That Glimmer of Light

The seven people ultimately decided to split up and explore separately.

The reason is very practical: the island is not large, but the terrain is complex, with layers of stacked Stone Pillar Forest interspersed with narrow passages and collapsed crevices, making it too inefficient for seven people to huddle together to sweep through.

Moreover, with their Soul Power sealed, their vision is limited, making it even more necessary for them to spread out and explore the basic terrain of the island.

"How about we use that tallest stone pillar as the boundary and meet up in two hours?"

"Okay." Yun Jingheng nodded.

Tang Wulin stood on a protruding rock ridge and gestured, "Going south leads to the coastline, where there might be a freshwater inlet. Yuan En and Gu Yue should go there."

"Head north, deeper into the island's heart. Jing Heng and I will each lead a team. Remember, whatever you discover, you must be back within two hours."

Yun Jingheng chose a passage slightly to the northwest, with Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan following behind him. Ye Xinglan took another fork in the road to sweep the east side, while Tang Wulin ventured alone to the due north.

When they parted, Xie Xie was still gnawing on the last piece of bread he had left, saying between chews, "This place isn't even a bird's chirp; it's so quiet it's unsettling."

Xu Xiaoyan's expression was still not good. "What do you think we'll do if we really can't find water?"

"Let's not think about it for now, let's find it first."

Yun Jingheng walked at the front, his eyes constantly scanning the rock walls on both sides. "Aunt Cai wouldn't just leave us here to fend for ourselves."

He said that, but he wasn't really sure.

The island felt increasingly strange to him. The deeper he went, the stronger the oppressive, ember-like aura in the air became, as if something had been slowly burning for thousands of years in unseen places, drying up the flesh and blood of the entire island, leaving only a charred skeleton.

The passage narrows and then widens again, with the rock walls on both sides gradually transitioning from rough reefs to a denser texture and a darker color, exhibiting an almost inky sheen.

Yun Jingheng noticed that the color of the gravel under his feet was also changing, from grayish-black to pure black, and the texture of it was finer and smoother than that of ordinary stones.

"Can you smell something?" Xu Xiaoyan asked softly from behind.

"I can smell it." Xie Xie sniffed. "Like... candy? No, like the kind of incense burned on altars, sweet and cloying."

Yun Jingheng smelled it too.

The scent wafted from deep within the passage, extremely faint yet incredibly clear, penetrating directly into the depths of the nasal cavity, carrying an indescribable allure.

He frowned, slowed his pace slightly, and then continued walking.

After rounding a bend, the passage suddenly widened, and the rock walls on both sides receded abruptly, revealing a grotto about five zhang square.

There is a natural crack in the top of the cave, through which grayish-white sunlight leaks down, illuminating one of the stone walls in the center of the cave.

The stone wall was about two people high and three people wide, with a smooth, mirror-like surface. Fine lines meandered across the dark background, spreading and intersecting like blood vessels.

The deepest parts of those patterns gleamed with a faint golden light, flowing slowly, standing out strikingly in the dark grotto.

Xie Xie subconsciously took a step forward, "What is this thing?"

Yun Jingheng reached out to stop him, "Don't touch it."

He stood two steps away from the stone wall, carefully observing the patterns.

Golden veins spread upwards from the bottom of the stone wall, becoming denser as they go, converging at the top to form an intricate pattern, resembling some ancient script or runes naturally formed by heaven and earth.

In the very center of the pattern, there was a very faint light, like a star embedded deep in the stone, flickering on and off.

When his gaze fell on that point of light, the Moon Laurel Tree deep within his sea of consciousness suddenly swayed gently.

It was a familiar feeling to him; the Moon Laurel Tree was reacting to external energy.

But this island clearly has no elemental energy, and its Soul Power is sealed, so how could the Moon Laurel Tree...?

He stared intently for another moment.

Then he felt it.

Deep within that stone wall lies an extremely pure energy, neither Soul Power nor the primordial energy of heaven and earth, but something more primordial and authentic, like spiritual energy compressed for thousands of years condensed into substance and sealed within the core of the stone wall.

The concentration of that energy was so high that even the Sisi that seeped out carried a purity that sent chills down one's spine.

His throat moved.

The Moon Laurel Tree in his sea of consciousness began to sway, the golden light condensing between its branches and leaves flickering, the signals it transmitted were so clear that he couldn't ignore them, and he wanted to.

It wants that energy.

Eat it, and you'll become stronger.

