Lin Chuan half-reclined in his chair, looking at the notebook spread out before him, his expression somewhat absent-minded.
“I remember…
Just now, it seemed I was analyzing why the first projection of consciousness fell for the Celestial Worthy’s ‘Fooling’ and ‘Befuddlement’, while also considering the next course of action?
Yes, that’s exactly how it was.”
He straightened his posture, opened to the newest page of the notebook, and reviewed and summarized the plan he had just established:
“First, run away before the Original Creator awakens.
The farther, the better; it’s best to slip away straight to the edge of the universe.
I must not stay a second longer on this universe’s largest ticking time bomb.”
“Second, after the Original splits into the six Sefirot, figure out a way to walk the ‘Hermit’ and ‘Paragon’ Pathways, and swallow the ‘Knowledge Moor’.
This will complete myself and expand my symbolism as ‘Beyond the Original’.”
The main problem at present was that Lin Chuan used the particularity of the symbolism of ‘Beyond the Original’ to forcibly manifest his own Sefirah in reality, which should normally ‘return to nothingness’.
However, this would inevitably lead to extreme power imbalance and instability, limiting his output while easily causing self-destruction.
However, relying on the particularity of ‘Emptiness’ and ‘Outside the World’, Lin Chuan could completely walk other Pathways while being a Sefirah spirit.
As long as he annexed Sefirot with similar symbolism, this problem could be readily solved.
And among all the Sefirot, the ‘Knowledge Moor’, which would appear in the future and contained the authority of Analysis and Knowledge, was what he needed the most.
Closing the notebook, Lin Chuan stood up and pulled open the curtains.
Soft and bright morning light instantly filled the entire room.
The time he spent experimenting on the Sefirah was a bit long; it was already the morning of the second day.
Bathed in the sunlight, he felt that he was currently in an extremely profound state: as if simultaneously existing in two completely different dimensions.
One version of himself stood solidly in the real room, feeling the temperature of the sunlight; while another version of himself transformed into boundless void—that was his true body as a Sefirah spirit.
Yet strangely enough, the two seemed to perfectly overlap at the very same coordinates.
Despite this complex experience, he managed it exceptionally freely, without a shred of incongruity or discomfort.
“Sefirah Castle projects those spirit bodies bound to Sefirah Castle.
But I myself am a Sefirah spirit; how can I still play the game of projecting spirit bodies?”
Lin Chuan supported his forehead thoughtfully, “No, this perhaps isn’t projection.
This feeling…
is somewhat similar to Amon.
They seem like avatars, but in essence, they are all different parts of the same existence.”
But Amon could play like this because the Mythical Creature forms of the Fool’s trio were inherently the gathering and dispersing Worm of Time and Worm of Spirit, and the Lord of the Mysteries inherently possessed avatars—or rather, the authority to create marionettes.
Transforming into thousands of forms and being omnipresent was their specialty.
What on earth did he rely on?
Lin Chuan vaguely sensed that he could seemingly cast even more of his will onto other people or Beyonder creatures at any time, with the specific assimilation upper limit being a complete unknown.
This sudden, strange ability filled him with doubts, but after much thought, he could only attribute it to the particularity of that symbolism of ‘Beyond the Original’.
Lin Chuan lowered his head to look at the back of his hand; his skin was smooth and clean, with no patterns emerging.
However, he was certain that he could now let his consciousness return to the Sefirah anytime and anywhere without performing any rituals.
Because that was originally his body; this process was as simple as switching logged-in accounts.
He turned around to leave the bedroom, walked straight through the living room, and came to the washroom.
After taking a deep breath, he raised his hand to push open the washroom door and looked at the mirror on the sink.
The young man in the mirror wore a pair of black-framed glasses, his face rather thin, and the depths of his gaze hid an indelible exhaustion.
This was precisely his original appearance before transmigrating.
“It really changed back…”
Lin Chuan was not surprised.
It seemed this should be the effect of re-establishing a connection with the Sefirah.
After all, in Lin Chuan’s self-awareness, he should look like this rather than the appearance of his original body.
Compared to his previous looks, subconsciously, he still identified more with his pre-transmigration self.
The change in appearance might cause some minor trouble for his subsequent actions, but it didn’t matter.
Without further ado, he needed to take action immediately.
Goodness knows when the Original underground will wake up; hopefully, time is still abundant.
…
April 17, 2018.
Tuesday.
For this civilization on the verge of the apocalypse, this was just an unremarkable day in the dust of grand history.
But for a certain city’s funeral home, a funeral that was hard to classify as ordinary or extraordinary was being held here.
The funeral home was filled with low, mournful music and restrained sobbing.
Wearing a solemn black suit, Lin Chuan stood among the mourning crowd, looking at Zhou Mingrui’s familiar smile in the black-and-white portrait, his heart flooded with a myriad of complex emotions.
He was very clear that Zhou Mingrui was hanging on Sefirah Castle at this moment and would wake up in Tingen City in the future as Klein.
But for Zhou Mingrui’s parents, the pain of losing a beloved family member was real and heavy.
As the funeral drew to a close, Lin Chuan stepped forward to offer his condolences to Zhou Mingrui’s parents and older brother.
When the three of them saw him, they were visibly stunned.
Zhou Mingrui’s father had red eye rims, looking Lin Chuan up and down, and spoke with some hesitation and confusion: “You are…
Lin Chuan?
Why have you changed so much?”
“I’ve gone through some changes recently, fell gravely ill, lost so much weight that my appearance changed, and my temperament altered too.”
Without changing his expression, Lin Chuan gave a reasonable excuse he had long prepared, and then accurately recounted the circumstances of last month’s birthday celebration.
Listening to those familiar past events, the Zhou parents finally put down their doubts, confirmed the identity of the person before them, and tears once again burst through the dikes uncontrollably.
Before leaving, Lin Chuan pulled out three warm jade tablets from his pocket and solemnly handed them into the hands of the Zhou family.
“Uncle, Auntie…
These are peace talismans I sought when I went to Mount Longhu some time ago.
It is said they were personally consecrated by a high-virtue Daoist master to ward off evil and ensure safety.
Mingrui is gone; you must take good care of your health.
Carry these jade tablets with you at all times as a keepsake.”
Confirming that the three of them had personally accepted the jade tablets, Lin Chuan bowed slightly.
He sighed, the sadness and heaviness on his face just right: “Mingrui’s accident this time was also a huge blow to me, so I want to go to another city to clear my head.
If there is anything you need help with in the future, please be sure to call me.”
Immersed in immense grief, the Zhou family didn’t ask much, just numbly nodding, not knowing whether they heard or not.