Reeling In

In the sky Lake of Rebirth Secret Realm, hazy bands of light often flicker and shift, as if the distant Aurora were projected onto the dome of this desolate world.

The bands of light were dark in color, occasionally interspersed with a pale white. They slowly crawled and dissipated, only to coalesce again, bringing a strange and dynamic beauty to this eternally silent space.

As light and darkness alternated, ever-changing shadows were cast onto the Chaos lake surface below.

Su Bai flew low along the lake shore on his Sword Flight, with the boundless Lake of Rebirth beside him and the flowing, dark Aurora above his head.

After searching for several hours, his gaze was drawn to a rocky area protruding from the Sand Bank.

The rugged, gray-black rocks there have stood silent for countless years, their surfaces smooth and cold, with the tallest boulders reaching tens of feet in height.

If there is space inside the rock mass, it is an ideal place to create a temporary cave.

He pressed down on his Sword Light, about to approach for a closer inspection, when a figure came into view from the side of one of the tallest rocks.

The man was wearing a dark purple Daoist Robe with Cloud Patterns, the standard for Inner Sect Elder the Jade Mist Sect. He looked quite young, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and his skin appeared somewhat pale due to prolonged lack of Scorching Sun.

He was sitting cross-legged on a natural platform where rocks jutted out of the lake, with the familiar dark fishing rod stuck beside him. His gaze was somewhat unfocused as he stared at the Chaos lake surface, as if he were in a daze, or perhaps sensing something.

Su Bai's arrival clearly startled him.

The young Elder turned his head, a slight look of surprise at being disturbed flashing across his face, which was quickly replaced by a bright joy at seeing a living creature.

Those previously somewhat empty eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yo!"

He raised his hand to greet them, his voice sounding particularly clear in the silence.

"Finally, someone's here again! This godforsaken place, sometimes it's so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat going moldy."

"You've got your eye on this Treasured Land spot too, huh? Come on, the rock next door is empty, let's make a cave and keep each other company! It'll keep us from getting bored to death!"

He speaks rather quickly, exuding a natural, warm enthusiasm.

In this desolate place where time seems to stand still and all things wither, encountering a fellow disciple, even if it's just to chat occasionally, is a rare comfort.

Su Bai saw a sincere invitation in the other person's eyes.

He approached on his Sword Flight, landed at the edge of the platform, and bowed, saying, "Disciple Su Bai greets Elder."

"If Elder does not find it inconvenient, Disciple will settle here. I look forward to Elder guidance in the future."

"What's there to instruct us on? We're all fishermen here, no need for distinctions of Elder and Disciple."

The young Elder waved his hand and laughed heartily, "My name is Qin Guan, just a leisurely Elder from the Inner Sect."

"I wouldn't presume to offer advice, but we can certainly entertain each other."

"How about it? Do you need this Elder to help you carve a hole in that rock?" He was eager to try, seemingly happy to have something to do.

Su Bai declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Elder Qin, but this is a small matter that Disciple myself. I wouldn't dare trouble Elder."

"Alright, do as you please. Just let me know if you need any help."

Qin Guan didn't insist and sat back down in his seat, but his eyes kept glancing at Su Bai, clearly full of curiosity about his new neighbor.

Su Bai chose a slightly shorter rock next to the giant rock where Qin Guan was.

With a thought, the Azure Dragon Sword was drawn from its sheath with a clear hum.

He did not use any large-scale sword techniques, but simply manipulated his flying sword to cut precisely and efficiently on the hard rock wall.

As the Sword Qi surged, stone dust fell in a flurry, and soon, a square stone chamber, about ten square meters in size and more than two meters high, with smooth inner walls, was created.

He then made some minor modifications to the cave entrance, leaving an extended platform for people to sit cross-legged, which he intended to use as a future "Fishing Platform."

Upon entering the stone chamber, Su Bai took out Prayer Mat, a luminous pearl, and other simple daily necessities from his Storage Bag and arranged them properly.

