After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, I returned to the desolate ancient continent.

When Gu Qingxuan returned to the rented room, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

He placed the book "The Art of Qi Induction" on the table and stared at it for a long time.

The cover is yellowed, the paper is rough, and the handwriting is so neat it looks like it was copied stroke by stroke. Opening the first page, the first thing you see is a very short mnemonic:

"Heaven and earth possess spirit, and all things possess energy. Drawing this energy into the body is the beginning of cultivation."

Below are detailed instructions on how to sit, how to breathe, how to sense the surrounding "qi," and how to gradually introduce it into the body.

The text is short, but every sentence is written with utmost care. There are even red-inked reminders in key places such as "It is easy to get a stitch here, so take it slow" and "Beginners should not try to do too much."

Looking at the red annotations, Gu Qingxuan felt a strange warmth.

It's as if someone has marked out all the potential pitfalls for him in advance.

He took a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the bed as instructed in the book.

The posture is very simple: place your hands naturally on your knees, straighten your back, tuck your chin slightly, close your eyes, and adjust your breathing.

At first, I couldn't feel anything.

The only sounds in the room were the low hum of the air conditioner, the occasional sound of a car passing by outside the window, people arguing downstairs, and the neighbor's TV blaring loudly.

Gu Qingxuan tried to calm himself down.

As the book says, first slow down your breathing, try to lengthen the interval between each inhale and exhale, so that your heart rate also slows down.

five minutes.

ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

His breathing finally stabilized, and his heartbeat gradually calmed down from its initial rapid pace.

Then, he felt it.

It was very faint, very weak, like a very fine thread drifting through the air and gently brushing against his skin.

That's not the wind.

It's not an illusion.

It was something that truly existed, yet he had never noticed it.

Gu Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat, and he almost opened his eyes, but he forced himself to hold them back.

The book says that when you first sense Qi, you must not get excited, otherwise your heartbeat will become disordered and the Qi will dissipate.

He continued to follow the instructions, slowly adjusting his breathing, trying to "grasp" that wisp of air.

It's not about using your hands, but your mind.

It's like an invisible hand reaching out from your mind, gently pinching that thread, and then guiding it little by little into your body along with your breath.

very slow.

It's hard.

The wisp of air seemed alive; it dissipated with the slightest exertion and drifted away again with the slightest relaxation.

Gu Qingxuan's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

He didn't know how many times he tried, but when that wisp of air finally entered his body through his breath, he felt as if a chill had been poured from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

It's not cold.

It's an indescribable feeling of comfort.

It was like finally exhaling a long-held breath, like parched land finally receiving its first drop of rain.

After the wisp of energy entered his body, it flowed slowly along a "path" he had never noticed before, and finally sank deep into his lower abdomen.

The book says that the location is called "Dantian".

It is a place where practitioners store spiritual energy.

Gu Qingxuan opened his eyes, panting heavily; the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat.

He looked down at his hands.

Nothing has changed.

There was no light, no surge of power, and not even the slightest unusual sensation.

But he knew that the moment just now was real.

He really did draw "qi" into his body.

There really is such a thing as spiritual practice in this world.

Gu Qingxuan leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling, his mind a complete mess.

If cultivation is real, then is the collapsing continent in the dream also real?

Were those eyes that opened from the chaos also real?

And then there's what Xia Zhiwei said—"Something within you is beginning to awaken."

What are you thinking about?

What should he remember?

Gu Qingxuan closed his eyes, trying to recall the scenes from his dream.

But the images were too fragmented, as if someone had cut them into countless pieces with a knife, each piece blurry and indistinct, with only a few fragments standing out clearly—

The blue carp defied the heavens and rose upwards.

White carp hang high in the sky.

A gigantic, pitch-black hand emerged from the crack.

And those cold eyes.

"I've found you."

Gu Qingxuan suddenly opened his eyes, his heart starting to race again.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing those images, and picked up his phone to check the time.

5:30 p.m.

He skipped all his classes today.

There were more than a dozen unread messages on my phone, most of them from my roommate Chen Ye, asking where he was, that he hadn't been there during roll call by Lao Zhou, and that the counselor was looking for him.

Gu Qingxuan replied briefly, saying that he was not feeling well and had gone to the hospital.

Chen Ye replied instantly:

"Okay, remember to call Lao Zhou to let him know you're out of leave. By the way, how about we have dinner together tonight?"

Gu Qingxuan thought for a moment and replied with "Okay".

He needs to make his life look more normal.

He couldn't let anyone around him notice anything unusual until he figured out exactly what had happened.

---

At 7 p.m., Gu Qingxuan met Chen Ye at a noodle shop near the school.

Chen Ye was his roommate and one of the few friends he could get along with at the university. He was short, wore black-rimmed glasses, and was a typical STEM guy. He didn't talk much, but he was extremely passionate about games and anime. The two of them moved out of the dormitory together last year and rented a two-bedroom apartment in an old residential area near the school.

