Chapter 102: Spiritual Sea of Consciousness
The crimson phenomenon continued far longer than Clayne expected.
After the horrifying hallucinations faded and the incomprehensible pressure vanished from his consciousness, the strange crimson particles still refused to stop gathering around him. The entire school building seemed to have become the center of a massive whirlpool invisible to ordinary eyes. Red mist continuously seeped from cracks in the walls, emerged from broken tiles, drifted through shattered windows, and rose from the earth itself. The phenomenon no longer resembled ordinary fog. Instead, it looked like countless tiny crimson snowflakes floating through the darkness before converging upon a single destination.
Him.
Clayne sat motionless in the center of the room while the crimson particles flowed into his body from every direction.
The sensation was unlike cultivation.
It was unlike absorbing crystals.
It was unlike receiving spiritual energy.
The process felt deeper.
More fundamental.
It felt as though something was altering his very existence.
His muscles continuously tightened and loosened.
His bones emitted faint cracking sounds.
His blood circulated faster and faster.
Even the spiritual energy inside his body began changing.
The Qi Condensation Realm energy within his dantian spun faster than ever before, forming miniature whirlpools of golden spiritual energy that continuously compressed themselves before expanding once again.
The entire process lasted for hours.
Outside the school, the apocalypse continued.
Mutated beasts fought each other.
Undead wandered ruined streets.
Distant buildings occasionally collapsed.
The city remained as chaotic as ever.
Yet none of that mattered to Clayne.
His entire focus remained on the changes occurring inside his own body.
The crimson mist entered him endlessly.
Every strand that entered caused another subtle improvement.
His cultivation rose.
His vitality increased.
His senses sharpened.
Even his thoughts seemed clearer than before.
Time gradually passed.
The moon traveled across the sky.
The night deepened.
Still the crimson mist continued pouring into him.
Eventually, the process began slowing.
The streams became thinner.
The crimson snow became less dense.
The pressure surrounding the school gradually weakened.
Then finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last strand of red mist entered his body.
Silence returned.
The room became still.
For several moments, Clayne remained seated.
His eyes stayed closed.
His breathing remained calm.
The changes inside him slowly settled.
Then he opened his eyes.
The difference was immediate.
The world looked different.
Not physically.
Something else.
The details around him appeared sharper.
The broken edges of shattered desks.
The individual grains of dust floating through moonlight.
The tiny cracks spreading across concrete walls.
Everything appeared clearer than before.
Then came the sounds.
Clayne could hear insects moving inside distant walls.
He could hear undead shuffling through streets several buildings away.
He could hear wind flowing through empty hallways.
The increase in perception shocked him.
Slowly, he stood up.
The moment he moved, he felt it.
Power.
Raw power.
Not the uncertain strength he possessed before.
Not the temporary confidence provided by formations.
Not borrowed power from treasures.
This was his.
Entirely his.
The realization alone made his heart race.
Without hesitation, Clayne circulated his spiritual energy.
Golden light immediately appeared beneath his skin.
The energy moved through his body effortlessly.
Every meridian responded perfectly.
Every strand of spiritual energy obeyed his thoughts.
The sensation felt incredible.
Immediately, he checked his cultivation.
Then checked it again.
Then once more.
The result remained unchanged.
Third Stage.
Qi Condensation Realm.
Third Stage.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Then widened.
Then widened further.
The increase stunned even him.
The crimson mist had not merely strengthened him.
It had pushed him two entire stages beyond his previous breakthrough.
The realization felt unbelievable.
Several days ago he had been hiding inside a classroom while struggling to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Now he possessed cultivation powerful enough to smash reinforced concrete casually.
The absurdity of the situation made him laugh.
Naturally, the first thing he wanted to do was test it.
He approached a nearby wall.
The concrete looked sturdy.
Thick.
Solid.
Clayne slowly raised his hand.
Golden spiritual energy gathered beneath the skin of his fist.
Not outside.
Not projected.
Simply coating his flesh.
The golden glow shimmered softly.
Then he lightly tapped the wall.
Not punched.
Tapped.
The sound itself was barely audible.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Boom.
The wall exploded inward.
Not cracked.
Not fractured.
Exploded.
Chunks of reinforced concrete shot across the room.
Dust erupted everywhere.
Large sections collapsed instantly.
The entire floor shook.
Clayne stared.
Then looked at his hand.
Then at the destroyed wall.
Then back at his hand.
Silence lasted only a few seconds.
Then laughter erupted.
"Hahaha!"
The sound echoed throughout the school.
The joy felt impossible to suppress.
He laughed again.
And again.
And again.
The feeling was too satisfying.
All the fear.
All the struggles.
All the days spent desperately searching for food, water, crystals, and opportunities.
Everything suddenly felt worthwhile.
Scytherion watched nearby.
The giant crimson mantis tilted its dragon-like head.
Through their connection, Clayne could feel the creature becoming happy as well.