Although it is only a temporary cave dwelling, it still needs a touch of warmth to combat the pervasive silence from the outside world.

Then, he went to the Fishing Platform at the cave entrance and solemnly took out the [Soul Spirit Fishing Gear].

The dark fishing rod felt cold to the touch, and the silver runes on it shimmered faintly in the dim light of the day.

Su Bai sat down cross-legged and slowly channeled a wisp of pure Spiritual Power into the fishing rod.

The rod trembled slightly, and the runes lit up one by one. A warm and calming feeling came from the palm of my hand, dispelling the gloomy feeling that was vaguely eroding my mind in the surrounding environment.

He gripped the fishing rod, flicked his wrist slightly, and the milky-white Spirit Jade Doll -shaped hook traced a faint light before silently disappearing into the Chaos lake below, without even a ripple.

The fishhook of this item is a doll made of spirit jade.

The Memory Fragment in the Lake of Rebirth will be attracted by this object.

Su Bai placed it on a specially made stone stand beside him, requiring only a slight connection of Spiritual Power and mental perception.

Thus began his solitary fishing retreat at Lake of Rebirth.

Qin Guan next door was indeed someone who couldn't stand being alone. Perhaps it was because he had been alone in this absolute silence for too long that his urge to confide in others was particularly strong.

Often, just as Su Bai finished a round of cultivation and meditation, he would hear Qin Guan's voice coming from across the rocks.

The content South Sea, from anecdotes about his sect and questions about cultivation, to the missions he had carried out before coming here, the strange Demon Beast he had seen, and even his comments on the color of the Aurora in the sky above Lake of Rebirth. He talked on and on.

Through this one-sided communication (with Su Bai occasionally responding), Su Bai gained a better understanding of his neighbor.

Qin Guan, Inner Sect Elder, is at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. He is actually over fifty years old, but because his appearance has aged more slowly after Foundation Establishment, he still looks like a young man.

He has good Spirit Root aptitude, possessing dual attributes, so his cultivation path shouldn't be too bumpy.

However, he has a fatal flaw—he doesn't have any significant Spell Talent.

"Spell Talent is truly a gift from God."

Qin Guan's voice transmission was filled with envy, "When I Inner Sect, watching my fellow disciples cast Law Technique, learning them quickly, with great power and so many variations, made me feel incredibly frustrated."

"The same 'Fire Serpent Technique,' three months of practice for them is equivalent to three years of my arduous training! The Inner Sect Grand Competition? I haven't even considered it; going up there would just be making me a target."

Lacking Spell Talent means it's almost impossible for him to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill through the Inner Sect Grand Competition, which places great emphasis on practical combat skills.

But he did not give up. Relying on his cultivation speed with Dual Spirit Root and the accumulation of experience from his various tedious duties in the sect, he spent more than 20 years painstakingly saving up a considerable amount of Contribution Points.

In the end, they obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill from an Elder desperately needed a certain resource, at a premium.

"My hands were shaking the day I received the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Qin Guan recalled, "During my seclusion and breakthrough, I risked my life. Perhaps it was good luck, or perhaps I had truly accumulated enough experience, but hey, I actually succeeded!"

Advancing to the Foundation Establishment and increasing Lifespan to two hundred years is something to be celebrated.

But Qin Guan soon discovered that the problem had not been solved; instead, it had been amplified at a higher level.

The Foundation Establishment Realm involves learning Tier 2 Spell, which are more powerful, more complex in structure, and require higher Talent.

He might be able to master one or two techniques through sheer perseverance, but the power and skill in applying them will only fall further behind those with Talent at the same level.

What's the use of just having a high level of understanding?

Qin Guan's tone was somewhat excited, "Which of the Top Ten Monster from our Jade Mist Sect's Inner Sect Grand Competition wasn't exceptionally Talent?"

