You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

"For example," Qi Fei gave an example, "a woman becomes irritable during her period. Does she want to be irritable? No, she doesn't."

"But she couldn't control herself because her body entered that state; it was her body that made her irritable."

Chuixiao blinked, seemingly lost in thought.

It's as if they're cannibalistic. They don't want to eat people, but they can't help it.

Because cannibalism is their biological instinct.

Qi Fei then looked at Nuan Yang: "For example, that immortal master you mentioned."

"Does he become exceptionally rational after each service, speaking eloquently and logically, like a great sage?"

Nuanyang paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes...that's exactly right. Every time after we're done, the things he talks about are especially beautiful, and we all love listening to them."

Chuixiao nodded in agreement: "He was a completely different person back then."

Qi Fei withdrew his hand and looked at them.

"That's his 'post-coital period,' a kind of biological instinct. So, do you understand?"

"You want to eat people, not because 'you' want to eat them, but because of the 'me' inside you. That uncivilized 'me' that still retains the instincts of a wild beast is driving you."

In those two beautiful eyes, there was first confusion, then sudden realization, and finally a bright understanding.

They finally understood.

Why do I always find myself unable to resist eating people even though I don't want to?

Why do I always feel regret and pain after eating?

Why do the two "selves" argue endlessly about this, yet neither can convince the other?

It turned out to be the case.

It turns out that it wasn't "they" who wanted to eat it at all; it was the deeper, more primal "me" that was causing the trouble.

The two exchanged a glance, realizing that the immortal master before them was indeed capable.

"The second me," Qi Fei continued, extending his second finger, "is the innate self. It is the inherent nature of every being."

"It is the fundamental logic and mental structure that everyone is born with; it is the innate essence of 'who I am'!"

"This fundamental nature is not altered by the acquired physical body, nor by learning experiences."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two faces:

"This second 'I' is the 'I' that we can usually perceive. The 'I' that can perceive, judge, coordinate logically, and balance conflicts."

"And this is how you are now. The logic behind all your actions ever since you suddenly understood 'me' comes from this."

He pointed to their two heads: "Precisely because you have two heads, it better shows that this 'I' is not the 'I of physical instincts'."

"Because this is a unique, innate difference in mindset that is unique to each individual."

"Everyone is different, and every mind thinks differently. This is innate, not driven by hormones, nerves, or biological instincts."

Nuanyang looked at her and realized for the first time that although they were in the same body, their ways of thinking were indeed different.

They felt their own existence so acutely that they felt every word Qi Fei said resonated with them and struck a chord with them.

Absolutely right, absolutely right!

The two heads looked at each other and suddenly became so excited that they could hardly contain themselves.

A flash of light appeared, and the two heads revealed their true forms.

The enormous two-headed python rolled around in the cave, its two millstone-sized heads rubbing against the cave walls, its long body twisting and turning, its tail slapping the ground with a loud cracking sound, just like a child who had received candy, frolicking and rolling around.

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master!" the two heads shouted in unison, their voices filled with excitement. "Quickly, say the third 'I'! Say it, say it!"

Qi Fei watched the enormous creature rolling around on the ground, then held up his third finger and said, "The third 'me' is the acquired rational ideal self."

"This is the 'me' that gradually formed after learning, experiencing, and exploring."

"Using reason as a tool and ideals as a goal, it is an 'upward self' with moral judgment, self-discipline, and a pursuit of transcendence."

He looked at the two snakeheads who had quieted down and were listening attentively, and slowly said:

"Just like you, wanting to become immortals, wanting to attain enlightenment. That desire to become better, to transcend the current situation, is the third self at work."

"Every being has an upward pursuit and wants to live a better life. This pursuit will form the final 'me'."

At this point, the two-headed python finally understood what the "three selves" that the immortal master had been talking about all those years ago really meant.

It turns out it wasn't just a charade; there really is such a reason.

But even though I understood, problems arose.

"But..." Chuixiao twisted her body, her four enormous eyes, along with Nuanyang's, staring at him expectantly, "How can we cultivate a third head?"

Qi Fei looked at the two heads in front of him, at the identical expectation and confusion on their faces, and remained silent for a moment.

"If your cultivation had proceeded normally," he said slowly, "you should now have three heads."

Chuixiao and Nuanyang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion.

"One is the body's instinctual self," Qi Fei said. "It wants to eat, sleep, mate, and do everything to satisfy its desires. But it is suppressed by the second head."

"The second one is the 'I' you are now, the innate 'I'. It governs your daily thinking, judgment, and decision-making. It can suppress instincts, but it cannot eliminate them."

"The third head is the acquired rational and ideal self. It is responsible for striving upwards, making moral judgments, and exercising self-discipline. Ultimately, the other two heads must listen to it."

He withdrew his hand and looked at them: "You only have two heads, and even the thoughts of these two heads are flawed. This shows that your cultivation has gone astray."

"Then how can we remedy this?" Nuanyang asked anxiously, her voice filled with worry.

Qi Fei thought for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know either."

For a person, these three "selves" exist simultaneously, integrated into one, and are indistinguishable from one another.

But monsters are different.

The difference between a monster and a beast seems to be that he understood "me".

Because of the existence of "self", we can distinguish between "self" and "world", and thus we can cultivate ourselves.

But he truly didn't know how to cultivate on this path.

He was just a human, and had only been cultivating for three years. His only cultivation method was the "Shadow God Technique".

The reason he knew about the three "selves" was because he had too many theories in his previous life.

What about "id, ego, superego", "biological, social, spiritual", "sensibility, rationality, will"?

Looking at the two disappointed faces of the two-headed beautiful python, and its four dimmed eyes, Qi Fei pondered for a moment before speaking:

"Although I do not know the path of demon cultivators, I have a story about shadows that I can tell you."

"Shadow?" Chui Xiao asked, puzzled.