Ruined Body

Lin Ye sat cross-legged amid the altar's ruins, eyes closed as he examined his insides.

The newly formed seed of true energy slowly revolved in his dantian. With each rotation, it drew a thread of energy from the shattered meridians throughout his body.

His meridians were riddled with dark golden cracks. Energy flowed through them, bringing unceasing pain. Many of the smaller branches had snapped completely, while the main channels were twisted and deformed, as if they might break apart again at any moment.

The muscles beneath his skin were like porcelain smashed to pieces and glued back together. His bones had been forcibly mended, but cracks lined many of his joints, which made a "click-clack" grinding sound whenever he moved. His internal organs had suffered the worst damage, and many of their functions were severely impaired.

I have to recover as soon as possible, Lin Ye thought.

He tried to circulate the Qingyun Art. The seed of true energy trembled slightly, but after traveling less than an inch, a sharp pain shot from the cracks in his meridians. His circulation immediately fell into disarray.

"No good." Lin Ye stopped at once.

He tried the Star-Drawing Art next. This time, the seed of true energy circulated a little more smoothly, and the power of the stars within him grew more active, like wanderers returning home. But after traveling less than two inches, the unstable energy patterns along his meridian walls began to flicker violently.

"Still no good." Lin Ye furrowed his brow.

This newly formed seed of true energy was a malformed thing, born from forcibly blending multiple kinds of power. No single cultivation method could fully control it. Forcing it to circulate would only trigger internal chaos and worsen his injuries.

Am I going to have to create my own cultivation method? The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed it aside. How difficult was it to create a cultivation method? It required profound martial arts experience, insight into the laws of heaven and earth, and countless rounds of trial and error. He was now grievously wounded and near death. Where would he find the time to slowly figure it out?

Perhaps I can try to guide it instead of controlling it?

He stopped trying to force his true energy along a fixed route. Instead, he sank his mind into the seed of true energy, carefully sensing the different kinds of energy it contained.

"Deal with the most dangerous part first." Lin Ye focused on the "mark."

He tried to draw it out with his mind, hoping to peel the strand of marking away from the seed of true energy. But the mark seemed almost alive, clinging tightly to the seed. The slightest disturbance sent a stabbing pain through him.

Lin Ye gave up decisively. The mark was connected to the terrifying entity in the lake. In his current state, trying to remove it by force would provoke a backlash and might even alert that being.

If I can't control it all as one, then maybe I can let each kind of energy go its own way and keep them in a fragile balance?

He no longer tried to fuse the different energies in the seed of true energy into one. Instead, he tried to guide them.

Using his mind as a brush, he began sketching different "channels" through his shattered meridians.

His mind was more focused than ever, like someone walking a tightrope. Every tiny adjustment could set off a chain reaction and cause the already fragile balance inside him to collapse completely.

Time passed, little by little.

The energies inside him gradually settled into a kind of dynamic balance.

"Phew..." Lin Ye slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes.

He turned his attention back to the outside world.

Far across the lake, the surviving Star Soul Fish had not left. They were still circling at a distance, their blood-red eyes fixed intently on him.

This Lake Heart Island was no place to linger. The Star Soul Fish were watching him hungrily, and though the terrifying entity in the lake had temporarily retreated, it had left a mark that meant it could appear again at any moment.

"I have to get out of here first."

He gathered all the useful things around him and put them into his storage pouch.

The crystal powder made from the crystal skeleton.

After hesitating, he took out a jade bottle and collected the crystal powder made from the crystal skeleton. After all, he had inherited its legacy.

Once he had finished, he looked toward the distant lake again.

"I'll just have to take a gamble."

He took out the last of his Soul-Bewildering Incense powder, mixed it with some Hemostatic Powder, wrapped it in a strip of cloth, and tucked it into his clothes for later.

Then he took a deep breath, endured the pain wracking his body, and used the Star-Shattering Sword for support as he slowly, painstakingly, got to his feet.

His bones groaned under the strain, and his vision went dark in waves. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand firm.

He looked at the black rocks along the altar's edge, then at the ink-blue lake, where deadly dangers lurked beneath the surface.

There was no turning back.

Step by step, he shuffled toward the lakeshore.

