Ten years had passed in the outside world.
Li Yuan—still in the form of a soul, invisible yet undeniably present—slowly opened the awareness that had been sealed for a decade. Like eyes long accustomed to darkness adjusting to light, his consciousness began to sense the outer world once more.
But before seeing what had changed in the world, Li Yuan chose first… to remember.
To remember the long journey that had brought him to this point.
To recall each understanding that had been born, grown, and now resided deep within his soul.
Eleven understandings, he thought, with profound gratitude. Eleven chambers of meaning that have shaped who I am.
It is time to see them again. Not to wield them, but to… honor their journey.
First Understanding: Water
Li Yuan felt Water tremble gently in his soul, like a quiet river flowing without sound.
Water, he recalled. My very first true understanding.
He remembered himself as a child, sitting by a riverside, wondering why water always found its way. Why water never fought, yet always won. Why water could wear away the hardest stone through patience alone.
Water taught me that true strength is not about forcing one's will, Li Yuan reflected. But about flowing to where it is most needed.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Water became calmness—slowing those around me, softening their voices, dissolving conflict.
He remembered how Water chose no favorites—it flowed wherever it was needed. How it moved not only downward, but inward, touching the driest places without force or noise.
Now, after merging with the Soul, Water flows with a gentleness that honors the uniqueness of every spirit.
Water no longer seeks to change—it only seeks… to flow together.
Second Understanding: Wrapping
Wrapping shimmered like a warm, soft blanket of awareness.
Wrapping, Li Yuan smiled inwardly. The one that taught me that not all goodness should be given at once.
He remembered how often he had used this understanding—to shield others from reflections too bright, to wrap his insights so they would not wound the one receiving them.
True love is wrapping kindness so it will not harm the receiver.
And most vividly—how Wrapping had saved him when ten understandings nearly erupted uncontrollably. How he used Wrapping to protect himself, drawing all the understandings back into a new vessel: his soul.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Wrapping is the protection and quiet between the other understandings.
Now, Wrapping shields souls not yet ready for full transparency—granting time, granting space, granting choice.
It never forces anyone to see more than they can bear.
Third Understanding: Doubt
Doubt quivered like a soft fracture, loosening things from their meaning—yet in a liberating way.
Doubt, Li Yuan remembered with deep respect. The first gateway to understanding.
He recalled how Doubt first appeared—like a tiny crack in the wall of unquestioned belief. How Doubt taught him that doubt was not weakness, but the space in which understanding thrives.
"Why?" "How?" "Is this true?"
Questions that free the soul from the prison of blind certainty.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Doubt flows gently—not to destroy belief, but to give space for healthy questions.
Doubt leaves small openings in the walls of certainty, allowing new light to enter.
The first gift of Doubt is the willingness not to know.
And in that not-knowing, space to truly learn.
Fourth Understanding: Existence
Existence shone with a soft yet steady light, like the sun filtered through thin clouds.
Existence, Li Yuan felt deep peace. Being that needs no reason or justification.
He recalled the awakening—how he came to see that existence had value in and of itself. Like water never questioning why it is wet, like stone never seeking permission to be solid.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Existence gives space for others to simply be themselves.
It allowed people to feel they did not have to explain their sorrow, did not need to apologize for being, did not have to prove the worth of their existence.
When unbound, Existence can make people see their truest selves—leading either to awakening or collapse, depending on their readiness.
My presence is about being the empty space where others can rest from themselves.
Fifth Understanding: Breath
Breath flowed like a bridge between awareness and the world, like a thread connecting Li Yuan to the whole universe.
Breath, Li Yuan remembered his meeting with Xiao Mei, which made him realize that his breath was connected to the world—not solely his own.
True breath is not merely air filling the lungs, but the thread that connects oneself with heaven and earth.
He recalled reaching the point where he could "stop breathing" yet remain aware, transcending the bounds of life and death. Every breath became a choice, not a necessity.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Breath allowed the world around me to breathe a little easier.
Breath became the harmony between all understandings.
Every inhale is a prayer, every exhale is gratitude, and every pause is a space for the world to rest.
Now, Breath guides souls to breathe in their true rhythm—not controlling, but harmonizing.
Sixth Understanding: Sky
Sky pulsed with boundless expanse, offering a freedom unafraid of loss.
Sky, Li Yuan recalled his long meditation in Zhenjing—fifty years of inner time to reach this understanding.
Unconditional vastness. Acceptance without choice. Presence without claim. Freedom without rebellion.
The Sky has no boundaries not because it is infinite, but because it needs none—it fears losing nothing.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Sky made me feel expansive and lightened the burdens of others.
He remembered how he had to learn to wrap Sky to soften its reach, so it would not overwhelm others with excessive openness.
Now, Sky gives space for the soul to express itself—not erasing the ground beneath it, but giving room to fly.
Seventh Understanding: Body
Body resonated with healing warmth and a deep understanding of this temporary vessel.
