Xia Fei suddenly had the impulse to choke Furball. That Purple Heart of Spirit had an inestimable value, acquiring it after his fraughtful journey in the Wild Star Region. No one would have guessed that Furball would actually eat it before Xia Fei could even enjoy it.
All he saw was Furball lazily lying on top of the Heart of Spirit, hiccuping from time to time, looking very comfortable.
Meanwhile, the originally radiant Heart of Spirit had dulled significantly, no longer as dazzling as before.
From the reduction in its color, Xia Fei could already tell that Furball had absorbed a third of the energy inside, though he had no idea just how its small body could contain that wild energy. Xia Fei could already feel his five senses and insides swimming just from trying to extract that bit of energy from a tiny Red Heart of Spirit, yet this Furball, which was no bigger than a chicken’s egg, had absorbed so much in one go. It had to be mentioned that the energy contained within a Purple Heart of Spirit was a thousand times that of a Red Heart of Spirit.
“Well done, Furball!” Phantom gloated with glee.
Xia Fei rolled his eyes at Phantom. “What do you mean well done? That Purple Heart of Spirit is a priceless treasure. If this guy continues eating it like this, there’s no way I’ll be able to raise it even if I have a mountain of gold and silver to my name. That’s practically stealing.”
Actually, Xia Fei was more irked by Furball’s dismissive attitude. There were also low grade Red Heart of Spirits spread across the desk, yet this creature had not even spared them a glance, going right for the expensive Purple Heart of Spirit.
Xia Fei’s heart ached as he used his fingers to calculate just how much Furball had cost him with this one ‘meal’, and the final sum he came up with left him utterly dejected.
“I’m going to use the Beast Spirit Codex to communicate with it, find out just what is inside its stupid head.” Xia Fei was furious. A single meal cost him several battleships; the appetite Furball had just demonstrated had completely infuriated him.
“Don’t.” Phantom hurried to stop Xia Fei. “Furball is still in its infancy, so how can it withstand your attempt at invading its brain? You may end up causing some irreversible damage if things go awry… Best to wait for it to grow a bit older first.”
Xia Fei was being stubborn. “How d’you think I’m going to even rear it if it keeps eating like this? I wish I can just slap it to death right now.”
Phantom had a sudden inspiration as he blurted out, “It’s already eaten purple stone. If you slap it right now, there’s no way for you to recuperate the investment you’ve previously made to it.”
Xia Fei froze. Phantom’s words made sense; killing Furball was very easy, but doing so would hardly cause it to spit out what it had eaten, and he would end up coming away empty-handed both ways.
His raised right hand landed on Furball’s side. He flicked the little ball of fur off the Purple Heart of Spirit. Unfortunately, the little creature had no idea that Xia Fei was enraged, turning around beautifully as it sailed in the air, accurately landing on the back of Xia Fei’s hand. It hugged his hand tightly, then furiously licked it as if very grateful for Xia Fei feeding it.
Actually, Furball was still very cute even when it was not eating and was just like a precocious child. It was constantly showing weakness before Xia Fei, making it appear to be trying to please its master.
Xia Fei sighed and began collecting everything on the desk. He held that dimmed Purple Heart of Spirit in his hand, staring at it for a good long while before heaving another sigh and putting it back into his spatial ring
Ever since he learned the technique of extracting energy from the Heart of Spirit, Xia Fei had always been thinking of how he could create an energy conversion device to utilize the Purple Heart of Spirit in his possession so that he could improve his cultivation. Now, it seemed that everything was nothing but dust in the wind.
Not only that, Xia Fei still had no clue just what else he could feed Furball with once it completely consumed the only Purple Heart of Spirit he currently had.
“Suck-up,” Xia Fei chided as he gave Furball a light smack. Furball was unfazed, continuing to ingratiate itself to Xia Fei, licking aggressively with its tiny tongue at times, rubbing its soft fur at other times. Xia Fei suddenly realized that this little creature was actually very cunning, for it was very obviously acting all docile and tame after having taken advantage of him.
“According to the records in the Beast Spirit Codex, the higher grade an exotic beast is, the more picky they are with their food. Furball enjoys Hearts of Spirit, which means that it’s an energy type of a high grade,” Phantom gleefully commented.