His steps were heavy. Each one left a bloody footprint behind.

When he reached the shore, the icy breath of the lake washed over him.

He glanced back at the ruined altar, this island of death that had brought him both destruction and rebirth.

Without another moment's hesitation, he leaped into the ink-blue lake.

Splash.

His left hand gripped the Void Nether Stone tightly as he infused it with a thread of weak true energy.

Silver flecks glimmered faintly across the gray-white surface of the ore. A wave of distorted space slowly spread outward from him.

The Star Soul Fish, which had been closing in, visibly faltered when they sensed the distortion. Confusion and a hint of wariness appeared in their blood-red eyes.

"It works!" Lin Ye was elated, but he couldn't afford to relax.

Maintaining his true-energy shield and the Void Nether Stone's distortion, he endured the pain and slowly swam in the direction he remembered taking to get here.

Behind him, the Star Soul Fish remained confused for the moment, but they hadn't given up. They followed from a distance, waiting for an opening.

Lin Ye didn't dare look back. He focused entirely on swimming forward.

The shore drew closer, but the true energy in his body was running low. Maintaining his shield and activating the Void Nether Stone placed an enormous burden on him in his current condition.

"I can't stop..." He gritted his teeth and pressed on.

At last, the gray-white outlines of twisted trees appeared ahead.

The Bone-Eroding Forest. He'd made it.

He summoned the last of his strength, surged out of the lake, and landed hard on the black rocks by the shore.

He gasped violently, every breath tasting of blood. When he looked back at the lake, he saw the Star Soul Fish circling in the waters near the shore. They seemed wary of the Bone-Eroding Forest and didn't dare come onto land.

He was safe for now.

He didn't dare linger. The Bone-Eroding Forest was dangerous too. He needed to find somewhere relatively safe as soon as possible, tend to his injuries, and recover his strength.

He struggled to his feet and used the Star-Shattering Sword for support as he walked into the gray-white forest.

The forest was dim, shrouded in fog. Dry leaves crunched beneath his feet, and the silence around him was terrifying.

It was relatively well hidden here. The rocks could block some lines of sight and attacks, and the ground was fairly dry.

He couldn't hold himself up any longer. He slid down against a rock and gasped for breath.

After resting for a moment, he forced himself to focus and began tending to his wounds.

Once he had finished, he sat cross-legged with his back against the rock and tried to circulate his true energy to recover his strength.

Time passed slowly.

Lin Ye sat with his eyes closed, regulating his breathing as motionless as a rock. Only the faintest rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive.

Who knew how long it had been—perhaps an hour, perhaps two.

Just then—

"Rustle... rustle..."

A faint scraping sound came from the fog a short distance to his left.

Lin Ye's heart tightened. He quietly tightened his grip on the Star-Shattering Sword resting across his knees, then shot a sharp gaze toward the sound.

The fog slowly parted.

An inner disciple in a water-blue dress emerged from the mist. Her face was as pale as paper, dried blood clung to the corner of her mouth, and a deep claw mark gaped across her left shoulder, exposing bone. Her aura was feeble, and she swayed as if about to fall. She was clearly gravely wounded.

It was the cool, aloof young woman he had seen in the plaza before entering the secret realm.

She seemed to spot Lin Ye too. She stopped, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes before turning into the hope of seeing someone like herself in the midst of utter despair.

The two of them stood more than ten zhang apart, silently facing each other in the gray-white, deathly still forest.

Lin Ye's gaze was cold and wary. His hand never loosened its grip on the sword.

The girl's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, all she managed was a faint moan. Her body went limp, and she pitched straight forward,

unconscious.

Lin Ye stared at the gravely wounded, unconscious figure, his expression shifting.

If he saved her, she would use up some of his already scant medicine and true energy. The Bone-Eroding Forest was full of hidden dangers; one more person meant one more burden.

If he didn't, her breath was so weak it could stop at any moment. She would soon become a demon beast's snack.

In the secret realm, even fellow disciples turned on one another. Why should he let compassion sway him?

And yet those cool, aloof features now felt like a thorn lodged in his eye, impossible to ignore.

Lin Ye fell silent for a moment, then finally rose to his feet.