Great Rewards!

In the sea of stars, Pan Long took a single step and entered a white void.

In that void, nothing surrounded him but a few glowing objects.

They were the spoils of his adventure.

They floated in two groups, four on one side and five on the other.

The four were the Little Luna Statue, the Most Holy Boots, the Panacea, and a medicinal herb.

He had chosen the first three as his spoils. The last was for a test.

Herbs that were commonplace in the world of Sword and Lament might become Spirit Medicine beyond imagination back in the Nine Provinces. If things worked as he expected, it would be worth making a trip here next time just to scour the place for herbs.

If he could gather several hundred, the rewards might surpass those of any divine artifact.

As for what would happen to the world of Sword and Lament, he wasn't worried.

Allen and Sura had already reached Luna Village. The two were disciples of the Great Sage. Right now, they looked like complete novices, riding nags, wearing old armor, and carrying nothing more than an ordinary iron sword and the crudest birch wand. But within a few short years, they would grow into peerless heroes who could shake the world with a stamp of their feet.

With their help, Luna Village would face no danger.

Besides, there was all the equipment he had left behind.

With such powerful equipment and items available from the outset, their fight against the Empire would surely go much more smoothly.

There was one difference, though. With Seles dead, no one would lure Allen down an evil path this time. However bad he became, there would be a limit.

Whether he ultimately brought light and peace back to the land or founded a new kingdom in his own name... so long as he didn't stray onto an evil path, that world's future could hardly be worse than its present.

Those two look like amateurs now, yet in just a few years they'll grow into people who shape the world's future. That whole "protagonist" thing really is enviable!

But he wasn't jealous. After all, those two—and their entire world—were merely illusions conjured by the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment. Even if it were all real and they could grow, Pan Long could grow too.

Even if they were real, they could grow stronger, and so could Pan Long.

He probably couldn't shoot straight to the heavens like those two "children of destiny," but he had more time. In eight or ten years, or even twenty or thirty, he was confident he could become someone who shook the land with a stamp of his foot.

For one thing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment plainly worked better in his hands than it had in his father's, or even in the hands of generations of Pan Lineage ancestors. That alone filled him with confidence!

His future would shine as brilliantly as theirs!

The Demon God Contract, Demonblood, the Evil God Scepter, the Sacrificial Dagger, and the Shard of Darkness.

The Demon God Contract, Demonblood, the Evil God Scepter, the Sacrificial Dagger, and the Shard of Darkness.

Allen and Sura couldn't deal with these five items either. Pan Long didn't want to leave them in that world, so he had brought them into the gap between the illusory world and the real one: the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment's Virtual Space.

Not long before, when he had encountered Allen and Sura, the long-overdue "instructions" had finally arrived.

They explained in detail how to use the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment. They differed little from what his father had told him, apart from a few added details.

According to the instructions, a Virtual Space existed as a gap between the illusory world and the real one. Opening it consumed very little spiritual energy, and the energy didn't have to be fully replenished first.

The Virtual Space contained no resources, but anyone inside felt no hunger, fatigue, drowsiness, or other bodily needs. They could focus entirely on training.

Moreover, when the owner of the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment wanted to bring something from the Illusory World back to the real world, it had to pass through the Virtual Space.

What was more, whenever the owner of the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment wanted to bring something from an illusory world into reality, it had to pass through the Virtual Space.

Anything he left behind would turn to ash and vanish along with the Virtual Space once he departed, returning to its original form—pure spiritual energy.

So the best way to deal with those dangerous items was to take them into the Virtual Space and leave them there.

So the best way to deal with those dangerous items was to bring them into the Virtual Space and leave them there.

Destroyed outright, with no trouble left behind.

He pressed a hand to the Little Luna Statue. A transparent spiritual-energy gauge immediately appeared above it. Less than half the gauge was green, while the rest was red. A short stretch of green at the boundary was outlined in red.

That was the energy required to bring the statue back.

"Acceptable." Pan Long nodded and tapped a finger against it. That short green segment turned red, and the faint glow around the statue dispersed, leaving it clear and solid.

When he returned to reality, it would appear beside him.

Next, he selected the Holy Spirit Potion, the Most Holy Boots, and the herb. Of those three, the herb cost almost no energy at all, while the Holy Spirit Potion and Most Holy Boots cost a great deal—far more than the Luna Statue.

