Somewhere in Clear Waters Hills

  The wind blew dry and thick, carrying a suffog heat that seemed to drain all the moisture from the surrounding forest. The ground, which should have been soft and moist, was cracked, parched by an intense heat wave. The trees, although they were not on fire, had their leaves withered and bed, as if they were being roasted alive.

  In the ter of this desote sario, Lin Xu remaianding, leaning on his heavy sword, which was stu the ground, was its only support.

  'I don't have much more time!'

  This thought echoed in his mind like a warning bell.

  His skin was reddened, pulsing as if he was about to bust. The heat emanating from his body was not just inte was destructive. Every fiber of his being burned with searing pain—his blood felt like va c through his veins, his bones burned like live coals, his a like they were crumbling into charcoal.

  And the worst part?

  There was no ohere to witness your torment.

  The carcasses of some spiritual beasts y around, their bodies cooked by the unbearable heat.

  Lin Xu took a deep breath, but even this simple act was torture.

  His lungs were burning inside. Each gulp of air made his throat feel like it was being torn apart by fming bdes.

  'Is my destiny really to die here?'

  'No.'

  'I won't accept this.'

  He couldn't die yet.

  With a determined look, Lin Xu forced his trembling hand to reach for the ste ring. From there, he removed a small object — a bluish herb covered in a thin yer of ice.

  Frost Grass.

  The item's cold energy instantly froze the air around him, but before it could offer any real relief, the heat from his body dissipated his strength in seds.

  Without hesitation, he swallowed the herb.

  The effect was immediate—a cold wave ran through his body, relieving the pain for an instant, only to be crushed by the fme r within him.

  'Very weak.'

  He gritted his teeth and pulled out more herbs from the ste ring.

  Frost resources, water essences, densed mist.

  One by one, he quickly swallowed them all, feeling every bit of energy being devoured by his fming body before it could truly help him.

  When he finished, his temperature had dropped signifitly. Still, it was far above normal.

  If someoouched your skin right now, he would have a serious burn.

  But for him, that was enough.

  For the first time in hours, he was able to breathe without feeling like he would die in the moment.

  'Still, I'm at a dead end.'

  He khat.

  The problem was insoluble — If he didn't suppress his inner fmes, he would be ed until there was nothi.

  But at the same time... If he tio suppress it, his already weakened dantian would colpse.

  It was a cruel paradox.

  'If my dantian breaks, I die. If i stop suppressing it, i will die.'

  A smile bitter crossed his lips.

  Era rare see him smile like that.

  Normally, his expression was serene, a gentle and calm face that hid his true nature. But now... there was no oo deceive.

  He felt a new wave of pain course through his body as his energy suddenly dropped.

  Your cultivation level has plummeted to the 7th level of Body Tempering.

  The pain from internal bustion lessened slightly, but It was repced by an even worse pain.

  The pain of a dantian on the brink of destru.

  The situation couldn't be worse.

  Still, this only strengthehe determination that was growing inside him.

  "I will not give up."

  His fiightened around the heavy sword.

  He still had things to do.

  Issues to be resolved.

  People I couldn't disappoint.

  And revenge...

  He no could still die.

  Not here.

  Not like this.

  Taking a deep breath, Lin Xu ighe pain and straightened his posture.

  Heat tio exude from his body like a living furnace, but his gaze now carried a different glow.

  His face was still covered in bck mask, hiding their true expressions.

  But behind it, he smiled.

  A smile that didn't belong to someone ted his death.

  It was the smile of someone who would fight to the end.

  With o g the barren enviro around him, he turned on his heel and began to move.

  He I could not waste more time.

  He still o find more resources.

  He still o survive.

  And with that resolution, disappeared into the forest, leaving only the trail of heat behind.

  —-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Elsewhere in the forest...

  Tang Xi stood up from the tree branch, his movements light and silent like a shadow. With an agile gesture, she kept the defensive formation dis your ste ring.

