Inside the sealed chamber—
silence reigned once more.
The massive stone doors remained tightly shut.
No sound entered.
No sound escaped.
Only the faint glow of formation inscriptions illuminated the room, casting pale ripples of light across the stone walls.
At the center—
the small white-scaled lizard sat motionless.
A storage pouch floated before him.
A thread of spiritual energy flowed steadily from his claw into the pouch.
Moments later—
everything inside spilled out.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Eight enormous corpses crashed onto the stone floor.
Foundation Establishment spirit beasts.
Even in death, their bodies still radiated lingering spiritual energy.
Beside them—
twenty-seven beast cores rolled across the chamber floor.
Each pulsed with dense spiritual power.
Lizarius stared silently.
Golden eyes calm.
Calculating.
Evaluating.
*Eight corpses.*
*Twenty-seven cores.*
Not much.
Yet considerably more than he had expected from two Spirit Refining cultivators given less than an hour.
His gaze lingered briefly on the pile.
*They returned quickly.*
*Good.*
The jade storage ring slipped from his tail.
The instant it left—
his concealment vanished.
CRACK.
The room suddenly seemed far smaller.
His body rapidly expanded.
White scales spread outward.
Muscles thickened.
His neck lengthened.
Massive claws dug deep grooves into the stone floor.
The transformation continued.
Growing.
Expanding.
Stretching.
Within moments—
the enormous draconic lizard once again occupied most of the chamber.
The ceiling suddenly felt much lower.
The walls much closer.
The room itself seemed incapable of containing his presence.
Lizarius ignored it completely.
His maw opened.
Then—
he began eating.
CRUNCH.
Bone shattered.
Flesh disappeared.
Foundation Establishment beast meat vanished piece after piece.
Spiritual energy flooded into his damaged body.
The first corpse disappeared.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The fourth soon followed.
The fifth.
The sixth.
The seventh.
And finally—
the eighth vanished completely.
Only bloodstains remained scattered across the floor.
The twenty-seven beast cores followed next.
One after another.
Consumed whole.
Dense spiritual energy erupted within him.
His damaged core greedily absorbed everything.
Cracks slowly knitting together.
Internal injuries gradually stabilizing.
The unbearable hunger eased.
Only slightly.
Still—
it was progress.
After swallowing the final beast core—
Lizarius remained still for several moments.
Then he extended a claw toward the jade ring.
Spiritual light flashed.
Several additional items appeared.
More beast cores.
And three pale spiritual herbs.
Their leaves shimmered with cold silver light.
Dense Yin energy drifted from them.
The temperature inside the chamber immediately dropped.
Without hesitation—
Lizarius activated gravity manipulation.
The herbs floated upward.
The beast cores followed.
Suspended in the air before him.
Then—
all of them flew directly into his mouth.
GULP.
The energy exploded through his body.
Cold Yin energy surged through his meridians.
Spiritual essence flooded every corner of his flesh.
The sensation was overwhelming.
Yet compared to previous evolutions—
manageable.
His enormous body rapidly shrank once more.
White scales compressed.
Muscles condensed.
Bones folded inward.
His draconic frame diminished again and again until—
within moments—
the tiny white-scaled lizard returned.
The jade ring slid back around his tail.
The chamber immediately felt spacious again.
Lizarius curled into a resting position.
Golden eyes gradually closed.
Then—
his thoughts echoed inward.
*System.*
*Fuse genes.*
A familiar voice answered immediately.
**[Command acknowledged.]**
**[Processing available genetic material.]**
**[Selecting compatible mutations.]**
**[Beginning fusion.]**
The moment the notification appeared—
pain erupted.
CRACK.
His body convulsed violently.
Scales tightened.
Muscles twisted.
Cells divided at impossible speeds.
Fresh mutations spread through flesh, blood, bone, and organs.
The newly evolved regenerative traits merged with the enhanced White-Scale lineage.
Every cell seemed to be rewritten.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Blood seeped from between his scales.
His jaws clenched tightly.
No sound escaped.
The agony was familiar now.
Pain meant growth.
Pain meant evolution.
Pain meant survival.
Hours passed.
The chamber remained completely silent.
Only occasional tremors spread through the floor.
Then—
eventually—
the changes stabilized.
The notifications faded.
The pain gradually weakened.
His consciousness drifted.
His breathing slowed.
The tiny white-scaled lizard finally relaxed.
Curled beside the jade ring.
Sleeping.
While deep beneath his scales—
millions of newly evolved cells continued their work.
Repairing.
Strengthening.
Transforming.
And for the first time since arriving in Lotus City—
his recovery began accelerating at a noticeable rate.
---
### One Week Later
The cultivation chamber deep within the Golden Lotus Pavilion was silent.
Dense spiritual energy drifted through the room like pale mist.
A gathering formation glowed beneath Ling Yue's crossed legs, drawing strands of spiritual energy from the surrounding spirit stones and funneling them into her body.
