Chapter 31: Opening the Sea of Consciousness, Forging the Spirit Platform

As his consciousness detached from his body, Su Han felt himself being pulled into a mysterious space.

Even though only his consciousness had entered, and he possessed no limbs or facial features—existing merely as a single thought—Su Han could actually see the space before him clearly. As far as he could see, it was like a vast ocean, boundless and infinite; like a green prairie, stretching on endlessly; like a brilliant starry sky, with no end in sight; like the eternal universe, devoid of a conclusion.

Empty and endless. Barrenness was the only overarching theme here. It resembled a parched desert, completely devoid of vitality. Only within a small area beneath Su Han was there a cluster of golden substance floating in this endless space. It was like a speck of dust in the vast universe, so small it was almost nonexistent. Yet, the golden substance radiated tendrils of golden light, shining like the blazing sun as if trying to illuminate the entire space. Even if one wasn't actively looking for it, its presence could be spotted at a single glance.

"This is..."

Having explored this boundless, barren space, Su Han couldn't help but murmur softly as he looked at this small cluster of golden substance—something that should have been inconspicuous, yet was utterly impossible to ignore. Soundlessly, a profound realization rose in his heart.

Divine Thought! This golden substance was his Divine Thought!

Having just achieved Foundation Establishment, before even forging his Spirit Platform, he had actually birthed Divine Thought ahead of time. He wondered if this golden substance was his Divine Thought, making this boundless yet entirely barren space his Sea of Consciousness. But how could that be? He had not even forged his Spirit Platform yet, so how could he have prematurely opened his Sea of Consciousness and birthed Divine Thought?

Moreover, even if it was the Sea of Consciousness, the term "sea" was only a general reference; it didn't mean the Sea of Consciousness was literally like a vast ocean. Furthermore, this barren space before his eyes was so boundless that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a vast universe. How could a mere word like "sea" possibly encapsulate it? Did his Sea of Consciousness perhaps misunderstand the term "Sea of Consciousness"? Or perhaps it found the name unappealing and was using this silent rebellion to demand a name change?

What should he call it, then? The Universe of Consciousness? The Divine Sense World? Neither sounded as good as the Sea of Consciousness. Caught off guard by this sudden development, Su Han's consciousness let his imagination run wild.

Suddenly, the moment his consciousness touched the cluster of golden substance, Su Han felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. That feeling... It was the Furnace-Nurtured Hundred Scriptures of the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace, and the Grass and Wood Mastery of Alchemy. It was A Small Place Where Movement and Stillness Follow the Heart from the Moon Shadow Step, and the Supreme Yang and Strong Evil Extermination of Celestial Punishment. It was the flourishing tree of flowers from the Rain of Fire, and Cause and Effect Must Strike from the Blunt Stick. Likewise, it was All Changes Originating from the Heart from Recognize Women by Their Scent.

So, was this the origin of this cluster of Divine Thought?

This Divine Thought belonged to him, yet it originated from the qualitative changes brought about by the fusion of each of his skills. It was precisely because the Dao Rhyme representing the skills in the Skill Tree had merged with him. While acquiring the skills, the Dao Rhyme had influenced his consciousness, allowing him to birth Divine Thought ahead of time.

The opening of his Sea of Consciousness was also different from that of a normal Divine Sea Cultivator. A normal Divine Sea Cultivator would forge a Spirit Platform. Once the Spirit Platform reached flawless Perfection, they would stand upon it and forcibly open their Divine Sea. When the Divine Sea opened, Divine Thought would be born. But for him, it was the exact opposite. His own consciousness had been influenced by the skills' Dao Rhyme, producing a divine essence. Through the accumulation of his skills one by one, he had birthed Divine Thought ahead of time. It was precisely the birth of his Divine Thought that had opened the Sea of Consciousness to house it.

Thus, a question arose. He hadn't even forged a Spirit Platform, yet he had prematurely opened his Sea of Consciousness. Right now, was he considered a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, or a Divine Sea Realm Cultivator?

While pondering this in his heart, Su Han's consciousness instinctively made contact with the golden substance. The moment the two connected, the golden substance was branded with Su Han's conscious imprint. In turn, a bizarre sensation blossomed within his mind, making him feel as though he could command this golden thought as easily as extending his own arm.

