Seeing Flowers in the Mist, Gazing at the Moon in the Water

"That's true, but is it really completely random?" Shen Heng asked.

The Stone was taken aback.

Qin Yu pondered for a moment and then said, "Captain, do you mean that the Distortion part is related to the part you eat? Like... what you eat, you replenish?"

"Hmm." Shen Heng nodded. "Unless the difference in rank between the two Calamity Beasts is too great, there shouldn't be enough time in this place for one of Calamity Beast to slowly finish eating all its prey."

"In other words, most of the time, they only eat one or a few parts."

"This may explain the various situations that arise after their Distortion."

After speaking, Shen Heng paused for a moment, then added,

"Of course, this is just speculation; it can't be completely confirmed."

"We don't have the resources or time to determine that right now!"

There was no response, and Qin Yu slowly nodded.

Stone, standing to the side, nodded as if he understood but not quite.

"Then we should?" Qin Yu looked up.

Shen Heng pondered for a moment, then raised his hand.

The next moment, a huge corpse suddenly appeared on the open ground in front.

"Uh, Lord Shen Heng, what is this...?" Stone looked at the Azure-Plumed Bird with a wingspan much larger than his own with some confusion.

"Let's eat the wings first," Shen Heng said.

"Wings... wings?" Stone turned his head.

"Well, if we're unsure whether the Distortion is specifically related to the part you eat, then eating the wings first is best for you." Shen Heng looked at the Stone.

"If the Distortion is unrelated to what one eats, then eating feathers makes no difference compared to eating anything else."

"Conversely, if it's relevant, then for you, it's nothing more than growing wings."

"This isn't bad for you."

"Even if it's truly a disadvantage, just cut it off; you didn't have wings to begin with anyway."

Stone paused for a moment, then nodded.

It finally understood what Lord Shen Heng was talking about; eating the wings first was indeed the best choice for it!

Thinking of this, it couldn't help but take another serious look at Lord Shen Heng.

Sure enough, there's absolutely no problem following Lord Shen Heng!

Ignoring what the Stone was thinking, Shen Heng looked at Stone and said,

"I'll say it one last time, it's not too late to back out now. Otherwise, if Distortion occurs, I might not be able to save you!"

Almost without hesitation, Stone nodded, "Yes, I know!"

Shen Heng stared at the Stone for a long while, then nodded.

"In that case, go ahead. If possible, swallow the bones too!"

"Um!"

Stone nodded in agreement, then turned and walked towards the enormous carcass of the Azure-Plumed Bird.

"Laugh--"

The stench of blood permeated the corridor.

Shen Heng stood to the side, silently watching the Stone struggling to squeeze a bone down.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly came from the side.

"What?" Shen Heng looked over.

"You bastard! I was clearly listening the whole time, why didn't you respond when I was talking to you?!" The voice suddenly exploded in my ear.

"..."

Shen Heng paused for a moment, then said,

Have you forgotten how you were when you asked that question?

"Hmm? What does this have to do with my state when I was asking the question?" Liya Nolandir frowned.

Qin Yu, however, was the first to recall, "Impatient...?"

"Yes, impatient." Shen Heng nodded. "In that state, it's probably hard to explain in just a few words. At this point, you can't expect me to spend a lot of time explaining why to you before we get to work, can you?"

"Uh, uh..."

Liya Nolandir opened her mouth twice, but didn't know how to refute it, and finally could only say,

"It's not that bad, just pretend you didn't hear it..."

"Hmm..." Shen Heng hesitated for a moment. He did seem to have some issues in this regard. "I'm sorry! In the future, if I encounter a similar situation, I'll let you know in advance and explain things to you."

This time, it was Liya Nolandir's turn to feel a little embarrassed.

"Uh, it's okay, it's good that you know! It's good that you know!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

In Qin Yu's mind, Liya Nolandir glanced cautiously at the human beside her.

Although her long-term observations had led her to believe that the other person was actually a very gentle person, it was still surprising that he would apologize and try to resolve the issue even over such a small matter...

She paused, not thinking too much about it, and looked at the guy not far away, asking him a question.