(Maybe I should collect more Easter-egg items with simple effects. The more things like the Luna Statue, the better...)

Maybe I should collect more Easter-egg items with simple effects. The more things like the Luna Statue, the better...

Pan Long thought it over once more. Certain there was nothing else to do, he closed his eyes.

"Return to reality!"

The next instant, he felt his body drop slightly, then found his footing again.

His father and grandfather stood right before him.

"The way you activated the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment was a little strange." His father looked him up and down, then asked worriedly, "Did anything go wrong?"

His grandfather nodded repeatedly. "It doesn't matter if you gained nothing. Staying safe is what matters. At worst, you can pass the treasure on to your son. You've got a long life ahead of you—don't take risks!"

Seeing the concern on their faces, Pan Long smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he said lightly. "In fact... things went better than expected!"

After hearing Pan Long's account, his father and grandfather looked at each other, both baffled.

After hearing him out, his father and grandfather looked at each other, both baffled.

Generations of Pan Lineage ancestors had used the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment, passing down a wealth of experience. Yet none had ever encountered anything like this!

But Pan Lei had never imagined that the Illusory World his son opened wouldn't be the medicinal herb garden that generations of the Pan Lineage had long been familiar with, nor some treasure trove filled with riches, but a legendary story.

But Pan Lei could never have imagined that the world his son opened would be neither the medicinal garden familiar to generations of their family nor a treasure vault filled with riches, but a Legend.

The gains his son brought back from that tale were even further beyond anything he had imagined.

They couldn't see the invisible "character panel," but a moment's thought told them it was worth more than ten thousand pieces of gold, something any expert would dream of possessing.

The physical objects they could see and touch were no less astonishing.

A pair of boots could ward off curses and protect its wearer from traps, swamps, seas of fire, and even falls. How wondrous was that?

A finger-sized bottle of potion could heal any injury or illness, lift any curse, and instantly restore even someone on the brink of death.

A palm-sized statue weighed more than a child half as tall as a grown man. The strange power it contained left Pan Long even more puzzled.

"Dad, you've seen a lot of the world. Have you ever heard of a treasure that makes training much more effective?" He looked at Pan Shou.

Pan Shou nodded, then shook his head.

His gaze fell on the statue in Pan Long's hand, and he couldn't help shaking his head again. "Using those things is often very complicated, and many of them consume precious resources. This one the young Long found, for instance, works just by wearing it... I've never heard of anything so simple."

His gaze fell on the statue in Pan Long's hand, and he couldn't help shaking his head again. "Using those treasures is usually complicated, too. Many consume precious resources. But this one Xiaolong found works just by carrying it... I've never heard of anything so convenient."

He examined it a while longer, then asked, "Does it actually work?"

"All right, I'll try it for a while and see." Pan Shou accepted the statue without hesitation. The several-dozen-pound object rested in his hand as lightly as if it weighed nothing at all, leaving Pan Long secretly amazed.

"All right, I'll use it for a while and see." Pan Shou accepted it without fuss. The statue weighed dozens of pounds, yet it seemed featherlight in his hand. Pan Long marveled inwardly.

Grandpa's arm strength is incredible. How far would an ordinary person fly if he gave them a shove? Probably about as far as if a huge truck hit them head-on...

The herb, of course, was for Pan Lei.

"Just this one plant can heal injuries?" Pan Lei's face was full of doubt. "At least that Holy Spirit Potion looks potent. But this herb... I feel like I could take a walk outdoors in spring or summer and pick up plenty just like it."

Pan Lei was persuaded by his son and put the herb in his mouth.

Persuaded by his son, Pan Lei put the herb in his mouth.

It dissolved into a sweet, fresh green liquid that seeped into his body.

The next instant, delight lit up his face.

The severe injuries he had accumulated from being wounded twice had improved dramatically!

He silently circulated his True Qi. A moment later, he smiled. "More than half my injuries have healed. Fighting someone would still be a stretch right now, but after another ten days or two weeks of rest, I'll be fully recovered."

"If I'd known, I'd have brought back a few more herbs!"

Pan Shou coughed, interrupting their celebration.

Pan Shou coughed, interrupting their celebration.

When his son and grandson turned to him, the old man set the heavy statue aside and said gravely, "Xiaolong's experience... reminds me of something."

"What?"

"The true origins of the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment."