A hundred years of meditation had ended.
Li Yuan stood on the same mountaintop where he had spent a century developing the Resonance of Soul Understanding, yet the person standing there now was not the same Li Yuan who had started the meditation. This was not only because of the hundred thousand souls within his Zhenjing, but because of the depth of understanding he had achieved about the very nature of the soul itself.
The Soul Sea (魂海, Hún Hǎi) had been perfectly formed within his Zhenjing—a vast spiritual space designed to accommodate millions of souls in sustainable harmony. The one hundred thousand existing souls had moved into this ocean, creating a spiritual choir ready to amplify his resonance to the entire planet.
It was time for global implementation.
Final Preparations
Li Yuan adopted a position he had refined for a hundred years—not a simple cross-legged meditation, but a configuration that integrated his entire consciousness body as a spiritual antenna. His left hand rested on his heart, connecting with the Soul Understanding. His right hand extended toward the sky, connecting with the Sky Understanding for unlimited reach. His spine was perfectly aligned as a conduit for spiritual energy.
"One hundred thousand souls," he spoke to the choir within him, "you will be the amplifiers for this invitation. Your vibrations will carry the message to every corner of the planet: 'Come home.'"
The resonance from the hundred thousand souls responded with a harmony overwhelming in its beauty. It was not a conscious response—they did not have active awareness—but a deep spiritual recognition of their purpose in this moment.
Activating Global Resonance
Li Yuan began by releasing a gentle pulse of his Soul Understanding. It was not a full release like four thousand years ago, but a carefully modulated vibration that carried a specific invitation for the touched souls.
This vibration was immediately amplified by the hundred thousand souls in the Soul Sea. What started as a single note became a symphony, with each soul adding their unique harmonic signature to create a chord that was rich beyond description.
"Resonance established," Li Yuan observed as the spiritual vibration began to expand from the mountaintop in concentric circles that grew exponentially. "Planetary spiritual infrastructure... engaging."
Ley lines—the natural spiritual currents that flow through the planet—picked up the resonance and began carrying it with a speed that transcended physical limitations. Within minutes, the invitation had reached every continent, every island, every corner of the world where touched souls waited in a state of spiritual suspended animation.
The Response of Millions of Souls
The result of a century's preparation was immediate and overwhelming. Across the planet, millions of soul clusters—which had been floating in solitude for four thousand years—began responding with instant recognition.
Li Yuan could feel them stirring. It was not an awakening in the sense of gaining consciousness, but... an acknowledgment. A recognition of an invitation that promised home, safety, and an understanding they had been unconsciously waiting for.
"They are coming," Li Yuan whispered with a mixture of awe and trepidation as he felt a massive spiritual movement beginning across the planet.
The first wave consisted of the souls closest to the natural spiritual currents. Thousands of soul clusters began moving, guided not by conscious navigation but by the spiritual magnetism of the invitation. They followed the ley lines, moved through spiritual dimensions, and were drawn toward the mountain peak where Li Yuan waited.
The First Waves
In the first hour, ten thousand souls arrived. They came from all directions—streams of spiritual light converging on the mountaintop from every horizon. There was a mixture of human, animal, plant, and even some universal souls that had "died" in a geological sense.
Li Yuan opened a portal to the Soul Sea and welcomed them with the Home Understanding integrated into the invitation. There was no need for individual wrapping or careful handling—the resonance itself provided the protection and guidance they needed.
"Welcome home," he spoke as the ten thousand souls merged with the spiritual ocean within his Zhenjing. The harmony of the Soul Sea shifted to accommodate the new arrivals, creating new resonance patterns that were even more complex and beautiful.
Accelerating Arrival
The second hour brought twenty thousand more. The third hour, thirty thousand. The pattern was accelerating as the resonance became self-reinforcing—more souls in the Soul Sea meant stronger amplification, and stronger amplification meant a more effective invitation for the remaining souls.
Li Yuan monitored the process with careful attention, ready to modulate or control it if necessary. But the system he had developed over a century was working with a precision that was beyond his initial expectations.
"Self-regulating," he observed with growing confidence. "The invitation isn't overwhelming the remaining souls; they come at a comfortable pace, guided by natural spiritual flows, protected by the multiple understandings integrated into the resonance."
Planetary Changes
As hundreds of thousands of souls began moving across the planet toward Li Yuan, subtle but significant changes began to occur in the global spiritual landscape.
Areas that had been "haunted" or "sacred" for millennia—locations where touched souls had created persistent spiritual phenomena—began returning to normal. Ancient forests lost their sense of an otherworldly presence. Old battlefields lost their feeling of restless spirits. Caves and ruins that had felt "alive" with mysterious energy became... quiet.
Humanity, unaware of the spiritual drama playing out, began experiencing subtle shifts in their collective unconscious. Places that had inspired legends and folklore for generations suddenly felt... ordinary. The source of myths and spiritual traditions that had persisted for thousands of years slowly disappeared.
A Massive Convergence
By the end of the first day, three hundred thousand souls had arrived. By the end of the week, over a million. Li Yuan realized that his estimation of "millions" of affected souls had been conservative—the actual number was closer to five million souls across the planet.
The Soul Sea expanded to accommodate the massive influx, its spiritual architecture automatically adjusting to maintain harmony among the increasingly diverse population. The integration of the Home Understanding ensured that every arriving soul felt a sense of belonging, regardless of their origin or nature.
"Five million souls," Li Yuan marveled as he felt the final waves of arrivals. "Five million beings who had been suspended between life and death for four thousand years are now safely gathered in a spiritual home designed for their eternal comfort."
Completion
After three weeks of continuous arrival, the resonance finally quieted. The planet had been spiritually "cleaned" of every soul that had been affected by Li Yuan's accidental global resonance four thousand years ago.
Li Yuan felt... a sense of completion that transcended simple task fulfillment. The responsibility that had weighed on his consciousness for decades was finally, fully addressed. Every soul that had been inadvertently affected by his past actions was now safe, cared for, and given an eternal home in a spiritual paradise that he had created specifically for them.
"It is finished," he whispered, and the words carried the weight of a ten-thousand-year spiritual journey that had led to this very moment.
The planet below was spiritually "normal" for the first time in four millennia. Humanity would find their world slightly less mysterious, their ancient places slightly less numinous. But the five million souls that had been caught in a spiritual limbo were now eternally safe within the Soul Sea, contributing their unique harmonies to a symphony that grew more beautiful with each passing moment.
Li Yuan, carrying five million souls, began to contemplate what came next in his eternal existence as a guardian and home for the spiritual legacy of an entire planet.