Chapter 21: Awakening of Insects
"Transcendents... appeared a long time ago. To maintain order, the council chose to conceal the truth from the public, but as times changed, concealment became more and more difficult."
"After 'Deep Sea' connected the world, Da Teng City officially established the Judgement Institute, and the authorities began to gather unaffiliated Transcendents... Due to authority reasons, I won't go into detail on this part."
"Sister???"
"There are some things you're better off not knowing for now. You just need to understand that the Judgement Institute has only two responsibilities: one is to imprison 'Extraordinary Uncontrolled,' and the other is to collect 'Extraordinary Sealed Objects.'"
Senior Sister Luo extended a hand.
Above her palm swirled invisible currents, transforming into dissipating air, repeating the process with a sound as soothing as that of tearing paper.
"Up to the present stage, we still cannot explain what Extraordinary Power is... Nature has its irrefutable laws and rules, while it is a force of 'disruption,' 'disregard,' and 'transgression.'"
"Because of the existence of this power, many truths are no longer true."
"Like... a broken mirror cannot be made whole again."
Senior Sister Luo looked to the side.
"Crash—"
A large glass mirror at the end of the training field shattered instantaneously, spilling like quicksilver, and as the sister's words finished, thousands of fragments reversed their flow and neatly restored the gigantic mirror.
"Or like... spilled water cannot be regained."
A water pipe suddenly burst, and water sprayed from the ground like a fountain.
In the next moment.
Time seemed to reverse; water droplets scattered everywhere converged into a column of water, inch by inch compressing, until the burst pipe was as good as new, swallowing all the splashed droplets, and all that remained was the quiet yet tumultuous sound of the water underground.
A Divine Miracle.
It was a supernatural phenomenon beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
And the progenitor of it all merely moved a finger, spoke a few words, nonchalantly, as if during a tea break.
All this occurred.
And yet, it was as if nothing had happened.
"According to current data, anyone, at any age, could experience an 'Extraordinary Awakening,' and Awakeners will gain immense power, but at the same time, they will face the risk of becoming 'out-of-control'... This is also the greatest danger you will face in this evaluation," said Senior Sister Luo after a pause, "Due to the fire incident, your danger rating is extremely high; the council will not permit a monster like you to exist, with the potential to become out-of-control."
Out-of-control...
Gu Shen suddenly thought of his initial encounter.
A-009 was an out-of-control, according to Mr. Shu's information, many years ago, she had been a normal employee of the Ancient Literature Society.
Was it because of contact with A-009, coupled with the fire incident, that he was thought to be very likely to become out-of-control?
"The first lesson you need to learn is control."
Control Extraordinary Power?!
He was just an ordinary person, how could he control a power that didn't exist at all!
Hearing this, Gu Shen became deeply worried... The Judgement Institute did not know that his Extraordinary Awakening had actually been caused by the Truth Ruler, which according to Senior Sister Luo's earlier statement, should be one of the Extraordinary Sealed Objects.
The Judgement Institute was responsible for detaining out-of-controls and containing Sealed Objects... presumably out of concern for the destruction that either could wreak if left adrift. If the Truth Ruler fell into the wrong hands, it could very likely concoct a great disaster.
"Mr. Gu Changzhi, the highest-seat of the council, once said that the relationship between spirit and flesh is the fundamental aspect of all Cultivation. They are like water and bowl; if one grows stronger, the other must concurrently keep pace—both are indispensable. Those out-of-controls collapsed due to an imbalance between the two; to eradicate the problem fundamentally... one needs to start with the flesh."
Gu Changzhi... a name that still resonates loudly to this day.
He was a hero many East Continent people respected and worshipped twenty years ago, famous far and wide at a young age, meritorious and distinguished, though he hadn't made an appearance in a long time.
Gu Shen asked, "Does he have something to do with the Judgement Institute?"
"Of course. The establishment of the Judgement Institute was greatly related to Mr. Gu Changzhi," Senior Sister Luo said softly: "The teacher received a lot of support from him, and there's something very important... something that can help you control Extraordinary Power."
She seemed to be considering how to describe it.
The word 'thing' wasn't quite accurate.
But no other word could describe it more aptly.
"Is it... a Sealed Object?" Gu Shen was curious.
"No." Senior Sister Luo shook her head.
"You'll understand once you see it." She reached out a finger, touching Gu Shen's forehead.
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Buzz——
The entire training ground fell silent in an instant.