"They can challenge opponents of higher levels during the Qi Refining Stage, and once they reach the Foundation Establishment and master Second Tier Divine Ability, they can beat me like it's nothing! I don't want to be just an Elder with a high cultivation level but at the bottom of the Magic Duel forever."

After making inquiries from various sources and consulting the sect's secret records, he placed his hopes on the Lake of Rebirth Secret Realm.

Those Memory Fragment may contain the culmination of a senior Cultivator's lifelong insights into a certain Spell Divine Ability, or even a complete mark of inheritance.

Absorbing these knowledge is far more efficient than practicing from scratch on his own; in fact, there are a few isolated cases recorded in the sect's history.

After absorbing certain unique Memory Fragment imbued with strong Daoist principles, the Cultivator's corresponding Talent was significantly enhanced!

"One hundred years old!"

Qin Guan's voice was resolute. "I've set a goal for myself: to spend my remaining years here until I'm a hundred!"

"I won't leave until I catch Memory Fragment that can change my predicament! Anyway, the Foundation Establishment Realm has a lifespan of two hundred years. It's worth spending the first half of my life gambling for a future!"

After recounting his experiences, Qin Guan asked curiously, "And you, Su Bai? Judging from your age and cultivation level... tsk tsk, Qi Refining Layer Eight? Or Level 9?"

"You didn't come to this Lake of Rebirth just to fish for Memory Fragment to improve your Talent, did you? Do you have some unspeakable secret?"

He clearly didn't notice the details of the Token's design at Su Bai's waist.

Su Bai paused briefly, then confessed, "Elder Qin, I am True Disciple."

"The True Disciple?!" Qin Guan's telepathic message abruptly stopped, as if he had been choked by something.

Several breaths passed before a voice, tinged with disbelief and a hint of realization, rang out again, its volume considerably lower, "You... you obtained your True Disciple status by winning the Inner Sect Grand Competition?"

"Hmm," Su Bai replied affirmatively.

Qin Guan knew all too well what winning first Inner Sect Grand Competition meant.

That not only means that his Combat Power is unparalleled among his peers, but also that Su Bai possesses an extremely amazing Talent in at least one aspect of Law Technique!

Such a person would not be troubled by a lack of Talent like he is, and his purpose in coming here is probably completely different from his.

The neighboring cave fell into a long silence.

This is a complex silence that prompts a re-examination of this young neighbor.

Su Bai could almost sense that Qin Guan's previous warm, somewhat sympathetic, manner had subsided considerably, replaced by a natural sense of distance that arises when facing a prodigy.

Su Bai didn't care about this at all; he was happy to have some peace and quiet.

He took out a Golden Marrow Pill and swallowed it, clearing his mind of all distractions, and once again immersed himself in cultivation.

The powerful effects of Single Spirit Root were on full display; the Spiritual Power released from the Pill was absorbed efficiently, and the Qi Sea within the dantian grew increasingly robust at a steady pace.

Time slips away quietly in the practice of silence and routine.

Lake of Rebirth has no seasons, no day or night, only the eternal, slow changing of the dark sky Aurora.

And the silent rise and fall of those tiny Whirlpool on the lake's surface serve as a vague reference to the passage of time.

More than four months later, around mid- October in the outside world.

At a certain moment, Su Bai's body trembled slightly in the Quiet Chamber, and his aura surged upwards like a rising tide!

Within the dantian, the originally full sea of qi suddenly contracted inward, and then burst out with an even stronger suction force, absorbing, compressing, and purifying all the Spiritual Power flowing in the Meridians!

A new Spiritual Power, sixty to seventy percent stronger than before, surged forth and instantly flowed through his limbs and bones!

Qi Refining Layer Nine is a natural progression!

The surge in Spiritual Power also stimulated a simultaneous increase in Spiritual Sense.

With a slight thought, Su Bai's Spiritual Sense sense, like mercury spilling onto the ground, clearly perceived every minute movement within a three-meter radius around him, revealing every detail.

