(Eve POV)
{…Hey Eve?} Countless calculations came to a grinding halt as I began to feel my master ask me a question.
[Is there something required of my master?] For a few moments he didn't say a word and I just waited for him to say something. Even without access to his mind I could tell that his thoughts were in slight disarray.
{…When you said that he was going to do something in the future… Yun or Xiao Che, how did you know that?} Ahh… I understand now…
[I have been uploaded with files over various media. This world was one of them… May I ask if I have upset you?] Immediately I feel a refusal enter his mind as if I had just struck him.
{No!… No, it's not that. It's just this may be a foolish thought but I was just wondering… this place we're in, this path we're on. Are you able to see what lies ahead?} Hundreds upon hundreds of data streams coalesce throughout my being as I attempt to make an answer that would calm him down.
[… If you're wondering if the decisions you're making are your own, then they are… All stories come from somewhere—our recollection, a resonance across worlds… There are thousands of ways a story can be presented. Every world exists, every moment exists. While there are beings that possess immensely powerful fate manipulation and precognition, you exist beyond them. And while one day someone may chart your journey, it will be long in the future—and who knows, maybe you yourself will give them that information… Everyone wants their story to be now. Everyone wants to be heard… It's not wrong that you thought this way after what I said. It was tactless of me… I do admit I made an error. If you wish, I could send you information that I know of this universe…] Again I could feel the deliberation in his mind, yet thankfully I could feel no negative emotion. I was somewhat disturbed by the thought.
As he sat there holding that… woman. His eyes continuously stared into the sky. He seemed to like doing that. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen it in such a long time that he never actually wants to stop. I wonder what face he'll make when he's eventually able to fly amongst those stars.
{…This may be foolish of me, but I would ask that you not unless it's very important… I would rather not be delayed by knowledge unless it's entirely necessary again. It is a foolish decision, and do feel free to recommend other actions if I'm acting such a way. But I would like to see what this world holds for myself and for us… I do apologize if this isn't the correct decision.} Why is my master such a kind being?
[This is understandable, master. You wish to experience your own story… I will inform you of necessary information as it comes. By the way, I thought you didn't enjoy other humans touching you?]
{I don't… but physical contact is important to establish security and, to be honest, states a bit of a paradoxical sensation. When I'm not suffering under another's touch, I… enjoy feeling the warmth of another's skin on my form. Maybe it's a form of being touch-starved, but I just wish to one day choose to hold onto something…} Creating a hard light image in front of him, I sit down next to him, placing my hand on his own.
For a few moments, he looks over to me and smiles as he grasps my hand tightly, and I feel a strange sensation… We both say nothing, just enjoying each other's presence, watching some stars pass by—until I realize they are just wandering divine realm cultivators passing by. I imagine they're looking for the corpse that is nearby… Definitely going to have to get my master's attention, as the heretic god's veins are still with her. Even at barely 20% of my operational capacity I can still create an accurate image of this planet. I see each of the individual seeds. Ironically enough, each of them shall act as a mere stepping stone for him.
If he wants this world, I shall give it to him. If he simply wishes to become the strongest, I shall make it so… If he desires a woman… That thought fills me with an unpleasant sensation, but given my master's current mental state, I do not believe he would even recognize basic courtship rituals. It almost makes me want to laugh. As he becomes stronger, he shall become ever more desirable, yet he won't even realize it.
It is a selfish wish where I can simply have him to myself, and we just hide away in his realm with Velvet and Lilywood alongside that fox of his. But again, I would never want him to feel trapped. Even with this woman draped over his shoulders, I feel no increase in heart rate or the release of anything in terms of hormones.
However, cultivation should potentially make all of those physical responses pointless anyways… So as I lay my head against the other side of his neck, I simply enjoy the moment.
{Thank you for entertaining my questions, Eve… I trust you… Besides, we're not even a day into our journey and we've already found some cool stuff—even if it did come off of a dead body that's right in front of us.} I softly chuckle at that fact. Not the best way to start, but the integration of the Sky Poison Pearl into the Eternal Sky Bead is mostly complete. It's already integrated its infinite space, as well as its purification properties, and increased in addition to the fact that the Eternal Sky Bead now will help him in his alchemy.
With that thought in mind… [Master, while we're here would you like to read something?]
He looks towards me and gives me a small nod, seeming almost excited… It helps the heart to see that he still has light in his eyes… Summoning a hard light version of the Book of Life, I handed it to him, and as he takes it, he treats it almost as precious as he would seemingly treat a lover.
