In the back mountains of the sect, several outer disciples were combing through the temporary cultivation grounds. Since the sect was so large and abundant with energy, sometimes the disciples who were not able to get a cultivation abode came together and camped in the back mountains for cultivation. And at times they left behind something valuable. But these valuable things were only actually valuable for the Qi Refinement disciples, so the outer disciples would routinely come here and search for a lucky encounter.
Shen Yi searched through the dug-up ground and fallen stone houses. After getting humiliated by Meng Chou at the disciple tournament, he had nearly given up eating and only focused on increasing his strength. His hands bled, and so did his legs, but still, he could not overcome his dual-element spiritual root's limitations. Since that fateful day when he had met the masked man who had prophesied about his great future, everything had gone downhill for him.
Would things have been different if he had not met that man? Or if he had not left his house on that rainy night? Maybe he shouldn't have gone to his home from training at all that day. Now he had lost everything. Nobody knew why, but the efficiency of his cultivation started to drop, and only after it reached a tenth of its original pace did it stop decreasing. He would have somehow pulled himself up and continued on his cultivation journey if not for his childhood fiancée Shen Yao's family breaking up their engagement.
And the final blow was when Shen Yao was engaged to that hateful Meng Chou, who always belittled and bullied those weaker than him. When he tried to talk with Shen Yao about leaving everything behind and running away, she started to ignore him from then on. When he tried to fight Meng Chou in the sect, he was defeated. Not due to his lack of effort, but due to Meng Chou's family spending heavily for his rapid improvement.
While Shen Yi was busy in his musings, the surrounding disciples gazed at him with weird looks. "There he goes again. Does he not have any sense of propriety regarding the time for daydreaming?"
"Well, after getting thrashed like he was, anyone will get a few screws loose," another one interjected.
A third one added, "If not for him provoking the others, nobody would care about him."
The others nodded in acknowledgement. After taking a small break, they resumed their search. Shen Yi was still digging only one spot while thinking about his misfortunes. Suddenly the shovel in his hand hit something solid, making a clanking sound. Everyone paused. Their gazes focused on Shen Yi.
Realizing what had happened, Shen Yi came out of his trance. He looked at the others, who also stared back at him. There was total silence for a moment. Shen Yi hurriedly put his hands down and tried to remove the dirt with his hands. The other disciples standing around also lunged toward him to get a piece of the unknown treasure.
Shen Yi's hands were scraped, and blood started to color the soil red. But instead of giving up, he started to dig with more fervor. His hand finally dug beneath the metal box he had found, and when he tried to lift it, he found himself falling down. The ground beneath him had suddenly collapsed, and he had fallen into the dark pit. All the disciples who were rushing toward him stopped in their tracks. Some had worried expressions while others seemed relaxed to have avoided that fatal trap.
The disciple leading them took out a small whistle and blew on it. The sound of the whistle was invisible to the naked ear but traveled through the whole sect. The bells placed inside the Mission Hall chimed, and the words "Back Mountains" appeared on them. The disciple sitting beside the bell took out a paper and inscribed the words "Rescue Mission: Back Mountains" on it. Then he placed the paper on the mission board.
Xiao Ming and Liu Yue, who had just arrived in front of the board to undertake a few missions to earn some contribution points after going completely broke recently, glanced at the reward of fifty contribution points and hurriedly took the mission before anyone else could react. Not giving others a chance, they dashed out of the hall. This was one of those lucky emergency missions which provided several times more points for timely rescue—just what the pair needed right now.
Both girls had reached the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer during this time, and hence their speed was much faster than a normal person's. With the martial arts they had learned over the past few months, they easily traversed the mountain and forest and, in just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, had reached the required location. They had not even broken a sweat until now.
The pair approached the disciples gathered around the hole in the center of the large clearing. Watching the two young girls approaching, the disciples were skeptical at first, but from the inner sect token at their waist, they remembered seeing them get defeated by Tian Yao during the tournament. The disciples slightly bowed at the pair and gestured at the sunken earth.
Xiao Ming and Liu Yue approached the dark pit. Gazing into it, they couldn't see the end. Xiao Ming picked up a stone and dropped it inside and waited. Even after some time had passed, there was no response. Xiao Ming gazed at Liu Yue, who nodded at her.
Xiao Ming extended her hand toward the ground and imbued her green-colored Qi inside it. The sound of something heavy moving was heard, and the ground started to shake. The outer disciples were scared out of their wits and ran back from the hole, afraid that even they might be swallowed. After a few moments, the shaking stopped, and stairs made of large, thick roots had filled the hole, leading down toward its depths.
Xiao Ming started to go down, followed by Liu Yue. The outer disciples maintained their vigil and stayed far back.
Down below at the depths of the black hole lay a deep pond. Not knowing how to swim, Shen Yi had drowned and reached the depths of the dark pond. Black viscous liquid sucked him and carried him to the very center. There floated a black gem, so pure in blackness that the blackness itself was shining in the darkness.
