Dawnless Sovereign

Fang Che fell into an exasperated silence.

You were just vehemently denying the existence of disembodied spirits and even threatening to see my instructors!

"But you just said spirit bodies don't exist..."

"That's because I was under the presumption that you were referring to humans! Besides, even demon beast spirit bodies are extremely rare. Let me put it this way for you: for humans, the body and the soul are one, and neither one can exist without the other. For some powerful warriors, perhaps their souls can linger briefly after death, but it definitely won't be for long.

“It's like a gust of wind. If you seal the space around it, that gust of wind will be rendered still and trapped within, but at that point, is it still a gust of wind? After a human dies, their soul dissipates into the world as energy. If there are places nearby with a vast abundance of yin energy, such as the aforementioned mass graves and ancient battlefields, then the soul of a deceased human could be drawn to those places, but only as pure energy that's devoid of consciousness.

“This type of energy is the perfect source of sustenance for demon beast spirits. Due to the excessive number of living beings that have perished in such places, there is an overabundance of soul energy, which can nourish disembodied demon beast souls and allow them to survive. However, such occurrences are extremely rare.

“The demon beast in question has to have been at a certain level of power in life, and their inner core has to have remained completely unscathed even in death. Furthermore, it has to have coincidentally perished near someplace capable of nurturing spirit bodies, and it can't just be something like a small mass grave because there won't be enough soul energy in those places to support a spirit body for long.

“Basically, the stars have to align for such a phenomenon to arise!"

Fang Che was stunned to hear this.

Never had he imagined that the Golden Horn Flood Dragon's spirit body would be so rare and precious.

"Also, when I said earlier that disembodied human souls can't exist, that only applies to warriors below the God tier. As for whether it's possible for those above the God tier, I don't know. I personally don't think so, but I don't have the knowledge to make any definitive statements on that matter," the old man amended in a sheepish manner.

Fang Che couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. The old man had been so certain just a second ago, yet he was suddenly backtracking now.

"Even disembodied demon beast spirits only exist in legends, but there are more legends of such spirits in existence than of disembodied human souls. Honestly, I didn't think they actually existed! Where did you see this one? Take me to see it! This is essentially a ghost! How many people can say they've seen a ghost before?"

The old man was becoming more and more worked up as he spoke, grabbing onto Fang Che's shoulders in excitement.

Fang Che raised his hands as he said, "Hold on a second, Instructor. I have seen a disembodied demon beast spirit before, but I'm not just going to tell you where I saw it."

"I suppose that's understandable. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't tell me, either. Is this why you're searching for a cultivation art suitable for spirit bodies?"

"That's right."

"Well, I can tell you now that such a cultivation art does not exist," the old man declared.

Fang Che was completely speechless.

The old man had made himself appear like such an expert on the topic, but he hadn't been helpful in the slightest!

"Furthermore, I can tell you with full confidence that there's no way such a cultivation art exists anywhere in this world," the old man continued.

"Why?"

"Why? What a stupid question! Do you think a living person would be capable of creating such a cultivation art? Or do you think someone could've created such a cultivation art from beyond the grave? Is there even a brain inside that thick skull of yours?!"

"Then what about the ghost cultivators in legends?"

"Just as you said, those are legends! How many legends actually end up being true?"

"I see. In that case, how are spirit bodies supposed to become more powerful?"

"They just need to find more places that can nurture spirit bodies, and they'll automatically be able to attain more power on their own. You're saying that you've come into contact with a disembodied demon beast spirit, and now here you are, searching for a suitable cultivation art. Does that mean you've already tamed the spirit?"

"No. I wouldn't be here if I had already tamed it."

"I thought you wouldn't be capable of such a feat," the old man scoffed. "A disembodied spirit can survive where you found it, but if you try to take it away from its natural habitat, then it'll quickly dissipate under the sun unless you can find a suitable weapon to house it. That way, you'll be able to release it every night so that it can go off on its own in search of places abundant with soul energy."

"That's the problem!" Fang Che sighed. "If I had a suitable weapon, I wouldn't be here searching for cultivation arts."

After a brief silence, the old man said, "If you're confident in your ability to tame this spirit body, then there's one place that I suggest you can go to try your luck."

"Where?"