Around her—
empty pill bottles lay scattered across the floor.
Some had rolled into corners.
Others had been carelessly tossed aside.
A few had shattered completely.
For the past week, she and Ling Wei had practically lived inside the Pavilion.
Cultivating.
Refining pills.
Strengthening their foundations.
Advancing their cultivation.
And the results had been astonishing.
Hours passed.
The circulation of spiritual energy gradually slowed.
Then finally—
Ling Yue exhaled.
A stream of white mist escaped her lips as her eyes opened.
A faint glow lingered within her pupils.
The spiritual energy surrounding her gradually settled.
A smile appeared on her face.
"...The difference really can't be compared."
She lowered her gaze toward the cultivation formation beneath her.
The resources they possessed now were things she never could have imagined touching before.
High-quality pills.
Superior cultivation chambers.
An abundance of spirit stones.
Endless spiritual energy.
Every day felt like a dream.
Her fingers brushed against her storage pouch.
"If this continues..."
Her voice was soft.
Almost disbelieving.
"...I might finally break through my bottleneck."
For a moment—
she simply stared ahead.
Then her smile widened.
"No."
A spark of confidence appeared in her eyes.
"I'll definitely reach the middle stage of Spirit Refining."
The confidence wasn't arrogance.
It was certainty.
For the first time in her life—
the path ahead seemed clear.
She reached into her pouch.
A jade bottle appeared in her hand.
Removing the stopper, she tilted it slightly.
A spirit pill rolled into her palm.
Just as she prepared to consume it—
PAIN.
A violent agony exploded through her arm.
"AHHHHHHH!"
The bottle slipped from her fingers.
It shattered against the floor.
Ling Yue doubled over instantly.
Her eyes widened.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream.
The mark hidden beneath her glove blazed like molten iron.
Every nerve in her body felt as though it were being ripped apart.
She collapsed to one knee.
Sweat instantly soaked her clothes.
Her breathing became ragged.
For several terrifying moments—
she genuinely thought she was dying.
Then—
it vanished.
Completely.
As abruptly as it had appeared.
The pain disappeared without leaving even the slightest trace.
Ling Yue remained frozen.
Breathing heavily.
Her heart pounded violently within her chest.
"...Again..."
She stared at her trembling hand.
There was no need to guess.
She knew exactly what it meant.
The creature had awakened.
Immediately—
she rose to her feet.
Without hesitation.
Without even cleaning up the shattered bottle.
She rushed toward the door.
---
Elsewhere within the Pavilion—
another cultivation chamber remained sealed.
Inside—
Ling Wei sat at the center of a gathering formation.
Spiritual energy surged around him in steady currents.
His aura was significantly stronger than before.
Days of uninterrupted cultivation had pushed his progress forward at an astonishing pace.
At that moment—
he was completely focused.
Refining spiritual energy.
Advancing his cultivation.
Strengthening his foundation.
Then—
the mark activated.
"UGH!"
His eyes snapped open.
Blood sprayed from his lips.
The circulation of spiritual energy instantly collapsed.
A violent pain shot through his arm.
His entire body trembled.
The sensation wasn't merely physical.
It felt as though death itself had wrapped a hand around his throat.
His face immediately paled.
The pain lasted only seconds.
Then disappeared.
Ling Wei sat motionless.
A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Slowly—
he wiped it away.
"...So you're awake."
There was no anger in his voice.
Only resignation.
And perhaps—
a hint of relief.
Because the alternative would have been far worse.
Without wasting another second, he rose and headed toward the door.
---
The corridor outside the cultivation chambers was quiet.
Almost deserted.
Two doors opened nearly simultaneously.
Ling Yue stepped out from one side.
Ling Wei emerged from the other.
The moment their eyes met—
both stopped.
Neither needed to ask.
Neither needed an explanation.
They already knew.
"...It seems we're being summoned."
Ling Yue spoke first.
Ling Wei nodded.
"It seems so."
Her gaze suddenly narrowed.
"Big Brother..."
A faint streak of blood remained near his mouth.
Her expression immediately changed.
"You're injured."
Ling Wei casually wiped away the remaining trace.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"The pain interrupted my cultivation."
He frowned slightly.
"I was in the middle of circulating spiritual energy."
Ling Yue winced.
Cultivators hated interruptions during cultivation.
Especially during critical moments.
Fortunately, the damage appeared minor.
Ling Wei glanced toward the distant exit.
"Let's go."
Ling Yue nodded immediately.
Neither delayed.
Neither complained.
Because they both understood one thing.
Whenever the mark activated—
it meant the white-scaled monster wanted something.
And keeping him waiting was never a good idea.
Together, the siblings turned and hurried through the halls of the Golden Lotus Pavilion.
Heading toward the place they had spent the last month trying very hard not to think about.
Their courtyard.
And the creature waiting inside it.