Chapter 129: Corridor Phantom Seeds
Inside the Sea of Consciousness detection pod, a soft, pale blue light spread evenly.
The low-frequency waves released by Instructor Wen continuously enveloped Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness core. The newly born luminous core, which had occasionally rippled with faint, uneasy tremors, gradually settled under the continuous harmonization of these gentle waves. Its flowing luminous aura became steady and restrained, no longer triggering the dull pain in his temples at the slightest mobilization as it had the day before.
Instructor Wen's steady voice came through the communicator: "Feel this rhythm. The foundation of a third-tier Sea of Consciousness lies in the ability to expand and contract at will. A second-tier Sea of Consciousness is like a fishing net spread outward, habitually taking the initiative to touch and capture the veins of the illusion web. A third-tier is like a firebrand clutched in your palm; you can release a faint light to probe, or you can completely extinguish the flames, making it impossible for the illusion web's reconnaissance hyphae to detect your existence."
Lin Yan adjusted his mental state as instructed. He tried to completely retract his Sea of Consciousness core inward.
In an instant, all the wisp of perception that had drifted outward was pulled back. His consciousness returned to the depths of the core, and his entire spiritual aura sank like a stone into a deep pool, without a single trace spilling outward. Even the spiritual detector pressed against the pod wall showed his Sea of Consciousness signal waveform compressed directly into a flat baseline, as if no cultivator existed inside the pod at all.
"This is [Restful Concealment]." Instructor Wen's voice carried a hint of praise. "Very good. Many newly promoted third-tiers are used to keeping their perception open and cannot achieve complete retraction. On the wasteland, this is a life-saving skill. The matrix's hyphae are spread across the underground; they lock onto targets by capturing psychic fluctuations. As long as you hide your Sea of Consciousness imprint well, many traps won't be able to find their aim at you from the very beginning."
She paused slightly before changing the subject: "But concealment doesn't equal invincibility. There is a type of illusion web node that doesn't need to actively lock onto your psychic imprint. It passively diffuses phantom seed spores outward. As long as you step into its radiation range, the spores will drill into your Sea of Consciousness through the air and rock crevices, forcibly planting a seed of illusion."
Lin Yan's heart stirred. "Like the slow-release node under Beacon Two?"
"That was merely the lowest level." Instructor Wen's tone grew heavier. "The matrix has already witnessed your breakthrough; it knows you possess the ability to distinguish illusions at a glance. Ordinary obsession illusions will hardly work on you anymore. It will most likely deploy a high-tier phantom seed next—the Corridor Phantom Seed."
"Corridor Phantom Seed?"
"It's different from ordinary illusions." Instructor Wen explained slowly, "Ordinary illusions directly weave scenes, using the people and events in your memory to lure you into sinking. Your current waveform discrimination ability is sufficient to see through the true and false at a glance. The Corridor Phantom Seed won't create horrific scenes, nor will it tempt you with your obsessions. It builds an infinitely looping corridor of consciousness within your Sea of Consciousness. Every section of the corridor looks real and reasonable; there are no ghosts, no dead, no pain. You know full well that you are trapped in an illusion, yet you cannot find the exit."
Lin Yan listened attentively, keeping his Sea of Consciousness core stable, not becoming restless despite hearing about this new type of illusion web.
"The most vicious part lies here," Instructor Wen continued. "You can see through the illusion as fake, but you cannot break the corridor itself. It doesn't assault your consciousness or create pain; it merely endlessly consumes your mental power. Since a third-tier Sea of Consciousness has a larger mental reserve, the Corridor Phantom Seed will be designed with more looping layers accordingly. Once your mental power is exhausted and your Sea of Consciousness core can no longer maintain itself, the phantom seed will take advantage of the weakness, slowly gnawing at the core."
Lin Yan's fingertips lightly tapped the armrest inside the pod. "Is there no way to break it?"
"There is, but it's extremely difficult." Instructor Wen replied, "The key to breaking it doesn't lie in outward impact, but in finding the anchor point where the phantom seed takes root inward. The anchor is hidden in the gaps of countless looping fragments. If you guess wrong, the phantom seed will instantly split, creating even more corridor branches. In the past, a veteran with a fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness on the Southern Front fell to this kind of phantom seed. He was trapped in the corridor of consciousness for three days and three nights. By the time his teammates found him, his Sea of Consciousness had been mostly devoured. He was permanently stuck at the third tier for the rest of his life, unable to advance further."
