The Trappings of Transcendence

This was clearly not right.

Li Weiyi wanted to stop, but the sole of his right foot seemed to have turned into a volcano, uncontrollably spewing out a scorching airflow like molten lava.

At the same time, a Silver Meridian Line grew from the sole of his right foot, like a vine sprouting from a seed, guiding the airflow as it spread upward.

It traveled along his calf, up to his thigh, passed through his internal organs, crossed his neck...

"Whoosh!"

The instant Li Weiyi opened his eyes, the Silver Meridian Line and the airflow converged there, making his pupils emit a faint silver glow.

His entire world became clearer. Colors grew richer, and every detail more distinct.

Above his head, the rust and fingerprints on the iron sheets used to build the Medical Tent were plainly visible. From them, he could even deduce the order and process of its construction.

In the air, tiny, imperceptible specks of dust moved with the currents formed by his rapid breathing.

The wisps of dim mist outside the tent door were like fine gauze tinged with faint color—everywhere, slipping through every crack, drifting with the wind.

"What... is happening?"

Li Weiyi was bewildered and uncertain, his heart pounding like a drum. The world he saw now was completely different from before! His old eyes had seemed covered by a blurred lens, leaving him to muddle through nineteen years of life.

Now, he felt as though he had leaped free of a cage and a mire.

The silver light faded from his pupils.

Yet his eyes seemed to have been remade, and his vision far surpassed what it had been before.

Looking at Professor Xu on the neighboring bed, Li Weiyi could even sense the man's emotions from minute changes in his facial muscles, wrinkles, pores, and fine hairs.

After a long while, once he had calmed down, he began to think seriously.

"Could this be what Master called the trappings of Transcendence?"

"Master said my physical body had long been near the critical threshold. I had been born at the wrong time, in the wrong era, and so could not advance further. Now that I've fallen into the Microscopic World, the environment has changed, so I crossed that threshold in an instant?"

Countless guesses and thoughts arose in Li Weiyi's mind. Still, he felt that whatever was happening within him was unknown, but by no means bad, so he began to explore it actively.

He used the Jade Void Breathing Technique again.

As that scorching airflow surged from the sole of his right foot, he consciously guided it toward his left arm, which had been badly injured by the Bear-like creature.

"Whoosh!"

A second Silver Meridian Line grew out, leading the scorching airflow along another route toward his left arm, all the way to his palm.

When the scorching airflow passed through his wound, the fiery pain immediately eased considerably. Then it became sore and itchy, like the sensation of flesh growing as a wound healed.

His injury was improving.

"The Silver Meridian Lines must be channels opened ahead of the airflow. Fine as hairs and winding in their paths, they guide the airflow to certain parts of the body. Wherever the airflow passes, it nourishes and transforms flesh, tendons, bones, internal organs... and my eyes. My whole body is changing."

"Perhaps before long, the injury in my left arm will heal completely under the nourishment of this scorching airflow. And like my eyes, it may undergo an unimaginable Transcendent transformation."

It was as if Li Weiyi had opened a mysterious gate connecting heaven and earth. Wild with joy, he soon immersed himself completely in exploring the realm of Transcendence.

"Haha, Weiyi, Weiyi..."

Zhao Meng hurried into the Medical Tent in high spirits, covered in dust and grime.

Having just finished his work, he had learned that Li Weiyi was awake and immediately rushed over.

Li Weiyi temporarily stopped his exploration of the Transcendent realm. He propped himself up and sat with his back against the bedframe, no longer looking as weak and powerless as before. His vitality had returned in abundance.

After looking him over repeatedly for quite some time, Zhao Meng became even more delighted. "Haha, amazing, truly amazing! You're in such great shape—your complexion is rosy, your eyes are bright. It looks like there's nothing wrong with you at all! Doctor Qi's medical skills are beyond admiration."

"Doctor Qi's skills are certainly remarkable, but Dr. Cai's Fish Soup has even greater medicinal effects." A light, airy voice sounded from the bed at the very back of the Medical Tent.

It was the short man who liked telling mythological stories. Wooden splints were tied around his neck and right arm, and he stared blankly at the tent roof.

His name was Gao Huan, one of Professor Xu's students.

Yet at this moment, he was neither glad nor happy.

Cai Yutong feeding Li Weiyi Fish Soup was certainly enough to provoke envy and jealousy. But what added insult to injury was that when his two classmates had brought Fish Soup for Professor Xu earlier, they had forgotten him entirely.

A mass of hurried footsteps sounded outside the Medical Tent.

Zhao Meng's expression changed slightly. He quickly leaned close to Li Weiyi's ear and whispered, "After you fell unconscious, some things happened. I hid the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, and the Sarira is on it too. But if they ask about it later, you must pretend you know nothing."

Captain Gao Xin, Director Yang, Xie Tianshu, Xie Jin... In moments, more than a dozen people crowded into the Medical Tent and packed tightly around Li Weiyi's bed.

"You've only just woken up. Your body is still weak, and you need to recover properly. Lie down quickly!"

With his back to the crowd, Zhao Meng supported Li Weiyi's neck and back, laying him flat on the bed again.

Unable to wait any longer, Xie Tianshu asked, "Little Li, now that you're awake, there is an important matter we need to question you about."

Zhao Meng turned around, displeased. "Didn't I already say it? Buddha's Sarira fell into the sea during the attacks by the Bear-like creature and Nine-Infant. I don't know what happened afterward, and neither does my Junior Brother."

