381: Chapter 381 Mental Ascension, the First Visitor to the Palace

Late afternoon.

The afterglow of the setting sun passed through the window, dyeing the light blue sports flooring with a tint of orange-red.

Inside the living room, which resembled a private combat training room,

punching pads, pull-up bars, gymnastics rings, and a huge black punching bag all had their shadows stretched extremely long.

Fang Cheng put down the mop in his hand and let out a sigh of relief.

Looking around, the entire house had been cleaned and looked brand new.

The floor was as bright and clean as a mirror, almost able to reflect images.

The furniture was wiped clean and shiny, neatly arranged.

Only the trash can in the kitchen was stuffed to the brim.

At the very top were a few chicken bones gnawed very clean, underneath which pressed a thick stack of pizza box wrappers.

By the doorway, four bulging large black plastic bags were also stacked.

After returning from his morning exercise by the sea, aside from going to the supermarket at noon to restock supplies,

Fang Cheng had not stepped out of the house all day, nor did he have any intention of going to the club to work.

He just stayed cooped up at home, watching TV, ordering takeout, and doing housework, hardly interacting with anyone.

It could be considered a thorough indulgence, acting like a standard couch potato.

Throughout the day, the food swallowed into his stomach added up to over twenty catties, more than enough to replenish the energy consumed by high-intensity training.

As for that uninvited knocker from the morning, they never appeared again afterward.

With no one disturbing him, he was quite happy to have peace of mind.

Wringing out the mop and carefully hanging it back in the utility room, Fang Cheng stretched his muscles and bones, his shoulder blades emitting a series of crisp cracking sounds.

As he raised his head, a notification message quietly emerged before his eyes:

[Cleaning Experience + 5]

[Cleaning Lv1 (229/250)]

Fang Cheng smiled slightly, feeling deeply satisfied.

Then he stroked his slightly bulging belly.

An hour ago, that lavish "afternoon tea" had not been fully digested yet, and he temporarily did not feel hungry.

Dinner could be skipped; around ten-something in the middle of the night, he could just order takeout as a late-night snack.

Walking leisurely to the sofa and sitting down, Fang Cheng picked up the remote control and turned on the large color TV leaning against the wall.

A music program was playing on the screen, with several exquisitely made-up young men and women singing and dancing on stage.

It seemed they were the top contestants from last year's singing talent show, building momentum for this year's competition.

Fang Cheng watched for a while, finding it dull, and put down the remote control.

His gaze inadvertently turned outside the window, only to be attracted by the scenery outside.

At this moment, the sun was slowly sinking into the sea surface, burning the clouds on the horizon golden and fiery red.

The magnificent sunset glow extended all the way from the skyline to the end of the sea, complementing the rippling wave light.

It was just like the scene depicted in ancient poetry: "Setting sun like molten gold, floating light and leaping shadows" reappearing.

Countless fragments of light rippled across the sea surface, and waves of sound came from afar, tapping against the window lattice and also unlocking the thoughts of Fang Cheng.

He suddenly recalled the strange feeling of being watched by the deep sea that he had when swimming in the sea at dawn today.

It seemed that at this moment, there was still a reverberation from some grand will in his mind, lingering and hard to dismiss.

With a slight movement of his thoughts, Fang Cheng immediately stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pushed open a small ventilation window.

The evening breeze carrying a salty and moist breath immediately poured in, brushing against his cheeks.

The afterglow of the setting sun gently wrapped around him, casting his shadow long behind him.

Beside his ears was the ceaseless sound of waves, at the tip of his nose was the fresh sea breeze, and before his eyes was a magnificent sunset of molten gold.

Fang Cheng closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Feeling his entire spirit refreshed, it was an indescribable comfort.

According to usual practice, he usually conducted one to two hours of Meditation practice before sleeping.

But at this moment, witnessing such beautiful scenery, a strong impulse to Cultivate spontaneously arose.

The so-called Meditation, its true meaning is not sitting in dry solitude, but establishing a connection with all things in heaven and earth, conducting the exchange of energy and information.

Mental Energy does not come from nowhere; its source is precisely this vast and boundless Universe, heaven and earth.

Ancient cultivators emphasized "gathering the sun's essence in the morning, and absorbing the moon's brilliance in the evening".

Among them, the particularly critical node was the twilight hour.

Because this was precisely the moment of the alternation of Yin and Yang, and the communion of heaven and earth.

Cultivating at such a moment, the resonance with heaven and earth would reach its peak, and the efficiency far surpassed ordinary times.

With this thought reaching here, Fang Cheng hesitated no longer.

Immediately gathering his mind, right on that floor paved with the setting sun, he slowly sat down cross-legged.

His hands naturally rested on his knees, his spine held straight.

The moment his eyelids closed, the noise from the TV, the clamor in the distance, all external disturbances receded like a tide.

