The copy stared at Lían for several moments.
Then—
it spoke.
"...Threats are useless."
Lían's expression remained cold.
The copy continued.
"...You can threaten me as much as you want."
"...You can shout."
"...You can refuse."
"...None of that changes the task."
Its gaze shifted toward the woman.
"...The question remains the same."
"...Are you going to do it?"
Silence.
"...Or are you not?"
Lían's grip tightened around his sword.
His breathing remained heavy.
The copy continued.
"...If you're unwilling..."
"...Then say so."
Lían's eyes narrowed.
"Shut up."
His voice was quiet.
He slowly lowered his sword.
Then—
he began walking forward.
One step.
Then another.
The woman noticed his approach.
Her confused expression gradually changed.
"Lían...?"
He didn't answer.
"Lían, what's wrong?"
His footsteps continued.
The distance between them slowly disappeared.
"Lían..."
She took a hesitant step backward.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lían stopped in front of her.
His gaze remained fixed upon her face.
For a moment—
he couldn't move.
*...It's not that I can't do it.*
*It's not that I'm resisting.*
*I just...*
His arm trembled slightly.
*...I don't know how to put it.*
He slowly raised his hand.
*The thought of doing this...*
*It's unpleasant.*
His fingers reached toward her.
The woman stared at him.
"Lían...?"
His palm finally touched the top of her head.
Her body stiffened.
Lían's expression remained complicated.
*But this is only a simulation.*
*She's not really here.*
*And if I want to understand this technique...*
*I need to know what it feels like to actually use it.*
His eyes slowly closed.
Then—
his spiritual energy moved.
The reconstructed art activated.
A dark crimson aura immediately emerged beneath his palm.
The woman's eyes widened.
Her body trembled.
"Li...án...?"
The life force within her body began flowing outward.
Thin strands of crimson energy emerged from her flesh.
Her blood essence followed.
Then—
the spiritual energy contained within her body began separating from everything else.
Lían felt it.
Every strand.
Every trace.
The technique clearly revealed the structure of the energy within her body.
His expression slowly changed.
*So that's how it works...*
The life force was drawn out first.
Then—
the blood essence.
The two streams intertwined.
Spiritual energy followed.
Everything was gradually refined into a single stream of usable energy.
The woman's body trembled more violently.
Her complexion began turning pale.
"Lían..."
Her voice weakened.
"...Why?"
Lían's fingers tightened slightly.
He didn't answer.
His expression remained tense.
*This feels...*
*Wrong.*
Yet—
he continued.
The crimson energy flowed into his body.
His meridians instinctively began refining it.
The technique converted the extracted essence into energy capable of strengthening his cultivation.
Lían could feel his spiritual energy gradually increasing.
His breathing became slower.
His mind became clearer.
Everything the technique promised—
was real.
And that realization made his expression even more complicated.
*It really can increase cultivation this quickly.*
The woman's trembling became weaker.
Lían opened his eyes.
He stared at her pale face.
For several moments—
he simply watched.
Then—
he slowly stopped the technique.
The crimson energy vanished.
The woman staggered.
Lían immediately released her.
She collapsed to her knees.
She was still alive.
But—
she looked exhausted.
Lían stared at his hand.
Silence filled the endless white.
The copy remained several meters away.
It didn't praise him.
It didn't criticize him.
It simply watched.
Lían slowly clenched his fingers.
"...I did it."
His voice was quiet.
Then—
he looked toward the copy.
"...I actually used it."
The copy nodded.
"...Yes."
Lían lowered his gaze.
His expression remained complicated.
He could feel the energy he had gained.
It was real.
The technique worked.
But—
the unpleasant feeling remained.
Lían slowly exhaled.
"...I don't think I'll ever get used to this."
The copy answered calmly.
"You don't need to get used to it."
Lían looked up.
The copy continued.
"You only need to understand it."
Lían remained silent.
His gaze returned to the woman.
Then—
he looked toward Lizarius.
"...Is that what you wanted to see?"
Lizarius' golden eyes remained fixed upon him.
For several moments—
he said nothing.
Then—
the endless white faded.
Lían slowly opened his eyes.
For several moments—
he simply stared upward.
His vision gradually cleared.
The white surroundings were gone.
The endless lake was gone.
The copy was gone.
He slowly pushed himself upright.
"...Huh?"
Lían glanced around.
Rock walls surrounded him.
He recognized the place immediately.
"...We're back."
His gaze shifted.
Lizarius hovered quietly nearby, his golden eyes watching him.
Lían slowly rubbed his face.
"...So I really woke up."
He remained silent for a moment.
Then—
his expression became complicated.
"...That was long."
He looked around the cavern again.
"It felt like I was there for..."
He paused.
"...I don't even know how long."
Lían slowly stood.
His stomach suddenly churned.
He froze.
"...Ugh."
The unpleasant sensation returned.
The memory of Lizarius dragging him into that place earlier surfaced immediately.
He could still feel the lingering discomfort in his stomach.
Lían covered his mouth for a moment.
"...I can still feel it."
He took a slow breath.
