Life Burned Bright Because of You

Jiang Xueming got off at the Second Platform.

It felt great to leave the metal steps and stand on solid ground again.

The constant flow of people between the three platforms, the various complex Inspiration, the intricate flavors—all of it has now become clearer in his perception.

The trip to Mimir Hot Spring transformed him from a hatchling into a nymph, about to pupate.

A month ago, Xue Ming could still feel a faint barrier hindering his Inspiration and perception. Now, it's like the metaphor of an insect undergoing six metamorphosises. His spiritual body can conjure up delicate threads and cilia to sense information and perform complex actions.

He pondered it carefully—

Is this the world through Xiao Qi's eyes?

The people hurrying between the platforms wore expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, heading to different destinations. Their luggage varied in weight and lightness, and their physical states were also diverse.

The clumps of silk threads extending from the arms, like curious little children, repeatedly expanded and contracted towards the travelers.

Like the cilia of many marine organisms, they can also detect other organisms and sense the temperature of ocean currents.

This feeling is very mysterious--

Xue Ming closed his eyes and could sense the location of the shooting star through the wisp of silk.

A Xing was just ten meters away, chatting and joking with the manager at the station's convenience store. It was a very warm, yet intensely Inspiration Pressure.

Jiang Xueming felt as if he had received a new toy; the spirit within his physical body couldn't stay still for a moment and wanted to continue extending outwards.

Even amidst the chaos of the Mimir Hot Spring Market, during the metamorphosis process of pupation, I never observed the changes in my body and spirit in such a serene and natural way.

They slept, ate, and drank on the train, resting and recuperating. But when they returned to crowded places, to the platform of the Nine Realms Station, these silken spirits suddenly became active again.

A thought flashed through his mind—

The clump of silk threads on the arm instantly transformed into a rope as thick as Thumb.

They leap between the skin, like fish that dive into the flesh and then leap out of the sea, appearing and disappearing, swimming merrily and actively to the fingertips.

A pure white silk thread emerged from his index finger, extending forward and following his gaze into the distance.

The thread began to change immediately after extending twenty centimeters, rapidly shrinking from the thickness of Thumb to the shape of a noodle. It was also no longer as resilient as before. Despite the deliberate avoidance of passengers on both sides, it was still affected by the Inspiration Pressure of others, becoming crooked and twisted, as if it had encountered an undercurrent in the ocean.

Some passengers with strong spiritual pressure covered their mouths and chuckled, feeling both amused and exasperated as they watched Xue Ming, this naive young man, recklessly extending his spiritual body on the platform.

There was also a playful young lady who sneezed violently at the silk thread.

The originally slender line was immediately stretched long by the powerful impact, heading towards the large stone pillar of the platform.

It crashed into the pillar, but instead of shattering into pieces or sustaining any damage, it limply veered off course and continued its journey towards the meteor.

Jiang Xueming entered a state of complete absorption, and he could sense a great deal from this line segment, much information similar to that of the five senses.

The direction of airflow and the distance from other living organisms.

Passionate or indifferent emotions, wet or dry road surfaces.

The vibrations from the train's mahogany stereo, and the smoky smell of grilled sausages from the convenience store.

Although very faint, this thread is not sensitive enough. As a spiritual sensor, it is still relatively young and needs time to develop.

But this information did indeed travel back into my head, like new limbs that had been extended out.

Jiang Xueming thought to himself--

Is this the world that Jason Megan experiences every single moment?

The colors of everything became more exaggerated.

What was once indifferent is now to be covered with frost.

What was once fiery is now about to ignite.

No--

--Jason is probably hundreds of times better than me in this regard.

This guy never used the threads of his spirit body to observe the world, yet he was able to detect other life forms from such a distance.

Just as the spirit threads were about to touch A Xing waved his hand and disrupted them, causing them to disappear without a trace in the heat of the teppanyaki grill.

Sixteen meters—that's the limit of Jiang Xueming's spiritual vision range.

From a twisted rope as thick as Thumb, it became a delicate thread no thicker than a hair.

How about trying some other ways to play?

As Xue Ming thought this, she immediately gathered a new toy from her fingertips.

The milky-white, lustrous threads are constantly deformed and compressed to create various different tools.

It becomes knives and forks, gloves, and chopsticks.

It becomes bullets, pipes, and face masks.

No matter what changes it undergoes, it always maintains a lazy and limp appearance.

Xue Ming reached out to touch it and experienced a very peculiar tactile sensation.

Like the left hand stroking the right hand--

The signals from the brain are like a newborn limb being tightly grasped by a hand.

