"Spirit. Spirit. Spirit. As far as I can tell, you do not have a body, yet you are still alive. And as far as I know, your Lifespan had been used up long ago—a Transcendent is not supposed to live so long. Then another fact, the fact that you are not from this world at all."
That made Han Li chuckle, but the Spirit shivered and jumped back, making distance with him. Han Li looked at her with eery calm. His eyes made the Spirit fill up with a sort of nervousness that it had rarely known.
Nobody was supposed to know the Spirit's age or anything about it. Could Han Li understand what it was?
She had no idea about Life Vision, but she felt a foreboding sensation as Han Li moved closer to it. His shadow simply devoured its senses. But then, Han Li paused. His mind was astir with thoughts.
What was cultivation?
If Dao Cultivation was becoming the Heavens, omnipresent and omnipotent, and Beast Cultivation was becoming Invincible by the end of it. Then, what did Vital Weapon cultivation represent?
He was on the cusp of receiving that enlightenment. His Life Vision could show him the cultivation of Beasts as their Beast Core Rank; he had always been able to see through a Beast with his Life Vision. Why couldn't he see through the Spirit and Yang Wei with Life Vision?
Why were they just Unawakened when they certainly were not... Unawakened?
As random thoughts stirred in Han Li's mind, his movements became slightly sluggish. Yang Wei—the Spirit—immediately noticed it. 'He is having an enlightenment in the middle of a battle!'
It roared and ran towards Han Li. He was completely undefended. His sword was down, and his eyes dazed.
Cultivation. Cultivation. What was cultivation?
What was the meaning of it all?
Why would people cultivate?
If there was a way for people to become Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Invincible... why were they not so since birth? What was it that he was missing?
Deep down, Han Li had a feeling these thoughts were extremely important, that this enlightenment might somehow change his life. Somehow, open up his path forward.
Nevertheless, suddenly, his eyes flickered, and he jumped back.
The bone blade swiped through where he stood. Han Li's eyes were as cold as ice.
Whatever it was, that had been lost.
The Spirit sneered, "Vital Enlightenment! as if I'd let you go through that right in front of me."
Han Li's red eyes grew indifferent. What was lost was lost. He raised his sword.
"I don't really like this form. It is an extremely... irritating experience because I would become an utterly emotionless thing when I do this. More of a machine rather than a human. Yet what do I do? When I do that, I am... Strong."
The Spirit stood on the defensive. Its hair once again rises in apprehension. There had been moments like this before when Han Li felt faintly different, and it was more oppressive than ever right at this moment.
"Spirit," Han Li calmly caressed the rusty blade in his hand, and it turned red like frozen blood. "I had never been as infuriated with someone as I am now. It is rather novel. So what we were talking about... I know what you are quite clearly now."
Snorting, the Spirit emotionlessly questioned, defensive, "What am I then?"
"A Transcendent."
"Oh, if that was not obvious enough!" The Spirit spat, its eyes shadowed.
"A Transcendent... and as I said, not from this world." Its eyes grew calloused. "And not of the Dao path, not of the Beast Path... but a Transcendent in the Vital Weapon, Human path.
"You used up your Transcendent Orb on that cultivation, but that doesn't make any sense as there is no such person in the last history of 1200 years. And you are... just that old."
There was no Transcendent by the name or characteristics of the Spirit. The only possibility, then, was that she was not from this continent. Yet, since she trembled when he said 'not from this world,' that seemed more accurate.
Was she from the actual Everlasting Human World?
Then, that would make sense how she cultivated their path. Vital Weapon Path. Why was she and Li Shuanwei counted as Unawakened, then, in his Life Vision?
Han Li could clearly understand what that power was now. Everything the Heavens knew, he could learn using his Life Vision. It was a gift from the Heavens, and the Heavens were Omnipresent and saw everything.
If someone Evolved, it would see.
But Vital Weapon Cultivation was different. The Heavens could create anything, and everything, a sort of omnipotence, and the same heavens were everywhere, a sort of omnipresence.
Yet, it was not omniscient. It didn't know everything.