"I want two five-liter jars of Iron Will Wine over twenty years old. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"Not at all!"

Despite Fang Che's acceptance of his request, the old man was still looking rather hesitant.

After taking a moment to make up his mind, he mused, "The fact that you were able to find a disembodied demon beast spirit is a fated opportunity in itself, and it's even more remarkable that it's willing to submit to you. Having said that, great opportunities often also present great peril.

“It's just a matter of whether the fortune that you carry can overcome the peril of your endeavor. I can tell you where to go, but you have to promise me not to go unless you have absolute confidence. If you decide to go, make sure to only go during a period of time in which everything has been going your way.

“That is often when luck is most on your side and any peril that comes your way is most likely to be dispelled. Don't laugh! This is not superstition! It's something to be taken seriously!"

Fang Che: "......"

Why are you getting so defensive all of a sudden? I never even laughed!

"Near the center of the Myriad Spirit Forest is a short mountain called Golden Top Mountain. It's very easy to find as when viewed from afar, the entire mountain summit glows gold, but strangely enough, its appearance becomes completely unremarkable up close.

“There are many special metals near that mountain as the entire mountain is a natural magnetic field, drawing in all of the metallic meteorites that fall in the area. There are several more similar places on this continent, but that's the nearest one to us. Hence, the mountain is visited by many warriors on the Cloud Weapon Archive every year, and those in luck are able to find metals that can be forged into spirit weapons.

“However, it's also a very dangerous place, and our academy has only ever sent search parties of powerful warriors there, never allowing anyone to go on their own. Unfortunately, none of those trips have proven fruitful. I was a member of one of those search parties and... let's just say it didn't go so well, and that's why I've been relegated to this role of scripture library overseer."

The old man's voice trailed off into a dejected silence.

Fang Che was stunned to hear this.

Clearly, some type of calamitous disaster has to have fallen upon the search party in question. However, there had never been any stories of White Cloud Warrior Academy suffering instructor casualties, which meant that someone had to have saved the entire search party. Who could it have been?

All of a sudden, it occurred to Fang Che that he was not just speaking to some grumpy old man.

"I've told you the place, it's up to you and your instructors to decide if you're going to try your luck there. As for the wine, you don't have to give it to me now. That can wait until after you get back. You can go now."

A dejected look of reminiscence had surfaced in the old man's eyes, as if he were thinking back to those days of old.

"What the hell are you still doing here?! Leave!" the old man abruptly snapped, only to discover that Fang Che was already gone.

"What an ungrateful little shit!" he vented. "He disappeared as soon as he got what he wanted out of me!"

He limped back to his chair, then closed his eyes to try and compose himself.

Some time later, someone else entered the scripture library.

"Get out! The scripture library's closed for the day!" the old man snapped with his eyes still closed.

"It's me again, Instructor."

The old man's eyes instantly sprang open at the sound of Fang Che's familiar voice, and he was just about to erupt into a furious diatribe when he noticed Fang Che carrying a pair of large bags that were laden with a total of ten jars of wine.

"This is all they had in the shop. Tell me when you're finished, and I'll bring you some more," Fang Che said.

"Why are you bringing me so much wine when I've directed you to your death?"

"This is a fated opportunity for me, just like it was a fated opportunity for me to have met you. Besides, there's no guarantee I'll die. I'm not going to take the risk at my current cultivation base, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm indebted to you for showing me the path forward. I've already taken up far too much of your time, so I'll be leaving now."

"You brought too much wine. I only asked for two jars."

Fang Che extended a respectful bow, then turned to depart, pausing at the entrance as he said, "Throughout all these years, there have never been any stories of instructor casualties from White Cloud Warrior Academy. This is a miracle, and miracles do not come about easily.

“I've come to learn today that there are people keeping the miracle alive, and you are one of them, Instructor. You are a miracle worker, and you deserve the finest wine in the world."

With that, Fang Che departed, leaving the old man standing on his own in a stunned silence.

He felt as if a lump had formed in his throat, and by the time he returned to his senses to say something, Fang Che was already long gone.

He sat back down onto his chair as he stroked the jars of wine with one hand, then grumbled to himself, "Little bastard! Getting me all emotional for no reason!"

Despite his grumpy tone, he was unable to suppress the smile playing on his lips and the tears welling up in his eyes.