Tang Xi remaiill before the Inferior Qi Tree, her mind rag with a dilemma."How I transport or store this tree?"

  She furrowed her brows, her eyes sing the small, damp cave. The dim light filtering through the hole in the ceiling illumihe tree's slightly yellowed leaves, which seemed to tremble under her watchful gaze.

  A ste pouch? Impossible. She knew well that they couldn't hold living beings.

  If only she had a special artifact for transp spiritual pnts… but she didn't.

  Tang Xi pressed her lips together, sidering her options.

  Then, a thought struck her.

  'If I ehe spatial ring... theree should be able to as well.'

  It was a bold idea. She had tempted anything like it before. But if it worked, it would solve her problem instantly.

  Without further hesitation, she took a deep breath and approached the tree. Pg her haly on its trunk, she focused her i on st it ihe ring. A faint shiver ran down her spine as the air around her seemed to vibrate.

  The tree resisted at first.

  Tang Xi furrowed her brows and trated harder, feeling an increasing pressure on her mind. The effort was far greater than moving an inanimate object. Her body began to tremble slightly, sweat trig dowemple.

  Then, with a sudden pull, the tree vanished before her eyes.

  Tang Xi staggered backward, an overwhelming fatigue settling over her mind.

  'It seems that moving living beings is far more exhausting than ordinary objects...'

  She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the heavy sensation pressing against her head. But she couldn't afford to rest now.

  Closing her eyes, she focused once more, attempting to sense where the tree had gone ihe ring.

  An image surfaced in her mind: the Inferior Qi Tree was now rooted in the bck soil surrounding the tower within the ring's space. Its previously malnourished-looking leaves now swayed gently, as if the energy there was more favorable for its growth.

  Tang Xi's eyes widened.

  'The tree seems fine...'

  Wasting no more time, she tried something even bolder—transp herself into the ring.

  This time, the process was much easier.

  In the blink of an eye, she vanished from the cave and reappeared within the mysterious space.

  As she opened her eyes, Tang Xi took in the fresh st of earth aation. The space remaihe same as before—shrouded in a mysterious gray mist, with an invisible boundary stretg as far as she could see.

  But something was different.

  She looked up, and her eyes widened.

  The sky now had a sun.

  Tang Xi blinked, surprised. Previously, this space had been enveloped in a diffuse light without a visible sourow, a sun hung overhead, its soft, warm glow bathing the enviro.

  —"Did this happen because of the tree?" —she murmured to herself.

  That's when she felt a response.

  Not from the space itself, but from the Lunar Umbrel.

  "YES."

  The answer was vague, almost ethereal, yet clear enough to firm her suspis.

  Tang Xi frowned.

  If just one spiritual tree could cause this ge… then what exactly was this space? What was its true nature?

  She attempted to ask more questions to the Lunar Umbrel, but this time, it remained silent.

  A hint of disappoi flickered across her face, but it was soon repced by a more practical thought.

  —"Nothing I own is simple… The Lunar Umbrel, the ring… I'll o explore their funs further."

  But another idea surfaced in her mind.

  If she could ehe ring's space, could she also ehe tain?

  Her heartbeat quied as she tried.

  Nothing happened.

  She tried again.

  And again.

  But the tower remained inaccessible.

  Tang Xi took a deep breath, pushing aside the disappoihreatening to creep into her expression.

  —"At least now it seems like I enter here whenever I want." — she said, testing her ability to enter a the space multiple times.

  Determio test one more thing, she turned her attention to the Inferior Qi Tree.

  The tree looked different than before.

  Its leaves appeared more vibrant, and its trunk, sturdier. Something about this space's energy was aiding its growth.

  Tang Xi grew curious.

  She approached the tree and, this time, touched its trunk while eling a strand of her Stelr Wood energy.

  A wave of vibration ran through her hands.

  Not only did the tree react, but it also emitted a feeling of joy and fort, as if it was happy in this enviro.