That was why his Life Vision had an issue with some people. They were a mystery to the Heavens, too. So, was The Spirit not a part of this world at all?
Nothing was clicking into place, but Han Li knew everything would make sense once he had the memories of the Spirit.
The Spirit trembled, and Yang Wei's consciousness inside the body also trembled.
Smiling, Han Li's appearance started to shift.
One month passed.
He ate all the birds that flew by and drank water from the stream.
The body was rotting.
He looked at it in silence.
His Soul Sense couldn't sense The Spirit anywhere. It was as if it had died entirely along with Yang Wei, and Han Li had a flickering doubt that, indeed, that had happened.
Their situation seemed rather weird in the first place.
He had to go back before it was too late in order to save Little Ruo's situation. He had to get rid of the Gu inside the girl. He couldn't be late.
Yet, he was unwilling to bring them here. Who knew what kind of deadly means The Spirit might have as a last-ditch effort if it was indeed in hiding?
He hadn't even touched the dead body due to that fear.
From the air, the Power Born Hua Yu had come the first day itself, but even she didn't notice any difference on Yang Wei in any way. He seemed a corpse enough.
Even Monk Hen Shin came here once and said it was nothing other than a corpse. Yet, Han Li shooed them away, his gaze intently focused on the corpse as days passed. It was already past the new year, the new year had ended, and now it was nearing the middle of the 2nd month.
The coldness was profound in the air.
Calmly, Han Li spread out his Heart Qi and used his Soul Sense together with it. On the blackened corpse, he saw nothing. He sighed.
He stood up.
His sword could already check out the memories of The Spirit, but he hadn't delved into it yet. He had to check it when he had the chance. It was going to be a treasure trove.
If nothing, The Spirit knew how to use Heart Qi better, and it also knew more about Vital Weapon Cultivation than even Li Shuanwei. That was good knowledge.
Taking two stones from the side, he made a fire and burned some twigs. From the fire, he took out a specific one and burned the corpse. It was hard to burn, but some stray leaves helped him burn it easily. He was prepared with defenses, but nothing happened.
Yang Wei was dead. The Spirit had died with him.
Han Li turned around and yawned before stretching himself and walking towards the temple.
No. That was a lie; he hid around there for another half a month before actually moving, but nothing happened. The place was still.
It was the 2nd month of the year when he finally ascended the steps of the temple again. He was not sure whether the Spirit was dead or not, but her memories should tell him the truth.
Who knows?
Maybe... he might even find something interesting.
He had asked Hen Shin to try his method of talking with distant people on the Spirit, but the Monk refused to help him in this any more than he had already, so there was nothing else he could do.
Yang Wei was dead, that much was certain, and more probably than not, the Spirit was dead too.
He breathed in the air of the temple and sighed as he looked at one of the five Life Dao Fruits he had in his grasp.
The Heavens seemed to be helping him; this was exactly the fruit he needed to save Ruo. He didn't even have to Luck Trade for it.
There was also Liyue... She should be pouting after all of this...
He sighed and looked up at the blue sky.
The Heaven and himself... it seemed they were far too, oddly so, connected than it seemed.
Eagles flew above the temple, circulating it for a while before flying away into unknown places. Smiling, he shook his head and looked around to see bald monks glaring at him.
Demon!
He was desecrating their temple. Murderer.
Han Li ignored them and entered the temple grounds before finding his mother; she was stunned to see him in the middle of eating her noodles. Her face literally lighting up awkwardly in the act of slurping.
Yet, he carried her up, interrupting her eating in the middle, making the monks around look at them, before taking her to his room and pushing her onto the bed.
She could only admonish him for a little while before the room was filled with sensual moans and the noise of rustling sheets...
There was a lot to do—healing Ruo, the marriage with Liyue, getting Li Yao started on cultivation, training his disciple girl, seeing his mother's memories, turning all the Magic Powers under Lust Dao into his Talents—but he had decided to throw himself into work, only, after a short rest.
A little respite.
[End of Volume 1—Demon's First Steps]