Chapter 441: Spiritual Path

However, Li Qi wasn't the only one surprised; the Dao of Reason Cultivator Li Qi was observing was also stunned.

But he didn't remain stunned for too long. He quickly reacted and proactively spoke to Li Qi: "Oh? A Dao Rule Reader? Are you from the Spirit Dao? Are there still people from the Spirit Dao traveling outside now?"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he immediately slapped his own head. The metal parts on his hand and head clanged together, producing a crisp chime and even sparks. Yet, he still said nonchalantly: "We can chat later; let's register first!"

Li Qi was quite taken aback, but he also knew he shouldn't waste other people's time. He then stepped forward, proactively opened his Inner World, and offered a wisp of Qi.

The man was also very efficient. He quickly activated the Spiritual Artifact in his hand, which resembled a glass tube. A faint suction force emerged from it, drawing in Li Qi's Qi. Then, after what seemed to be a process of 'refinement,' it quickly recorded Li Qi's Qi.

In about ten seconds, Li Qi's registration was complete. He immediately stepped aside but didn't rush to leave, instead observing the people from the Dao of Reason.

This time, however, he was much more cautious. He didn't try to directly probe with True Knowledge Dao Resonance, but only used Information Stream Vision.

But this time, the man still noticed.

He turned his head and said to Li Qi: "Don't use Dao Rule Readers casually outside. How come people from the Spirit Dao... Wait, the Qi you just analyzed, are you a Shaman?!"

He looked at Li Qi in astonishment, as if he had encountered something unbelievable.

Just as Li Qi was about to answer, the passerby in line in front suddenly said: "Sirs, can you discuss private matters privately?"

"Ahem, my apologies, Junior Sister! Come cover my shift, I have an emergency!" The half-human, half-Spiritual Artifact Dao of Reason Cultivator waved his hand.

Then, his 'Junior Sister' appeared.

To be honest, Li Qi couldn't discern any gender characteristics from this 'Junior Sister' at all.

A complete Spiritual Artifact body, without a trace of flesh and blood, and even losing its human form, its exterior resembled a floating sphere of light comparable to a torch in brightness.

How to describe it... it was like a pile of floating parts.

Various parts, resembling a complex vortex mechanical structure like an astrolabe or gyroscope, but internally adorned with suns, moons, and stars carved from jade, constantly changing forms and moving with extreme regularity.

Some kind of magical power shuttled through these parts, causing sparks and arcs to dance and leap between her rotating components.

She seemed to be constantly self-disassembling into components and then reassembling into an extremely precise Spiritual Artifact.

"Huh? You want me to cover your shift again? You already owe me three workdays." The cluster of parts made a sound.

The sound was like a string of wind chimes gently touching, maintaining a pleasant tinkling rhythm, as if the sound wasn't produced by vocal cords, but by the collision of parts.

In reality... it was indeed so. Her body showed no trace of flesh, blood, or race; there were only precise parts suspended in mid-air.

Even her entire Inner World had been completely reforged and integrated into these Spiritual Artifacts.

"Just one more, I have an emergency, this time it's real." The person from the Dao of Reason said, and without waiting for his Junior Sister to object, he directly left his post.

That Junior Sister sighed crisply in resignation, quickly flew to the workstation, and began taking over the work, helping the next person with registration.

As for Li Qi, who was watching from the side, he also realized something else.

The True Knowledge Dao Resonance was not detected; it was merely bounced away.

The 'Dao Rule Reader' the other party mentioned was his Information Stream Vision.

That is to say, although these people from the Dao of Reason could resist True Knowledge Dao Resonance, they couldn't detect the existence of Dao Resonance.

This brought Li Qi some relief. True Knowledge Dao Resonance should still be safe, after all, even the eyes of the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations had this thing.

Regarding this point, Li Qi also had his own guess.

The three lives ancient mirror was brought by the eminent monk Kasyapa Matanga from the Buddhist kingdom all the way to the Central Plains, offered as a tribute to the Human Emperor at the time, and with the Human Emperor's approval, the White Horse Temple, this 'Source of Buddhism in the Central Land,' was established.

However, before the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations actively exposed himself, no one had ever imagined that the essence of the three lives ancient mirror was that the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations had plucked out one of his own eyeballs and transformed it into the mirror.