The spirit threads had no temperature; they felt icy to the touch.

It has no physical form; it is like air—gathered into soft vortices by magnetic confinement, from which one can see very regular flashes of electricity. It is connected to the physical body and emits a stable light source that gradually dims and brightens like a breathing lamp.

If it were made into a bullet, the connection with it would probably be severed when the gun barrel is locked.

To imbue it with powerful kinetic energy, or to make it harm enemies by unleashing punches like a drunkard, is currently an extremely difficult task.

This is the difference between a pupa and a nymph.

Releasing spiritual threads removes the protection of the physical body, allowing one to obtain information and perform magical feats such as telekinesis. However, it also makes one more susceptible to Inspiration damage.

Once the spirit threads are retracted, there is no obvious difference between it and a nymph.

Jiang Xueming tried to use the silk thread to thread through the spirit robe—

--The attempt failed; the spirit garment kept the threads outside the fabric.

He thought to himself that Victor Wen Bucai disliked the station uniforms, and that their spirit clothes would probably burst every time they called out their spirit forms.

If the Soul Power is indeed evolved and transformed from such spiritual entities, slowly forming a cocoon from countless threads, and finally emerging as a butterfly, then it's no wonder that when the Soul Power is shattered, the physical body follows suit and enters the Gate of Death.

The shattering and disarray of one's soul power signifies that one's will, beliefs, and even spiritual energy have become chaotic signals.

The brain is like it's been attacked by neurotoxins; incorrect commands will affect the body, causing it to make wrong behaviors. Ultimately, the three-dimensional being is only one step away from Gate of Hell.

Jiang Xueming was increasingly looking forward to the trip to the Great Library.

If any predecessors were able to categorize these things and find the patterns within them, just explaining the concept of "Gate of Death" would already be the work of a very accomplished scholar, a truly great achievement. Their works would certainly be found in major libraries.

"Ming Ge! Did you just pat me on the shoulder? What were you doing?" Bu Liuxing came back holding two large hot dogs and stuffed one of them into Xue Ming's mouth.

"No, I was just trying out the new limbs." Jiang Xueming said, then used the spirit thread as a finger to pull the hot dog skewer out of his mouth.

Meteor's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh! Oh! Oh! You've grown new fingers!"

"It wasn't anything particularly amazing." Jiang Xueming recalled Victor's technique—at that time, when Victor changed the cassette tape for the Walkman with one hand, no spirits appeared; it was genuine skill.

"Oh no! I can't hold you back! What if Ming Ge gets stronger and stronger and goes to even farther places?" Bu Liuxing pouted, looking like he was about to poop. "If I get left behind and can't go have fun with you, things will be terrible! I need to grow new fingers! No! I need to grow an arm!"

Can this thing really grow longer just like that?

Jiang Xueming didn't quite understand.

But A Xing's spirit seemed to say that as long as you work hard, you can grow a spirit body just by relying on your aura.

After holding it in for a while, the kid finally asked Jiang Xueming to tell him a few everyday tricks to get angry.

He plans to use a few clever tricks to unlock the "Fusou Wannian" lock, and who knows, once the talisman is unlocked, he might even get some new toys.

Right now, at this very moment.

The lobby manager, carrying the two men's weapon cases, approached Xue Ming from behind.

"Two passengers, the BOSS has entrusted me to personally pick you up."

Seeing Bu Liuxing's face turn completely red, like a Saiyan transforming.

The lobby manager, embarrassed, asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Jiang Xueming: "This is my first time giving birth, I don't have much experience."

The lobby manager handed over the suitcase. "Huh? He's a man, how can he have a baby?"

Jiang Xueming took the weapon case. "Yeah, I haven't figured it out either."

Meteor tried for a long time, gathering all his thoughts, strength, focus, and passion in his palm, staring at it until it was hot, but he still couldn't summon his soul out of his body.

In the end, he had no choice but to give up and follow in Ming Ge's footsteps.

The three headed towards the Council of Five Kings.

Bu Liuxing was not discouraged; he simply kept asking the manager all sorts of questions.

"Hey! Brother! This isn't our first meeting. Can you teach me some tricks? How can I make my soul like Ming Ge's, able to pull out a noodle?"

"Uh, I don't know either."

How did you complete your third transformation?

"It was a life-or-death crisis. I rang the Summoning Bell, and the waiter came to my rescue. I was unharmed, but she was seriously injured. I had to take her back to the station, telling her stories and holding her to keep her conscious—and then my spirit began to transform. It was amazing."

"Oh? I need my little sister's help too?"

The lobby manager didn't give Bu Liuxing a friendly look after hearing his rude remarks. "She's my wife now."