Xia Fei sat in a chair and lit up a Hongtashan, plainly saying, “I, of course, know what you’ve just said. It’s only in the heat of the moment that I reacted the way I did moments ago… There’s no question that Furball is a high-grade exotic beast, but it’s far too dramatic; it even gave that haughty look after eating the energy within that Purple Heart of Spirit.”
Phantom laughed. “Doesn’t that just prove that excellence runs in its veins as well, being able to show such regal disdain for sentient beings from birth? Who knows? Perhaps Furball will grow up to become an exotic beast that is at the beast king grade.”
“Beast king?” Xia Fei gave this idea some thought. “Who knows how long it’ll be until it grows up, though? It’s going to eat away plenty of money if it has a really long growth period.”
Phantom pouted. “The more it eats, the more precious it is, and the more powerful its future potential becomes. This is like investing in stocks: it matters not how much you’ve invested but what returns you’ll be getting. Furball is still young; you can establish a contract with it after it grows up some more so that it becomes your exotic beast exclusively, never betraying you. In the event that it really grows up to be a beast king grade exotic beast, you’ll have immensely profited from it.”
Xia Fei nodded. He stuffed the now satiated Furball back into his bosom, lightly patting it a few times. “I hope that you’re not going to eat like that every day, or else I’ll really end up going bankrupt.”
…
What Xia Fei worried about did not happen; Furball had gone into deep slumber after that hearty meal, curled up in Xia Fei’s bosom every day. Even when Xia Fei poked it, the little creature merely gave his finger a little lick before going back to sleep as if ingesting the Heart of Spirit was sapping its energy greatly.
Xia Fei thought back to his experience when he was younger and had a dog; a puppy would not have any notion of being full, so it was easy for problems to crop up if their diet was not controlled. Xia Fei had, thus, decided to control Furball’s appetite in order not to let him overeat like this time.
Several days of observation later, Xia Fei discovered that, though Furball spent all its time asleep, nothing out of the ordinary happened to the creature’s body. Its fur had recovered the luster from before, maybe even slightly shinier, but its body was still the size of a little chick, not at all appearing to have grown larger.
…
Going by what Xia Fei understood of exotic beasts, there was no need for them to be large, but they could not be weak and small like Furball, either. For such a small creature, which Xia Fei could send flying several dozens meters away with a light flick, would it not just be swallowed whole in one bite if it ran into a vicious beast?
It was not often that Xia Fei had free time, so he decided to spend this period learning the Delusion manual that Shadowless had given him. There were over a thousand forbidden techniques recorded within, and Xia Fei had yet to find the chance to cultivate it since it came into his possession.
Xia Fei could only bemoan the fact that he did not have the ability to be everywhere at once, such that he could participate in the tournament, spend time with Avril, cultivate the Beast Spirit Codex, psychokinesis, research the nether bell and his book on robot coding, manage Quantum Holdings, discuss further cooperation with Alliance Military, and so on and so forth. There were so many things that needed his attention, so he could barely find time to breathe.
Fortunately, Xia Fei’s nerves were tough enough, so he could devote all his time to cultivation and research every day beyond two hours of rest. Any other average human would probably go insane from lethargy if they were in his shoes.
He was still a week or so away from his rendezvous with Sarah and Butcher. Xia Fei made the decision to devote all his time on studying the forbidden manual during this period.
He made himself a bowl of fried paste noodles and brought it into his study, eating as he read the manual. The decorations of this antique study was simple and elegant, chocked full of calligraphy and portraits of famed individuals whom Xia Fei did not recognize. This study had not been installed at Xia Fei’s behest but was Nicole’s instructions. Gaia Industries did the retrofitting and modification of this Impaler, and the only modification Xia Fei made was remove the overclocking chip from Vampire and move it to Impaler.
Sometimes, Xia Fei really wished that he had a few more copies of the overclocking chip, for swapping it in and out of ships like this was very inefficient. Unfortunately, it was not easy to acquire that type of ancient civilization AI chip, requiring quite a bit of luck on top of its expensive price tag.
A big bowl of fried paste noodles was very quickly consumed by Xia Fei. His fortune might have changed, not requiring him to eat such commoner’s fare, yet he still enjoyed fried paste noodles the most. First, it was to his taste, and second, he would always get this feeling that he was back on Earth every time he ate a bowl.
This could perhaps be what nostalgia was.