Moreover, in order to clearly understand the 'beyond the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations's imagination' things behind Li Qi, that Universe that was even more extra-territorial than the extra-territorial, the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations guided Li Qi step by step to the Tang Nation.

All matters, including Guangyang, were actually arranged by the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations, and even Mount Luofu was included in the calculation. All of this forced Li Qi to come to Chang'an, and even prevented him from directly entering the Imperial Academy.

The assassination by the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor and the test arranged with the three lives ancient mirror were all to guide Li Qi to sit before the three lives ancient mirror and be directly gazed upon by the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations's eye.

In this way, the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations could use the True Knowledge Dao Resonance in its eye to trace Li Qi all the way back to the boundary of the Universe, and even attempt to cross that boundary.

Although ultimately, due to insufficient power, it failed even with the eyeball shattering, it also allowed the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations to confirm Li Qi's value, and finally chose to personally descend upon Chang'an, causing numerous disturbances.

Just think, even in the eye of the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations, there is True Knowledge Dao Resonance, and it relied on this to secretly observe Chang'an for who knows how many years...

It is clear that this thing should be very safe and not so easily discovered.

Having understood this, Li Qi was temporarily relieved.

He just didn't know the origin of the True Knowledge Dao Resonance, whether it was Heavenly Demon’s Dao Resonance or came from outside the domain, but this answer is probably unlikely to become clear in a short time, so it's better not to think too much about it.

Just as these thoughts raced through his mind, the person from the Dao of Reason had already walked over: "I am Wang Dun, a staff member of this East Isle. May I discuss this with Your Excellency downstairs?"

"Of course, Wang brother, please. I am also curious about the Spiritual Artifacts on you. Perhaps we can exchange knowledge and learn from each other." Li Qi immediately said.

Wang Dun also nodded, sighing: "If problems can be solved through communication, that would be wonderful... Your Excellency does indeed have something peculiar about you. It's fortunate that Your Excellency is a reasonable person."

As he walked with Wang Dun to chat, Li Qi curiously asked: "Wang brother, why do you sigh so much? Have you encountered something?"

"Alas, Your Excellency does not know, there are too many people in this world who cannot speak properly. Some people clearly haven't done anything, but they insist on saying meaningless things, causing suspicion and unnecessary trouble."

"Oh... I understand what you mean. Riddle-makers should all be beheaded." Li Qi agreed deeply.

If there's something, just say it clearly, and it's done. An effective and smooth communication can solve most problems. Always speaking in riddles will definitely cause trouble.

"Riddle-makers? Ha, that's an interesting term. I heard that you Shamanes and some Buddhist lay practitioners are the ones who love to speak in riddles the most? I didn't expect to meet an exception today. Sorry, that was just a joke, I hope you don't mind." Wang Dun made a joke, then immediately apologized.

It was clear that he had just blurted it out and then immediately realized it was inappropriate.

Hmm... this person has a bit of a loose tongue. Although there's no malice, there's a flippant feeling. It was the same when he spoke to his Junior Sister earlier, a feeling of being frivolous and often taking leave.

Li Qi observed the man's reaction, inferring his personality.

But at the same time, he immediately responded: "No worries. If such things require an apology, then how can we talk? With such a narrow mind, how can one achieve anything, don't you agree, Wang brother?"

Hearing Li Qi say this, Wang Dun also breathed a sigh of relief. He said: "My mouth tends to blurt things out, I hope Your Excellency will forgive me. By the way, may I ask your name?"

Regarding his name, Li Qi never used a false one, so he told the truth: "My surname is Li, given name Qi."

Wang Dun cupped his hands and said: "I dare not address Your Excellency by your full name. May I ask for your alias?"

"Just an unknown nobody, where would I have an alias? Wang brother can just call me by my name." Li Qi waved his hand.

Wang Dun didn't dwell on it and said: "Then I'll boldly call you Li Qi. Li Qi, where did your Dao Rule Reader come from? Shamanes shouldn't have such a Legacy. The Six Divine Abilities of Buddhism have similar powers, but Celestial Eye is not something a Seventh Grade can involve. Thinking it over, this thing can only be popularized by the Spirit Dao. How did you get it?"

As the two exchanged pleasantries and questions, they had already reached the edge of the giant whale, a few more steps and they would fall into the sea.

There weren't many people here, which was perfect for conversation.