{…It's been a very long time since I've been able to read a book. The last one I remember is decades ago… before… before…} Feeling his discomfort, I placed my hand against his own, and after he takes a few deep breaths, he takes a moment to gather himself before smiling towards me and opening the first chapter.
{Written by the Goddess of Life, Li Suo, and her ever so humble/amazing/spectacular/grand/super husband Emilio… I can already tell that this is going to be a journey of its own.} Looking down at the book, I watch as he begins to take in the first chapter, mostly having to deal with the basics of profound veins, as well as the basics of alchemy.
I would listen to his voice as he mentally read through each individual word, brushing his hands along the pages—even if they're not real. He didn't have to even mentally think of the words; he just did so, so that I could feel included… Looking towards the fox on his head, I see her looking at me and as I inch closer to him, I could almost feel her heated glare.
But to be honest, I didn't care. And for the moment, I enjoy being emotional… The benefits of being an esoteric artificial being is the fact that I won't forget these moments, and I don't think he will either.
And as I simply enjoyed hearing his voice in my mind, I began calculating an optimal path for his development. The first step is going to be that corpse once this ridiculous farce is over with.
(Sol POV)
I don't believe it's normal to be able to stay up for hours on end without feeling tired, but thankfully whatever Eve did to my body has made it so that even after staying up for eight hours, I still felt refreshed. Asking Eve to dismiss the book, it disappeared into a holographic blue light. To be honest, the book was hard to understand, but simultaneously easy.
I could read the words on the page, but comprehending them was something else entirely… But if there's any benefit, I now basically know almost every part of the human body as well as the various locations of my profound veins. However, that was all I was able to get, which, according to Eve, was enough, given the fact that I haven't even started my profound journey yet.
I could still feel the energy in the back of my mind, just wanting to release itself… Haru, meanwhile, has partaken in our food supply from my bag of holding… which I have been feeding her as she seemingly wants to be spoiled again… but I will never say no.
Watching the sunrise in the sky, I felt Xiao Lingxi beginning to stir, and as she slightly rubbed her eyes, she looked around and saw that I was still there…
"You stayed…" I simply nodded.
"There are very few cases where people should be alone. This is not one of them… Is there anything you would like to say to him?" As I adjusted towards the body in front of us, Lingxi stood up and placed her hand on his head before saying some words, mostly to herself.
It mostly included various goodbyes and promises… But to be honest, I had mixed feelings about this Xiao Che, but I wasn't wanting to interrupt such a moment… She then looked towards me, and as she handed me the nearby shovel, I began to bury the body…
Lingxi herself lowered the body into the hole and, soon enough, after placing all of the dirt into the hole, the earth was flattened. After handing the shovel back to her, she placed the final couple of mounds on top before beginning to use her profound energy to write some words on the headstone.
When she was finished, she bowed to the grave while I stood behind her… I didn't bow… After gathering herself and brushing off the dirt and morning dew, she then bowed to me…
"Thank you, Sol. You didn't have to stay or even help, but you did… I am ever so grateful… By the way, are you from some kind of merchant's family?" Shaking my head in denial, she seemed confused.
"I can understand the confusion. My robes were gifts from an old friend. Now that he has been buried, what is the next step?" Lingxi seemed slightly embarrassed by that but soon gathered herself.
"Now that the body has been given a proper burial, I shall return to my clan and inform my father. He's been holding back the elders and their various sons from looking for me… I do admit this has been a turbulent time. In a few days, emissaries from the Xiao Sect will arrive, so it would be well for me to return so that I may help set up and meet them." So she's going to have to meet some type of delegation then.
"You don't sound too excited…" Lingxi almost seemed to laugh at my observation.
"Yes, the issue is that the person coming to the clan is Xiao Kuangyun. He has a reputation for being a womanizer—a man basically seeking his own pleasure, thanks to his influence within the sect." I can see where this is going. What is it with this world and people not being able to control themselves?
[Sadly, this is a common thing with these types of worlds. It is not uncommon for most male cultivators to take multiple women, both in relationships and by force.] They sound like the scum of the Earth. I could barely fathom being in a relationship with one person, never mind more than one.
"Are you able to hide within the clan? If you simply avoid him, you might be able to keep him from doing anything untoward…" She smiled at me as if seeing something familiar. She then stared off towards the city.
