Volume One: Entering the Path Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pillar of Light

As soon as Fang Lin finished speaking, she fell silent and began to move her hands, though no one could tell exactly what she was doing. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to wait patiently, their anticipation steadily growing as they recalled Fang Lin’s earlier words.

As Fang Lin’s hands moved, everyone gradually sensed that something new was filling the air, though none could say precisely what it was. Ye Junze, too, noticed this strange sensation—some new presence after Fang Lin began her mysterious work. He watched her hands for a while, trying to decipher her actions, but to no avail. Almost instinctively, his gaze drifted back to the stones scattered on the ground from when they first arrived.

As he focused on them, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The previously ordinary stones now seemed to emit a faint glow, each one flickering softly, dazzling his eyes. To confirm it wasn’t a hallucination, Ye Junze rubbed his eyes and looked again. The stones still shimmered without exception.

Convinced it was real, Ye Junze concentrated intently on the stones. Nearby, Li Ling noticed Ye Junze staring at something and couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What’s the matter? What are you looking at?"

Before Ye Junze could answer, the others, having overheard, turned toward Li Ling with puzzled expressions, as if to ask what he was up to now.

Fan Yan spoke up, "Did something happen?"

Li Ling shook his head. "No, I just saw Ye Junze staring at something and wanted to ask him. Sorry to disturb you all."

Hearing this, the group waved it off, indicating it was fine. Still, after Li Ling’s remark, they all glanced at Ye Junze in unison.

Ye Junze, absorbed in observing the stones, heard the commotion and looked up, a bit confused, "What is it?"

The group collectively sighed and replied in exasperation, "We should be asking you that!"

"Me?" Ye Junze blinked, genuinely puzzled.

"Yes, we want to know what you’ve been staring at so intently," they said, getting straight to the point after seeing he truly seemed oblivious.

"Oh," Ye Junze finally understood. Scratching his head a little sheepishly, he replied, "I thought it was something serious. I wasn’t looking at anything unusual, just at those stones from before. You can look too."

"Stones?" they echoed, puzzled. Yet, following his suggestion, their eyes dropped to the stones. As they did, they too noticed the stones emitting a gentle glow, their faces quickly filling with contemplation.

Seeing their reactions, Ye Junze knew they had realized it. "So? You all noticed it too, right?"

They nodded in unison.

Fan Yan was the first to speak, "These stones seem to be glowing, don’t they?"

Ye Junze nodded approvingly. "Exactly."

"But just a moment ago, they weren’t like this," Yun Tianhan added.

"Did it start after Teacher Fang Lin began her mysterious work?" Li Ling asked thoughtfully, eyes fixed on the stones.

"It certainly seems so," Lu Renjia agreed.

Li Ling then wore a proud look. "That means our earlier guess was correct—these stones do hold secrets. I wonder what will happen next."

"Let’s just wait and see," Ye Junze replied.

Everyone nodded and fell into a quiet, expectant silence.

As the group whispered among themselves, Fang Lin continued her intricate hand movements, her gestures shifting and transforming without pause. Her hands moved so quickly that after a while, even afterimages appeared, making it impossible to discern what she was doing.

The group watched her hands, and as her speed increased, their eyes began to sting from the effort. Still, none wanted to give up, stubbornly fixating on Fang Lin’s every move.

After a while, the stinging became unbearable for many. Some finally surrendered, closing their eyes and rubbing them. Only a few held out a little longer, but they too eventually gave in, closing their eyes to rest.

Ye Junze observed those around him and shook his head, lost in thought.

Fang Lin paid no mind to the group; she had no spare attention to be distracted by their reactions. With her every gesture, the environment subtly changed—though no one had yet noticed.

"Look over there!" A sudden exclamation broke the silence.

Startled, Ye Junze, standing nearby, turned quickly toward Li Ling. "What is it, Li Ling? Why are you shouting?"

The others, also hearing Li Ling, looked at him in confusion and curiosity.

"No, look up," Li Ling insisted.

Ye Junze, sensing the seriousness in his tone, looked up as told.

The moment he did, he understood. Shafts of light now streamed through the gaps between the trees, and these beams intersected precisely according to the trees’ placement, forming a pattern that hovered at mid-trunk height. But that was not all. From the tall trees overhead, leaves began falling—not to the ground, but instead, as if caught by some unseen wind, swirling upward and drifting onto the luminous pattern.

As more and more leaves settled on the pattern, the group saw a design, covered in green leaves, form above their heads. Once enough leaves had gathered, the trees ceased shedding. Then, the leaves on the pattern began to dissipate, transforming into countless green points of light, which merged into the beams of the pattern. When all the leaves had dissolved into these emerald sparks, a vivid green magic array appeared above them.

The array exuded an aura of mystery and, the longer one gazed at it, the more it seemed to pulse with boundless vitality.

Fang Lin, too busy to speak, finally slowed her hands and took several deep breaths, her face showing fatigue.

As she caught her breath, she thought, "As expected, every time I perform Dream Weaving, the energy drain is immense. I must intensify my training."

"But at least it’s almost done. Soon, these children will have the real challenge ahead," she added, both relieved and a little amused.

Shaking her head to clear these thoughts, she murmured, "First, I need to finish what’s in front of me," and resumed her work.

...

While Ye Junze was still gazing up at the luminous array, he suddenly felt compelled to look down at the glowing stones.

Their radiance had grown even stronger, and now, countless beams of light rose from the stones, interlacing just as before, and then surged upward to merge with the emerald array overhead.

As the others finally noticed, they cried out in surprise, "What’s happening?"

"Wow, I just noticed these stones!"

"Yes, they look much more beautiful this way."

"And look—when the stones’ light meets that green thing above, something’s changing."

"You’re right, it really is."

...

The group chattered excitedly, oblivious to other developments.

Ye Junze, ever observant, turned his eyes to the ground—specifically, beneath everyone’s feet.

After watching for a while, he noticed that as the stones’ light and the array above merged, small green circles of light appeared wherever people stood. These circles glowed with the same emerald hue, and upon closer inspection, they seemed like miniature versions of the array above.

What’s more, these circles only appeared beneath people’s feet—nowhere else.

"Could it be determined according to our positions?" Ye Junze wondered.

To test his theory, he stepped onto a nearby patch of empty ground. After a few seconds, a new circle of light bloomed beneath him.

Confirming his guess, Ye Junze muttered, "So that’s how it is."

As more circles appeared beneath the group, suddenly, dozens of beams of light fell from the array above, linking each person’s circle to the pattern overhead and enveloping them in light.

Ye Junze, curious, moved slightly and found himself unaffected; reassured, he relaxed.

Seeing that her work was complete, Fang Lin finally stopped her movements. Dusting off her hands, she announced, "All right, the Dream Weaving formation is ready. From here on, your success depends on your own efforts."

The group’s faces grew solemn, and they nodded in understanding.

Fang Lin continued, "Of course, since the length of the Dream Weaving will differ for each of you, I suggest you all sit down rather than remain standing, in case you feel unwell when it’s over."

At her advice, the group chuckled and obediently sat down.

Seeing this, Fang Lin smiled and nodded, then declared, "Then, let the Dream Weaving begin. Good luck to you all."