In the world of Fang Cheng, only his own breathing remained, along with the eternal, ceaseless sound of waves seemingly synchronized with his heartbeat.

Consciousness continuously dived downward, quickly sinking into that familiar Sea of Consciousness.

A towering lighthouse stood majestically in the darkness.

At the top of the tower, the Flame of Spirituality pulsated steadily like a heart, emitting a reddish-golden light that illuminated a region of heaven and earth.

However, the flame of today seemed somewhat different.

Fang Cheng saw that on the raging outer flame of the Flame of Spirituality, there was an imperceptible trace of deep blue light resembling a water droplet attached to it.

Just like a drop of cold water seeping into boiling oil, although tiny, it carried an out-of-place characteristic.

"It is this..."

The gaze of Fang Cheng narrowed slightly, suddenly turning sharp.

The source of the abnormality felt in the sea during morning exercise today should be this thing.

Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Cheng immediately mobilized his own will, beginning to try to refine this uninvited "blue water droplet".

Almost at the moment his thought moved, the "tidal sound" in the conscious world suddenly intensified.

That sound was no longer purely the crashing of waves on the shore.

Instead, it was mixed with a grand and ancient babbling that could not be described in words, echoing throughout the entire dark sea.

The Flame of Spirituality trembled violently accordingly, its light flickering.

Fang Cheng felt as if at the end of that boundless dark ocean, an unimaginable behemoth was dormant.

It occasionally turned over in its sleep, and the tiny ripples stirred up, when transmitted to him, transformed into monstrous waves sufficient to shake the lighthouse.

But the mind of Fang Cheng was concentrated, without a shred of wavering intention.

He integrated himself with the lighthouse beneath his feet.

Surging Mental Energy was continuously poured into it, and the Flame of Spirituality was not extinguished at all; instead, it burned even more fiercely.

The light surged violently, shooting out like sharp arrows, striving to dispel the surrounding darkness and chill.

The reddish-golden flame was like the purest crucible in the world, scorching that deep blue droplet over and over again.

Before his eyes, the panel emerged, and one notification message after another swept past like flowing water:

[You are absorbing a certain abnormal consciousness, condensing self-awareness, Mental Energy increased by 0.001]

[You are absorbing a certain abnormal consciousness, condensing self-awareness, Mental Energy increased by 0.001]

...

In the real world, Fang Cheng, sitting cross-legged, had a speck of red light suddenly light up between his eyebrows.

Immediately after, a circle of reddish-golden flame halo rose from his body, enveloping his entire person within it.

At this moment, he seemed not to be sitting on the floor, but suspended high in the center of a rising sun.

Outside the window, the setting sun sank into the horizon, and the last wisp of afterglow was swallowed by the darkness.

The distant outline of the city gradually blurred in the twilight, leaving only sporadically lit lights.

And in this room, a new "sun" was radiating light and heat, dispersing the thickening night and illuminating the room as bright as day.

Strangely, although this light was intense, the temperature was controlled just right.

It did not cause any impact on the floor beneath him and the surrounding furnishings.

Meanwhile, within the conscious world, the churning waves and grand babbling sounds were also slowly calming down.

At the peak of the lighthouse, the blue water droplet within the Flame of Spirituality, under fierce scorching, gradually evaporated, becoming dim and tiny.

All the clamor of the outside world seemed to have receded into the distance, with only the spirit highly concentrated.

Perceiving every subtle change in the Physical Body and Soul, clearing away hidden dangers lurking in the dark, and repairing the damage brought by high-intensity exercise.

Taking this opportunity to hone the Mental Energy attribute reaching 50 points, making it purer and sharper.

...

One floor downstairs.

The thick curtains were tightly drawn, and no lights were turned on in the room.

In the pitch-black environment, only a circle of swaying candlelight outlined the silhouette of a young man sitting cross-legged.

The indoor furnishings were minimalist to the extreme, with almost no furniture, empty and desolate.

The man was handsome in appearance, and on the ground around him, lit candles formed a bizarre pattern.

Suddenly, his brows moved slightly, as if sensing something, and he slowly opened his eyelids.

Those were a pair of eyes flickering with eerie green light in the darkness, looking exceptionally creepy.

"Finally... has it begun?"

Cheng Jiashu muttered to himself, then somewhat distressedly scratched his black hair covering his eyebrows, while the corners of his mouth slightly raised:

"May this time be a success, let us meet in our dreams."

Finished speaking, he closed his eyes again.

...

Within the conscious world, the Flame of Spirituality had returned to purity, becoming even more condensed and brighter than before.

In the Meditation state, Fang Cheng nodded in satisfaction.

With a thought, his consciousness instantly entered the Memory Palace.

Then opening his eyes, he found himself sitting cross-legged on that familiar bed.

