"Purple," Meng Lin called out, and within a flash of red light, a seven-meter snake appeared.

  Its sinuous form slithered forward in a blur, the red glow of its summoning lingering in the air for a brief moment before fading.

  Hiss.

  Purple, with scales shimmering under the wall's light, coiled gently around Meng Lin, rubbing its head against her shoulder in a display of affection.

  Meng Lin allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she reached out, running her fingers over the smooth, warm scales. "So," she murmured, her tone curious, "what got your attention?"

  Purple’s golden eyes flickered as it uncoiled slightly, shifting its focus toward the three strange items. It remained still for a heartbeat before lowering its head toward the golden cicada’s remains.

  Meng Lin followed its gaze, studying the cracked yet still imposing corpse of the six-winged insect. Even after its blood essence was extracted, it still had a powerful aura.

  "Interested in that, are you?" she mused, crouching down beside the stone platform. Purple let out a faint, rumbling hiss, its gaze shifting from the cicada.

  Meng Lin followed Purple’s gaze, expecting it to linger on the golden cicada, but instead, it shifted toward the nine-colored soil.

  Her brows raised slightly. "This?" she murmured, stepping closer to the small mound of shimmering earth. The hues of red, blue, and green flickered across its surface, as though the soil itself was alive with spiritual energy.

  Purple uncoiled slightly, its golden eyes fixated on the soil, and for the first time, it let out a low, eager hiss. Meng Lin instantly understood.

  "You want to consume it?" she asked, glancing at the seven-meter snake.

  Purple lowered its head, its forked tongue flickering out, confirming her thoughts.

  Meng Lin watched as Purple flicked its tongue over the nine-colored soil, scooping up a handful when it suddenly froze.

  Its body trembled slightly, and its scales shimmered with a strange, multicolored glow.

  Then, to her surprise, it let out a slow, contented hiss and swayed ever so slightly, its body coiling and uncoiling with uncharacteristic ease.

  Meng Lin raised an eyebrow. Did… did it just get high?

  She crouched down, waving a hand near its face. "Purple?"

  The snake blinked sluggishly, then rubbed its head against her arm with more enthusiasm than usual.

  Meng Lin smirked. "You look like you just had the best meal of your life… or like you bathed in pure spiritual energy."

  Purple flicked its tongue, still looking strangely dazed but undeniably pleased.

  Shaking her head, Meng Lin scanned the beast with her spiritual consciousness before turning to the remaining soil. "It's not a drug, but it sure hits like one."

  She knew that multicolored materials were powerful resources, usually packed with spiritual Qi. This soil was no exception—it was just so rich in energy that Purple was practically glowing from absorbing even a small amount.

  "Alright, that’s enough for now," she said, nudging Purple away before it could take another mouthful. "I don’t need you floating off into enlightenment; besides, you have to digest first."

  Purple let out a reluctant hiss but obeyed, though its golden eyes lingered longingly on the soil.

  Meng Lin looked at the yearning in its eyes before she stored away the rest of the nine-colored soil into her inventory. She was about to say something when she noticed Purple shifting its attention.

  The snake’s golden eyes flickered toward the golden cicada’s remains, and before Meng Lin could react, it slithered forward, tongue flicking out eagerly.

  She frowned. “Wait… don’t tell me—”

  Purple suddenly opened its jaws, clearly intending to consume the six-winged corpse.

  Meng Lin reached out and knocked on its head. “Oi, glutton, what do you think you’re doing?”

  Purple flinched slightly but didn’t back away, instead giving her a slow, almost stubborn look before glancing back at the cicada.

  Meng Lin narrowed her eyes. “Seriously? First the soil, now this? Did that nine-colored Qi boost your appetite or something?”

  Purple let out a low, almost guilty hiss but didn’t move away.

  Meng Lin sighed, rubbing her temple. First, it acts like it’s floating on cloud nine; now it wants to devour a corpse full of rare material.

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  She eyed the cicada’s remains. Its body still carried a powerful aura. It was a Rank 6 beast when alive, and its exoskeleton alone should be strong enough to be used in sacred-grade weapons crafting.

  Meng Lin crouched beside Purple, tapping the hard, cracked carapace with her fingers. “Are you sure you can even digest this?”

  Purple flicked its tongue and let out another low hiss, its body shifting impatiently.

  “…Fine,” she relented, standing up. “But be careful. If you choke on a golden cicada shell, I am not saving you.”

