Setis’s expression became somewhat complicated.
She was a genius at the academy, among the very best of her peers. But hearing Li Yuan speak, she realized that if she were to enter the system of the Kyushu Continent, she would likely have to start from the very basics.
Well... if she truly could learn it, starting from scratch wouldn't be out of the question.
Li Yuan didn't notice Setis’s thoughts and continued his explanation for the two of them.
He didn't go too deep, only providing a broad overview of the most basic cultivation logic, the division of realms, the role of spiritual roots, and the relationship between cultivation techniques and spells.
The images on the screen changed constantly, moving from the dantian to the meridians, then to the spiritual qi between heaven and earth and how cultivators converted that spiritual qi, and so on.
He covered everything in general terms.
Setis listened intently, occasionally frowning or softly repeating unfamiliar terms. Hogg maintained a silent, serious focus from beginning to end.
He didn't ask many questions, but every time he spoke, it was a critical point—
For instance, whether spiritual qi and mana could coexist.
Whether spiritual energy could be guided by magic circles.
Or whether cultivators needed to chant to cast spells.
Li Yuan answered them one by one, feeling as though he had returned to the days long ago when he was invited to give lectures at various sects.
“Cultivators generally do not need to chant to cast spells. Low-level cultivators sometimes use external aids like hand seals, talismans, or magic tools, but for many high-level cultivators, a spell can be completed with just a thought.”
“So, spiritual qi and mana are not the same thing; they cannot be directly interchanged.”
“Magic circles and formations share similarities, but their underlying logic is different. Your magic circles rely on mana circuits, while the formations of the Kyushu Continent rely on spirit runes, formation cores, and the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.”
“Talismans are not magic scrolls, though their functions are somewhat similar.”
By the time he finished, Setis finally understood.
She looked at the two words on the screen—Spiritual Root.
“So, if someone doesn't have a spiritual root, they can't learn these spells?”
Li Yuan nodded in confirmation.
“Generally speaking, that is the case.”
Setis’s expression slumped visibly, and Hogg fell silent as well.
He had originally thought that even if the systems were different, perhaps he could find something to learn from through research.
But if a spiritual root was the most basic requirement, then that was a major problem for the people of the Ogu Continent... They didn't even know if they had such a thing in their bodies, let alone how to cultivate it.
Hogg pondered for a moment before asking in a somewhat hesitant tone:
“Sir, if I may ask, what level does your strength represent on the Kyushu Continent?”
Setis immediately looked up; she wanted to know the answer as well.
Li Yuan didn't hide anything, replying calmly:
“I would be considered among the top tier.”
He said it casually, but the weight of those words was entirely different to the two listeners. Setis’s spirits lifted again.
“Top tier? Does that mean you’re like what’s written in the books—able to go to heaven or into the earth, capable of anything?”
Li Yuan smiled.
“Going to heaven or into the earth is possible, but saying I’m capable of anything is an exaggeration.”
“So you can fly into the sky?”
“I can.”
“Can you go to a very distant place in an instant?”
“For short distances, yes. For long distances, no.”
“Can you move mountains?”
“Yes.”
“Can you split the sea?”
“That isn't particularly difficult.”
The more Setis heard, the brighter her eyes shone.
Hogg, however, grew increasingly silent.
He knew very well that Li Yuan was not a man given to exaggeration.
If he said it wasn't difficult, then it likely really wasn't.
Thinking of this, Hogg couldn't help but ask the question he cared about most.
“Then what level would my strength be on the Kyushu Continent?”
Li Yuan glanced at Hogg. He had actually considered this question before.
Hogg’s mana capacity and mental strength were both very high, and his control over the elements was decent. By the standards of the Kyushu Continent, his pure destructive power already surpassed many ordinary Golden Core cultivators.
However, cultivators were not judged solely on destructive power—the divine soul, the physical body, the spell system, and the understanding of heaven and earth all had to be taken into account.
Li Yuan thought for a while before giving a relatively fair answer.
“Your strength is roughly equivalent to the early Nascent Soul stage.”
Hogg’s pupils shrank slightly.
“Early Nascent Soul...?”
“Yes,” Li Yuan nodded. “You wouldn't be considered weak, but you wouldn't be strong either.”
These words silenced Hogg once more. He was one of only five Heroic Spirits on the Ogu Continent. On this continent, he already stood at the very peak.
Yet on the Kyushu Continent, he would only be at the early Nascent Soul stage. And in the realms Li Yuan had listed earlier, above Nascent Soul were Soul Transformation, Void Refinement, Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, and Mahayana.
The gap left Hogg momentarily unsure of how to react.
After a long while, he let out a soft sigh.
“The Kyushu Continent is truly that powerful...”
Hearing this, a rare trace of nostalgia appeared on Li Yuan’s face.
The spiritual energy diagrams on the screen were still flowing slowly. The pale golden light reflected in his eyes, adding a touch of indefinable melancholy to his usually gentle and composed face.
Setis was quick to catch this. She didn't speak, but instead lowered her head to flip through her book, asking as if casually:
“Do you still want to go back?”
Li Yuan remained silent for a moment, letting out a soft sigh.
“I can't go back. I don't even know how I would.”
Setis’s fingertips paused at the edge of a page. Her voice was slightly softer than before as she continued:
“But... what if you really did find a way back one day?”
Li Yuan thought about it and didn't answer immediately.
The Kyushu Continent held his past, his old friends, his sect, the mountains and rivers... If there truly were a way back, he would certainly want to go back and take a look.
Not just to see the Kyushu Continent; perhaps he would want to try ascending to the Immortal Realm once more. But those were matters for the very distant future. So distant that thinking of them now felt like thinking about another person's life.
“I do want to go back,” he said honestly.
Setis’s fingers tightened slightly, but Li Yuan followed up with a smile and a shake of his head.
“But even if there were a way, that would be a very, very long time from now.”
Setis looked up at him, asking tensely, “How long is a long time?”
Li Yuan did not voice his true plan.
According to his thoughts, if he were to find a way back, he would likely have to wait for the Heavenly Dao of this small world to tentatively form. That might be tens of thousands of years away, or perhaps even longer.
Such a timeframe was too vast for Setis to grasp. If he said it, she probably wouldn't understand, so he simply replied:
“Longer than you think.”
Hearing this, Setis’s heart suddenly felt much lighter.
A very, very long time—that meant a long time.
At least it wasn't tomorrow, nor was it a few years from now.
She lowered her head and reopened the book, her lips pressing together in a small, unconscious smile.
The teahouse fell quiet again.
Hogg slowly picked up his teacup, taking his time to digest everything he had just heard.
Setis continued to flip through 《Wind and Clouds of the Dao Sect》. As she read, her eyes suddenly lit up. She snapped her head up and looked at Li Yuan.
“Wait!”
Li Yuan had a bad premonition; his eyelid twitched. “What is it?”
Setis held up the book and pointed to a certain passage.
“There’s something written here—man-made spiritual roots!”
Hogg’s expression, which had just settled, flickered instantly.
Setis looked at Li Yuan with burning eyes.
“What is this about? If someone is implanted with this root, does that mean they can learn spells?”
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