When Legends speak of the First Immortal venerate, they speak about the Library of memory and of thought. It is said that in the boundless heavens of the cultivation realms, where the Dao flows like wind through leaves and the stars themselves are grains of sand on the cosmic river, there exists a plane not made of matter, Qi, or spirit.But of thought itself.
This is the Sea of Consciousness, the library of thought.
It is depicted as a boundless, formless ocean that exists beyond the limits of time, space, and individuality. A place that can not be reached by foot or flying sword, nor can it be pierced by divine sense or seen through heavenly eyes. It is the inner sky behind all minds, the primal mirror that reflects the rise and fall of every soul.
The ancient texts speak of the Primordial Dreamer, the first venerate to be enlightentened by the Venerate Luck palace.
Finding himself in this ethereal plane, Ling Aotian could not help but think of the First Venerate: The first human cultivator. The primordial dreamer.
It is transcribed that in his enlightenment, his thoughts transcended the cycle of Samsara, reaching the Dao of Infinite Reflection, drowning his ego in meditation so deep, his mind expanded into a sea: becoming the first ripple in what would become the Sea of Consciousness.
From that ripple, memories, emotions, regrets, dreams, and enlightenment of all sentient beings began to collect, forming a vast sea not of water but of pure memory and will. Each thought a droplet. Each soul a tide.
Ling Aotian became ecstatic, this was one of his reasons for cultivating to the peak of this world. His drive in becoming an Immortal. He had always dreamt of reaching this mental realm and uncovering the secrets of the heavenly daos.
Unfortunately, he was here on borrowed time. Chains began to take form in the air, hundreds of them ethereal and becoming real at a steady pace. Ling Aotian began to sweat. Knowing that for the plan to succeed, he must find his own existence in this vast library of memories that housed all sentient beings.
"Damn !! It sensed me so fast! How am I supposed to find myself in this place before am delt with? "
Aotian flew as he grunted. He flew past many chain bound formless buildings floating around the sea. Not daring to enter any as that would mean that his memories and insights would be lost into another person's consciousness.
The memories would be lost because that person has a will. A will is another form of sentience that exist in the spirit. Because Aotians spirit doesn't belong to that body, the will of the body will supress him and absorb him as food of the mind. Then he would be truly dead.
As he thought about this, heavenly chains attacked him from all directions, trying to bind him as he weaved and evaded them skilfully.
The heavenly daos became angry and then birthed heavenly blades that attacked Ling Aotian without mercy. Seeing this, Ling Aotian became furious, his will erupting and his spirit halted from escaping. He looked at the blades as roared thunderously, cursing at the heavens.
"Damn you heavens! Impartial, impartial my ass!! Come taste my secret technique !!"
Aotian then raised his middle finger and roared
"Heavenly middle finger arts : 1st form ,advance!! "
For some reason the heavens became silent,then it burst into thunderous clouds.
"Shit.. tribulation clouds? Come on !! "
He immidietly fled.
***
In a secluded part of the sea of consciousness, an impreal jade pavilion was floating in the air. It's chains were few and it's form was half real and half ethereal.
A jade plaque in the gate read ' SCHOOL OF THOUGHT ACADEMY ' . Inside this mysterious pavilion was an old man clad in impreal clothing. His eyes closed,meditating and chanting a sutra. Suddenly, he opened his eyes with a look of interest.
"Ooh interesting ! " He said as he waved his hand, retrieving a photographic jade with initials of the school of thought.
Looking at the photographic jade, he started inscribing a sutra of the mind.
***
Ling Aotian suddenly came to a stop. The heavenly tribulation locked him down and lightening rained down on his yuan spirit. Yet he was calm.
An emarald divine light covered his entire body and a sutra suddenly entered his memories. He was stunned at first, but he quickly bowed down after the image of the impreal sage appeared in his mind.
He then sat in a meditation posture and listened to the sage.
1st sutra
"°Before Heaven's laws were etched into jade,Before karma wove the threads of fate,
There dreamt one who dreamed all dreams.
And so the world began to wake."°
"This is the Parable of the Primordial Dreamer. Listen well child."
The sage said with a hint of reverence.
"Long ago, before the Five Celestial Tribulations birthed the cycles of cultivation and Samsara, there was only the ChaosVoid and the flicker of thought. This flicker was brief, aimless, and free. And from that flicker was born the First Venerate, known only as the Primordial Dreamer.
He who was not born of womb nor world, but of wondering.
He asked the First Question:
"Who dreams when none are awake?"
Thus began his cultivation - not of Qi, nor of spirit, but of thought. While others pursued sword paths and beast cores, he meditated for ten thousand years upon a single drop of dew. He fasted until his body withered, and fasted further until his identity withered. In time, his thoughts spilled beyond the vessel of self and flowed into the Sea of Consciousness.
And lo - he beheld it: The 2nd Sutra
°"A sea without shore, without sun or storm,
With waves made of memory, and winds born of will.
Each droplet a soul, each tide a life lived."°
But as he stepped upon its surface, Heaven grew jealous. For the laws of Heaven had been written after his first question, and he now walked beyond them.
Heaven sent down its decree: "None shall surpass the decree of fate."
And so, from the firmament fell Chains of Divine Judgment, forged from the Heavenly Dao itself: each link a concept, each shackle a truth.
They bound the Dreamer in all three directions:
In the past, he was chained by regret.
