Outside the valley, silence reigned.
The demonic beasts had long since left.
It was already daylight. Sunlight seemed to fall like streaks of fire, piercing the leaves of the shrubs and shining into the cave.
The three people inside breathed evenly, still seated cross-legged as they silently cultivated.
No one knew how much time had passed before Shi Yan awoke from his stillness. He rolled his neck, stood up, and slowly worked his joints.
Innate Third Heaven Realm!
Drawing a deep breath, Shi Yan felt refreshed. The weariness in his body had vanished, and his five senses were sharper than ever before.
With the help of those strange forces, his cultivation had advanced as swiftly as an arrow loosed from a bow, and he had taken a single leap into the Innate Third Heaven Realm!
Standing at the mouth of the cave, he could faintly sense the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
That spiritual energy drifted through the air. Ordinarily, he could not detect it at all, but now he could sense it faintly.
Only a Martial Artist in the Innate Third Heaven Realm could sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Only after sensing it could a Martial Artist draw upon it to cultivate more effectively and better perform certain Martial Skills.
At a thought, his body hardened like iron and stone. His skin turned dark brown, and a faint black glow seemed to cover its surface, much like when he activated Dark Light Shield.
"Huh?"
Shi Yan was a little surprised. He examined the feeling closely, then realized he hadn't used his essence to activate Dark Light Shield at all.
...In other words, the faint black glow seeping from his skin was caused purely by the second stage of his Petrifying Martial Soul.
After studying it for a while, a smile touched his lips. He understood that the strange change in his skin had to be related to his Martial Soul.
The cave was no longer dim. Shi Yan's dark eyes shifted, and his gaze wandered over Mu Yu Die and Di Ya Lan.
Mu Yu Die and Di Ya Lan were still seated cross-legged, their eyes closed. A dim radiance faintly flowed around them, while the essence within their bodies circulated along special paths.
He had infused some of those strange forces into Mu Yu Die for two reasons. First, he wanted to see whether the power could be passed to someone else without intimacy.
He had also wanted to gain an extra helping hand. He didn't know what enemies they might encounter next, and if Mu Yu Die remained a burden, it would greatly hinder their journey.
According to Di Ya Lan, before Mu Yu Die's meridians had been severed, she had also been a Martial Artist. If Mu Yu Die could recover completely, it would greatly benefit their journey ahead.
Considering these two things, he had given her a small portion of the strange power within his body.
Shi Yan held his breath and focused his attention on Mu Yu Die. Suddenly, he sensed pure, abundant essence flowing through her body.
Slightly startled, Shi Yan couldn't help staring at Mu Yu Die for a few more moments. He frowned and examined the feeling closely, growing even more surprised...
He discovered that the essence inside Mu Yu Die was purer than even Di Ya Lan's. In other words... Mu Yu Die's realm was actually higher than Di Ya Lan's!
The discovery astonished him. He had known all along that Mu Yu Die was a Martial Artist, but had assumed her cultivation was probably only at the Innate Realm.
After all, Mu Yu Die was much younger than Di Ya Lan. By all reason, her realm shouldn't have been higher.
Who would have thought that wasn't the case? Now that he looked more closely, he realized Mu Yu Die was astonishingly powerful. Though young, she had already entered the Human Position Realm, a whole realm above Di Ya Lan's former level!
While he was still staring in surprise, he keenly sensed the essence in Mu Yu Die's body gradually settle.
He knew Mu Yu Die was about to wake up...
Sure enough, before long, Mu Yu Die's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
A pair of clear, ethereal eyes suddenly lit up the cave. Set in Mu Yu Die's exquisite face, they made her seem like a forest sprite, her entire being filled with an indescribable charm that stirred the heart.
Shi Yan froze, staring at her strangely for a brief moment.
"Have you looked enough?" Mu Yu Die asked coolly. She rose gracefully, stretched, and smiled. "From today onward, I won't be a burden anymore."
As she stretched, strands of pearly-white light flowed from her slender hands. They flashed through the air and disappeared, like the strings of a zither.
Mu Yu Die's five fingers trembled as she plucked at the air twice. The vanished strands of light appeared again, weaving deftly between her verdant fingers.
"I'm practicing my technique. I haven't played the zither in a long time, so I'm afraid I've grown rusty." Mu Yu Die smiled radiantly, like a clear stream winding through a mountain ravine—ethereal and tranquil, with a naturally captivating grace.
"You're even prettier than before," Shi Yan said frankly after looking at her for a while.
Mu Yu Die's meridians had reconnected, and the essence of the Human Position peak flowed through her body. Her skin had become even more lustrous, her face rosy, and her eyes clear and bright. She seemed no longer afraid of any hardship, brimming with confidence; her whole bearing had changed astonishingly.
With her strength restored, she seemed like an entirely different person. Her charm had more than doubled.
At that moment, in Shi Yan's eyes, Mu Yu Die was definitely a level above Di Ya Lan and Mo Yan Yu in beauty. Whether in cultivation or bearing, she had the two women soundly beaten.
"Thank you." Mu Yu Die smiled calmly and asked casually, "How long has it been?"
