186: Chapter 186 Substitute Awakening Arrow

A red fissure slowly unfolded from the distance.

The fissure made no sound, yet it caused Su Bai to feel a faint stinging pain deep within his soul.

A flood of images surged out from behind the fissure.

In the first image, a young professional stood atop the ruins of a city.

Hovering behind him was a massive Stand whose face was identical to his, yet it gripped a blood-stained longblade in its hands.

The professional himself had already fallen to the ground.

Yet the Stand did not stop.

With a single slash, it pierced through its host's chest, then looked up at the fleeing crowd in the distance.

In the second image, a Stand User lay on a soft bed.

His Stand was not manifested.

In the room, a strange old man sat across from him with a hollow gaze.

The Stand ability was bit by bit tampering with the old man's memories, altering a certain real experience into completely false content.

After leaving the room, the old man smiled at the mirror.

He had already forgotten his own name.

In the third image, an automatic-type Stand was hidden in the underground space of a certain city.

It had no master.

Or rather, its master had long since died.

Relying on pre-set instructions, the Stand continuously tracked, killed, and purged everyone who met certain characteristics.

No one knew where it came from.

Nor could anyone find it.

Decades later, only dead silence remained in the entire city.

In the fourth image, a Stand User stood in front of a mirror.

His Mental Power was growing stronger and stronger.

The Stand's size expanded along with it.

From human-shaped to a giant beast, from a giant beast to a mountain, and then from a mountain into a massive shadow covering the vault of heaven.

A fanatical smile was plastered across the host's face.

He could no longer distinguish whether he was controlling the Stand or the Stand was growing by utilizing him.

The images grew more and more numerous.

Desire.

Hatred.

Greed.

Fear.

The darkest parts of all human souls were presented unreservedly by the philosophers stone.

Qin Ye stared fixedly at those images.

The [World] behind her slowly emerged, its dark golden eyes revealing a dangerous glow.

"What are these?"

"Things that might happen in the future."

Su Bai replied.

"Or rather, the most likely outcomes for the Stand System to head towards after going out of control."

Deep within the white space, a genderless voice slowly rang out.

"You create the power of the soul."

"And how will you bear the consequences of the soul going out of control?"

The moment the voice sounded, all the images paused simultaneously.

Those out-of-control Stands, the people whose memories were tampered with, and the automatic-type Stands hunting targets in the city were all frozen in the pure white world.

Immediately after, they slowly turned around.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked toward Su Bai at the same time.

Qin Ye subconsciously stepped forward.

[World] raised its fists, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

"Don't be rash."

Su Bai reached out to stop her.

"It isn't attacking us."

"It's asking a question."

"A question could also be preparation before an attack."

Qin Ye did not lower her vigilance.

The philosophers stone ignored her.

That voice rang out once more.

"Stands originate from the soul."

"The soul possesses desires."

"Desires shape power."

"When power surpasses the controller, who bears the consequences of losing control?"

"Will you take responsibility for everyone killed by Stands?"

The pure white space began to vibrate.

The red spots of light near Su Bai's feet rapidly gathered, transforming into a scale made of blood red before him.

Placed on the left side of the scale were unfamiliar faces one after another.

There were old people.

There were children.

There were warriors.

There were also professionals who once possessed Stands but were ultimately devoured by them.

Placed on the right side of the scale was a soul gem flickering with a dark golden light.

"Answer."

The philosophers stone said.

"What have you prepared for them?"

Su Bai did not answer immediately.

He looked at that blood-red scale, suddenly recalling his situation when he had just arrived in this world.

Everyone said that a Card Creator must adhere to the material's bearing limit.

Everyone said that a low-tier Card Creator could not create high-tier power.

Everyone said that a professional's path was long since fixed, and talent determined how far a person could walk.

Yet he still created a Magical Girl.

And created Stands.

Allowing those people who were originally bound by professions, materials, and talent to gain a chance to re-choose their destiny.

Yet power was never free.

He was well aware of this.

A Magical Girl would turn someone with a tainted heart into a witch.

A Stand would magnify a person's spirit.

If the user themselves was a thorough villain, then a Stand would only make this evil even more dangerous.

Su Bai raised his head.

"I didn't prepare for Stands to be absolutely safe."

Qin Ye was slightly taken aback.

Su Bai's voice echoed in the pure white world.

"A knife can kill people."

"Magic can destroy cities."

"Flames can burn enemies to death, and can also burn down one's own home."

"Even Time Stop can allow a user to commit crimes under circumstances where others cannot resist."

"Power itself is not responsible for good or evil."

The blood-red scale tilted slightly.

The philosophers stone did not refute.

"In that case, on what grounds do you create it?"

"Because without creating it, the power still exists."

Su Bai looked toward those frozen images.

"Humanity will awaken professions, use cards, and research laws."

"Even without Stands, a person possessing strong Mental Power might still tamper with memories."

"Even without Stands, someone will definitely manufacture automated combat devices and use them to kill."

"I cannot guarantee that evil does not exist in the world."

"What I can do is let users see the price clearly."

Su Bai extended his hand.

The blood-red scale began to slowly return to balance.

"A Stand's damage will feed back onto the main body."

"Time Stop will cause the body to bear a load."

"Spiritual interrogation will expose the user's truest fears."

"These are not side effects."

"They are reminders."

"Reminding a person what kind of power they are actually using."

Qin Ye lowered her head and looked at her own hands.

She recalled when she first activated [World], that figure standing deep within her soul, filled with arrogance and a sense of oppression.

If she hadn't truly faced her fears.

If she had only continued to use arrogance to mask her cowardice.

[World] would not have become her power.

It would only become a vine tightening around her neck.

"Stands originate from the soul."

