As evening fell, the sunset glow gradually stained the skies over Jiangcheng.
Li Qingshan pushed open the door to his home, and a familiar aroma of food greeted him, leaving him momentarily lost in thought.
It was the most ordinary taste of home cooking, yet also the warmth and bustle of mortal life that was hardest to leave behind.
"Qingshan, you're home?"
His mother poked her head out of the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist and a spatula still in her hand.
"Go wash your hands. I made your favorite sweet-and-sour pork ribs today."
His father was sitting on the sofa watching the news. Hearing this, he looked up.
"Why have you been coming home so late lately? Is the library really that interesting?"
Li Qingshan smiled but did not answer immediately.
He put down his schoolbag and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. The cold water ran over his fingers, clearing his head somewhat.
The young man in the mirror had handsome, refined features and eyes deeper than those of someone his age ought to have.
Three dishes and a soup sat on the dining table: sweet-and-sour pork ribs with an enticing color, stir-fried vegetables so green they looked ready to drip, and steaming winter melon and pork rib soup.
The family of three sat together around the table, warm light spilling over each of them.
"Eat more. Look how thin you've gotten lately."
His mother kept putting food into his bowl, her eyes full of concern.
"I heard you've been going to the library every day, and reading books on health and wellness? Why the sudden interest?"
Li Qingshan swallowed his food and answered calmly.
"Preparing for the math competition requires a still mind. Reading health books helps me stay calm and composed."
His father put down his chopsticks, looking thoughtful.
"The math competition is a good thing, but don't wear yourself out.
"By the way, your uncle called just now. He said your cousin is getting married back in our hometown next weekend and asked whether we wanted to go to the wedding feast together."
His mother picked up the conversation.
"That's right. You haven't been back to our hometown in ages. This is a good chance to go together and join the festivities.
"Your cousin often took you out to play when you were little. Remember?"
Li Qingshan's hand paused slightly around his chopsticks.
The cousin he remembered, who had always taken him to catch fish by the river, was now about to marry and establish a family of his own.
Time flew. A mortal life lasted only a few hurried decades, while he had embarked on an entirely different path.
"Next weekend probably won't work," he said, choosing his words carefully.
"The competition preparations are at a critical stage, and the teacher has arranged special training."
His mother looked a little disappointed, but nodded in understanding.
"Your studies are important, so we'll go another time. I'll prepare a red envelope for you, and remember to give your cousin your congratulations over video."
She suddenly smiled and asked, "By the way, Qingshan, you've been going out so often lately. Is there a girl you like?"
Li Qingshan nearly choked on his food and quickly shook his head.
"Mom, you're overthinking it. Right now, I just want to focus on my studies."
His father laughed too.
"It's perfectly normal for a young man to have someone he likes, but your studies really should come first for now.
"Speaking of which, have you thought about which university you want to get into?
"Wudaokou University of Engineering and Technology?
"Zhongguancun College of Applied Arts and Sciences?"
"I haven't decided yet,"
Li Qingshan answered truthfully.
"I'll wait until the competition results come out."
He sighed inwardly. If his parents knew that what he sought was no longer an ordinary university education,
but a path to longevity beyond the mortal world, he wondered what they would think.
Dinner ended in a warm atmosphere.
Li Qingshan offered to help clear the dishes. His mother watched his practiced movements, her eyes full of gratification.
Late at night, when all was quiet, Li Qingshan sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor.
Moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting a band of silvery white across the floor.
He closed his eyes and practiced the Crystal Visualization Method.
His mental power was as clear and transparent as crystal, reflecting everything within three zhang of him.
As his cultivation deepened, Li Qingshan gained a clearer understanding of his current level of mental cultivation.
According to the Crystal Visualization Method, mental cultivation was divided into several realms, each with different levels of its own.
He was currently at the third level of Deep Sleep, able to enter a sleeping state at any moment while in motion.
His mind received perfect rest while his body continued to move.
This was an extreme form of cultivation, similar to the state depicted in ancient drunken boxing, granting a person boundless strength and freedom from fatigue.
Li Qingshan could feel that, in this realm,
his mind had begun to subtly transform his body through his nerves, blood vessels, and endocrine system.
Each time he cultivated, he could feel a slight improvement in his physical condition. His strength, speed, and endurance were all growing slowly.
The deeper realm of Entering Stillness, however,
required one to recognize the mind as paramount and the flesh as empty,
holding the pearl of wisdom in hand and reflecting every situation in the mind.
Entering Stillness was divided into three levels: Lesser Stillness, Greater Stillness, and Constant Stillness.
Upon reaching it, one could even hypnotize enemies from a distance through mental fluctuations.
As for the more profound realms of Embryonic Breathing, Sitting in Oblivion, and Manifesting Sainthood,
they were still far too distant for him now.
Embryonic Breathing required one to condense the mind into the Daoist "Sacred Embryo," resonate with heaven and earth, and breathe with the mind;
Sitting in Oblivion required one to forget the physical form, cast aside cleverness, and break free of the constraints of body and intellect;
Manifesting Sainthood was the terrifying realm where mental cultivation became powerful enough to interfere with matter.
