After knocking on the door reluctantly, the servant knelt in front.

  — Sir, Mr. Chen is requesting an audience. He said it is something of utmost importance... — she said, trembling, and then clenched her fists tightly as she lowered her eyes — ...related to the forest.

  She quickly bowed to the floor as the door opened. The strength in her fists faded and her eyes closed.

  A shadow appeared ahead.

  — Where is he?

  — I-In the main hall, sir.

  Xiao Feng walked out with steps that seemed to shake the ground, finishing adjusting his clothes as he walked.

  Raising her head first, the servant slowly stood up. She saw Qing sitting at the edge of a distant bed, using sheer fabric to cover her arms, nothing more, and never to hide them. She bowed briefly and indifferently. — Excuse me..., madam. — And then she left, leaving the door as it was.

  Qing stood up, dragging the soft, thin fabric across her skin. A little before the door, she stopped. The dawn sky seemed darker than usual. The air, colder and... strange.

  Yun'er...

  Her chest hurt more than ever before. The taste in her mouth had never been so bitter, disgusting, and detestable. Repulsive, as much as her reflection. The heavens seemed to take the shape of that once-loving gaze, now looking at her with so much distance and coldness.

  She clenched her fists, but did not cry. She couldn't. Inside, she felt she didn't deserve forgiveness. Even in her own thoughts, she would tell herself a loud, resounding no.

  Dragging the door open without any desire, she would isolate herself from the world. Imprisoning herself far from everything. However, in the sky, something caught her attention. A golden glow with growing presence and sounds slowly spreading along clouds formed of darkness. The morning light hid, fleeing from the darkness.

  — How can you say it's not time for this? He's my son! Damn it, you used my son!

  — I already said, forget it. We have more important things to deal with now! — Chen Fang slammed his palm on the table, scattering dust. — The cave... it's empty.

  — What?! He left?

  A heavy and trembling laugh echoed through the room, but it was low, restrained. In Chen Fang's mind, the image of the destroyed place appeared. Vivid, yes. From his spatial pouch, something jumped onto the table: a head.

  — Looks like he wasn't so lucky, huh?

  Xiao Feng trembled. He fumbled as he tried to stand, but didn't fall. He looked at the face, his eyes flickering over it. It was undeniable. He then looked back at Chen Fang. — How?!? — He didn't understand. How could someone at an unreachable level die so degradingly overnight?

  — I don't know. It was obvious something had happened after all that commotion, so when I went to deliver my part, I could tell it was true before I even got close to the cave. Part of the forest was destroyed and the barrier was gone. — Chen Fang revealed, tapping his fingers nervously against the table. — Maybe that supposed 'god'... — he supposed.

  — Then did they also take the spring water?

  — I can't say... — he said, lowering his head, avoiding eye contact. — I didn't have the courage to go into the cave and check.

  — But what about the sect, what do we do now? What's the use of a corpse's promise? How are we going to get out of here now? After all we did and, above all, after what you did, they won't let this go unanswered. If he already knows, Undric must be just preparing to act.

  — Yes... we need to find a way to leave.

  Xiao Feng dropped into the chair and both fell into silent thought for a moment, surrounded only by the increasing howling winds blowing in through the door, moving it.

  — The forest beasts aren't approaching the path yet, so maybe we can try to find an exit through there, — Chen Fang proposed.

  — But the sect is to the west of here, — Xiao Feng pointed out. — What good would it do to head in the opposite direction?

  — We won't die like dogs in this place!

  A booming thunderbolt cut through the sky and its deafening sound made them shudder. They stood together in a jump. Swords in hand, but not steadily. And both pairs of legs stiff. Something on this scale, if it were an attack, there would be nothing they could do. Moving slowly, they walked to the entrance, their eyes roaming, searching for the cause of such disturbance.

  The doors slammed as if sensing something. With trembling hands, they held them in place side by side.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  They looked around and saw nothing. However, in the skies, they watched the lightning stretch out, increasing in number and gathering together, merging. Taking shape. Until, emerging from within the dark clouds, they saw a dragon roar, striking their hearts.

  Their legs gave way and they could no longer reach them. Wordless and unmoving, they kept their eyes fixed on the creature. They didn't even dare to tremble, for they felt death waiting nearby. If they wished, all they had to do was walk toward it and grasp its welcoming, beautiful hands.

  It was decided, they needed to leave those lands.

  It spun, gliding with sublime and majestic movements. Such a beast shouldn't exist in this world, a universal understanding. Not in a kingdom so small and desolate, abandoned. It shouldn't...

  The sky split open before the entire city as the creature descended. And then... utter silence... Except for the traces in a sky that gradually brightened again, erasing the clouds and the strange night, nothing remained.

  — My sea of consciousness... So this is what it looks like?

  Ting walked along the path that emerged beneath her steps, observing the surroundings. The trees, the birds on the branches, many of them, and further away, an incomplete bridge...