*At least I'm back.*
He looked toward Lizarius.
"Time really does move incredibly slowly inside that place."
A pause.
"I was in there for so long..."
He glanced toward the cavern entrance.
"...But it seems like barely any time passed here."
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían sighed.
"Whatever."
He stretched his arms slightly.
"At least it's over."
His gaze returned to Lizarius.
"So..."
He paused.
"...I can finally go home now, right?"
Silence.
Lían waited.
Lizarius simply stared at him.
Lían's expression slowly changed.
"...Master?"
No response.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Another moment of silence passed.
Then—
Lizarius calmly spoke.
"No."
Lían froze.
"...No?"
"You cannot leave yet."
Lían stared at him.
"...Why?"
His expression became increasingly confused.
"We already finished the dream training for testing my awakened physique, like you said."
"You tested the technique."
"I learned it."
"And I'm back."
He pointed toward himself.
"So what else is there?"
Lizarius' golden eyes remained calm.
"As I said, you have not actually used the reconstructed technique."
Lían stared at him.
Then—
he remembered.
"...Right."
He slowly sighed.
"You want to see me use it."
Lizarius nodded.
"I want to observe how efficiently you can use the art."
"And how quickly your cultivation increases."
Lían remained silent for several moments.
Then—
he rubbed his forehead.
"Yeah."
"I remember."
He looked down at his hands.
"...I did agree to learn it."
A brief pause.
"But I'm not going to use it on just anyone."
Lizarius said nothing.
Lían's expression became firm.
"If I'm going to use this technique..."
"...I'll decide who I use it on."
He looked directly at Lizarius.
"I'm not going around killing people just because I want to cultivate faster."
Silence.
Lían continued.
"I'll only use it on those I decide are worth killing."
"And I'm definitely not going to kill innocent people just to test how fast I can grow."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"If I have to fight someone anyway..."
"...then I'll use the technique on them."
"But I won't kill someone simply because they're useful to me."
Lizarius quietly observed him.
Lían exhaled.
"...That's my condition."
A moment passed.
The lizard stared blankly.
Then—
his calm voice echoed through the cavern.
"You will injure and absorb the life force of those you kill until you break through into the next stage."
Lían stared at him.
"...You weren't listening to me at all, were you?"
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían sighed.
"And breaking through..."
He looked down at himself.
"I'm already at the Second Stage of Spirit Refining."
His expression became slightly uneasy.
"That means you want me to reach the Third Stage."
Silence.
Lían slowly shook his head.
"Normally, that wouldn't be possible anytime soon."
He paused.
"But..."
His thoughts returned to everything he had seen inside the dream space.
The technique.
The amount of energy it could extract.
The speed at which that energy could be refined.
Lían's expression became thoughtful.
"...After seeing what that technique can do..."
He couldn't honestly say that anymore.
He looked toward Lizarius.
"So you want me to hunt demon beasts?"
A brief pause.
"If that's what you mean..."
Lían nodded.
"I'm fine with that."
Lizarius' golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why?"
Lían blinked.
"...Why what?"
"You don't seem to have a problem with killing demon beasts."
"But when the target is another human..."
"You become reluctant."
Lían remained silent.
Lizarius continued.
"You've already killed demon beasts before."
"You've eaten them."
"You've hunted them for resources."
"You've never shown the same hesitation."
Lían lowered his gaze.
"...They're different."
"Why?"
Lían didn't immediately answer.
He thought for several moments.
"Because..."
He paused.
"...I don't know."
Lizarius continued watching him.
Within his mind, his thoughts quietly formed.
*Fear.*
*Not fear of death.*
*Not entirely.*
*Fear of crossing a boundary that has never been crossed before.*
He had already observed this distinction within Lían.
Demon beasts were simple.
They attacked.
They killed.
They consumed.
For Lían, killing them was part of survival.
Humans were different.
Humans possessed rules.
Relationships.
Moral boundaries.
Things taught from childhood.
*Humans are strange creatures.*
*They can live beside one another for years without killing.*
*Yet the moment survival is threatened...*
*those same boundaries can disappear.*
Lizarius remembered countless examples.
Humans killing humans for resources.
For revenge.
For territory.
For power.
For survival.
For cultivation.
*Some hesitate.*
*Some do not.*
*Some require years before they can raise their blade against another human.*
*Others do it without hesitation.*
His gaze returned to Lían.
*It isn't because humans are incapable of killing their own kind.*
*It is because most of them are taught from childhood that they shouldn't.*
*Demon beasts are different.*
*They are already understood as predators.*
*Creatures that must struggle to survive.*
Lizarius continued thinking.
*Humans are given things.*
*Food.*
*Shelter.*
*Protection.*
*Rules.*
*They don't need to kill simply to survive.*
*At least...*
*not at first.*
But when those things disappeared—
when survival became uncertain—
the difference vanished.
*When humans are driven far enough...*
*they kill.*
*To survive.*
*To protect someone.*
*To obtain something they desperately need.*
*Or simply because they desire something enough.*
His golden eyes remained calm.
*The instinct is there.*
*It is merely restrained.*