Chapter 38: I’m a Cat?! No Wonder!

Demons did not represent a single race, when it came to biology at least. Spirit Beast Mountain’s scientific term for them was demonized individuals. Take the violent lion demon for example. His scientific name would be ‘demonised individual of the violent lion subspecies of the lion species of genus Panthera, family Felidae.’ The term demons was mostly used to define their culture. Archaeological discoveries established that demons had a short-lived civilization. However, by the time humans ruled the world, there was not a trance left of the demon civilization. Their language was based on loud and grave sounds, roars, and spiritual sense to send images and convey simple messages. 

Tens of a thousand years ago, in the golden age of ancient cultivation, humans were the dominant race in Divine Province. While they couldn’t overcome the four seas’ dragons, they found strength in numbers and possessed a complete civilization system. It led to some great demons learning the human script, undergoing perver-, ahem, transformations, a product of that era.  

Demons weren’t aware from birth, their minds slowly clearing by instinctively matching with the breath of the world. The principle was similar to the modern system. The first ever modern method came from the Spirit Beast Mountain and Myriad Flowers Valley due to inspiration from the demons’ cultivation. This was why demons had traits that conformed to heaven and earth, making ancient cultivators calling them invincible.

Capitalizing on their innate traits, demons prevailed for countless years on the Divine Province continent as they faced humans head-on. It wasn’t until the proclamation of a total war against demonkind of the modern cultivation after it supplanted the ancient system did they finally gathered the courage to flip the table.

Later, unable to give up snacking on humans, the nine great demon idols leading millions of demons to freedom were set straight by the Unfettered’s specialized abilities.

Morel King Pasteur took the lead by using the plateau tree demon as fertilizer.

Searing Heaven Kelvin used Celestial Entropy to manipulate temperature and burn Vermilion Bird to death and freeze the North Sea icy dragon. 

The Northern Wasteland’s wild bear, friendly with the icy dragon, with a trait that borrowed the ground’s power, was flattened by Transcendent Newton’s gravity press.

The great demon Fire-eyed Water Ape roaming the easter shore was known for its brawns, but Darwin, the first modern Unfettered, killed him with his bare hands.

Great demon Mystical Zhen of Nakhi Lands had incredible poison, but Scorching Metal Valley’s Unfettered, Heavenly Entity Unveiler Lavoisier used absolute poison to corrode him into a pile of bones.(Tamon: Mystical Zhen is a mythical poisonous bird.) 

The Thunder Pond, which the demon king Kui took hold of, was known as the human forbidden nest of the demon king. Thunder Cell Faraday used Thunder Cell to draw lightning upon the immovable thunder demon King Kui. The demon king was late to react and the lighting cooked him alive. Faraday then used Elec-Mag Crossbow to skewer the barbecued Kui, killing him on the spot.(Tamon: Kui is a one-legged bull of Chinese mythology)

The eighth was demon king Golden Sword, a transformed ancient sword. It sucked the blood of humans to take form, growing in strength the moment it got demonized, leading to sucking dry an entire city of humans and forming the Ancient Sword Pond. Golden Sword was an innate sword cultivator, his every move unleashing sword energy. Later, Brilliance Palace’s Unfettered, Creation Severer Broglie used Grand Ripple Enigma to hack him to pieces. 

With the death of Golden Sword, the last influential great demon fled to the sea with his trusted aid. Henceforth, Divine Province had no demon forces. The demons of the continent were now under Immortal Alliance’s jurisdiction. Those with no records of eating humans that served the humans would have the same rights as human cultivators. To this day, Immortal Alliance’s middle ranks had demons among them and even more demonborn. 

He finishing his lecture, but did not forget to mock Zhen Chanzi, “Hear that? Demon traits invincibility became a joke ages ago. Those fools that can’t climb the skill tree had a head start but got crushed in the second inning.” 

Mao Zimiao said, “I don’t know what Little Qi is saying, but it sounds incredible, nya…”

“What cultivation method did you settle on anyway? I recall you having understood Drifting Cloud Sect’s Nimbus Eclipse.”

Nimbus Eclipse was seen as a rather primitive cultivation method of the Drifting Cloud Sect, created by the sect founder through observing the clouds and sky phenomenons. It also bore traces of ancient water cultivation methods and differed from Water Movement. However, Nimbus Eclipse had a low bar, easy to start, and offered good results in movement and health.

Mao Zimiao shook her head. “Oh, no. I decided on Evolution Chart, nya.”

Wang Qi gasped, “By yourself?”

Spirit Beast Mountain and Radiant Divinity Pavilion declared there was no evidence to suggest that a demonborn’s awareness was unlike a human’s. Wang Qi suspected this was a false statement done to avoid racism. Hell, from Wang Qi’s observations, Mao Zimiao’s math skills were…abysmal. His familiarity with Mao Zimiao spared him from taking it as a general rule of this world. 

Her poor math skills heavily narrowed Mao Zimiao’s choice of mental art.

Mao Zimiao scrounged up her courage, “Little Qi, you’re too much, nya! Do you take me for an idiot?”

Wang Qi beamed. “Yep!”

“Screw you, nya!”

“However, I still think you should reconsider.” Wang Qi turned serious. “Evolution Chart’s emphasis is on amassing, focused on inspiration, but from what I know, reaching its deepest level requires math as well.” 

Mao Zimiao shook her head. “Isn’t it obvious? Don’t most modern cultivation methods need math to get them to the highest level, nya?”

“True.”

Myriad Arts Sect’s mental arts weren’t called modern system mainstream for nothing. Nearly all sects’ cultivation methods had some influence from the Myriad Arts Sect.