Meteor immediately stopped. "Sorry, I... I'll figure it out myself."

At this point, the lobby manager noticed Jiang Xueming using his spirit knuckles to hook the handle of the weapon case. He immediately frowned and fell into deep thought, his expression turning strange.

"Mr. Jiang Xueming, have you maintained a state of spiritual projection ever since you began metamorphosis?"

Jiang Xueming didn't take it seriously. "Yes, except when you're sleeping, it goes back into your body; otherwise, it comes out on its own. You see—"

As he spoke, Xue Ming reached out with his left hand to fiddle with the latches on the weapon case. As if he didn't need to do it, a finger made of spiritual threads deftly flicked open the latches and then immediately fastened them back in place.

Then, seeing Xue Ming reach for the Coca-Cola cans at the bar counters on both sides of the corridor, spiritual threads burst forth from his Five Fingers, wrapped around the Coca-Cola cans, and tore open the tabs when he brought them to his lips.

"--Very convenient, they are very obedient, even more nimble than my fingers."

The lobby manager's expression became incredibly complex, as if he were looking at a monster. "Are you sure you don't have some serious illness? Or perhaps you have a brain tumor that's pressing on other nerves, making your abilities in this area exceptionally powerful?"

Jiang Xueming didn't understand. "Don't other people have this ability? I remember my waiter once showed me how; she used spirit silk to stir a cocktail."

"That was just stirring a cocktail!" the lobby manager explained. "Does Mr. Jiang Xueming think that using telekinesis or a spirit to get a Coke or lift heavy objects is an easy thing to do?!"

Jiang Xueming grabbed the weapon case, which weighed at least twenty kilograms. He repeatedly lifted and put it down, but his fingers, constructed of spiritual silk, showed no signs of fatigue or disarray; they were perfectly healthy.

He finally remembered--

--It seems that even 9527's mental strength has its limits.

While stirring the cocktail, in that one minute, Seven was so exhausted he could barely speak. Xue Ming had to put on the Steel Heart rings to form a complete spiritual hand.

Perhaps the strange thing that surprised the lobby manager was the difference in the spirit's endurance and strength?

The lobby manager tentatively asked, "Don't you feel tired? Or have an increased appetite? Or are you experiencing nerve pain?"

Jiang Xueming shook his head. "No, these spirit threads have been wandering around outside the whole time. I didn't sense anything amiss, and many people are even laughing at me."

The lobby manager explained, "Of course! It's like walking around naked on the street—casually exposing your spirit means you're prepared to be touched by other spirits, to have a spiritual conversation with someone, which is very impolite!"

Meteor leaned closer, asking curiously, "Is there really such a good thing?"

The lobby manager shoved A Xing's curious face away.

He then explained, "Mr. Jiang Xueming, do you not intend to voluntarily withdraw your spirit?"

"It feels so natural, like my arm. I can't keep my arm hidden under my clothes forever." Jiang Xueming frowned, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. Trying to retract the spiritual threads into his body felt awkward and frustrating to him. "It's just a wisp of air, a piece of radio wave, and there are all these taboos?"

The lobby manager gave a serious explanation and pulled the two passengers into the elevator.

"The process of metamorphosis is both very slow and very fast—although it is divided into six stages, whether it is a human or an insect, the growth is smooth and natural, just like a child growing up. You can only ask the child's age, but it is difficult to feel the process of the child growing up."

"The eggs show signs of nymphs, and the characteristics of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon can be seen during pupation—these are all achieved in one fell swoop and are interconnected."

The manager pressed the elevator button, both excited and surprised.

"Therefore, the pupal stage is also the time when people's spiritual world is most vulnerable and insecure—different nymphs choose to complete their metamorphosis in different environments. In the evolutionary process of the soul, you, as a pupa, have a direct window open; the environment has negligible influence on you, so you have nothing to fear."

"Are you kidding?! My Ming Ge super brave!" Meteor slapped his forehead, seemingly having figured it out on his own. "So, you mean I have to throw myself into some weird, high-octane arena to complete my transformation? My Tamashi [soul]! You must be thinking the same thing!"

The manager suddenly froze.

Jiang Xueming said, "Go on, there's no need to make a fuss. He's always been a lively child."

Then Xue Ming patted Liuxing on the shoulder.

Keep up the good work!

Meteor: "Yeah! I'll do my best!"

Jiang Xueming: "Sooner or later, you'll become a gas station employee. The fire in your heart will burn along with the safety signs."

