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Chapter 258 - Spiritual Cultivator
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 07:00:08 +0000 UTCAs a Crown Prince who had been showered with praise and admiration wherever he went in the kingdom, being mocked by someone was a new and painful experience for him. Each insult felt like a physical blow, cutting deeper than any weapon could. Just you wait until this prince reunites with the Royal Guards. At that time, this prince will show this country bumpkin who's who!
"Ehem... this prince has the Royal Guards to do the fighting, so why should this prince waste effort? This prince has already put a lot of effort into cultivating. When this prince reaches the highest realm later, why does it matter if this prince knows how to fight or not? The realm difference alone will be enough to crush anyone," Crown Prince Dastan explained, trying to justify his lack of combat skills.
Leyvi looked at him stoically. He could understand the prince's perspective, given his immensely privileged position. But did the prince really think everything would always go according to his plan?
"If I hadn't chased away that Demonic Caracal earlier, there's a chance you might have died. That's proof enough that your thinking is stupid," Leyvi said bluntly.
Ouch. Crown Prince Dastan clutched his chest, feeling the verbal blow like a physical injury. He was hurt again, this time being called stupid outright.
"That... uhh... this prince was just a little panicked. That cat couldn't harm this prince with all the defensive spirit artifacts this prince is wearing," he quickly countered, scrambling for an excuse.
"So that means you'd be fine alone, right? I don't want to waste my time traveling with a useless weakling who'd only be a burden the entire journey," Leyvi said, not holding back the insults.
Crown Prince Dastan fell to his knees. Useless. Weakling. Burden. The three words shattered his inflated pride like a hammer to glass. What was worse was that, to convince Leyvi to protect him, he had to admit to being all those things, inflicting even greater damage on himself. The sensation of vomiting blood felt almost real now—he could even taste the metallic tang of imaginary blood in his mouth.
"Can you stop insulting this prince? This prince's heart might not be able to bear it," he pleaded, his voice trembling.
"Cheh. Stop acting so dramatic, clown prince. If you can't even withstand a few insults, how can you become a king later? Don't worry, by the end of your travel with me, you'll develop a certain immunity to insults. At least that eliminates one of your weaknesses. You should thank me for my service. I don't usually act like this, but your unlikeableness has reached an unprecedented level. You're so annoying that every time you talk, I have the urge to punch you. I can't imagine how everyone around you tolerates your existence. They must have the greatest willpower in the world. They have to fake their actions and expressions every time they're around you. What a horrible life they must live," Leyvi spoke ruthlessly, his filter completely gone.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Dastan, unable to withstand the relentless, ruthless barrage of mockery, finally snapped. He clutched his chest, his face pale, and then—splat—he literally threw up a mouthful of blood. It was no longer imaginary.
"Tch, so weak. First time I've seen someone throw up blood because of a few words. You really do deserve the title Clown Prince," Leyvi added, his tone dripping with disdain.
Crown Prince Dastan threw up another mouthful of blood as Leyvi's words triggered an existential crisis. He began to wonder if everything Leyvi had said was true. The thought that everyone in his life had been faking their actions and expressions around him made him shudder. Images of everyone he had ever known flashed before his eyes, but now they all wore black masks with creepy, insincere smiles. He suddenly felt like he couldn't trust anyone. If everyone has been faking themselves around this prince, then what's real? Is there anyone who has ever treated this prince sincerely? The crown prince felt like he was slowly falling into a bottomless pit of doubt and despair.
Leyvi observed the depressed prince with mild interest. So this is how it feels to influence someone with words, huh? I actually made someone puke blood just by talking. No wonder Anda enjoys brainwashing people. The feeling of affecting someone through words is pretty satisfying.
Leyvi kicked Crown Prince Dastan's butt. "Alright, enough with the fake depression act. I won't fall for that cheap trick. You've got no talent for acting, either. No sympathy from me. I heard you calling me 'Genius Spiritual Cultivator' earlier. What did you mean by that?"
Crown Prince Dastan snapped out of his existential crisis as the kick jolted him back to reality. A new wave of emotion rushed over him when Leyvi accused him of faking his depression. He felt like crying! Is this prince so unconvincing that he thinks my genuine despair is just bad acting?
