Cultivating in Honkai!

Li Sushang’s aptitude was clear to everyone. She single-handedly reached Taixuan the fastest, at least prior to immortal cultivation’s appearance. She was carefree and unfettered, suiting immortal cultivation’s main theme perfectly. Only by being true to oneself could they comprehend the Dao belonging to them.

The future Li Sushang looked at her, momentarily caught off guard. Then she realized it was her own problem.

‘My heart had grown weary, forgetting its original intentions.’

Her chest felt lighter the moment she acknowledged it. Invisible shackles were removed from her true body.

Hum-!

Buzz-!

Accompanying the cacophony of noise was the outburst of tribulation energy. Li Sushang was extremely familiar with its essence, having used it to formulate the initial framework for Blade Mantra’s next level, Eternal Will.

“You…” She paused for a moment as she realized something. “This is your tribulation?”

“It is half-right. Before I died, I was undergoing my second major tribulation.”

The tribulation energy acted as if it hadn't heard the future Li Sushang’s words. It maintained its usual capacity, sending the space they resided to nigh-destruction. Simultaneously, imaginary energy surged forth. It was controlled by an invisible, eternal will. It temporarily dealt with the damages produced by the tribulation energy.

Her operations left Li Sushang stunned. Her future self gave the feeling of controlling not just the imaginary energy, but the Imaginary Tree itself!

“Eternal Will is the final level of Blade Mantra.”

The future Sushang unhesitantly dropped a bombshell.

“One can summon forth everything this world has ever experienced.”

“...The five decays of heavenly man is your experience? It doesn’t seem difficult.”

“It killed me.”

“...”

Silence ensued between the two for a while. Li Sushang had surpassed the five decays of heavenly man on her own. Even if it was a watered down version, the future Li Sushang decided it was enough.

“Remain steadfast, do not lose track of oneself, and…”

She maintained her calm expression, but Li Sushang still saw through her fluster.

“...don’t overindulge in that matter.”

“...”

It took thirty seconds for her to understand what she meant by that.

“Will I really become the Sect Master’s wife?”

Amidst the rampaging tribulation energy, Li Sushang faced a storm of emotions on her own.

*****

Myriad Spontaneity grasps the karma of all things—be it space, time, people, or concepts. It could track anything in a single grasp, going as far as to manipulate the threads tying them together.

In my eyes, countless threads merged into one. It shot straight to the sky, far beyond the horizon the eyes could see. Senadina continued guiding me towards Leylah’s location.

It took some time to arrive at a towering black building. It stood in the middle of towering trees and mountains. Sunlight shone onto its body, casting a long shadow that dimmed the places it struck. It gave off a mechanical feel—like how advanced alien technology would look from the 2020 Earth’s perspective.

It is the Mars Supercomputer.

At the present time, it took the form of a 1.5 meter tall obelisk. The information I caught stated it was the supercomputer’s true appearance. I looked at the singular causal thread. It led straight to the tall infrastructure.

Senadina’s silence contrasted her earlier liveliness. She didn’t hesitate to open up about her and Leylah’s experiences. I don’t know why, but it felt like an auntie endorsing her daughter to a man. I looked at her and saw worry flash in her eyes.

“You won’t disappear. I will keep my word.” I paused before adding, “Perhaps your presence would end up as the key to solving this problem.”

“...Thank you.”

I nodded to her words with a smile. Just like Kevin and Grandpa Su, she also went through a lot of things. The best I can do now is to lessen their worries.

No other words are spoken. She followed me to the entrance of the Supercomputer. All four of its sides are smooth. There are no openings that could be found. Myriad Spontaneity fed me everything about this place, however. I knew the entrance wasn't a conventional one.

I placed my palm onto the black metal’s surface, feeling its coldness. My mind sank onto it. The supercomputer consists of materials that ‘anchor’ the Sea of Quanta. It is similar to the Eye of the Deep Fire MOTH created—an entrance to the Sea of Quanta, per se.

The supercomputer, however, anchored the Sea of Data. It is then mixed with honkai energy to create the same effect as that of Fire MOTH’s Project STIGMA.

Simply put, the Supercomputer is a portal to another dimension.

Bzzt-!

A bright blue line streaked from the metallic tower’s base up to its roof. Upon reaching the pinnacle, it formed a rift-like opening. The massive ‘tear’ let out waves of chaotic energy.

A swathe of gray fog emerged from my palm. It dropped to the ground, forming a spherical barrier that enveloped Senadina. My true body resisted it on its own. Occasional faint gray ripples emerged on my body’s surface, though it remained unaffected. The best it could do is to make my robes flutter.

Using Myriad Spontaneity, I analyzed its strangeness once more.

The Sea of Quanta, Honkai Energy, and Spiritual Qi.

These three things turned the unassuming Sea of Data into something else. A deeper investigation revealed something else. The Sea of Quanta possess chaotic, ever-changing information. It runs parallel to the Imaginary Tree whose composition shifts at every moment. It is why most people require Paths to channel imaginary energy. It is an ‘anchor’ that dictates Imaginary Energy on what shape to take form.

The existence of Honkai Energy acted as the anchor. The Sea of Data’s ‘chaos’ took the form of Honkai Energy’s volatility. It is akin to explosive gunpowder. This is where Spiritual Qi comes to fray. It acted as the stabilizer of the Sea of Quanta and Honkai Energy. It sent the explosive gunpowder inside a grenade shell. It is now up to someone whether to trigger it or not.

Naturally, its current state went beyond that. In the perspective of immortal cultivation, it is an upgraded form of the Dao of Yin-Yang. It is something that went beyond any knowledge of the golden orb, which is why it is troublesome to deal with. The solution is either overwhelming power or to dismantle it within. The former is more difficult to pull off than the former.

After all…

I sense the presence of a future projection hiding deep within.