"Excuse me for asking," the lobby manager wanted to inquire about Xue Ming's personal matters, which were related to the spirit. "Generally speaking, regardless of the stage of transformation, we need a very strong will to activate the spirit and invoke its power. Mr. Jiang Xueming, what are you thinking about?"

Jiang Xueming immediately said, "I want to pay back the money."

The manager paused for a moment, then asked, "Give it back to whom?"

"9527, I owe her a lot of money, I can't delay."

"Anything else? The rest?"

"I'm terrified about this one thing; I'm terrified I won't be able to pay it back."

"Ah?"

"Yes, I was constantly afraid, feeling that I owed her far too much. If she encountered difficulties in life because of this loan, if she couldn't buy suitable weapons, if she had trouble even eating and drinking, if she had to suffer hunger and cold on dangerous missions, or if she was injured because of this money—my conscience would be uneasy, like an axe hanging over my heart, ready to strike at any moment."

The lobby manager's expression changed; he suddenly became happy.

Meteor was the same way—she put her arm around the manager's shoulder, as if she suddenly understood Ming Ge's thoughts, so complex yet so simple.

Jiang Xueming kept rambling on and on, and the fingers made of the spiritual silk became more and more solid. It had thought of something very important and was unwilling to return to its body.

"She cared about me a lot, very, very much. She was a person who loved and hated intensely. I don't know what those 188,800 yuan meant to her, how long she saved it, how much suffering she endured, how many hardships she went through to earn so much money—but my spirit is constantly searching for her, and it doesn't want to come back."

Jiang Xueming focused on the key points and repeatedly confirmed them.

"I kept thinking, would she think that I, her spendthrift employer, was a big spender because of this sudden loan request? Would she risk everything to do more dangerous work and earn more money to lend to me? Thinking about these things, my spirit kept searching for her."

"Well then!" The lobby manager shrugged and took the weapon case from Jiang Xueming's hand. "I have something to tell you, something good and something bad."

Jiang Xueming: "I don't have to see the BOSS anymore?"

The manager frankly stated, "Let's put the boss aside for now—your waitress is resting in the intensive care unit on the eighth floor. She was injured, which is a good thing."

Jiang Xueming was waiting for something bad to happen. "."

The manager pressed the elevator button for the eighth floor. "Just as you thought, she got injured while on a field mission in order to make up for the first half of the year's performance targets and get her year-end bonus. She was upset and lost an arm and a ring."

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Jiang Xueming rushed out.

He ran very fast and finally began to understand Jason Megan's embarrassment at mispronouncing her name.

Meteor followed closely behind; in this sprint race, he couldn't even keep up with Ming Ge's pace.

The narrow corridor seemed so long--

Xue Ming have time to ask which ward it was.

After crossing the U-shaped staircase, we arrived at the mezzanine level of the BA sanatorium.

Pushing open the door to room 801, I saw two unfamiliar waiters changing glucose IV drips and diapers for their mentally unstable employers.

Pushing open the door to 802, Meteor rushed in and stubbed out a cigarette from one of the guys' mouths.

Pushing open the door to room 803, I saw a young woman changing clothes inside throwing pillows out.

Pushing open the door to room 804, I saw a master and servant passionately kissing; they were both men.

Pushing open the door to room 805, I saw Ms. 3301 wearing a hospital gown, staring intently at herself in the mirror, seemingly convinced that her nose was crooked.

The shooting star was about to leave--

Xue Ming immediately found a very familiar signal amidst the chaotic and disparate Inspiration, and pulled Liuxing inside.

Miss Bai Ziqing was holding a box of watermelon, about to put it in her mouth.

Her arm has grown back, but the psychological damage will take some time to heal.

She stood there stunned for a while, then saw her employer rushing up to her in a flustered manner—she still had a silly grin on her face, because Teacher San San had just told a really funny joke.

She hadn't prepared to say anything yet; her mind was blank, her smile froze on her face, and she felt a strange sense of anxiety.

Because I simply don't have time to put on makeup! My bare face looks absolutely awful!

I didn't have time to wash my hair after coming back from London, and my head smelled awful!

It's over!

Jiang Xueming didn't have that many ideas in mind.

He sat by the hospital bed, once again certain that this familiar and tacit Inspiration, like Bailu, constantly tugged at his heartstrings, and it felt perfectly natural for him to hold Xiao Qi's arm.

In just one second, he recognized Seventh Brother's newly grown arm; the nails were soft and fragile, like newly sprouted buds.

Jiang Xueming: "Does it still hurt?"

Xiao Qi was instantly overwhelmed, and for some reason, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.

Xue Ming lowered his head and kissed Xiao Qi's hand.