"You don't look well." Chen Ye sat down, glanced at him, and asked, "Did you really go to the hospital?"

"Hmm," Gu Qingxuan replied casually, "Nothing serious, just haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Staying up all night playing games?"

"dream."

Chen Ye was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "What kind of dream could make you like this? A wet dream?"

Gu Qingxuan didn't reply and lowered his head to eat his rice.

Chen Ye didn't ask any further questions, and instead started talking about today's class and the recent game update. Gu Qingxuan responded occasionally, but spent most of the time daydreaming.

The noodle shop was noisy, with students and office workers from the neighborhood huddled together. Some were discussing their homework, while others were laughing heartily while scrolling through their phones.

Everything is normal.

It was so normal that Gu Qingxuan found it unreal.

Just a few hours earlier, he was in an old house, listening to a strange girl say, "This isn't the first time we've met."

This morning, he saw an electronic screen cracked on the street and saw an eye staring at him from behind the crack.

But now, he sits in a noodle shop, eating a bowl of beef noodles that costs twelve yuan, listening to his roommate complain about the game planner.

Like two different worlds.

"Gu Qingxuan?"

Chen Ye's voice brought him back to reality.

"ah?"

"I said, are you really okay?" Chen Ye frowned as he looked at him. "You're acting a bit strange today."

Gu Qingxuan was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head: "It's nothing."

Chen Ye stared at him for a while, then finally sighed, "Alright, if you need anything, remember to say so."

Gu Qingxuan nodded.

After the two finished their meal, Chen Ye said he was going back to the school library to study and asked Gu Qingxuan if he wanted to go with him.

Gu Qingxuan thought for a moment and said that he had something to do and would go back first.

It was completely dark when I left the noodle shop.

The streetlights on the street are turning on one by one. The breakfast stalls at the entrance of the residential area have already closed, but the convenience store next door is still lit up.

As Gu Qingxuan walked back to his rented room, he suddenly remembered what Xia Zhiwei had said.

"Starting today, don't stay alone in places where no one is around."

He subconsciously looked around.

There were quite a few people on the street, but not too many. On the old street outside the residential area, there were patches of shadow between the streetlights, and the roadside trees swayed in the wind, as if something was hidden inside.

Gu Qingxuan quickened his pace.

He suddenly stopped when he was almost at the entrance of the residential area.

It wasn't because I saw anything.

It was because they sensed something.

A very faint feeling, yet it sent chills down his spine.

It felt like something was watching him from the shadows.

Gu Qingxuan turned around abruptly.

Behind me was nothing but empty space, with only streetlights and tree shadows.

nobody.

There was nothing unusual.

But the feeling of being watched didn't disappear; instead, it grew stronger.

Gu Qingxuan's throat tightened, and his fingers clenched unconsciously.

Just then, he felt a sudden heat deep inside his right eye.

It wasn't pain, but a burning sensation, like something had been awakened for a moment deep within my eyes.

The next second, his vision changed again.

The world seemed to have been torn apart.

He saw it.

On the third floor of the old building across from the residential area, a blurry dark figure was pressed against the glass, staring at him without moving.

That's not a person.

It is not any normal living being.

Instead, it was a distorted mass of smoke, with a vaguely discernible human outline, but the facial features were all distorted black holes.

Gu Qingxuan's heart almost stopped beating.

He stared intently at the dark figure, his palms sweating profusely.

The shadowy figure was also watching him.

The two stared at each other for about three seconds.

Then, the shadowy figure suddenly moved.

It detached itself from the window and climbed down the wall like a wisp of smoke, moving extremely fast and reaching the second floor in the blink of an eye.

Gu Qingxuan had only one thought in his mind—

run!

He turned and ran, towards the most crowded part of the street, towards the brightest lights.

A very faint hissing sound came from behind, like something rubbing against the air.

Gu Qingxuan didn't dare to look back, he just ran forward desperately.

Convenience store.

He wanted to run to the convenience store, where there were many people and bright lights.

But before he had run ten meters, he suddenly felt a cold aura coming from behind him.

too fast.

The thing was much faster than he had imagined.

Gu Qingxuan gritted his teeth and made a sudden sharp turn, trying to change direction.

Just then, a white figure suddenly appeared from the side, blocking him from the black figure.

It was Xia Zhiwei.

She appeared at some unknown time, and at this moment she was facing the dark figure with her back to Gu Qingxuan.

She raised her right hand, and a faint white light emanated from her palm.

"roll."

She only said one word.

The sound was very soft, yet it was like a knife, slashing straight at the dark figure.

The dark figure let out a sharp screech, as if it had been burned by something, and suddenly retreated several meters.

