The Dream Snake inside Merin's dantian has completely transformed as it floats above a now golden Qi Sea.
A month has passed.
During this time, the Dream Snake has undergone nine successive transformations, and Merin's spiritual refining cultivation has reached the peak of the Fourth Stage.
Now he prepares for the tenth transformation.
Once it is completed, his spiritual refining cultivation will enter the Sublimation Stage.
At that point, it will surpass his warrior cultivation.
Merin carefully deduces the next transformation of his Dream Snake.
In truth, the creature's current form can no longer be called a Dream Snake.
The form it takes is only temporary.
Because of that, Merin never bothered to give it a proper name.
The creature now resembles something closer to a Yalong.
Its hind legs are like those of a lizard.
Its front limbs have become wing-claws.
A ridge of sharp spikes runs along its back, extending from the neck all the way to the tip of its tail.
Its face is a strange blend of lizard and serpent.
At first glance, it appears like a creature carrying a dragon bloodline.
But in reality, it does not possess even the slightest trace of dragon blood.
It only mimics the form.
There is no true essence.
So Merin begins deducing how to grant a dragon bloodline to the creature.
His thoughts deepen.
His mind sinks into calculation.
As his deductions progress, his breathing begins to change.
It gradually aligns with the rhythm of heaven and earth.
Each breath blends into the surrounding world.
Without noticing it himself, Merin enters a state of enlightenment.
Unconsciously, his Virtual Field spreads outward.
It expands beyond his body, capturing the subtle inspirations flowing between heaven and earth.
Inside the camp, the warriors of the Duan Family sit in cultivation.
They all cultivate Merin's Virtual Qi technique.
As the Virtual Field spreads, their breathing begins to resonate with it.
The connection forms naturally.
One by one, they too enter states of enlightenment.
Their minds become clear.
Their understanding deepens rapidly.
Outside that circle, the tribespeople and the spiritual refiners watch.
Their expressions are filled with envy.
They can see the changes clearly.
The Duan Family warriors' breathing becomes more refined.
More stable.
Some of them even begin breaking through their limits.
Their auras rise steadily.
The difference becomes obvious to everyone watching.
A carriage approaches the camp slowly, its wheels crunching over the frost-covered ground.
Before it can reach the inner perimeter, several spiritual refiners from the Duan Family step forward and block its path.
Their expressions remain respectful but firm.
They cannot allow anyone to enter.
Not now.
Not when their lord and the family warriors are in a state of cultivation.
The carriage comes to a stop.
A moment later, Elder Mu steps out.
Her expression is already cold.
Her eyes sweep across the guards.
"Do you not recognise the future wife of your lord?" she asks sharply.
The leading spiritual refiner bows slightly.
"Elder, we apologise."
"But we cannot allow anyone to enter the camp at this moment."
Elder Mu's expression darkens.
The anger she has been holding for days begins to rise again.
A full month has passed.
Yet Merin has not returned.
The marriage remains unfinished.
She had heard he was injured after the battle.
But given his status, resources, and abilities, stabilising such injuries should not take this long.
He should have returned.
He should have completed the marriage ceremony.
Instead, he remains here.
Ignoring everything.
To Elder Mu, this looks like contempt.
As if he does not care about the Song Royal Family.
As if he does not respect the Purple Lotus Sect.
His behaviour has already begun affecting how others see the situation.
Some even whisper that the Purple Lotus Sect is begging for this marriage.
That thought alone is enough to ignite her anger further.
Her breath rises.
Her aura flares outward uncontrollably.
The temperature around her drops slightly under the pressure.
But the moment her aura expands, she feels something else.
Several presences lock onto her instantly.
The Duan Family's outer Qi warriors.
Hidden around the camp.
Watching.
Ready.
If she makes a move, they will strike.
Elder Mu's chest rises and falls slowly.
She forces herself to calm down.
She cannot act rashly here.
Not without consequences.
Her thoughts begin shifting.
Perhaps…
She should write to the Sect Master.