Outside the pod, Instructor Wen raised her hand to pull up an old combat record on the console, projecting it onto the inner wall of the pod. The screen displayed the file of a haggard soldier, with a note reading: Encountered Corridor Phantom Seed. Permanent damage to Sea of Consciousness. Retired and transferred to logistics.
"This is the new weapon the matrix has prepared specifically for you." Instructor Wen's voice came through the communicator. "It won't repeat its previous tactics. Gentle obsession illusions can no longer trap you. Next, it wants to trap your judgment."
Lin Yan stared at the file in the projection. After a moment of silence, he said, "I've noted it down."
"Today's combing ends here." Instructor Wen withdrew the low-frequency waves. "I'll give you a cultivation mantra specifically for locating the anchor points of foreign phantom seeds inside the Sea of Consciousness. Practice it once every morning and evening after you go back. Remember the prohibition: during the twenty-day stabilization period, do not take the initiative to trace back or attack large-scale fungal carpet nodes. When encountering the illusion web, prioritize concealment and retreat."
The pod door slowly slid upward, and the noisy voices from the outside world flooded back into the training hall.
Many students were undergoing second-tier Sea of Consciousness anti-illusion training in the adjacent pods. Shouts and instrument alarms overlapped. These young people were still struggling to practice resisting basic psychic infections. They didn't know that deep underground, the illusion web of the ancient lizard progenitors had already iterated into means specifically designed to hunt high-tier cultivators.
Lin Yan walked out of the detection pod, took the printed mantra paper from Instructor Wen, carefully folded it, and tucked it into his inner shirt pocket.
"Nurture your Sea of Consciousness well." Instructor Wen looked at him. "It's not easy to hold our ground on the Western Front. Don't rush to prove yourself. The matrix is more patient than all of us; it can lie dormant for months to slowly set up its board. We cannot afford a single Sea of Consciousness collapse."
"I understand."
After bidding farewell to Instructor Wen, Lin Yan left the Combat Readiness High School.
Sunlight pierced through the gray, murky layer above the bastion, falling onto the streets. Along the way, trucks transporting supplies and medical vehicles dragging wounded soldiers were everywhere. A briefing about last night's attack on the wasteland beacon was freshly posted on the bulletin board; three patrol members had sustained minor injuries from a fungal hyphae ambush. The friction on the Western Front had never ceased; only the intensity varied.
Back at the squad's base, Lu Heng had already posted the schedule for the next twenty days on the dormitory door.
Outpost patrol, spore clearance, and assisting new recruits in practical training—all were low-risk missions near the bastion. There were no external operations deep into the wasteland rifts.
Seeing Lin Yan return, Chen Ye quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"What did Instructor Wen say? Is your Sea of Consciousness alright?"
"A bit of a hidden injury; it needs rest." Lin Yan briefly explained the matter of the Corridor Phantom Seed.
Chen Ye's expression gradually darkened. "There's something like that? Knowing it's an illusion, but unable to walk out?"
"Yes, it specifically counters cultivators like us who can distinguish illusions." Lin Yan nodded. "The matrix is adjusting its tactics."
Old Guo was still recovering in the hospital. The squad was currently short one person. The afternoon mission was to head to an old supply point three kilometers outside the West Bastion to clear scattered fungal clusters that had spread out. The scale wasn't large; it was merely a remnant left over from the previous beast tide. Without the priests supplying energy, the hyphae's vitality was weak, making it one of the safest types of missions.
At two in the afternoon, Lin Yan, Lu Heng, Chen Ye, and another reassigned squad member boarded a light off-road vehicle and drove out of the West Gate.
This area was very close to the bastion. Every five hundred meters along the way, there was an automatic illusion web detection tower. Once high-intensity psychic waves appeared, the bastion's artillery could provide direct covering fire. The wasteland here didn't carry such a heavy silence; the foundation of old-era cement roads still remained on the ground.
They arrived at the target supply point, a warehouse ruin half-buried under a dirt slope.
Purplish-gray fungal hyphae grew in clusters against the gravel. The volume wasn't large, and they hadn't woven into a net; they merely spread out sporadically. Su Wan had stayed at the bastion intelligence department to organize waveform data and hadn't come along. The vehicle only carried a simple, portable detector.
"No strong psychic signals, just spore diffusion." Lu Heng glanced at the instrument. "Split up and clear them, but maintain visual distance from each other. Don't wander far. Prioritize burning with flamethrowers."