In the present, he was chained by doubt.
In the future, he was chained by fear.
The Years of Stillness .Bound in stillness, sealed within his own Sea of Consciousness, the Dreamer did not struggle. He reflected.
He watched his own memories replay in endless tide: the joy of his first insight, the sorrow of his solitude, the ecstasy of untethered thought. But always the question returned...
"Why does Heaven bind the one who awakens?"
And the answer came not as a voice, but as silence.
So he whispered to the chains: 3rd Sutra
° "If I must be broken to be whole,
If I must be damned to be free,
Then let the sky shatter like a shell
For thought must birth reality."°
In his meditation, he discovered the truth: the chains were not Heaven's alone. They were his. Formed by the part of him that still obeyed. Still submitted. Still feared.
And so, he shattered them.
But not with strength.
He reached into the Sea and pulled his own past self from its tides. He reached further and pulled his future self down from the shore of what-may-be. And then he sat between them, a trinity of Self and spoke in unity: 4th Sutra
"I am the child, the now, and the echo to come.
I am the dreamer, the dream, and the dreamer of the dream.
I do not kneel. I do not end. I do not ask."
With that, the chains cracked.
With that, the heavens trembled.
With that, the Sea surged and accepted him wholly.
He became the first Thought Immortal.
His thoughts became laws; his will, a world.
And so the heavens gave him a new title:
Immortal Venerate, the Dreamer-Who-Drowned-the-Sky.
In the minds of those who dare to question,
His ripples still stir.For those who seek not power,but understanding,May someday drift upon his tide."
"Good child I wish you luck."
The voice faded and Ling Aotian opened his eyes. The divine light protecting him shattered and heavenly chains restricted him tightly.
At that moment, his memories of the future started being erased, all that was connected towards fate and all that could affect the flow of fate was instantly taken away.
He them realized, the heavens were truly impartial. They were giving others their own opportunity and restricting Ling Aotians advantages.
Looking at the chains, Ling Aotian's started noticing that the memories of GUI Ying and his sect started vaninishing. He hurriedly started reciting the 1st Sutra. Making the chains loosen and keeping memories about his sect and his mission.
The chains tightened again, trying to take his experience of 100,000 years of living. His hardships, his regret, his boubts , his joy, his familial feilty. Everything was vanishing at a steady pace, but Ling Aotian could not allow such a thing. He knew that his experience is what moulded him to the person he was. Hence he started chanting the 2nd Sutra.
He noticed an odidty. Although the chains loosened, it still didn't allow him to keep 100% of his experience. At the end only 10 % remained. Luckily the that 10% included all important comprehensions and vital teachings of his life .
Then came the third wave of chains. Trying to take away his dao heart. Aotian immediately chanted the 3rd Sutra, not allowing his dao heart to be rattled. In his thoughts he said.
" I can allow everything else to be taken , but not my dao heart ! " The chains shook, freely releasing Aotian's dao heart.
Suddenly, Aotian's intuition warned him and he started chanting the 4th Sutra before the chains even manifested.
This was instinct. He had a feeling of what the heavens wanted to take from him the most.
"True insights."
These were the comprehensions of all cultivators to ever reach the Heaven merging realm in the Ghostly Shadow sect. They were the true gift GUI Ying bestowed to him before sending him on his journey. He couldn't loose them.
"I am the child, the now, and the echo to come.
I am the dreamer, the dream, and the dreamer of the dream.
I do not kneel. I do not end. I do not ask."
He wholeheartedly chanted, feeling all kinds of dao insights circulating in his yuan spirit. He could specifically feel them.
He then made a decision. He allocated power of the Sutra to his main path, his own comprehension: Spirit refining true insight.
He allocated power untill he secured grand master attainment. He found out that that is the limit and was annoyed.
Attainment levels were as follows: Apprentice
Half master
Master
Half- step grand master
Grandmaster
Half-step great grandmaster
Great grand master
Half- step suprem master
Supreme master.
Before, Ling Aotian had reached Half- step suprem master in spirit refining arts but could now only take back grandmaster status to his younger self.
Although annoyed he accepted reality and started to choose what other attainment would be useful to his younger self.
He decided on the following :
Forging arts- which he raised up to grandmaster.
Forging arts was his secondary path. Using forging and spirit refining had brought him many benefits and he couldn't do without them. His attainment in forging was also at Half- step supreme before.
He continued allocating power to avoid heavens grasp on :
Alchemy -- Grand master level.
Having three grandmaster attainment levels, he found out that he could no longer reach that height and so...
Formation Arts---Half- step grandmaster.
Talisman Arts --- Half - step grandmaster
Soul Arts --- Half - step grand master
Now he could no longer gain higher attainment than master. He also had a feeling that he only had three more slots.
Sword Arts --- master attainment
Dual Dagger arts --- master attainment
Flame controlling Arts --- Master attainment.
Right after he secured those nine attainments, the chains tightened and the rest were reclaimed by heaven.
No sooner had the chains taken all the insights than the chains began to crack.
Crack ! Crack !
They fell one by one until none were left. The tribulation clouds also retreated and the area became tranquill again.
Ling Aotian remembered the sages story. He reached out his hand and tore through space time.
A frail looking younger Ling Aotian was meditating in a circular pond. His eyes closed. Looking at him, Ling Aotian grabbed his younger self's consciousness and became one with it.
He then entered the spacial rift and merged with his own body.