Do you think the Stone can succeed?

Upon hearing this question, Qin Yu also looked at the captain.

She was also somewhat curious.

Shen Heng did not respond immediately; he looked at the Stone that was still tearing at the Azure-Plumed Bird's wing.

After a moment, he said:

Whether it will succeed is uncertain, but it shouldn't fail on the first try.

"Hmm? Not necessarily failure, but success is possible?" Liya Nolandir asked.

Qin Yu looked at Shen Heng with some confusion.

"No, it's just not to the point of Distortion. If eating a bunch of feathers could make you grow a pair of wings, then the rules would be far too Distortion. And within this palace..."

Shen Heng paused, looked up at the dome above.

"It shouldn't Distortion to that extent yet."

"Hmm? You sensed it through that mark?" Liya Nolandir asked.

Qin Yu shifted her gaze slightly upwards, looking at the gold-like mark on the captain's forehead.

"Hmm," Shen Heng replied, his gaze slightly unfocused as he looked upwards.

Through the blurry vision, I could indeed see those indescribable ripples, one after another.

A feeling of being able to do whatever I wanted came over me.

Distortion rules...

Although I haven't decided yet whether or not to take that path in the future.

But in the past few days, he has been trying to contact the Distortion rules, just as Night Spirit Liya had told him.

But...

"How is it? How does it feel?" Liya Nolandir asked excitedly from the side.

This was the first person she had ever heard of who had come into contact with the core Authority of that broken snake!

"Well..." Shen Heng lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "It's like looking at flowers through the mist, or gazing at the moon's reflection in the water."

"Yes, that's normal. After all, Authority —no, even the path—is something you can only begin to try to access at the mid-to-late stages of the Sixth Tier. You're not even at the Sixth Tier yet, so this seems perfectly normal!" Liya Nolandil nodded indifferently.

"All you need to do during this time is try your best to perceive and remember that feeling!"

"Especially later, when you need to use that rule!"

"These feelings will help you more easily embark on that path in the future!"

There was no response, Shen Heng nodded.

Liya Nolandir, who was standing to the side, continued,

"If you ask me, if you have the means, it's best to stay here for three to five years. That way, your chances of going down a 'Distortion' path will be much greater!"

"So, how about it, want to consider it...?"

He stopped mid-sentence.

The group looked ahead.

There, the Stone had already swallowed the last feather of the Azure-Plumed Bird.

At this moment, something strange was happening; his body was twisting and turning.

Are we going to fail?... Several people frowned.

Fortunately, this situation only lasted for a short while before it improved somewhat.

Then, he ran over.

The movements weren't as smooth as before, but at least they weren't as strange as they had been.

"Lord Shen Heng!" Stone called out as he ran over.

"Hmm, how are you feeling?" Shen Heng asked, his gaze sweeping over Stone's body, which seemed unchanged.

Beside it, Qin Yu and Liya Nolandir in her mind also glanced at it.

"I feel something strange in my body, and then, my back feels slightly hot." Stone seemed a little uncomfortable and twisted his body again.

"My back is feeling slightly warm. Is it really going to grow wings?!" Liya Nolandir asked in Qin Yu's mind.

No one responded, and no one knew how to respond.

Shen Heng glanced at Stone's back, which was covered by thick armor, paused, and then looked into Stone's eyes.

"Did you feel a sense of mental confusion, frenzy, or being shocked?"

Qin Yu and Night Spirit Liya's attention were once again drawn to it.

Upon hearing this question, they realized that what was truly important was the consciousness of the Stone.

As long as one's consciousness remains unchanged, one will not fall into that state of frenzy.

Therefore, even if the body undergoes some Distortion, it won't cause any major problems.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

"It seems like we don't have that," Stone said, shifting his body slightly.

As it spoke, it looked at Lord Shen Heng.

"Lord Shen Heng, does this mean I've succeeded?"

"I can't be sure, but the rest is tentatively confirmed," Shen Heng said.

"Huh? What's wrong?!" Stone, somewhat puzzled.

Shen Heng looked at the Stone,

"Continue, eat your first Distortion limb out first."