His mind became clearer than ever before.
His senses grew extraordinarily sharp as well.
He could even "hear" Yun Chan's slightly hurried heartbeat beside the fire, and "see" Ghost Mask's fingers resting on his knee in the shadows, tapping lightly without realizing it.
This was...
Lu Yuan's heart gave a sudden jolt.
The gray mark had not only devoured the lotus's energy; now it had swallowed the spiritual energy he had painstakingly cultivated, too!
Was this a stroke of fortune, or an even bigger trap?
But for now, he had no other choice.
He could only keep cultivating. On the one hand, he had to maintain his lie; on the other, he needed to uncover the gray mark's true secret!
He calmed his mind and circulated the Qi Gathering Yuan Returning Art with even greater effort.
Under the "gaze" of Yun Chan and Ghost Mask, the spiritual energy in the cave began visibly streaming toward Lu Yuan, forming a small vortex.
How could such astonishing energy-gathering speed belong to a beginner?
It was more impressive than that of some inner disciples who had cultivated for years!
Yun Chan's breathing turned scorching in an instant.
"Just as I thought! The divine treasure is transforming his aptitude!"
She trembled with excitement. She looked at Lu Yuan as if he were a mountain of gold that was growing larger by the moment!
Ghost Mask remained silent in the shadows, but his tapping fingers had stopped.
Beneath the mask, the corner of his unseen mouth seemed to twitch.
They both thought they had everything under control.
They both thought Lu Yuan was a chess piece in their hands, a vessel for incubating a stroke of fortune.
But they had no idea.
The moment Lu Yuan began cultivating, the board that seemed like a dead