  What exactly were these things supposed to mean?

  The golden dragon suddenly appeared, battling the shadows from Noah's essence and consuming them. However, he didn't seem dangerous, even obeying her command to circle in the dark sky.

  Maybe it's something related to the system? She wanted to be wrong, but she couldn't think of another option. Apparently, it replaced the other two. I just hope this didn't mess up the creation of the connection.

  Yet, her sea of consciousness, Ting could not understand why it had gone in that direction.

  — Your true self, your purest essence. Mine is trees, animals, and this... a broken bridge?

  She knelt by the riverbank, feeling that she couldn't cross the bridge. Her heart sank into nothingness the instant she even thought about it, tightening and emptying. No emotions or actions, just an empty shell is all that would remain.

  — Aunt Ling's sea of consciousness was a sea of suspended ropes, where every personal desire she fought to realize would result in one more cord being split. She said it was something about 'attachment' to material things. She also said the best way to discover the meaning of your sea of consciousness... — swallowing hard, Ting's hand trembled as it neared the raging water — ...is to test it yourself...

  Her chest sank into such deep bitterness, rage, hatred, and pain that she found herself drowning, though only the tip of her nail touched the water. Between weakness and darkness, Ting could see no more.

  The dragon roared in the skies, bringing her back to the surface, her consciousness released.

  She dragged herself away from the edge immediately. Her disordered breathing trembled along with her palms and legs. — Th-Thank you...

  Even if she hadn't learned much, one thing was clear. She couldn't touch the river, otherwise, she'd be carried off by the current with no chance to resist.

  — I really don't get it... How am I supposed to test in a sea of consciousness like this, Aunt Ling? — Rising, she looked around, analyzing the environment one last time. — For this place to be so big already, I must not have just crossed into Foundation Establishment, but skipped through some smaller stages.

  She sighed. If her grandfather's book was real, the words written in it weren't to be taken lightly.

  — Comprehension and power, only together can lead me to achieve something, — she murmured, recalling one of the most emblematic phrases in the book. — Coming from something that describes the fall of many Nascent Soul monsters, it can't be a lie. If I keep focusing only on Qi from now on, my foundation will end up fragile.

  Looking up, she waved goodbye to the dragon. Then, sighing, her body vanished, swept away by the sudden wind that drifted around her.

  The electric energy continued to dissipate slowly and gradually. Ting didn't seem to have fully absorbed it when she opened her eyes before shutting them again.

  As soon as the system message appeared, stating the purification was complete, Noah ran across the marked ground, ignoring every bolt that struck his body, splitting into thin, fragile lines. He was followed by He Rui, who did the same moments later.

  To both their relief, Ting was unharmed, unlike her clothes. She remained in the same position, still meditating.

  They sighed together, but then Noah frowned. — Return, now.

  He Rui looked around, wondering if those words referred to her. But no. Xiao Yun and the others remained paralyzed a little deeper in the forest.

  While lifting Ting into the air, he added, — Find a spacious place where you can train, and wait for us there.

  Everyone withdrew without further trying to see what had happened. They knew they would be noticed, and they didn't want to witness what might happen if they did.

  Noah and He Rui returned to the hut at a slow pace, taking care so that not even a leaf would touch Ting's body.

  — She'll be all right, right?

  — Uh-huh — he opened the door and turned Ting's body in midair so her shoulders wouldn't hit the entry boards. That made Noah realize that, in fact, the place was too small. — She just needs to rest now. But we can't touch her during this time, understand?

  He Rui nodded, then returned with Xiao Ying to sit near the bed. She knelt to set him down on the floor. — You can't do that either, understand? — she said, patting the cub's head with a gentle smile.

  After making the bed, Noah carefully placed Ting on it.

  — I'll go to the residence to let them know they don't need to worry about what happened. Would you rather wait here or go meet the others first?

  — I'll wait for you.

  — All right. I'll be quick, so take care of her meanwhile.

  Having left the hut, Noah made the nearby trees sway as he moved. The hut's roof trembled from the wind he generated. His explanations were brief and without much detail. Undric and Mirabel didn't show up to check the situation, perhaps they were sleeping or training. Noah thought that was good, as it avoided complications. But when he went after more blank notebooks and ink, Guang So ended up finding him.

  — That was amazing, boy... Scary, yes, but amazing, — he commented with a distant look. — Thanks for showing me a glimpse of what the true path of immortality is.

  He turned away, chuckling weakly and quietly, retreating with slow steps.

  — I wonder if those who truly walk that path see this kind of magnificent vision regularly...? — he murmured, speaking more to himself than anyone else.

  Noah watched the old man walk away, for it seemed odd to him. Someone he thought was cold suddenly showed such fragility... Strange. Despite the odd discomfort, he ignored the growing darkness within Guang So and followed his own way.