Region 9
Ren Ying, Huang Ling, and Li Yuxong were traveling through a forbidden area. This region was marked as one of the most dangerous on the map.
Huang Ling was leading, when Ren Ying suddenly stopped.
He looked at her with a deep gaze and said, "I know you're planning to perform a soul search. Trust me, if you ever do that, it'll be your worst mistake. Even if you find the method for the antidote, you won't be able to make it. This small world doesn't possess the required materials. And we can see who's faster—your soul search, or me destroying the materials."
Huang Ling looked at him and said, "You're overthinking."
At the same time, she cursed inwardly. 'I know he must be bluffing, but I can't take the risk. He knows this—that's why he mentioned it now! Even if I can't soul search him, I can still punish him in other ways.'
Soon, they reached the core area. There, they found a stream of water falling from above—it seemed special.
Ren Ying frowned. He looked upward and saw that the stream appeared out of thin air. He murmured, "Why does this spring appear out of nowhere in this dimension?"
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his expression changed. No, it can't be. He sank into deep thought until Huang Ling snapped him out of it.
"Are you an idiot?" she said sharply.
Ren Ying immediately came to his senses. "What happened?"
"What did you mean when you asked that question?" Huang Ling asked. "Must everything have a source?"
Ren Ying replied as if it were obvious. "Isn't it?"
Huang Ling looked at him like he was a fool. "If everything must have a source, then tell me—why is there something rather than nothing?"
Ren Ying suddenly understood her meaning. 'She's right. If everything needs a cause to exist, then there shouldn't be any universe, humans, or world at all. My question was idiotic. Not every question has an answer, and not everything has a source. But...'
His eyes deepened, and as if a shackle had broken within him, his temperament changed. A trace of despair surfaced at his terrifying realization.
'Even though she's right, if my assumptions are correct, those unanswered questions that caused my bottlenecks might finally make sense. Still, there's no point in thinking too much about it now. I'll revisit it later.'
Ren Ying recollected himself and looked ahead.
Huang Ling said, "I can still feel a deep sense of danger from this pond. I'm sure there must be a Rank 6 peak beast in there."
Ren Ying nodded. "Alright then, I'll take Li Yuxong and wait at the edge. You handle it, and call me when it's done."
Without waiting for her reply, he took Li Yuxong and left.
Huang Ling frowned but said nothing. She took a deep breath and looked at the pond.
"When I last came here, I was only at Rank 5 peak. Now I've reached Rank 6. Even though it won't be easy, I must defeat this."
She took out one of her space rings and summoned the Whirlwind Eagle, now fully healed from its previous wounds.
"Attack the water," she commanded.
Suddenly, a giant gryphon emerged from the lake. Huang Ling's eyes widened."Mistral Gryphon."
It was a Rank 6 peak-stage beast. The Mistral Gryphon had a natural ability to control wind. It immediately stirred the air, creating a cyclone within the water, forming a dragon-shaped vortex.
The water dragon lunged toward the Whirlwind Eagle. The eagle could control both wind and thunder, but its command over wind was weaker than the gryphon's.
Huang Ling didn't give further orders—beasts fought best on instinct. Any unnecessary command could disrupt their rhythm and cause fatal mistakes.
She shouted, "Spiritual Imprint: Divine Phoenix!"
A majestic shadow appeared behind her, startling even the Mistral Gryphon. It stopped attacking the eagle and turned toward Huang Ling.
"Infernal Beam!" she cried.
The gryphon, prepared, used its wind attribute to create hundreds of air layers in defense. The attack weakened layer by layer, and just as it reached the 80th, the gryphon unleashed a Wind Tornado, scattering the remaining energy in every direction.
Ren Ying's expression darkened as fragments of the Infernal Beam shot toward him. He countered with a thunder-type fist technique but was still thrown several meters back into a wall, coughing up blood.
'Am I really this unlucky?' he thought bitterly.
Meanwhile, Huang Ling continued her assault from the front, with the Whirlwind Eagle attacking from behind. Though the gryphon was suppressed, it still had enough strength to keep fighting.
From the looks of it, the battle would not end quickly.
Ren Ying hid behind a huge rock, observing the fight. As the battle intensified over several hours, even the rock shattered, injuring him further.
"Damn it," he cursed, realizing he could no longer stay. He immediately fled the area.
Huang Ling noticed him leaving, and the corner of her lips curled up. She stopped her assault and said in a commanding tone, "Submit to me."
The gryphon roared and lunged at her.
Huang Ling, expecting this, calmly took out a small bell and rang it. The moment the Mistral Gryphon heard the sound, it screamed in agony as if its very soul was burning.
"Submit to me," she repeated.
