My Arms Can Turn into Blades-Chapter 253 - 185: Stone

Chen Lusi: "..."

"Speaking of which, if we're talking tiers, Wu You and Xia Panqiu are both higher than you. But when it comes to combat strength, the difference between them and you is worlds apart. I don't even know how you do it.

Condensing external spirit, interrupting techniques, imitating others' authority abilities... and now adding 'cutting-edge' weapons."

As she spoke.

Si Yujie couldn't help but rub her temples: "Such a terrifying array of abilities, and it's all just from a bleeding stage."

Chen Lusi fell silent for a moment at this, then asked: "Should I apologize?"

Si Yujie gave Chen Lusi a speechless glance, then sighed: "Come here."

Chen Lusi frowned and walked over.

Si Yujie leaned over, reaching out to tug his ponytail hard: "Couldn't you tell? I'm praising you!"

Chen Lusi: "..."

Are these people doing this on purpose?

"You're about to advance, right? Let me tell you about the Stone Stage."

Si Yujie exhaled and stopped tugging Chen Lusi's ponytail, soon straightening her expression to talk about the matter at hand: "The Stone, it's the most crucial hurdle for an empowerer... It's also the most critical factor in determining an empowerer's limit."

"As for what I just mentioned about 'Che Xin', you should have guessed it's from an idiom, right? What do you think it represents here?"

Chen Lusi thought for a bit, recalling something Si Yujie had mentioned before, and uncertainly replied: "...Soul?"

"That's right."

Si Yujie nodded gently, continuing: "Here it refers to... the soul. The so-called 'Che Xin' refers to the Stone that can contain the soul, except it can hold too little, like a drop in the ocean, hence the name."

"Stone containing soul..." Chen Lusi repeated, frowning, finding it a bit unbelievable.

"I found it unbelievable back then too."

Si Yujie, seeing Chen Lusi's expression, immediately understood what he was thinking, explained: "But facts have proven that this path summarized by our predecessors works."

Chen Lusi said nothing, just nodded slowly.

Si Yujie glanced at Chen Lusi's chest and continued: "The Stone Stage is actually divided into five phases, which are Core Gathering, Solid Core, Che Xin, Zhan Kan, and Seal.

The first phase, Core Gathering, is just as it sounds. The spirit solidifies into a tangible form, forming a small core in the heart. Currently, Xia Panqiu and Wu You are at this stage. Although this stage is considered Stone, it actually doesn't differ much from ordinary empowerers, mainly allowing for more spirit containment within the body.

The second phase is Solid Core, meaning the stone is stabilized and has a certain scale... but still can't contain a soul. This stage significantly differs from the bleeding-stage empowerers.

The most significant change is that because the stone has grown, the spirit one can manipulate becomes more abundant, as the container has fundamentally changed. Also, the spirit in the body will undergo some mutation, becoming more 'heavy' and solid; to put it simply, its density will be higher.

Shu Li is currently at this stage... You know about her ability to 'fly,' right?"

Chen Lusi nodded.

"That's the advantage of this stage. The spirit in the body has fundamentally changed, and with just a small amount, one can support their body weight."

Si Yujie said softly: "That's right, their so-called flying is actually floating mid-air on spirit, or gliding in the air on spirit. It's nothing remarkable, just looks impressive."

Chen Lusi: "..."

"And the third phase, Che Xin, is another watershed moment. At this stage... the stone has expanded to a level that can contain a soul. Empowerers at this stage will try to cut a piece of their complete soul and insert it into the stone to complete the metamorphosis.

Reaching this stage is what truly counts as 'Stone.' Yet, I can't really explain the specific changes, just like how humans can't quite comprehend a cat's sensation of having a tail; you can only understand it by cutting part of your soul and placing it in the stone yourself.

The only thing I can say is, this stage is a complete metamorphosis. Empowerers at this stage will feel like the spirit in their body is their 'tail.'

"So you're at this stage?"

Chen Lusi thought for a bit and curiously asked.

"You could say that."

Si Yujie nodded and then lightly shook her head: "Because the definition of this stage is very vague, broadly speaking, I haven't actually allowed the stone to contain my entire soul... But narrowly, I'm not at this stage, as the volume is no longer at a drop-in-the-ocean level."

"So it's... Zhan Kan?" Chen Lusi hesitated to ask.

"Yes."

Si Yujie nodded in acknowledgment: "Roughly half of my soul is in the stone, which isn't much, but it should be considered upper-level within the Celestial Strategy Mansion. Regarding Zhan Kan, it originally referred to surveying and eliminating malevolent spirits. To empowerers..."

At this point, she suddenly paused, stretched out her white fingers, and lightly tapped Chen Lusi's chest, then said softly: "This term means understanding what you want or don't want, exploring the deep-rooted thoughts embedded in the soul and in the bones."

Chen Lusi frowned, not understanding.

"You'll know in time."

Seeing Chen Lusi's expression, Si Yujie's beautiful face suddenly broke into a smile: "Given your performance lately, I believe... you will definitely succeed.

Chen Lusi: "..."

"As for the benefits of this stage."

Si Yujie looked at the still confused Chen Lusi, smiled again, didn't explain, but continued: "It's different for everyone. If I were to give myself as an example... do you remember I once said I could enter a state that temporarily grants me some close-combat capabilities?"

"That's the benefit?"

"Yes."

Si Yujie acknowledged and continued: "Lastly, there's the Seal stage, which I haven't reached, so I won't explain since I don't know the situation there. You might ask Xia Yue, if he's still around."

"Got it."

Chen Lusi lowered his head in thought for a moment, then asked: "So is the Seal the end?"

"..."

Si Yu, hearing this question, paused and then responded: "Honestly, I don't know."

Chen Lusi was slightly taken aback: "You don't know?"

"Do you know what the stone is made of?"

Si Yujie asked in return, then self-answered: "It's actually the spirit... transformed into solid spirit."

Then.

She pointed to her proud chest, continuing: "Our souls are held inside, merging with the spirit, which has many benefits, such as the spirit the body can contain growing exponentially, enabling the spirit to act as your 'tail,' but it also has a drawback.

Which is—our souls will become incomplete. In the short term, this isn't really a drawback; it could even count as an advantage. Some empowerers, even if their flesh perishes, can remain alive if the stone is intact... thanks to the stone's ability to hold the soul.

But think about it, is an incomplete soul really a good thing?"

Chen Lusi hesitated briefly, then said: "Are you saying... there's a way to reintegrate a broken soul later on?"

"Possibly. Do you know where the fancy names for each Stone Stage come from?"

Si Yujie said softly: "They're actually passed down from ancient times, and apart from Core Gathering, Solid Core, Che Xin, Zhan Kan, and Seal, there are actually a few more names: Broken Core, Rebirth, Reshape, Soul Detachment, and... Unity of Heaven and Man."

"However, to say those names prove something would be far-fetched, as we have no definitive evidence of what exactly happened with our ancestors." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"What truly makes me suspicious aren't the names but the supposedly miraculous stone you brought back from the Monkey Anomaly Realm."

"Because that stone... has no trace of a soul whatsoever."