Propping his two legs on the desk, Xia Fei comfortably lit himself a cigarette as his eyes scanned through the manual quickly.
“Hey, walking through walls sounds like a good technique; care to learn it?” Phantom happily asked.
Xia Fei shook his head and pointed to the row of small fonts below. “Look carefully; I’ll have to observe abstinence in order to learn it; I have no intentions of becoming a monk.”
Phantom nodded, laughing. “Oh, yeah. With how the relationship between Avril and you is advancing, perhaps Avril may be unwilling to let you even if you want to become a monk.”
Xia Fei rolled his eyes, though he was feeling a bit restless deep down. He was almost twenty yet still a virgin. Xia Fei himself was quite embarrassed by this fact. Besides, he was still a completely functional and healthy human being. He could not deny that the thought had crossed his mind, but he felt that Avril was simply too good to him, which was why he had decided to endure it first.
Xia Fei calmed himself down and continued flicking through the pages.
Xia Fei had already skimmed through the manual before; only, he was not carefully reading every word and each technique like today. After all, there were tens of thousands of remarkable techniques recorded within the manual, and choosing one or two of the most exceptional techniques to cultivate was not easy.
Xia Fei had once thought of learning everything inside the entire manual, but he understood the concept of biting off more than one could chew all too well. It was not about having an abundant set of techniques but specializing in the few, instead. Currently, Xia Fei already had the Beast Spirit Codex, psychokinesis, and the Sly Thrust. With these three major techniques, what he now needed was not another, which he could cause mass destruction with but something he could make up for his weakness.
Setting down that heavy Delusion manual, Xia Fei knitted his brows. It was not that it was not a good manual; in fact, a lot of the forbidden techniques written within were incredible, but there was always a price to be paid for each technique.
Xia Fei was never one to shy away from making sacrifices, and he was a firm believer that the biggest rewards came with the greatest risks. Essentially, all these techniques were decent, but nothing truly stood out, which would make Xia Fei’s eyes shine.
“What, you don’t like any of these?” Phantom probed.
Xia Fei nodded. “I keep feeling that they lack something, and my intuition is telling me that none of these techniques is appropriate. The most eye-catching technique is ‘cerebral shock’, exclusively taught to the Assassin Sect’s Deathguards. From a martial arts standpoint, cerebral shock is indeed not bad, but cultivating it will not only require one to pay the price with their life force but will also cause irreversible damage to the practitioner’s brain.
“Every single one of those Deathguards is glazed eyes and impassive. I originally thought that it’s due to their long isolation. Only after reading this manual’s description did I finally understand that those were all side effects of their cultivation. I have no wish of becoming such an inhumane existence.”
Phantom sighed. “Those who get chosen to be Deathguards sure have it rough, no way of returning to normal life after cultivating the technique, and utilizing cerebral shock requires them to pay with their life force just to increase their cultivation by leaps and bounds. The price is simply too much.”
Xia Fei continued. “I know there’s a price for everything, but it’s important to always keep the price-performance ratio in mind; the price for these forbidden techniques just isn’t worth it, and the cost and benefit just aren’t balanced, which is what’s making this hard for me.”
He recalled what Shadowless had told him before his departure from Nameless. “These are all forbidden techniques; learn what you wish, but whatever you do, don’t learn what you can’t. Everything is done in moderation.”
Xia Fei suddenly realized that Shadowless seemed to be telling him not to learn these techniques, but if Shadowless did not want that outcome, why would he give it as a master’s gift to his student?
Xia Fei could not make sense of it. He stood up and paced around. The more he thought of Shadowless’s words, the more he felt that there was a deeper meaning in it, and his astute instincts were also stopping him from cultivating.
“Act decisively, or else you’ll face a world of trouble,” Xia Fei muttered to himself. “Having this manual around me will just be a disaster waiting to happen; better if I just destroy it.”
Phantom coaxed him against the idea. “This is the only item our ancestor, grand elder Shadowless, left to you. You ought to at least keep it as a keepsake.”
Xia Fei answered, “Don’t forget that Shadowless also said that I should destroy the manual if I don’t wish to cultivate any of the techniques within. You need to understand; these are forbidden techniques, which tempt anyone like the devil. If there’s one day I ever let my hotheadedness get to me and cultivate these awful techniques, the results may be disastrous. Since Master Shadow less already gave such a warning, I feel that it’s best if I follow it and destroy this.”