Su Bai slowly said.

"It can magnify desires, but it cannot forge the user's ego."

"It can make a person's will stronger, but it cannot create beliefs for them out of thin air."

"It can evolve and grow along with the spirit, but it cannot detach from the main body and independently decide the host's life."

"This is the first foundational principle of the Stand System."

In the pure white world, all the images vibrated simultaneously.

[Stands originate from the soul.]

A line of golden text emerged in mid-air.

[It can magnify desires, but cannot forge the ego.]

The second line of text slowly generated.

[Stands must not detach from the main body's true will and grow on their own.]

The third line of text fell.

The blood-red scale completely returned to balance.

The philosophers stone was silent for a very long time.

So long that Su Bai thought this trial had already ended.

Suddenly, a red-golden light appeared at the end of the white world.

At first, there was only a trace of light.

Then it rapidly pierced through the entire space.

Those out-of-control Stand images dissipated one by one within the light, transforming into countless tiny star specks.

The starry sky inside the philosophers stone began to rotate once more.

That flickering arrow completely revealed its form for the first time.

The arrow shaft was slender, presenting a deep red throughout its body.

Yet the arrowhead looked as though it was condensed from gold, with countless tiny laws circulating within it.

It was not sharp.

Or rather, its sharpness was not aimed at the flesh.

Su Bai only glanced at it before he could sense that it could pierce through the surface of the soul and touch a person's deepest spiritual essence.

The voice of the philosophers stone rang out once again.

This time, there was a bit more approval.

"Your answer is not perfect."

Su Bai did not refute.

"I know."

"You cannot guarantee that all users are kind."

"I know."

"You also cannot guarantee that all Stands will not go out of control."

"I know."

"Then why do you still choose to continue?"

Su Bai smiled.

"Because someone has to start."

As these words fell.

The red-golden light abruptly contracted.

An arrowhead stripped away from inside the philosophers stone, following a certain unobservable law trajectory, directly piercing through Su Bai's palm.

There was no fresh blood.

There was no pain.

After the arrowhead entered his palm, it transformed into a cluster of red-golden law flames.

The flames spread upward along his arm, ultimately condensing into a complete long arrow in front of Su Bai's right hand.

There were no inscriptions of any kind on the arrow shaft.

Nor did it have a fixed shape.

It seemed to change along with the observer's soul.

What Qin Ye saw was a dark red battle arrow.

What Su Bai saw, however, was an arrow of laws composed of countless Stand outlines entwined with one another.

[True Meaning Law detected.]

[Independent concept path detected: Stand.]

[Establishing core medium...]

[Core medium establishment complete.]

[Name: True Meaning Law - Stand Arrow Prototype.]

[Effect: Pierce into the target's soul, detecting their mental wavelength and Stand compatibility.]

[Effect: Awaken the Stand most suited for the target based on their experiences, desires, will, and soul structure.]

[Effect: Stands cannot be pre-fixed by the creator.]

[Effect: The target cannot acquire a spiritual essence that does not belong to themselves.]

[Remarks: The Stand Arrow does not bestow power.]

[Remarks: The Stand Arrow only lets the target see themselves.]

Su Bai stared intently at the arrow before him.

His breathing involuntarily grew lighter.

This was different from the awakening arrow he had initially conceived.

He had originally wanted to utilize the philosophers stone to craft a tool that could allow anyone to awaken a Stand.

Yet the answer given by the philosophers stone was even more thorough.

It did not choose [World] for people.

Nor did it choose [Star Platinum] for people.

It would only pierce into the soul, allowing everyone to obtain the Stand most suited to themselves.

Some people would obtain powerful Stands.

Some people would obtain weak Stands.

Some people might even obtain nothing at all.

Because a Stand was never a gift bestowed by the outside world.

That was the reflection of a person's soul.

"Is this the true awakening arrow?"

Qin Ye softly asked.

"It's still just a prototype."

Su Bai replied.

"It needs to be comprehended for another seven days."

"However, it can already be used."

Qin Ye looked at that red-golden long arrow and suddenly extended her hand.

"Let me try?"

"You already have a Stand."

"I want to see what it will give me."

"No."

Su Bai decisively put away the Stand Arrow.

"Why?"

"Because your soul has already been permanently anchored by [World], a second test might trigger a system conflict."

Qin Ye regretfully withdrew her hand.

"Then use it on someone else."

Su Bai pondered for a moment.

"We can find a suitable experimental subject."

The pure white world suddenly began to collapse.

The light around them seemed to be folded up by an invisible force, and the white space transformed back into endless darkness.

Qin Ye's figure gradually faded into the distance.

Yet the red-golden Stand Arrow in Su Bai's hand remained clear throughout.

The philosophers stone transmitted one last sentence.

"Seven days later."

"Leave with your answer."

The next instant.

Su Bai opened his eyes.

He was standing once again at the entrance of the philosophers stone secret realm.

The darkness behind the bronze door had already disappeared.

Before his eyes was still that patch of red crystals accommodating the endless starry sky.

Qin Ye stood beside him, her brow slightly furrowed, as if she had just woken up from an extremely long dream.

Li Qingyue's mental projection swiftly came over.

"Su Bai!"

"You're finally awake."

"What just happened?"

Su Bai lowered his head to look at his right hand.

There was nothing there.

Yet within his perception, a red-golden long arrow was quietly floating deep within his soul.

It had already become the first answer given to him by the philosophers stone.

"Master."

Su Bai raised his head, a bright glow flashing in his eyes.

"I know how to make the next card."

"What is it?"

Su Bai looked toward the depths of the secret realm.

More concentrated red-golden laws were flowing there.

"Stand Awakening Arrow."

"It can allow anyone to see their own soul."