After opening the advanced medical pod, Yunxi first placed Xia Yiwan inside the sleek, metallic chamber. She closed the transparent lid, tapped the glowing control panel with her fingertips, and started the first round of diagnostics. She needed to confirm just how severe the soul damage was before proceeding with any treatment.
Once she hit confirm, the medical pod began operating with a soft, rhythmic hum. Yunxi kept her eyes on the flickering indicators as blue light scanned the body within. About a quarter hour later, scrolling text appeared on the glowing light screen.
[Preliminary diagnosis complete. The patient's mental strength has been severely weakened. Mental strength level has fallen to Level Three. The patient is unable to regain control of the body and has entered deep sleep. Treatment requires Advanced Mental Strength Repair Fluid.]
When she saw the results, they matched her expectations. The problem was that she didn't have any Advanced Mental Strength Repair Fluid on hand in her current inventory. She left Li Li guarding the pod, its small eyes watching the monitors, and turned to enter her space.
As her cultivation rose, she entered the space less and less frequently. Unless it was absolutely necessary for her plans, she rarely used it now.
After entering the familiar environment, she spread her divine sense and swept through the lush surroundings, confirming everything was normal. Only then did she head into the former Yixian Gate main hall and log into the chat group.
The moment Fleeting Cloud logged in, someone sent her a private message. It was Ethereal Grace.
"Little Cloud, how is your whole realm ascension plan going?"
She replied immediately, her fingers moving quickly.
"Thank you for your concern, senior. Things are going fairly smoothly. The small realm I came from has successfully returned to the Spirit Realm. I owe that to a purple robed Xiānzūn who stepped in to help. Without her, I'm afraid I would already be destroyed in body and soul."
Even now, she still felt lingering fear when she thought about it, a coldness settling in her marrow. She didn't know where she had found that courage back then, but she had held on stubbornly without even thinking of retreat. Instead, the situation had stirred up her ferocity. Perhaps she had never been the type to admit defeat; otherwise, she couldn't have crushed Wei Yunqing under her feet.
Ethereal Grace replied, the message appearing instantly. "That purple robed immortal is a friend of this Lord. She happened to be nearby, so this Lord asked her to take a look. I didn't expect it would really help you."
She froze for a moment, her eyes widening. She hadn't expected that mysterious purple robed immortal to be Ethereal Grace's friend. From the sound of the message, the other party had to be in the Immortal Realm. Realizing that made her smile brightly, dimples appearing at the corners of her lips.
"Many thanks for your help, senior. If this junior ascends to the Immortal Realm one day, I will thank you in person."
Ethereal Grace replied. "Alright. This Lord will wait for you."
After that, Ethereal Grace logged off the system. She calmed herself before preparing to contact Star Trek. To her surprise, they sent a private message first.
"Little Cloud, why haven't you been on the chat group for so long?"
"Sorry. Something happened in the small world I was in. I only managed to get free recently. Are the spiritual plants you exchanged from me still sufficient? How is the effect of the Lifespan Fruit?"
"The cultivation of the spiritual plants is still ongoing. As they grow, though, the special energy within them is dissipating. We haven't found a suitable solution yet. The researchers think it's related to our living environment, so large scale cultivation isn't possible for now. If needed, I will exchange with you again. That said, the Lifespan Fruit worked very well. It gave our commander enough time to train a successor. The transfer of power went smoothly and avoided internal conflict. Thank you very much."
She could tell that Star Trek's gratitude was sincere from the tone of the message. She smoothly steered the conversation back on track toward her current needs.
"I have a companion whose mental strength was injured. The advanced medical pod confirmed that her mental strength level dropped and she has fallen into deep sleep. I want to wake her as soon as possible and need Advanced Mental Strength Repair Fluid. Would it be possible to exchange for some? I only need enough to wake her."
She had no obligation to fully heal the other party. Waking her was only for her later plans to deal with the threat of Dengyun Tower. She was also certain that any cultivator targeted and possessed by an evil cultivator had to be exceptional in some way. Whether it was Xia Yiwan's cultivation or her hidden background, the truth would only be clear once she woke up and could speak.
In Xia Yiwan's current state, she couldn't even perform soul searching. She knew that if she tried, the remaining soul fragment would completely dissipate under the pressure.
Star Trek replied quickly. "Send me the medical pod's diagnostic results. I will prepare high tier mental strength repair fluid for you."
"Alright."
She sent over the diagnostic report and also transferred a batch of low tier spirit stones, explaining the proper way to use them.
Star Trek didn't expect the extra gain from the transaction. They immediately used their connections to obtain ten doses of Advanced Mental Strength Repair Fluid and sent them to her at top speed, along with detailed usage instructions.
After receiving the fluid, she logged out of the chat group.
On the other side, Star Trek sent the spirit stones to the research institute. Some were used for specialized research, while others were buried deep at the roots of the exchanged spiritual plants according to her instructions. A new round of observation and recording began.
After leaving the space, she poured the thick, milky white Advanced Mental Strength Repair Fluid into the nutrient solution inside the medical pod. She closed the lid, started the treatment cycle, and hugged Li Li while watching the pod without blinking.
According to Star Trek's explanation, as long as Xia Yiwan absorbed the effects of two doses, she would wake up. The remaining soul damage could then be treated using traditional methods from the Cultivation Realm.
Three days later, the medical pod signaled that the patient was finally about to wake up. Yunxi quickly moved Xia Yiwan out of the pod and placed her into a warm bath. She flicked her sleeve, putting away the pod and the energy barrier, then opened the restriction and let Yun Po enter the room.
His figure flashed as he entered, having been paying close attention to the main room. When the restriction opened, he knew there were results from her efforts.
Xia Yiwan felt like a pebble tossed on a raging sea, rising and falling with the massive waves. A suffocating pressure rushed at her again and again, threatening to drown her. Just as she was about to give up and be smashed into the depths, a new force drilled into her body. The suffocation slowly weakened and ebbed away. Later, even the sense of rising and falling disappeared. She felt as if her soul had finally returned to its rightful place.
The next moment, she slowly opened her eyes. What she saw were three pairs of bright eyes—a man, a woman, and a little panda—all looking down at her. She spoke gently to the confused woman.
"Xia Yiwan, you're awake?"
She nodded instinctively, the movement stirring the clear water around her. Only then did she realize she was sitting in a bath. She spoke with great difficulty, her voice cracking.
"Where is this?"
Yunxi replied softly, her voice steady. "This is Xianke Ruyun in Songran City. Do you remember why your soul was injured? Do you know how you joined Dengyun Tower?"
Xia Yiwan took a long moment to react. She even raised a trembling hand and tapped her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. A moment later, her expression changed drastically. She suddenly stood up from the bath, water cascading off her, and shouted, "There's a traitor in Yixian Gate. I need to go back."
Then she seemed to realize something as she scanned the room. Her gaze turned wary as she looked at Yunxi and Yun Po, her eyes darting between them. Only then did she notice that both of their cultivation levels were significantly higher than hers. Her face instantly went pale from the shock. She tried to summon her natal artifact to defend herself, but the damage to her divine sense hadn't healed yet. Her face turned even whiter as the pain intensified, and she clutched her head and collapsed back into the bath.