120: Chapter 120 Who Woke Up?

At 2:30 PM on Saturday, Chen Zhen stood in front of an old residential building.

This was Chen Hao's home.

The building had been constructed in the 1990s, and most of the tiles on the outer walls had peeled off, revealing the dusty gray cement underneath.

A few rusted bicycles were piled up at the entrance to the stairwell, and the walls were covered with small advertisements for drain cleaning services.

Sunlight squeezed in through the gaps between the buildings, cutting a crooked patch of light onto the ground.

He looked down at the address on his phone—302. This was the building.

He went upstairs.

The stairwell was very narrow, the handrails were covered in rust, and the voice-activated lights on every floor were broken.

When he reached the third floor, the door to 302 was ajar, and Chen Hao's voice came from inside: "Mom, I'll go open the door."

The door opened.

Chen Hao was wearing a washed-out T-shirt, his hair was a bit messy, and there was a smudge on his eyeglass lens.

Seeing Chen Zhen, he paused for a moment, then stepped aside: "Come in."

Chen Zhen walked in.

The apartment was not large, with two bedrooms and a living room. In the living room sat a large table piled high with books and test papers.

Chen Hao's awards were plastered on the wall, covering an entire side from elementary school through high school.

The sofa was old, its leather surface cracked, exposing the foam inside.

On the coffee table sat a fruit bowl containing a few apples and a bunch of bananas.

A middle-aged woman poked her head out from the kitchen, wearing an apron, her hands still dripping with water. She saw Chen Zhen and smiled: "You must be Chen Zhen, right? Haohao often mentions you."

"Hello, Auntie."

"Hello, hello." She wiped her hands and pointed to the sofa: "Sit, sit. I'll pour you both some water."

Chen Zhen sat down.

Chen Hao sat opposite him, looking a bit uneasy.

He rubbed his hands together and began: "My sister is in her room. She's a bit nervous and doesn't really dare to come out."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Chen Hao waited for two seconds, then stood up and walked to a door, knocking on it: "Xiaoxue, come out."

The door opened a crack, and a girl poked her head out.

She was thirteen or fourteen years old, thin, pale, with large eyes and heavy dark circles under them.

She was wearing old pajamas, her hair a mess; she looked like she had just woken up.

Seeing Chen Zhen, she paused, then took a step back.

"Don't be afraid." Chen Hao took her hand: "He's the older brother I told you about."

The girl stared at Chen Zhen for three seconds, then whispered: "His... the light on him is so bright."

Chen Hao paused, then turned to look at Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

He stood up, walked over to the girl, crouched down, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Is your name Xiaoxue?"

The girl nodded.

"You can see light?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.

"What kind of light?"

The girl thought for a moment and pointed at Chen Zhen's chest: "Right here, it's golden. Very bright, like the sun."

Chen Zhen looked down at his chest.

That was the location of the seventeen fragments.

He raised his head and looked at her: "When did you start seeing it?"

The girl shrank her shoulders and glanced at Chen Hao.

Chen Hao nodded. She whispered: "After using your talisman. The first day was a dream; I dreamt of an old man. Starting the second day, I could see it during the day too. Some people's light is very dim, others' is very bright. Yours is the brightest."

Chen Zhen stood up and looked at her.

"Did that old man say anything else?"

The girl thought about it: "He said, 'It's coming soon.' And he said, 'Tell him not to be impatient.'"

Chen Hao, listening from the side, his expression changed: "Xiaoxue, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was afraid you'd scold me." The girl lowered her head: "You told me not to let my imagination run wild."

Chen Hao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

Chen Zhen took a Calming Talisman from his pocket and handed it to the girl: "Put this under your pillow. It will help you sleep better."

The girl took the talisman, and her eyes lit up: "It's so warm."

Chen Zhen stood up and looked at Chen Hao: "She's fine. She's just too sensitive and needs more rest."

Chen Hao was silent for a few seconds: "Is this... an illness?"

"No," Chen Zhen said, "it's a gift."

Chen Hao was stunned.

It was almost five o'clock when he left Chen Hao's home.

The sunlight had softened, casting long shadows.

Chen Zhen walked on the way back, his mind filled with what Xiaoxue had said.

"Golden, very bright, like the sun."

Seventeen fragments.

