In a quiet, spacious room lit by dim violet lamps, a young man sat cross-legged on the floor. His breathing was calm, his eyes half-closed, his body unmoving—as though he had entered a deep trance.This person was Li Mu.
After purchasing new clothes and renting a room in one of the more reputable inns within the market district, he finally had a moment of peace. For once, no one insulted him or chased him away. Even the mask he used to hide his appearance had been removed, safely tucked away in his pocket.
Settling himself into a comfortable position, Li Mu activated Infinite Insights.
Weng…
The world around him faded. Countless strands of inspiration, knowledge, and clarity surged into his mind. The cultivation method he had read earlier echoed faintly in his consciousness.
He decided to begin with the Soul Path, then pursue the Body Path later.
But just as he prepared to start, Li Mu froze.
Something was wrong.
The first step of the Soul Path—igniting the Neural Spark—required a special piece of technology:a Neural Spark Chip.
A device so expensive that even families far wealthier than him couldn't afford it without starving for months. For someone who once lived in the Rust District, such a treasure might as well have been locked in the heavens.
Li Mu exhaled shakily.
So even cultivation starts with immense wealth…
Still, he wasn't discouraged. He simply activated Infinite Insights again—this time pushing it to his current limit.
Immediately, his mind flooded with possibilities—formula alterations, structural diagrams, alternative energy pathways, and theoretical substitutes.
"If I can't afford a proper Neural Spark Chip… then I'll build one."
An improvised soul-stimulation device using:
A cracked microprocessor
A damaged spirit sensor shard
Loose neural thread wires
Adhesive polymer gel
And a drop of his own blood
The idea was insane. No sane cultivator would attempt something so dangerous.
But Li Mu wasn't relying on sanity.
He had Infinite Insights.
Back to the Rust District
Night fell.
Li Mu donned his distortion mask again—his face twisting into an unrecognizable pattern—and rushed toward the border of the Rust District. His old hideout wasn't far from a certain secret depot, a black market known only to scavengers and criminals.
From his inherited memories, he found a narrow slit between piles of rusted metal. From the outside, the place looked like an ordinary mound of trash. But as he approached with intent, the faint outline of a door shimmered into view.
A hidden field—vision distortion tech.For scavengers to have something like this… Li Mu couldn't help but be impressed.
He knocked.
A rough voice barked from behind the metal door.
"What's the code word?"
"All things return to scrap."
Clack!The field dropped instantly. The door swung open, revealing a long neon-lit tunnel beneath the junk.
Li Mu stepped in.
The deeper he went, the louder the noise became. Eventually, the tunnel opened into an underground bazaar filled with stalls, shadowed figures, illegal tech, glowing wares, and the pungent smell of metal and demon blood.
Signs marked different sections:
A1: Arms
A2: Demon Parts
B1: Metals
B2: Processors, Wires, Neuro-Tech
C1: Slaves
C2: "Special Requests"
A black market this organized couldn't exist without powerful backing.Li Mu mentally noted that for later.
Collecting the Components
He moved quickly from stall to stall.
Cracked microprocessor?Bought.
Damaged spirit sensor shard?Bought.
Adhesive polymer gel?Bought.
But the most important part—neural thread wires—were rare even here. Only shops with connections to demon hunters or corpse scavengers would have them.
He asked around.
Eventually, he was pointed toward a deeper, darker part of the bazaar.
A crooked sign hung above a cluttered stall:
"COGBURN'S JUNKS & ODDITIES"
Li Mu stepped inside.
The shop was a mess of metal casings, broken tech, half-functional implants, cracked lenses, and unlabelled components. Every inch of the shelves held something suspicious or downright dangerous.
In the corner sat an old man on a rocking chair, snoring loudly.
Li Mu knocked on the counter.The old man jerked awake and glared.
"What d'you want, boy?"
"I need neural thread wires."
The old man stopped rocking.
Slowly, he sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes at Li Mu—really looking at him for the first time.
He squinted.Then scoffed.
"Nobody buys neural thread wires for decoration.""You're trying to make a Neural Spark with scrap, aren't you?"
Li Mu didn't answer.
Old Cogburn continued, voice low.
"Do you know what happens to folks who try that, boy?""Madness… memory loss… or their soul burns out like a broken bulb."
Li Mu simply met his gaze calmly.
"I still want to buy it," he said. "Better to risk everything than live a normal life."
For a moment, silence hung in the shop.
Then Old Cogburn's eyes flashed—sharp, calculating, and suddenly much too clear for a senile junk dealer.
A strange smile tugged at his lips.
"…I'll give it to you for free."
Li Mu blinked.
"But if you succeed," the old man continued, voice lowering,"you must return to this shop. Immediately."
Something was unsettling in those words.
But Li Mu wasn't in a position to question generosity.
He accepted.
And left.
Hurrying down the streets, a glint of movement caught Li Mu's eye.
A group of young men swaggering through the alley—faces twisted with cruelty.
Faces he recognized.
The ones who killed the previous Li Mu.
Anger surged uncontrollably through his chest.His heartbeat tightened.
For a brief moment, he felt something inside him shift.
A faint whisper…A final lingering emotion…Then—
The last fragments of the old Li Mu's soul scattered into nothing.
Li Mu smiled coldly.
"Since I inherited your body… let me give you a parting gift."
With silent footsteps, he began tailing the group from behind.
The night grew darker.
And Li Mu's shadow grew sharper.