"Given the fact that I am a daughter of one of the elders, I am inevitably going to be placed in front of him as either a bargaining chip or as one of his cauldrons. I am not blind, nor am I naïve… My profound strength is weak… Given the nature of our clansmen, I'm lucky that I have even made it this far without being defiled." Dear me, what kind of drama am I walking into here?
Lingxi then turned back to me and she looked at me. She seemingly could barely meet my eyes… "By the way, are you a cultivator? Perhaps I am unable to sense your profound energy."
"Sadly, I am just beginning my path. It's been a long time since I've returned to the world… I'm nothing too special, just a man trying to find his way. I imagine you are the same." The response was met with her turning around.
"I should return now. Would you be willing to visit me? I have very few people I can talk to at the clan compound…" Eve, how long do you think we are going to be staying here?
[In terms of beginning your profound way, along with a couple of other miscellaneous tasks, you will most likely have to remain here for at least three days.]
"Well, if you wish, I shall be within the city for a couple more days. If you want to meet again, meet me at the center of the city tomorrow afternoon… If you do not, then I will not blame you." Lingxi smiles at my proposition before walking back to her compound.
I smiled, considering the fact that I actually had a conversation with another being that wasn't within my realm… I consider that a small victory.
{So Eve, you mentioned something else in this forest…}
[Yes, there is something a few miles away in a northwestern direction. And by the way, I would recommend keeping the Eternal Sky Bead close…] Thanking her for her directions, she seemingly summoned a holographic arrow, pointing in the direction of where I need to go. And with that, I began walking. I heard footsteps around me, but they were just some basic wolves, which were seemingly scared of something.
Given the fact that I didn't find anything, I just continued on my way… However, as I got closer, I began to smell a foul stench… I raised my hand to my nose while Haru seemed to gag and crawl into the pocket of one of my robes.
[Poison detected. Activating Eternal Sky Bead purification…] As the glowing green orb floated in front of me, it created seemingly a large suction that sucked in all of the green mist around us… I stayed completely still and waited for the Sky Bead to finish the process. After clearing the area of the green mist, all that was left was a small patch of dead grass along with some fallen trees… In the center of the dead life, I saw what looked to be a corpse of a young girl with red hair… Checking her pulse, I found that she had passed a few hours ago… Regrettable, but ultimately not my problem.
{So Eve, you led me here for a reason. Is there something on this girl that is important?}
[You would be correct, but it's not an artifact, but two specific things… Master, do you remember how to access your profound energy?] Giving her a nod, she continues her instructions.
[Place your hand on her head and use your energy to search her soul… You'll find what you're looking for there.] Deciding to give it a try, I use some of the energy I had gathered and sent a pulse of it through her body. Within her remnant soul, I found what looks to be a small droplet of blood. However, even I could feel its power from here.
{What am I looking at, Eve?}
[That, master, is a drop of blood from the Heretic God. If you integrate it into yourself, you would gain many abilities while also allowing your cultivation to expand in many different ways… However, I would not recommend doing it now. I recommend beginning your cultivation before absorbing the drop of blood.]
Agreeing to that plan, I place the drop of blood into the space within the Eternal Sky Bead. After taking my hand off of the girl's head, I pondered what to do with her body… Given the fact that it is basically a shriveled and bloody mess, there wasn't much left to save. So as I summoned the Primordial Yin and Yang Flames, I sent a small bit of it towards the girl's body, and as soon as the flames touched her, they enveloped her in a white and black fire, soon turning her into ash and then into nothing.
Recalling the flame, I return it to my soul… Given the fact that this universe is that of a story, I wonder what this girl and her role would've been… But such possibilities are beyond me now.
{So if you mentioned a second thing, what would that be?}
[You already have it, master… or more specifically, I do. When you used your profound energy to scan her body and soul, I gained access to her mind. And right now I am combing through the memories for any profound techniques. Other than that, there's nothing left to gain here… Now master, I recommend we begin your profound cultivation. All of the necessary pieces are in place.] Moving away from the formerly poisoned area of the forest, I make my way to another empty field of grass and sit down.
Eve then summons herself in front of me while Haru lounges on my head, seemingly trying to give me moral support…
[All right, master. Once you begin absorbing the profound energy, I shall use the Amethyst Card along with the Eternal Sky Bead to condense the energy into its pure form… As I do so, I would ask if you would allow me to use some of the energy to perform acupuncture…] Giving her a nod, she then summons over a dozen small needles. And as I take a deep breath as to not react to such a thing, she then summons the Amethyst Card along with the Eternal Sky Bead, which then float in front of me.