Dust drifted slowly through the air, and leaves outside the window trembled gently in the wind.
His parents were already asleep in the next bedroom: his father's faint snores, his mother's steady breathing,
and even the sound of blood flowing through their bodies-all were clearly reflected in his "mirror of the mind."
This power of perception had grown stronger day by day since he began cultivating the Crystal Visualization Method. Now, he could perceive the finest details.
He could "see" some strain in his mother's cervical spine, and that his father's heart occasionally skipped half a beat.
These were all traces that the years had left on mortal bodies. No one paid them any mind, yet they would eventually accumulate into illness.
A warm current welled up in Li Qingshan's heart, strengthening his resolve to protect his family.
Since he had been fortunate enough to embark on this extraordinary path, he would find a way to attain longevity and keep time from taking his loved ones away.
At midnight, his visualization came to an end.
He rose, took a notebook from his desk drawer, and began preparing for his journey to another world.
Based on his last experience, he needed to prepare some hard currency.
Gold was undoubtedly the best choice: compact and valuable, it could be used in most worlds.
After school the next day, Li Qingshan made a special trip to an old gold shop a little farther from home. With the pocket money he had saved and the New Year's money he had put aside last year, he bought a small gold bar.
These should be enough for his initial needs in another world.
"Young man, this is the first time I've seen someone so young buying gold."
The gold shop owner asked curiously.
"Haha, I just like gold,"
Li Qingshan said with a smile.
"If I buy some and keep it for a few years, it might even go up in value."
The owner nodded and asked no more.
Gold shop transactions were not strictly regulated these days. A few years later, a minor like him would probably have had a hard time buying gold.
Next, he went to a pharmacy and bought some common medical supplies:
antibiotics, painkillers, sterile gauze, bandages, adhesive bandages, and a set of basic surgical instruments.
He did not know what kind of world he would travel to, but it was better to be prepared.
Finally, he bought a high-quality outdoor survival knife.
Its blade was black, with a low-reflective finish and a sharp edge. It felt heavy in his hand, giving him a solid sense of security.
All these items were sorted and packed into a backpack, which he placed at the very back of his wardrobe, ready to be retrieved at any time.
Over the next two days, Li Qingshan led a seemingly ordinary life that concealed something extraordinary.
During the day, he went to school as usual, discussed math problems with his classmates, and took part in after-school activities;
at night, he continued cultivating the Crystal Visualization Method while making his final preparations for the journey.
His mental power improved with each passing day, and he could now perceive faint movements from farther away.
The footsteps of the neighbor's cat walking along the wall, the vibrations of traffic moving along the street,
and even the faint echoes of underground water flowing deep beneath the earth could all be reflected in his mirror of the mind.
This power of perception brought his understanding of the world to a new level.
All things were interconnected, their breaths flowing together; everything was in eternal motion and change.
He began to understand the true meaning of "reflecting the myriad worlds" in the Crystal Visualization Method: it was not simply perceiving the outside world,
but establishing a deep connection with the entire world.
That afternoon, after school, Li Qingshan did not go straight home. Instead, he went to the city's youth center.
He had enrolled in a crash course in sanda, and this was already his third day there.
On the training ground, drawing on his own comprehension and the third level of Deep Sleep he had reached through the Crystal Visualization Method,
Li Qingshan learned far faster than an ordinary person. He could perfectly replicate a move after watching the coach demonstrate it once;
during sparring, his offensive and defensive reactions were so fast that they caught his opponents off guard.
"Young man, have you trained before?"
the coach asked in surprise.
"With those reactions and that control over your body, you don't seem like a beginner."
"Maybe it's because I taught myself a little by watching videos,"
Li Qingshan said vaguely.
"I think it's pretty interesting."
In fact, he could maintain a state of Deep Sleep while moving, allowing his mind to rest perfectly while his body remained highly alert.
This state of "sleepwalking cultivation" gave him boundless strength and freed him from fatigue.
In just two hours of training, he mastered techniques that would have taken an ordinary person months to learn.
After training, the coach sought him out.
"You're very talented. Have you considered pursuing it professionally? The city sports school is recruiting, and I can recommend you."
Li Qingshan politely declined.
"Thank you, Coach, but I'd still like to focus on my studies."
The coach shook his head regretfully and handed him a business card.
"Contact me anytime if you change your mind. It would be a real shame for a talent like you not to practice sanda."
Li Qingshan put away the card and thought to himself:
Unfortunately, what he pursued was not victory or defeat in the ring, but a path to longevity beyond the mortal world.
Sanda was merely an additional safeguard for his upcoming journey to a new world.
On the third night, Li Qingshan sensed the stone gate's fluctuations once again.
The patterns on the gate had grown clearer, almost to the point where he could make out every detail.
The pull that crossed time and space was growing stronger as well, as though he would be drawn into it the next second.
He stood before the window, gazing at the countless lights of the city outside, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.
He did not know what kind of world awaited him on this journey, or whether he would face opportunities, danger, or both.
But he had no choice. This was his only current chance to come into contact with the extraordinary. He could only press bravely forward and continue down this path.
His parents' steady breathing came from the next bedroom.
Li Qingshan's gaze grew resolute and gentle.