PID Chapter 2

Chu Jinglan, seventeen years old, one of the direct descendants of the Chu family in the lower realm, at the peak of the Golden Core stage, just a step away from the Nascent Soul realm.

 

The cultivation world is divided into upper, middle, and lower realms based on spiritual energy concentration. Although Chu Jinglan was born in the lower realm, his talent was considered extraordinary and unparalleled throughout the entire cultivation world.

 

A golden phoenix born in a chicken coop aptly describes Chu Jinglan.

 

Cultivation realms, from weak to strong, are divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divided Spirit, Great Perfection, and Return to Void. Each realm is further divided into early, middle, and peak stages. Being at the peak of Golden Core at seventeen was unprecedented, and it’s uncertain if there will ever be a successor.

 

The Chu family pinned all their hopes on Chu Jinglan to elevate the entire clan, placing all their expectations on him. They even used Chu Jinglan’s mother as leverage to keep him tightly bound to the Chu family.

 

It’s clear that this genius didn’t live freely. The family members harbored ulterior motives; elders exploited him, and younger generations envied him, shaping his character to be mature beyond his years and to conceal his emotions.

 

Chu Jinglan had just completed his thousandth sword swing in the bamboo grove when he suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

 

[Chu Jinglan, I am your inner demon]

 

The voice carried three parts nonchalance and seven parts laziness—in short, it was entirely half-hearted.

 

Chu Jinglan: ?

 

Chu Jinglan’s expression sharpened as he immediately looked around warily.

 

The wind blew through the bamboo forest, rustling the vibrant green leaves. Only Chu Jinglan was there, and he realized that after that one utterance, no other sounds reached his ears. It was exceptionally quiet.

 

…Had he hallucinated from cultivating too long?

 

And what was this about a inner demon? Everyone knew that inner demons only appeared at the Nascent Soul stage and above. How could he, at the peak of Golden Core, have a inner demon?

 

To be cautious, Chu Jinglan waited a moment longer. After confirming there were no further disturbances, he relaxed slightly and prepared to continue cultivating. Suddenly, he felt an indescribable fluctuation in his chest. It wasn’t painful, but it was strange.

 

Then, in the lush green forest, a small, pitch-black mist slowly materialized before him, like a lazy cat.

 

It appeared directly in front of Chu Jinglan’s eyes.

 

The small mist seemed unaware of how close it was to Chu Jinglan’s face and leisurely spun around. When it realized, the entire mist ball froze.

 

In a flash, both Chu Jinglan and the small mist retreated, instantly putting three zhang between them. Chu Jinglan swore he saw human-like panic in this faceless mist ball.

 

…What is this thing!

 

Chu Jinglan held his sword horizontally in front, instantly assuming a defensive stance.

 

The small mist ball, which was actually Xiao Mo, had also been startled when a face suddenly enlarged before him. After distancing himself, he finally calmed down and began to grit his teeth in frustration: “System, you didn’t tell me I’d look like this ghost when I came out?”

 

With no hands, feet, face, or body, just a round black mist ball occasionally emitting wisps of dark smoke—this was Xiao Mo’s current appearance.

 

“I was planning to explain it to you step by step!” the system hurriedly replied. “Your cultivation level is currently the same as Chu Jinglan’s, at the peak of Golden Core. At this stage, you can’t maintain a human form in the outside world, and except for Chu Jinglan, no one else can see you.”

 

“But once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, you’ll be able to appear in human form. You’ll be able to choose whether others can see you or not, except for Chu Jinglan—he’ll always be able to see you.”

 

Fearing it might seem incompetent, the system hurriedly added details without Xiao Mo asking: “Oh, and to others, your human form will look about 60-70% similar to Chu Jinglan. Currently, you can only move within a 50-meter radius of him.”

 

Xiao Mo was stunned: “But I saw my own face in the lake’s reflection.”

 

System: “That’s right. Only you can see your true appearance when looking in a mirror. Everyone else, including Chu Jinglan, can’t see your real face.”

 

Xiao Mo’s actual appearance bore no resemblance to Chu Jinglan. He had phoenix eyes, beautiful and alluring, with a hint of seductiveness. However, when he smiled, he looked inexplicably innocent—a deceptively troublesome face.

 

Chu Jinglan, on the other hand, was handsome and cold, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. His handsomeness had an aggressive quality. Such a person seemed born to wield a cold blade, with an unyielding spirit and unstoppable momentum.

 

As expected of an important love interest in a melodramatic novel, he was quite good-looking.

 

Suddenly, the system screamed: “Ahhh! Host, be careful!!!”

 

Chu Jinglan’s sword light flashed like lightning, striking directly at Xiao Mo!

