Such immense power… such an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy…
Snehwal stood in the ocean of consciousness — still, calm, and without any pain.
Suddenly, his soul came out of his body.
He looked at himself and couldn't believe what he was seeing — he was staring at his own spirit.
For a moment, he thought he had died.
But then he realized… his soul had been split into two parts.
At that very moment, the talking squirrel appeared in the sea of consciousness.
In a calm yet serious voice, it said,
"Find a body for this… if you wish to stay alive.
One day, this will become your greatest trump card."
Saying this, the squirrel disappeared.
Right after that, a sharp pain struck Snehwal's head.
He screamed and held his forehead tightly.
Outside — everything had gone quiet.
The cave, the energy, the waves — all had come to a complete stop.
Two days had passed outside — morning light was breaking through.
Lily and Liora were sitting on the ground outside the cave, deep in meditation.
Inside, Snehwal could feel everything happening beyond the cave walls.
He had now reached the advanced stage of the Third Realm.
He murmured to himself in surprise,
"The advanced stage of the Third Realm... already?"
Looking at his hands, he slowly spread his spiritual energy around.
The cave, which had become worn and lifeless, suddenly came alive — blooming with flowers and soft light.
Lily's eyes opened instantly.
Her meditation was broken.
Snehwal stepped out of the cave.
Lily's eyes were fixed on the entrance at that very moment.
As soon as she saw Snehwal coming out, she rushed toward him —
"Are you okay?"
She grabbed his hands and checked his body —
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Snehwal slowly shook his head. "No."
At that moment, Liora's eyes opened as well.
She looked up, startled, and moved toward Snehwal.
She asked the same thing —
"Are you alright? You're not injured, are you?"
Suddenly, Snehwal spread his spiritual energy all around.
A soft green aura surrounded the area.
Seeing this, both Liora and Lily were left stunned.
From their lips came the same words —
"High level... Third stage!"
Then Snehwal took out his bow from his talisman, drew the string, and a faint green arrow appeared — now larger and more powerful than before.
The surrounding atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Snehwal released the arrow toward the sky.
Thunder rumbled in the sky.
Seeing this, Liora and Lily stood frozen in awe.
"Such power… only a Fifth Stage practitioner possesses this."
Snehwal smiled faintly and said,
"I'll have to discover the second technique of the bow as well; only then will I be able to do something even greater."
Lily asked,
"But where will we find it?"
Snehwal replied,
"It will be found to the north of the west."
Lily asked,
"How do you know?"
Snehwal answered,
"I have inherited someone's legacy… even if only through memories."
Lily gave a soft laugh, nodding her head.
Liora couldn't understand what was happening; she just kept staring at Snehwal and Lily's faces.
Lily held Snehwal's hand and said firmly, "First, we should go to Inferna City. We need to find out what's happening. I will not let a resource like the Divine Water slip away from our hands."
Hearing this, Liora's ears perked up. She exclaimed in surprise, "Divine Water! What Divine Water?"
Lily and Snehwal turned to look at her.
Lily asked, "Do you want it too?"
Liora shook her hands in refusal, "No… not at all. But there is a possibility that very powerful practitioners will come there."
Snehwal said in a serious tone, "Possibility? Everyone will come. There is danger there."
Lily asked, "So should we not go?"
Liora smiled lightly and said, "That's not what I meant, I just wanted to tell you."
Lily nodded slightly, "Since… we don't know much."
Liora said softly, "I said it so that I can also go with you."
Her eyes were gentle and lively at that moment.
Seeing this, Snehwal smiled and said, "Yes, why not go. We will all go together."
Liora's face lit up, and a faint sparkle of happiness appeared in her eyes.
Lily held Snehwal's hand and started walking, "Enough talking, now let's go. You're not resting, let's move."
"Are you not tired? Earlier, you used to get tired easily."
Snehwal smiled shyly and said, "I'm not feeling tired now."
Lily — "This is the effect of the higher stage."
Liora, standing behind them, seeing them walking hand in hand, gave a faint smile — a smile that was not true happiness, but a little filled with sadness.
She murmured to herself, "Today, he isn't mine… it's my own fault that I didn't go with him."
I still remember… he was going just like this, and I wasn't with him.