Chapter Eighty-One: Awakening the Sea of Consciousness, Part One

Chapter Eighty-One: Opening the Sea of Consciousness (Part One)

The thread of divine sense that Xia Zhe had condensed was swiftly absorbed by the stellar body of his brain, then vanished, leaving him somewhat at a loss. Yet he knew this was a necessary step in opening the sea of consciousness. He continued in the same manner, condensing another thread of divine sense.

The second condensation went much smoother than the first, with less time required, though the pain remained. Perhaps the brain had developed a mechanism to adapt to pain, for with repeated stimuli, the suffering seemed somewhat easier to bear.

Thus, this process continued for more than ten hours. Xia Zhe felt drowsy; by now, he had successfully condensed nearly ten threads of divine sense, all absorbed by the stellar body of the brain. The dark stellar body at his back had shrunk considerably, indicating that condensing divine sense consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy.

Unable to withstand the fatigue and sleepiness, Xia Zhe’s consciousness avatar withdrew from the brain, returning to his body. He opened his eyes, feeling an intense discomfort.

Fortunately, he was mentally prepared. Just as he was about to struggle to stand, he found the medical team, led by Chiyoko Endo, approaching him. Without ceremony, they lifted him and placed him in a white sleep pod, shaped like a vessel.

“Dr. Endo, what is this?” Xia Zhe tried to stay awake, asking in confusion.

Chiyoko Endo leaned over him, her neckline revealing a flush of pink within. Was this woman really dressed with nothing underneath?

“Mr. Xia, your cultivation has rapidly increased your physical attributes, but it has also brought significant side effects. We’re going to administer restorative treatment, mainly deep sleep and cellular repair. Don’t worry—you just need to sleep peacefully. If you like, I can even arrange for you to have a most delightful dream.” Endo’s words tempted Xia Zhe, but recalling the teachings of the Divine Way about the influence of desire, he was reminded to minimize distractions of desire before opening the sea of consciousness.

“I’ll pass, thank you, Dr. Endo. I’m too tired.” With a yawn, he slowly closed his eyes.

In his final glimpse, Xia Zhe saw Chiyoko Endo give him a sweet smile, her mature charm evident.

Within the sleep pod, Xia Zhe, now in deep sleep, received various treatments. Tubes inserted into his nostrils delivered nanobots, which the medical team controlled to repair damaged cells, focusing on neurons, since pain most severely affected them.

Additionally, nutrients were administered through nasal feeding, the composition determined by Emilia Miller.

After several hours of intense work by the medical team, Xia Zhe's body returned to optimal condition. The latest data showed incredible changes unfolding within his brain—a rare evolution, thrilling those fortunate enough to witness an esper’s transformation.

For years, the Federation had dedicated itself to studying the evolution of espers, making good progress. Yet the most mysterious among them, the Mentalists, remained an uncharted territory: their numbers were extremely few, and their evolution shrouded in secrecy, leaving research lacking. Now, Xia Zhe offered a precious opportunity, making the entire Foundation feel it had struck gold.

Upon waking, Xia Zhe intended to resume his cultivation, but was soon led away by Emilia Miller.

“I wonder where Ms. Miller intends to take me?” Xia Zhe asked curiously. Emilia’s surname was Miller; she was barely into her twenties, yet already held a master’s degree, reportedly pursuing her doctorate—a formidable woman.

Emilia glanced back at Xia Zhe, expressionless. “You’ve recovered well, but to maintain peak physical condition, you need proper nutrition. I’ve prepared a special meal for you in my room. Well? Are you coming?”

Given her demeanor, Xia Zhe felt obliged to oblige, saying nothing more and following her.

The Foundation’s main base was still under construction, expected to take another half year. This was only a temporary site.

Despite its supposed simplicity, the conditions were actually quite decent: senior researchers and team leaders had their own single dorms, while other researchers and staff shared collective quarters.

Half an hour later, in Emilia’s single dormitory living room, Xia Zhe tasted her specially prepared meal.

It was neither particularly rich nor delicious, but under Emilia’s pressing gaze, Xia Zhe forced himself to finish it.

“How would you rate it?” Emilia asked abruptly when he was done.

Xia Zhe paused, careful not to offend this academic prodigy. “Ninety out of a hundred—very good.”

“Is that so?” Emilia’s expression betrayed nothing. Xia Zhe promptly took his leave—her presence always felt a bit stifling.

After Xia Zhe departed, Emilia stared at her menu and cooking methods. “Only ninety? It should be a hundred. Damn it, am I not practicing enough?”

Once his body had recovered, Xia Zhe returned to training, still condensing mental energy and refining divine sense. After rest, treatment, and nutritional supplementation, his physical condition reached a dynamic peak.

Drawing again upon the mental energy of the stellar brain, he found himself much more resilient to the pain of the process, suffering far less.

