Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Fifty-Three: The Way of Thunder

After Ye Junze’s journey of enlightenment finally set upon the right path, the classroom was quiet, with Yin Jia sitting composedly on the dais, watching over the students seated on their meditation mats.

The classroom, affected perhaps by the passage of time, had seen the once-blinding white radiance that blurred vision gradually dim. Now, only a faint, translucent halo emanated from each mat, shrouding and protecting the students from disturbance.

Yin Jia observed the expressions within the halos—some serene, others lost, fearful, or excited. Most, however, bore faces twisted in struggle, as if enduring a torment of the soul. She silently praised the few who remained untroubled, thinking, “I hadn’t expected this year’s cohort to have such promising talents. I’ll have to pay close attention to them in the future.”

“I wonder what insights each of them is gaining,” she mused, her gaze drifting over the class. When her eyes landed on Ye Junze, she murmured in surprise, “That child… seems unusual. There’s a trace of the Lightning Path about him.” Fixing her gaze upon Ye Junze, she scrutinized him intently, as if to see through every layer of his being.

Yet, while Yin Jia was wholly focused on Ye Junze, she failed to notice that one student—whose struggle had been particularly evident—was in dire straits. Within his protective halo, his features contorted further, brow furrowed in agony, veins bulging along his face and arms as if at the brink of endurance. At last, he could bear it no longer—a tortured cry burst from his throat as he collapsed sideways.

“Ah—!”

The cry snapped Yin Jia out of her reverie. She immediately looked to the source and, seeing the boy fallen, thought, “This is bad.” She quickly scanned the room, worried that the sound might have disturbed others, but found all the students still deep in their respective worlds. Relieved again by the efficacy of the mats’ protective auras, she hurried to the boy’s side.

One glance at his face told her all she needed to know. Lifting him gently, she murmured, “I thought this year’s freshmen were well-prepared, but it seems not all are ready for the ordeal. I was careless—I should have warned them more clearly.” Shaking off her regret, she resolved, “For now, I must see to this child.”

She helped the boy back onto his mat, then grasped his wrist to check his pulse. After a moment, she released her hold, her worry visibly easing. “Fortunately, he didn’t try to force a breakthrough. That would have been far more troublesome.” The boy, unconscious, was oblivious to everything said and done.

Still cautious, Yin Jia placed her hand on his forehead, probing further. After a while, she withdrew her hand and said, “Good—his sea of consciousness remains intact. He’ll recover in a few days’ rest.” With that, she finally let out a breath, gathered spiritual energy at her fingertip, and pressed it between his brows. As the energy flowed into him, the ferocity faded from his features.

Yin Jia, relieved, sat nearby to await his awakening.

Perhaps due to her skillful intervention, the boy began to stir far sooner than expected. His eyelids fluttered, struggling to open, and then his eyes snapped wide. For a moment, he stared blankly at his lap, as if unsure where he was. Gradually, clarity returned to his gaze, and at last he looked up to see Yin Jia seated before him.

Seeing her, memories of his collapse and the events prior came flooding back. Realizing she must have stayed specifically to help him, he said, a note of shame in his voice, “Teacher, I’m sorry to have troubled you.”

Yin Jia looked at him, waved off his apology, and said, “It’s nothing. I was at fault for being careless. I’m just glad you’re awake.” Her easygoing manner only made the boy more embarrassed; he scratched his head, at a loss for words. Sensing his discomfort, Yin Jia produced a small jade bottle from nowhere—had Ye Junze witnessed it, he would surely have recognized it as a spatial artifact, though the boy himself was merely puzzled by this sleight of hand.

Yin Jia uncorked the bottle, releasing a strange, fragrant aroma that seemed to soothe the boy’s wounds even before he understood it. Noticing his curiosity, Yin Jia offered no explanation. She poured a pure white pill into her palm. At once, the boy felt an even stronger compulsion, as if an inner voice urged, “Take it, and you’ll recover.”

While his mind raced, Yin Jia extended the pill to him and said, “Take this—it will help you heal.” Obediently, he accepted the pill, thanking her sincerely.

Yin Jia waved off his thanks. “Go on—take it.”

He said no more, swallowing the pill in one gulp.

Yin Jia watched him and instructed, “Good. Now circulate your spiritual energy, guide it through your meridians, and let the medicine work fully.”

Grateful for her careful guidance, the boy thanked her again, closed his eyes, and began to meditate, channeling his energy to heal.

Once she had confirmed his condition was stable, Yin Jia returned to her seat to continue monitoring the rest of the class.

...

Throughout this episode, Ye Junze was completely unaware, still immersed in absorbing the insights of the Lightning Path recounted by Yin Jia. Even if he’d wanted to know what transpired, the mats’ protective halos would not have allowed it. And, once the matter was resolved, Ye Junze’s own experience was drawing to a close.

Within Ye Junze’s sea of consciousness, all was now suffused in boundless purple. The once pale blue waters were wholly replaced by violet, and here and there, faint arcs of lightning flickered across the surface, transforming the entire expanse into a sea of thunder. Even the air above shimmered with stray purple bolts, each arc asserting dominion over the realm, brooking no intrusion.

Ye Junze himself was oblivious to these changes. The transformation of his sea of consciousness had brought with it unfamiliar knowledge, and he devoted himself wholly to absorbing it. By now, he had more or less discerned the nature of those mysterious symbols he’d encountered.

“So this is what Teacher meant by enlightenment,” Ye Junze murmured to himself. “Who would have thought that each of those symbols embodied a true path?”

“If only I’d known sooner, I could have tried them all—perhaps I’d have mastered several paths by now,” he thought, amused by his own greed.

He shook his head with a wry smile. “That’s a bit much. Leaving aside whether I could master them all, I’m barely keeping up with this Lightning Path as it is. Any more, and my sea of consciousness might just explode.”

He raised his hand, and without any visible motion, a streak of purple lightning appeared in his palm, identical to the arcane symbols he’d seen before. The only difference was the energy it contained—a mere shadow of the power held by the original.

Staring at the lightning in his palm, Ye Junze mused, “I wonder how much time has passed. It took a fair effort to truly master this mark.”

Fortunately for Ye Junze, his mutterings went unheard. Had Yin Jia overheard him, she would likely have been unable to resist smacking him on the spot. Those symbols he’d seen were imprints of the grand paths, forged by the sages of Anze through secret arts, so that successors might comprehend the way more swiftly. Even as mere vessels, they were far from easy to master—let alone fully control, as Ye Junze now claimed. Even self-proclaimed geniuses like Yin Jia and Li Xi had needed considerable time to first grasp and then fully command such marks. For Ye Junze to do so within a few hours would drive others to despair.

With a casual wave, Ye Junze dismissed the lightning in his palm. “I suppose I’ve fulfilled the requirements of the lesson. But how do I leave?”

Unbeknownst to him, he had not only fulfilled but far exceeded the course’s expectations.

As if some unseen presence had heard his words, the transformation of his sea of consciousness reached completion—the very last trace of blue turning to violet.

Plop—!

A single drop struck the surface—a sound like water falling upon stillness—and in that instant, the entire space began to shift.