Core of Knowledge

Light came to Xu Han. His body had failed him, but his consciousness did not. It refused to fade away and after an indeterminate amount of time, Xu Han felt his awareness blossoming around him. It felt like…someone was speaking to him.

“Hello. Hello. You there? This is your Dungeon Fairy speaking. Can the core please respond?”

The noise was strange. Xu Han heard them, but he did not understand them. He had challenged the heavens and had been smite by it for his insolence. It was nothing less than what he deserved. Xu Han waited for oblivion.

“Hello. Hello. I know you are awake. I see the light in your core. Please respond.”

Oblivion did not come. Only the noise. Noise that sounded like words. Words in a strange language that Xu Han did not understand…till he did. As the annoying noise kept speaking, Xu Han realized he was beginning to understand it. Xu Han did not know how this was possible and despite his acceptance of his fate, the scholar within Xu Han was curious. Xu Han listened, and it became stranger and stranger. It was as if Xu Han was now fluent in the language despite never hearing it before today.

Xu Han open his eyes…and realized that he can’t. Was he blind? Did the Heavens take away his sight as punishment for challenging it? It was possible, but Xu Han thought it was unlikely. Xu Han might have done that, but Heaven was not that petty.

“Hello. Hello. Still no response. I guess I got a faulty core. Sorry then, but I have no choice. As it is stated in Rule Seventy-Nine of the ‘One hundred and One Rules of Dungeon Fairies’; when a dungeon fairy finds a faulty dungeon core, it is the responsibility of the fairy to destroy the faulty dungeon core before mana overload destroy it and the surrounding region. Sorry, but I must destroy you.”

Wait, what? This stupid voice is threatening me. Me? How dare it! A Soul Emperor is not so easily cowed! It is seeking death!

Xu Han tried to speak…and realized that he can’t. Was he mute? Was the heaven so petty that he was reincarnated both blind and mute? Luckily, a cultivator in the Soul Emperor realm has other ways of seeing and speaking.

Xu Han gathered his Qi, an action so natural he no longer even had to think about, and immediately realized that something was wrong. The Qi was different. It was similar, but there was a different feel to it. It was as if Xu Han was drinking wine from a different region. It was still wine, but there was a slight difference in taste and texture. Something he will need to investigate later. For now, Xu Han used the strange Qi he had gathered and released it. His awareness of the world expanded, and he began to see and hear. Xu Han felt strange. It was as if he was waking up from a long sleep, and in a way, he was.

As Xu Han became aware, he noticed his surroundings. He was surrounded by rocks with a domed ceiling above him. For a moment, Xu Han thought he was in a tomb but quickly discarded the idea. The walls were too irregular to be man-made. It looked more like a cave. Another thing for him to ponder later. For now, Xu Han focused on the…what is that?

There was a creature above him. A female creature with green skin and blue hair that was flying on a pair of butterfly wings. Despite its butterfly wings, the creature was using it more like a hummingbird, swinging them endlessly to stay afloat. The creature that had her arms folded in front of her and was looking crossly down at Xu Han. Despite his long life, Xu Han was certain he had never seen or heard of such a creature. Xu Han felt an emotion he had not felt in a long time.

It was amazement.

“What are you?” The air within the cave shook as Xu Han used vibrations to ask the question instead of his mouth. The strange creature smiled at the question and pumped an arm in triumph.

“Success! The textbook was right. When facing a lazy core that rather sleep, always threaten it with death to get a response.”

What? It was a trick?

Xu Han was too curious to be angry. He had sensed his surroundings and realized he was in some sort of enclosed cave. The cave was bright, allowing Xu Han to look around. There was no passageway of any sort leading in or out of the enclosed cave. So, how did the creature get to him? Was it some sort of creature from the Void that could teleport, or some sort of ghost that could go through walls? Then, Xu Han wondered where the light was coming from. The cave was illuminated by a source he could not see. Then, he noticed a strange thing.

The light was coming from him!

One of the main strengths of using Qi to see was the fact that a cultivator could use it to change his point of view. That was what Xu Han did. He used the strange Qi he had, and his viewpoint looked down at the cave he was in.

He saw the strange creature from above, and it was flying above a floating diamond-shaped crystal. Instinctively, Xu Han realized that it was his “body”. He was the crystal. He had been reborn as…a floating crystal? What kind of sick perverted punishment is this?

The strangeness of the situation would have sent anyone else into a panic, but Xu Han was a Soul Emperor. He was made of sterner stuff. He also realized that he had someone who could answer all his questions. Xu Han moved his focus back to the strange creature who was still talking in a rush. It was saying something about dungeons, adventures, treasures, levels-

“Wait. What? Go back. What did you say about adventurers coming to kill me? What are adventurers? What did I ever do to them?”