Chapter 912: Preparation

Li Qi left the place where 'Celestial Pole' was located.

Actually, he couldn't be said to have left, because he had only sent his Dharmakaya there, and the Dharmakaya was a manifestation of Li Qi's existence as a 'metaphysical' being. To be precise, Li Qi currently had no main body, only Dharmakayas.

Having reached the Third Grade, Li Qi's 'main body' was the Dao, a mathematical model, a theory. A theory could not be observed. Perhaps it could be described through mathematics, formulas, or other means, but one could never intuitively observe what a theory was like.

Outsiders could only observe phenomena that conformed to this theory.

And the Dharmakaya was the manifestation of this 'phenomenon conforming to the theory'.

Putting these aside, Li Qi began to recall what had happened before.

Everything seemed so natural, nothing special, but it always gave Li Qi a feeling that a storm was brewing.

Logically speaking, a Third Grade cultivator could deduce their own fortune, but Li Qi couldn't perceive the future situation.

Presumably, the future must be a very grand war, having reached a point where even he couldn't deduce it. It must involve many Great Powers.

This was like brewing wine.

This reminded Li Qi of Chang Xi, the Great Shaman, whom he had met before.

Chang Xi, the Great Shaman, loved brewing wine. The Moon Essence Wine she brewed was incredibly delicious, even High Grade cultivators would get drunk from it.

Actually, pure wine couldn't intoxicate High Grade cultivators, but Chang Xi, the Great Shaman's wine used 'longing' as an ingredient, so... the wine didn't intoxicate people, people intoxicated themselves.

Drinking a cup of longing naturally brought melancholy to one's heart. Even if the body wasn't drunk, the heart was.

And longing differed from person to person, so the longing of different people brewed different wines, which required different people to blend.

This was no different from how Mortals brewed wine.

When Mortals brewed wine, the wine was alive, so naturally, before the wine was made, the yeast and other bacteria inside were also alive.

Because it was alive, anything could happen. If necessary, the winemaker needed to interact with the wine day and night, carefully controlling its progress, managing the temperature, wiping away dust, only then could good wine be brewed.

The wine had to be treated as a living thing.

And it was the same for Chang Xi, the Great Shaman, when brewing wine. To brew unique longing into wine, she needed to constantly regulate the growth environment of all living beings.

So, for higher-level wars, was it the same?

To brew suitable wine, many, many things needed to be regulated.

Then, even a Third Grade cultivator, in front of a First Grade, was probably like yeast.

But actually, this was not bad. At least they were yeast, and like the First Grade, they were living beings. The First Grade also needed to use the power of the Third Grade, needing to rely on the Third Grade to 'ferment' this Universe, and finally guide everything in the direction they desired. Therefore, taking good care of the yeast was also the responsibility of the First Grade as winemakers.

As for others, those living beings without substantiality, they were neither yeast nor winemakers, but 'raw Materials'.

Li Qi shook his head and opened his eyes.

Before him was still Mystic Radiance Mountain's Immortal Cave. Shen Shuibi and Yang Ning sat at a nearby table. On the table lay a translucent, high-dimensional blob of slime.

Yang Ning was playfully poking the slime, seemingly pondering its nature.

Evidently, that shapeless, high-dimensional blob of slime was La Qi, the Disciple Li Qi intended to take.

This thing looked like a blob, but its talent was truly extraordinary. The Manifold Race's racial talent, coupled with his own mind and information processing capabilities.

Li Qi couldn't help but sigh at his good fortune, to actually encounter such an inheritor who excelled at inheriting his cultivation method.

So Li Qi stood up and walked over there.

As Li Qi approached, Shen Shuibi and Yang Ning immediately reacted.

The rabbit spoke first, saying to Li Qi, "Li Qi, where did you go just now?"

Her tone was worried, as if she greatly feared Li Qi had been captured by something again.

"Haha, don't worry, I just met with the Goddess," Li Qi chuckled, comforting her thus, "Don't worry, nothing happened. In fact, we should celebrate, right?"

When Li Qi mentioned celebrating, he looked at Yang Ning.

Yang Ning took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to bow, but feeling it wasn't appropriate. Yet, wanting to greet him felt too distant. For a moment, she didn't know what to do, standing there somewhat flustered.

