Thanks to the Tranquil Heart Breathing Technique, Langtian managed to keep himself from peeking.
Not only that, he had fully slipped into a deep meditative state, using the quiet moment to turn his focus inward and assess the condition of his body.
The Crimson Vitality Pill had done wonders. Despite its terrifying side effects, its potency was undeniable. The damage to his internal organs had almost completely healed, his breathing was steady, and there were no visible wounds left on his body. Even the lingering aches had mostly faded.
However... his meridians were still in rough shape.
Though the pill had accelerated the healing process, the spiritual pathways that carried qi throughout his body were still inflamed, bruised from the trauma of having his core forcibly torn away. They would likely need several more days, perhaps a week, to fully stabilize.
But the most pressing issue was his core.
Where his spiritual core once resided, there was now only emptiness. A hollow, aching void.
Langtian took a slow, steady breath and gently sank deeper into his consciousness, diving inward until he reached the innermost layer of his being: his spiritual sea.
The Sea of Consciousness, sometimes simply called the "spiritual sea", was an inner realm that manifested only after a cultivator stepped into the Core Forming Stage. It was a place shaped not by the laws of nature, but by the cultivator’s soul, mind, and Dao.
It was called a "sea" because it often took the form of an endless water-like landscape. One could walk for what seemed like eternity and never reach the edge. As one’s cultivation grew, the spiritual sea would evolve, its still waters turning into ripples, then waves, then storms.
For powerful cultivators, strange phenomena might appear: floating islands, spiritual trees, divine beasts, even mountains or rivers. They were all manifestations of the cultivator’s inner Dao and spiritual strength. These weren’t real in the physical sense, but symbolic projections of their inner world.
There were even tales of experts who could store things within their spiritual sea. For example: souls, divine artifacts, or pieces of ancient will...
For some, the sea was bright and clear like polished jade, serene and focused.
For others, it was murky and unsettled, with constant shifting undercurrents.
And there were even people with seas so dark and turbulent, it mirrored the corruption in their hearts.
When Langtian first reached the Core Forming Stage and opened his spiritual sea, the realm had appeared as an endless, still lake beneath a radiant, glowing sun.
But now... the sun was gone.
What remained was a vast, silent expanse.
And then he noticed something else. Something was creeping into his spiritual sea now.
The water... it was tinged with a faint reddish hue... like someone was dripping blood into the water.
Could it be... the demonic energy from the valley already starting to corrupt his spiritual sea? Or perhaps it was the side effect of the Crimson Vitality Pill he had taken earlier?
Either way, considering the path he would be walking soon, this change wasn’t entirely something bad, but it was just happening faster than he had anticipated.
For now, he didn’t notice any side effects. Nothing felt wrong with his body or soul.
A ticklish sensation brushed his nose.
Langtian sneezed loudly and his eyes snapped open.
The first thing he saw was a face.
Right in front of him, crouched low with a mischievous grin, was Shangguan Yue Ling, dressed in fresh black robes. Her damp hair was draped over one shoulder, beads of water still clinging to the ends like morning dew. In her hand was a long blade of grass—which she was using to tickle his nose.
"Waaah?!" Langtian jolted back, nearly falling over. "S-Senior Sister Shangguan?!"
His heart skipped several beats.
Her face was way too close. So close, he could see the tiny droplets on her lashes. So close, her scent, so clean and faintly floral, brushed past his nose with every breath.
"Hehe~" Yue Ling laughed. "My little Junior Brother really is so pure and honest. You actually didn’t peek!"
"O-Of course I didn’t!" Langtian sputtered, cheeks flushing bright red.
But his heart was pounding like a war drum.
Because at this distance, fresh from the water, her skin still dewy, her gaze teasing, Senior Sister looked like some celestial goddess come down from the heavens to torment his mortal heart.
"I-I mean, if I peeked, you’d definitely kill me!"
"Kill you?" Yue Ling tilted her head sweetly.
Then her smile sharpened.
In a flash, her twin blades appeared in her hands, the silver edges catching the eerie glow of the valley’s spirit light.
"I wouldn’t go that far," she said calmly. "I’d just take your eyes. That way, my body would be the last thing you ever see!"
"G-Great heavens... I swear I didn’t peek!"
Yue Ling let out a soft laugh, spinning the blades once before tucking them away again.
"Good boy." She reached out and gave his head a gentle pat, her tone turning warm again. "That’s why I trust you."
Then, standing back up, she added with a wink, "Alright—it’s your turn now. Go take a dip in the pond. I’ll stand guard."
"O-Oh! R-Right! Thank you, Senior Sister!"
"Hehe," she added. "And wait. These are your clothes."
As he stood up awkwardly, she reached into her Qiankun pouch and pulled out a bundle of neatly folded clothes.
"Wait, you still haven’t told me where you got all these clothes from!" Langtian called out as he held up the clean robes she’d handed him.
Yue Ling sighed with mock exasperation. "Alright, alright. I’ll tell you tomorrow. Now hurry up and wash already! Aren’t you hungry?"
"...Fine," Langtian grumbled, defeated.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel that something was odd.
Actually, several things.
First of all... why did Yue Ling have so many good-quality clothes? Not just robes for herself, but perfectly sized men’s clothing for him too, even shoes that fit him exactly.
And it wasn’t just clothing. She had weapons too, like the knife they’d used earlier to butcher the wolves, or those twin sabers she carried now, which he’d never seen her use before. Not to mention the multiple Qiankun pouches and flasks she kept pulling out. There were at least four different ones already, each seemingly for a different purpose.
These weren’t things one could casually find in the wilderness. They were supplies and items that could only be obtained from a sect, from civilization.
But here... in this dark valley, surrounded by nothing but demonic beasts and rocks...
Was there a demon merchant hidden somewhere in this cursed valley? Or a ghost selling artifacts under a haunted tree?
...Haha. That can’t be it.
Langtian let out a quiet chuckle at the absurdity of his own thoughts.
Yue Ling had promised to tell him tomorrow. He’d just have to be patient.