Chapter 23 – Realization

The moment the door behind him slammed shut, Yun Xiguang realized where he had been led.

His rationality slowly returned. He carefully recalled everything that had happened, piecing together the logical chain and filling in the memory of eating Ruan Shu. Additionally, his suspicions about the little spirit bird had never left him.

He had always thought Wu Ailang was foolish for believing the lies spun about the bird, but now, upon reflection, he was the one who had been blinded by ignorance.

Putting aside other details, just recalling the scene when they first encountered the little spirit bird on the day of Awakening Thunder was enough to reveal something amiss.

That place was the source of nine streams of spiritual energy, with the little spirit bird at the center. Within a ten-meter radius around it, there was nothing — no living creatures, not even a blade of grass. Only the seemingly dim-witted little spirit bird lay sleeping at the heart of the circle.

A source of spiritual energy, barren land, and the presence of a single juvenile spirit beast, with no signs of Heavenly Fire, indicated a highly abnormal situation. Yet, neither Yun Xinglei nor Yun Xiguang ever questioned the ordinary nature of the little spirit bird.

On the day of the competition, his mind seemed flooded with water. Despite the bizarre spectacle — the defeat of all eighteen opposing students with a single move — he and the big shots of the Spiritbond World attributed it to a heavenly phenomenon, a natural disaster, completely unrelated to the little spirit bird.

But what kind of natural disaster would precisely target his opponents? They were all on the same stage, not particularly close, but within four to five meters of each other. How could heavenly fire descend and avoid him and Wu Ailang so accurately?

Moreover, while Wu Ailang might have been a bit foolish, lacking common sense, the Snow Wolf wasn’t.

The Snow Wolf allowed the little spirit bird to perch on its head, behaving in an awestruck manner. Anyone seeing this would find the little spirit bird unusual, yet nobody seemed to think much of it, assuming the Snow Wolf was merely playing along.

However, Yun Xiguang was involved. He knew the Snow Wolf’s relationship with Wu Ailang was average at best; it wouldn’t act for the sake of humans. If it wasn’t an act, then the Snow Wolf’s reverence was genuine, yet he hadn’t noticed!

Most laughable of all, the little spirit bird had revealed its name to him — it was “Qiong.”

Spirit beasts didn’t choose their names lightly; many carried names bestowed at birth, imbued with the power and principles of the universe.

Born from the heavens and earth, spirit beasts received their names, which held the power and authority granted by the cosmos.

The meaning of “Qiong” was terrifying. It connoted the sky and depth, symbolizing both heaven and earth. This word represented the essence of the universe itself, the vast expanse of the cosmos.

What kind of spirit beast deserved such a name?

Perhaps it wasn’t just a spirit beast at all, but rather, a divine beast.

It might even surpass divine beasts in rank.

Bai Ze was also a divine beast, but it hadn’t exhibited such power.

Yun Xiguang wasn’t stupid. Once he understood one thing, everything else fell into place.

He knew what had clouded his perception, causing him to miss the truth countless times.

He remembered his previous conversation with Wu Ailang, when Wu Ailang had inquired about such matters. At the time, Yun Xiguang’s explanation was the obfuscation of the World Law.

Now, Yun Xiguang suspected he had unintentionally spoken the truth.

Yet, if that was the case, a new question arose.

Why hadn’t his perception been obscured this time, allowing him to consider these extraordinary possibilities?

If it truly was the World Law that had veiled his understanding, he should have remained oblivious, no matter what.

When Yun Xiguang pondered this question, he already had a guess.

A force had suppressed the World Law, enabling him to think clearly.

The source of this force was easy to surmise — the little spirit bird named “Qiong.”

The little spirit bird’s identity was significant enough for the World Law to intervene, ensuring that those who knew the truth, like the Snow Wolf and Wu Ailang, found their contract spaces filled with mosaics and their conversations riddled with “beeps.” This suggested that the little spirit bird was an entity on par with the World Law.

Was this possible?

Yun Xiguang recalled the little spirit bird that left crumbs on its mouth while eating, enjoyed napping in the warmth of his palm, and always stared with adorable black eyes when awake. Could this endearing creature truly be a divine beast, equal to the heavens and earth?

No, describing the little spirit bird as a divine beast was almost sacrilegious. After all, Bai Ze was also a divine beast, but the little spirit bird’s status was clearly distinct.

Perhaps the little spirit bird was considered a divine beast simply because human understanding of the strongest spirit beasts stopped at the divine level.

If divine beasts could be ranked, the little spirit bird would undoubtedly stand far above all others.

Yun Xiguang was certain of the little spirit bird’s immense power.

But why could he form a pact with such a powerful little spirit beast? Why, after forming the pact, did he initially remain blind to its true nature before suddenly becoming aware?

Had some change occurred in between?

Yun Xiguang compared the circumstances during his moments of ignorance and sudden enlightenment and discovered a crucial variable — Ruan Shu.