Cancel the marriage.
The sect is already facing trouble.
Shi Yang's betrayal has shaken everything.
And worse, his talent has proven no less than Merin's.
A few days ago, three elders encountered Shi Yang while he was cultivating.
They attempted to capture him.
But they were no match for him.
They were defeated quickly.
If Shi Yang still held no lingering affection for the sect, those elders would already be dead.
Now, a new movement has begun rising within the sect.
Among the younger generation.
They want Shi Yang to return.
They want him to become Xingli's Dao partner instead.
The situation is unstable.
Elder Mu exhales slowly.
She begins to turn away.
But just as she moves, something catches her attention.
A fluctuation.
Someone inside the camp breaks through.
From intermediate Inner Qi to late Inner Qi.
A minor breakthrough.
Ordinarily, she would not even glance at such a thing.
But then it happens again.
Another breakthrough.
And another.
More and more fluctuations appear.
Multiple cultivators are advancing in tandem.
Elder Mu stops.
Her brows knit together.
Curiosity replaces her anger.
She spreads her spiritual sense toward the camp.
Her perception extends forward—
—and suddenly stops.
It collides with something invisible.
A barrier.
No.
A field.
An application of Dao.
Something only a Soul Awakening Stage cultivator can fully manifest.
Elder Mu's eyes narrow slightly.
She already knows who it belongs to.
There is only one person here capable of this.
Merin.
But what exactly is happening inside the camp…
She cannot understand.
So she remains standing there.
Silent.
The difference becomes obvious to everyone watching.
A carriage approaches the camp slowly, its wheels crunching over the frost-covered ground.
Before it can reach the inner perimeter, several spiritual refiners from the Duan Family step forward and block its path.
Their expressions remain respectful but firm.
They cannot allow anyone to enter.
Not now.
Not when their lord and the family warriors are in a state of cultivation.
The carriage comes to a stop.
A moment later, Elder Mu steps out.
Her expression is already cold.
Her eyes sweep across the guards.
"Do you not recognise the future wife of your lord?" she asks sharply.
The leading spiritual refiner bows slightly.
"Elder, we apologise."
"But we cannot allow anyone to enter the camp at this moment."
Elder Mu's expression darkens.
The anger she has been holding for days begins to rise again.
A full month has passed.
Yet Merin has not returned.
The marriage remains unfinished.
She had heard he was injured after the battle.
But given his status, resources, and abilities, stabilising such injuries should not take this long.
He should have returned.
He should have completed the marriage ceremony.
Instead, he remains here.
Ignoring everything.
To Elder Mu, this looks like contempt.
As if he does not care about the Song Royal Family.
As if he does not respect the Purple Lotus Sect.
His behaviour has already begun affecting how others see the situation.
Some even whisper that the Purple Lotus Sect is begging for this marriage.
That thought alone is enough to ignite her anger further.
Her breath rises.
Her aura flares outward uncontrollably.
The temperature around her drops slightly under the pressure.
But the moment her aura expands, she feels something else.
Several presences lock onto her instantly.
The Duan Family's outer Qi warriors.
Hidden around the camp.
Watching.
Ready.
If she makes a move, they will strike.
Elder Mu's chest rises and falls slowly.
She forces herself to calm down.
She cannot act rashly here.
Not without consequences.
Her thoughts begin shifting.
Perhaps…
She should write to the Sect Master.
Cancel the marriage.
The sect is already facing trouble.
Shi Yang's betrayal has shaken everything.
And worse, his talent has proven no less than Merin's.
A few days ago, three elders encountered Shi Yang while he was cultivating.
They attempted to capture him.
But they were no match for him.
They were defeated quickly.
If Shi Yang still held no lingering affection for the sect, those elders would already be dead.
Now, a new movement has begun rising within the sect.
Among the younger generation.
They want Shi Yang to return.
They want him to become Xingli's Dao partner instead.
The situation is unstable.
Elder Mu exhales slowly.
She begins to turn away.
But just as she moves, something catches her attention.