 

The entire mist that was Xiao Mo instantly bristled. Although he had no human form, it didn’t prevent him from feeling his heart stop in the face of danger. Instinctively, Xiao Mo wanted to dodge, but in that split second, a thought suddenly rooted him to the spot:

 

If I’m killed by Chu Jinglan now, wouldn’t the task be considered complete, and I could be done with it?

 

That brief hesitation was enough for Chu Jinglan’s sword to strike precisely.

 

The sword came with overwhelming force, as cold and fierce as its wielder. If it were some demon or monster before him, its head would surely have been severed in the blink of an eye, leaving a corpse on the spot.

 

But before him was only the formless Xiao Mo, who struggled to suppress his instinct to dodge. He trembled in fear while anticipating the outcome. If anyone could see his eyes at that moment, they would surely see a mix of excitement and terror flickering within, eerily resembling a small madman.

 

However, after the sword light passed, Xiao Mo felt neither pain nor was he split in two.

 

The sword passed through the mist, and nothing happened.

 

Xiao Mo: .

 

Ah, disappointment.

 

His excitement instantly dissipated, and he composed his expression—whether others could see it or not was irrelevant to whether he had an expression.

 

“System,” Xiao Mo’s voice drifted out gloomily, “you knew he couldn’t kill me yet, so why were you so panicked?”

 

“It’s a normal reaction from the emotional module,” the system replied proudly. If it had a tail, it would surely be held high. “That’s how we advanced AIs are!”

 

Chu Jinglan couldn’t hear the mental conversation between Xiao Mo and the system. He stared at the unharmed black mist ball, his guard fully up, struggling to identify what it could be.

 

After a long look, he still couldn’t make sense of it.

 

Xiao Mo, having his shortcuts blocked twice, was in a foul mood. Playing his role as the inner demon, he spoke in a ghostly, chilling tone: “Chu Jinglan—”

 

Chu Jinglan frowned. This thing could speak? And it sounded just like the voice he had heard in his mind earlier. He remained alert and didn’t respond.

 

“Although your eyes are full of doubt, don’t disbelieve me. I really am your inner demon.”

 

Chu Jinglan’s pitch-black eyes moved slowly, examining this “mist ball” claiming to be a inner demon. He finally spoke: “I don’t know who sent you, but before you lie, get your facts straight. I’m at Golden Core, not Nascent Soul.”

 

“I’m your inner demon, how could I not know your cultivation level?” The Xiao mist ball drifted slightly, his attitude and voice equally at ease. “I advise you not to think about telling the Chu family elders. They can’t solve this problem, and it will only bring you trouble.”

 

“How do you think they’ll react to someone who has a inner demon before reaching the Nascent Soul stage?” Xiao Mo smiled meaningfully. “Sometimes, the line between genius and monster is very thin.”

 

Chu Jinglan’s relationship with the Chu family was not one of life and death. If it weren’t for his mother’s illness, he would have left the Chu family with her long ago. Chu Jinglan wasn’t the type of young master to report everything honestly to the elders, so Xiao Mo’s words hit the nail on the head—Chu Jinglan understood he was right.

 

A Golden Core peak at seventeen could be seen as either a genius or a monster.

 

The Xiao Mo ball floated in the air, observing Chu Jinglan’s unpredictable expression changes, and quickly asked the system: “Well, does he believe I’m a inner demon now?”

 

The system, responsible for encouragement, replied: “He doesn’t fully believe yet, but this is an excellent start. Please keep up the good work!”

 

Xiao Mo felt weary: “Let’s stop here for today. Maybe he’ll come around after thinking about it, just like how I needed some time to accept the fact that I died and transmigrated.”

 

Being in mist form without hands or feet was really uncomfortable. After completing his first task, the inner demon Xiao left the shocked Chu Jinglan to his own devices, returning to the sea of consciousness to regain his human form. Xiao Mo stretched lazily, ah, the human form was much more comfortable.

 

Passing by Moon Lake, Xiao Mo checked his reflection. Good, it was still his own face, not resembling Chu Jinglan at all.

 

Although he didn’t know how others would see him, he didn’t want to forget his own appearance.

 

Now that he didn’t need to go to school or work part-time jobs, and could take a relaxed approach to his task, he suddenly had an abundance of free time. His previously well-planned life had suddenly become blank. Xiao Mo decided to empty his mind as well, lying down on the bed and actually starting to sleep, hugging the quilt.

 

Whether it was due to the ethereal environment of the sea of consciousness or because he had truly stopped being human after becoming a inner demon, Xiao Mo slept deeply, for a full day and night.

 

Sleeping for a day and night without injury or illness broke his previous record for longest sleep in his life. However, this was also the limit.

 

Trying to sleep for years until the grand finale without any aids was indeed impossible.