  Purple let out a satisfied hiss and immediately snapped up the palm-sized cicada corpse in one swift motion, swallowing it whole.

  Meng Lin blinked.

  Purple’s body gave a faint shudder before its scales pulsed with golden light for a brief moment. Then, just as quickly, it settled, its golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

  Meng Lin stared at it. “That's it? Did you even taste that?”

  Purple flicked its tongue lazily, its eyes drowsy, clearly it was unbothered by her.

  She exhaled, black lines appearing across her face. She couldn't help but feel like a nagging mother, but where had her cute little Purple gone? Did the bloodline transition change its mindset too?

  Still, she couldn’t deny that whatever was happening was beneficial to Purple. Its scales looked shinier, and its aura seemed to have deepened ever so slightly, plus she felt a wave of sleepiness within her connection with Purple.

  She was sure that after some time, it would digest all of the things it swallowed today, and when it did, she half-expected it to evolve or at least increase in stage.

  Sighing, she sent him back to the Beast Garden, turning her gaze toward the last remaining items in the room—the ornate pedestal and the crimson vine.

  The pedestal was peculiar. It was a smooth, rectangular slab of stone, inscribed with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with energy. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, but the moment her spiritual sense brushed against it, she felt a strange pull, as if space itself bent around the platform.

  "A teleportation device?" she muttered, crouching beside it. But something felt off. Unlike the refined formations she had seen before, this one had an air of incompleteness—either it was damaged or it required some kind of activation method.

  Her eyes turned to the Void-State Tablet floating behind her before she shifted to the crimson vine.

  It lay coiled in a corner, its deep red tendrils pulsating faintly. Despite being severed, the vine exuded an eerie vitality, as if it were still alive. Meng Lin reached out, brushing her fingers against its surface, and a wave of warmth spread through her fingertips.

  "Blood-absorbing?" she guessed, recalling records of similar plants. If this was what she thought it was, it could be a valuable alchemical ingredient—or a dangerous entity on its own.

  She straightened, glancing between the two items. Both were mysteries, but she didn’t have the time to sit and experiment here.

  With a flick of her wrist, she stored the crimson vine away, its faint warmth vanishing along with it.

  Now, only the pedestal remained.

  She turned back to the Void-State Tablet floating silently behind her. This tablet… she thought if anything could let her bypass the restrictions on this formation, it would be this.

  Her gaze shifted back to the ancient runes, their glow faint and incomplete. Someone had set the formation in haste; thus, activating it was made difficult, behind an unknown requirement.

  "Can you bypass the activation requirements?"

  The tablet pulsed once.

  Meng Lin understood and didn’t hesitate to say, "Do it."

  The tablet shuddered, and in the next instant, the pedestal flared to life, runes blazing as the Void-State Tablet pulsed. A jagged tear split open above it, dark and endless, space twisting unnaturally.

  Before Meng Lin could react, an intense pull surrounded her as she let herself be dragged through. In a moment, her surroundings warped, and she was gone.

  ****

  Within a small clearing in a forest, space suddenly distorted, and the figure of a woman in white robes emerged, her robes fluttering as the spatial tear behind her sealed with the small form of a tablet appearing behind her.

  Meng Lin’s eyes flickered as she steadied herself, her spiritual consciousness expanding instantly.

  The forest was dense with towering trees, their thick canopies filtering the sunlight into scattered rays. The air was dry with little Qi, and the scent of damp earth filled the area.

  After releasing her spiritual consciousness further, she quickly discerned the mountain's inhabitants—Rank 1 and 2 beasts with a single Rank 3 beast. Nothing that could pose a threat to her.

  "I left that realm." She frowned slightly, recognizing the familiar natural Qi in the air; her mouth jerked up, and she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

  She had hoped to learn the wind-elemental Qi, yet she hadn't encountered anything that could have helped. She exhaled and adjusted her mindset. What’s done was done—dwelling on missed opportunities was meaningless.

  Without hesitation, she took to the sky, her figure vanishing into a streak of faint golden arc as her robe billowed in the wind.

  Minutes passed, and as Meng Lin was trying to figure out where she had emerged from, a subtle ripple within her spiritual consciousness made her pause.

  Below, nestled within a secluded cave in the mountain range, was a lone figure sitting cross-legged, a loose cultivator.

  Meng Lin’s eyes flickered with curiosity. She wasn’t particularly interested in a random loose cultivator, but seeing as he was the first person she saw, she wanted to approach.