Before, the White Tiger was comparable to Bai Ze and other spirit beasts, unable to recognize the little spirit bird’s identity. However, after Ruan Shu attacked the White Tiger, the little spirit bird suddenly awakened, and the White Tiger instantly recognized its identity, just like the Snow Wolf, becoming a devoted follower.

Similarly, it was under attack by Ruan Shu that Yun Xiguang abruptly became aware of the little spirit bird’s extraordinary nature.

So, what was unique about Ruan Shu?

His spirit beast, the Bookworm, had surpassed the conventional definition of spirit beasts, undergoing a transformation that altered its species. Moreover, Ruan Shu somehow acquired a massive amount of spiritual energy. He had great confidence in this energy, believing that with it, he could challenge the entire Spiritbond World alone; otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked entering the confidential archives.

The vast spiritual energy easily linked to the day of Awakening Thunder, when the Nine Mountains overflowed with nine streams of immense spiritual energy.

The little spirit bird had awakened at the origin of those nine streams.

Clues seamlessly connected, leading to an impending answer.

Those nine streams of spiritual energy that stunned the entire Spiritbond World originally belonged to the little spirit bird.

For unknown reasons, it lost those nine streams of energy, a loss seemingly favored by the World Law.

Without spiritual energy, the little spirit bird became incredibly weak, sleepy, and unable to fend off small-time troublemakers like Yun Xinglei. It even formed a pact with him during its vulnerable state.

It was truly a mighty beast fallen on hard times.

Only upon encountering Ruan Shu, who had obtained one stream of the spiritual energy, did the little spirit bird regain some strength.

The little spirit bird must have wanted to recover its power, which was why it chased Ruan Shu into the confidential archives.

Yun Xiguang sighed involuntarily, having unraveled all the mysteries.

He had thought he gained a lifetime companion in the little spirit bird, regardless of its weakness, ready to protect it for life.

But now, it seemed his bond with the little spirit bird might soon come to an end.

Ruan Shu’s strength with just a sliver of spiritual energy was formidable. With the return of that energy, the little spirit bird would no longer need him.

What would he do then?

Yun Xiguang smiled bitterly. He didn’t know how he would react when the time came, but for now, he would do everything in his power to help the little spirit bird reclaim its strength.

As long as their pact remained unbroken, he would honor his initial promise to protect the little spirit bird.

As for what happened afterward, he’d deal with it when the time came.

His immediate priority was finding Ruan Shu and the little spirit bird.

However, the interior of the confidential archives was entirely different from what Yun Xiguang had imagined. Instead of rows of filing cabinets, it was a series of isolated spaces.

Yun Xiguang had assumed the confidential archives would use formations and barriers to record important documents, but here, there were no written records, only spaces of recollection.

Each piece of information to be documented was sealed within separate spaces and continuously replayed.

This required an enormous amount of spiritual energy and the collaborative effort of several powerful Spiritbond Masters to construct such an archive.

In the past, Yun Xiguang might have viewed this as a laborious and time-consuming endeavor, wondering why they didn’t simply use formations for protection. But after encountering spirit beasts such as the Bookworm, he understood the necessity.

What he once considered the safest form of communication — words — were actually insecure in the eyes of spirit beasts.

Upon reflection, it made sense. Even his parents’ names could be erased; how safe could words be?

Those in power knew from the beginning that words, as carriers of thoughts and emotions, contained minute energies susceptible to manipulation and alteration.

Only through great magical power could events be stored in this manner, preserving the truth forever.

Additionally, this spatial storage method had another benefit. Any intruder accidentally touching a space would alert the outside world to their presence.

They had previously worried that Ruan Shu would devour the texts in the confidential archives, but even Ruan Shu hadn’t anticipated that there was nothing here to eat.

Not only that, but due to the confidential archives, Ruan Shu prematurely exposed himself before mastering the stream of spiritual energy. Truly, he had failed miserably!

Thinking about how Ruan Shu must be furious yet dare not touch anything in the archives, pacing anxiously, Yun Xiguang felt a sense of schadenfreude.

There was no trace of Ruan Shu or the little spirit bird in Yun Xiguang’s space, suggesting that the three of them had entered the confidential archives separately, separated into different spaces.

He wondered which confidential document he was trapped within.

This space was filled with countless threads extending in all directions, their connections unknown. All these threads originated from a single source — a dark fog that obstructed the view.

Yun Xiguang had an instinctive feeling not to touch the dark fog.

Terrifying power lay hidden within the fog. He sensed that once he touched these threads or the source of the dark fog, he would become one of the threads, controlled by whatever dwelled within the fog.

This was likely a case involving an evil spirit beast, preserved by the Special Affairs Bureau and Spiritbond Master Association in this manner.

Yun Xiguang carefully avoided the threads and decided to locate the little spirit bird first.

He shared a pact with the little spirit bird. Even without a Spirit Contract, he could seek it out using blood.

Yun Xiguang wore an intern badge on his chest. He removed the badge, pricked his finger with the pin on the back, and a drop of blood fell from his fingertip.

The blood did not touch the ground but floated in the air, guiding Yun Xiguang toward the little spirit bird.

This was the power of the blood pact.