Body, Li Yuan remembered his time working at the emergency care center in Yangzhou, where he truly grasped that the body is a temporary home holding every story.
The body never lies. It always reveals the truth.
Healing is not about fixing what is broken, but reminding the body how to be whole.
Every illness carries a story, and sometimes healing the story matters more than healing the symptom.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Body made my movements intentional and amplified healing effects, allowing me to help others simply through my presence.
Now, Body helps souls feel at home in their vessel—not forcing healing, but offering it gently.
Eighth Understanding: Loss
Loss quivered with a profound gentleness, like an embrace that releases with love.
Loss, Li Yuan recalled as he approached battlefields and saw the suffering of others—an experience that birthed this truth.
Loss is how love teaches surrender.
It is the gift that teaches love is not about possession, but about letting go.
True love never fears loss, because what is truly loved is never lost.
He remembered losing his mother, his father—and how each loss taught him a new form of love.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Loss created space to grieve without breaking, to let go without despair, and to release without ceasing to love.
Now, Loss helps souls release false identities—not stripping them away by force, but freeing them with tenderness.
Ninth Understanding: Silence
Silence stretched like a cloudless sky, giving boundless space to what need not be spoken.
Silence, Li Yuan remembered, was the boundless sky of his Zhenjing—the gentle emptiness that wrapped around everything without touching.
Silence is not the absence of sound, but the state in which sound no longer disturbs.
Silence is a source of power without desire.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Silence could make the clash of metal feel out of place—not judging, but giving space for people to feel what they needed.
Silence made people feel as though they were being asked something important, giving them room to hear their own hearts.
Now, Silence gives souls space to speak to themselves—no longer choking the world, but letting it breathe.
Tenth Understanding: Fear
Fear trembled with gentle honesty, like a mirror showing truth without judgment.
Fear, Li Yuan remembered learning early that fear was not an enemy, but an honest teacher.
Fear is the shadow of what is not yet understood, and it fades as understanding grows.
Fear is the doorway to deeper depths.
He learned not to fight fear, but to know it and walk with it. In his Zhenjing, fear formed a mountain in his soul, within which courage waited to be born.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Fear flowed softly—not to inspire terror, but to show that fear is natural, human, and need not be hidden behind false courage.
Now, Fear helps souls face the fear of being honest with themselves—not terrorizing, but inviting truth.
Eleventh Understanding: Soul
And at the center of it all, Soul vibrated as the conductor, harmonizing the entire orchestra of understanding.
Soul, Li Yuan felt the majesty of his newest understanding. The core of all that lives.
Something more fundamental than body, mind, or emotion—the very thing that makes every being unique.
Unlike the other ten, which could be grasped through observing the outer world, Soul could only be understood by being pure soul—stripping away everything that was not soul and feeling what remained.
I realized I am a soul, not merely one who "has" a soul.
And each soul is unique, irreplaceable, unrepeatable.
Through Soul, Li Yuan could sense the resonance of every being—like a sound that cannot be heard yet can be felt, like a color unseen yet felt by awareness.
Soul taught me to cherish the existence of another soul purely for its uniqueness—without the desire to change or heal it.
This is a new form of love for me.
In the Realm of Ganjing, Soul had no voice of its own, but harmonized all others, giving meaning to every note played by the other ten understandings.
Soul touches the very core of consciousness and identity, helping each being find the answer to "Who am I?" from within.
The Eleven in Harmony
Li Yuan felt the eleven understandings tremble in his soul in perfect harmony.
Each remained unique, with its own role and meaning. But now they were united in a higher purpose:
To help each soul find and honor its own uniqueness.
Water flowed with honoring gentleness.
Wrapping protected with wisdom.
Doubt questioned with health.
Existence gave space freely.
Breath harmonized softly.
Sky granted freedom without losing ground.
Body healed without force.
Loss released with love.
Silence gave room to hear.
Fear invited honesty without terror.
And Soul aligned them all, honoring the uniqueness of every existence.
This is my journey, Li Yuan reflected with deep gratitude. From a child who asked why water flows, to a soul who understands the resonance of every existence.
From a seeker of understanding who wished to change the world, to a witness who honors each soul's journey.
These eleven understandings are not weapons to conquer the world.
They are… lenses to see the beauty already here.
They are… music to celebrate the perfection of uniqueness.
They are… space for every soul to be itself.
And with a deep awareness of his own path, Li Yuan was finally ready to open his awareness fully to the outer world.
Ready to see what had happened in the ten years of his absence.
Ready to witness how the seeds of understanding had grown, shifted, or perhaps strayed from their original roots.
But this time, he did not come as a bringer of change.
He came as a witness who honors.
As a soul that celebrates the uniqueness of every journey.
As a spring that flows not because the world is thirsty, but because that is the nature of a spring.
Flowing with love that has no agenda.
Flowing with understanding that needs no explanation.
Flowing with existence that needs no proof.
Flowing because… this is the Way of Li Yuan.
A path without end.
A path that always… flows.