Getting up and getting off the bed, pushing open the bedroom door, the magnificent dark hall presented itself before his eyes once again.

Above the dome, stars twinkled, resembling a real Universe.

Huge stone pillars were hidden in the darkness, their ends unknown.

In the empty hall, a wind blew, making bursts of wailing sounds, adding a bit of mystery.

It seemed... a bit wider than when he entered last time.

Fang Cheng thought silently, sizing up the surrounding scenery.

The golden sphere in the center acting as the core hub also seemed a bit brighter.

Although these changes were very subtle, as the master of this palace, Fang Cheng could still clearly perceive them.

Before his eyes, light flashed, and several new notification messages emerged:

[Meditation Experience + 10]

[Meditation Lv2 (279/500)]

[Congratulations, through unremitting efforts in Cultivation, your Mental Energy attribute has improved, has Breakthrough to 52 points]

"52 points?"

Fang Cheng muttered to himself; although there was joy in his heart, he did not feel surprised.

With the golden bumpa bottle Incarnation's golden sphere present, even if he did not deliberately sit and meditate, his Mental Energy could also passively absorb and refine external consciousness, growing slowly and steadily.

Before this Cultivation, his Mental Energy attribute was already about to Breakthrough 51 points.

Now having refined that powerful heterogeneous consciousness and boosting by 2 points in one fell swoop, it could be considered a matter of course.

Of course, benefits and risks coexisted.

The hidden dangers were not completely eliminated because of this.

During the process of practicing Meditation just now, Fang Cheng had a flash of insight in his heart.

He immediately cast his gaze toward the peripheral areas of the palace.

There, the erosion of the dark Void Realm still existed.

He could clearly feel that the "walls" of the palace in those areas appeared somewhat loose, dim, and even showed tiny cracks.

Just like a building in reality that needed maintenance and repair, a slight "wind" was leaking in from the cracks.

Besides that, outside the palace, some even weirder things seemed to be lingering.

They lay dormant in the darkness, attempting to quietly infiltrate through these gaps or the "star light spots" on the dome.

Fang Cheng guessed that these weird things might come from two places.

First, the lingering faith imprint belonging to Esoteric Buddhism's Black Sect inside the golden bumpa bottle.

Second, the source of that heterogeneous consciousness that was just refined.

That is, the huge blue phantom he once sensed when he first learned Meditation in the Zhenxiang Society's Meditation hall.

It seemed that in the future, he would have to spend more time maintaining this palace to avoid being taken advantage of by them.

Fang Cheng made up his mind inwardly.

Thump, thump, thump.

Just as he was pondering, an abrupt sound instantly shattered the serenity inside the palace.

It seemed someone was knocking on the door again?

The thoughts of Fang Cheng stirred slightly, and his consciousness instantly extended outward in all directions.

With a 360-degree omnidirectional perspective, he simultaneously "saw" himself sitting cross-legged in the real world, as well as the empty room around him.

Thump, thump, thump.

That sound rang out again, carrying a non-physical texture.

Yet the house was very quiet at this moment; besides the sound of the TV playing programs, there was no other noise at all.

The knocking sound did not come from reality.

Was someone... visiting his Memory Palace?

Fang Cheng was slightly startled, doubt flashing rapidly through his mind.

He had never mentioned building the Memory Palace to anyone, let alone sent any "voice password" to invite visitors.

Therefore, where did the visitor come from?

Thump, thump, thump.

The knocking sound continued, its rhythm neither hurried nor slow.

In the extremely quiet environment, it exuded an eerie feeling, as if a horror movie was playing.

Fang Cheng suddenly remembered the crow that had knocked on the window two months ago and delivered the Mental Energy Cultivation Technique.

However, at that time, this palace had not yet taken shape, consisting only of a small bedroom.

After a brief consideration, Fang Cheng quickly recalled some methods recorded in that Cultivation Technique.

He immediately concentrated his spirit, capturing the source of the sound.

He cast his gaze toward a patch of darkness ahead.

There, it was originally an empty Void Realm wall.

At this moment, under his gaze, the outline of a doorway emitting a faint white light slowly emerged.

Fang Cheng stared intently at that "door" leading to the outside world.

As his mind pulled, it was as if an invisible hand slowly turned the door handle.

Creak—

With a soft sound, the door slowly opened wide.

Revealing a sliver of pure darkness, like a gap leading to the abyss.

The wailing wind drilled in from outside, adding a bit of eeriness.

After a few seconds, a figure emitting a hazy green light passed through the light door and stepped in.

He smiled slightly at Fang Cheng, his voice gentle:

"Hi, long time no see. How have you been recently?"

The pupils of Fang Cheng instantly shrank, staring closely at this uninvited guest:

"You are... the Smiling Demon."