Zhao Meng was poor at concealing things and lying. His words were too absolute, which instead made people suspicious.

Xie Tianshu smiled. "But someone looked through the cabin window and saw that the Azure Radiance and Crimson Radiance which caused us to fall onto the Bronze Ship were released from Little Li's body. The only treasure capable of producing such a miraculous phenomenon could be Buddha's Sarira."

Zhao Meng said, "I was standing so close, yet I didn't notice anything. At the time, you had been overturned into the Arctic Ocean by Nine-Infant. The situation was so perilous—could anyone really have seen clearly?"

"The First Mate knows the truth in his heart," Xie Tianshu replied calmly.

Many people present doubted Zhao Meng's words.

Director Yang cared greatly about Buddha's Sarira. "Mr. Zhao, don't get worked up! Our circumstances were dangerous then, but weren't yours as well? Can you guarantee that you absolutely overlooked no important details? Buddha's Sarira concerns whether we can return to the Macroscopic World's Earth. It would be better to get to the bottom of this."

Li Weiyi had already understood. Naturally, he had to follow his Senior Brother's lead, so he spoke weakly. "Regarding Buddha's Sarira, I already asked Professor Xu about it just now. It's truly unbelievable. Did we really fall into the Microscopic World? What exactly is the origin of the Bronze Ship? Where is this ship sailing?"

No one present could answer those questions.

Because there were many things even they could not determine.

"Finding Buddha's Sarira will let us return? But what connection does Buddha's Sarira have with the Bronze Ship? Can they be controlled by us?" Li Weiyi asked again.

Xie Tianshu said, "At the very least, Buddha's Sarira would not disappear for no reason. If it is on you, Little Li, you should take it out and let everyone study and analyze it further. Even if we cannot return to Earth, it will at least give us another measure of security in this unfamiliar world."

Li Weiyi understood now. Returning to Earth was merely an excuse; they had no confidence in it whatsoever. Their real aim was to seize Buddha's Sarira and strengthen their own position in this unfamiliar world.

If Buddha's Sarira had not returned to the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish, Li Weiyi would not have minded giving it back, returning it to its rightful owner.

What was not his, he disdained to take.

But if Buddha's Sarira itself was one of the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish's eyes, then wasn't its current state the true return to its rightful owner? How could he hand over the Chan Sect's token of leadership to others?

Zhao Meng was enraged. "My Junior Brother has been unconscious for three days. If Buddha's Sarira were truly on him, you would have taken it away long ago."

"It may not be on his body, but inside his body... who can say for sure?"

The reason Xie Tianshu could say that was naturally because he had long entertained the thought of swallowing Buddha's Sarira directly.

Only when a treasure entered one's body could it truly be possessed.

Zhao Meng said, "Are you saying you want to cut open someone's belly?"

"I merely stated one possibility."

"Enough arguing! Buddha's Sarira is, after all, the treasure carrying the Bronze Ship. It may very well still be in the Macroscopic World." As captain, Gao Xin was advanced in years but carried considerable authority. He shouted down Zhao Meng and Xie Tianshu, who were on the verge of coming to blows.

After everyone fell silent.

Li Weiyi was the first to speak. "Senior Brother, their true purpose is not Buddha's Sarira at all. They want to use Buddha's Sarira as a pretext to turn everyone on the ship against us and isolate us."

"The Cold Storage has been damaged. Most of the food carried by the Research Vessel will soon spoil. In ten days, whoever controls the distribution of the remaining food will have a greater chance of surviving."

"The captain and all the leaders are advanced in years. You are the only one who can threaten him, so naturally he needs to find an excuse to deal with you."

The words of Gao Xin and Li Weiyi, one after the other, plunged everyone present into thought.

Clearly, the practical matter of "food" was far more important and urgent than an illusory treasure like Buddha's Sarira.

The others left the Medical Tent one after another. As they departed, some politely and others insincerely reminded Li Weiyi to rest and recover well.

Xie Jin caught up with Xie Tianshu and asked in a low voice, "Brother Shu, did you notice anything?"

"Zhao Meng's little Junior Brother is much harder to deal with than Zhao Meng himself. He looks pure and kind, but he ruined our plans without seeming to mean to. Fortunately, he was badly injured by the Bear-like creature!" Xie Tianshu said.

Xie Jin's gaze turned cold. "With that brat's reminder, Zhao Meng will definitely become wary. Should we make our move early?"

Xie Tianshu shook his head. "There are three guns aboard! The rifle has three bullets left, and Zhao Meng has it. The Shotgun is in the hands of those people from Laboratory 705, and it should still have bullets as well. Gao Xin also has a pistol on him... None of the three guns are in our hands. We cannot rush this. Once we act, we must ensure nothing can go wrong."

Xie Jin smiled disdainfully. "Zhao Meng's greatest weakness is that brat Li Weiyi. As long as we control that brat, Zhao Meng will obediently hand over the rifle. As for those old, weak, sick, and disabled people from Laboratory 705, leave them to me."

Xie Tianshu frowned slightly and said sternly, "Do not Act Rashly! Follow the original plan. First, win over Head Chef Kong Fan. He is the key to taking the enemy without drawing a blade."

(I saw some comments saying that they entered the Sarira... Uh, no! The Sarira was on the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish and became one of its fish eyes. It was only because the Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish became complete that the later events occurred.

It was written in Chapter Six: the Bronze Ship flew out of the Sarira and set sail...)