This heightened sense of control is intoxicating.

In his current state, if he were to face Senior Brother Zhao Hanshuang again, he would have the strength to deal with it calmly after using [Dragon's Roar Sword Heaven], and he would never be so exhausted again.

Su Bai felt the surging power within him and assessed the situation in his mind.

Breakthroughs in realms bring about comprehensive enhancement.

He did not become complacent; he quickly regained his composure and took out another Golden Marrow Pill.

The road ahead is long; Qi Refining Great Perfection is the current goal.

With his Single Spirit Root combined with ample Pill, he was confident that he could reach that critical point in a relatively short period of time.

Four months later, it should be early December in the outside world.

While in meditation, Su Bai sensed something and the [Immortal Talent Reflection] interface rippled slightly—the cooldown of the [Survey] ability had ended.

In the Secret Realm of Lake of Rebirth, where only Qin Guan is present, [Survey] is temporarily of no use.

With a thought, Su Bai maintained his state.

Now, with his increasingly rich experience and keen perception of Spiritual Power fluctuations, he can often roughly judge whether Cultivator possesses Spell Talent and its possible level by observing the smoothness, Spiritual Power, and precision of their Law Technique.

By combining information such as cultivation speed and attribute tendencies, one can make a fairly good guess about a Spirit Root.

Therefore, Survey often becomes a trump card to be used in case of emergencies, to deal with unexpected situations or to confirm certain special Talent that are difficult to judge intuitively.

The deathly silence continued to flow.

Su Bai spent the year silently in the Lake of Rebirth Secret Realm, and his age quietly stepped into the age of twenty-one.

For cultivators who spend hundreds of years cultivating immortality, this is still an extremely young age.

In the new year, amidst the ever-changing Aurora borealis and the rise and fall of lake eddies, half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The cooldown period for [Immortal Talent Reflection]'s [Copy] ability has finally ended.

At this point, both of the Immortal Art's abilities have been restored to usability.

Su Bai examined himself: a single-attribute Lightning Spirit Root was already the optimal choice, and there was no need to change it.

In terms of Spell Talent, Qin Guan is the only one around, and he has clearly stated that he has no significant Spell Talent, so he is of little value.

As for the rest... In this Lake of Rebirth, besides the lifeless lake water and sand, there are only those ethereal and formless Memory Fragment.

Both abilities had to be temporarily shelved, awaiting a more suitable opportunity and goal.

Another thing that left Su Bai somewhat helpless.

That [Soul Spirit Fishing Gear] remained dormant for nearly a year after it was cast into the lake, as if it had sunk to the bottom of the sea, without a single fish bite.

The Spirit Jade Doll sank quietly into the Chaos lake, as if it were truly just a stubborn rock.

This made him truly understand the meaning of the Jade Slip that it was normal to gain nothing in three years.

Fishing for Memory Fragment indeed depends heavily on that mysterious fortuitous opportunity.

Sometime in early July.

Just as Su Bai finished a cycle of Qi circulation and was preparing to take a short break to adjust his breathing.

"Huh?! Su Bai! Look! Something's happening here! It's here, it's here!" From the next cave, Qin Guan's voice, brimming with suppressed excitement, suddenly rang out, breaking the long silence of the Secret Realm!

Su Bai's heart stirred, and he immediately ended his meditation. In a flash, he arrived at the edge of the Fishing Platform in his cave and stared intently at the neighboring cave.

Qin Guan's [Soul Spirit Fishing Gear], which he usually leaned lazily against the support, was now trembling violently!

"Five years... This is the third time... This time it feels different, the pulling force is so strong!"

Qin Guan's voice trembled, a mixture of nervousness and boundless anticipation, "Come... whoever your senior is... grant me a profound understanding of the ways of Law Technique! Let me see... fire magic? earth magic? Or something else... anything will do!"