Chapter 296: Spirit Zone

You’re quite the sweet talker, aren’t you?” Logan said with a small chuckle.

Audrey pouted — even though, as a sword, no one could see it.

“…What’s your plan now?” she asked after a short pause.

“My ultimate plan plan for the moment hasn’t changed,” Logan replied. “I need to eliminate the final dungeon boss soon. Until then, all I can do is focus on getting stronger.”

“You’re working hard, teaching your friends how to cultivate. Do you plan to take them with you when you travel to other planets?”

“No,” Logan shook his head. “I just want them to be able to protect themselves when I’m not around.”

“In that case, shouldn’t you teach your parents cultivation as well?”

Logan went silent.

“Crap! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?” he muttered. “How am I this dumb, even after living a whole past life?”

“Maybe you only focused on battle in your previous life,” Audrey said lightly. “And in this life, you’ve mostly been running from one crisis to another.”

“Yeah… true,” Logan admitted. “The Third Eye Sect has been a pain for a long time. Then there’s the dungeon boss of Solmyr. And then the other planets… My mind’s been so occupied that I haven’t been thinking straight.”

“So? Will you teach your parents cultivation as well?” Audrey pressed.

“They already know a bit about how to cultivate,” Logan replied. “What I need to do now is help raise their cultivation realm. That’s all.”

“Then will you ask them to start training with you from tomorrow?” Audrey asked.

“No,” Logan shook his head. “I’ll ask them to train with Daliah, Lilith, and Rowan.”

“And what about you? You’re not going to cultivate?”

“I’ll need some time before I can step into the next level. So I have to take a short break to let my body fully adapt to the new power. Otherwise, my efficiency in battle will drop. And…”

He paused.

“And?” Audrey pressed.

“You weren’t there during my tribulation while breakthrough… but I had some uninvited guests. I even had to kill three people.”

“You killed three people? Then these are your first kills in this life — your first time killing humans, I mean.”

“Yes. But they were no different from dungeon monsters. Their presence reeked of evil. And I’m sure they’ll return. So I’ll hone my skills while staying at the place where I faced my tribulation… so I can give them a proper welcome.” Logan smiled wickedly.

“Why do I feel like you want them to come?” Audrey asked, stunned.

“Because I do want them to come. I thought there were no cultivators left, and that cultivation had only resurfaced because of me. But those five were all cultivators, and strong ones at that. They hid themselves well for a thousand years, and it seems they know far more than I do. I didn’t go with them because I didn’t want to walk into a trap. But I’m sure they have information I know nothing about.”

“Sounds like a plan. But are you planning to take me with you or not?”

“Of course I am. I’m going to be practicing my sword skills mostly, so I’ll definitely bring you along.”

“Sword skills, huh? Then, how about I teach you, Spirit Zone, first?” Audrey said.

“You mean that skill that lets you know what anyone is doing within five hundred meters?”

“Yes. But it’s not just knowing. You’ll actually be able to see… even clearer than with your own eyes.”

“Alright.” Logan cracked his knuckles. “Then let’s learn Spirit Zone tomorrow.”

Logan had nothing else to do after that, so he drifted off to sleep, already anticipating tomorrow’s training. But what he didn’t know was that, in different corners of the world, multiple groups were making plans involving him. And it wasn’t just the Spirit Families and the Evil Spirit Families.

Deep inside a massive dungeon in Solmyr, Gazel and Sirus knelt before the dungeon boss.

“What took you so long? Were you out on a picnic?” the dungeon boss roared.

“No, boss,” Gazel replied quickly. “We were searching for perfectly compatible bodies so we wouldn’t have to switch hosts again and again. After all, even though we can exist outside the dungeon without a vessel, we still need human bodies whenever we have to enter the dungeon.”

“Then your return means you found compatible bodies?” the boss asked, his tone softening slightly.

“Yes, boss. Not only are these bodies compatible, but their original owners were cultivators,” Gazel said with a proud grin.

“What?!” The dungeon boss shot to his feet in shock. “You found cultivators? That should be impossible. The dungeon walls are supposed to absorb all spiritual energy needed for cultivation.”

“I don’t know how, boss. But they truly were cultivators,” Sirus added.

The boss sank into deep thought. After a long silence, he spoke again. “Then we need to bring Karlos here. He can extract the memories. If we can uncover their cultivation techniques for spiritual energy, you two might be able to practice it as well.”

