciousness had suddenly dissipated?
Wasn't it supposed to be an endless sea?
Wasn't it rare to have even a single clear manifestation at the Golden Core stage?
Wasn't the fog supposed to clear slowly as one approached the Integration stage?
This was completely different from what the elders had told him.
He Yi gazed at his sea of consciousness. The once prominent talisman manifestation was now surrounded by swirling mist. And beyond the mist, faint, warm yellow lights flickered in the distance, visible through the talisman's clarity.
In just a few days, his sea of consciousness had undergone such drastic changes. The only person he had interacted with before this transformation was Lin Xiao. It was hard to believe the two weren't connected.
Upon discovering these changes, He Yi had immediately checked his divine sense, only to find that it hadn't been damaged. In fact, its strength had noticeably increased!
And this growth wasn't subtle—it was significant. For example, the range of his divine sense had expanded by a third.
This was no trivial matter. Normally, such a drastic improvement in divine sense could only happen through specific cultivation techniques or by consuming rare, divine materials known to enhance divine sense. It was certainly not something that just happened on its own.
Moreover, he didn't think anyone would be crazy enough to feed him precious divine treasures while he was unconscious for three days.
His cultivation level, too…
He was now in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm?!
Before coming to the mortal realm, he had been at the peak of the early Golden Core stage, just one step away from advancing. But that last step shouldn't have been so easily crossed in this spiritually barren realm, certainly not just by sleeping!
In a panic, He Yi inspected his Golden Core.
Round and bright, it appeared perfectly intact.
There was no sign of a rushed or unstable breakthrough.
But as he stared at the small, lustrous white bead within his Golden Core, his expression turned serious, and he tried circulating the Water Heart Technique, Wan Shui Jue, that he had cultivated for years.
Immediately, his face paled.
The top-tier Water Heart Technique from the Talisman Sect, Wan Shui Jue, still worked, but it wasn't running smoothly like it used to. There was a clear sense of obstruction and sluggishness.
He Yi had a single water spiritual root, and Wan Shui Jue was one of the highest-grade water cultivation techniques in the Northern and Southern Spiritual Domains, classified as an upper-tier Earth-grade technique. With this technique, he had been confident that he could reach the Nascent Soul stage within a hundred years.
But now, with the technique running so poorly, a century of cultivation might yield nothing!
Shocked and bewildered, He Yi forced himself to take a deep breath, calming down.
Panic wouldn't help him—it would only lead to confusion.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts.
Upon waking, he noticed three major changes within himself. First, his sea of consciousness had expanded and transformed. Second, a mysterious white bead had appeared within his Golden Core. Third, his cultivation technique was no longer functioning smoothly.
With the issue clearly stemming from his heart technique, he shifted his focus to the changes in his sea of consciousness and the white bead.
After a moment of contemplation, He Yi decided to use his divine sense to interact with the bead within his Golden Core. During his earlier attempt to run the Water Heart Technique, he noticed that the bead remained completely unaffected—it didn't respond to Wan Shui Jue at all.
So, he thought he might try exploring it through his divine sense instead.
To his surprise, it worked!
When He Yi's divine sense touched the bead, it trembled slightly, and waves of faint light rippled outward.
But that was all.
As long as his divine sense touched it, the bead continued to glow softly. When he pulled his divine sense away, it returned to its calm state. No matter how much he probed or tried to move it, the bead remained unyielding.
Helpless, He Yi decided to pause his investigation.
If the knot was tied by someone, that same someone would have to untie it.
His current situation was undoubtedly linked to Lin Xiao. He had to find him and get answers.
As he thought about Lin Xiao, He Yi also recalled his original reason for coming to Shuishui Village.
His initial task remained unresolved, and now he was dealing with this bizarre situation. What a headache.
He had no idea what methods Lin Xiao had used to alter his sea of consciousness and Golden Core, but it probably involved some kind of treasure…
Yet, he couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of his own thoughts. How could such treasures exist in the mortal realm? Even if they did, they would have been snatched up by those who constantly monitored the mortal world.
He Yi felt conflicted.
On the one hand, based on his past experiences, it seemed impossible for anyone in the mortal realm to have caused these changes. On the other hand, Lin Xiao remained his only clue.
Resolving to get to the bottom of it, He Yi got out of bed, changed clothes, and left his room.
As he descended to the inn's main floor, the sharp-eyed waiter immediately noticed him.
"Oh, sir! You're awake!"
It was just before dawn, the sky outside still dim and hazy, signaling the final moments of the night. Early risers could already be heard preparing to head to the fields.
The waiter, busy cleaning tables and moving chairs, threw a cloth over his shoulder and cheerfully hurried over to He Yi.
"Would you like some breakfast, sir? We have freshly steamed meat buns and a pot of eight-treasure porridge. If you'd like something else, I can run out and get it for you."
He Yi was about to decline when the innkeeper emerged from the back, yawning as he entered the front hall.
Seeing He Yi, the innkeeper blinked in surprise before quickly approaching with a respectful tone.
"Ah, sir, you're awake. Were you planning to meet with Sect Master Lin?"
He Yi looked at him and nodded. "Yes."
Sensing He Yi's inquiry, the innkeeper explained, "Sect Master Lin left instructions. If you wake and wish to meet with him, you may go directly to the Lingxian Academy and ask Master Pei to arrange it."
He Yi nodded in thanks before leaving the inn.
He didn't realize that if this had been the old him, he would have regarded these mortals as insignificant beings, merely complying with the demands of the cultivators out of fear. Expressing gratitude to such people would have seemed unnecessary and even beneath him.