"It must hurt a lot, right? I've dislocated my arm before, and I cut my finger in the kitchen before. I can tolerate the pain, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

Xiao Qi pursed her lips, her smile just moments before turning into a bitter cry. "I'm so sorry, I lost your stone. I should have learned more from you. If only I had been more careful, thought things through more, and remained vigilant at all times..."

Xue Ming nodded, using his spiritual silk to wipe away Xiao Qi's tears. "It's alright, we'll find them together, rebuild the coffee shop, and then go look for them together—or if that doesn't work, we'll ask the Spirit Elder to make another pair."

Xiao Qi cried even harder when she heard these words.

She just felt ashamed of herself as a father.

--Waiters are meant to guide and assist passengers.

However, due to a moment of carelessness, she even lost the passenger's jewel.

She knew, she knew the benefits of Polarized Sextant.

The employer who arrived at the train station was a soulmate, more important than a lover.

They are people you can entrust your life to, people you can learn from and guide each other with.

But she had lost something so important, and this terrible thing filled her with shame.

Jiang Xueming then asked, "Can you tell me in detail? Who bullied you?"

Xiao Qi could only cry, unable to utter a word as she sobbed. The intense will caused her arm to throb with dull pain again; the newly formed nerves seemed not yet adapted to the arm that had been nurtured by this Universal Elixir.

Spiritual threads emerged from Xiao Qi's palm, and Jiang Xueming immediately grasped them.

At this moment, he could experience all sorts of strange thoughts.

That moment--

He saw a portion of Bai Ziqing's memories.

Including the Sky Station beneath the London Tower.

A bat-shaped freak in a hotel, a cold, rainy night.

The throbbing pain of losing an arm, the stench of a filthy toilet.

There is also extreme fear and an extreme will to survive.

This will to survive stems from a single thought.

An exceptionally strong thought.

She hoped to create an effects stage and a small table for DJing in Jiang Xueming's coffee shop, so that Bai Ziqing could find a suitable seat and compare her figure with her rival in the garage under the bright lights.

As she faced death, Xiao Qi's thoughts were very complex.

I'm not resigned to this; I don't want to die; I don't want to die like this.

We must close the Gate of Death; we must return to the station alive.

This is something we must accomplish; there's no room for giving up on this one thing!

The employer is still a child, and his passenger's life is only six months old!

Is his little sister alright? I really want to give Bailu two more candies; that little girl smiles so happily when she eats candy.

The two siblings had very similar expressions; seeing Bailu smiled as if they were seeing Xue Ming.

The sugar was made by hand; you can't buy it on the street.

If I die, what will he look like?

Will it become a hunter? Or Madness Butterfly?

Is he alright? Is he doing well at Mimir Hot Spring, so far away? There are many warm-hearted girls there; will they be able to melt his icy exterior?

My heart no longer belonged to me when he gave me the ring.

They had to survive, just like him, even if they had nothing left, they had to escape with Bailu.

No matter what kind of predicament you're in, you have to find a way to survive.

Jiang Xueming shuddered, as if he had just returned to the human world from the freezing cold countryside of Winchester.

The massive influx of information into his brain made him feel very uncomfortable. The cerebral cortex transmitted distorted signals, and the capillaries in his nasopharynx ruptured, causing blood to gush from the mucous membranes of his eyes and nasal cavity.

The intense dizziness made Xue Ming unable to sit still. He could only support Xiao Qi, gently cradling the back of her head and kissing her forehead.

"It's alright, I know. I know everything. These monsters seem pretty powerful. Let's take some time to go to the Grand Archives and find a way to give them a sturdy tombstone. Together, let's find the ring and hang a vampire specimen in the coffee shop, behind your effects stage."

Through Inspiration and spiritual connection, they had an extraordinary spiritual communion.

Xiao Qi looked up and saw that her face was covered in blood from her nose; she had stopped crying.

Jiang Xueming took out a tissue to wipe the blood from Xiao Qi's head. "I'm sorry, my experience on the way to Mimir Hot Spring Market was probably too outrageous and bizarre, which caused such a strong stress reaction in your brain."

Xiao Qi remained calm and expressionless.

No, your pectoral muscles are pinching my mouth.

Meteor was moved to tears, and for a moment, he couldn't help but want to hug 3301. After being separated from the waiter for so long, a hug was a very precious testament to their friendship.

He was completely naked, reeking of the strange smell of a scavenger's cloak, and rushed out.

--Immediately afterwards, he was kicked away by Teacher San San and rolled down next to the door.

3301 pursed his lips, put on his glasses, and finally saw his employer's face clearly.

"What's your surname, sir? Are we acquaintances?"