  Tang Xi narrowed her eyes, abs the sensation.

  This was… ued.

  But there was no time to iigate further. She o leave.

  After quickly ging clothes and ing herself, she plucked one of the tree's yellow fruits aed the ring's space.

  The moment she reappeared in the cave, she sed her surroundings cautiously.

  The st of venom still lingered in the air, but nothing seemed to have ged.

  Quickly cheg the snake's , Tang Xi gathered a few trivial resources—fragments of spiritual bones, some herbs partially corroded by venom, and pieces of shed scales that might prove useful iure. However, nothing here was valuable enough to justify staying any longer.

  The fight had e least ten minutes ago.

  "Time to leave."

  She held the Lunar Umbrel in one hand, its surface glowing faintly, refleg the lingering traces of spectral light still present in the cave. Iher hand, she started eating a yellow fruit, picked just before leaving the spatial ring.

  The taste was slightly acidic but invigorating.

  As soon as the pulp touched her tongue, a wave of warmth spread through her body. Her Qi began cirg faster, rest itself with each bite. The mental fatigue she had felt after st the Inferior Qi Tree gradually faded.

  "These fruits take 10 to 30 years to ripen... and when they're at the right stage, they reste amounts of Qi."

  She calcuted mentally while chewing.

  "Five of these, and my energy would be fully restored. If I were just a root, two would have been enough."

  A small smile crossed her lips.

  But now was not the time to rex.

  Tang Xi quickly posed herself, her gaze sharpening. If the battle against the Shadow Serpent had drawention of other cultivators, she o leave before being discovered.

  Finishing the rest of the fruit, she cast o look at the cave and, without hesitation, moved toward the tunnel's exit.

  As soon as she emerged, she felt the wind. Taking a deep breath, she activated her Stelr Wood Aura, cloaking herself in its vibrant energy and harmonizing with the surrounding enviro. With this teique, her body subtly blended into nature, redug her spiritual presend making her harder to trabsp;

  "I 't go too far. I o recover my energy first."

  Instead of moving along the ground, Tang Xi chose a less obvious route. With agile steps, she propelled herself against the trunk of a tall tree, using her Qi trol and lighto leap gracefully and precisely from branch to branbsp;

  She moved like a shadow among the treetops, leaving no footprints behind.

  Her goal was clear: find a safe peditate and fully restore her energy before deg on her move.

  As she crossed the forest, she finally found a suitable spot—a natural ptform formed by iwined roots of arees. The elevated, hidden location erfect for a short rest.

  Tang Xi settled in and closed her eyes, beginning to recover her energy.

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  Shortly after her departure, two figures emerged from the darkness, stopping at the tunranbsp;

  One of them, a burly man with a stern fad dark robes, examihe ground with sharp eyes. Beside him, a middle-aged woman with narrow eyes and a scar on her studied the area with a calg smile.

  They exged a silent gnce before advang.

  The burly man was the first to ehe tunnel, his steps heavy and firm. The woman followed closely behind, her eyes gleaming with i.

  As soon as they reached the depths of the cave, their suspis were firmed.

  The disturbed earth at the ter clearly indicated that something valuable had beely taken. The air still carried traces of residual Qi, evidence of an intetle.

  The middle-aged cultivator smiled, greed flickering in her expression.

  —"Something was taken from here... and whoever did it must be exhausted from the fight."

  She turo her panion.

  —" you track them?"

  The man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked toward the cave entrance, closing his eyes and attuning himself to the surroundings.

  —"There are traces of aura here,"— he said, his voice low and steady.

  The lingering energy from the battle had not yet fully dissipated, and with his experience, he could sehe dire in which the unknown cultivator had gone.

  The woman's smile widened.

  —"Then what are we waiting for?"

  Without another word, the two cultivators left the cave, beginning their pursuit, following the trail left behind by Tang Xi.

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