"Don't worry, they won't attack us. Every time I approach that Gaia Statue, the monsters near this pile of rubble draw closer, but they can't detect us while we're in this cave."
I swallowed hard, staring at everything outside. The Razorwings were still there, getting closer and closer. Xu Fu's hand was still bleeding—he had just crushed a Razorwing with his bare hands, leaving his palm covered in densely packed wounds. The injuries hadn't healed yet.
My Ghostweb can't extend outside my body in this world, and the baleful energy within me, once released, is easily dispersed by the overwhelming yin aura surrounding us.
They were getting closer. Now, at this distance, I could see clearly—spinning, the surface of these Razorwings looked smooth, but if you looked closely, there were countless blade-like folds. If you didn't examine them carefully, you'd never notice. They moved incredibly fast, impossible to track with the naked eye—unless you were this close.
"Everything on this island is the crystallization of thousands of years of their experiments. Any creature here, if released into the living world, could cause a catastrophe. And you—here, you might not even be able to defeat a single Razorwing."
I glared at Xu Fu. He was smiling—not with contempt, but with certainty.
"What about you?"
"Same for me. At most, I could handle twenty or thirty of these birds before hitting my limit. There are countless things on this island far stronger than me. Unfortunately, my physical body isn't here—otherwise, even the Emperor God wouldn't be my match."
Xu Fu didn't sound like he was boasting. The people of the Immortality Society—their astonishing bodies, what exactly was going on there? I stared at him. Outside, the Razorwings began to slowly disperse.
Don't look at me. The affairs of the Immortality Society are confidential. As its leader, I'm not about to tell you everything. Ethan Zhang, have you forgotten? We're enemies.
"Ah, we're enemies. Yet here we are, calmly sitting and talking—how ironic."
Xu Fu burst out laughing. Suddenly, he shot forward and kicked a Razorwing, sending up a screech that sounded like grinding metal.
"Give it a try, Ethan Zhang."
I grunted in response and rushed out. That Razorwing suddenly attacked me—a blur of shadow, and I dodged quickly, catching only a glimpse of its attack's trail. Its position was hard to judge. These Razorwings were strange: they could instantly contract the force of their attack and change direction midair to strike again.
A gaping wound opened up on my arm, black blood dripping down. I drew Belle, slashing at the shadow before me.
"Too slow, Ethan Zhang."
I didn't need Xu Fu to tell me—I already knew. My right hand, gripping Belle, had been sliced open in several places. Fighting here was exhausting.
I couldn't rely on my eyes at all to track the Razorwing's movements. It was the first time I'd seen something so fast. More wounds appeared on my body. I could only dodge behind the rubble pile. The Razorwing seemed enraged—its screeches grew louder. I couldn't focus on attacking; even defending myself was a challenge.
But somehow, I felt something was off. The creature was fast—far too fast for me to keep up. All I could see was a streak of shadow, but my body was experiencing something strange.
"Looks like you've realized something. Keep going, Ethan Zhang."
With a whoosh, I dodged again—this time, I was lucky. But immediately after, as I tried to evade once more, a gash opened up along my ribs. My whole body was bleeding, wounded in varying degrees. Even my healing was slowing down.
Gradually, I started to understand what was really happening.
"It's not that I can't see clearly... it's that my body isn't listening to me anymore."
I roared, swinging Belle straight at the shadow before me. There was a clang—a feeling of solidity. But then, my eyes widened as a small hole was punched through my chest, blood gushing out. A rush of wind from behind—I rolled desperately to the ground. I dodged, but now my limbs were barely responding.
Everything felt heavy—the Yin Energy here was corroding my body, and I hadn't even noticed. But I couldn't afford to stay down; the Razorwing kept coming at me.
It was too late. Just then, a hand reached out—Xu Fu grabbed the Razorwing and twisted. With a crack, the Razorwing turned to pulp. Xu Fu flicked his hand, and I swallowed hard.
"So easy?"
"Well, since we're idle, why not let me teach you something, Ethan Zhang?"
I stared at Xu Fu, conflicted inside. He was my enemy, but right now, I couldn't find a breakthrough in my own power. I'd been desperate for so long, but the more desperate I was, the more powerless I felt.
To say I'm teaching you isn't quite right—it's more like I'm giving you some guidance. In this world, the only ones who truly understand your talent are John Chou and me, Xu Fu.
I sprang to my feet, staring at Xu Fu. A breeze stirred. Xu Fu's face was expressionless, his eyes distant. His long black hair danced in the wind—he didn't look like he was joking.
"Talent... do I have any?"
I couldn't help but ask myself. Xu Fu shook his head.
The best talent is the talent of having none. Everyone in this world has their own unique gift—some lose theirs as time passes, while others discover and use theirs to succeed. But you, you have no talent. Isabelle Frost saw that in you early on.
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My heart skipped a beat, and my cheeks flushed.
Because she saw that, she understood why John Chou entrusted you to her. Even someone with no talent, staying by a genius's side, will eventually come to understand themselves. All along, John Chou has been paving the way, trying to awaken your talent. But you just don't have any.
I clenched my fists, quietly watching Xu Fu. Inside, I felt nothing but helplessness and bitterness. All this way, no matter what I learned, I could never master anything quickly—only slowly, by trying and fumbling on my own.
"You know, instinct is born from illusion. Have you ever thought about what illusion really is?"
I sat down. I had never thought about this—what instinct really was.
"Illusion is something baseless, unfounded, and elusive. I have no instinct."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Xu Fu. His face showed a hint of sadness.
"I once tried to have instinct, but even now, I have none. There aren't many people in this world who truly possess instinct. But you—you have three: coexistence, origin, and end. This has never happened before. To have three instincts born from illusion, all within one being. So you don't lack talent; you simply don't need it."
I couldn't quite understand what Xu Fu was trying to say. Ethan Zhang, Earth Soul, had already become a separate entity from me, while Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul, remained ambiguous.
"Illusion is nonexistence. Yet what doesn't exist, somehow exists in this world. So whether something exists or not is beyond our understanding. Human perception is so small in this world—the so-called illusion is just the part we can't comprehend. Instinct is born from that. What you possess is illusion itself: unrealistic, invisible. It's hard for anyone to truly understand themselves. You're still in the stage of recognition."
As Xu Fu spoke, he walked toward me step by step. I had no idea what he intended. Then, Xu Fu raised his hand.
"Ethan Zhang, whether a person's strength is great or not depends on self-recognition—knowing your origin. I understood mine long ago: pure evil. That's why I'm strong. That's why I pursue strength, and achieve it. But you—your origin, you still can't see it, can't know it."
"Origin..."
I murmured the word, my heart filled with a hundred emotions. Gradually, I realized what Xu Fu was trying to say.
"In this world, there's a possibility for you to see what your origin really is. I'm curious too—what is your origin?"
I quietly watched Xu Fu. A person's birth is especially important—it determines where you come from. But me, where do I come from? All I have are the memories from childhood, nothing else. As for my birth, I don't know.
"This world records a vast amount of data about people, from birth to death. You're no exception. But I have my doubts—did your birth really exist?"
My mind buzzed, going blank. I stared quietly at Xu Fu, not knowing what he meant.
"Even now, you still can't control any of this. That's because you don't know your origin—whether you're human or ghost. You think about it constantly, don't you? You just don't know. But you want to know."
"How can I find out?"
I stood up, looking at Xu Fu. He smiled, pointing at my heart.
"Ask yourself. Whether it's your Heavenly Soul or your shadow, no one comes into this world for no reason."