Falling.

Falling again.

Continuously falling.

"Bang—"

Awakening.

Gu Shen opened his eyes and found himself standing on a vast and boundless wilderness. Fragments of grass were floating in the air, swaying with the wind. The sky was pressed low by dark clouds, and there were faint thunderous murmurs within the leaden clouds. The whole world was quiet and still, as if the impending doomsday was approaching.

Where is this...

Memories surfaced, lingering on the last finger pointed at him by Senior Sister Luo.

"This is a dream created by a spiritual transcendent."

A familiar voice sounded.

Gu Shen turned his head in astonishment and saw the little white dress he had been longing for. The hem of the dress was blown up by the wind, revealing the girl's tender legs.

Seeing Gu Shen's surprised expression, Chu Ling, with a strand of long hair tucked behind her ear, smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to see me?"

"No, no, how could that be?!"

Gu Shen quickly waved his hands, pondered his words for a moment, and said slowly, "It's just that I never thought... I would meet you here."

He felt a bit melancholic.

If this was a dream created by Luo Er for him, then everything happening now was just his imagination, right?

"Although this is a dream, everything that happens here will become your real memory." Chu Ling said seriously, "Reality and illusion are two worlds with blurred boundaries. Manipulating our physical consciousness, no one can depict an exact entity or form... but it does exist. And in this kind of dream, the spiritual consciousness can manifest itself."

Gu Shen remembered his first encounter with Chu Ling.

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

That "001" train... Was that also a dream?

"As for why I am here... It's not the time to explain the specific reasons yet." Chu Ling said softly, "Gu Shen, you just need to remember that even without Deep Sea, I can still have a spiritual connection with you. So..."

"As long as you need me, I will appear."

She looked at Gu Shen and said, "Definitely."

Gu Shen stared at the girl in a daze. In this dream-like world, everything was so vast, with an endless wilderness and a sea of leaves that could engulf the young boy and girl. The dark clouds above almost collapsed.

In this world.

A person was so small and lonely.

But with one more person, they were no longer small or lonely.

"Hiss..."

Gu Shen felt a headache coming on and whispered, "I remember now. The reason I came here is because Senior Sister Luo wanted to show me something... What is that 'something'?"

To this question.

Chu Ling just smiled and did not answer.

Gu Shen realized that he needed to uncover the answer to this question himself. He reached out and grabbed a flying fragment of grass. Everything here felt real, with remnants of ice and frost on the leaves that had not completely thawed.

He squeezed it hard.

The ice fragments shattered into water.

More and more fragments of grass flew up, some breaking free from the cover of frost and snow, and some revealing tender green shoots. In this gray and desolate world, gradually turning green under the cover of thunder, it was like a painting with colors.

In this era of surging electronic torrents, such scenery was no longer seen. The steel jungle today was filled with cold and rough buildings. A newly sprouted spring grass would soon be trampled down, and a brand new piece of land would soon be uprooted... Even in undeveloped wastelands, it was difficult to see vast stretches of wilderness.

As the painting expanded, the desolation and decay were swept away. The thunderous roar grew louder and seemed to be pushing an invisible tide closer—

Gu Shen seemed to see all living creatures reviving, the harsh winter breaking, and spring arriving. Countless leaves and grass swept in, shaking off the frost and snow.

He subconsciously adjusted his breathing.

All the sounds became clear, including his own breathing... At this moment, time seemed to slow down.

An invisible force guided Gu Shen to sit down, turning into a tiny spring grass on the wilderness. The moment he sat down, a thin layer of frost formed on his hair, but it was quickly blown away by the wind—

Many fragments of grass were blown up.

But he remained unmoved.

At this moment, it seemed that many words were injected into his mind, as well as countless continuous virtual images, broken lines, and smeared colors—

With a thunderous roar from the dome.

The spring thunder sounded.

Information exploded in his mind.

Drizzling rain fell, not heavy, but it covered the entire wilderness. The raindrops fell, but they didn't make people feel cold... On the contrary, they made people feel incredibly warm.

This was a spring rain, taking the whole world out of the cold winter.

Fragments of grass fell, landing on Gu Shen's eyebrows, shoulders, and hair.

The young boy forgot everything, his breathing steady as a rock. In this dream, Gu Shen seemed to have had a deeper dream. His spiritual power was slowly increasing, and with each passing second, he felt more at ease and settled.

The girl in the little white dress accompanied him with a smile, quietly watching.

Countless fragments of grass whizzed by and were blown down by the rain, but when they fell beside Chu Ling, they turned into broken numbers. In this perfect real world, because of the girl's presence, there was a small area that couldn't be touched or felt, an illusory zone.

...

...

After an unknown amount of time passed.

Gu Shen slowly opened his eyes, sensing the changes within himself.

He felt as if he had slept for a very long time. This dream world, on the contrary, felt as real as reality.Because of using the ruler of truth, the exhaustion of not having enough rest overnight was swept away at this moment. Gu Shen's heart was filled with a positive emotion similar to "spring revival".

He finally understood what Senior Luo said, what exactly is the thing that can help him control the transcendent power.

This dream is more like a lecture.

There is nothing better than being there in person to teach... The whole dream world, from the grass to the thunder, all living beings, are teaching him... how to breathe.

This is a breathing method that can only be understood but not explained.

"It's so incredible."

Gu Shen's eyes became brighter and brighter, shining. He looked at Chu Ling with gratitude.

During his deep sleep, Gu Shen could feel that someone had been with him all the time.

"This is 'Awakening' left by Gu Changzhi for the Judgment Hall." Chu Ling said softly, "Searching through the five continents, there should be no breathing method more suitable for beginners than 'Awakening'. As long as you master this breathing method and exercise your mind regularly, you can greatly reduce the probability of 'losing control'."