Was this the reason why Divine Sea Cultivators could manipulate their Divine Thought? Divine Thought was simply an extension of one's own consciousness; it was inherently a part of one's own body. Controlling one's own body was a basic human instinct. Therefore, the moment a Divine Sea Cultivator's Divine Sea opened and Divine Thought was born, they could directly grasp its many wondrous uses.

After realizing this, the pseudo-Divine Sea Cultivator Su Han began controlling this dust-like, microscopic speck of Divine Thought, letting it run wild and frolic within his universe-grade Sea of Consciousness. Under Su Han's manipulation, the Divine Thought morphed into a soft-shell turtle one moment, and a tortoise the next. Sometimes it turned into Su Xiao'Er, and other times it shifted back and forth between Qin and Hua.

After playing around for who knew how long, through the extended perception of his Divine Thought, Su Han realized he seemed to be able to see another world outside of his Sea of Consciousness. That world was entirely hazy, as if the stars of the heavens were hidden within layers of gray mist. It was as though a supreme treasure of heaven and earth was sealed within a force that blocked everything out. It resembled a mysterious realm, yet also looked like the casual, playful scribbles of a child.

However, within those dense layers of gray mist, Su Han sensed a murmuring stream flowing along a fixed trajectory through this world. Circle after circle, it completed a full cycle only to begin again, brimming with endless vitality.

"Is this... the Spiritual Power circulation route of the Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment Method?"

After earnestly observing the murmuring stream travel along its fixed path for thirty-six Circulations, Su Han could finally confirm it. This route was none other than the Spiritual Power circulation path of the Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment Method he had cultivated for Foundation Establishment!

So, was the trajectory this little stream flowed through the meridians within his own body? In that case, was that hazy entity blocked by the heavy gray mist his actual body? Was his consciousness currently standing within his Sea of Consciousness, exploring the mysteries of his own body?

This discovery gave Su Han a distinct sense of novelty. Calming his mind and focusing his spirit, pushing away all distracting thoughts, Su Han manipulated his Divine Thought to peer through the Sea of Consciousness and spy on the secrets of his body. Even though a thick gray mist stood in his way, he could faintly see specks of light piercing through certain patches, like twinkling stars. Other patches of gray mist seemed to seal and imprison mysterious powers; although he couldn't see them clearly, he could glean a rough idea of their shapes.

He didn't know what purpose seeing these things served, but the unprecedented sense of novelty made him feel entirely captivated. As he continued to watch, Su Han strangely discovered that every time his Spiritual Power gathered in his Dantian—which was already saturated after reaching Perfection in Foundation Establishment—and flowed back into his meridians, a portion of it seemed to vanish. Yet, when this Spiritual Power completed a Circulation through his meridians and converged into his Dantian once more, it would spontaneously absorb and replenish itself from the outside world, constantly maintaining a state of saturation.

Thus, another question arose. His Dantian remained saturated at all times, and the Spiritual Power lost within his meridians was constantly replenished by the outside world. So, where exactly did the portion of Spiritual Power that vanished after entering his Dantian go?

BOOM!

Just as Su Han's heart was brimming with curiosity and he wanted to take a closer look, a sudden, thunderous roar erupted from his Dantian. Like the Big Bang of the universe, the originally saturated Dantian space expanded endlessly. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a Qi Sea that echoed his Divine Sea from afar.

The Qi Sea morphed into a vortex, frantically devouring and replenishing Spiritual Power. In the outside world, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi acted as if it were being manipulated by an invisible giant hand, continuously converging toward Su Han. Within a radius of several thousand meters, the Spiritual Qi was drained so rapidly that it couldn't replenish itself fast enough, nearly sucking the area into a Spiritual Qi vacuum zone. Beside Su Han, however, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was so dense that it was practically on the verge of liquefying.

Under this massive convergence of Spiritual Qi, Su Han's Dantian and Qi Sea received an ample supply of Spiritual Power. In a sudden stroke of inspiration, Su Han used his Divine Thought to compress the Spiritual Power within his Qi Sea.

Slowly, a flawless Spiritual Power Base Platform began to condense within his Dantian and Qi Sea.