The gryphon trembled and lowered its head in submission.
Ren Ying, who had apparently returned unnoticed, stood watching with a mocking smile.
As Huang Ling turned around with the beast, her face changed. "When did you—?"
Ren Ying cut her off with disdain. "Your tactics are too childish. Did you really think I'd fall for something so obvious?"
He smirked. "Now, how are you going to compensate me—for my mental suffering?"
Huang Ling frowned. "What do you want?"
Ren Ying smiled. "Both."
"Impossible. Don't push your luck."
Ren Ying's smile faded. He pulled out the remaining antidotes and said coldly, "Shall I destroy them all here?"
Huang Ling's face turned pale. "No!"
Ren Ying grinned. "That's better."
She sighed and took out the Mistral Gryphon and the bell. "This bell is called the Soulbind Chime. It's used for soul attacks, but to use it, one must be able to control soul power. It's useless to you. That's why I'm saying—just take the Mistral Gryphon."
Ren Ying looked at her deeply. "No need. Keep them."
Huang Ling felt a pang of regret. 'He's too smart. I should've just given him the Soulbind Chime without explaining it. My hesitation exposed the trap.'
In fact, Huang Ling knew, deep in her subconscious, that no matter what tactics she used, Ren Ying wouldn't fall for them. If she gave the items without explanation, he would become suspicious; if she explained them, he would find the loopholes. Her only chance was to deceive him about the true power of the Bell—but since he had already witnessed her using it, he would see through any lies instantly.
Her explanation has a major loophole: Ren Ying didn't possess Spiritual Imprint and couldn't sense his own soul. She had already controlled the Mistral Gryphon, so he couldn't regain control over it. She could "lend" it to him, but if he needed it most, it would betray him—and that would be a fatal mistake.
Ren Ying approached the lake and gestured toward the waterfall. "Can you explain its purpose?"
"This is the Soul Spring," Huang Ling replied. "It's extremely rare and can automatically enhance soul cultivation without the need for meditation."
Ren Ying narrowed his eyes. "Continue."
"What?" Huang Ling blinked.
"I don't believe in free gifts," he said. "I need the Soul Spring the most, and it suddenly appears before me? I've never been that lucky."
Huang Ling cursed inwardly. 'This fox...'
She smiled sweetly, as if gloating for his misfortune. "The only drawback is that the longer you stay in the pond, the more pain you suffer. To raise your soul cultivation from the beginning, you'll endure pain like countless ants crawling all over your body, biting your flesh—just to reach Rank 3. The lower your Soul Cultivation, the higher pain you will suffer!"
She added, "Those with soul injuries will feel several times more pain, depending on the severity."
Ren Ying nodded, laughing inwardly. 'She doesn't know I don't have any soul injury.'
Huang Ling reminded him, "Are you sure you want to enter? This isn't something Rank 1 souls can withstand. Your soul must be at least Rank 4 to endure that pain."
Ren Ying thought for a moment, then said firmly, "A person doesn't get many chances in life. If I let this go, I don't know when—or if—I'll ever get another opportunity to strengthen my soul."
He murmured in his heart. 'Fortune is a fickle companion, it comes and goes — persistence is the one thing that sticks with you through every ups and downs.. For me, this is the greatest reward of this entire adventure. Even if I don't get the final inheritance, I'll be satisfied.'
He took off his clothes and entered the periphery of the lake. He didn't go too deep; he wanted to adapt first. The deeper one went, the greater the pain—and the faster the cultivation improved.
As soon as he entered, a searing pain consumed him, and he immediately rushed out. He finally understood why she had warned him.
Huang Ling smirked inwardly, while Li Yuxong remained expressionless.
Ren Ying hesitated briefly, but after recalling his struggles in life, he steeled his resolve again.
He continued entering and exiting the lake repeatedly, shouting curses each time from the agony. He knows that pain is a cruel teacher, it teaches the lessons that comfort cannot.
Huang Ling and Li Yuxong were both puzzled, but Ren Ying ignored them. Initially, he could only endure for one second, but after an entire month of persistence, he could last for a full minute.
Huang Ling said slowly, "A man who fears loss will never know the weight of true gain. This man is fearless—perhaps his achievements will surpass even ours!"
Li Yuxong added, "Only if he stays alive."
Huang Ling was astonished by Ren Ying's progress and perseverance, but she wasn't idle either. She had been cultivating continuously for an entire month. She didn't endure as much pain as Li Yuxong, since her soul cultivation was already near Rank 5 peak.
She entered the deepest part of the lake and began cultivating. Meanwhile, Li Yuxong stayed near the periphery, managing to last for an hour. Inspired by Ren Ying's perseverance, he quietly competed in his own way.