The group scattered, picking up flamethrowers to scorch the fungal clusters. The sizzling sounds of burning rose and fell continuously, and foul-smelling white smoke slowly billowed up.
As he cleared the area, Lin Yan habitually released a restrained wisp of perception to slowly sweep the surroundings. He kept Instructor Wen's words firmly in mind, not taking the initiative to trace back, maintaining only the bare minimum of vigilance.
But just as he was burning the last small cluster of hyphae in the northwest corner, his wisp of perception suddenly touched upon an extremely faint, extremely concealed psychic imprint.
This imprint was too weak, mixed in with the natural dissipating waves of the withered hyphae, almost to be ignored. It wasn't releasing any infection power outward; it merely quietly clung to the base of the hyphae, like a sleeping seed.
Lin Yan's heart tightened.
He immediately retracted his perception and calmly called out to Lu Heng in a low voice: "Captain, come take a look. There's an abnormal psychic imprint here. It doesn't look like ordinary residual hyphae."
Hearing this, Lu Heng quickly hurried over, taking the portable detector and repeatedly calibrating the frequency bands to scan. On the instrument screen, a slow waveform, almost buried in the background noise, quietly undulated.
"No outbreak, no infection, just staying there." Lu Heng frowned deeply. "A dormant node?"
Lin Yan slowly shook his head, his eyes solemn. "I suspect this is what Instructor Wen called the Corridor Phantom Seed. The matrix didn't deploy it in the distant wasteland; instead, it sent it right under the bastion's nose. It's not meant to trap anyone right now. It's buried here, waiting for us to approach, waiting for the right moment to activate."
Chen Ye abruptly stopped the flamethrower in his hand, subconsciously gripping his psychic baton tightly as he looked around the empty, silent wasteland.
No one knew how many such quietly buried phantom seeds were hidden around the perimeter of the Western Front bastions.
Far away, deep beneath the earth in Rift No. 79.
The matrix's massive fungal carpet undulated slowly. Countless hyphae followed the crevices in the rock strata, silently sowing one sleeping Corridor Phantom Seed after another into the soil surrounding the Western Front bastions.
The hunt was no longer confined to traps deep in the wasteland.
It had already buried the seeds of its cage right at humanity's doorstep.
End of Chapter.
The low-frequency waves released by Instructor Wen continuously enveloped Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness core. The newly born luminous core, which had occasionally rippled with faint, uneasy tremors, gradually settled under the continuous harmonization of these gentle waves. Its flowing luminous aura became steady and restrained, no longer triggering the dull pain in his temples at the slightest mobilization as it had the day before.
Instructor Wen's steady voice came through the communicator: "Feel this rhythm. The foundation of a third-tier Sea of Consciousness lies in the ability to expand and contract at will. A second-tier Sea of Consciousness is like a fishing net spread outward, habitually taking the initiative to touch and capture the veins of the illusion web. A third-tier is like a firebrand clutched in your palm; you can release a faint light to probe, or you can completely extinguish the flames, making it impossible for the illusion web's reconnaissance hyphae to detect your existence."
Lin Yan adjusted his mental state as instructed. He tried to completely retract his Sea of Consciousness core inward.
In an instant, all the wisp of perception that had drifted outward was pulled back. His consciousness returned to the depths of the core, and his entire spiritual aura sank like a stone into a deep pool, without a single trace spilling outward. Even the spiritual detector pressed against the pod wall showed his Sea of Consciousness signal waveform compressed directly into a flat baseline, as if no cultivator existed inside the pod at all.
"This is [Restful Concealment]." Instructor Wen's voice carried a hint of praise. "Very good. Many newly promoted third-tiers are used to keeping their perception open and cannot achieve complete retraction. On the wasteland, this is a life-saving skill. The matrix's hyphae are spread across the underground; they lock onto targets by capturing psychic fluctuations. As long as you hide your Sea of Consciousness imprint well, many traps won't be able to find their aim at you from the very beginning."
She paused slightly before changing the subject: "But concealment doesn't equal invincibility. There is a type of illusion web node that doesn't need to actively lock onto your psychic imprint. It passively diffuses phantom seed spores outward. As long as you step into its radiation range, the spores will drill into your Sea of Consciousness through the air and rock crevices, forcibly planting a seed of illusion."
Lin Yan's heart stirred. "Like the slow-release node under Beacon Two?"