Its master had become stronger.
The mantis genuinely liked that.
"Master strong."
The thought entered their connection.
"Very strong."
"Very very strong."
Clayne laughed even harder.
Then suddenly, another idea entered his mind.
Without warning, he ran toward the shattered window.
Scytherion blinked.
Then watched as Clayne jumped.
Not climbed.
Not descended carefully.
Jumped.
Straight out of the fourth floor.
The mantis immediately rushed toward the opening.
Then looked down.
Boom.
A crater formed below.
Clayne landed perfectly.
He remained completely unharmed.
The impact barely registered.
The ground suffered more damage than he did.
Several moments later, Clayne burst into laughter again.
Then he bent his knees.
Boom.
His body launched upward.
The distance between floors vanished instantly.
He grabbed the edge of the fourth floor.
Pulled himself upward.
Entered the room.
Then immediately jumped back down.
Boom.
Then up again.
Boom.
Then down again.
Boom.
Then up again.
The entire process repeated endlessly.
Clayne ran across hallways.
Leapt between floors.
Smashed through weakened walls.
Climbed exterior surfaces.
Dropped from rooftops.
Repeatedly.
Relentlessly.
Like a child who had just discovered a new toy.
Meanwhile, Scytherion watched in complete confusion.
The mantis genuinely failed to understand what was happening.
Its master would jump down.
Then jump up.
Then jump down.
Then jump up.
Then run around.
Then laugh.
Then repeat everything again.
Eventually, the creature finally asked.
"Master."
Boom.
Clayne landed.
"What?"
"Why?"
The question sounded sincere.
Clayne paused.
Then laughed.
"Because I can."
The mantis became even more confused.
That explanation clarified absolutely nothing.
Still, it accepted the answer.
Humans were strange.
Its master was especially strange.
Eventually, after exhausting himself—not physically, but mentally—Clayne finally calmed down.
The excitement settled.
His breathing remained completely steady.
His body showed no signs of fatigue.
That realization pleased him greatly.
Then another thought entered his mind.
The Tiny World.
Immediately, he sat down.
His consciousness entered his spiritual sea.
The miniature cultivation world appeared before him.
Silent River Hill.
The rivers.
The forests.
The demonic beasts.
Everything looked exactly as before.
Then Clayne attempted something he had been curious about since reaching Qi Condensation Realm.
Slowly, he guided the Tiny World toward his spiritual sea.
The entire miniature world trembled.
The rivers shook.
The mountains vibrated.
The forests rustled.
Then the entire Tiny World disappeared.
Not destroyed.
Stored.
Clayne immediately felt a strange connection.
The world now existed inside his spiritual sea.
Closer than ever before.
Almost like a second organ.
The sensation felt incredible.
He immediately tested it.
The Tiny World emerged.
Then returned inside.
Then emerged again.
Then returned inside.
Several times he repeated the process.
The result remained consistent.
The world could safely reside inside his spiritual sea.
No one could steal it.
No one could destroy it accidentally.
No one could even discover it unless he allowed them.
The realization made him feel even more secure.
Unfortunately, another issue appeared.
Whenever the Tiny World entered his spiritual sea, direct observation became impossible.
The world remained active.
The inhabitants continued moving.
Yet his consciousness could not properly view what was happening inside.
The moment he removed it, visibility returned.
The moment he stored it, visibility vanished.
After testing repeatedly, he accepted the conclusion.
A minor inconvenience.
Nothing more.
The benefits far outweighed the drawbacks.
Eventually, Clayne removed the Tiny World once more and looked inside.
The sight immediately drew his attention.
Numerous demonic beasts roamed throughout Silent River Hill.
Many possessed powerful cultivation.
Many radiated frightening auras.
Some had arrived recently.
Others had likely been attracted by the overwhelming spiritual energy gathered around the region.
To the current Clayne, however, they no longer seemed threatening.
Several taming formations appeared.
Green light spread throughout the landscape.
One beast after another submitted.
Some resisted briefly.
Others surrendered immediately.
The entire process felt almost effortless compared to before.
When he finally finished, several additional powerful demonic beasts had joined his growing army.
Only then did Clayne finally relax.
His gaze drifted across the Tiny World.
Past the rivers.
Past the forests.
Past the mountains.
Toward a familiar location.
The place where everything had started.
The place whose disciples had worshipped him from the beginning.
The place he had neglected while dealing with the apocalypse.
The Silent Sword Sect.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The realization made him chuckle softly.
So much had happened that he had almost forgotten about them.
How long had it been since he last checked on them properly?
Days?
Perhaps longer.
The disciples were probably wondering whether their deity had disappeared.
With that thought in mind, Clayne focused his attention toward the distant sect grounds and quietly muttered,
"It’s been a long time since I’ve checked on the Silent Sword Sect."
His eyes narrowed slightly as anticipation appeared within them.
"I’ll go see how they’re doing."