"Isn't this the place?" Lin Xian stood in front of a cave.
From the outside, it looked ordinary. But Lin Xian had heard that during the third test, when a disciple reached the age of 17, someone once discovered a worldly treasure here.
He didn't know the exact details, since he had only heard it from others. The person in question was apparently quite secretive and belonged to the inner disciples. Initially, he only had a low-grade spiritual root. But after completing the third test, he became someone with a spirit-grade spiritual root.
A tremendous leap. Unfortunately, that person died one year later. No one knew why he died.
According to the rumors Lin Xian had heard, there was a cave on the eastern side of the third test area.
"This should be the one." He nodded. He trusted his instincts. "Even if it's not, I won't lose anything."
Lin Xian stepped inside. The place was dark, with no light at all. Suddenly, he shivered. He turned back and... the way out vanished in an instant.
A bad feeling crept over him. Especially when he remembered the death of that disciple. It was possible that the disciple's death was connected to this cave as well.
"I've already entered. There's no way back now."
He kept walking. Lin Xian snapped his fingers. A small flame appeared. He proceeded using only that tiny flame. His eyes scanned his surroundings.
The cave was damp, watery, and smelled like soaked clothes left unwashed for two days.
Lin Xian kept moving forward, but the cave corridor seemed endless. He furrowed his brow. He began to suspect the rumors were false.
He glanced back again. "If the rumor was false, the exit shouldn't have disappeared. That means I've entered... ah, maybe I've stepped into the wrong place."
Lin Xian scratched his head, slightly regretting his decision.
"I shouldn't have come in here."
***
Ahn Yue watched Lin Xian walking calmly. She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his behavior, especially how he kept avoiding fights. She didn't attack him directly, as he would only dodge again—and then disappear.
"What is he doing in front of that cave?"
Ahn Yue quietly approached, trying not to be noticed. But just as she neared, Lin Xian stepped into the cave—and suddenly vanished.
Ahn Yue froze in surprise. She ran toward the cave, and as she feared, Lin Xian was nowhere in sight. Even as she ventured deeper inside, there was still no sign of him.
But she found something else—a pool with qi surging into the air.
"Isn't this the—" Ahn Yue's eyes widened as she recognized the aura from the place. "—the Heavenly Spirit Pool?" she whispered, barely audible.
Without hesitation, she stepped closer to the pool. The air around her vibrated gently, filled with a bluish mist rising from the surface of the water. As her fingertip touched the liquid, a wave of cold qi surged and merged with her body.
Her body trembled. But not from cold—this was resonance.
"This is incredible. How is this place even here?" Ahn Yue never expected such a thing.
She looked around. No one else was there. She was sure Lin Xian had entered the cave, but now he had vanished.
"Where did he go?" It was strange.
Ahn Yue set aside her thoughts of Lin Xian for the moment. Her focus shifted fully to the Heavenly Spirit Pool. This was a rare opportunity.
She stepped into the pool. As her body submerged completely, the pool's qi immediately fused with her internal meridians. A clear and concentrated icy qi flooded her dantian, flowing like an unleashed river.
Her ice body, which had long felt stagnant... suddenly pulsed with life. Ahn Yue felt warmth returning.
She had only been soaking for a few minutes when suddenly—she broke through a bottleneck.
"This is impossible… It's too fast!" she thought, but the pool's qi didn't allow hesitation.
A thin layer of ice began to form on the water's surface, following the rhythm of her cultivation breath. In the silence, Ahn Yue sat cross-legged, fully immersed in the whirlpool of cultivation.
"I have to take full advantage of this."
***
While Ahn Yue was gaining a miraculous fortune, Lin Xian was instead lost in an unfamiliar place. He kept walking in darkness, navigating the pitch-black corridor with only the small flame in his hand.
Lin Xian narrowed his eyes. He saw something glowing red.
"Is that the way out?"
He quickened his pace. But the closer he got to the red glow, the stronger his sense of dread became. He looked back again.
The way out was truly gone. All he could do now was move forward. Lin Xian clicked his tongue in frustration.
As he approached, he saw a vast and barren area. In the middle stood a small hut.
Lin Xian's hand trembled. "Damn it. This isn't good."
He looked around. There was nothing else there—only the hut ahead. He began walking toward it. But the moment he took his first step, a powerful pressure crushed his body.
"Ah, human. At last, I can be free again."
Drowsiness swept over Lin Xian. He collapsed, and just before his eyes closed completely, he saw a horned figure staring at him with a smile.
***
Ahn Yue was completely focused. She had removed all her clothing—people said it made absorption more effective. Just as she was about to enter deeper, suddenly—
From the cave ceiling, a human figure dropped straight into the pool. Water splashed everywhere, and the qi from the pool immediately turned chaotic.
"What the—?!" Ahn Yue quickly backed away, instinctively covering herself.
"You bastard..." Ahn Yue scowled. "Isn't that Lin Xian?"
Lin Xian's body floated on the water, limp and lifeless. His eyes were closed, and his breath was barely noticeable.
Ahn Yue clenched her fists, her first instinct was to hit him for barging in uninvited. But then she noticed his pale face and the faint injuries on his skin. Her expression changed to concern.
"What happened to him?"
Without hesitation, Ahn Yue swam over and dragged his body to the pool's edge. She dressed herself first, then returned to tend to him.
Ahn Yue pulled out a healing pill and helped Lin Xian swallow it.
Slowly, the wounds on his body began to heal, but he still didn't wake up. He looked as if he were in a deep sleep. Something was off. Suddenly, Ahn Yue sensed something dark emerge from him.
"How did he fall from above? What exactly did he do?" Ahn Yue frowned. She closed her eyes to sense it—then immediately jumped back.
"There's something evil inside his body."
Ahn Yue swallowed hard.