The sound of the wind, the water, and the trembling wings of flying insects were infinitely amplified. The whole world was caught between the contradictory extremes of utter silence and overwhelming noise, while Gu Shen felt an overwhelming drowsiness assail him. In an instant, his eyelids felt as if they were filled with lead, weighed down by thousands of pounds, and he felt himself plummet downwards, yet he landed on a soft, pillowy cloud.
Was this hypnosis? He couldn't just fall asleep like this!
In the blink of an eye, Gu Shen struggled, trying to keep himself awake.
But... it was in vain.
The force pulling him down into the dream was too powerful to resist.
...
...
"In the dream."
At the critical moment, Nan Jin extended a hand, steadying the youth who was plummeting straight toward the ground, and helped him to a chair at the edge of the training area. Gu Shen, with his head lowered, sank into a deep sleep, his breaths long and deep.
"It's really not simple; he actually struggled for a moment."
Senior Sister Luo laughed, "Looks like the kid has some secrets, but... I'm not interested in his little secret."
"Remember, when I first joined the Judgement Institute, I only received an A-level evaluation."
Luo Er fell into reminiscence, chuckling softly, "As a consolation, the teacher showed me 'Jingzhe,' and I actually slept through that dream for a full eight hours... The fastest person that year only took two and a half hours."
"Senior Sister..."
"You speak of Han Dang, right? He's not comparable to you—"
Zhong Wei said with a grave tone, "In that dream, not only did you finish 'Jingzhe,' but you also completely reproduced it. To this day, no one else in the Judgement Institute has managed to do that."
The 'Jingzhe' spiritual dream, carrying its contents, was indescribable with words or replicable by technical means.
To comprehend it, one could only rely on the original rubbings left by Mr. Gu Changzhi in the Judgement Institute, and requesting to view them required a certain level of access, qualifications, and contributions.
But there are always exceptions.
"So... Our 'Jingzhe' was taught to us through Dream Casting by Senior Sister, without the teacher ever using the original rubbings of the Judgement Institute again."
Nan Jin showed a look of realization.
Senior Sister had even completely replicated the Jingzhe dream.
She furrowed her brows, "Han Dang... that name sounds familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere."
"Zhu Wang's proud disciple, known as the 'Smiling Tiger,' of capricious nature, given to unpredictable moods. His teacher, Zhu Wang, is always coveting the position of Grand Judge," Zhong Wei said irritably, "The impeachment meeting against our teacher was initiated by them. Only if the teacher steps down can Zhu Wang take his place. Because of the use of the special amnesty order, they've got a handle on us… If all goes as expected, they will be very tight on checking Gu Shen."
Nan Jin pondered thoughtfully.
In terms of qualifications, reputation, and power, Zhu Wang was one of the few significant figures in the Judgement Institute who could confront the teacher head-on, but the two had always been at odds and never met or cooperated, and their disciples also subtly exhibited a stance of confrontation.
The lineage of Mr. Shu had Senior Sister Luo as its figurehead.
And leading Zhu Wang's lineage was Han Dang.
"Last night's online meeting was intense."
"The matter of Gu Shen has attracted too much attention. There are those full of malicious intent who are just itching for an opportunity," Zhong Wei sighed, "Last night's meeting decided that Gu Shen would undergo an evaluation in Da Teng City. I don't know if Han Dang will cause trouble."
"When troops come, a general will resist; when the flood comes, the earth will cover."
Senior Sister Luo waved her hand, saying, "Han Dang counts for little. Better not tell Gu Shen about him, so he doesn't feel too much pressure."
"Mmm..."
Both nodded in agreement.
"Right," Nan Jin asked curiously, "How long did senior brother take to finish 'Jingzhe'?"
"Four hours and nine minutes, ten minutes slower than you," Zhong Wei said with a smile, "Those in the Judgement Institute who are qualified to read 'Jingzhe' can all be considered geniuses. For Spiritual Extraordinaries, as long as they can finish reading within twelve hours and emerge from the dream, it's a success."
"For you, four hours is already a very good result."
Senior Sister Luo seemed lost in memory, and she let out a light sigh, "Later, I learned that the reading duration of 'Jingzhe' is related to spiritual potential. The reading of 'Jingzhe' was also a test then; if it could be completed within two hours, the teacher would let the Judgement Institute add an S-level evaluation... If I hadn't chosen to reproduce it, I would have finished already."
"In my heart, Senior Sister has always been a powerhouse comparable to S-level," Zhong Wei said with a smile, "I'm not flattering you, I mean it!"
"S or not S... these evaluations are no longer important now."
Luo Er smiled and looked towards the youth slumped on the bench, asking, "What do you think, after reading 'Jingzhe'... how long will Gu Shen need?"
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