The real world, Alliance camp.
Qing Mu sat cross-legged in his tent, his aura circulating, at times cold as the moon, at others blazing like fire.
His left hand was held in a void grip, fingertips swirling with the Qi Manual inherited from Lin Qiyou; his right hand formed a seal, his palm swallowing and spitting out the Qi Manual obtained from Nong Li.
Two completely different Qi Manuals intertwined and collided within his body, yet under his meticulous guidance, they struggled to reach a delicate balance.
He was trying to use himself as a furnace, fusing these two methods from different worlds—both fundamentally connected to the soul and energy—in order to sharpen his soul perception and trace the origins of those three streams of energy.
Days of arduous cultivation had yielded little progress.
Although both Qi Manuals shared the same origin, their essence was utterly different; forcing them together was like ice and fire in the same crucible—one misstep, and he would be consumed by backlash.
He could feel his soul power slowly growing, and his range of perception had expanded somewhat, but whenever he tried to follow those blurry sensations deeper into the void, to track the final destination of Lin Qiyou’s memories, Nong Li’s power, and the leaking Hero energy, he was always blocked at a critical point by an invisible barrier.
That barrier was not a solid wall, but more like… a deficiency on the level of rules.
As if he was missing some key “frequency” or “password” and thus could not establish a stable connection with that hidden space.
“Still missing something…” Qing Mu slowly withdrew his power, exhaling a murky breath, his brows tightly knitted.
He recalled the scene when he first obtained the Qi Manual in the Xianxia Simulation World; the Qi Manual from the demon king Benji seemed incomplete, its preface vaguely hinting that this book was but a fragment, originating from a more ancient legacy.
What he had obtained from his master was also a partial, incomplete copy.
Could it be… that to track that space, he needed the complete Qi Manual?
And that missing part was precisely what could fill the current “blind spot” in his perception, providing the key to break through that barrier?
A location surfaced in his mind—Demon King Castle.
According to the information he got from the Demon Queen, and memory fragments of the Shadow Demon General, the depths of Demon King Castle supposedly housed many ancient treasures and texts from different worlds and eras.
That missing, final Qi Manual was very likely there!
However, reality was cruel.
With his current strength, even if he combined forces with Lin Qiyou and Nong Li, they might be able to fight part of the Demon King’s army, but to storm Demon King Castle head-on, and defeat the powerful Demon King within, was no more than a fool’s dream.
As the core stronghold of the demons in the heart of the continent, Demon King Castle’s defenses and the powerhouses stationed there were far beyond any frontline outpost.
A frontal assault was impossible; only guile would do—or perhaps… changing the “cause”.
Qing Mu’s gaze turned toward the faintly glowing simulation interface in his sea of consciousness.
Perhaps the predicament of the real world could be solved through an opportunity found in the simulation world.
And the key, once again, fell on Yue Qi.
If… if Yue Qi had not been killed by Yue Lan out of a misunderstanding at the peak of her fame as the Hero, if she could maintain stability for longer, even fully master the Hero’s power within her, then the course of history would change completely.
A fully awakened, clear-headed Hero Yue Qi, joining forces with Lin Qiyou, Nong Li, and the allied army, would make storming Demon King Castle and obtaining that vital Qi Manual no longer an unattainable dream.
And to change that ending, the core was to help Yue Qi better suppress—or even master—that dangerous “Hero instinct”, to prevent any sign of her losing control from being discovered by Yue Lan, thus eliminating the fatal misunderstanding that turned sisters against each other.
His consciousness dove in, linking to the simulation.
Light and shadow swirled, and Qing Mu returned once more to the Wind Chime Family.
He did not hurry to find Yue Qi, but first dove deeper into the two parts of the Qi Manual he had already obtained, combining them with this world’s power system to deduce the possible nature and effects of the missing part.
He needed a theoretical direction, so as to better guide Yue Qi.
At the same time, he began to observe Yue Qi’s daily life in greater detail, especially her subtle behaviors and mental state while suppressing her instincts.
He noticed that Yue Qi’s method of suppression was extremely forceful, relying solely on willpower and exhausting her strength—like blocking a boiling volcano with a huge rock: limited effect, immense hidden danger.
A few days later, Qing Mu found an opportunity.
Yue Qi had just returned from a high-intensity extermination mission, an unhidden fatigue in her brows, along with a barely noticeable agitation—a sign that her instinct was beginning to “hunger” again.