Li Qi stood still and said apologetically: "To be honest, Wang brother, please don't laugh, I don't even know what this so-called Dao Rule Reader is... I wonder if there's a physical object I could examine?"

"You don't know? So, you also don't know where your Dao Rule Reader came from?" Wang Dun frowned, looking Li Qi up and down.

"I do know where it came from, but before today, I had never heard of something called a 'Dao Rule Reader.' I am aware of the Six Divine Abilities, but I don't know what connection they have to this so-called reader. I still need Wang brother to inform me about it." Li Qi replied frankly.

Wang Dun saw that Li Qi was speaking very sincerely and politely, and didn't seem to be lying, so he nodded: "Indeed, since you don't know, then I will explain it clearly to you."

Then, he said something astonishing: "This Dao Rule Reader is actually the sensory organ of the Spirit Dao people, just like our five senses."

The sensory organs of the Spirit Dao people?

Li Qi immediately pricked up his ears, listening quietly.

Then, Wang Dun began to recount the period concerning this so-called 'Dao Rule Reader.'

It turned out that this matter involved the Spirit Dao's Dao, which is why it was rarely recorded in books, causing someone like Li Qi, who was maxed out in library knowledge, to be at a disadvantage in this regard.

This belonged to mysterious knowledge, not library knowledge; the skill points were different.

The Spirit Dao, as its name suggests, lies in their pursuit of ultimate spirit.

Ultimate spirit, and the 'pure spirit' Li Qi had once contemplated, had something in common.

Wang Dun began to explain the most basic views of the Spirit Dao and their introductory concepts, which would make it easier for Li Qi to understand what a 'Dao Rule Reader' was.

The true, pure spirit, unmixed with any matter, and existing independently, is what the Spirit Dao pursues as the 'Spirit.'

This Spirit, as the Shamanes believe, widely exists in all things in the world.

The Heavenly Dao of the world, Mountain Spirits, and water spirits are all evidence of this pan-spiritual existence.

This is sufficient to prove that a special 'spirit,' different from matter, exists without relying on any thinking organs.

These spirits do not require so-called thinking organs, such as the Spirit Soul or the brain, to sustain themselves. They exist independently, coexist with the material world, and give meaning to the material world.

Everything in the material world inherently has no meaning; it is the spirit that actively gives meaning to this world.

Think about it carefully, isn't that the case?

If there were no spirit, then why does everything in the material world exist? Without spirit and will to give meaning to these things, what meaning do these stones, flowing water, and air have?

The material world relies on spirit to give it meaning, while spirit does not rely on the material world; they can exist independently. This has already proven that spirit does not need to be confined by matter at all.

This is not to say that the material world is inferior to the spiritual world, but rather, since the essence of our existence is a kind of spirit, and all our consciousness, memories, and even thought activities originate from 'spirit,' then what use is this Physical Body to us?

Other than binding us, this Physical Body is meaningless.

Yes, except for those savage beasts without spirit and consciousness, those things close to the Dao, they only have matter and no spirit.

All other life forms, their self-identity itself comes from spirit.

So, why should 'we,' who originate from spirit, be confined within this Physical Body? Why must we find a 'brain' or 'Spirit Soul' to serve as a vessel?

Why must we be suppressed by the various material desires from the material world, and the Great Dao within it?

Therefore, the Spirit Dao abandoned the Physical Body, and even gave up the Spirit Soul, completely embracing pure spirit, and held firm in the northernmost reaches of the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

Speaking of this, Wang Dun smiled and said: "Speaking of this, it is said that originally, the First Grade Great Power of the Spirit Dao was prepared to lead all Spirit Dao existences to Ascend directly to the pure spiritual world, completely abandoning matter itself, but in the end, they still chose to stay."

"Oh? Why?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"Because the Confucian Sage and the Daoist Heavenly Venerate debated the Dao with this Great Power, making the Spirit Dao believe that the spirit confined in the Physical Body also possesses extraordinary creativity like other spirits. That's why the Spirit Dao left its foundation and territory in this world, allowing them to continue to communicate with this world."

At this point, Wang Dun changed the subject and suddenly returned to the main topic: "This is also the function of the 'Dao Rule Reader.' The people of the Spirit Dao abandoned their Physical Bodies and could not discern matter, so they use this method to sense matter."