159 Sea Of Endless Darkness

In the pavilion behind the Beastiary Coalition's study hall.

Xiong Mei and Li Meirong sat facing each other with their legs loosely crossed, their feet resting below their opposite thighs.

Li Meirong had her eyes closed in concentration with her chin tucked in, and her right hand placed on top of the left, with her thumbs slightly touching.

As was planned, after the lesson had ended, the girls had met up and began to practise their cultivation.

"You must clear your mind of any wandering thoughts. Imagine yourself inside an empty space, devoid of everything." Xiong Mei instructed, "When you've managed to free your mind, focus on the energies that surround you. The light, the breeze, the water… Everything holds its own form of energy. Concentrate on a single source."

Li Meirong did as she was told. Her greatest difficulty had been to clear her mind from stray thoughts and she put in the extra effort to succeed.

She imagined herself floating in outer space. An endless, wondrous sheet of blackness, filled with shimmering stars. She envisioned the planets in the solar system. Jupiter, Venus, Mars…

Realization suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She probably wasn't even in that galaxy anymore.

Her eyelashes fluttered in concentration as she bit her lower lip. 'No, I have to empty my mind.'

Focusing on what she imagined to be emptiness, Li Meirong pictured a sea of darkness. An infinite void.

It wasn't cold. It wasn't lonely. It wasn't anything, because she, herself, was nothing.

Xiong Mei's voice echoed like a soft whisper, guiding her. "Good girl. Do you see the energies? Concentrate on the energies…"

It was difficult for Li Meirong to make sense of what exactly her fellow disciple was talking about, yet she didn't need to ponder for very long.

Soon enough, Inside the sea of endless darkness, emerged dim shadowy fluctuations of colours, slithering across the vast emptiness.

When she focused on the colours, they came closer and closer, looking like a swarm of snakes. Their tones intensified into vivid lights, streaking across the space.

They were like a living essence. Some were cold, some warm, and some even felt similar to a lover's gentle embrace.

When the glowing waves reached Li Meirong, they shot straight into her body. A brilliant myriad of pigments, varying in shades of greens, blues, yellows and reds.

She felt submerged with energy and immediately opened her eyes, panting for breath. The first thing she saw was Xiong Mei's aqua eyes, staring at her in silent amazement.

Xiong Mei was no longer in a sitting position. During the time Li Meirong was cultivating, the other girl had moved to sit in front of her.

"Y-you're glowing like a rainbow!"

Hearing Xiong Mei's declaration, Li Meirong stared down at her own hands. They were indeed shining like the northern lights. Different kinds of glowy colours radiated from her skin as she felt a gentle vibration coursing throughout her entire body.

"I feel… sweaty." Her voice came out hoarse.

Feeling sweaty was an understatement. Li Meirong felt like she had dived inside a murky swamp.

Xiong Mei let out a high pitched bray, clutching her hands to her stomach.

The blue-eyed girl's burst of hearty laughter rang in Li Meirong's ears. Every little sound pained her sensitive eardrums. She could even hear the crickets chirping from about a mile away.

Not only that, her eyes were burning. It was a cloudy day, and yet the sun had suddenly turned so bright, it caused Li Meirong to shield her vision with the back of her wrist.

"I can't believe it, even though I see it… Usually, practitioners absorb a single form of energy while cultivating, so that they could maintain a balance within themselves. But you," Xiong Mei playfully pinched Li Meirong's nose, giggling between her words, "You went ahead and collected everything around you!"