Yun Jingheng stood there, gritting his teeth. Reason told him that something was strange about this thing. It was impossible for a stone wall containing pure energy to suddenly appear deep in the deserted island. This was too much like bait.

But the Moon Laurel Tree's thirst grew stronger and stronger, like a tree that had been dead for hundreds of years suddenly smelling the scent of rain, every branch and leaf screaming.

He turned to tell Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan to leave first, but found the two of them standing behind him, their eyes already somewhat glazed over.

"Xie Xie?" He gave him a push.

Xie Xie stumbled from the push, blinked when he came to his senses, and said, "Huh? I... I think I just saw something in there..."

"What is it?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Xie Xie blinked hard, his expression somewhat dazed. "It's like... something is calling me."

Xu Xiaoyan stood to the side without saying a word, but her face was even paler than before, her lips were slightly parted, and her gaze was fixed on the stone wall.

Alarm bells rang in Yun Jingheng's mind.

He grabbed Xie Xie's wrist and pulled him back, "Get out of here, this isn't the right place."

He tugged at it, but couldn't budge it.

Xie Xie's feet seemed rooted to the spot, his entire body staring blankly at the stone wall, his voice carrying a dazed quality, as if soaked in something. "Jing Heng... have you ever thought about why we came to this godforsaken place?"

"Why should we be tossed around like dogs? We have to pack our things and leave with just one word from Teacher Cai, without even a chance to argue. Just because we're students?"

Yun Jingheng was taken aback.

Xie Xie continued, his speech becoming increasingly rapid, as if something was uncontrollably gushing from his throat. "Why should I, with all my skills, have to listen to others' orders?"

"Why was I assigned to sweep the floor in the Miscellaneous Affairs District for three months? Why could Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass evolve while I couldn't? Why were cultivation resources given to him first?... Don't you think that's unfair?"

"Xie... Xie? What's wrong? Xiao Yan, help us, let's drag him away."

"Xiao Yan? Xiao..."

Yun Jingheng looked in Xu Xiaoyan's direction, but she wasn't there. Instead, she saw Xu Xiaoyan leaning against a black rock three steps to her right.

My whole body felt like my bones had been removed, and I slid down the stone surface limply.

Her eyes were still open, but the pupils were dilated, empty and blank, like two fogged mirrors.

"Xiao Yan?"

He called out again.

Xu Xiaoyan did not respond. Her lips were moving very slightly, as if she were saying something only she could hear. Two tear tracks were already running down her cheeks, dripping down her jawline and spreading into dark stains on her collar.

Yun Jingheng's heart sank.

He still gripped Xie Xie's wrist with his left hand. Xie Xie was like a bowstring stretched to its limit, facing the stone wall with bulging veins on his neck. He made a suppressed, muffled sound in his throat, as if he was struggling with someone, or perhaps struggling with himself.

He struggled to take a step forward, causing Yun Jingheng to stumble half a step. He immediately grabbed Xie Xie's shoulder with his right hand and pulled him towards him.

"Xie Xie! Look at me!"

Xie Xie suddenly turned his head, his pupils surging with a layer of dark red light. His face, which usually had a bit of a roguish air, was now twisted into a ferocious and terrifying shape, with a smile on his lips that looked like a roar as if he were clenching his teeth.

"Why are you looking at me? Can you even see me? Can you even see me being left to sweep dust in the Miscellaneous Affairs District for three months?"

"You're all climbing the ladder, acquiring resources, Soul Ring, and attention, and what about me? Am I just destined to be a supporting character?"

His voice was forced out through clenched teeth, each word dripping with burning resentment, "Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass can Second Awakening, so why can't my Light Dragon Dagger even properly activate its Soul Skill? Why?"

Yun Jingheng didn't argue with him.

He gripped Xie Xie's shoulder blade tightly with his right hand and dragged him forcefully toward the cave exit, while simultaneously turning his head toward Xu Xiaoyan and calling out, "Xiao Yan, can you stand up?"

Xu Xiaoyan moved slightly.

Her body remained pressed against the rock, but her fingers unconsciously gripped the ground twice, gathering a handful of black pebbles in her palm before releasing them.

Her lips moved faster, tears streamed down her face, and a barely audible whisper escaped her throat, "... I... I can't... I can't do anything..."

Yun Jingheng's heart sank to the bottom.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Yun Jingheng immediately flew into a rage and turned to smash the mural, but the moment he turned back...

There is light now.