Half an hour later.

Su Ming slowly opened his eyes. In that instant, his aura seemed to undergo a subtle change.

If the previous him was like a hard stone, resilient yet prone to shattering.

Then the current him was more like a deep pool of water. Its surface calm and unrippled, throwing a stone into it would only create ripples before everything was swallowed and dissolved.

That “water-like” essence had been carved into his very bones.

“Thank you, Senior, for your generosity.”

Su Ming stood up and bowed deeply towards the empty space.

He knew that the last moment’s spiritual energy infusion was definitely not a coincidence.

There was no response from the void.

“How do you feel?” Lin Yu’s voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of lazy amusement. “Feel like you were driving an ox before, but now you’re finally galloping on a fast horse?”

“Master’s metaphors are always so… vivid.” Su Ming smiled helplessly in his heart before turning serious. “This disciple feels unprecedentedly good. The Like Water Art is balanced and peaceful, embracing all things. Not only did it repair the previous hidden injuries, but even that budding Wood Spirit Root has grown a bit stronger under the nourishment of the water spiritual energy.”

“That’s right. Water benefits all things without contention. That is the highest principle of the Way of Survival.” Lin Yu paused, his tone carrying a hint of urgency. “Alright, now that you have the foundational method, it’s not wise to linger here. That old man’s Special Permit has a time limit. Don’t waste it on sentimental reflections.”

Su Ming nodded and was about to turn and leave when his footsteps suddenly halted.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the Xuantian ring, which had long since become ordinary.

The ring was cool, pressed tightly against the base of his finger, feeling like a part of his body.

Looking back on this journey, from surviving the cliff fall to infiltrating the Cloud Hidden Sect, from a mortal living day-to-day to the current Quasi-Outer Sect Disciple, every step bore the shadow of his master.

His master was still a remnant soul, confined within this tiny space, constantly expending soul power to conceal his destiny and deduce formations for him.

An intense desire to repay something, like wild grass, grew wildly in Su Ming’s heart.

He did not step forward. Instead, he asked solemnly in his heart, “Master, this disciple has obtained the foundational method. You… do you need to find a cultivation method that can nourish the soul and aid in your recovery?”

A brief silence fell within the Consciousness Sea.

Inside the Xuantian ring, Lin Yu’s illusory form was lounging on a “beach chair” with his legs crossed, holding a non-existent “sugary soda” in his hand. Hearing these words, his movements froze stiffly, nearly spilling the “soda” all over himself.

He was used to planning everything for this disciple, used to playing the role of the all-knowing, calculating-without-a-single-oversight “old grandpa.” In his eyes, Su Ming was still that child who needed to be taught hand-in-hand how to “survive” in the cultivation world.

This was the first time this “tool-like” disciple had shown such direct and solemn concern for him.

An unfamiliar, somewhat sour yet warm feeling surged in his heart.

Lin Yu opened his mouth, wanting to maintain the demeanor of a master, but found his throat somewhat choked.

“You brat…”

After a long moment, Lin Yu laughed and scolded, his voice hiding a barely perceptible tremor. “So you do have a conscience! I didn’t waste this non-existent heart worrying about you for nothing! Fine, since we’re already here… let’s go see if there are any cultivation methods suitable for a soul body!”

“Since we’re here anyway, we might as well take full advantage of the opportunity!” He returned to that playful, joking tone, as if the previous moment of stunned silence was just an illusion. “Go up! The soul path area is usually in some obscure corner. After all, this stuff is borderline ‘high-risk contraband’ in righteous sects.”

A warmth spread in Su Ming’s heart, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “Yes, Master.”

Without further hesitation, his figure moved, following the winding bridge of light, darting towards the darker regions higher up in the pagoda.

If the second-floor Water Phase Domain was a tranquil deep sea, then the higher he went, the more bizarre and fantastical the surrounding scenery became.

Passing through the third floor where thunder and fire intertwined, crossing the fourth floor filled with the aura of metal and warfare, Su Ming arrived at the extreme heights of the Transmission Pavilion—a fringe area almost swallowed by darkness.

There were no sky-full-of-stars-like light orbs here, only scattered, sporadic points of faint light, like will-o’-the-wisps in a graveyard, drifting uncertainly in the void.

“Be careful.” Lin Yu’s voice suddenly turned grave. “Every cultivation method here reeks of something sinister. The soul path is the easiest to deviate from the proper path and go berserk. See that red light orb on the left? Stay away from it. The fluctuations it emits are full of violence and a desire to devour. It’s probably some evil technique that levels up by consuming human souls.”

Su Ming followed the advice and avoided it, carefully extending his divine sense, weaving between the sparse light orbs.

Su Ming stopped before a light orb emitting a pale white glow. As soon as he approached, countless mournful, piercing shrieks of vengeful spirits echoed in his mind, shaking his spiritual platform.

“Ten Thousand Ghosts Devour the Heart Art…” Su Ming’s face paled, and he quickly retreated. “Master, there doesn’t seem to be anything suitable for you here.”

“What a bunch of garbage!” Lin Yu couldn’t help but have an outburst. “Isn’t there anything ‘green and eco-friendly’? Like getting stronger by basking in the sun, or leveling up by sleeping? The Cloud Hidden Sect’s collection tastes are too extreme!”

“Keep looking.” Although Lin Yu complained verbally, his tone couldn’t hide his disappointment. “If there really isn’t any, forget it. I’m actually fine like this anyway. No rent to pay, no food to eat, just a bit boring…”

Su Ming did not give up.

He closed his eyes and activated the Like Water Art. The water spiritual energy within his body slowly circulated, transforming into a gentle, moist film that isolated the chaotic, violent, and seductive spiritual sense fluctuations from the outside world.

His mental state became clear as a mirror again, reflecting this dark void.

Just as his search yielded no results and he was about to reach the end of this area, a faint, almost imperceptible, gentle white light spontaneously flickered from a corner.

The light was extremely faint. If Su Ming’s mind wasn’t highly focused at this moment, he would have almost missed it.

It was like a compass, guiding Su Ming, pointing towards a corner, towards a gray light orb that almost merged with the darkness.

That light orb was too inconspicuous.

Its surface was even covered with fine cracks, its glow as dim as a lamp about to burn out. It floated quietly under the shadow of a massive pagoda stone, like discarded trash.

“Hmm?” Lin Yu let out a soft sound of surprise. “This little thing… is interesting. It’s ‘breathing.'”

Su Ming carefully approached.

This time, there were no mournful ghostly wails, no seductive whispers, only a faint sense of coolness and tranquility, like moonlight falling on a dry well.

Su Ming extended a finger and gently touched the cracked light orb.

*Hum.*

A gentle stream of information flowed along his fingertip into his Consciousness Sea. Unlike other techniques that forcefully and domineeringly poured in, it was like a trickling stream, silently moistening everything.

Spirit Nourishing True Explanation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep