Ascending to the Clouds Alone

At this moment, a bright moon hangs in the night sky.

The moonlight that fell had transformed into strands of silver threads, like harp strings, floating quietly in the night.

Lin Su was filled with doubt and confusion, his mind utterly bewildered:

Is this an illusion? Could there be a problem with my cultivation? Or...?

As he pondered this, several sounds suddenly drifted from afar.

One slow note followed by three fast ones intertwined and echoed across the vast wilderness.

Lin Su turned his head in the direction the sound came from, and to his surprise, he could see it!

This……

The sound left several black ripples in the air before slowly dissolving into the silvery moonlight threads.

The strange phenomenon before his eyes reminded Lin Su of what he had seen in the chaotic rock forest.

Those raindrops, stretched out and hanging in mid-air, gleaming; and the crimson and emerald green hues I saw after eating mushrooms…

But at that time, it was a vague perception.

At this moment, however, it is so clear, unlike the chaotic rocky forest!

He tried to calm himself down, thinking about how he could leave this place.

Suddenly, a voice faintly drifted into my ears.

"Won't he...won't he make it?"

"No problem, this is the Netherworld."

"When will he wake up?"

"Let's see what fate has in store."

……

Hearing these indistinct sounds, a trace of doubt flashed through Lin Su's mind:

Who couldn't hold on? What kind of fate is this?

The moment this thought arose, the scene before my eyes faded away and disappeared into the surroundings in an instant.

At the same time, those sounds seemed to be sucked away by the void and could no longer be heard.

Lin Su was left all alone, standing in the wilderness.

A feeling of anxiety suddenly welled up in my heart. There was nothing around me, and I couldn't tell which way to go at all.

Lin Su had no choice but to rely on his intuition and slowly move forward.

He had walked for a long time, but he didn't feel tired. However, he vaguely realized deep in his mind that he had spent the whole night here.

What were those things we just saw?

The sounds I heard actually had color? ...This is just too absurd.

Could it be that after playing the zither for more than a decade, immersing oneself in the sounds of the strings, one's mind has become delusional?

He couldn't think of any other reason besides this.

Just as he was racking his brains and making all sorts of guesses, there seemed to be a faint light ahead.

Lin Su was thrilled and immediately ran over...

The desolate scenery faded away, and amidst the shifting light and shadow, I returned to that familiar side room.

As dawn broke and sunlight streamed through the window, the sluggish feeling finally dissipated.

The old man and Ye Qingqing before them no longer had the worried look on their faces. Instead, their eyes revealed a sense of relief and a feeling of being relieved.

Lin Su, still in a daze, exhaled and said:

"The old miracle doctor."

The old man nodded slightly and asked casually:

"Hmm, young master, you seem rather delirious. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Lin Su's face instantly showed astonishment. He actually knew?

Then, he recounted everything he had seen in detail.

Finally, he hesitated for a moment and said:

"I also overheard people whispering that someone couldn't hold on and was showing signs of fever... Were they talking about me?"

The old man's eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly:

"Hmm... The Tao says, 'It is vague and indistinct, yet within it lies an image.'"

The young man entered the Netherworld, triggering innate spiritual energy; this was his own destiny.

Lin Su seemed to understand some of what these words were saying, but he didn't really understand them.

After thinking for a moment, he asked:

"Old physician, this junior is foolish; what exactly does this 'Netherworld Realm' mean?"

The old man raised his head, as if gazing into the void, and said:

"'In a state of trance yet in harmony with reality, in a state of profound mystery yet containing essence,' that is the deepest and most mysterious primordial realm between heaven and earth."

Looking at the old man before him, Lin Su recalled the events of the past few days and found him increasingly mysterious.

Understanding this "Netherworld" should resolve your doubts.

So Lin Su pressed on with the question:

"What secret is hidden in this?"

The old man stroked his beard and said:

"It contains the purest innate essence of all things at the beginning of life, and the original spiritual essence of the beginning of heaven and earth."

These words reminded Lin Su of the innate Qi within his body, and he felt a surge of excitement.

This is because he cultivated the "Tongtian Baolu," the core of which is to nurture the innate with the acquired, and then use the innate to transform the acquired.

The "Precious Scroll" was obtained by chance by the Lin family ancestors. Although it was only a fragment, its power far surpassed that of cultivators of the same realm.

Lin Su was secretly astonished. Who exactly was this old doctor, that he possessed such profound insights?

The cultivation system passed down by the Lin family did not include what he described.

Did he read the complete "Tongtian Baolu"?

Lin Su was filled with excitement and secretly resolved to find out the truth about this old doctor, so that he might be able to glimpse the later chapters of the "Precious Record".

My father got the clue back then and went to find the sequel, but he never heard from it again.

Thinking of this, he took a few deep breaths, trying to appear calm, and said:

"Old doctor, I have been learning to play the zither and distinguish sounds since I was a child. I also know that 'sound has no trace and color has no form.'"

However, the Netherworld was quite unusual.

The younger generation wishes to ask, is this an inherent change, or is it due to the younger generation's own actions?

The old man stared at Lin Su, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if trying to see through him.

After a few breaths, he slowly opened his mouth and said:

"Young man, your spiritual root is different from that of ordinary people. Once you enter this realm, your six senses will be integrated and your senses will be able to interchange between sight and sound."

What I see is the true essence of my own mind, not a mere illusion.

He spoke in a calm and understated tone, yet without any perfunctory manner; rather, it seemed as if he was deliberately giving Lin Su some pointers, so that Lin Su wouldn't be too fixated on it.

Lin Su nodded thoughtfully, keeping these words in mind.

When he first started cultivating, his father asked about his spiritual root, and all he said was that it was unusual.

At this moment, even the old doctor could see how he knew.

Why reveal one's spiritual roots, and what hidden intention is there?

Before Uncle Han died, he warned me not to trust people easily. How could I have forgotten that so quickly?

How can I face Uncle Han like this?!

Lin Su felt a cold sweat break out on his back, filled with guilt and growing increasingly frightened with each passing thought…

"How is this possible?!" Ye Qingqing exclaimed in surprise.

The sound interrupted Lin Su's wild guesses.

"You're saying moonlight turned into strings, and sound gained color? Have you gone mad with fever?"

As she was talking, Ye Qingqing reached out to touch his forehead.

Lin Su quickly dodged.

At this moment, he secretly decided: he must not show any abnormality!

Then, he raised his voice slightly and shouted:

"The old doctor has been incredibly kind to me; how could I dare to lie about anything?"

When Ye Qingqing saw Lin Su start shouting, her eyebrows shot up and her cheeks puffed out, as if she was about to argue with him.

Suddenly, a shout came from outside the hall:

"Elder Ye, Elder Ye..."

They seem to have come seeking medical advice and treatment.

The old man immediately got up and left. As he reached the door, he turned back and said:

"Young man, everything must proceed naturally."

Having said that, he stepped over the threshold and went out.

The old man's last words put Lin Su at ease, and upon reflection, they were indeed true.

Focusing on the present is the priority. As for the rest, what's meant to come will come, and what's not meant to come can't be stopped no matter how hard you try.