It was Li Qi who initiated the conversation. He walked over and punched Yang Ning's shoulder: "Little sister-in-law, why have you become like this? Do you still need to call me 'Master'?"

These words made Yang Ning sigh: "If calling you 'Master' was enough, then I wouldn't be so conflicted. You're Third Grade... Third Grade! Do you know what that means?"

"When I was only Seventh Grade, and you were already Fifth Grade, I don't recall you acting any differently, did you? Now you're Fourth Grade, and I'm Third Grade, only one Grade apart, why are you suddenly putting on airs?" Li Qi laughed.

Yang Ning was speechless.

However, she actually knew that the gap between Seventh Grade and Fifth Grade, and the gap between Fourth Grade and Third Grade, simply couldn't be compared.

The difference, the gap between Third Grade and Fourth Grade, was greater than the gap between Fourth Grade and unranked, and it was far greater, simply incomparable.

This was a qualitative change.

When Li Qi broke through to Fourth Grade, hardly anyone cared. He was still just a 'Genius', and hadn't officially entered the eyes of the major powers. His identity was still 'Zhu Fengdan's Disciple'.

But after he reached Third Grade, he was immediately listed as a key observation target. Although he was still Zhu Fengdan's Disciple, he would also be treated as 'Great Shaman Li Qi'.

This was the difference.

Seeing Yang Ning's conflicted expression, Li Qi laughed heartily and then said, "Alright, it seems you still need to prepare yourself mentally. You can be conflicted for now, I'll go see my Disciple first."

Saying that, Li Qi sat down by the table and picked up the transparent, high-dimensional slime.

Actually, it shouldn't have been possible to pick it up. To Mortals, this blob of slime existed between presence and non-presence. It was merely a projection of a high-dimensional manifold in three-dimensional space, presenting a strange, constantly changing state, similar to a kaleidoscope.

Phase invisibility was precisely this state of his.

However, Li Qi's Divine Ability was vast, so picking him up was nothing. He flung this blob of slime onto the ground.

La Qi quickly twisted his body and then transformed into a Human Race appearance, though somewhat dishevelled.

Li Qi knew at a glance that he had clearly started in Human Race form, but had been played with by Yang Ning until he collapsed and became his true form, self-isolating.

He had just been flung out by Li Qi, and only then did he manage to regain his form, albeit with some panic.

"Phew... Ha, ha, this is... Master, I've finished reading what you gave me, but... it didn't say anything about this..." La Qi gasped, looking at Yang Ning with a terrified gaze.

Li Qi couldn't hold back a laugh, then sat down and said, "It's the same. When I was young, your Master here was also tormented by her quite a bit. She even sent me flying."

"But overall, she's still a good person, and very capable in a fight. Just keep it in mind for now, and get your revenge later," Li Qi told La Qi, then crooked his finger.

La Qi felt himself being pulled by a force, flying to the side of the table and sitting opposite Li Qi.

"How do you feel? After reading the books, you at least understand this world, right?" Li Qi smiled and asked.

"I wouldn't say I understand it, but I have a basic grasp, and I have to thank Master's wife and Junior Martial Uncle for that. They are still helping me maintain my home world, so what Master said about getting revenge later is absolutely not possible," La Qi replied.

This appearance made Yang Ning frown, Shen Shuibi smiled faintly, and Li Qi's expression clearly became subtle and hard to describe.

Nothing else, mainly because this attitude and tone were so similar to young Li Qi.

Especially that cautious attitude, it was exactly the same.

So Yang Ning looked displeased, Shen Shuibi smiled and felt a bit nostalgic, while Li Qi had a subtle, indescribable feeling.

Li Qi actually had a daughter, but... he had a daughter, and the feeling his daughter gave him was far less intimate than the feeling his current Disciple gave him.

However, this was also natural.

A daughter was only a Bloodline connection; it was normal for their Daos to be different.

But a Disciple would inevitably inherit all of one's Dao path, and then forge a new path.

For cultivators, the relationship between Master and Disciple was even closer than that of father and son. Generally speaking, there would be similarities in personality and way of thinking. Even Li Qi and Zhu Fengdan, seemingly one still and one active, were actually very similar in their core.

It was precisely because Li Qi saw this point that he decided to take La Qi as a Disciple after testing him.