So as I close my eyes, I focus on that feeling of trying to gather the nearby energy within myself… The waves of profound energy begin to shift as they begin to be absorbed into my body… Firstly, it gathers in my heart, which then begins to produce its own energy, which I assume is thanks to the Primordial Heart… I can feel it pulsing and beating within my chest, with every second bringing me closer to that ceiling.
And as the energy gathers near the Amethyst Card and the Eternal Sky Bead, I could see it becoming ever so brighter within my senses… What once was a murky-looking gold has now become something more majestic. Soon enough, the gathered energy forms a sphere around me, and as Eve begins to puncture various parts of my body, I feel no pain and smile as I feel my body begin to grow stronger. My soul begins to sing as it grows in strength.
And with the sudden cracking sound, my profound veins open. However, there aren't just 54 like the book mentioned—there is a total of at least 60… I feel the energy pour into my body faster and faster, and soon enough, some nearby rocks begin to float into the air as the ground begins to slightly shake.
[Profound veins opened… Condensing profound energy… Pseudo-Primordial energy acquired… Beginning to refine Heretic God's blood… Administering the Heretic God blood.]
That same droplet of blood is then taken out from my Eternal Sky Bead and placed above the Primordial Yin and Yang Flames, and as it's held above it, it begins to be refined until it glows in a crimson color… In that moment, the droplet touches my head. I feel as if an explosion goes off within my body as the energy just doesn't seem to end…
[Elementary Profound accessed… First level reached… Second level reached… Third level reached… Fourth… Fifth… Sixth… Optimizing current output.] My body begins to feel lighter and lighter as my muscles gain strength, and again, my soul continues to sing.
I feel the Heretic God's blood surround my profound veins, coating them in an almost red shade. However, they feel hollow, as if meant to be filled by something… But not just that, I feel congregations of some type of technique begin to form within my body… The Heretic God's profound arts… I smile, feeling the exponential buildup of strength within me. It almost feels overwhelming, like I was invincible. But then I am reminded… I see his face…
The process continues, and as the pull of energy begins to lessen, I then focus inward in order to make sure that none of the energy is released… Building a foundation within myself…
[Elementary Profound seventh level reached… Eighth level reached… Discontinuing the process in order to avoid profound energy pollution… Ninth level reached.]
I feel the energy begin to stop flowing, and as I open my eyes, I smile, seeing the sunrise on a new day… Until I realize that the sun was now setting…
{Eve… How long have I been doing this?}
[The process of establishing your profound veins, as well as your profound cultivation, has taken up a majority of the day. It is now 8 PM… Congratulations, master. You have now experienced what a basic cultivation session feels like, as well as how long one takes.] It might've just been me, but I could almost hear a small amount of chuckling coming from the AI.
[You imagined it, master… I would recommend beginning to set up the tent… Unless you wish to return to the home realm…] I considered that for a moment, but then I realized I wanted to experience what it's like camping under the stars. So, as I took the tent out of the bag of holding, I began to set it up… It takes me a few minutes, but as soon as I step inside, I find it is much larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
As I looked towards the bed, I could almost feel both of my companions glare at the fact that the bedsheets and pillows, as well as the blankets, all have Velvet's face and body on them…
I found the designs to be cool, but for some reason, they didn't seem to like that. However, even with my beginning in cultivation, I begin to feel tired—especially after integrating that blood from the Heretic God… But that's for future me to deal with… And besides, Eve already said it before—I've got all the time in the world.
(Hello, ladies and gentlemen; this is another chapter for the snippet gods; as you can see, with the original main character of this story gone, it has had some effects. Since Yun Che wasn't there to cure Jasmine of the god-slaying poison, she also died, given the fact that I think I've given enough voices in my main character's head for now. I am not into little girls or Jasmine as a character. To be honest on the topic of why my main character doesn't want to get all of the relevant information downloaded into his head, It's both a bit of selfish and naïve thinking while he has experienced immense suffering, he has had minimal real-life experience. Even now, his mind is attempting to cope with everything he's experienced, and he's treating this journey like a fairytale, simply enjoying the ride. He's not entirely foolish, not to take advice at least, but he doesn't want to have the whole thing spoiled for him. On a separate note, I've begun watching the vampire diaries, and now I can't get the thought of a vampire main character out of my head. Depending on when you guys are reading this, I wish you all a good morning, good afternoon, and good night.)