However, he quickly pushed those feelings aside, realizing this was his best chance to redeem some dignity. Since Leyvi seemed clueless about Spiritual Cultivators, it was likely that his backward continent hadn't advanced enough in this area. This was the perfect opportunity for the prince to flaunt his knowledge. After all, Leyvi seemed to have monstrous spiritual talent, but he clearly only used it in a crude, unrefined way.
"Country... ehem... what is your name again? This prince still doesn't know what to call you," Crown Prince Dastan said, correcting himself. He didn't dare call Leyvi "country bumpkin" again.
"Leyvi," Leyvi replied curtly.
"So, Leyvi, how many types of cultivators do you have in your continent? Is it two?" Confidence crept back into the prince's voice.
Leyvi nodded. "Qi Cultivators and Body Cultivators."
"Tch, tch. What a backward continent. What are they even doing over there? They haven't even reached this step yet. This prince is disappointed. There's actually another type of cultivator, known as the Spiritual Cultivator. A Qi Cultivator cultivates Qi, a Body Cultivator cultivates the body, and a Spiritual Cultivator cultivates spiritual sense—or, more precisely, the sea of consciousness!" Crown Prince Dastan explained, his tone growing more arrogant with each word.
Leyvi's mouth twitched. Should I make this guy depressed again? he wondered, but he quickly refocused on what the clown prince had said. Cultivating spiritual sense?
"Isn't spiritual sense just a product of the sea of consciousness that upgrades after advancing to the Foundation Building Realm? Can it really be considered its own type of cultivator if it relies on becoming a Qi Cultivator first?" Leyvi asked, his tone skeptical.
"Leyvi, Leyvi. It seems there's much you don't know. But this prince doesn't blame you. You come from a backward continent, after all. Who said the sea of consciousness can only upgrade after advancing to the Foundation Building Realm? Over time, people have developed other methods to train the sea of consciousness, which eventually became cultivation methods for Spiritual Cultivators. What Spiritual Cultivators can do with their spiritual sense at high levels is truly terrifying, which is why they're feared by others," Crown Prince Dastan explained, his chest puffed out with pride as he flaunted his knowledge.
"Hmm... is that so?" Leyvi found the idea intriguing. He hadn't expected there to be cultivation manuals specifically for spiritual sense.
"That's exactly how it is. In fact, these three cultivation types are deeply interlinked. If you're a Qi Cultivator, as you advance, your spiritual sense and body strength will also increase, albeit at a much slower rate. The same applies to the other two cultivation paths. As you level up as a Body Cultivator, you'll eventually gain the ability to use Qi and spiritual sense. And as you level up as a Spiritual Cultivator, your body will grow stronger, and you'll be able to use Qi as well. That's how they're connected," the prince finished, clearly pleased with his explanation.
"Alright, give me a cultivation manual for Spiritual Cultivators as my payment. Then you can follow me," Leyvi said. Although he didn't like the clown prince in the slightest, the information he provided was undeniably valuable. If the prince became unbearable again, Leyvi could always leave him behind.
"Daa hahaha! I knew you'd make this choice after hearing my explanation. This prince is a genius. I'll give you the best cultivation manual for Spiritual Cultivators, so do your best to protect this prince until we meet any of my Royal Guards," Crown Prince Dastan declared, a jade slip materializing in his hand.
Leyvi took the jade slip and quickly inspected its contents. So this is how you cultivate the sea of consciousness? Interesting. He stored the jade slip away, feeling a small sense of satisfaction. The gains from this encounter were significant, so he decided to be a tiny bit nicer to the clown prince—for now.
"You have all these good things, yet you can't excel at anything? Aren't you ashamed of yourself, clown prince?" Leyvi asked, his tone sharp.
The sudden verbal attack caused Crown Prince Dastan to fall to his knees again. However, this time, he had built up some immunity.
"No, you're wrong. This prince is actually an amazing cultivation genius. At only 25 years old, this prince has already reached the peak of Core Formation Realm. Not many people can achieve such a feat," he defended himself, his voice tinged with pride.
