The Former System

That night, there was no moon, and the stars were sparse.

The Public Mortuary was silent, with only the occasional chirp of insects drifting in.

Lin Yan lay on the crude wooden plank bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

The fragments of memory from the graveyard during the day surfaced again, beyond his control.

Human Teachings... Taishang Laojun... second disciple...

And that world-destroying battle...

Was all of this really just a hallucination caused by damage to his soul?

But why had it felt so real?

That heart-pounding fear, that grief, that hollow feeling as though he had lost everything...

Just as his mind was unsettled, there came a soft knock at the door.

"Ah Yan, are you asleep?" It was Uncle Jiu's voice.

Lin Yan hurriedly got out of bed and opened the door.

Uncle Jiu stood outside, changed into a clean gray Daoist robe, holding a thread-bound booklet in his hand, his expression gentle.

"Master, you haven't rested yet?"

"Mm. There are some things I want to say to you." Uncle Jiu entered the room, sat down by the table, and placed the booklet on it.

Lin Yan saw three ancient seal-script characters written on the cover: Supreme Clarity Great Cavern Scripture.

"You have been under my roof for some time now."

Uncle Jiu looked at Lin Yan and spoke slowly.

"Your thoughts are pure, and your temperament is steady. It is only that your soul is incomplete and your memories are chaotic. Before this, I did not dare pass the foundational Daoist arts to you, for fear your mind and spirit were unstable and you would suffer harm instead."

"But from what I saw today, though your memories are disordered, your Spiritual Platform has not lost its clarity, and you know to be cautious when facing matters."