When the streetlights went out one after another, and the surroundings turned pitch black, Shang Jianyao raised his right hand and pinched his temples.

He lay down completely and closed his eyes.

…

This time, he didn't appear in the "Hall of Stars," but in that illusory sea of flowing light.

In front of him was a small island, with dark brown soil and jagged rocks, devoid of any signs of life.

This was the first island Shang Jianyao encountered after entering the "Sea of Origin."

According to the antiquities scholar Du Heng, this corresponded to the hidden fears in everyone's heart. The "islands" encountered by different awakeners would definitely not be the same, nor would their number.

Shang Jianyao had been lingering here for many days, still unable to conquer this "island."

There were no monsters on the island, but an extremely harsh "natural condition" existed.

Once Shang Jianyao climbed up, all the light in front of him would disappear, and there would be no sound in his ears.

On the island, he seemed to be in a dark, closed, and bizarre room, not only unable to see his fingers, but also unable to hear his own voice.

This made Shang Jianyao unable to even feel the passage of time, only feeling that the darkness and silence had materialized, slowly eroding his mind.

He couldn't stay on the island for too long each time, always withdrawing due to mental breakdown, extreme fear, and near madness.

If it weren't for the antiquities scholar Du Heng explaining the meaning of the "Sea of Origin" and the different islands, Shang Jianyao would have definitely given up trying and instead sought other islands in the boundless sea.

He believed that bypassing this place meant he had been defeated by the fear within, and his Awakened abilities would likely no longer improve or change.

Gazing at the island for a while, Shang Jianyao lowered his head according to the predetermined plan, looking at his own faintly visible reflection in the illusory water waves.

He hesitated for a few seconds, his eyes gradually deepening:

"They are employees of 'Pangu Biology,' and I am also an employee of 'Pangu Biology;'

"They are very young, and I am also very young;

"Their parents are by their side, so…"

Shang Jianyao paused and answered himself:

"So, my parents are also by my side."

A smile gradually appeared on his face, a gentle, reassuring smile.

Without wasting any more time, Shang Jianyao grabbed the rocks on the edge of the island with both hands and climbed up directly.

Because the "Sea of Origin" was essentially illusory, his clothes didn't become wet, and there were no water droplets on his hair.

As soon as Shang Jianyao's feet landed, everything in front of him turned pitch black, and he could no longer see anything.

This made him feel like the space was narrow and he could touch the edges at any moment, but also inexplicably afraid that there were unknown dangers hidden in the depths of the darkness.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Shang Jianyao tried to speak loudly, but he couldn't hear a sound.

At this moment, he seemed to be abandoned by the world, left in an unattended, extremely terrifying place.

Shang Jianyao took a tentative step, using walking to resolve the fear and unease gradually rising in his heart.

However, no matter how he comforted himself, that mass of "darkness" was still slowly and uncontrollably eroding his mind.

Shang Jianyao shrank his body, as if finding a bit of support in the silent and deserted darkness.

This allowed him to persist longer than usual, but eventually, the fact that there was only air around him still made him feel lost, his heart beat faster, and his expression gradually wavered.

"It's fake…" Shang Jianyao suddenly whispered.

Cold sweat quickly broke out on his forehead, his knees slowly bent, and he squatted down, hugging himself.

…

In Room 196, Shang Jianyao opened his eyes.

He gasped for breath and looked around.

The room was dark, and the outside was silent.

Shang Jianyao hurriedly took out his flashlight from under the pillow and pushed the button.

A beam of light shot out, shining on the opposite wall, illuminating the clothes hanging on the expansion screws and the sink next to it.

Looking at this yellowish light, Shang Jianyao's breathing gradually stabilized.

After about a minute, he turned off the flashlight, pulled up the quilt, and fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Shang Jianyao was awakened by a knock on the door.

The knock was repeated three times, gradually fading away.

Shang Jianyao knew that this was a member of the "Life Ritual" cult telling him that the gathering time was approaching.

—For members who didn't have watches and were far from the street clocks, the "Life Ritual" cult would send someone who could keep track of time to remind them.

As for hearing the knock and not wanting to get up, or not wanting to attend the gathering for various reasons, that was their own business.

If they had already decided not to participate in advance, or had guests staying at home who shouldn't know about such things, they could simply erase the chalk graffiti under the door before the lights went out, and no one would knock.

Shang Jianyao quickly turned over and got out of bed, washed his face, and brushed his teeth carefully.

Then, he put on a dark green cotton coat, took the flashlight, and headed straight to the nearby public toilet to relieve himself.

After doing all this, Shang Jianyao followed the familiar path to Li Zhen's house at No. 35, Area A.

Knock, knock, knock, Shang Jianyao gently knocked on the door three times.

Soon, a deliberately suppressed voice came from the door:

"Life is the most important."