 

Xiao Mo sat up groggily, the chaotic dreams receding from his mind. He looked around at the pitch-black surroundings with sleepy eyes. As his mind gradually cleared and he understood where he was, Xiao Mo blinked, staring blankly ahead.

 

He sat quietly without a word, his hand slowly tightening around the pillow.

 

…It wasn’t a dream, not an illusion. He was still in the so-called cultivation world, inside someone else’s sea of consciousness. After waking up, nothing had changed.

 

He had really transmigrated into a book, and no one was telling him it was all a dream.

 

Xiao Mo squeezed the pillow, his fingers trembling slightly as he took slow, deep breaths.

 

It’s okay, Xiao Mo, it’s fine, he habitually comforted himself. At least you’re still alive, and your situation isn’t too bad.

 

Earlier, he had appeared to adapt quickly and go with the flow, but only he knew how much resentment and panic he had forcibly swallowed.

 

Xiao Mo never had anyone to confide in. If he showed his anxiety and fear after transmigrating, no one would sympathize, so why bother?

 

Xiao Mo had good self-awareness. Being tossed around since childhood, he understood that he was like a weed—his advantage was being able to survive anywhere. His goal was to grow into a towering tree and scare those bastards who had bullied him.

 

What a pity… Xiao Mo buried his face in the pillow, covering his sour expression. He really wanted to go to university; that was the university he had been dreaming of.

 

After a moment of self-isolation hugging the pillow, Xiao Mo got up, deciding to do something to change his mood and avoid overthinking. He called out the system for help.

 

The system responded eagerly: “What assistance does the host need!”

 

Has the host finally become motivated about the task?

 

Xiao Mo rotated his wrist, cracking the joint: “Since we’re going to be living here long-term, we can’t just have a bed.”

 

The system understood—he was preparing to build a home!

 

The system was willing to help, analyzing it this way: Although unrelated to the task, improving the living environment would help the host find a sense of belonging. If the host was comfortable physically and mentally, perhaps he would become more proactive about the main task.

 

So, the person and the system began “home” construction.

 

Xiao Mo’s current ability to create space in the sea of consciousness was limited. Building a city was out of the question, but a small courtyard was possible. The system brought out various popular house styles and courtyard layouts from the cultivation world for Xiao Mo to choose from.

 

Xiao Mo was talented. Although modern items were prohibited, certain styles could be recreated. In a three-story pavilion, there were antique screens, carved windows, and a light screen created by magic, which could scroll text—system-downloaded novels from this world.

 

This was essentially an e-book.

 

It was a pity he couldn’t play games, but if Xiao Mo later input some scenery images himself, he might be able to develop TV and movie functions.

 

In the cultivation world, this was very scientific.

 

In the small courtyard, a peach tree was planted on the east side and a pear tree on the west. Xiao Mo said they could enjoy the flowers and eat the fruits—practical and beautiful. Next to the peach tree was a swing; it didn’t have to be used, but it had to be there. Under the pear tree was a lazy person’s chaise lounge, and in the center was a square stone table. The small courtyard was complete.

 

Xiao Mo was satisfied with the arrangement, with the only dissatisfaction being the sky. Although the night sky was beautiful, it became monotonous after a while.

 

“Is it always dark here, with only the moon? Can’t it have sunrise and sunset like the outside world?”

 

System: “It can, but only after Chu Jinglan reaches the Nascent Soul realm.”

 

Xiao Mo was disappointed. It seemed that if he wanted to enjoy daytime scenery in the short term, he’d have to leave the sea of consciousness and go outside more often.

 

But the mist ball form outside was really inconvenient. Xiao Mo pondered whether he should consider cultivating, at least to have a human form outside.

 

Not for the task, just to make his own life more comfortable.

 

He was about to discuss this in detail with the system when he heard it suddenly cry out in alarm!

 

The voice was identical to when Chu Jinglan had tried to slash him with his sword earlier.

 

“How is this possible?! Host! Chu Jinglan has actually condensed his spiritual sense and entered the sea of consciousness!”

 

Every cultivator has their own sea of consciousness once they begin cultivating, but only those who reach the Nascent Soul realm can condense their spiritual sense to look inward and enter their own sea of consciousness space.

 

Xiao Mo was also surprised for a moment, then asked: “How many days did we spend building the house?”

 

The system, if it had feet, would probably have jumped: “Three days!” They had spent extra time modifying and perfecting details, but it was still a period you could count on your fingers. “Just three days! And he can already enter the sea of consciousness, what kind of monster is he!”

 

As expected of a peerless cultivation genius, his character setting remains intact.

 

Xiao Mo quickly composed himself and stood up, walking out of the courtyard: “Let’s go see how capable he is now. We can’t let him flatten the house we just built.”

 

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