"About two days." Shi Yan thought for a moment. "I can't be sure, but I feel like we've been in the cave for more than a day. Have you recovered?"
"Mm." Mu Yu Die nodded confidently. "Once Sister Lan wakes up, we'll leave."
"Oh." Shi Yan gave a casual reply, feeling somewhat unsettled.
Before, Mu Yu Die had been overflowing with kindness, but she was still rather lovable, like a sweet, innocent girl next door.
Now that her strength had returned, Mu Yu Die's charm had increased, but that lovable side of her was gone. Instead, she gave off an air of lofty sanctity, as if no one could approach her. That feeling... irritated Shi Yan.
Irritated, Shi Yan didn't feel like saying anything more. He left her alone, walked out of the cave, and wandered around the valley.
He took from his pack a book titled Magnetic Shock Domain Field, a Spirit Grade Martial Skill, and flipped through a few pages without reading them closely. After confirming that the book contained text, he carefully put it back in his pack.
A Spirit Grade Martial Skill required at least Earth Position Realm cultivation to practice. He was only at the Innate Realm, still a long way from Earth Position. With his realm insufficient, forcing himself to study a Spirit Grade Martial Skill would only unsettle his mind. It might even backfire, causing his cultivation to regress instead of advance.
Knowing this, he carefully put the book away as soon as he had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with it,
Half a day later, Di Ya Lan and Mu Yu Die emerged from the cave together. Their clothes were neat and their spirits high. They were clearly ready to set out again.
"Kid, thank you. My realm has stabilized," Di Ya Lan said bluntly as she came out.
Breaking through to a new realm was actually very dangerous. At such a time, one had to quickly strengthen one's essence. Otherwise, an unstable realm could easily cause problems during a fight or cultivation.
The essence Shi Yan had poured into her body in the cave had come into play again, helping stabilize her new realm. It meant she could fight without worrying about her strength failing her and sending her into cultivation deviation.
"Mm. Then let's go." Shi Yan smiled faintly, making no claim to the credit, and led the way out of the valley.
Seven days later.
The three of them finally emerged from the boundless, dense Gloomy Forest.
Looking back at the towering ancient trees, they all felt as if they had survived a calamity.
In those seven days, they hadn't encountered any more danger.
The Martial Artists and mercenaries in the Gloomy Forest had either died or fled. None dared remain in that perilous area. For some reason, the demonic beasts led by the Thunder Wing Silver Wolf had also stopped roaming about and fallen quiet.
With both the demonic beasts and mercenaries behaving themselves, the rest of Shi Yan and the others' journey went surprisingly smoothly. They encountered no obstacles, easily crossed the perilous Fierce Fiend Land, and left the Gloomy Forest.
Silent Town lay on the only route from here to the Merchant Alliance. On the way to Silent Town, there was a vast Stone Forest.
The rocks in the Stone Forest were oddly shaped. Some were as large as small mountains, while others were only as tall as a person. Countless caves dotted the area, providing natural hiding places.
The Stone Forest was a haven for ruthless Martial Artists, who lay in wait year-round to rob and kill.
Those who emerged from the Gloomy Forest were either merchant caravans or Martial Artists and mercenaries who had gone exploring there.
Merchants from other countries were sure to carry goods, while the Martial Artists and mercenaries who had made it out of the Gloomy Forest alive would certainly have medicinal herbs from the forest and materials from demonic beasts.
Both kinds of people had plenty worth taking...
That was why experts had hidden in the Stone Forest for years, targeting these two kinds of people. If they thought someone looked like easy prey, they would certainly charge out and slaughter them.
At times, the Stone Forest was even more dangerous than the Gloomy Forest. Anyone who entered alone was bound to encounter trouble unless they were a Martial Artist at the Hundred Tribulations Realm.
"The Stone Forest is dangerous. There might be people from Dark Nether lying in ambush..." Di Ya Lan paused, then warned Mu Yu Die.
"It's fine. Someone will meet us in the Stone Forest, so there's no need to worry." Mu Yu Die smiled and glanced back at Shi Yan. "Are you going to the Stone Forest?"
"Mm. I'm part of the Merchant Alliance, so of course I'm going back," Shi Yan replied.
"Then that's settled. We'll go together. As long as you stay with us, you don't need to worry about the Stone Forest." Mu Yu Die looked confident. Without waiting for Shi Yan to answer, she continued, "Come on, let's enter the Stone Forest. Mm, you two don't need to worry too much. We're safe now."
"Oh," Shi Yan said blandly, but he didn't let his guard down. The moment he entered the Stone Forest, he focused harder than ever, remaining alert at all times.
From the memories of the other Shi Yan, he knew the Stone Forest was extremely chaotic, full of all kinds of factions. Even the Merchant Alliance's great clans were secretly involved.
He didn't know what preparations Mu Yu Die had made, but he knew that if he let his guard down in the Stone Forest, someone might strike him down in an instant.
Inside the Stone Forest, Shi Yan's mind was calm as water, his gaze shifting restlessly. Every five steps, he turned to look behind him.
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