Chapter 3441: This sea here is the true destination

The sea of consciousness is like a place you've heard much about but never had the chance to visit.

Like a hidden utopia shrouded in willow shadows and blooming flowers, it inspires longing.

Song Ruyu had been on the Dao for two years; though exceptionally gifted, her grasp of spiritual energy and cultivation remained insufficient, and without true guidance, she had longed to explore the sea of consciousness but never succeeded.

Now hearing that Ye Chen would lead her to find it, her heart stirred with excitement, and she respectfully said: "Thank you, Mr. Ye, for bestowing this opportunity upon me!"

Ye Chen nodded and said: "I use white wine to stimulate your inner observation, letting the wine's energy guide your divine sense deeper and deeper, so you know where true inner observation should lead—but your divine sense is not strong enough, and relying on your own strength, it would be hard to penetrate deeply in a short time. So just let your divine sense follow the wine's energy; if you cannot move forward, I will assist you from behind."

One's own divine sense may not reach the sea of consciousness, but alcohol is naturally capable of doing so.

Alcohol can numb human nerves, plunging the sea of consciousness into chaos—whether the drinker feels it or not does not hinder alcohol's direct penetration into the sea of consciousness.

Song Ruyu also understood Ye Chen's reasoning and, without hesitation, said: "Then I shall begin inner observation now! Everything depends on Mr. Ye!"

Ye Chen nodded, having Song Ruyu sit cross-legged on the ground in the living room stall. As she began inner observation, he extended one hand and lightly placed it on her right wrist pulse point.

At that moment, Song Ruyu felt as if she were in a sea of great buoyancy; though the energy formed by alcohol was weak, its density surpassed that of the ocean, so these energies were like small stones that could sink easily and naturally to the seabed.

But her divine sense was like an inflatable rubber raft; when she tried to follow the alcohol's energy down to the seabed, the harder she struggled, the greater the water's buoyancy became—sometimes, after great effort, she would barely sink in, only to find the seabed still far away.

Yet this sinking could not be done step by step; whenever she relaxed even slightly or felt her strength faltering, the immense buoyancy would instantly send her divine sense back to the surface.

This attempt was no different.

She had already exhausted all her strength, yet in this ocean of immense buoyancy, each meter descended demanded an enormous cost.

When she felt she could no longer hold on and was about to be dragged back to the surface by that powerful force, suddenly a tremendous energy pushed against her back, pressing her firmly into the deep sea!

Instantly, she realized: this was Ye Chen acting!

The sensation of being held firmly underwater did not cause Song Ruyu panic; instead, it filled her with astonished delight.

Ye Chen's spiritual energy, compared to hers, was like heaven and earth.

As Ye Chen's spiritual energy flowed in, she felt as if a great hand like the Buddha's palm had seized her, pressing her powerfully and swiftly into the sea.

Soon, her divine sense reached a depth she had never before surpassed.

Cultivators face countless hardships on the path; this deep sea is the great obstacle they must overcome at the first step.

Throughout history, countless cultivators have halted before this deep sea, unwilling to advance.

If you cannot penetrate it, you will never progress further, never enter the next realm.

But this time, Song Ruyu's divine sense was propelled by Ye Chen's spiritual energy, steadily advancing toward the deepest part of the deep sea.

Though the deep sea is merely a metaphor, it is an exceptionally fitting one.

As Song Ruyu's divine sense continued to descend, the pressure resembling deep-sea pressure grew ever greater, nearly overwhelming her endurance.

At one moment, she even felt her entire consciousness on the verge of being torn apart by immense pressure.

Fortunately, Ye Chen protected her wholly; when she felt she could bear no more, she heard his voice in her mind: "Do not worry, I am here."

Immediately, she felt a powerful spiritual energy enveloping her divine sense like a swaddling cloth around an infant, wrapping her completely, and a sense of safety instantly filled her entire being.

Then, Song Ruyu felt her divine sense had been brought by Ye Chen to the very bottom of the deep sea.

Originally, she thought understanding the sea of consciousness meant slowly searching at the bottom—but she never imagined that the instant her divine sense touched the seabed, the entire world underwent a tremendous transformation.

The original seabed suddenly became the sky of another world.

As if the seabed held a passage directly to another world, she instantly broke free from the seabed and appeared above another vast blue sea.

The entire space seemed like a world containing only sky and sea.

The sky was utterly silent, without even a cloud, while the vast blue sea below was perfectly calm, save for occasional tiny ripples, as if something had fallen into it.

Ye Chen's voice sounded again: "Miss Song, this place is your sea of consciousness!"

Song Ruyu was astonished and could not help but ask Ye Chen: "Mr. Ye, how does this sea of consciousness differ from the deep sea just now?"

Ye Chen smiled and said: "Both are seas, but the former was an obstacle—this sea here is the true destination."

Having said that, Ye Chen added: "Look at those tiny ripples on the surface of the sea of consciousness—they are the effect alcohol has on it. Your constitution far exceeds that of ordinary people, so alcohol's influence on your sea of consciousness is minimal. If an ordinary person drank too much, their entire sea of consciousness would be overturned like a tsunami."

"Ah, I see!" Song Ruyu exclaimed, feeling moved: "Then does entering the sea of consciousness with one's divine sense allow cultivation to achieve twice the result with half the effort?"

"Exactly!" Ye Chen smiled: "Cultivating one's divine sense here not only strengthens spiritual energy but also greatly enhances perception."

Song Ruyu restrained her excitement and asked: "Mr. Ye, will I need your help again the next time I enter the sea of consciousness?"

Ye Chen smiled: "The deep sea blocking you is not eternal; once you overcome this barrier, it is as if you have broken through it, and thereafter it will no longer exist."

"Really?" Song Ruyu exclaimed with delight: "So from now on, whenever I perform inner observation with my divine sense, I will be able to come here?"

"Yes," Ye Chen said: "It's like learning a route—once you know the way, returning becomes much easier."

After speaking, Ye Chen cautioned her: "In the sea of consciousness, truly feel it—leap directly from here and immerse yourself; you will surely gain unexpected rewards."

Song Ruyu eagerly awaited; as her divine sense stirred, she felt as if she were falling from the sky, plunging toward the sea of consciousness.

The sensation was like jumping from ten thousand meters in free fall, yet her heart felt no fear—only pure enjoyment of this unrestricted descent.

At the moment her divine sense entered the sea of consciousness, there was no great impact or splash as she had imagined; instead, the instant her divine sense touched the sea of consciousness, it seemed to instantly become part of it, merging completely in a blink.

At that moment, she felt her entire being and divine sense were like basking in a spring breeze—her state was wonderfully good.

She could not help but sigh: "So this is the wonder of inner observation of the sea of consciousness—if not for Mr. Ye, I might never have had the chance in this life to experience this marvel!"