Li Yuan looked in the direction Setis was pointing.
The page recorded the story of a disciple from a small sect who was born without a spiritual root. He was later lured by evil path cultivators and eventually had “man-made spiritual roots” implanted, allowing him to step onto the path of cultivation in a short amount of time.
This passage was originally just an insignificant side story in 《Chronicles of Kyushu》.
However, Setis had clearly seized upon the main point. Her eyes gleamed with shrewdness, her finger pressed beside that line of text, and her voice carried an ill-concealed sense of anticipation.
“Since this thing is called a man-made spiritual root, does that mean people without spiritual roots can use it too?”
Hogg also looked toward Li Yuan. He didn't ask directly like Setis, but the interest in his eyes was no less than hers. As Li Yuan looked at the text, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a rare sense of gravity.
Setis had rarely seen Li Yuan show such an expression—or rather, she had never seen it at all. Usually, Li Yuan maintained a gentle demeanor; even when encountering the most absurd things, he mostly just shook his head with a smile.
But at this moment, his expression was clearly and completely different from before.
“Man-made spiritual roots do indeed exist.”
Setis’s eyes grew even brighter, but before she could speak, Li Yuan continued:
“In theory, after such a root is implanted, one can indeed practice spells.”
Hogg’s posture straightened, and Setis almost stood up from her seat.
“Then—”
“No!”
Li Yuan interrupted her without hesitation, his tone stern and leaving no room for negotiation.
Setis froze, and Hogg was also slightly stunned. Li Yuan looked at Setis, using a very serious tone that was rarely heard from him.
“This kind of thing is extremely dangerous. Man-made spiritual roots are not natural objects; they are incompatible with the soul, the physical body, and the meridians. Once implanted, at best, your meridians will be damaged and your cultivation will stall forever. At worst, your spiritual energy will go berserk, and your body will tear itself apart... your very existence would be completely erased.”
At this point, Li Yuan paused for a moment, his gaze falling on Setis.
“One wrong move, and you'll end up with your soul dispersed.”
Setis’s lips moved as she said, refusing to give up, “But... but didn't the person in the book succeed?”
“That is just one case written in a story,” Li Yuan said, shaking his head. “The reality is that out of hundreds or even thousands of people who try this method, not even one might survive. Of those who do survive, the vast majority can only barely cultivate, and their potential is capped.”
At this moment, Hogg interjected with a question: “Their potential is capped?”
“Yes,” Li Yuan nodded. “Man-made spiritual roots are not naturally generated; they are things forced into the body. Whatever they are at the beginning is basically what they will always be. A cultivator’s progress depends more and more on their foundation as they go further, but this foundation is incomplete from the very start.”
Hogg nodded thoughtfully. But Setis was clearly unwilling to let go.
“What if you were there?” she asked, her words coming out fast. “If you were the one doing it, would it be safer?”
Li Yuan looked at her. Setis felt a bit guilty under his gaze, but she still insisted on finishing her thought.
“You’re so powerful, you should be able to do it, right?”
“Being able to do it and whether it should be done are two different matters.” Li Yuan’s answer did not waver for a second. “Miss Setis, I will not implant a man-made spiritual root in you, nor will I teach you anything related to it. You should put that dangerous thought out of your mind immediately.”
Setis bit her lip. Hogg remained silent beside her for a moment, offering no opinion on the matter. It wasn't hard to see from Li Yuan’s attitude that this wasn't a question of 'can or cannot,' but an absolute red line that must never be crossed.
The teahouse fell silent for a while.
Setis looked down at the few lines of text in the book, the light in her eyes dimming bit by bit. She stared blankly at the page for a long time before finally muttering a low complaint.
“If it’s so dangerous, then why was it even created?”
Li Yuan didn't respond, but the question wasn't actually difficult to answer.
For power, for longevity, and out of sheer refusal to accept fate.
To allow those born without the qualifications for cultivation to touch that door.
The Kyushu Continent was too vast, the cultivators too numerous, and there were far too many people who wanted to take shortcuts.
But there was no point in saying such things. Moreover, he didn't want Setis to continue dwelling on this dangerous topic. Hogg seemed to see Li Yuan’s intent, so he picked up his teacup and took a slow sip, asking no further questions.
The atmosphere in the teahouse gradually returned to its usual soothing state. Li Yuan let out a long breath, quickly suppressing the unpleasantness in his heart.
After a good while, Setis looked up again—she still hadn't completely given up. Of course, it wasn't about the man-made spiritual root anymore, but about learning spells.
“Then, are there any spells that can be learned without a spiritual root?”
This time, Setis’s voice was much softer than before. She pouted, making one final effort.
“Like the simplest kind—can I just learn the techniques without using spiritual energy?”
Hogg looked over again as well, but Li Yuan gently shook his head.
“All spells originate from spiritual energy. Without a spiritual root, you cannot normally absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, which means you have no spiritual energy of your own. Without spiritual energy, a spell is nothing more than an empty shell.”
Setis was completely out of options.
This time, she finally understood. It wasn't that Li Yuan didn't want to teach her, nor was it that she wasn't working hard enough—it was that she simply lacked the fundamental condition to step onto that path from the very beginning.
She looked down at the 《Chronicles of Kyushu》 in her arms, suddenly feeling that this book, which had initially excited her, had become a bit painful to look at. Hogg also showed a hint of regret.
His interest in the cultivation system of Kyushu had not diminished because of this, but he also realized that he wouldn't be able to truly touch that path anytime soon.
A system one could not even enter, no matter how miraculous, could only serve as a reference.
Time slowly reached midnight. Hogg glanced at the clock on the wall and set down his teacup.
“It is getting late.” He stood up and turned toward Li Yuan. “I have troubled you tonight, sir. Thank you for clarifying my doubts.”
“You are too kind, Royal Preceptor.” Li Yuan placed the teacup back on the tray. Setis also closed the book and stood up, clutching it to her chest. Her mood was lower than before, but at least she had returned to her usual self.
“I’ll still take this book back to read.”
“Of course.”
Li Yuan nodded. Setis looked at him with some hesitation, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only whispered:
“Then I’ll be going. See you another day.”
“Safe travels.”
Hogg and Setis left the teahouse one after the other. The copper bell rang twice, the wooden door swung shut, and the room quickly fell quiet.
Li Yuan stepped out from behind the bar and cleaned the used tea set.
Afterward, he poured himself another cup of green tea and sat back in the chair behind the bar.
He casually pulled a book from the shelf, flipped to a random page, and began his nightly reading while sipping his tea.
The tea was warm and fragrant, the lamplight peaceful. The topics of spiritual roots and cultivation had already vanished with the night wind. He lowered his head to look at the book, soon sinking back into the world of words.
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