This newfound endurance accelerated his cultivation; after fifteen hours, he had refined dozens of threads of divine sense. The entire stellar brain underwent visible changes, and the dark stellar body containing mental energy shrank by half.

Each time he trained for over ten hours, his consciousness avatar was forcibly ejected from the brain domain, returning to his body, leaving him fatigued and hungry.

Thus, he repeatedly underwent deep sleep therapy, cellular repair, neuron regeneration, and nutritional reinforcement. Within a few hours, he would revive nearly at full strength.

On the fifth day, after mechanically refining another thread of divine sense, Xia Zhe’s consciousness avatar suddenly sensed something strange in the stellar brain.

The once-white star, shadowed by darkness, now glowed a deep red, flickering incessantly. The dark stellar body could no longer be sensed—its energy rapidly depleted.

The stellar brain, transformed into a red energy body, seemed to be brewing something. The lightning coursing along its surface ceased entirely.

“Could the divine sense have reached its limit?” Xia Zhe recalled the descriptions from the Divine Way: when no more divine sense can be refined, it is time to open the sea of consciousness.

This time, Xia Zhe’s consciousness avatar stood upright, then slowly descended toward the stellar brain, passing through its folds and grooves, sinking into its core.

“Fuse the spirit into the body, forge the divine into a sword.” Xia Zhe’s consciousness avatar broke apart, transforming into a mass of green spiritual light, which began to attract all the red threads of divine sense absorbed by the stellar brain.

Gradually, the red divine sense energy, under the will of the spiritual light, stretched and elongated, forming a crimson long sword, its tip pointing skyward.

“A sword against the stars, shattering consciousness into the sea.” The spiritual light, wrapped around the crimson sword, vibrated, then slowly rose, accelerating until it pierced through the stellar brain and thrust into a black curtain resembling the cosmic night.

This thrust seemed to herald the birth of a new existence. The last residue of energy from the dark stellar body behind the brain was instantly consumed, absorbed by the divine sense sword, making it stronger.

The sword rose higher, finally seeming to touch a barrier, unable to advance further.

Yet Xia Zhe’s spiritual light avatar pressed on, urging the divine sense sword to break through all obstacles.

Outside the training room, in the monitoring chamber tracking Xia Zhe’s physical data, a crowd had gathered. The team leaders were tense—even Emilia Miller, usually stoic, showed rare signs of anxiety.

Apart from ordinary staff, Shen Tu Yue, Song Xinghui, Shen Tu Wan Hua, Felina, and a figure cloaked in flax-colored robes, hood drawn, whose features were obscured, waited together for news of Xia Zhe’s breakthrough.

For the past few days, Song Xinghui had been entertaining a mysterious guest. Upon receiving Shen Tu Yue’s message that Xia Zhe was about to break through, both he and his guest became intrigued and came to witness Xia Zhe’s advancement.

When Xia Zhe ceased refining divine sense and his brain fell silent, the monitoring instruments displayed a bizarre stagnation, causing many to suspect he had failed to advance.

“No, this is the threshold state for a Mentalist. We must activate defenses, or there may be danger,” said the mysterious figure, whose voice revealed her to be a woman.

Shen Tu Wan Hua immediately ordered, “Activate maximum defense for Level Five training room.”

Thus, the defense system powered up, and powerful energy shields spread throughout the training chamber.

The moment Xia Zhe’s divine sense became a sword, a fierce mental shock radiated from him, striking the energy shield and causing the room to tremble. Fortunately, the defenses were activated in time; otherwise, the lab’s instruments would have been destroyed.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a greater tremor shook the room, and the energy shield became precarious.

“We’ve surpassed the theoretical damage threshold for A-level espers!” an employee warned.

Faces darkened. Shen Tu Wan Hua grew anxious; Shen Tu Yue remained composed; Song Xinghui was appreciative; Felina was excited and admiring; the hooded woman’s figure quivered slightly.

The tremors from the training room grew in intensity, and alarms sounded as the shields faltered.

“We’ve surpassed the theoretical damage threshold for A+ level espers!” the employee warned again.

Everyone except Song Xinghui, Felina, and the hooded woman felt overwhelmed. The room was as if a great dragon were trapped within, roaring and ready to burst free and devour all.

Xia Zhe’s consciousness, wielding the divine sense sword, had pierced a hole in the dark vault of the heavens. The hole widened, and the starry night was shattered, breaking into countless fragments that rained down.

A dazzling light flooded in, engulfing the entire realm.

At the same time, the training room ceased its shaking, but safety was not assured.

The hooded woman stepped forward, raising her hand to conjure a multicolored barrier within the monitoring chamber, wrapping the room in waves of invisible mental energy.

“A Mentalist… She’s actually a Mentalist…” Many realized at once, for the mental surge emanating from the woman matched that brought by Xia Zhe, leading them naturally to infer her identity.