"N-Naturalist!"
Without the slightest unnecessary speculation, the instant Yu Feng regained the ability to think, he understood: that young man lecturing before them was An Jing—the Naturalist whom every prodigy attending the grand banquet had discussed, guarded against, watched, and wondered about!
"Look. This is a vermilion fruit."
An Jing paid it no mind. He casually took out a fruit, crimson red with a glow hidden within. One glance told all that it contained vast life Spiritual Energy, drawing every living being's instinctive gaze and awakening their yearning. "It is rich in Spiritual Energy. Eat it, and it strengthens your blood, qi, organs, extends your lifespan, and replenishes your essence. Naturally, you crave it. You want to swallow it."
"And now..."
His five fingers closed. In but an instant, the vermilion fruit turned into a cloud of red mist in An Jing's palm. He said softly, "You want to 'breathe.'"
With a casual wave, the red mist drifted toward the many living beings present. Quite a few took deep breaths, seeking to draw in more of the vermilion fruit's Spiritual Energy, prompting An Jing to shake his head slightly.
"Sunshine and rain, fine food and rare delicacies—they nourish you, bringing you joy and desire. Yet in the end, they are merely bodily instincts."
"If you rejoice because of external things and grieve because of external things, then where does your 'self' reside? Is it the brain and soul that issue commands? Or is it the shell controlled by those commands, reacting to things outside itself?"
"Or is it something deeper—a 'real thing' neither illusory nor tangible, beyond the body, the brain, and even the Divine Soul?"
An Jing's gaze swept across the many True Spirits. Rather than expounding principles, he continued asking questions. "Only when a bright mirror reflects your