Most adepti were shaped by the leylines—ordinary creatures or objects that underwent transformation. Some retained their original forms; others took on human shape.
Aside from yaksha, Xuekui didn't really know of any other beings born already in human form. "Asking a girl such a private question is very rude, you know."
Ping knocked his head with the spear shaft. Xuekui looked puzzled. So it was considered private?
"If you want to know someone's true form, you should tell big sis yours first." Ping set her spear down, stepped behind him, and ruffled his white hair.
Xuekui rolled his eyes upward, watching his hair sway at the top of his vision. "I'm not that desperate. Just curious. As for my true form… I don't even know." "Hah. See? You don't want others to know yours either."
"No—I really don't know."
Seeing he wasn't faking, Ping was surprised.
"Even if you were already human-shaped when you gained awareness, you should still have some memory from before."
"I don't. My memory starts from being born in a snowstorm."
"Snowstorm? Is there anywhere around here that even has snow?" Ping tapped a finger in the air. "Unless you're not a yaksha at all… maybe you're a qilin? Qilin can summon wind and snow, after all."
"Uh… I think the place I was born was naturally like that…"
Remembering Morax and the sea god's ability to reshape the world, Xuekui's voice grew quieter, less certain.
Ping cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"Setting that aside—aren't you curious why I wanted to see Rex Lapis?" She'd been waiting to explain. He still hadn't asked.
The more he didn't ask, the more she wanted to talk.
"Hm? Oh. Right." Xuekui blinked. "Why'd you want to find that old man?" Ping felt a strange ache in her chest at his casual disrespect.
So you followed a stranger without even thinking about why? "Are you always this lacking in caution?"
Xuekui narrowed one eye in confusion. He followed instinct. He sensed no malice from her, so he followed.
"Never mind." Ping sighed. "First, I wanted to learn the might of a god firsthand. I've heard the Geo Archon isn't easy to approach, but as long as you're willing to form a contract, even if you lose and join his side, you won't die. I've wandered for a long time… I've started yearning for a stable place to settle."
Xuekui nodded. That made sense.
He liked fighting too. That was how his "fate" with the dragon-beast began. "And second…" Ping stroked her spear gently. "I want a spear that won't break." Xuekui raised a brow.
"Xuekui, since your spear is formed from Cryo, you might not understand. Ordinary weapons always wear down. Every time a spear that's been with me for ages snaps or is ground away by time… it hurts."
"I heard that besides his immense power, Rex Lapis also knows strange arts—including methods to strengthen weapons and make them resistant to wear. Some kind of forging through alchemy…"
"I want to ask him to craft a weapon that can stay with me forever." Xuekui's brow twitched.
Alchemy… that sounded familiar.
Ah. One of the things that old dragon wanted to teach him. So it really was that special.
Ping sighed softly and pulled Xuekui's attention back.
"So you know how badly I wanted to beat you when I heard you refused his teaching? Something others beg for—something he's willing to force on you—and you just tossed it away."
"Xuekui. I'll ask you too—why refuse? You haven't lost the chance yet."
Ping's seriousness made Xuekui gradually shed his laziness. After meeting her gaze for a while, he spoke.
"If I had to say… because it isn't strong enough." Ping looked baffled.
Xuekui continued, voice calm.
"Tell me—if I learned everything he wanted to teach, could I reshape heaven and earth?" He pointed at the sky. Ping stared up, dazed.
"…Probably not."
"Then it's meaningless." Xuekui remembered Morax's words—learn it, and "one day" you could "touch" the realm of gods.
Too slow. Not enough.
"If I obediently learn, then by the time I'm done, what I want to protect might already be crushed into dust by something stronger. What good is that?"
Rejecting Morax had been partly stubbornness, yes. But Xuekui had thought it through.
To him, Morax's teaching was like the old physician's knowledge—interesting, valuable… but insufficient against true enemies.
After seeing the clash of "principle," Xuekui understood far more deeply than Morax expected. If he wanted to stand in battles like that, the road he chose had to have a terrifying ceiling.
Morax's arts were useful.
But they clearly didn't reach that height.
"…As long as you have your own thoughts," Ping said quietly. She truly hadn't expected a child to think that far.
"But do you have a direction? There should only be two months left on your contract, right?"
They were already near Morax and Guizhong's lands. Xuekui had stayed behind to sharpen his martial path—hence their prolonged stop.
"Spear technique and combat skills grow fast," Xuekui said. "But if I want a qualitative change… I think the breakthrough has to be within myself."
Technique was a tool.
Only if the wielder became stronger could the tool become truly deadly.
"And my question about your true form…" Xuekui propped his chin with two fingers, recalling how different gods' "principles" manifested. "It's related to what I'm thinking."
"Gods' powers mostly come from their origin. That's basically their true form. If I can remember mine—trace it back—I might grasp something of a god's strength."
Ping stared at him, completely blank.
"…Why aren't you saying anything? You look stupid."
Xuekui finally noticed she'd been silent a long time and looked up, finding her utterly stunned. What you're saying… who understands it?
And how on earth have you even had the chance to observe so many god-level beings?