"Who?! Who's talking?!"
Xuanwei jolted, his battered immortal qi body curling into a ball within the Chaos Bead's space as he warily "looked" around. Wasn't this damn place supposed to completely shield Heavenly Secrets? How did it have a "neighbor"?
The plea for help was as faint as a dying candle in the wind, broken and intermittent, as though it could go out at any moment. "...Save... Chaos... suppress... ten thousand... ages..."
The voice was ancient and exhausted, carrying the weathered weight of countless eras. Yet the trace of innate nobility and majesty within it shook Xuanwei to his core. This was definitely no ordinary figure!
"System! Scan it! Is there something else in this space?!" Xuanwei hurriedly called out in his mind.
[Scanning... No signs of an independent life-form detected.]
[An anomalous information stream has been detected attached to a fragment of the Chaos Bead's core laws. It is suspected to be... a remnant divine sense imprint left behind before the fall of a powerful being, temporarily revived by the Chaos Bead recognizing its master.]
A remnant divine sense imprint? Xuanwei relaxed slightly. As long as it wasn't a living person. But then his heart tightened again. What level of being could leave an imprint on the Chaos Bead? At the very least, a Quasi-Saint, right? It might even have been on the level of a Chaos Demon God!
"Senior? Who are you? Why are you here? How may this junior assist you?" Xuanwei cautiously tried to communicate through his thoughts. The other party might only be a "recording," but courtesy never hurt. What if it could actually respond?
The aged consciousness fell silent for a moment, seemingly gathering strength. When it spoke again, it was much clearer, though still weak. "...My name... Yang Mei... suffered a calamity... remnant spirit relied upon this bead fragment... barely endured... little friend... help me..."
Yang Mei?! The legendary Great Immortal Yang Mei, who had attained the Dao as a hollow willow, reincarnated from the Space Demon God, and could even contend with Dao Ancestor Hongjun?!
Xuanwei felt as if his immortal qi were about to scatter from fright! This was an absolute big shot who had been formidable since the dawn of creation! How had he ended up in such a miserable state, with only a wisp of remnant spirit hiding in a Chaos Bead fragment? And what calamity had he suffered? Hongjun? The Heavenly Dao? Or some other terrifying existence?
This karma... was far too immense! He was only a minor Earth Immortal—an injured one at that. He couldn't afford to get involved!
Seemingly sensing Xuanwei's hesitation and fear, Yang Mei's consciousness spoke again, carrying a hint of helplessness and... temptation?
"...Little friend... you bear an anomaly... obtaining this bead... is Karma... I... can teach you... the Great Dao of Space... Chaos Secrets... help you... control this bead..."
The Great Dao of Space! Chaos Secrets! Help him control the Chaos Bead!
Xuanwei's heart—his consciousness core—began to pound uncontrollably. The temptation was too great! It was like being handed a pillow just as he was falling asleep! He had been worrying over how the Chaos Bead had already recognized him as its master, yet possessed too many functions that were too advanced for him to use. He could only treat it as an upscale shelter. But if he could receive Great Immortal Yang Mei's guidance...
Fortune was found amid danger! He'd do it!
"Senior Yang Mei!" Xuanwei immediately adopted a tone that was, in his own opinion, righteous, respectful, and considerate of the elderly. "This junior is Xuanwei. Though my abilities are meager and my virtue shallow, since I have this Karma with you, Senior, I will certainly do everything in my power to help you recover! Whatever instructions you have, please speak freely!"
"Good..." Yang Mei's consciousness carried a trace of gratification. "...I need... Chaos Qi... to nourish myself... Also... seek... the remaining bead fragments... or... objects containing the origins of space or life..."
Good heavens! Xuanwei could only cry out in disbelief! The man opened by asking for Chaos Qi and then demanded he search for the other Chaos Bead fragments? Putting aside the latter, Xuanwei himself was short on the former! He depended on that meager Chaos Qi to restore his own origin and temper his foundation! Was this Patriarch Yang Mei some kind of scammer pulling a porcelain-touching scheme? Was he specifically targeting rookie drivers like Xuanwei, who had just gotten their hands on a "luxury car"—the Chaos Bead?
But he didn't dare say it aloud. He could only reply bitterly, "Senior, as you can see, this junior's origin has been severely damaged. I can barely protect myself, and this Chaos Qi..."
"...No matter..." Yang Mei's consciousness interrupted him. "...You may... draw the spiritual qi of the outside world... into this bead... transform it through Chaos... Though inefficient... it can... accumulate over time... I... can also... guide your cultivation..."
That was a viable path! He could draw ordinary spiritual qi from the outside world inside and use the Chaos Bead's conversion ability to turn it into Chaos Qi! The process would certainly involve immense losses, and the conversion rate would be pitifully low, but it was still better than nothing! Besides, he could receive cultivation guidance from a suspected Chaos Demon God-level expert! This deal... didn't seem like a loss?
"This junior understands!" Xuanwei immediately agreed. "This junior will find a way to draw in spiritual qi at once and will certainly help Senior recover as soon as possible!"
He didn't dare linger any longer, afraid that this "porcelain-touching" patriarch would make even more outrageous demands. With a thought, he left the Chaos Bead's space.
Back in the Medicine Garden, feeling the "thin" spiritual qi of the Primordial World compared to that within the Chaos Bead, Xuanwei felt as though he had gone from an ICU back to an ordinary ward. He was still weak, but at least he was safe.
