By this logic, needing fifty thousand years for the Fourth Spirit Ring did not seem unreasonable.
Zi Dian jumped down from the cushion, walked over to Gu Ci, and rubbed his head against Gu Ci's hand.
Night Shadow poked his head out from the shadows, the silver Thunder Patterns on him faintly flickering.
All three Soul Spirits could sense their master's urgency, but they also knew that this was not something that could be rushed.
A loosened bottleneck was a good thing. It meant a breakthrough was close at hand—perhaps in a day, perhaps a week, perhaps a month.
Forcing a breakthrough would only damage his meridians. Haste made waste.
Gu Ci rose to his feet, withdrew his Martial Soul, and pushed open the stone door of the secret chamber.
The sunlight made him squint. Most of the snow in the courtyard had melted, exposing bluish-gray stone slabs.
Dugu Yan sat beneath the corridor, Ice Fire in her arms and a book in her hands, completely absorbed in it.
Ye Lingling sat beside her with a book of her own. Their shoulders touched, and they were as quiet as two paintings.
"Brother Gu Ci, you're out!"
Dugu Yan looked up, saw him, immediately put down her book, and ran over. "It's been three days. You didn't even come out to eat. Mother was worried sick."
Only then did Gu Ci feel hungry. After three days without food, his stomach was completely empty, and it let out a loud growl.
Dugu Yan burst out laughing and pulled him toward the main hall. "Come on, Mother saved some food for you."
Ye Lingling also got up and followed after them, still holding her book.
She glanced at Gu Ci as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said