Ten days had passed since Li Yuan left Narau Island, and he was now floating at a depth of twenty meters below the greenish-blue surface of the sea. His consciousness body moved effortlessly, carried by the currents like a leaf following the flow of a river. He wasn't swimming—he was flowing. Every movement of his body merged with the rhythm of the water around him, a harmony born from five years of contemplation and a deep understanding of the essence of water.
The sunlight filtering through created undulating patterns around him, like ever-changing golden calligraphy. Li Yuan closed his eyes, feeling a profound tranquility. Five years on Narau had taught him not to rush, not to force a direction. The water would take him to the right place at the right time.
But today, something inside him was vibrating in a different way.
Since reaching the Wenjing Realm through his Understanding of Water, Li Yuan had been very careful in controlling its passive effects. As usual, he kept his seventeen understandings wrapped within a five-centimeter radius of his body—a discipline that had become a habit after thousands of years of cultivation. Only the Understanding of Water in the Wenjing Realm was allowed to extend up to one meter, just enough to communicate with the water around him without disturbing the greater balance.
But today, after ten days in the perfect silence of the sea, something within him longed for... more.
Why do I keep hiding myself? The thought surfaced like an air bubble rising from the depths of his consciousness. Five years on Narau taught me about self-acceptance. So why am I still limiting myself like this?
Li Yuan opened his eyes, looking at the boundless blue around him. The ocean water trembled softly around his body, as if whispering something he hadn't yet heard clearly.
I am no longer alone, the thought continued. I have accepted all parts of myself. So why am I still afraid to... let go?
For the first time in centuries, Li Yuan felt a deep yearning to truly hear the world around him. Not just the water flowing nearby, but everything. The sounds carried by currents from thousands of kilometers away. The whispers of life hidden in the depths. The heartbeat of the world itself.
He floated in silence for a few minutes, contemplating a decision that would change everything. Then, with a gentle smile that resembled a water ripple, he made his choice.
Slowly, carefully, Li Yuan began to release the wrappings that had been binding the passive, Universal effect of his Wenjing Realm.
What happened next was like a giant flower blooming from pure consciousness.
A wave of perception spread from his body in all directions—up, down, front, back, left, right—expanding like concentric rings on a calm lake. Unlike the Ganjing Realm's passive effects that would influence, this Universal Wenjing Realm effect listened. It didn't change anything; it simply received.
Five hundred kilometers. A thousand kilometers. His radius of perception continued to expand with the speed of light.
Li Yuan felt his entire body vibrate with information flowing in like an overflowing river. But strangely, he didn't feel overwhelmed. The Understanding of Water that served as his Core Consciousness worked like a perfect filter, sorting and organizing every input according to its calm and adaptive nature.
Two thousand kilometers. His radius of perception reached its natural limit.
And then Li Yuan heard.
He heard the whispers of the wind on the ocean surface telling of a coming storm in three days. He heard the songs of whales in the depths calling to their mates with melodies full of longing. He heard the crashing of waves against distant reefs, each blow like the unceasing heartbeat of the earth.
But what stunned him the most was when he began to hear... humans.
They were there.
At a distance of about three hundred kilometers to the northeast, Li Yuan felt the presence of a group of humans on a ship. Their heartbeats pulsed with a familiar rhythm. Their voices, though he couldn't hear them literally, carried the clear vibrations of emotion: exhaustion after days of sailing, worry about the threatening storm, and a longing for home.
Even more surprisingly, there were human settlements. Small villages on scattered islands, a bustling port city with commercial activity, and even what might have been a large city with thousands of residents. All were within a two-thousand-kilometer radius of his position.
I am no longer alone, Li Yuan thought with a feeling that was difficult to describe—a mixture of joy, nostalgia, and something resembling... relief.
The most fascinating part was how the Understanding of Water as his Core Consciousness automatically filtered the incoming information. Instead of hearing every detail of human thoughts and feelings—which would feel like an invasion of privacy—Li Yuan only received their general emotional "tone" or "color." He could sense if someone was happy, sad, angry, or afraid, but he couldn't know the specific reasons behind it.
This was an important distinction. The Universal Wenjing Realm effect wasn't like the individual Understanding of Water effect that allowed him to communicate directly. This universal one was more like... listening to the world breathe.
Li Yuan smiled—the first truly free smile he had had since leaving Narau.
This is what I was missing all this time without realizing it, he thought. Not solitude. Not a crowd either. But... connection. The awareness that I am part of something bigger, without losing myself.
For the next few minutes, Li Yuan allowed himself to sink into this new symphony of perception. He heard the migration of seabird flocks thousands of kilometers away, felt the slow movement of deep-sea currents that transported nutrients across the ocean, and even caught the echoes of very distant volcanic activity on the seafloor.
The world turned out to be so... alive.
For thousands of years, Li Yuan had seen himself as an isolated wanderer, someone who walked between the human world and the spiritual world without fully belonging to either. But now he realized that he had never truly been alone. He just... hadn't been listening in the right way.
The Wenjing Realm, he mused, feeling the vibrations of life from all directions. The Realm of Hearing. Not just hearing words or sounds, but hearing... essence. Intention. The rhythm of life itself.
He remembered the definition he had once given for the Wenjing Realm: "I don't hear your words. I hear why you say them." Now he understood that this applied not only to human conversation, but to the entire universe. Every natural phenomenon, every living creature, every movement of energy had an "intention" or "purpose" that could be heard by those in the Wenjing Realm.
Rain doesn't just fall—it falls with the intention to nourish. Wind doesn't just blow—it blows to carry messages from one place to another. Ocean waves don't just move—they move with the rhythm of the planet's own breath.
This is what it means to "hear the Dao speak through nature," Li Yuan thought with a profound understanding.
As his consciousness spread further, he began to grasp larger patterns. Ocean currents that formed a global communication network. Animal migration patterns that followed cosmic rhythms. Even human activities that, though seemingly random, actually followed deeper, natural patterns.
The most surprising realization was that this Universal Wenjing Realm effect did not influence humans as the Ganjing Realm effect did. The humans within his range did not feel a sudden calm or doubt as they usually would with the individual passive effects of his understandings. The Universal Wenjing Realm effect was purely perceptive—it received without changing.
This is so much more... ethical, Li Yuan thought with a sense of relief. I can connect with the world without accidentally imposing my will on others.
However, his individual Understanding of Water remained active within the one-meter radius, allowing him to communicate with the water around his body. The difference between the universal and individual effects became clear: the universal one listened, the individual one communicated.
Li Yuan floated in the silence filled with the sounds of life, feeling a deep satisfaction. For the first time in thousands of years, he felt... whole. Not isolated, but also not overwhelmed. Connected, but still himself.
This is true maturity, he reflected. Not hiding power for fear of harming others, but learning to use power wisely. Not avoiding connection due to past trauma, but opening up in a healthy and balanced way.
His smile widened as he felt a familiar presence in the distance—a group of dolphins playing near the surface, their musical laughter flowing through the water. Without hesitation, he began to swim toward them, letting the current carry him while enjoying the symphony of life that he could now hear perfectly.
This world is far more beautiful than I ever imagined, Li Yuan thought as he glided through the water with graceful movements. And for the first time in thousands of years, I am truly ready to be a part of it.
In the distance, merchant ships continued their voyages without realizing that they were now within the perceptive range of a being who had lived for almost sixteen thousand years. But Li Yuan had no plans to disturb them—at least, not yet.
For now, he was content with simply... listening. Listening to the world breathe, listening to life flow, listening to the Dao speak through every ripple of water and every gust of wind.
And in that sound-filled silence, Li Yuan finally felt truly... home.