Night had cast its dark shroud over the world, and heavy clouds clustered in the sky, plunging the mountain path between Qingyang and the Mu estate into pitch darkness.
A solitary figure struggled through the forest, leaping between trees. It was a girl whose steps were unsteady, as if every movement required an incredible effort.
Her once beautiful dress had turned into rags, covered in dirt and bloodstains.
"What a beating!" Mu Zi said with a bitter smile.
This time, she had been a hair's breadth from death.
The difference in strength between her and a late-stage Earth Yuan master was too great. If not for one unexpected trump card up her sleeve, Mu Zi might have remained in Qingyang forever.
Suddenly, lightning tore through the clouds, and the first drops of rain fell to the ground. Initially sparse, they soon turned into a furious downpour.
Large drops lashed at Mu Zi, making her wounded body tremble under their assault.
Soon, her clothes were soaked through, clinging to her figure and outlining her elegant curves.
Feeling that her body could no longer endure, Mu Zi, without hesitation, found a secluded cave and took shelter in it.
Her wet clothes could no longer conceal her nakedness. Taking a deep breath, she shed the torn rags.
This downpour, which fell on her so suddenly, brought her new trials but at the same time washed the dirt and blood from her body.
Now her snow-white figure resembled an exquisite jade statue. Moonlight, penetrating through the cave entrance, left spots on her skin. Under its soft glow, she seemed woven from moon pearls.
Despite the fact that her Earth Yuan enemies were formidable, they couldn't leave a single scratch on her body.
Her body was on the verge of collapse due to the serious internal damage caused by the activation of the Rebirth Seal.
As mentioned earlier, the Rebirth Seal did not directly contribute to raising her cultivation level but plunged Mu Zi into a state of absolute calm.
She usually used this state to improve her perception, but that didn't mean it was useless in combat.
Remembering this feeling of complete control, Mu Zi realized that in this state, she could fully use every drop of her energy and every ounce of her strength.
Thanks to this, her mastery of martial arts reached astonishing heights.
Under normal circumstances, she could only create three layers of the Heavy Yuan Seal. However, in this dispassionate state, Mu Zi was able to form nine seals at once.
The power of this state was truly astonishing. Even the top masters of the Great Thousand Worlds could barely achieve perfect control over all their spiritual energy, not to mention a practitioner at the Body Tempering stage from a lower world, like Mu Zi.
However, power always comes at a price.
Although Mu Zi could forcefully control every particle of power in her body, showing incredible combat prowess, it created a huge burden on her body. If Yuan Li was released too sharply, her meridians would suffer serious damage.
Therefore, caring for her body, Mu Zi usually avoided using the Rebirth Seal to enhance her combat abilities, saving it as a trump card.
But this time, to destroy a late-stage Earth Yuan master, she had squeezed out every last drop of her strength. Now she could faintly feel her meridians coming dangerously close to the brink of destruction.
"I need to find a solution quickly," Mu Zi murmured, filled with anxiety.
She realized that if she didn't heal her wounds in time, the consequences could be irreversible. Her cultivation path might forever stop at the Body Tempering stage, and she would lose her chance for a breakthrough.
For Mu Zi, this was unacceptable.
"But what can I do?" she asked herself.
Maybe miraculous pills could help? However, medicines capable of healing meridians are rare, and finding them quickly would not be easy.
Mu Zi's thoughts raced in search of a solution until an idea came to her that lit up her mind.
The Stone Talisman Spiritual Fluid!
Exactly! The fluid, created by the Ancestral Stone from the energy of heaven and earth, was effective against such wounds. Even Lin Xiao praised it.
"But how do I get it?" Mu Zi frowned.
Rob them? But the Mu estate cannot oppose the Lin clan.
Ask directly? But that's even worse!
How to explain where she knows about the Stone Talisman Spiritual Fluid? To reveal her secret would be to sign her own death warrant.
Even if she managed to find an excuse, why would the Lins give her a valuable resource? Did she really believe they would mistake her for Lin Dong's father?
Without family ties or acquaintances, despite the fact that the Lin clan was not experiencing financial difficulties, the chances of success seemed negligible.
"Will I have to offer myself?" she thought ironically.
Mu Zi, thinking about it, paled. Her gaze darted, her lips slightly parted, and her hands clenched into fists, her face reflecting a storm of emotions.
As if sensing her confusion, the Rebirth Seal suddenly trembled. In the same instant, a stream of mysterious energy gushed from it, rushing into the girl's body.
Her wounded meridians, barely touched by this power, like parched earth under long-awaited rain, greedily absorbed it.
With the influx of energy, a painful tingling sensation spread throughout her body. The meridians were rapidly recovering.
"What in..." Mu Zi exhaled, stunned.
Such severe wounds, and they were already almost healed! By her estimation, a couple of days of rest and she would be as good as new.
"The Rebirth Seal also heals?" she wondered. "Well, you are multi-functional!"
Mu Zi let out a sigh of relief, and a smile full of relief blossomed on her face.
"So it was just a false alarm," she whispered quietly.
Rebirth Seal: "Why panic? Everything's under control!"
Her face lit up with a smile again, and Mu Zi, in high spirits, began to sort through her trophies.
From the pile of torn clothes, she retrieved two bundles, which she suspected were the loot from the bodies of the two Earth Yuan masters.
Unwrapping them and carefully sorting through the contents, she counted her treasures with satisfaction.
Eighty Yang Yuan stones, five stalks of third-rank spiritual herbs, and, most valuable of all, a dozen Yang Yuan pills—all were now in her hands.
"Where did they get so much?" Mu Zi exclaimed in amazement.
How could they have obtained so many cultivation resources, being only at the early stage of Earth Yuan?
"Was it all stolen goods?" she asked herself, unsure of her assumptions.
If it really was loot from banditry, then these two were incredibly skilled.
"It doesn't matter, now it's all mine!" The corners of her lips curled up in a smile, and her eyes shone with joy.
"Earth Yuan is close!"
With such wealth, Mu Zi could not only reach the Earth Yuan level but also have enough resources for further development.
Outside the cave, the rain gradually stopped. The clouds dissipated, and bright moonlight flooded the cave.
Looking at her naked body, Mu Zi blushed. She hastily lit two Yang Yuan stones to dry her clothes.
"Now I'm rich; a couple of stones aren't that important!"
Quickly putting on her clothes, she left the cave.
Her wounds had not yet fully healed, so, not risking using movement techniques, she slowly trudged back.
Finally, as the sky began to lighten, Mu Zi saw the outlines of the estate in the distance and sighed with relief:
"Home."
...
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