Shang Jianyao responded very skillfully:

"New life is like the sun."

With a slight movement, the door quickly swung open, and the dim yellow light inside flowed out.

Li Zhen, with slightly upturned eyes, looked Shang Jianyao up and down and revealed a smile:

"Come in."

She quickly stepped aside, allowing Shang Jianyao to enter the room.

"You have to tell us about the real world outside later." Li Zhen said with a smile as she opened the door.

"Okay, Aunt Li." Shang Jianyao was very polite.

Li Zhen casually pointed to a spot:

"Sit down, it's about to start, you're a bit late."

She was just saying it casually, with no intention of blaming him, since the gathering time hadn't really arrived yet.

Shang Jianyao earnestly explained:

"I brushed my teeth first."

"..." Li Zhen nodded with a slightly stiff smile, "Good, very good."

Only then did Shang Jianyao walk towards the small stool and sit down.

The stool was quite low, and for someone of his height, he had to curl up his legs as much as possible to fit his bottom completely.

Seeing that his sitting posture was obviously uncomfortable, Shen Du, who had already arrived, stood up:

"Let's switch places."

"Thank you, Uncle Shen." Shang Jianyao wasn't being polite.

After sitting down again, he looked around and greeted the other members.

He had attended similar cult gatherings several times and was familiar with all the members on this floor.

After waiting for a while, the "Guide," Ren Jie, came out from the room leading to the inner bedroom and walked between the bed, wardrobe, and cupboard.

"Little Shang is back?" Ren Jie, wearing a polyester shirt, nodded slightly and greeted him with a smile.

Shang Jianyao immediately replied:

"Praise your tolerance!"

"..." Ren Jie was stunned for several seconds before realizing that Shang Jianyao meant to thank the Fate for taking care of him and finally returning safely.

She forced a smile:

"No need to be so formal, it's just a casual chat."

Without waiting for Shang Jianyao to respond, her expression turned serious:

"Now, let's officially begin the sermon. Today's topic is death.

"Life will eventually pass away, just like leaves will always turn yellow and fall to the ground…"

Shang Jianyao suddenly raised his hand.

"Is there a problem?" Ren Jie asked with some concern.

She thought Shang Jianyao had discovered something unusual.

Shang Jianyao stood up and said:

"The leaves of many trees don't turn yellow…"

Ren Jie's facial muscles twitched slightly, and she interrupted his statement:

"It's just a metaphor.

"Similar questions can be asked after the sermon is over. Listen carefully and don't talk."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao sat down, slightly disappointed.

After that, he listened to Ren Jie's sermon with a very focused expression, but his eyes seemed a little empty, lacking focus.

Before long, Ren Jie finished the sermon and said to all the members present:

"Next is the confession stage. You can tell your brothers and sisters about your inner troubles and draw strength from them…"

As she said these words, she stared at Shang Jianyao intently, using her gaze to suppress him from speaking.

She remembered that the first time she said similar words, Shang Jianyao blurted out:

"Not just brothers and sisters, but also uncles and aunts."

After finishing speaking and confirming that Shang Jianyao couldn't interrupt, Ren Jie quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The next second, Shang Jianyao raised his hand voluntarily and shared his inner troubles:

"I'm a little hungry right now."

"Next." Ren Jie responded without hesitation.

A woman in her twenties pursed her lips and said:

"The supervisor of our 'Material Supply Market,' Wang Yafei, has been supporting the establishment of a 'Fertility Center,' believing that this can reduce the excuses for female employees to take leave and that it can improve the relationship between couples.

"I know this is a personal opinion and doesn't represent anything, but I can't help but argue with him, and he, he actually found an excuse to transfer me away from my original position and put me in the most arduous cleaning job…"

Ren Jie listened quietly and raised her arms, making a rocking baby gesture:

"God will punish sinners."

She didn't say anything more and said to Shen Du:

"It's your turn."

Shen Du scratched his head:

"My child is becoming more and more disobedient…"

Next, the members shared troubles such as the death of loved ones, abusive husbands, indifferent wives, naughty children, and unsatisfactory work, and all received mutual comfort from others.

Finally, Ren Jie returned to her original position and faced the cult members, saying:

"Next, receive the sacrament."

Shang Jianyao's back straightened immediately, and his eyes were bright.

Soon, Ren Jie and Li Zhen came out from the inner room, one holding a cylindrical translucent container, and the other carrying various tableware.

The container was filled with a white, viscous liquid.

Ren Jie first came to Shang Jianyao and scooped a spoonful of liquid into the lunchbox in his hand:

"This is today's sacrament, yogurt."

Shang Jianyao took a light breath and responded with exceptional piety:

"Praise your tolerance!"

ps: Third update seeking monthly tickets~