I Can Devour Spirits-Chapter 111: Sea of Consciousness
Duan Rong’s dormitory was already cramped and small; he now sat cross-legged in a corner, with a wardrobe and an easel turned away from him, surrounding himself, along with the walls on both sides, creating a perfect enclosed area for himself!
This was also the positional requirement for constructing a mandala according to the cultivation technique!
Duan Rong hung the portraits of the Four Great Kings on the four walls!
According to the technique’s requirements, the Unmoving Bright King was in the east, the Walking Vajra King in the west, the Vajra Yaksha King in the north, and the Horse-headed Vajra King in the south.
After the mandala was complete, Duan Rong sat cross-legged, eyes closed, beginning to chant mantras and seal hand signs according to the technique, adjusting his breathing following a special Breathing and Exhaling Technique!
As stated in the Fetal Concealment Scripture, after a complex cycle of breathing, one must seek that turning point in the breath between inhale and exhale (which is the point where a deep breath naturally turns into an exhale after sinking into the dantian), allowing one’s spiritual power to sink in from this point to enter the Sea of Consciousness!
However, no matter how many times Duan Rong tried, he failed!
Because the turning point between inhale and exhale is actually elusive and vague, much like a sliding pulse, not easy to grasp!
Over time, even with Duan Rong’s patience, he couldn’t help but grow a bit impatient!
But just then, his divine sense suddenly shook!
Just now, by accident, his spiritual power precisely hit that point!
Duan Rong’s vision blurred, revealing a fading shadow, twisting and spinning unceasingly... he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness...
Suddenly, the dizziness stopped, and Duan Rong found himself in a space...
This world seemed like an endlessly vast space...
Much like a deep night on an empty field...
The black earth extended boundlessly, spreading into the distance...
While the sky was silent and still...
Between heaven and earth, thin mist permeated and rolled nonstop...
"Is this... the Sea of Consciousness?"
Then, Duan Rong suddenly noticed several shadows hanging upside down in the southeast of the Sea of Consciousness’s sky!
Duan Rong tried to distinguish them, but those blurry shadows were hard to identify!
However, with a thought, those shadows unexpectedly spun along with his intention!
A torrent of thoughts swept through Duan Rong’s mind!
He immediately knew what those shadows were!
They were the shadows of every artifact spirit he had devoured!
Zhao Mu’s Cow Tail Saber, the unsharpened machete in the warehouse, Gu Suxiu’s Silver Needle, Zhu Xiaoqi’s silver anklet, the Mo Saber on the Martial Arts Arena weapon rack, Jie Lei’s spear, Barrier Saber, and Longevity Lock...
Duan Rong was thoroughly astonished!
They all existed in his Sea of Consciousness!
Duan Rong’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. "These weapon spirits hang upside down in the sky, so what about the eighty-one Tier One Tree Spirits he devoured?"
Under the sky, Duan Rong looked around, but apart from the southeast’s weapon shadows, the rest of the sky was empty!
"Aren’t they here?"
Duan Rong didn’t think so; since the Tree Spirits were devoured, they should be in his Sea of Consciousness.
Moreover, he recalled the previous failure in devouring when the system hinted that the relevant area in the Consciousness Space is full.
The so-called Consciousness Space is indeed referring to the Sea of Consciousness!
It’s just that the same thing is described differently in various cultural systems!
The Sea of Consciousness is a term from the Fetal Concealment Scripture, originating from the Nine Provinces World’s cultural system.
The Consciousness Space, on the other hand, is terminology given by the system based on its modern knowledge system and language habits!
Although the descriptive terms differ, they refer to the same thing, which is the space before him in his mind!
Thus, Duan Rong was sure that the eighty-one Tier One Tree Spirits must be here!
Since they were not in the sky, they must be elsewhere!
Duan Rong suddenly found a hint of faint light, shimmering intermittently, coming from the southwest under the floating fog, much like a sparse group of fireflies hidden in the mist!
Duan Rong walked toward the faint light!
Before long, he stood before a sea of azure light, his mind momentarily stalled!
This sea of light consisted of eighty-one tree shadows, firmly rooted in the earth, exuding a faint azure glow seemingly solid!
"Are these the Tree Spirits I devoured?"
These tree shadows were so detailed and solid, even the veins on the leaves were visible!
Duan Rong’s heart suddenly skipped as he counted the Tree Spirits!
"Nine rows and nine columns, exactly eighty-one!"
Duan Rong turned to look at the weapon shadows in the southeastern sky, then back at the Tree Spirit Light Sea, exclaiming, "How come these Tree Spirits haven’t been absorbed at all? How many days has it been, and they’re still eighty-one!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
He circled around the sea of light a few times and finally stopped in front of one Tree Spirit!
This particular Tree Spirit was only half a tree; its trunk appeared gnawed by a wild deer, incomplete, especially on one branch, where the leaves seemed chewed by insects, leaving jagged edges...
Moreover, strands of light slowly detached from these leaves, like silk being drawn from a cocoon...
Upon close observation, Duan Rong noticed that the strands of light, once entering the void, vanished as if absorbed by something!
Duan Rong suddenly realized that these steadily withdrawing light strands, once detached, were being absorbed by his Consciousness Space!
In other words, the Sea of Consciousness was indeed digesting these Tree Spirits!
"But the speed is too slow! It’s like a snail’s pace!"
Looking again at the branches and leaves of this Tree Spirit, an idea suddenly struck Duan Rong!
"This is that... Fragrant Camphor Tree!"
This Fragrant Camphor Tree Spirit was the first Tier One Tree Spirit he found in Wild Boar Mountain; he had excitedly shouted in the mountains upon devouring it.
It was on his first day in Wild Boar Mountain that he devoured the Fragrant Camphor Tree Spirit. He spent eight or nine days in the mountain and had been back for several days. It’s been over ten days, and only half of this Tree Spirit was absorbed!
Only then did Duan Rong realize why devouring Artifact Spirits caused discomfort in his mind, whereas devouring Tree Spirits didn’t!
Because the Artifact Spirits were absorbed in just a few hours!
Yet, the Tree Spirits’ absorption took over ten days to finish half of one!
The absence of discomfort was simply because the absorption took too long!
"If I wait for Tree Spirits to be absorbed to elevate my spiritual power, I have no idea when that would be complete!"
It was fortunate that he didn’t miss out on Xu Ruhu’s Divine Soul Technique, or he would have been set up by the system...
Half a month to digest half a Tree Spirit means a full month for one Tier One Tree Spirit!
For eighty-one, wouldn’t it take eighty-one months?
How could he afford to wait that long?
Duan Rong left the Tree Spirit Light Sea and returned to the land’s center!
Within the Sea of Consciousness, thin fog swirled, the sky hung low, and the world was silent!
He felt an ancient, mighty force spreading in this realm, resonating with his thoughts...
Duan Rong stood awe-struck, whispering softly, "Each person’s Sea of Consciousness is a universe of its own..."
Duan Rong suddenly eyed the thin mist swirling before him, struck by an idea. Terrified, he thought, "Are these drifting, swirling mists... my thoughts?!"