It paused for a second, seemingly hesitating whether to continue its attack.

The white light in Xia Zhiwei's palm brightened a few more times.

The shadowy figure finally gave up.

It let out a final, low hiss, then dissipated like smoke and disappeared into the night.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

Gu Qingxuan stood there, panting heavily, his back soaked with cold sweat.

Xia Zhiwei turned around and looked at him.

"You saw it?"

Gu Qingxuan nodded, his voice slightly hoarse: "I saw it."

Xia Zhiwei remained silent for a few seconds, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Faster than I expected."

"What?"

"Your perception of these things is faster than I expected," Xia Zhiwei said. "I thought it would take at least a few more days before you could see them."

Gu Qingxuan's throat was dry.

"What is that?"

"A wandering soul," Xia Zhiwei said, "or rather, a remnant soul. It's something that gradually transforms into after the death of a cultivator, whose lingering attachments persist."

She paused.

"They are very sensitive to the aura of living people, especially someone like you who has just started cultivating and whose spiritual energy fluctuations are still unstable."

Gu Qingxuan's heart tightened.

"You mean, it's targeting me because I cultivated today?"

"Yes." Xia Zhiwei nodded. "Did you practice Qi cultivation today?"

"Um."

"How many were attracted?"

"A wisp," Gu Qingxuan said. "A very small wisp."

Xia Zhiwei looked at him with a complicated expression.

"Even a wisp of your presence is enough for a wandering spirit to sense your existence," she said. "Your constitution is even more unique than I thought."

Gu Qingxuan remained silent for a few seconds.

"Will I still be able to cultivate in the future?"

"Yes," Xia Zhiwei said, "but you need to learn to conceal your aura. Otherwise, after each cultivation session, you'll become a target for those things, just like before."

She paused.

"Come find me after school tomorrow. I'll teach you how to conceal your aura and some basic self-defense techniques."

Gu Qingxuan nodded.

"There's one more thing," Xia Zhiwei looked at him, "How did you see that wandering spirit just now?"

Gu Qingxuan was stunned for a moment.

"I..." He hesitated for a moment, "My right eye suddenly felt a little hot, and then I could see."

Xia Zhiwei stared at his right eye for a few seconds without saying a word.

But Gu Qingxuan could sense that there was something in her gaze that he couldn't understand.

It's like they're confirming something.

It also seemed like they were worried about something.

"That change just now..." Xia Zhiwei began, but stopped halfway through her sentence.

She was silent for a few seconds, and finally just said:

Be careful.

"What?"

"That reaction just now wasn't a normal spiritual response," Xia Zhiwei said. "It might be more dangerous than you think."

She didn't explain further, but turned and walked towards the street corner.

"Go back. Go to bed early tonight and don't cultivate anymore."

Gu Qingxuan stood there, watching her figure disappear into the night.

He raised his hand and touched his right eye.

There was still a little warmth left.

It was as if something had just awakened and then fallen asleep again.

Gu Qingxuan took a deep breath and turned to walk towards the residential area.

What happened tonight has completely exceeded his comprehension.

Wandering souls, cultivation, spiritual energy, mutation...

These things, which originally only existed in novels and movies, have now all appeared in his real life.

But he had no way out.

When I got back to the rented room, Chen Ye hadn't returned yet.

Gu Qingxuan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind a complete mess.

He recalled Xia Zhiwei's last words.

"That attack just now was probably more dangerous than you think."

Danger?

Who is in danger?

For himself?

Or is it for someone else?

Gu Qingxuan closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

But as soon as I closed my eyes, the outline of that dark figure reappeared in my mind.

And those eyes that opened from the chaos.

"I've found you."

Gu Qingxuan suddenly opened his eyes, and cold sweat broke out on his back again.

He suddenly realized something.

The dark figure and the hand that emerged from the crack in his dream gave him the same feeling.

Everything was cold.

They were all filled with malice.

They were all "looking" for him.

Gu Qingxuan sat up, picked up his phone, and found Xia Zhiwei's contact information.

He stared at the white carp icon for a long time, but in the end, he didn't send a message.

Because he didn't know what to ask.

The question is, "Why are those things looking for me?"

The question, "Who am I?"

The question is, "What exactly was our relationship before?"

Xia Zhiwei probably wouldn't be able to answer these questions.

Or rather, she will answer, but not now.

Gu Qingxuan tossed his phone aside and lay back down.

The night outside the window was deep, and the light from the streetlights seeped through the gaps in the curtains, casting a small patch of dim yellow light on the ceiling.

He stared at the patch of light and slowly closed his eyes.

This time, he wasn't dreaming.

Or rather, he had a dream, but remembered nothing after waking up.

I only remember a blue carp in my dream, swimming upstream in endless chaos.

They swam for a very, very long time.

It looked like they were looking for someone.