Most adepti were once ordinary beings—animals, objects, spirits—transformed by ley line influence.
Some kept their true form.
Some chose the shape of humans.
Except for yakshas like Xue Kui, there were few who started out looking human.
Ping flicked his forehead with her spear shaft.
"Asking a girl something that personal isn't polite, you know."
Xue Kui blinked.
This counts as personal?
Ping crossed her arms.
"You want to know someone else's true form? Then tell big sister yours first."
She ruffled his white hair.
Xue Kui rolled his eyes upward, watching strands bounce in his vision.
"I don't actually care that much. Just curious. And I really don't know mine."
"…You don't know?"
Ping was genuinely surprised.
"Even if you gained consciousness already in human form, there should be some remnants of memory."
"Nope. My memory starts from waking up in a snowstorm."
"Snowstorm? Is there a place around here where snow naturally forms? Unless—are you sure you're a yaksha? Could you be… a qilin?"
Ping tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Qilin can summon cold and snow, and you don't even use a yaksha mask…"
Xue Kui scratched his cheek.
"Pretty sure it was natural. Probably."
Then he remembered Morax and the sea god reshaping land and sea.
His voice softened.
"…Probably."
Ping leaned closer.
"Anyway. Aren't you curious why I wanted to meet the Geo Archon?"
Xue Kui froze.
"Oh right. Why are you looking for that old lizard?"
Ping blinked.
Was… was that what bothered him?
Not the danger? Not the meaning?
Just why?
"You really don't guard yourself at all, do you?"
Xue Kui tilted his head. He simply followed his instincts. She carried no malice—so he followed her.
Ping sighed.
"First reason: to witness the power of a god for myself. They say the Geo Archon might be stern, but as long as you form a contract and submit after defeat, your life won't be taken. After wandering for so long… I wanted a place to settle."
Xue Kui nodded. Makes sense.
He, too, once chased the thrill of fighting someone strong enough to crush him.
"Second reason—"
Ping ran her hand along her spear, fingertips brushing dents and scratches.
"I want a spear that won't break."
Her voice softened with longing.
"You won't understand this feeling. Your ice spears are created from your power. But mortals… our weapons break. Wood rots. Iron weather. And each time I lose a spear that has accompanied me for years… it hurts."
Xue Kui finally listened seriously.
"People say the Geo Archon knows a craft called alchemical forging—refining weapons so they strengthen and endure. I want a spear that can accompany me for life."
Ah.
Xue Kui remembered Morax's offer.
alchemical refinement.
So that is its value.
Ping sighed again.
"So when you just rejected the Geo Archon… do you know how badly I wanted to beat you up?"
Xue Kui scratched his ears sheepishly.
Ping took a deep breath, looked him dead in the eye.
"Snow Kui. Why reject something everyone else would die to obtain?"
He didn't laugh.
Didn't shrug.
He spoke seriously.
"Because it's not strong enough."
Ping's brows arched.
Xue Kui pointed upward, toward the heavens.
"If I learn everything they want to teach me… can I reshape the world like they did?"
Ping's breath caught.
"…Probably not."
"Then it's useless."
His voice was quiet, but unwavering.
"If I take too long to grow stronger, by the time I finally can protect what I want—everything might already be gone."
He remembered the roar of the sea god.
The weight of Morax's Principle.
How helpless he felt standing in the shadow of two gods.
"Skills are just tools. What matters is how high my limit can reach."
Ping stared at him.
He continued, fingers tapping his chin.
"Gods' power seems tied to their source. Their true form. So if I can remember mine… trace it back to my origin… maybe I can comprehend that kind of power."
Ping stared blankly.
"…Are you saying all this because you think remembering your true form will let you learn the 'Principle' gods use?"
Xue Kui nodded.
Ping raised her spear and bonked him lightly on the head.
"You—how many gods have you met to even think like that?"
Her expression strained between admiration and disbelief.
This kid wasn't just dangerous because he fought gods.
He was dangerous because—
he thought like one.
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