A fluctuation.
Someone inside the camp breaks through.
From intermediate Inner Qi to late Inner Qi.
A minor breakthrough.
Ordinarily, she would not even glance at such a thing.
But then it happens again.
Another breakthrough.
And another.
More and more fluctuations appear.
Multiple cultivators are advancing in tandem.
Elder Mu stops.
Her brows knit together.
Curiosity replaces her anger.
She spreads her spiritual sense toward the camp.
Her perception extends forward—
—and suddenly stops.
It collides with something invisible.
A barrier.
No.
A field.
An application of Dao.
Something only a Soul Awakening Stage cultivator can fully manifest.
Elder Mu's eyes narrow slightly.
She already knows who it belongs to.
There is only one person here capable of this.
Merin.
But what exactly is happening inside the camp…
She cannot understand.
So she remains standing there.
Silent.
Watching.
Inside the camp, Ziqi suppresses his breath with the last trace of his conscious will.
Around him, the others have already fallen into enlightenment.
Their auras rise and settle in quiet rhythm.
But Ziqi holds himself back.
His cultivation is on the verge of breaking through the Outer Qi Realm.
The pressure builds inside him.
His bronze Qi churns restlessly.
It only needs a single push.
Yet he refuses.
His ambition does not end at the Outer Qi Realm.
He wants more.
He wants to reach the Soul Awakening Stage.
So instead of breaking through, he restrains himself and begins deducing another path.
A deeper foundation.
He focuses inward.
His mind studies the nature of his bronze Qi mist.
He begins refining it further.
Condensing.
Purifying.
He attempts to transform the bronze into silver.
And beyond that, into gold.
If he succeeds, his foundation will surpass that of ordinary cultivators.
Only then will he have the strength to truly step toward the Soul Awakening Stage.
While Ziqi struggles in silence, inside his tent, Merin reaches the end of his own deduction.
His eyes remain closed.
But his mind sharpens to clarity.
He has finally found the answer.
To grant his Gu a true dragon bloodline, he cannot rely on imitation.
He must use a real source.
A Dragon Energy Vein.
Only by drawing the breath of such a vein can the tenth transformation be completed.
Only then will the Dream Snake truly evolve.
But another problem appears immediately.
He does not have time.
Searching blindly for a Dragon Energy Vein could take years.
Time he does not possess.
So instead of searching directly, Merin begins deducing a method.
A way to locate energy veins efficiently.
A technique to sense and trace their flow beneath the land.
A method of exploration.
His thoughts move quickly.
Patterns of terrain.
Fluctuations of energy.
Resonance between spiritual currents.
All of it forms together into a structured technique.
Moments later, the deduction completes.
Merin opens his eyes.
The light within them is calm.
His Virtual Field begins retracting.
The invisible influence covering the camp fades away gradually.
One by one, the warriors of the Duan Family awaken from enlightenment.
Some breathe deeply.
Some open their eyes in confusion before realising what they gained.
Their auras stabilise at higher levels.
Ziqi also opens his eyes slowly.
He exhales quietly.
The breakthrough he held back still waits within him.
But now his foundation has deepened further.
Merin steps out of his tent.
His presence immediately draws attention.
"Ziqi."
Ziqi straightens instantly.
"My lord."
"Begin packing the camp," Merin says calmly.
"We move soon."
"Yes, my lord."
Ziqi turns immediately to carry out the order.
Merin then calls for the spiritual refiners and the shamans.
They gather before him quickly.
Their expressions are respectful.
Some still carry traces of curiosity from the earlier phenomenon.
Merin looks at them briefly.
Then he begins explaining.
He teaches them the exploration technique he just deduced.
How to sense energy veins.
How to trace their flow.
How to identify fluctuations within the land.
The group listens carefully.
No one dares interrupt.
The knowledge being passed to them is profound.
A method that can change how they interact with the land itself.
Merin speaks calmly.
Step by step.
Ensuring they understand.
Because the next step of his path depends on what they will find.