Wang Qi switched topics. “I say, Ah’Zimiao, what gave you the idea to train in a cultivation method of the five best sects?”

“A very nice senior told me for demonborn to showcase their talent, they need to minor in Evolution Chart at the very least, nya. Before Foundation Establishment, I plan to major in Evolution Chart and minor in Nimbus Eclipse.”

Wang Qi whistled, “Very nice? A stepdad? Adulterer?”

Mao Zimiao blushed. “No! S-Senior Sister Ai is j-just unconventional, nya.” 

“Here I was thinking it was some unspoken rule, but now I see it’s purely loving the same team.” 

“Not at all, nya!”

“Hey, she…”

Mao Zimiao recalled the fear of Wang Qi shattering her modesty and then teased to the point of tears. The innocent demonborn was no match for Wang Qi in matters of ‘breaching integrity.’ 

It was fortunate that Wang Qi knew when to quit. Seeing Mao Zimiao’s twisted features, striving to keep it together, he sensibly ended the topic by taking something from his storage bag. “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about it. Here, a gift, as thank you for your help with the pillow.”

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Mao Zimiao looked puzzled, “What kind of… spiritual herb is this, nya? It looks familiar.”

Wang Qi held a blade of grass in his hand, its stem upright, with a tight cluster of green, conical inflorescences, forming a cylindrical shape, and a rough texture—to be precise. However, its more liberal description would be a tuft of foxtail. 

“Graminae Foxtail is an annual plan, so it should be a year old? I haven’t been here for that long so I’m not sure. It’s normal for it to mutate into some heavenly treasure in such a wondrous land like Argent Mountain.”

Mao Zimiao’s mouth twitched. “What’s it… for?”

Wang Qi brought the foxtail to Mao Zimiao’s face. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

“Sure.”

Mao Zimiao nodded. Wang Qi waved it before her for a while, making her ask, “Little Qi, what are you doing, nya?”

Wang Qi frowned. “Don’t you feel like swatting it away? Do I have to use the ultimate weapon?”

“Eh?” Mao Zimiao wanted to ask what that was, but Wang Qi brought it to her chin and realization dawned on her.

“Nya~! Don’t! Treat! Me! Like! A! Cat!”

Minutes later, Wang Qi crawled to his feet after having an intimate and swift embrace with the cold, hard ground. “Demonborn has such uncanny strength…”

Mao Zimiao wasn’t even in Qi Refining Realm yet a furious slap floored him.

Zhen Chanzi said, “Did you expect something else from giving catnip to a cat demon?”

Wang Qi held the foxtail in his mouth. “What’s so bad about it?”

“Everything. I was wondering what you were planning when you grabbed a foxtail on your way over.” Zhen Chanzi huffed, “Also, farmers hold a straw in their mouth to chew something or suck its sweet juice. Why are you doing that with a sour foxtail?” 

Wang Qi rolled his eyes. “Me likey.”

Zhen Chanzi fell silent, “It can’t possibly be because it’s an indirect touch with that demonborn lass, can it?”

Wang Qi gapped, the foxtail slipping out. “Holy shit, old man, your morals are slipping there…”

“You are the company you keep.” 

“Ha-ha.”

“What do you plan to do next?”

Wang Qi shook his head. “Haven’t thought about it. I’ll have to put off meditating and practicing martial arts until the conflicts are smoothed over. It’s not like results show up after just one afternoon.” 

Wang Qi glanced at the distant Mao Zimiao, his mind on the mental arts clashing inside him.

[Even the silly cat decided on her path…]

[What about me? What am I going to pursue? What is my dream?]

His mind was a mess of thoughts and Zhen Chanzi brought him back. Wang Qi shook his head. “I can’t solve it overnight anyway. Regardless of anything, I need to figure out my cultivation problem fast.” 

Evolution Chart appeared to be the only solution, but Wang Qi lacked interest and talent in biology, obscuring his path forward.

Wang Qi had thought about other means to bypass deducing Evolution Chart’s through pure math, but this was an untraveled road fraught with uncertainties. 

Standing there for a long time, deep in thought, Wang Qi said at last, “Let’s cram biology for the next couple of months.

His mind set, Wang Qi went to the library. The books couldn’t be borrowed at this late hour, but he could use All-immortal Mirror.

Internet just became a thing in the Divine Province and it had little in the means of entertainment, resulting in few users. In the mirror room, there were only six users at the thirty-plus mirrors. 

Wang Qi picked one and only then realized his issue. His biology was at the high school level and didn’t know where to start or where he lacked.

“I’ll just go find a Heavenly Spirit Range cultivator tomorrow. Oh right, Heavenly Spirit Range is a branch of Spirit Beast Mountain…”

Heavenly Spirit Range came to be from the merger of Spirit Beast Mountain and Myriad Flowers Valley, as one of their many branches developed over time. Among them, the Heavenly Spirit Range was the largest.

Wang Qi recalled Su Junyu’s expression at the mention of Xiong Mo and curiosity got the better of him.

The All-immortal Realm had records of Immortal Alliance’s largest sects, but to access experimental reports and data required spending merits. This only pertained to successful experiments. Rejected and incomplete research were up for grabs. 

Wang Qi pressed a palm on All-immortal Mirror and used his spiritual power. A white curtain appeared on the mirror and there was even a ‘boot screen’ with a taiji diagram on it. Wang Qi activated the ‘ferry’ function—alluding to a boat ferried over a sea of knowledge.(Tamon: ferry here is pun for Baidu, China’s search engine) 

He put in Xiong Mo and Wang Qi checked the results.

“Holy shit!”