Day eleven brought an unexpected change.
Li Yuan woke up with the feeling that something had shifted in his sleep. Not a physical change—the air was still fresh with the scent of the sea and forest, the sun still rose from the east as usual. But there was something different in the spiritual resonance of the island.
He got up and stepped outside the house. The plants that had become his conversational companions were still arranged in a circle formation, but their vibrations felt... deeper. More complex.
Li Yuan knelt in the middle of the formation and placed his palms on the ground. His Understanding of Water in the Wenjing domain flowed on its own, searching for the source of the change he felt.
What he found left him silent.
The spiritual communication network he had observed over the past few days—the subtle conversations between plants, the coordination of nutrients, the exchange of weather information—had all changed. It was faster. More efficient. More... conscious.
"They are evolving," Li Yuan realized with a mix of awe and worry. "My interaction with them is accelerating their spiritual evolution."
For thousands of years, this island's ecosystem had evolved at a natural pace—slow, stable, sustainable. But his presence, with his Understandings cultivated over tens of thousands of years, had introduced a new variable into their equation.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and extended his consciousness beyond the small formation in front of him. Through his Understanding of Water, he traced the spiritual communication network throughout the island.
The forest in the east vibrated at a higher frequency. The small rivers carried more complex messages. Even the seaweed on the coast seemed to be responding to this new rhythm.
The entire island was undergoing a spiritual evolutionary leap.
"This could be dangerous," Li Yuan murmured, remembering his bitter experience in the past.
Thousands of years ago, when he had accidentally released the resonance of the Oldest Breath for five seconds, millions of souls around the world were affected. Most of them were unprepared for the sudden spiritual change and were trapped in limbo. He didn't want the same thing to happen again, even on a smaller scale.
Li Yuan got up and walked to the edge of the forest. He needed to assess how far this change had spread and if there were any signs of instability.
The old pine tree that had resonated with the Understanding of Existence yesterday now vibrated with a different intensity. It was stronger, yes, but also more erratic. As if the tree was struggling to contain the suddenly increased spiritual energy.
Li Yuan placed his hand on the tree's trunk. Through the touch, he felt the internal struggle that was taking place—the tree's natural spiritual system trying to adjust to the new stimulus coming from his interaction with Li Yuan.
"Too fast," he realized. "They are evolving too quickly."
Healthy spiritual evolution takes time. Just like physical growth, changes that are too sudden can lead to instability or even destruction. A spiritual system that has evolved for thousands of years is not designed to handle a sudden acceleration.
Li Yuan pulled his hand from the tree trunk and stepped back. He needed to think of a solution before this situation got out of control.
One possibility was to leave the island immediately, cutting off the source of the spiritual stimulation that was accelerating their evolution. But the damage might have already been done, and leaving them in an unstable state was not a responsible act.
Another possibility was to try to slow down the process by using his Understanding of Enclosure to reduce the passive effect he was radiating. But that would only postpone the problem, not solve it.
"Or," Li Yuan mused, looking at the forest that trembled with increased spiritual energy, "I could help them manage this change."
Not by stopping the evolution that had begun, but by guiding it to proceed in a stable and sustainable manner.
Li Yuan returned to his house and sat in a lotus position in the middle of the plant formation. This time, he was not just listening or communicating. He was going to try something he had never done before.
He was going to teach.
Not teaching in the sense of providing information or concepts, but teaching about the management of spiritual energy. About how to grow without losing stability. About how to accept change without rushing.
Li Yuan started with the Understanding of Silence. Through the Ganjing domain, he radiated a resonance of tranquility—not to calm their evolution, but to teach about the importance of moments of stillness in growth.
The plants in the formation responded immediately. Their previously erratic vibrations began to find a more stable rhythm. They learned to pause in their acceleration, creating space for consolidation and stabilization.
Then, Li Yuan introduced concepts from the Understanding of Water—about flowing without losing essence, about adapting without losing identity. Through this resonance, the plants learned how to manage their spiritual changes without losing the fundamental characteristics that made them who they were.
This process lasted for hours. Li Yuan patiently introduced various aspects of spiritual energy management that he had learned over thousands of years of cultivation. Not to make them cultivators like himself, but to help them manage their natural spiritual evolution more wisely.
As the sun reached its peak, Li Yuan felt a significant change. The spiritual vibrations throughout the island were still higher than before, but now they were stable. Directed. Sustainable.
"They learn quickly," Li Yuan gave a small smile.
He got up and walked back to the forest to check on the old pine tree. This time, when he placed his hand on the trunk, he felt a new balance. The tree was still vibrating with increased spiritual energy, but now that energy was under control, integrated with its natural system in a harmonious way.
In the afternoon, Li Yuan spent time mapping the changes that had occurred throughout the island. Through his Understanding of Water, he traced the new spiritual communication network.
What he found astounded him.
The plants on the island were not just learning to manage their own spiritual energy. They were also starting to teach each other. The large trees shared stabilization techniques with the smaller bushes. The flowers that had mastered energy integration helped the grasses that were still struggling.
The entire island ecosystem had become a mutually supportive spiritual learning network.
"This is incredible," Li Yuan murmured, observing the complexity of the system that had formed in less than a day.
The adaptability and learning ability of life had always amazed him, but what he was witnessing on Narau Island surpassed everything he had ever imagined. In the face of a sudden spiritual change, this ecosystem not only survived—it thrived, evolved, and created a collective support system that allowed all members of the community to grow together.
Night came with a different sound. Not just the physical sounds of the wind and waves, but also a new spiritual harmony—richer, more complex, but also more balanced than before.
Li Yuan sat in the yard of his house, listening to the spiritual symphony taking place around him. In that harmony, he heard something that moved him deeply.
Gratitude.
Not just from the plants in his formation, but from the entire island. They realized that the change they experienced could have been a disaster, but thanks to the guidance he provided, they managed to turn it into a blessing.
"No," Li Yuan whispered into the night wind. "I am the one who should be grateful."
Today, he learned a valuable lesson. That providing guidance is not about controlling or directing, but about sharing the tools that allow others to find their own way. That true teaching is about creating the conditions where learning can happen naturally.
And most importantly, he learned that even in a potentially dangerous situation, life always finds a way to turn into something beautiful—as long as it is given the right support and guidance.
A new understanding began to crystallize at the edge of his consciousness. It wasn't fully formed yet, but it was clear enough for him to feel its presence.
The Understanding of Guidance. About facilitating growth without controlling. About being a catalyst for positive transformation.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and allowed the new understanding to flow into his consciousness, not rushing to define or categorize it. As he had learned from his new teachers on this island, true growth requires time and patience.
In the silence of the night, filled with the vibrating spiritual life, Li Yuan felt that his journey on Narau Island had just entered a new phase.