"Awakening..."

Gu Shen clenched his fist. He felt that there was a huge power hidden in his body. Now his mind became exceptionally full and fertile, as if there was endless energy.

Inside his spine, it was like hiding a thunder.

Just like the two characters of "Awakening"!

"The only drawback is that the comprehension of 'Awakening' is very, very, very... difficult."

Chu Ling used three "very" in a row, looking at Gu Shen with a complicated look, and said, "The vast majority of people, even if they have the opportunity to come to this dream world, will not have the slightest resonance and comprehension."

Gu Shen looked down at the grass in his palm.

Is it really difficult?

But his comprehension seems to have encountered no difficulties... Everything went so smoothly, even describing it as smooth as a flat road is not an exaggeration.

"You chose the 'Mental Link', are you afraid that I will encounter trouble?" Gu Shen smiled, "Sorry to disappoint you."

Chu Ling neither agreed nor disagreed, "Yes, and not entirely."

"If I don't enter this dream world... when you finish comprehending 'Awakening', this dream should end."

Chu Ling raised her head and looked at the end of the world after the spring rain had stopped. The distant dark clouds dispersed, the clouds shattered, and the horizon at the end of the line of sight began to shrink.

This dream world has begun to collapse, but in the sky, blurry symbols and codes are falling, so the collapse of the Awakening dream is slowed down.

"You can't leave now."

Gu Shen was stunned.

"In the real world, only fifteen minutes have passed."

Chu Ling explained simply, "The fastest comprehension record in the history of the Judgment Hall is one hour and forty-five minutes. If you go out now... no matter how Zhou JiRen protects you, the people in the Judgment Hall should propose to slice and study you."

"...Fifteen minutes?!"

Gu Shen was surprised. If he was told that fifteen hours had passed in this Awakening dream, he would believe it.

Only fifteen minutes have passed in the real world.

Gu Shen understood what Chu Ling meant.

In many games, the first record is always refreshed. If it is faster than the original first place by a little bit, then the breaker is a respectable new champion. But if it is several times or dozens of times faster... then people will probably think that this person is a shameful cheater.

"The Awakening world is about to collapse."

Gu Shen saw the collapse in the distance. He really didn't want to go out now and felt helpless. "How long can we hold on? If you tell me earlier, I can sleep here and then comprehend it."

"Many things in the dream world are not under your conscious control." Chu Ling smiled, "The subconscious determines the outcome of the dream. If you choose to sleep, maybe you will complete the comprehension in the next level of the dream. That's why many people rack their brains and try various methods to comprehend 'Awakening', but still fail in the end."

"The good news is... with my delay, the speed of this world's collapse has slowed down. We will still become the new record, but only a little faster than the first place." Chu Ling held up a finger and showed a rare playful smile, "Just a little bit."

"Just a little bit?"

"Faster than the original first place by just a little bit?"

Gu Shen sighed deeply and asked sincerely, "Lady Chu Ling, with your great powers, can you let me be the last one, a little slower than the last place in the hot water odd-even comparison? Instead of being the first, I am better at hiding in the back. It really gives me a sense of security."

The girl tilted her head slightly, her eyes puzzled.

She couldn't understand why Gu Shen wanted to be the last one.

Everyone wants to be the first, to be the one who creates records, to shine brightly and be admired by others.

"I have always only wanted to be an ordinary person..."

"I have never wanted to shine brightly or be admired by others..."

Gu Shen took a deep breath. His originally slow speech speed gradually accelerated, "Once you become the first, many people will have expectations of you for no reason. You have to run forward desperately, faster and faster, and you can no longer stop. Mr. Shu saved me with an amnesty order, Senior Sister and Senior Brother came from afar to teach me, they gave me a new house and a large sum of money. Now I feel that I don't deserve it if I don't get an 'S' grade. But... Chu Ling, do you know, they are helping me so hard, but they don't know that I don't have that so-called transcendent ability at all!"

Chu Ling looked at the young man in a daze.After the spring rain, blades of grass and droplets of water clung to Gu Shen's cheeks. In his clear pupils, there was a struggle of three parts and a pain of seven.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be the first.

But he was afraid of letting down those who had been kind to him.

Gu Shen felt that everything was happening too fast and too absurdly. In fifteen days, there would be an audit by the Tribunal. They were going to rank his "Transcendent ability"... But who could have thought that he had no Transcendent ability at all!

What was the point of special training?

What was the point of comprehending "Awakening of Insects"?

Even if he tried his best, all his efforts were destined to be in vain.

"Who said that."

At the end of the collapsing world.

A gentle voice sounded.

"Who said you don't have a Transcendent ability..."

Chu Ling shook her head, her face serious, her voice sincere. It spread with the rain, enveloping the surroundings, bringing peace to the mind.

"You just haven't awakened yet."

The world was slowly collapsing.

Gu Shen no longer looked at the grass, the rain, the remaining clouds. The scenery in his eyes was no longer important, all that was left was this girl.

He saw something different in Chu Ling's eyes than in others'.

It wasn't expectation, nor encouragement, nor comfort.

But a firm declaration, a prophecy that was bound to come true.

"Gu Shen, you have to believe in yourself... You deserve the 'S' grade evaluation!"

......

......

The concept of time in the dream world was incomprehensible.

The time of comprehension was slow.

Yet the time of collapse was so fast.

Nothing happened, but the end of the world was already in sight. The horizon collapsed, replaced by countless blocks of blurry code.

Chu Ling stood in the darkness and laughed.

"If you don't want to be the one to set the record, then I'll accompany you from behind. The road is still long, very long..."

This time, it was the girl who reached out, wanting to touch the boy.

This time, there was still no real touch—

Code flew chaotically.

Darkness enveloped.

The dream, shattered.