Phantom was speechless. He had always been one who respected his elders and teachers, so there was no way he could retort now that Xia Fei had mentioned Shadowless’s parting words.
With the weapon in hand, Xia Fei’s Lifeseeker Tri-dagger shredded the manual into scrap. Delusion, which was a compendium of forbidden techniques, had been destroyed by his hands.
“What a waste.” Phantom kept sighing as he shook his head, finding it somewhat unbearable.
Actually, Xia Fei proceeded to destroy Delusion thoroughly because of his intuition rather than Shadowless’s parting words, but just having the thought to ruin such a miraculous manual required a level of resolution, which Phantom admired greatly.
Many of the greatest regrets of people were their unwillingness to listen to their hearts. Their intuition was telling them to go south, yet they still stuck to heading north.
Casually picking up a box carton, Xia Fei prepared to gather all the shredded paper and dump it in the ship’s incinerator.
All of a sudden, Xia Fei felt a wave of icy coldness on his fingertips, as if he had touched something strange.
“Eh?” Xia Fei exclaimed. His fingers explored the scrap of paper in hand and soon picked out a thin and transparent cloth.
The cloth was as thin as cicada’s wing, as if it was just air when he held it in his hand. Aside from its nearly non-existent weight, Xia Fei could just barely make out some words on it.
Xia Fei tried to tear it, only to find out that even with his substantial arm strength, he could not destroy this cloth; the toughness of the material was unexpected.
‘No wonder even the sharp Lifeseeker Tri-dagger was unable to slice it apart,’ Xia Fei said to himself. The amazing piece of cloth had only increased his curiosity.
Clearing out the desk, Xia Fei spread out that piece of cloth flat on the surface.
The desk was made of dark rosewood, while the cloth was white and transparent. With the two together and the refraction of colors, Xia Fei could finally make out what was written on it.
“Fold and rub,” Xia Fei read aloud, then frowned.
Phantom stood at the side, bewildered, not daring to make a sound.
Xia Fei was silent for a good, long while before he folded the cloth and used his two hands to lightly rub it with itself, causing it to shine brighter and brighter.
‘So this cloth will actually cause such a reaction when rubbed,’ Xia Fei thought to himself. He then increased the speed of his motion.
Slowly, that cloth became as shiny as a projected screen, just like a soft and foldable fluorescent lamp.
Xia Fei continued to rub it patiently, his speed evening out at a pace which was neither too fast nor too slow.
A burning sensation could be felt in his palms, as if what he was holding was a piece of burning charcoal, but Xia Fei did not pay any attention to this. He endured the feeling and just continued to rub the cloth, his curiosity piqued. Xia Fei could not wait to find out just what sort of secret awaited him on this cloth.
Just as Xia Fei felt that he could no longer withstand that heat being emitted from the cloth, something suddenly happened without warning.
The glaring glow shot out in every direction, and what followed was a dull thrumming.
Xia Fei subconsciously closed his eyes to prevent that strong light from hurting them.
He waited a while before he opened his eyes, only to make a shocking discovery. A large projection was floating in the air, and gradually fading words were depicted on it. Xia Fei hurriedly read the content.
‘This master of yours is gratified to know that you didn’t foolishly cultivate those harmful forbidden techniques. Actually, the harm that those forbidden techniques will bring isn’t as simple as what’s described in the texts. I don’t know whether it’s due to your disbelief of the words or your intuition that warned you against cultivating such techniques, but either way, you fulfilled the first condition I had set for you: intelligence. You understand how to seek advantages while avoiding disadvantages.
‘Though the manual is harmful, I’m sure you could’ve fetched a lot of money by selling it. The fact that you destroyed the book as per my instruction and didn’t seek any monetary gains satisfied my second condition: trustworthy.’
Reading up to this point, Xia Fei could not help but feel his scalp go numb. Actually, he had not placed much weight over Shadowless’s agreement. He had simply followed his instincts and done what he felt needed to be done, and hearing Shadowless praise him as such made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
“The third condition: luck. You didn’t dispose of this manual right away, either by tossing it into the trash or burning it. Had you done either, you wouldn’t have seen this Limited Scroll. It means that you possess some luck, and this satisfied my third condition.”
