Five thousand human souls floated in increasingly complex harmony within Li Yuan's Soul Comprehension space. But now, after discovering that his global resonance four thousand years ago had touched not only humans but the entire spectrum of souls on the planet, Li Yuan faced a decision that would fundamentally change the scale of his operation.
Li Yuan stood on the peak of the ancient mountain, sensing the various layers of souls around him—animal soul wisps vibrating with a bluish light, plant souls flickering slowly with a faint green luminescence, and most astonishingly, the subtle resonance of the mountain's own soul, which trembled at an almost imperceptible frequency.
"If I am committed to addressing the consequences of my global resonance," he spoke to the mountain's silence, his voice echoing with growing conviction, "then I must address all consequences. Not just human souls, but every soul that was touched."
The decision flowed from his consciousness with undeniable clarity. A partial solution was no solution at all. If he left the touched animal, plant, and universal souls behind, he would only be solving a fraction of the problem he had unintentionally created.
Complexity Analysis
Li Yuan began to analyze the challenges he would face with this decision. Each type of soul required a different approach—not just in the method of collection, but in the way of interacting with them.
"Human souls," he reflected, sensing the resonance of the five thousand souls in his Zhenjing, "have a complex but familiar structure. They resonate with my Soul Comprehension at a frequency that I already understand."
But animal souls were different. Simpler in structure, but with a quality of purity that made them vibrate at a more direct frequency. There were no layers of complex reflection or self-awareness—just a pure existence that lived in instinctual harmony with the Dao.
"Animal souls will require a more... direct approach," he realized. "Not through conceptual understanding, but through natural resonance."
Plant souls were even more challenging. Their rhythm was incredibly slow, almost motionless on a timescale familiar to an active consciousness. Interacting with them would require a patience that surpassed even what he had learned over ten thousand years.
"And the universal souls," Li Yuan gazed at the horizon, sensing the ancient presence of the mountains, rivers, and landscapes, "they operate on a scale that might exceed my current capacity for comprehension."
Development of Specialized Techniques
With the challenges now clear, Li Yuan began to develop modifications to his Wrapping Comprehension to handle the different types of souls.
For animal souls, he developed what he called "Instinctual Wrapping"—a technique that resonated directly with their instinctual frequency without going through complex cognitive layers. It was like speaking in a spiritual body language rather than a verbal one.
Li Yuan tried this technique on the soul wisp of a wolf floating not far from the mountaintop. The Instinctual Wrapping flowed from his consciousness like a soundless howl, a call that resonated with the wild spirit locked within the wisp.
The result was surprising. The wolf's soul resonated in a more immediate way than a human soul—without resistance, without complexity, just... recognition. Like a wolf recognizing the leader of the pack.
"It works," Li Yuan realized with satisfaction. "Animal souls respond to genuine spiritual authority in a more direct way."
Experiments with Plant Souls
For plant souls, Li Yuan developed "Growth Wrapping"—a technique that moved at an incredibly slow rhythm, matching the natural timing of plant life.
He tried it on the soul of an ancient oak tree that had stood on the mountain's slope for over a thousand years. The Growth Wrapping flowed like a sped-up seasonal cycle—spring growth, summer fullness, autumn preparation, winter rest—in a hypnotic and gentle loop.
This process took much longer. If a human soul could be wrapped in a matter of seconds, and an animal soul in minutes, a plant soul required... hours. Or maybe days, depending on the age and size of the plant spirit.
"Patience," Li Yuan reminded himself, using the comprehension he had developed from Water and Silence. "Plant souls teach a different kind of time. Time that is measured not in heartbeats, but in seasons."
The Approach for Universal Souls
Universal souls—the souls of mountains, rivers, landscapes—required a completely different approach. They were too large, too ancient, too... fundamental to be approached with the same techniques.
Li Yuan developed what he called "Geological Wrapping"—a technique that resonated with deep time, with processes that last for millions of years, with the very forces that shape the planet itself.
When he tried this technique on the mountain's soul, the response was... overwhelming. The mountain's soul didn't just resonate—it responded with a presence so massive that Li Yuan almost lost his sense of individual identity for a moment.
"Too large," he realized, stabilizing his consciousness. "Universal souls cannot be approached in the same way as individual souls. They require... partnership, not collection."
The Revised Strategy
With these experiments, Li Yuan began to see the true scale of his operation. Millions of human souls, tens of millions of animal souls, hundreds of millions of plant souls—all were still within a realm he could handle with the techniques he had developed.
But the universal souls... they required a different approach. Perhaps not collection, but... integration. Perhaps not gathering them into his Zhenjing, but connecting with them in a permanent spiritual partnership.
"The revised operational plan," Li Yuan formulated, sensing the complexity of the challenge he faced, "Collect all individual souls—human, animal, plant. For universal souls, establish a spiritual connection that will endure as long as I exist."
The inclusive decision had been made, and with it, the scope of Li Yuan's operation expanded to an even more cosmic level. He was not just collecting individual souls, but becoming a focal point for the entire spiritual heritage of a planet he had unintentionally influenced.
The already monumental journey was now... planetary.
And Li Yuan, with a patience and determination honed over ten millennia, was ready to face the challenge that would change not only himself but his relationship with the entire spiritual ecosystem of this planet.