After Hogg took his seat at the bar, the atmosphere in the teahouse didn't settle down because of his arrival.
At least, it didn't for Setis.
She clutched her copy of 《Wind and Clouds of the Dao Sect》, her gaze still fixed on Li Yuan. The excitement from moments ago hadn't dissipated in the slightest.
Hogg had just picked up the Oolong tea Li Yuan handed him when he heard Setis speak again.
“We weren't finished yet. Well? Teach me, will you?”
Li Yuan paused his movements and looked up at her.
“Teach you what?”
“Teach me Daoist arts.”
Setis spoke with total sincerity. Hogg’s hand, holding the teacup, froze mid-air.
“Daoist arts?”
His gaze flickered between Setis and Li Yuan, clearly catching the unfamiliar term.
Setis immediately held up the book and pointed to several passages.
“The things written in this book. Lightning arts, sword arts, wind manipulation... and that purple lightning he just showed me.”
Hogg’s eyes immediately sparked with interest. He set his teacup down and looked at Li Yuan.
“You just demonstrated Daoist arts... lightning?”
Li Yuan sighed softly to himself.
This wasn't a big deal to begin with, but he hadn't expected Setis to be so enthusiastic. And with Hogg coming in at this exact moment—given the old dean’s obsession with power systems—this topic likely wouldn't be dropped easily.
“I just showed her two simple lightning arts,” Li Yuan replied. “It was nothing much.”
Hogg fell silent for a moment. He had learned not to easily believe Li Yuan’s “nothing much.”
When this man said something was nothing, it usually meant he didn't give it a second thought. But for anyone else, it could be something that overturned their entire understanding of reality.
Setis placed the book on the table, her hands pressing down on the pages as she stared straight at Li Yuan.
“So, will you teach me or not?”
Li Yuan felt a bit of a headache coming on.
“Miss Setis, this isn't something you can learn just because you want to.”
“Why not?”
“Because the systems are different.”
“Even if the systems are different, we can still try,” Setis insisted, clearly not planning to back down. “Magic warriors already train in magic and martial arts simultaneously. If I can learn two systems at once, why can't I learn a third?”
Hearing this, Hogg couldn't help but nod.
“Theoretically, compatibility can exist between different power systems.” He looked at Li Yuan, his tone more inquisitive than usual. “Where exactly does the difference between your Daoist arts and magic lie? If it’s just a difference in energy source, perhaps it can be resolved through a conversion method.”
Setis immediately chimed in, nodding frantically.
“Exactly! That’s what I mean.”
Looking at the two of them working in tandem, Li Yuan suddenly felt like he was caught in the middle. One wanted to learn, and the other wanted to research... and probably learn as well.
Neither of them were the type to be brushed off with a few casual words; they both had their own brand of persistence.
He remained silent for a few seconds before finally putting down the tea towel and nodding helplessly.
“Fine.”
Setis’s eyes instantly lit up, and Hogg straightened his posture, looking ready to listen intently.
“Let me be clear first.” Li Yuan raised his hand, his tone becoming more serious. “I can tell you about the cultivation system of the Kyushu Continent. Once you hear it, you'll probably understand.”
Setis nodded immediately.
Hogg also said, “Please, enlighten us.”
Li Yuan raised his right hand, and a wisp of pale golden spiritual energy seeped from his fingertip.
The wisp of spiritual energy slowly expanded in the air like a piece of unfolding gauze. A moment later, the light condensed into a giant, semi-transparent screen suspended between the bar and the window seats.
A rough outline of a continent first appeared on the screen. Then, lines of text and several simple diagrams began to manifest.
Seeing this, Hogg’s gaze narrowed slightly. Setis instinctively stood up and leaned in for a closer look.
“Is this... a magic projection?”
“No,” Li Yuan replied. “It’s just a temporary image constructed with spiritual energy to make the explanation easier.”
“Spiritual energy...”
Hogg repeated the term in a low voice.
Standing beside the screen, Li Yuan took on the role of a temporary teacher.
“I come from the Kyushu Continent.”
Once those words were spoken, the teahouse fell into absolute silence.
They both knew Li Yuan wasn't an ordinary person and had guessed he carried many secrets—but this was the first time he had explicitly stated his origin.
Li Yuan didn't pause for long, continuing:
“The Kyushu Continent is different from here. There are no professional divisions like mages, warriors, or knights. Practitioners are called cultivators, and the power used for cultivation isn't mana, but spiritual qi.”
The image of the continent on the screen dissipated, replaced by a diagram of human meridians.
“Spiritual qi exists between heaven and earth. Cultivators absorb spiritual qi and refine it into their own spiritual energy, then circulate it through their meridians and dantian using cultivation techniques. The essence of cultivation is the continuous improvement of one’s own spiritual energy, soul, physical body, and understanding of the laws of heaven and earth.”
Both of them listened very seriously, completely absorbed like diligent honor students.
Li Yuan pointed to the diagrams on the screen and began to explain.
“The common realms of the Kyushu Continent can be roughly divided into: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refinement, Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, and Mahayana. And after the Mahayana stage comes ascension to immortality.”
When he mentioned ascending to immortality, his tone wavered slightly, but he didn't elaborate.
Hogg, however, clearly noticed the term.
“To immortality?”
“You can temporarily understand it as stepping into a higher level of existence,” Li Yuan said briefly. “Explaining the details would be too troublesome; we won't get into that today.”
Hogg nodded and didn't press further.
Li Yuan waved his hand, and several dots of light in different colors appeared on the screen.
“To become a cultivator, the first step is to have a spiritual root. A spiritual root can be understood as a bridge between a person and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Without a spiritual root, it’s basically impossible to sense spiritual qi, which means one cannot refine spiritual energy normally.”
Hearing this, Setis’s brow slowly furrowed.
“So, a spiritual root is like magic talent?”
“It’s similar, but not exactly the same,” Li Yuan thought for a moment. “As far as I know, magic talent is more about affinity for and control over mana elements. A spiritual root determines whether a cultivator can absorb spiritual qi, as well as the efficiency of that absorption and circulation.”
Hogg then asked, “Are there different types of spiritual roots?”
“Yes.” Li Yuan pointed to the screen. “The common ones are the five-element spiritual roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. There are also mutated spiritual roots like Wind, Lightning, and Ice. Generally, the purer the spiritual root, the faster the cultivation speed. But that’s not absolute; some techniques actually require specific spiritual roots to work.”
Setis immediately asked, “Then if I have a lightning spiritual root, can I learn that lightning art from before?”
Li Yuan glanced at her.
“If you had a lightning spiritual root, the corresponding technique, and a foundation in cultivation, then yes. However, if you only want to practice some ordinary lightning arts, almost any spiritual root will do.”
“Any spiritual root works?”
“Yes. After all, Daoist arts like ordinary lightning arts are essentially just the application of spiritual energy.”
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