He checked his condition. His energy level was at 5%, his immortal qi body was dim and lusterless, and it was covered in fine cracks like glazed glass that could shatter at any moment. In this state, never mind drawing spiritual qi—even maintaining his form would be an achievement.
"My top priority is recovering from my injuries." He sighed and turned his gaze toward the ten mu of thriving Spirit-Nourishing Grass and Qi Gathering Flowers.
He approached a stalk of Spirit-Nourishing Grass and carefully circulated the Innate Immortal Qi Origin Method, absorbing the faint plant spiritual qi it emitted. In the past, he would not even have spared such a small amount a glance, but now it nourished his dried-up origin like sweet rain.
At the same time, he tried to mobilize the Chaos Bead's power. Although he could not actively draw Chaos Qi from within the bead—he was short on it himself—he discovered that after binding with it, his efficiency in absorbing and converting the spiritual qi around him seemed to have improved by an almost imperceptible degree. Moreover, the effects of [Deep Immortal Seclusion] appeared to have improved as well. He could blend into his surroundings more effectively, even carrying a trace of chaotic aura that made him still harder to detect.
"Looks like signing that 'contract of sale' wasn't entirely for nothing. There are still some benefits." He consoled himself.
Just as he was diligently playing the role of an "invalid," absorbing plant spiritual qi while pondering how to secretly draw more spiritual qi into the Chaos Bead, a familiar, stern consciousness swept across the Medicine Garden.
Daoist Duobao had arrived.
Xuanwei's heart clenched. He hurriedly stopped all his little tricks and put on an obedient appearance, earnestly healing his injuries while tending the Medicine Garden.
Daoist Duobao appeared on the ridge between the fields. Seeing Xuanwei's immortal qi body, which was obviously much dimmer and weaker, he frowned slightly. "Your origin... why has it been depleted so severely? Did you suffer hidden injuries at Yuxu Palace?"
Xuanwei was moved. Although this senior brother appeared cold, he still cared about his fellow disciples. Naturally, Xuanwei did not dare tell the truth and could only vaguely offer a half-truth. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. It was not because of Yuxu Palace. This disciple... this disciple had previously been too impatient for success and forcibly cultivated a secret art, accidentally injuring my origin. A few days of recuperation will be enough."
Daoist Duobao looked deeply at him, his gaze seeming to pierce through appearances and point directly at his origin. Xuanwei felt as though his little secret had nowhere to hide before those eyes, and cold sweat—on a spiritual level—nearly broke out.
Fortunately, Duobao did not pursue the matter. He merely said flatly, "The path of cultivation requires balance. Never be eager for quick success. Since you are injured, the matters of the Medicine Garden may be set aside for now. Proper recuperation is the right course."
"Yes, this disciple will remember Senior Brother's teachings." Xuanwei hurriedly replied.
Daoist Duobao nodded. His gaze swept over the thriving Spirit Fields, and a trace of barely perceptible approval flashed through his eyes again. "You do possess talent in cultivating Spiritual Plants. Once you have recovered, you may visit the Scripture Pavilion and browse the relevant texts. They may prove helpful to you."
The Scripture Pavilion! Xuanwei's eyes lit up! That was an excellent place! Perhaps he could find a method for quickly drawing spiritual qi or healing injuries to his origin!
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!"
After seeing Daoist Duobao off, Xuanwei let out a long breath. It seemed he had muddled through for now. However, he needed to recover quickly, or his secret would be exposed sooner or later.
He continued absorbing plant spiritual qi as he began to make plans. First, he had to find a way to draw more spiritual qi into the Chaos Bead without attracting attention, thereby completing Patriarch Yang Mei's "basic offering." Second, he needed to visit the Scripture Pavilion and seek a way to speed up his own recovery. Finally, he had to keep an eye out for anything that might contain the origins of space or life, or any information regarding the other Chaos Bead fragments...
"Ugh, the life of a wage slave..." Xuanwei lamented. "I finally latched onto a Saint's thigh and thought things would get easier, but then I turned around and signed an even harsher 'long-term service agreement.' Now I have to figure out how to earn 'performance bonuses'—spiritual qi and treasures—to support a 'retired old superior'—Yang Mei..."
He felt like an unlucky fellow who had just started a job, only to be forced to take on two hell-level projects: "revitalizing distressed assets"—the Chaos Bead fragments—and "serving a well-connected elderly predecessor"—Yang Mei.
Yet while he complained and worked hard as a "spiritual qi mover," the wisp of Yang Mei's remnant consciousness inside the Chaos Bead seemed to regain the tiniest bit of vitality after absorbing a trace of thin Chaos Qi that Xuanwei had painstakingly drawn in and that the Chaos Bead had preliminarily converted.
An exceedingly incomplete and blurry fragment of information, containing supreme mysteries of space, quietly entered Xuanwei's consciousness alongside Yang Mei's still-weak but faintly testing intent:
"...Little friend... this is... the Void Spirit Drawing Array... introductory section... it may... help you..."
As Xuanwei received the incomparably profound array information, he was first ecstatic, then his expression fell.
Because the array required at least one treasure containing the power of space as its core array eye in order to operate steadily and draw spiritual qi efficiently.
And he was dirt poor. Apart from a half-crippled Chaos Bead—which he could not take out and use—he had absolutely nothing.
"Patriarch... did your 'newcomer gift pack' forget to include the 'startup capital'?!" Xuanwei let out a soundless wail toward the Chaos Bead.
Before you continue