Volume Two – The Map of the Nine Provinces Appears, Entering the Spirit Ruins Chapter 78: The Primordial Scripture

Under the guidance of the elder responsible for passing on techniques in the Hall of Cultivation, Chen Yu swiftly found the Primordial Sutra. Though its cover bore many signs of having been handled, it still looked pristine—a clear indication that it was a copied text.

Chen Yu paid it no mind and immediately began to read: Primordial is the boundless, without form or shape... All things in the world are born from existence, existence is born from nothingness. Nothingness is the beginning of heaven; existence is the mother of all things...

The first chapter of the Primordial Sutra, a mere hundred words or so, seemed to contain the profound mysteries of the universe’s genesis. With each reading, Chen Yu felt he could comprehend something different. Subtle insights surged through his heart, and, without realizing it, he stood there, immersed, until deep into the night.

The elder, though he did not fully understand, did not disturb him. As long as the book was not taken out of the Hall, he could read as long as he wished. Besides, at this hour, they were the only ones present.

Letting out a long breath, Chen Yu slowly closed the Primordial Sutra and approached the elder to apologize, “I’ve disturbed your rest, Elder. Forgive me.”

“It’s no trouble. Read as long as you like,” the elder replied with a smile. “I’m quite bored when I’m alone anyway.”

He then teased, “So? Did you memorize the Primordial Sutra? Next time you want to read it, you’ll need merit points, you know.”

Still absorbed in his thoughts, Chen Yu was slightly stunned, not catching the joke, and replied calmly, “Yes, I’ve memorized it all.”

“What a strange fellow,” the elder muttered as he watched Chen Yu’s departing figure, which seemed a little lost. Sighing, he said to himself, “Perhaps I shouldn’t have let him see the Primordial Sutra.”

But what was done could not be undone. He couldn’t understand just how profoundly the Sutra would affect Chen Yu.

Chen Yu himself barely knew how he returned to his quarters. Now, he sat upright on his bed, his eyes hollow, the words of the Primordial Sutra endlessly echoing in his mind.

He felt as though there was a world within reach, yet no matter what he tried, he could not grasp it.

Thus, Chen Yu sat cross-legged for three whole days, his face visibly thinner.

On this day, a dazed Chen Yu was startled awake by a knock at his door.

“Who is it?” he asked, bewildered, a hint of annoyance on his face.

“Brother Chen Yu, it’s me, Xue Ren,” came the voice from outside.

Only then did Chen Yu truly come to his senses.

“Oh… Brother Xue Ren? Please wait a moment, I’ll be right there,” Chen Yu called out hurriedly. As he tried to get out of bed, his legs felt numb, and he stumbled, falling directly to the floor with a cry of pain.

“Brother Chen Yu, are you alright?” Xue Ren’s voice sounded concerned from outside.

“It’s nothing… I’ll be fine in a moment,” Chen Yu replied, embarrassed.

When he finally opened the door, a musty odor wafted out, causing Xue Ren to wrinkle his brow unconsciously. Seeing Chen Yu’s pallor, he exclaimed in shock, “Brother Chen Yu, what happened to you? Why is your face…”

“My face… is there something wrong?” Chen Yu, still unaware, touched his own face and asked in return.

Xue Ren looked at him oddly and said, “Brother, you should see for yourself.”

Chen Yu looked into the bronze mirror and was startled by his own reflection. “Is this me?”

The face in the mirror was gaunt, the eyes sunken, skin pale as paper. If one didn’t look closely, he really might have been mistaken for a ghost.

“How did I end up like this?” Chen Yu muttered in disbelief.

“Brother Chen, you weren’t haunted by a female ghost, were you? Has your vital energy been drained?” Xue Ren asked, a little frightened.

“What nonsense! This is the Spirit Ruins. What female ghost would dare come here?” Chen Yu retorted.

“Then… was it some senior sister…” Xue Ren ventured.

“What’s with your imagination? Always thinking of the most bizarre things,” Chen Yu said. “Why did you come looking for me?”

“Well… I hadn’t seen you at the main hall for several days, nor heard you had any tasks, so I thought I’d check on you,” Xue Ren explained.

“Oh… Perhaps I was immersed in the mysteries of the techniques in my room, so my energy was depleted,” Chen Yu realized. Reflecting on it, he felt a surge of fear. If Xue Ren hadn’t happened to come, he might truly have lost control and died in cultivation.

“Enlightenment? Brother, what technique were you comprehending?” Xue Ren asked curiously, but quickly apologized for prying.

Chen Yu didn’t mind and briefly explained.

“What? The Primordial Sutra? Why would you study that incomplete scripture?” Xue Ren exclaimed in shock.

“You know of it?” Chen Yu asked, surprised.

“Of course…” Xue Ren shuddered. “The Primordial Sutra is infamous in the Spirit Ruins. Most who practice it end up losing their minds, dissolving their own cultivation in the end.”

Chen Yu frowned and asked, “Has anyone succeeded?”

“There have been, but that was a long time ago, and that senior did not meet a good end. So for us, the Primordial Sutra is taboo,” Xue Ren cautioned. “If you haven’t delved too deeply, it’s best to abandon it now.”

Chen Yu furrowed his brow, weighing the matter silently. He replied, “I’ll be careful.”

Not wishing to linger on the topic, Chen Yu joked, “Why are you calling me ‘Brother’ now? I joined later than you!”

“True, but your cultivation is stronger than mine,” Xue Ren replied, scratching his head with an awkward smile.

The two chatted for a while, exchanging insights on cultivation. Xue Ren left, pleased with the knowledge he had gained.

Watching Xue Ren’s excitement, Chen Yu realized, “The reason I became obsessed with the Primordial Sutra and fell into a trance was ultimately because my foundation is too weak. Perhaps I should listen to the lectures of the other senior brothers and sisters and improve myself.”

In the days that followed, Chen Yu no longer sought the mysteries of the Primordial Sutra. Instead, he attended lectures in the outer disciples’ main hall, listening to his peers explain the subtleties of the Dao, combining their insights with his own experience to accumulate understanding.

Time passed day by day. Almost a month had gone by since Chen Yu joined the outer sect of the Inexperienced Peak, and he now had to take on a task to fulfill the duties of an outer disciple.

Since it was his first time, Chen Yu chose something simple: gathering medicinal herbs in the Forest of Forgetting Troubles.

He smiled, easily guessing that when he had met Xue Ren and Zheng Geng, they were probably doing the same task.

“Well then! The work of an outer disciple in the Spirit Ruins begins here,” Chen Yu said to himself, half in jest.