  **

  Appearing a few meters from the cave, her gaze swept over it, revealing a weak barrier shielding the entrance. It was crude—meant to block and detect wild beasts or low-level cultivators, nothing that could stop her.

  With a simple motion, she bypassed it effortlessly, her figure flickering as she stepped inside.

  The cave was dimly lit, its walls rough and unrefined. At its center sat a middle-aged man with graying hair, his expression serene as he meditated.

  However the moment Meng Lin appeared, his eyes snapped open, shock flashing across his face.

  “You—!” He instinctively reached for something but stopped when he registered Meng Lin’s incomparable aura. His breathing steadied, though caution remained in his gaze.

  Meng Lin didn’t waste time. “Who are you, and what place is this?” Her voice was calm but authoritative.

  The man hesitated for a brief moment before bowing slightly. “Senior, this humble one is just a wandering cultivator. As for this place… it is but an unremarkable region, far from any major sects or powers.”

  Meng Lin studied him. He seemed sincere, and she didn’t sense any deception in his words.

  “What’s the nearest big city?” she asked.

  The man quickly responded, “That would be Qinghe City, several thousand miles to the south. It is mostly inhabited by large cultivation families and sword cultivators.”

  "And which region of the continent are we in?"

  The man blinked at her question before quickly responding, “Senior, we are in the heart of the Luo Kingdom.”

  Meng Lin’s expression remained unreadable, but inwardly, she was intrigued. The Luo Kingdom. From what she knew, it was not exactly a good place, at least to a righteous cultivator.

  It was the most prominent kingdom with a mix of demon sect influences and independent cultivators.

  “Anything unusual happen in this region recently?” she asked.

  The middle-aged cultivator hesitated for a moment before nodding. “There was one major event—two years ago, the Tempest Wind Domain opened. It is a well-known dimensional secret realm, much like the other Seven Domains, though more dangerous due to its unstable winds.”

  Meng Lin’s eyes narrowed slightly. Tempest Wind Domain… She had just left that place, yet she knew almost nothing about it.

  The man continued, unaware of her thoughts. “The domain only opens once every ten years, and when it did two years ago, several Nascent Soul cultivators entered, alongside many others. It was a grand event, attracting forces from nearby regions.”

  "Two years ago," Meng Lin repeated, a sudden feeling coming to her. She had not even been in this world for more than two years; heck, it was five months, to be exact, counting from the day she had transmigrated.

  She was lost in thought for a moment and glanced at the man again, debating whether to ask more but ultimately decided against it. Flicking her wrist, she tossed a storage bag toward him before turning and vanishing from the cave.

  The middle-aged man remained frozen for a long moment, staring at the storage bag before shaking his head in disbelief. “That was no ordinary cultivator…”

  ****

  "So I had unknowingly entered a famous domain, yet my time there had been short-lived."

  Meng Lin flew through the sky, her robes billowing behind her as her thoughts lingered on the Tempest Wind Domain. It was one of the Seven Domains, varying in strength.

  The Nether Cloud Domain was already dangerous, but the Tempest Wind Domain ranked even higher. Even Nascent Soul cultivators had to be cautious within it—if they weren’t careful, they could easily suffer serious injuries.

  Yet, she had unknowingly traversed it, only to leave before truly exploring its depths, though she was glad she hadn't pushed her luck.

  Her mood was relatively good, so she had left the middle-aged man with a few dozen middle-grade spirit stones. As for his cultivation realm? She hadn’t even bothered to check.

  After all, a wandering cultivator residing in such a secluded cave was unlikely to be a Soul Wandering Realm cultivator; only sects and large organizations had those.

  Unknowingly, Meng Lin had begun to view those beneath the Soul Wandering Realm as insignificant—a trait more prominent the more one's cultivation increased.

  Of course, even if she did realize it, she wouldn't give it much thought. Power dictated everything in the cultivation world, and she could attest to that.

  As she continued flying south, the land beneath her gradually became more developed. Forests turned to villages and villages turned into towns, and soon, a vast city emerged on the horizon: Qinghe City.

  It was one of the largest cities in the Luo Kingdom, bustling with activity. Even from above, she could see thousands of cultivators moving about, trading, cultivating, or simply going about their daily lives.

  Meng Lin’s eyes flickered with interest. A city this large was bound to have useful resources—and information.

  She adjusted her flight path, descending toward the city entrance. Maybe she could also sell some things; after all, her inventory was full of high-grade weapons and Rank 3 pills.