Lin Qi's quiet life of ordinariness and comfort, achieved with the aid of the Pillow of Absolute Nullity (Chapter 25), was idyllic, but his influence was eternal. His accidental actions continued to shape the cultivation world, even though he was miles away, happily pursuing simple pleasures.
The Problem of the Perfect Cushion
Lin Qi soon realized that the Pillow of Absolute Nullity (the anti-matter cushion) was too effective. After a few weeks of use, his mind was so clear and his spiritual essence so stabilized that he started to find the extreme mental void it created a bit boring.
"It's soft," Lin Qi observed, "but I don't dream anymore. And I forget what I had for breakfast."
He decided the perfect cushion must allow for some mental activity. He rummaged through the small town market and bought a simple, rough straw pillow—the kind he had previously rejected. He decided to use the rough pillow when he wanted to think, and the Nullity Pillow when he wanted to sleep.
The straw pillow was incredibly stiff and uncomfortable, forcing Lin Qi to constantly adjust his head to find a soft spot.
The Accidental Revelation of the True Dao
The spiritual world immediately interpreted the change.
Dimensional Vendor, who had spent months nervously tracking the energy signature of the Nullity Pillow, immediately reported the shift back to the Shrine of the Empty Seat (the former Whispering Willow Sect).
Princess Lianhua, who was leading the global philosophical study of Lin Qi's life, received the news: The Unstained Sage has abandoned the Void!
Lianhua didn't see boredom; she saw the final, ultimate lesson in transcendence.
"The Pillow of Absolute Nullity was merely a temporary tool," Lianhua declared to the assembled global leaders. "The Master transcended the need for absolute stillness! He abandoned the perfect spiritual void for the Roughness of Human Experience!"
She gazed at the rough straw pillow the Master now reportedly used.
"That crude pillow is the ultimate truth! It forces the head to constantly shift, representing the Eternal Effort of the Dao Heart! The Master teaches us that perfection is an illusion, and the true path requires constant, unending, uncomfortable struggle! This is the Dao of Uncomfortable Enlightenment!"
Sect Master Wu, though momentarily confused, quickly seized the narrative. He immediately ordered all disciples and pilgrims to discard their comfortable spiritual cushions and adopt the roughest, most uncomfortable straw pillows available, ensuring perpetual mild discomfort for the sake of spiritual growth.
The Cult of the Scratchy Straw
The simple, rough straw pillow instantly became the ultimate spiritual artifact. The Shrine of the Empty Seat ordered the mass production of the "Pillow of Enduring Trial," charging astronomical prices for the scratchy, cheap item. Pilgrims would spend hours meticulously pounding the pillows to ensure they were as firm and uncomfortable as possible, believing that the greater the discomfort, the greater the spiritual revelation.
Lin Qi, completely unaware that he had caused a global shift in spiritual practice based on his quest for a good night's sleep, was happily using the rough straw pillow to prop up his favorite book while reading under a tree.
He noticed the Dimensional Vendor had secretly set up a new stall nearby, this time selling only rough, scratchy straw pillows and tiny bags of hard, rainbow-colored "candy." The vendor bowed deeply every time Lin Qi passed by.
Lin Qi smiled, enjoying the peace and the fact that he finally had something to lean on while reading. The Grand-Emperor Void-Smasher had, once again, imposed his simple, clumsy preferences upon the universe, and the universe had responded by transforming those preferences into the highest, most uncomfortable truth.