spiritual scholar

puppet

Su Xiao's gaze slowly lifted, feeling as if another version of himself was looking down from a higher position, like playing a third-person role-playing game, with the "camera" above the character's head, clearly seeing himself: Black short hair slightly messy, wearing heavy augmented reality glasses, dressed in a clean, almost glaring white short-sleeved T-shirt in the sunlight, light-colored shorts, black sneakers, carrying a small white shoulder bag, holding a phone in his hand.

At the same time, Su Xiao did not lose his own vision. These two sensory experiences overlapped strangely without causing him any burden, feeling very light.

In this state, Su Xiao felt his mind becoming exceptionally clear, gaining some different understanding of the world around him.

"What, what is this?"

Su Xiao was shocked, unable to maintain this state, and his vision returned to normal.

"A life spell?" Su Xiao muttered to himself.

...

After buying a bag of buns from a roadside breakfast stall, Su Xiao continued on, still thinking about the previous situation.

He took a bite of the meat bun, the savory meat juice filling his mouth, blending with the dough, nourishing his taste buds, and sliding down his throat, filling his hungry stomach, truly a great earthly pleasure.

While eating the bun, Su Xiao pondered.

"Is it a life spell? I've never seen a life spell like this before."

"Possessed by an evil entity? Doesn't seem like it. Besides, I was just checked."

"I can quickly test if it's a life spell. Just enter a meditation state and visualize the boundless, profound sea of thought. If I see starlight flashing in it..."

"Then it's a life spell!"

At this thought, Su Xiao couldn't help but get excited!

A practitioner!

According to the "Universal Meditation Method," once you visualize the first star that lights up the sea of thought, it means you've entered the path of practice! Although seeing the starlight is far from having the star turn into a life spell and becoming a true practitioner, once you see the starlight, the rest is just a matter of time and effort!

Su Xiao glanced at the small navigation map in the upper right corner of his glasses: "Okay, once I get on the subway, I'll meditate and try!"

Soon, Su Xiao followed the arrows on the road and arrived at a subway entrance.

It was just past eight, and the place was already crowded with people.

Most of them were like Su Xiao, wearing augmented reality glasses, holding phones, some carrying buns, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, meat sandwiches, and soy milk, eating quickly outside the subway.

You can't bring food into the subway!

Su Xiao followed suit, gobbling up the remaining meat buns.

Queuing, checking.

Today's security was much stricter, and Su Xiao even saw several soldiers wearing military exoskeletons, armed and guarding the place.

The exoskeletons looked like black armor, covering the soldiers' backs and limbs, their composite helmets providing them with information about the surroundings. The shoulder badges read: Zhongxia Armed Police!

Seeing these fully armed police officers eased much of the insecurity caused by the previous emergency risk.

Although Su Xiao knew that if they encountered a powerful evil entity, they might not be very effective.

"Low-level familiars are fine, just not high-level ones, or even demon-level..." Su Xiao sighed inwardly.

Evil entities are classified into familiar-level, demon-level, marquis-level, great demon-level, and Leviathan-level.

Most emergency risks are caused by familiar-level evil entities, against which bullets and numbers are generally effective.

But if they encounter demon-level entities, ordinary light weapons are almost completely ineffective, and they can only rely on heavy weapons, which still only pose a threat but don't guarantee a kill.

Often, they need to rely on practitioners! If they encounter a demon-level evil entity, the armed police at the scene would mostly cover the evacuation, waiting for practitioners to rescue them.

In the city, even though the armed police are generally equipped with single-soldier rocket launchers, they don't dare to use them lightly, fearing collateral damage.

Unless there happens to be a military practitioner among the troops, and not just an ordinary practitioner...

"But since there was an early warning, the military should deploy practitioners to protect crowded places..." Su Xiao comforted himself.

It should be fine!

After finally getting on the subway, Su Xiao found it was packed with people! Most of them were heading to work early in the morning.

Su Xiao didn't get a seat and had to stand.

But it didn't matter. Su Xiao's understanding of meditation was deep enough that he could meditate standing up.

Holding onto the subway strap, Su Xiao quickly entered a meditative state.

His thoughts sank, sank, sinking into boundless darkness.

Here, in meditation terminology, it's called the "sea of thought," also referred to as the "spiritual sea" or "mind lake," different names for the same thing.

Entering the sea of thought is not easy, requiring long-term training, but Su Xiao quickly achieved it.

As soon as his mind entered the sea of thought, Su Xiao couldn't help but feel ecstatic.

No pain!

Yes, no pain.

In the past, once entering the sea of thought, Su Xiao's head would start to feel excruciating pain, as if his brain was glued together with numerous fragments, hurting unbearably with the slightest movement.

"Now, is there starlight?"

Su Xiao's thoughts rippled through the boundless darkness of the sea of thought.

The "Universal Meditation Method" mentions that to become a practitioner, one must go through three stages.

Dust, stardust, starlight.

Everyone is born in the dust stage, with boundless darkness in the sea of thought, countless thought dust floating around.

Through the "Universal Meditation Method," one can find those faintly glowing dust, entering the stardust stage.

In the stardust stage, a person can develop some minor supernatural abilities as mentioned in some novels.

When reaching the starlight stage, these minor abilities start to become stronger.

Finally, once the starlight in the sea of thought grows into a miniature star, a person is no longer ordinary but a practitioner.

That star is called the "spell star"! The first complete spell star is the "life spell"! Su Xiao's thoughts wandered among countless dust particles. In the past, he couldn't do this because the severe pain would interrupt his meditation, forcing him to exit the sea of thought, only able to rely on the special features of the "Universal Meditation Method" to barely practice in his dreams.

Suddenly, amidst the swirling dust, Su Xiao found something different from the surrounding particles.

His thoughts drifted over, observing the presence below the countless dark dust.

It was a finely detailed, humanoid puppet without facial features.