"That was merely the lowest level." Instructor Wen's tone grew heavier. "The matrix has already witnessed your breakthrough; it knows you possess the ability to distinguish illusions at a glance. Ordinary obsession illusions will hardly work on you anymore. It will most likely deploy a high-tier phantom seed next—the Corridor Phantom Seed."
"Corridor Phantom Seed?"
"It's different from ordinary illusions." Instructor Wen explained slowly, "Ordinary illusions directly weave scenes, using the people and events in your memory to lure you into sinking. Your current waveform discrimination ability is sufficient to see through the true and false at a glance. The Corridor Phantom Seed won't create horrific scenes, nor will it tempt you with your obsessions. It builds an infinitely looping corridor of consciousness within your Sea of Consciousness. Every section of the corridor looks real and reasonable; there are no ghosts, no dead, no pain. You know full well that you are trapped in an illusion, yet you cannot find the exit."
Lin Yan listened attentively, keeping his Sea of Consciousness core stable, not becoming restless despite hearing about this new type of illusion web.
"The most vicious part lies here," Instructor Wen continued. "You can see through the illusion as fake, but you cannot break the corridor itself. It doesn't assault your consciousness or create pain; it merely endlessly consumes your mental power. Since a third-tier Sea of Consciousness has a larger mental reserve, the Corridor Phantom Seed will be designed with more looping layers accordingly. Once your mental power is exhausted and your Sea of Consciousness core can no longer maintain itself, the phantom seed will take advantage of the weakness, slowly gnawing at the core."
Lin Yan's fingertips lightly tapped the armrest inside the pod. "Is there no way to break it?"
"There is, but it's extremely difficult." Instructor Wen replied, "The key to breaking it doesn't lie in outward impact, but in finding the anchor point where the phantom seed takes root inward. The anchor is hidden in the gaps of countless looping fragments. If you guess wrong, the phantom seed will instantly split, creating even more corridor branches. In the past, a veteran with a fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness on the Southern Front fell to this kind of phantom seed. He was trapped in the corridor of consciousness for three days and three nights. By the time his teammates found him, his Sea of Consciousness had been mostly devoured. He was permanently stuck at the third tier for the rest of his life, unable to advance further."
Outside the pod, Instructor Wen raised her hand to pull up an old combat record on the console, projecting it onto the inner wall of the pod. The screen displayed the file of a haggard soldier, with a note reading: Encountered Corridor Phantom Seed. Permanent damage to Sea of Consciousness. Retired and transferred to logistics.
"This is the new weapon the matrix has prepared specifically for you." Instructor Wen's voice came through the communicator. "It won't repeat its previous tactics. Gentle obsession illusions can no longer trap you. Next, it wants to trap your judgment."
Lin Yan stared at the file in the projection. After a moment of silence, he said, "I've noted it down."
"Today's combing ends here." Instructor Wen withdrew the low-frequency waves. "I'll give you a cultivation mantra specifically for locating the anchor points of foreign phantom seeds inside the Sea of Consciousness. Practice it once every morning and evening after you go back. Remember the prohibition: during the twenty-day stabilization period, do not take the initiative to trace back or attack large-scale fungal carpet nodes. When encountering the illusion web, prioritize concealment and retreat."
The pod door slowly slid upward, and the noisy voices from the outside world flooded back into the training hall.
Many students were undergoing second-tier Sea of Consciousness anti-illusion training in the adjacent pods. Shouts and instrument alarms overlapped. These young people were still struggling to practice resisting basic psychic infections. They didn't know that deep underground, the illusion web of the ancient lizard progenitors had already iterated into means specifically designed to hunt high-tier cultivators.
Lin Yan walked out of the detection pod, took the printed mantra paper from Instructor Wen, carefully folded it, and tucked it into his inner shirt pocket.
"Nurture your Sea of Consciousness well." Instructor Wen looked at him. "It's not easy to hold our ground on the Western Front. Don't rush to prove yourself. The matrix is more patient than all of us; it can lie dormant for months to slowly set up its board. We cannot afford a single Sea of Consciousness collapse."
"I understand."
After bidding farewell to Instructor Wen, Lin Yan left the Combat Readiness High School.
Sunlight pierced through the gray, murky layer above the bastion, falling onto the streets. Along the way, trucks transporting supplies and medical vehicles dragging wounded soldiers were everywhere. A briefing about last night's attack on the wasteland beacon was freshly posted on the bulletin board; three patrol members had sustained minor injuries from a fungal hyphae ambush. The friction on the Western Front had never ceased; only the intensity varied.
