Chapter 234: A Fake Soul’s Dream [4]

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A year passed.

“Haaa… Haaa…”

Louis was beginning to forget his own name, yet he knew he had to cultivate. In this world, it was the only path someone like him could take if he wanted to get anywhere.

And at long last…

After perfecting the first stage by awakening his meridians, he mastered the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Law Decrees. He built upon the seventy-two Earthly Sha Meridians and formed the corresponding thirty-six Heavenly Gang Spiritual Natures within them.

Each one carried a teaching, wisdom that transformed into power. It concentrated, spiraled, and crystallized into yet another star.

“Twelve… more to go.”

He sighed and dropped to the floor, his face filled with hopelessness.

Why was he here?

Why could he not leave?

Was this world truly a dream?

Or had he died and been transmigrated somewhere else entirely?

There was one thing he knew, however.

Every time he created a star within his Law-Decree Dantian, he felt his “purpose” stirring.

And his master never gave up on him.

“Yang, well done! You did it! You only took a year! You’re a genius!”

“…Am I?”

Louis smiled bitterly as he looked at his master. The old man had never given up on him. Every time Louis felt confused or lost, he would happily teach him.

Ming had mellowed over time as well. She often cultivated by his side, the two of them meditating together and helping each other.

“Mind’s already on the third star though!”

“Ugh…”

“Hahaha, come on now. Take a break and come with me.”

“Where to?”

“Just come with me!”

Elder Kai dragged him out of the school, with Ming joining them. He led them through town to enjoy a festival.

In this world, a festival was celebrated every year in autumn called the “Celestial Reading Festival.”

It honored the Ancient Celestial Calendar Venerable, who had gifted humanity the ability to read the stars, navigate through darkness, and learn about directions, names, numbers, day and night. As a result, people could better understand the world itself.

People crafted star-shaped paper lanterns with candles inside and released them into the sky, filling the dark night with artificial stars that shone brightly.

They prayed to the ancient god, asking for great fortune in the years to come.

Louis ate delicious food for the first time: meat skewers, sweets made of rice and fruit, and even enjoyed a few games.

As the festival drew to a close, he, Ming, and his master gazed at the starry sky in a moment of tranquility.

“Master… what does it mean to cultivate?” Ming wondered.

Louis glanced at her, surprised she had asked such a question.

Was there even a proper answer?

“Well, some could list a million reasons, but none would ever be exactly right,” Elder Kai said, stroking his beard. “I cultivate because I strive to become a better version of myself. It is what comes naturally in this world. I also do it to grow strong, so I can build my own legacy…”

Then he looked at them and the other disciples who had come along and were still enjoying the festivities.

“But above all, I do it because only with strength can I protect the bonds I have made,” he said warmly, smiling at his disciples.

His children.

“Hm, I was asking in a more philosophical way though,” Ming replied with a bored expression.

“Hohoh,” Elder Kai laughed. “Well, if you want a proper answer, cultivation is how we humans commune with the forces of nature and the sky. It is how we make the world and the heavens acknowledge our existence. It is a dance between human will and the cruelty of nature, between human will and the rigidity of the heavens. It is what makes us unique and separates us from mere beasts. We accumulate wisdom, pray to the stars, and circulate our energies with knowledge and mastery, all to achieve an ounce of strength, of enlightenment, of something beyond an ordinary life. In this world built upon such principles, if you cannot cultivate, you are seen as a beast without intelligence.”

“…!”

As Louis listened, he quickly understood why the Cultivator Entities could not comprehend them when they spoke.

It was because, as beings unable to cultivate, they were like wild beasts.

And that idea had become far more literal than ever before. It was no longer just a cultural belief.

Whatever had happened to these people when they turned into Entities within that dungeon eons ago, this discrimination had become a curse.

“But why?” he asked, surprising his master. Yang had been mostly silent the entire time.

“Why, you ask?” Elder Kai wondered, stroking his beard. “Hmm… ah, damn kid, always asking the hard questions! Well, because to prove our existence, I believe we must forge a way to read and then control our own fate. Those who cannot cultivate… cannot control their fate.”

“…!!!”