“But didn’t we already try that method in the beginning?” Gazel asked. “It failed. That’s why we had to start producing abominations.”

“I know,” the boss said darkly. “But back then, we hadn’t suppressed our chaotic energy. Chaotic energy and spiritual energy are natural enemies. However, if we suppress the chaotic energy first and then attempt to cultivate spiritual energy, I believe it might actually work.”

“And how exactly are you going to do that, boss?” Sirus questioned. “If suppressing chaotic energy was that easy, would we have needed to merge with humans in the first place? We could have gone in and out of the dungeon freely whenever we wanted.”

“Our Lord has discovered a way to suppress the Chaotic Heart,” the boss said. “It’s difficult to master, and nearly impossible to use repeatedly… but I believe it won’t be long before we can switch between spiritual energy and chaotic energy at will. And once we achieve that, the beast race won’t stand a chance against us.”

He burst into loud, triumphant laughter.

Gazel and Sirus exchanged a confused look but said nothing.

The Next Morning…

Sunlight spilled into the Smith house, gentle and warm, but Logan was already awake. He had washed up, changed into new clothes, and was waiting for his parents in the dining room.

Rudeous and Alice came in moments later, still sleepy-eyed.

“You’re up early,” Rudeous said.

“I have something important to tell you both,” Logan replied.

Alice tilted her head. “What is it, son?”

Logan took a breath. “I want you both to start cultivating.”

Both of them were stunned.

“…What?” Alice blinked.

“Cultivating?” Rudeous repeated, dumbfounded. “Us?”

“Yes,” Logan said firmly. “Rowan, Daliah, and Lilith are training together every day. I want both of you to join them. I encountered some unknown people yesterday — people who actually knew about cultivation. I might need to go out and gather information about them. And in the future, there may be times when I’ll have to stay away from home for a while.”

Logan looked at his parents, his expression firm yet worried.

“I can’t focus on my responsibilities if I’m not certain the two of you are safe. So please… Father, Mother… both of you should start cultivating and grow stronger. It might even raise your magic tier as well.” Logan said earnestly.

Rudeous and Alice shared a worried glance.

“But Logan… cultivation isn’t easy,” Alice whispered.

“I know.” Logan stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “But you won’t be alone. Rowan, Daliah, and Lilith are far stronger than most. They will guide you. And with the orb I have, you will have more than enough spiritual energy to progress faster. I’ll be at ease if I know you two are progressing.”

Rudeous sighed deeply. “Looks like our son is dragging us into the cultivator’s world, huh?”

Alice smiled helplessly. “Then I suppose… We’ll try.”

Logan nodded gratefully. “Good. I’ll leave you with them today. I need to go somewhere with Audrey.”

“Will you be back for lunch?” Alice asked.

“I will try to.”

“Okay. Be careful,” Alice said.

“I will.”

Soon, Logan was riding toward the remote place where he faced his tribulation. The horse galloped through uneven terrain, the wind cold and sharp.

When he arrived, the scene looked just as devastating as yesterday.

The ground was blackened. Trees had been reduced to nothing but charred sticks. The soil was cracked and split, as if lightning had torn the land open.

Logan dismounted and gently tied the horse to a sturdy stump still standing.

He then reached for Audrey.

Shiiing!

The sword left the sheath smoothly, and the moment she was free, Audrey floated upward, hovering silently in the air in front of him. Her blade glowed faintly.

“Alright,” she said. “Today, you’ll learn Spirit Zone.”

“Yeah. I am quite excited to learn this.”

“You should be,” Audrey replied. “Spirit Zone doesn’t just let you sense what’s around you. It lets you visualize your surroundings.”

She circled him slowly as she explained.

“You need to feel the change in the air… the shift in temperature… the slightest tremble in the ground… the heartbeat of anything alive… the whisper of the wind brushing against objects…”

She hovered in front of him again.

“Your eyes can be tricked. Your eyes can miss details. But trained senses? They never fail.”

Logan nodded, intrigued. “So I’ll be able to ’see’ without seeing.”

“Exactly. Not sight, but a clearer, more accurate version of it.” Audrey’s blade pulsed. “Close your eyes.”

Logan closed them.

“Now,” Audrey said, “let’s begin with the basics of Spirit Zone. Focus on the smallest changes around you…”

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