  Since his first night in the forest, she had developed a preference for elevated pces where he could meditate and observe the vastness of the night sky. The presence of the moon and stars above her seemed to deepen her e to her lunar energy, making her absorption more effit.

  She breathed deeply, feeling the subtle pulse of the forest around her.

  'The training and treasure hunting have beeremely helpful. If I ti this rate, in two more days I will be able to reach the fifth level of Body Tempering.'

  It was siderable progress. His body was stronger, his Qi cirore effit and, above all, his lunar energy was denser and more stable than it had been nine days ago.

  But that wasn't the only advahat left her satisfied.

  'I'm oep closer to reag the fourth level of Borengthening…'

  The memory of the battle against Red-Spotted Feline came to his mind. The pain of each impact. The tension of each dodge. The adrenaline of the life ah struggle.

  She knew she only survived because she repared.

  Therefore, she had sure that had made the right choi fog on treasure hunting and tinuous strengthening.

  Now, she was ready to plete an experiment she had beely dug with her lunar energy.

  With that thought, entered his ste ring.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------

  Ihe Ste Ring...

  The internal space remaihe same as always, with just a few signifit ges.

  First, there was the button which she won from the fight against the feline.

  Sed, there were some spiritual herbs that she collected and pnted during these eight days.

  Third, the Lower Qi Tree.

  She was different from before.

  Its branches, which previously seemed fragile and tained only three ripe fruits, now they were full of life.

  New fruits had sprouted in rge quantities, and those that already existed were about to mature.

  Tang Xi watched the tree with a satisfied look.

  'So this is the result of iing lunar energy and starwood aura into the tree for the past eight days…'

  Progress was impressive.

  The trunk seemed more robust. The leaves were more vibrant.

  And, most surprising... the tree had grown by half a meter.

  She approached, the green fruits that had retly sprouted.

  'If it tio grow at this speed, in two months they will be fully mature.'

  The thought brought him satisfa.

  These fruits were extremely valuable.

  They could reste amounts of Qi and, more than that, They could be the differeween life ah in battle.

  'These fruits are useful in any situation...'

  She remembered the fight against the cultivators.

  The moment when almost she died.

  If there were more of these fruits avaible at that moment, Maybe things would have been less risky.

  Tang Xi sighed.

  'Not that I had a choice... I used almost all the ones I had, so I had to ration the rest.'

  For this reason, she had decided to store the new fruits for emergencies.

  But now, finally, she had a new reservation.

  She shook off her thoughts and turned her attention to the tree. With a careful touch, she pced his palm against the trunk a out the same amount of lunar energy and starwood aura that he had been applying for the past few days.

  The response was immediate.

  The tree vibrated slightly, abs the energy greedily.

  Tang Xi felt the ge. Some of the energy was absorbed by the tree itself tthen itself, while most of it flowed directly into the fruits.

  Those that were almost ripe glowed in a mix of sparkling green and silver, the bark little by little ging to a yellowish.

  She watched silently until the glow dissipated.

  Now, there were thirty more fully ripe fruits.

  'Excellent.'

  Without hesitation, he began to collect them, st them carefully.

  'Thirty fruits that reste amounts of Qi… They will be extremely useful.'

  But while he fi the fruits, ahought popped into his mind.

  'This mix of energies really accelerates pnt growth and also improves my recovery… But lunar energy do more than that?'

  She knew her energy healed her.

  But... it could heal other people?

  The idea made her frown.

  Until now, she had only tested it on herself and the tree.

  If you could apply this skill to others, his power would gain a new level of versatility.

  Tang Xi he felt a suddehusiasm.

  There was a lot to be explored, a lot she still didn't know about his own potential.

  But for now, she saved that hypothesis for ter.

  The priority was now different.

  His eyes shoh determination.

  She was ready for the fight.

  Soohan expected, would be on the fifth level.

  Aug_N7052