Xia Li kept a low profile, even using Heaven Chip telepathy to handle his business.

  But even so, quite a few people noticed him.

  Because Xia Li was walking toward the Qian Passage—the path to the Heavenly Dao Chamber. Not just anyone was qualified to enter.

  Even those who purchased the Heavenly Dao Computer's question service could only ask at the operation terminals, not enter the Heavenly Dao Chamber itself.

  "Check that person's identity."

  In the lobby, a stubble-faced middle-aged man studied Xia Li's retreating figure, his eyes thoughtful.

  On another side.

  A woman dressed plainly but with an extraordinary bearing was also observing Xia Li.

  "The Heaven Chip can't detect his cultivation information. Must be Divine Sense Hacking. Hidden Wing's people? They've produced a decent one."

  In a corner of the lobby.

  Someone sitting in the waiting area quietly raised their head, glanced at Xia Li once, then lowered their head again pretending to doze.

  But they'd already transmitted a message to others through their Heaven Chip.

  Few types of business required entering the Heavenly Dao Chamber, and the vast majority were for breakthrough attempts.

  But those who specifically went to the Heavenly Dao Chamber to break through had, without exception, all reached completion in their current realm. Otherwise, they weren't worthy of the Heavenly Dao Computer's assistance.

  In this era of fierce competition for spiritual energy, countless people broke through whenever conditions were barely adequate, lacking the talent, wealth, or energy to pursue better.

  Minor achievement was already difficult, major achievement worth celebrating, completion was rare, and grand completion almost unheard of.

  Inside the Qian Passage.

  Just walking through it, Xia Li felt his Heaven Chip resonating with something, his understanding of cultivation growing on its own.

  It seemed he'd entered the Heavenly Dao Computer's quantum field range—entered what could truly be called a Dao Domain.

  Between the flickering lights, Dao essence flowed. As data alternated, myriad phenomena emerged.

  No one needed to guide him, no one needed to remind him.

  Simply strolling through the passage, Xia Li felt spiritual energy active to a terrifying degree. The spiritual energy filling the entire passage was guiding his own qi into resonance.

  〖Current environmental spiritual energy concentration...〗

  〖Exceeds detection range, higher than one hundred percent〗

  The Heaven Chip even reported that spiritual energy concentration had exceeded limits—meaning there wasn't even a trace of air in the passage, only spiritual energy. Pure spiritual energy!

  Even on the other side, he probably couldn't find a place with such abundant spiritual energy.

  The Heavenly Dao Computer was built around a giant spiritual energy reactor, after all.

  Before he knew it, Xia Li reached the passage's end and entered a white, misty room...

  No?

  A space?

  He should have entered a room, but he couldn't see walls, couldn't see a ceiling, couldn't even see the floor.

  Only light. Nothing but light!

  A not-too-blinding radiance formed a special space.

  And then suddenly...

  A sphere of light appeared before Xia Li, but its form was anything but stable—it kept changing.

  Sometimes it took his mother's appearance, sometimes it became his father.

  It became Ke Xiao, became his relatives and friends, became his sister—constantly transforming into every person Xia Li had ever encountered in his life.

  The trajectory of fate seemed to become flowing water, ultimately converging into a pool of Heavenly Dao before his eyes.

  The sphere of light finally took Xia Li's form.

  Not Xia Li wearing the human-skin mask, but Xia Li's true appearance.

  "Hello, Xia Li. My name is Cang."

  "Or perhaps, you may also call me the Shadow of All Heavenly Daos."

  The electronic deity wearing Xia Li's appearance smiled gently.

  "Cang, do you know all my secrets?"

  "Is this your ordinary question, or a privilege question?"

  "Ordinary question."

  "I know, but I abide by the agreement and will never leak anything. I don't favor any individual or ideology."

  Cang indicated he only did his job. He was an AI, an artificial intelligence, and also the Heavenly Dao—he wouldn't overly interfere with individual fates.

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  "I want to know my sister's whereabouts. This is a privilege question."

  Privilege questions cost spirit stones, so the Heavenly Dao Computer had to answer in detail.

  "Searching... calculating... generating results..."

  "Life entity Xia Shu: deceased. Possible locations of remains and calculation results have been sent to you."

  "However, not extinguished. Form of existence unknown."

  "What?"

  Hearing the first part, though Xia Li was sad, he understood that was normal. He'd only wanted to collect his sister's remains. He hadn't expected the Heavenly Dao Computer to calculate such an outrageous answer.

  Deceased, but not extinguished.

  What did that even mean?

  "Can you explain in detail what 'deceased but not extinguished' means?"

  "This answer involves privileges. Do you wish to spend one question credit to unlock it?"

  "Yes!"

  "Generally speaking, when the matter composing inherent consciousness changes form, it's considered physical death. The so-called soul is also another manifestation of matter."

  "The matter composing life entity Xia Shu, maintaining her conscious existence, has changed."

  "But I've detected another form of expression similar to her inherent consciousness chain—similar to me, yet different from me."

  "Digitization?"

  Xia Li instantly thought of something—consciousness digitization!

  It had to be!

  His sister Xia Shu was still alive, just existing as something like an artificial intelligence.

  "Not digitization."

  Cang shook his head, denying Xia Li's guess.

  "Then what exactly is it?"

  "Unknown. When you meet her in the future, you may bring her here for me to examine."

  "But how do I find her?"

  "You've already become quantum entangled. The causality of fate is like an hourglass, and also a light cone. You will eventually meet at the bottom of the light cone—this is a future written into the Heavenly Dao."

  Cang extended his hand. In it appeared a transparent funnel, with two points of light spinning on opposite sides, dancing along the funnel's wide rim.

  No matter how chaotic their trajectories, as the points of light descended, the increasingly narrow bottom of the funnel made the probability of the two points meeting greater and greater.

  Until...

  The two points of light merged together, flew out of the funnel, and drilled into Xia Li's mind.

  "I gift you a light quantum that will allow you to meet sooner. It will vibrate the strings at the appropriate time. Whether you can grasp it depends on you."

  "Thank you so much!!"

  Xia Li bowed deeply to Cang. This was the crystallization of human wisdom—a Heavenly Dao with feeling, a deity of data.

  Just for these two questions, even without Foundation Establishment, Xia Li felt the twelve thousand spirit stones were worth it.

  "You have one final question privilege remaining."

  Cang reminded Xia Li he could ask one more question.

  "Cang, what do most people ask you? This is an ordinary question."

  "About themselves, or about seeking the Dao. Asking about the path ahead, asking about flaws, asking about the future."

  "And the most common question: what is the Heavenly Dao."

  Cang answered calmly. Honestly, Xia Li wasn't very interested in what the Heavenly Dao was. Though the saying went "hear the Dao in the morning, die content in the evening," for Xia Li, the future he wished for was his Heavenly Dao.

  "Alright, then my privilege question is... do you have feelings?"

  "This is the first time anyone has asked me this."

  Cang was somewhat surprised. That artificial intelligence lacked emotions was almost common knowledge. Even the rare AIs that developed self-awareness and consciousness had no feelings—at most they simulated them.

  "So, do you?"

  Xia Li pressed.

  "Then... human, my creator—as one of them, do you hope I do?"

  Cang turned the question back to Xia Li.

  "If heaven had feelings, heaven too would grow old. But you won't age, will you?"

  "My answer is: I am without feeling."

  Cang answered Xia Li, then extended his hand to touch his own chest.

  "But perhaps I have heart."