"Impossible... This is..." Qin Chen trailed off into stunned silence.
It was just an ordinary gum wrapper, but he recognized it... It belonged to someone he knew.
Qin Chen frowned, "How could it be here? It's impossible that he knows this place," he muttered.
"Did you find something?" Han Yuan suddenly asked.
Qin Chen stood up, still holding and staring at the gum wrapper. "No, old Han, it seems my trip here has been futile," he said gloomily.
Han Yuan sighed, "It might not be a good night for you, Qin Chen, but don't be disheartened. The world is full of secrets and golden opportunities, and they don't come easily," he said, patting Qin Chen on the shoulder.
Qin Chen's expression improved slightly. He smiled and said, "Thanks, old Han."
"Do you want to visit the Wudang sect tonight? I can introduce you to some Elders, and maybe some training scrolls," Han Yuan suggested, smiling.
"That's a good idea," Qin Chen nodded.
"Alright then, let's go," Han Yuan declared.
With that, they both started to leave the Tianzhou forest, moving towards the Wudang sect in Tianhai.
*******
Back at the villa, Long Tian was currently sat cross-legged next to Li Yue'er, playing a handheld game.
Despite the abundant spiritual energy present, it was all being absorbed by the jade.
Unfortunately, that spiritual energy couldn't be used for cultivation. It seemed exclusive to Li Yue'er. But he was still surprised that the jade could absorb it.
Either way, it was a good thing.
But at this moment, he felt an anomaly. He glanced to the side and saw the jade floating in the air.
Long Tian immediately stood up, preparing himself for any eventuality.
A few seconds later....
Flash!
The jade suddenly shone with a brilliant gold light, causing Long Tian to shield his eyes.
The light was too bright, blinding him to everything but its golden hue.
The light lasted for a few seconds and then gradually began to fade.
Long Tian slowly opened his eyes, only to realize that the spiritual energy in the room had vanished, and the jade had fallen to the floor.
Long Tian approached the jade and picked it up. Nothing about it seemed to have changed. It was still the same as before.
"Finally, I can sense the outside world!" a woman's voice suddenly resonated from the jade.
Long Tian was startled by the voice, but he was also somewhat confused because the woman hadn't manifested a physical form like she did in the Tianzhou forest.
"(Cough) can you hear me?" he asked.
"I can hear you, but you're not Qin Chen. Who are you?" The woman asked, her tone sounding displeased.
Long Tian grinned and said, "I am his brother."
"His brother? You don't look anything like him," the woman retorted.
Long Tian was surprised, "You can see me?" he asked.
"I can see your mouth very clearly from this close. Could you please back off a bit?" The woman responded rather flatly.
"Oh, that's intriguing," Long Tian commented.
"So, who are you really?" The woman probed.
"As I said before, I'm Qin Chen's brother. Yeah, my face is much more handsome than his. You know, genetics," Long Tian said, grinning.
"You're quite narcissistic, aren't you? Well, you are good-looking, but appearances mean nothing compared to talent," the woman responded.
"So, Qin Chen's talent is superior? How can you be sure about that?" Long Tian asked lightly.
"That's not important. What's important right now is that you must return this jade to Qin Chen. You have no right to it," the woman stated firmly.
"What if I don't want to?" Long Tian said nonchalantly.
"Don't want to, huh? Just so you know, brat, even if I'm disembodied, I can still do things to you. Now return the jade before I change my mind," the woman threatened.
"What? Like enter my body and take control of it? Classic. Do you think my soul's power is so weak?" Long Tian said dismissively.
"How do you know?" the woman asked, surprised.
"That's not important. What's important is that I know your trump card, and you're like a fish trapped in a tank. I could easily crush your soul in a blink of an eye," Long Tian said with a grin.
There was no response from the woman. But from within the jade, her expression seemed to show her sweating. She clearly didn't expect Long Tian to know so much.
Indeed, she could only enter someone's soul and disturb them, but if that person knew about it, her soul attack would fail. And here it was, Long Tian knew about it, so her threat was meaningless.
"But let's make a bet," Long Tian suddenly proposed.
"What do you mean?" the woman inquired.
"If you can enter my soul, I will free you from the shackles of this jade. But if you can't, you have to obey me," Long Tian stated.
"What?" the woman was stunned. "Don't joke around, what could a kid do that I can't do?" she said incredulously.
"Just trust me, lady. Do you think you can talk to me for no reason? Everything has a cause and effect, you know that," Long Tian pointed out.
Hearing this, the woman seemed hesitant. Indeed, she could interact with the world for a short while. Like when the strange white light suddenly appeared, giving her soul power and repairing her foundation. She even managed to leave the jade in a spectral form.
Earlier too, another strange energy emerged. It wasn't the white light, but spiritual energy feeding her soul. It allowed her to interact with the outside world, like right now, conversing with Long Tian.
"So, do you accept my bet?" Long Tian asked again.
The woman sighed, "I accept. But on my condition: if I can enter your soul, return this jade to Qin Chen. Don't worry, I won't kill you. And if I can't enter your soul, I will be your mentor and impart a lot of knowledge to you for a month," she proposed.
Long Tian stroked his chin, considering the woman's words.
And after a few seconds, he nodded, "Fair enough, I agree with that," he accepted.
Having considered it, he finally agreed. He knew the original plot, and of course, he knew how strong Long Tian's soul power was, even Qin Chen fell short.
And in a month, it was actually a good thing. He could devise a plot to make Qin Chen suffer even more.
"Good," the woman responded.
Fortunately, Long Tian accepted her bet. It seemed like a win-win situation for her. If she couldn't enter Long Tian's soul, she would just have to be his mentor for a month, which carried a small risk.
To be honest, she still greatly appreciated Qin Chen. Besides his talent, she also found something interesting when she entered his soul. She was sure that with Qin Chen, she could restore her original form.
As for Long Tian. He was nothing more than an overly enthusiastic youth, she was sure that Long Tian's arrogance would be paid back with defeat.
"Alright, I can start now."