The black gem approached Shen Yi and scanned the boy's body with its newly developed spiritual awareness. It felt a strange attraction to the boy, but it didn't know the reason for it. It was as if fate itself had written it so. The stone approached Shen Yi's forehead and attached itself to his broad forehead. Soon it dissolved into Shen Yi's body, becoming one with it. The surrounding darkness felt a strange pull and was rapidly absorbed into Shen Yi's body. In just a few moments, the darkness had disappeared, and everything seemed normal. Shen Yi's chest rose and fell while his body was still engulfed in the water.
The sound of small footsteps reverberated in the empty space. Xiao Ming and Liu Yue had made their way to the surface of the lake. At one corner of the dark space, a narrow cavern was dug out just above the water level. With a single gesture from Xiao Ming, the thick roots extended and made a way toward the cavern while covering the surface of the lake.
Liu Yue walked to the center of the lake with steady steps, balancing her body with a nimble gait. After reaching right at the middle, she bent down and touched the surface of the water with her palm. Blue Qi spread from her hand and covered the whole lake, dyeing it in a similar hue throughout. Blue strands extended around Shen Yi and brought him toward the surface.
Liu Yue caught the collar of Shen Yi and yanked his body onto the roots. She checked his chest and nose, finding proper airflow with no sign of drowning. "It's really strange," she said to Xiao Ming.
"Maybe it's due to some lucky cultivation art he practiced," Xiao Ming guessed. Even she didn't have a concrete answer. Then her gaze moved toward the small cavern. "Let's see if we can find some clues after going inside."
Liu Yue nodded and, placing the unconscious Shen Yi at the edge of the cavern, followed Xiao Ming inside.
The cavern was carved with precise curves, making it definitely the handiwork of a strong cultivator. The pair walked inside with caution, ready on their feet for any traps sprung on them. But nothing of that sort happened. Although the cavern had no source of light, being Foundation Establishment cultivators, they both were able to enhance their eyes with their Qi, enabling them to see even in the dark. In Qi Refinement, the disciples were only able to passively take advantage of their Qi, but after reaching Foundation Establishment, they were able to manually use and control it.
Unknown to the two girls, a small amount of black Qi had entered their bodies and was penetrating their meridians. The black energy slowly made its way to their spiritual roots. And then it lost connection with its main body instantly. The stranded energy tried to escape but was pulled in by the sky-blue water sphere around Liu Yue's water-elemental spiritual root. The water turned into a spear and pierced the black energy, shredding it to pieces and dissolving them inside itself.
Liu Yue stopped and caught her stomach. Xiao Ming looked at her and asked, "What happened?"
Just as Liu Yue opened her mouth to answer, a small burp came out. She quickly covered her face. "I feel very full right now." Xiao Ming gave an understanding look and continued walking.
As for the intruder in Xiao Ming's body, it was tightly wrapped in green and yellow-colored vines encapsulating Xiao Ming's spiritual root, slowly being absorbed by the thick strands, dyeing them in spots of black.
Xiao Ming felt an itchy feeling on her hands and scratched a little. After some time, the feeling went away, but the changes had already happened in her Dantian.
Deep inside the cave, a black stone similar to the one in the pond was floating in the air. After losing its connection with its tendrils that had infiltrated the intruders, it recalled all its power and formed a small barrier around itself which distorted all the light and made it invisible to the outside.
Xiao Ming and Liu Yue reached the end of the cave but found nothing. It was completely and utterly empty. "Weird. I sensed something moving inside here from the entrance," Liu Yue commented.
"Must be a trick of the mind. Things felt in dark places are not the most trustworthy," Xiao Ming suggested from beside her. "Let's go back. It's already getting late."
Liu Yue had a nagging feeling in her heart, but with no concrete evidence, she could only nod and follow Xiao Ming back. The hidden gem had bypassed the pair to exit the cave before them. It was not a fool to try some tricks on these girls who had easily countered its influence. As soon as it reached Shen Yi, it felt a familiar sensation from the unconscious boy. Its other half, which it had lost connection with just a few moments prior, could be felt from within the boy.
The gem started to feel an inexplicable attraction to the boy. Unlike its counterpart, its consciousness was more developed, and it knew instantly that what it was feeling was not normal and that someone else was spinning the wheels from behind. It tried to escape, but a strong suction pulled it toward Shen Yi and absorbed it inside. It screamed, but no sound came out, and it was completely absorbed.
Xiao Ming reached Shen Yi and felt that the boy seemed healthier than before somehow. She picked him up and carried him on her back. Liu Yue followed Xiao Ming to the top. At least a week's worth of resources were secured in just one mission.
As the pair was coming up, the Will of the World spread its senses through the newly appeared area. It checked every nook and cranny of the place but found nothing unusual. But this in itself was the unusual part. It was the first time it had come in contact with this place. However, being the Will of the World, it should know everything happening in its world. It scanned over the two girls and found nothing unusual. It just hoped that no mishaps happened in its meticulously designed plan.