Back at the squad's base, Lu Heng had already posted the schedule for the next twenty days on the dormitory door.
Outpost patrol, spore clearance, and assisting new recruits in practical training—all were low-risk missions near the bastion. There were no external operations deep into the wasteland rifts.
Seeing Lin Yan return, Chen Ye quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"What did Instructor Wen say? Is your Sea of Consciousness alright?"
"A bit of a hidden injury; it needs rest." Lin Yan briefly explained the matter of the Corridor Phantom Seed.
Chen Ye's expression gradually darkened. "There's something like that? Knowing it's an illusion, but unable to walk out?"
"Yes, it specifically counters cultivators like us who can distinguish illusions." Lin Yan nodded. "The matrix is adjusting its tactics."
Old Guo was still recovering in the hospital. The squad was currently short one person. The afternoon mission was to head to an old supply point three kilometers outside the West Bastion to clear scattered fungal clusters that had spread out. The scale wasn't large; it was merely a remnant left over from the previous beast tide. Without the priests supplying energy, the hyphae's vitality was weak, making it one of the safest types of missions.
At two in the afternoon, Lin Yan, Lu Heng, Chen Ye, and another reassigned squad member boarded a light off-road vehicle and drove out of the West Gate.
This area was very close to the bastion. Every five hundred meters along the way, there was an automatic illusion web detection tower. Once high-intensity psychic waves appeared, the bastion's artillery could provide direct covering fire. The wasteland here didn't carry such a heavy silence; the foundation of old-era cement roads still remained on the ground.
They arrived at the target supply point, a warehouse ruin half-buried under a dirt slope.
Purplish-gray fungal hyphae grew in clusters against the gravel. The volume wasn't large, and they hadn't woven into a net; they merely spread out sporadically. Su Wan had stayed at the bastion intelligence department to organize waveform data and hadn't come along. The vehicle only carried a simple, portable detector.
"No strong psychic signals, just spore diffusion." Lu Heng glanced at the instrument. "Split up and clear them, but maintain visual distance from each other. Don't wander far. Prioritize burning with flamethrowers."
The group scattered, picking up flamethrowers to scorch the fungal clusters. The sizzling sounds of burning rose and fell continuously, and foul-smelling white smoke slowly billowed up.
As he cleared the area, Lin Yan habitually released a restrained wisp of perception to slowly sweep the surroundings. He kept Instructor Wen's words firmly in mind, not taking the initiative to trace back, maintaining only the bare minimum of vigilance.
But just as he was burning the last small cluster of hyphae in the northwest corner, his wisp of perception suddenly touched upon an extremely faint, extremely concealed psychic imprint.
This imprint was too weak, mixed in with the natural dissipating waves of the withered hyphae, almost to be ignored. It wasn't releasing any infection power outward; it merely quietly clung to the base of the hyphae, like a sleeping seed.
Lin Yan's heart tightened.
He immediately retracted his perception and calmly called out to Lu Heng in a low voice: "Captain, come take a look. There's an abnormal psychic imprint here. It doesn't look like ordinary residual hyphae."
Hearing this, Lu Heng quickly hurried over, taking the portable detector and repeatedly calibrating the frequency bands to scan. On the instrument screen, a slow waveform, almost buried in the background noise, quietly undulated.
"No outbreak, no infection, just staying there." Lu Heng frowned deeply. "A dormant node?"
Lin Yan slowly shook his head, his eyes solemn. "I suspect this is what Instructor Wen called the Corridor Phantom Seed. The matrix didn't deploy it in the distant wasteland; instead, it sent it right under the bastion's nose. It's not meant to trap anyone right now. It's buried here, waiting for us to approach, waiting for the right moment to activate."
Chen Ye abruptly stopped the flamethrower in his hand, subconsciously gripping his psychic baton tightly as he looked around the empty, silent wasteland.
No one knew how many such quietly buried phantom seeds were hidden around the perimeter of the Western Front bastions.
Far away, deep beneath the earth in Rift No. 79.
The matrix's massive fungal carpet undulated slowly. Countless hyphae followed the crevices in the rock strata, silently sowing one sleeping Corridor Phantom Seed after another into the soil surrounding the Western Front bastions.
The hunt was no longer confined to traps deep in the wasteland.
It had already buried the seeds of its cage right at humanity's doorstep.
End of Chapter.