"Maintaining the home world? Logically speaking, after their Epiphany ended, that abnormal spacetime should have been destroyed. Was it maintained? Where is it located?" Li Qi asked.

"Right over there," La Qi pointed to the depths of the Immortal Cave.

Li Qi extended his perception and indeed felt that the abnormal spacetime was maintained within, attached to the Earth Veins of the world, and continued to exist thanks to the root system of Shaman God Mountain.

It was fortunate that this was the world. The energy level outside the domain would truly make it difficult to maintain such a high-dimensional space for a long time.

One had to know that, in a sense, it was a special Fourth Grade world, and it was the super rare type with special products and unique spacetime.

If it were sold, it would be very expensive.

La Qi seemed a little shy as he said, "The existence of this world requires a lot of energy to maintain, and it's all for me. If I can succeed, that's naturally best, but if not, then I'll truly have caused a lot of trouble for Master and Master's wife."

Hearing this, Li Qi smiled and then said, "That's not how it is."

Li Qi gently interrupted La Qi's train of thought and his next words.

Then, Li Qi continued, "Whether it's mountains, water, heaven, or earth, including the world and you, none will bring trouble to anyone. You have simply always existed here from the beginning."

"Only humanity would complain about the world causing them trouble. You must not learn from them; if you do, I will expel you from my sect."

Li Qi's words were light.

However, they seemed to make La Qi think of something, leaving him frozen in place.

His appearance was just like Li Qi's when he had an Epiphany as a child.

Clearly, Yang Ning and Shen Shuibi also thought of this.

The three exchanged glances, then walked out of the Immortal Cave and arrived at the Mystic Radiance Mountain outside.

Then, the three smiled at each other, as if laughing at La Qi, and also as if laughing at Li Qi.

All in all, the estrangement between Yang Ning and the couple seemed to dissipate with the laughter.

As for La Qi...

Let him be there.

If there is a sapling, it will naturally sprout new shoots on the second day.

If you want it to grow faster and water it and fertilize it—is this right or wrong?

If it will naturally sprout on the second day, then this is wrong. If you meddle carelessly, it might wither. This is called 'pulling up seedlings to help them grow', even children understand this.

So Li Qi couldn't say anything to La Qi now.

This was a riddle, but it was also necessary. Li Qi had deeply understood his Master Zhu Fengdan's upbringing policy for him when he was young.

Now it seemed that their lineage would probably all have to be raised this way.

— — — — — — — — — — — —

By the time La Qi said goodbye to Li Qi, his mind was already filled with books.

All kinds of books, adding up to tens of thousands. It might take him thousands of years to read and understand them all.

And he had to find the answers himself.

Feeding someone who is waiting with an open mouth is not being responsible; it's spoiling.

What Li Qi had to do was actually very simple.

Support those who strive, and then, when they stumble on their Dao, become their pillar.

Just as the Seniors of Shaman God Mountain had done for Li Qi.

However, not everyone had the ability to pursue their own Dao. Some people couldn't even find 'what the Dao is'.

But La Qi didn't need to worry. Although he seemed very naive in front of Li Qi, don't forget, La Qi had once spent his entire life pursuing an unknown illusion, simply because he felt it 'made sense' and was 'extremely beautiful'.

He was such a person. Li Qi didn't need to worry about him not finding his own path.

However, with Li Qi's relaxed, hands-off approach, La Qi could only smile bitterly.

His Master was so at ease, but he couldn't be.

Because he was about to meet his Senior Sister.

His Master's biological daughter, whose name was Li Shiwei, was Fifth Grade.

Fifth Grade!

How terrifying, unimaginable.

La Qi, filled with this terrifying feeling, arrived at his Senior Sister's location.

There, were two women, both very beautiful, but completely different in style.

One was taciturn, appearing gloomy and cold, exuding a chilling aura that kept people a thousand miles away.

The other was an extremely magnificent beauty, far more beautiful than the gloomy one beside her. She seemed to glow, her eyes reflecting mountains and rivers, and an incredible Dao Resonance flowed through her body, the principles of Heaven circulating, dazzling and brilliant.

According to the information Master had given him...

"The half-dead one is Master's daughter."

"The one who's overly energetic and a bit condescending... is the Heavenly Emperor's daughter."

He spoke these words aloud.

Then, in the next moment, he suddenly realized he had said the wrong thing.

Two gazes pierced him.