“Yue Qi,” Qing Mu handed her a cup of carefully blended calming medicinal tea, his tone gentle, “You look more exhausted than when facing monsters.”
Yue Qi took the cup, her fingertips trembling ever so slightly.
She didn’t look at Qing Mu, only replied softly, “It’s nothing, just a bit overexerted.”
“You’re only exhausting your strength to block it, not trying to understand or even guide it, am I right?” Qing Mu stated bluntly.
Yue Qi jerked her head up, a flash of sharpness in her green eyes, but more than that—a shock at being seen through.
“You… What do you know?!” Her voice carried a suppressed anger and tension.
“I know it whispers to you, I know it tempts you, I know every day you walk the edge of a cliff.” Qing Mu’s voice was steady, carrying a strange calming force. “But it’s better to channel than block, better to control than suppress. If you keep this up, sooner or later it’ll drag you down, or… swallow you completely in an instant.”
Yue Qi’s face went pale; her knuckles whitened around the cup from her grip.
Qing Mu’s words struck her deepest fears.
“Control it? Easy for you to say…” Her voice was tinged with despair, “That’s a curse! A monster branded in my bloodline! How could I possibly control it?!”
“Precisely because it’s alive, because it’s a conscious ‘instinct’, there’s a chance to guide or even… use it.” Qing Mu coaxed patiently. “Think—doesn’t it crave danger? Crave powerful foes? So, can’t we give it a clear target? Something strong enough to satisfy it, that’s also truly our enemy? For example… Demon King Castle?”
Yue Qi was stunned.
To channel the Hero’s destructive urge toward a specific, formidable external target?
The idea was bold, even… insane.
But the more she pondered, the more it made a strange sort of sense.
If that restless power had a defined outlet, instead of aimlessly stirring chaos inside her, maybe… it really would lighten the burden of suppression, perhaps even…
“This is too risky…” Yue Qi reflexively rejected it, but her eyes couldn’t help but reveal a thoughtful glint.
“It’s better than waiting for it to fully lose control one day,” Qing Mu looked at her. “We can try, little by little. Start by sensing its ‘emotions’ more clearly—distinguishing between its raw destructive urge, and the ‘battle will’ against particular threats. I can help you, with some… special methods, to stabilize your mind.”
He referred to the calming method that combined the two worlds’ Qi Manuals—though incomplete, it should help soothe Yue Qi’s agitated spirit.
Yue Qi looked at Qing Mu, at the undoubted seriousness and unfathomable mystery in his eyes.
She thought of all his past extraordinariness, his precise swordsmanship guidance, those seemingly absurd but always accurate words…
A strange trust, or perhaps an instinct to grasp at a lifeline in despair, made her nod despite herself.
“What… should I do?”
Qing Mu felt a small relief in his heart. The first step, at last, was taken.
In the simulated days that followed, Qing Mu began to systematically guide Yue Qi.
He taught her how to observe the blazing energy representing “Hero instinct” during inner vision, how to distinguish between its varying degrees of “desire”, and how to use her willpower for subtle guidance and calming.
At the same time, he passed on the incomplete calming method to her, helping her maintain mental clarity when her instincts became restless.
The process was grueling.
Yue Qi’s mind was wounded many times in these struggles, suffering deeply.
But with Qing Mu guarding and guiding her side, he always managed to pull her back at the critical moment.
Little by little, Yue Qi’s fear of the “monster” inside eased somewhat.
She was still far from mastery, but at least she was no longer passively, desperately suppressing it—instead, she was beginning to try to “understand” and “interact”.
The change was subtle, but vital.
It meant Yue Qi was moving from a mere “vessel” and “victim” toward a “master” who could coexist with her curse.
As long as she kept on this path, one day in the future, she just might avoid exposing a flaw due to loss of control, and avoid being misunderstood by Yue Lan.
Watching Yue Qi’s eyes shine with clarity after a successful guidance session, despite her exhaustion, Qing Mu knew the seeds he had sown in the simulation world had started to sprout.
To change history, to obtain the complete Qi Manual, to finally unveil the truth—the road ahead was long, but at last, he saw a sliver of real hope.
He needed more patience, and greater resolve.
Whether guiding Yue Qi in the simulation world, or gathering strength in the real world, his goal pointed to a single end—Demon King Castle, and the ultimate secret hidden behind it, one that determined the fate of all lives.