Ordinary people couldn't see them, but she could.

This kind of gift was purer than Zhou Rui's perception—it wasn't perception, it was direct sight.

She could directly "see" the existence of spiritual power.

If placed in a cultivation world, this would be a natural Spirit Eye.

Unfortunately, this world had no cultivation system to help her grow.

But her existence itself was a signal—the world was changing, and the Physique of ordinary people was changing too.

Spiritual Qi was recovering, but it was very slow, so slow it was almost imperceptible.

But that Mutant Seedling knew.

It was growing every day, shining every day.

It was waiting for an opportunity.

He quickened his pace, heading towards the Secret Base.

At 5:10 PM, Chen Zhen pushed open the door.

Zhou Rui was drawing talismans, Shen Nian was recording the growth of the spiritual plants, and Yun Xi was leaning against the wall, resting with her eyes closed.

Everything was the same as usual.

The Mutant Seedling was glowing, and the golden patterns on its leaves had increased from eighteen to twenty, its light brighter than it had been in the morning.

He walked over, crouched down, and gently touched the leaves.

That thought came again—not a sense of urgency, but something new.

It was telling him: Someone has awakened.

He paused.

"Who has awakened?"

The leaf trembled, but did not answer.

He stood up and went to sit in the center of the array.

Yun Xi opened her eyes and looked at him: "How is Chen Hao's sister?"

"Sensitive Physique. She can see spiritual power."

Yun Xi paused: "An ordinary person?"

"Yes."

Yun Xi was silent for a few seconds: "That's not a good thing. To be able to see it but not be able to use it, it's very easy for problems to arise."

Chen Zhen nodded: "I gave her a few Calming Talismans. To stabilize her first."

Yun Xi looked at him: "Do you plan to teach her?"

Chen Zhen shook his head: "She doesn't need to be taught. What she needs is to not think too much."

Yun Xi stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed: "You, sometimes you really don't seem like a seventeen-year-old."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

He closed his eyes, and the seventeen points of light slowly rotated.

At 7:00 PM, Zhou Rui finished drawing the last talisman, stood up, and stretched his body.

He walked over to Chen Zhen and handed over a stack of talismans: "Master, here is tonight's batch."

Chen Zhen took them and looked at them one by one.

Fifty talismans: twenty advanced versions of the Spirit Gathering Talisman, twenty Calming Talismans, and ten Teaching Talismans.

Each one had reached the Mortal-Grade Peak quality, and the last three Calming Talismans had already touched the threshold of Fine-Grade.

He nodded: "You can learn new talismans now."

Zhou Rui's eyes lit up: "Which talisman?"

"The Tracking Talisman."

Zhou Rui paused: "The Tracking Talisman?"

Chen Zhen stood up and walked to the blackboard: "Watch closely."

He picked up the chalk and began to draw.

Stroke by stroke, explaining as he drew.

The runes for the Tracking Talisman were three times more complex than the Calming Talisman, and the flow of spiritual power was more delicate.

Zhou Rui stared at the blackboard, sweat seeping from his forehead.

After finishing, Chen Zhen turned to look at him: "How much did you understand?"

Zhou Rui was silent for a long time: "One tenth."

"That's normal. I drew this talisman a hundred times before I succeeded."

Zhou Rui took a deep breath and picked up the pen.

The first time he failed, the second time he failed, the third time he failed again.

By the fiftieth attempt, a faint white light finally lit up on the talisman paper.

He stared at that talisman for a long time, then smiled: "Master, I understand now."

Chen Zhen nodded: "Continue."

At 10:00 PM, Zhou Rui left.

Shen Nian left as well.

Yun Xi had left at some point; he didn't know when.

Chen Zhen sat alone in the center of the array.

The seedling was glowing, the golden patterns already numbering twenty.

He stood up, walked over, and crouched down; that thought came again—not a sense of urgency, but a sense of certainty.

It was telling him: It's coming soon.

"Who has awakened?"

The leaf trembled.

He didn't know what that meant, but he nodded, stood up, and walked back to the center of the array.

The seventeen points of light slowly rotated, and the seedling glowed.

He took out the four fragments and placed them in front of him.

They lay quietly in his palm, echoing the points of light in his Dantian.

He stared at them for a long time, then put them away.