Fate.

A strange, unseen, and invisible force that dictated the world and all living beings.

Where did it originate?

Was it even real?

Or was it merely a concept?

Whatever it was, this “fate” was something Louis had been fighting against ever since his first transmigration.

What is fate, really?

“Fate…”

Yang fell silent as he pondered the question. His eyes gleamed as if he had reached a moment of enlightenment.

The next morning, even though he had made little progress, he continued studying and cultivating.

Half the day he spent sitting in lotus position, moving his hands through different hand signs while reciting sutras and ancient words.

The other half he devoted to practicing the sword, learning its sharpness, its weight, and the deeper meaning behind it.

“Fate…”

As he swung his sword, he learned to perform hand signs with only one hand while cultivating his energy at the same time.

“To defy fate…”

For the third star of Qi Refining, the cultivator had to evolve the seventy-two spiritual meridians and thirty-six spiritual natures to accommodate the twelve types of spiritual energy corresponding to the Twelve Earthly Melodies.

By absorbing the spiritual energy of the Dragon Veins beneath these grasslands, mixing it with his Qi, and learning the Twelve Earthly Melodies that sang the world as it truly was, Louis continued his path.

“To get anywhere in this worthless life of mine… I have to learn how to defy fate.”

His eyes gleamed with determination.

“And there are no shortcuts.”

Three years had passed.

Yang was now much older. At seventeen, he had long black hair and sharp emerald eyes.

He looked exhausted in the middle of the night as he exhaled softly. A sword made of Qi floated before him.

“I… did it…”

FLASH!

A third star shone brightly within his Law-Transforming Dantian.

All three stars combined into a starlight triangle, forming the vestige of a Formation.

In that moment, Yang had finally consolidated his energies and created an inner formation.

This meant he now held the power to create formations himself.

Formations differed from Domains. While Domains were an expansion of one’s aura upon the world, Formations were carefully constructed through the combination of spells, energy fluctuations, and catalysts.

Over those three years, Yang had stubbornly questioned his master about everything, asking him to explain the same things over and over again.

Elder Kai was kind but sometimes lost patience and reprimanded him for being stupid or airheaded.

He had even called him a useless disciple for failing to comprehend the most basic concepts.

Yet he always apologized later, admitting he had a bad temper but insisting it did not mean Yang was a bad disciple.

“Y-Yang…!”

“You did it!”

That morning, Ming and Elder Kai entered his room and found his aura glowing brightly with starlight radiance.

At long last, he had formed his third star.

“I did…”

“Well done!” Ming celebrated, running over and hugging him tightly. “I knew you could do it!”

“Hahaha! I am blessed to have two talented disciples!” Elder Kai laughed happily. “Yang! You make your ancestors proud!”

“It’s just the third star. There are eleven more to go… It is too early to celebrate,” he sighed. “I…”

Yang was sure he once had another name, but he could no longer recall it.

He also remembered another life and people, but their names were blurry now. They were counting on him.

And… a girl.

“Mirai…”

Elder Kai and Ming looked at him in confusion.

“Who?” Ming asked.

“Nothing,” Yang shook his head. “The fourth star, what is it about?”

“Relax. Now that you have formed the third star, you should be able to learn this. It is your gift,” said Elder Kai, handing Yang a beautiful sword made of white silver and a manual.

Yang read the contents, his eyes gleaming. “Oh… The Sword Curtain Array? Can I really use it now?”

“Yes, you are now capable of using minor formations,” Elder Kai replied. “This Curtain is my own creation. I modified it so young disciples like you and Ming can use it. It is a protective technique. Learn it well and master it. It will save your life. At your current stage, it should be safe to go outside and hunt Spirit Beasts. We need them to make pills that will help us advance faster.”

“Pills…” Yang said. “Are they necessary? Can one not simply learn the Dao through diligence and willpower alone?”

“Sure, but you will take far too long. You will become an old geezer like me, hohoho,” Elder Kai laughed.

“Come on, Yang. We have to contribute to the sect. We cannot just sit and cultivate forever!” Ming insisted.

“You’re right,” Yang stood up. “Let’s go.”

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