For ten thousand years...
Ten thousand years of existence, and only now did Li Yuan truly focus his attention on a paradox—he had never truly understood what it meant to be a pure soul. For nine thousand, nine hundred and seventy years, he had existed in this form, yet he was like someone too busy using a tool to ever stop and learn how the tool itself worked.
Only thirty years of those ten thousand were spent in a physical body—as Li Yuan, and his body was destroyed during the war between the states of Qin and Lu as he released his understandings. The rest? Nine thousand, nine hundred and seventy years as a pure soul, but always focused on understanding, on searching, on spiritual transformation, so much so that he never stopped to... observe himself.
"Ten thousand years," his consciousness whispered with a subtle mix of awe and irony, "and I'm only now asking: what did I actually choose to become?"
Because that was the key—choice. A pure soul wasn't a state that automatically happened after physical death. A pure soul was a decision. When Li Yuan's physical body was destroyed in the war between the states of Qin and Lu all those years ago, he faced a fundamental choice: to dissolve back into the universal Dao, or to retain his individuality as a separate consciousness.
He chose to be Li Yuan, not the universal Dao.
And that choice brought him into this form of existence that he was only now beginning to systematically explore.
Existence Without a Body
The first thing Li Yuan realized in his exploration was the paradoxical nature of his existence. He still existed even though his physical body had been destroyed years ago. Unlike a spirit bound to a specific location or energy that slowly dissipates, he possessed a stable continuity of consciousness.
"I can exist in the form of light," he experimented, and his consciousness began to manifest itself as a gentle light that vibrated with a familiar frequency. "A light that is not from fire or the sun, but a light of understanding itself."
Then he tried another form. "A shadow..." and his presence changed into a shadow that didn't require an object to cast it—a shadow that existed because of its contrast with spiritual light, not physical light.
"An echo of sound..." and his voice began to resonate in the spiritual realm, even though there were no vocal cords or air to vibrate.
Most fascinating was the realization that the physical world found it difficult to "eliminate" him. No weapon could cut a pure soul, no poison could damage it, no disease could infect it. His existence was not dependent on physical matter, so physical destruction could not touch him.
Dependent on Understanding
The second exploration led Li Yuan to a surprising discovery: he could "wear" his understandings as a temporary body.
"The Understanding of Water..." he concentrated, and his presence began to take on the qualities of water—flowing, adaptable, capable of taking the form of any spiritual vessel. In this state, he could move like a mist, like a spiritual river flow, like a dewdrop condensing from metaphysical air.
"The Understanding of Silence..." and his presence became... almost nothing, yet profoundly present. Like an empty space that defines the shapes around it, he became a presence felt through his very absence.
"The Understanding of Body..." he tried, and felt the ability to form something resembling a physical shape—not of flesh and blood, but a structure made from the concept of what a body is.
Each understanding provided a different "body" with different abilities and limitations. This opened up countless combinations.
Spiritual Mobility
The third exploration revealed incredible freedom. Li Yuan could move in ways a physical body never could.
He was not limited by distance in the conventional sense. His consciousness could "leap" from one location to another simply by focusing—as long as he had a spiritual connection to the destination.
"But I need an anchor," he realized. "A place, an object, or a person that has spiritual resonance. Without an anchor, I could dissolve into the void."
This explained why for so many years, he had always felt drawn to specific places—ancient libraries, the Hexin community, even the academy. These places served as spiritual anchors that prevented him from dissolving into the infinite spiritual dimension.
Limited Interaction with the World
The fourth exploration revealed a significant limitation. As a pure soul, Li Yuan could not perform direct physical interactions. He could not lift objects, could not touch in a physical sense, could not manipulate matter.
"But I can affect the mind," he discovered. His spiritual resonance could calm a restless soul, give courage to the fearful, or—if he chose—instill fear in the malevolent.
This ability was more potent than many physical attacks because it touched a more fundamental aspect of existence—the soul itself.
Inner Immortality
The fifth exploration revealed the most profound aspect: as long as his understanding remained stable, he could exist indefinitely. There was no process of aging because there was no physical body to deteriorate.
"However," he realized with alarming clarity, "if my understanding cracks, if my spiritual foundation shakes... I could dissolve into non-existence."
This made spiritual stability an existential priority. Not just for growth, but for survival in the most basic form.
Building a New Body
The sixth exploration brought Li Yuan to the most exciting possibility: with the Understanding of Body and Existence, he could grow a new body of consciousness.
"I have done this before," he recalled. "As Li Qingshan, I created a body of consciousness that could interact with the physical world."
But now, with sixteen complete understandings, the possibilities were much wider.
"I could combine the Understanding of Body with Water," he mused. "A body that can flow, adapt, take any shape needed. Or Body with Sky—a body with boundless expanse and freedom. Or Body with Oldest Breath..."
The possibilities made his consciousness tremble with anticipation.
Ten Thousand Year Reflection
"Ten thousand years," Li Yuan reflected with a new perspective, "and I'm only now truly understanding the choice I made back then."
When he chose to be Li Yuan rather than dissolve back into the universal Dao, he didn't just choose to retain his individuality. He chose to explore new ways of being, new ways of experiencing reality, new ways of interacting with the world without physical limitations but with a greater spiritual responsibility.
"A pure soul is not a temporary state on the way to something else," the understanding crystallized with perfect clarity. "A pure soul is a valid and complete form of existence—with its own abilities, limitations, and purpose."
And now, with a complete understanding of the nature of a pure soul, Li Yuan was ready to explore possibilities he had never imagined before.
Ten thousand years of existence had finally brought him to the point where he not only existed as a pure soul but truly understood what it meant to be one.
And that understanding opened the door to a completely new phase of exploration in his endless spiritual journey.