Chapter 173: Racist choice at the crossroad of fate

"You can still see my other form, can you not?" Shanggaung Ce said.

"...Yes, the colorful form," Han Xuhan answered, taking a few seconds to digest the new development.

Shangguang Ce's original body had disappeared, leaving the accompanying form in the Consciousness Matrix behind.

"Teleportation?" He asked, burning with curiosity.

"Something like that, yes," Shangguang Ce's answer came from his ethereal body, sounding quite satisfied with himself.

Han Xuhan leaned a bit closer for a better look and realized that two extremely thin threads were connecting him and Shangguang Ce at the moment.

More accurately, the threads were connecting their 'bodies' in the consciousness matrix. Grey in color, the threads were near imperceptible, mixing in with the rest of the grey threads that surrounded them representing perhaps the air, the micromolecules, and perhaps even the microscopic lifeforms...

"What are these?" He said, pointing at the two threads.

"What? The connectors? How do you think I'm communicating with you right now? My physical body is not here to speak for me. And my celestial form does not have the equipment to 'speak' to an ordinary human. These are extensions of my body, equipped to carry over my words to you, your celestial form. This is the most basic communication method in the circles of ghost cultivators."

"Celestial form?" Han Xuhan caught onto what seemed to him a very important detail.

"The colorful form is called our celestial body, the result of cultivating according to the path of ghosts. The first realm of ghost cultivation is much different from the orthodox human cultivation system. In this realm, we learn to use our ghostsight and develop our special constitution which is suitable for traversing the world of the consciousness matrix. At the peak of this realm, we form a complete celestial body, having fully developed our inherent constitution...and become a full-fledged, perfect ghost."

The target is to become a ghost?

"Why the hell would I want to be a ghost? I'm fine the way I am right now," Han Xuhan said in a dissatisfied tone.

"Your celestial form is the aspect that will develop into a ghost, not your current self in this macrocosm. Why the hell would you NOT want to become a ghost?" Shangguang Ce countered.

"....Well..." Han Xuhan couldn't refute the argument.

Indeed, what's wrong with becoming a ghost anyway? It's not as if I'll accomplish much as a regular orthodox cultivator...

"Is that racism I sense?" Shangguang Ce said, sounding displeased. "Damned prejudiced people, always looking for excuses when there are none."

"Cough...cough. Let's backtrack a bit, okay? All of this is way too sudden, way too much to handle at once. First of all, you gave me this blue crystal which would let me see your current, celestial body, even if I did not have an inherent ability to perceive the consciousness matrix, correct?"

"Yes." Shangguang Ce's colorful silhouette nodded.

"And then, since I did have the inherent ability-"

"Yes, the celestial constitution."

"My body suppressed the chemicals in the crystal. In the meantime, you somehow knew immediately that I'd consumed the crystal and arrived here...flashily."

"The flashy arrival could be perceived only in the matrix. Your ghostsight was the one that saw the shooting star, which was just a trick my celestial body performed while traversing the matrix. My real body appeared here, of course, but for that, I used a different method."

"Did your main body come through the spatial cracks?" Han Xuhan inquired doubtfully.

"Hahaha...not gonna say, at least not right now."

Sending a narrow-eyed look toward him, Han Xuhan asked the main question troubling him.

"So, does this change anything? Me being suitable for ghost cultivation and all..."

"It changes A LOT of things. For starters, it changes my original intention for meeting up with you, brother Mu something."

"Ah, I remember, you wanted the cultivation technique I practice." Han Xuhan recalled their deal back on the Sunrider Sect's island.

"Initially, yes. But now I would like to change the deal into something more meaningful, more beneficial for both of us."

Finally, things were falling into a template Han Xuhan was familiar with.

Leaning back, he smiled warmly. "Sure, brother Ce. Do state your proposal."

After a pregnant pause, Shangguang Ce declared, "actually, my main aim of meeting you was to invite you in a coalition of sorts. You would not need to disclose your real identity there, for safety measures. It's a partnership union among a diverse bunch of cultivators. We needed someone to represent the northeastern sects, and you were the only cultivator we met in the tournament so far who hails from that territory."

"How did you figure that out?" Han Xuhan asked, squinting.

"Uhm- your clothing, language, skin color, sect emblem, skull shape, hair...how many more clues would I need to figure out this much?"

"..." Han Xuhan was in a bit of shock. He hadn't considered so many factors before. And more importantly, the Sunrider Sect was technologically so advanced that they could probably go as far as testing biometrics and DNA to identify him accurately.

This was quite problematic. If the interests of the two of them ever fell into conflict, he would have to bring huge changes to his usual schemes.

"As I was saying, that was my original intention. But now that I've come to know of your special constitution, I think it would be better for you to not join this coalition," Shangguang Ce said, returning back to the topic.

"Why?"

"Who would let their infant brother play with a knife?"

"...I am neither an infant nor your brother," Han Xuhan said in a dull tone.

"Yes, you are, from the viewpoint of any ghost cultivator, you're an infant who needs to grow, A LOT. Besides, I told you, there aren't many of us out there. If a powerful ghost cultivator ever finds out about your constitution, their first instinct would probably be to kidnap you, and brainwash you into thinking that your orthodox cultivation potential is garbage and that you should become a ghost cultivator under their tutelage. Maybe marry their only daughter too while you're at it and make a big, happy family full of ghost babies."

"It should've been me, not him!" Han Xuhan wailed.

"....What?"

"Your life story sure sounds wholesome, brother Ce."

"Nah, that was my father's. I'm one of those ghost babies they made."

"....."

"Here's how it's gonna be. I'll not attempt any of that. It's up to you to decide whether you want to become a ghost cultivator or not. I'm sure you can calculate which cultivation method would be better for you, let you reach a higher realm, and extract your full potential.

I'll walk you through the future of a ghost cultivator, everything you need to know, and if you feel like becoming one of us, I'll be more than happy to guide you on to this path, for free.

All you need to do is just listen, calculate, and compare.

Which would be more beneficial for you?

Which cultivation method would you be better at? Which road would you prefer?

And then, simply state your answer. I won't interfere or pick sides for you."

Han Xuhan wanted to laugh. Han Xuhan wanted to laugh real hard.

Compare his potential in each of the two cultivation methods?

Compare his future down each road?

What was there to compare?

There is only one answer, and the option to choose is but an illusion.

"No," Han Xuhan said in a tone that left no room for discussion.

"I do not wish to become a ghost cultivator."