A spirit manifested from rules was vastly different from a living being. They were essentially a simple program after creation, operating in accordance with predefined directives. It wasn’t until they came in contact with more living beings and absorbed emotions that they slowly developed their own thoughts and logic, thereby forming a sense of self.

After they defined their own being, they could determine good from evil, right and wrong, perspectives, and craft their own thoughts and plans. They could even possess the ability to learn and gradually evolve toward a true life form.

But they still wouldn’t be truly alive—they continued to behave according to established rules. The Argent Snow spirit’s speech when trying to convince Lu Yun, for example, was likely the influence of a certain being that had become a deeply rooted belief in the spirit’s own mind.

However, Lu Yun’s refute had been so revolutionary that when the spirit’s consciousness...