Sky raised a question about how to comprehend the fifth level of cultivation in the realm of immortality.
Lumiya, scratching her chin, replied, "I'm actually striving to breach the threshold of the Fifth Rank External Scenery Phase. But from what I gather, reaching this fifth level means you have to make good on the boasts of the fourth level.
I recall a few years back, it was quite the trend to draft a PPT and then rush off to secure millions in venture capital for a startup. If the promises on the PPT fall through after securing funding, that's just blowing hot air. But if it materializes and evolves into a unicorn company, then you've realized your dream.
So, in my opinion, understanding the fourth and fifth levels of cultivation together is akin to a popular saying online these days: 'It's always good to have dreams, just in case they come true.'"
Applause erupted from Lilianna, who teased, "That interpretation is brilliant; I'm tempted to invest in your PPT project."
After pondering for a moment, Sky said, "Based on the basic principles of cultivation, the technique I've been practicing, 'Cosmic Insight | Primordial Blood,' doesn't seem to fit the profile of a first-level Foundation Building technique at all."
Lumiya shared her thoughts, "I've probed you by channeling true qi into your body and found that you haven't opened the five sensory orifices or activated the true qi meridian system, nor have you created a qi pool. You're purely using your body's physical strength. From this perspective, you should be at the first rank of the Foundation Building phase. Moreover, the features you described about your technique don't involve opening orifices, true qi, innate abilities, or external landscapes, making it the quintessential physical cultivation technique of the first rank."
Unable to hold back, Lilianna interjected, "Sky also mentioned that when he delves deep into his body's consciousness, he sees the cosmos's void from his cells. Could this be akin to the fourth rank's process of projecting the external world into the inner realm?"
After a long thought, Lumiya shook her head, "I've never heard of such a thing. It seems similar, but it's too unorthodox for cultivation, I just don't know."
Sky gestured dismissively, "Let's not dwell on this for now. Let's rest and prepare for our exploration of the ancient castle at 2:30 AM."
"Past 2 AM again, we're bound to encounter that terrifying ghost woman from last time," Lumiya muttered.
A few hours later, Lumiya's grim prediction came true.
"Ah...! The ghost woman! She appeared again!" Lumiya's scream echoed through the night in the castle's main building on the third floor.
Just 20 minutes earlier.
Following the plan, Sky, along with Lumiya and Lilianna, ventured into the ancient castle at night.
The castle, under the veil of night, was a stark contrast to its daytime demeanor.
The cold, watery moonlight piercing through the thick glass windows set in ancient stone walls appeared like a shattered silver tapestry, casting a mottled light inside the castle. The inner architectural structures, sculpted by time, became indistinct under the moonlight, adding to the depth and mystery; while the dusty, faded furniture quietly narrated their long history, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who stepped inside, spreading an unspoken fear from the depths of the soul.
The ground floor, despite its eerie atmosphere, was incident-free. However, as they cautiously ascended the winding stairs to the second floor, a mournful and desolate song drifted down from above, touching the heart like cold fingers, tightening the chest. This song seemed to emanate from a tortured, resentful young girl, pouring out her life's misfortunes and sorrows in that melancholic melody, so genuine and touching that it broke the heart.
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Though chilled to the bone, the newly anointed goddess's subordinates were not afraid. Led by Lilianna, with the highest cultivation level, and Lumiya covering the rear, they carefully followed the song, arriving at the third-floor corridor. The song seemed to emanate from there.
Upon reaching the third floor of the castle, a chilling sensation enveloped them.
This corridor, designed in a classic European style, was narrow, allowing at most four people to walk abreast. The third floor, originally intended for guests' accommodation, consisted mainly of rectangular rooms, measuring 5 by 10 meters. Thus, doors to these independent rooms were spaced about 5 meters apart along the corridor.
In her werewolf form, Lumiya's ears twitched. Pointing at a door in the middle of the corridor on the right, she said, "The song seems to be coming from there."
"Let's check it out, but be cautious," Sky advised.
Lilianna nodded, approaching slowly, with Sky and Lumiya cautiously following behind.
The closer they got to the door, the more palpable the chill became. Though Lumiya, familiar with ice-based cultivation techniques, and Lilianna, inherently cold in nature, were not substantially affected, the chill carried a slippery, moist sensation, akin to the touch of a monstrous tentacle crawling on the skin, creating a profound discomfort.
Finally, Lilianna reached the door, which bore a plaque inscribed with the number 310.
"This floor has 22 rooms, each numbered from 300 to 322," Sky whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
Among them, Sky, with the lowest cultivation level, had already covered his body with a thin layer of crimson flame, yet the unsettling chill persisted, hinting at a deeper infiltration. Sky surmised that without his ability to conjure the crimson flame, the eerie chill would have completely corrupted his body.
"I'll open the door and check inside. Be ready," Lilianna whispered.
"Let me do it," Sky interjected, noting the time was just minutes before 3 AM, recalling his "My Mysterious Castle" series task, feeling opening the door might trigger a related event.
Lilianna glanced at Sky and nodded, "Be careful."
Sky placed his hand on the antique bronze doorknob, took a deep breath, and slowly turned it, gently pushing the door. There was resistance, though not significant. With a bit more effort, the resistance gave way, and the door to room 310 opened slowly.
Sky paused at the doorway, cautious not to enter.
The room was dim, with moonlight barely adding visibility, just enough for Sky to discern the interior.
Upon seeing the room's condition, Sky felt a surge of goosebumps.
From his recollection, his previous inspections of each room revealed nothing unusual, albeit a bit run-down, but that was during the day.
At night, the room seemed utterly transformed.
Room 310 was covered in webs.
On the walls, furniture, floor, and every corner, webs of various sizes layered upon each other. The action of opening the door had torn through several large webs covering the inner side of the door.
The most captivating sight was a large bed at the room's center, not against any wall, occupying nearly three-quarters of the space. Around the bed, dense, layered webs enveloped it into a semi-transparent cocoon, faintly revealing a woman in a white gossamer dress lying on the bed.
The eerie song originated from this woman.
Her long black hair was exaggeratedly spread over her shoulders and face, with tips extending to the bed's edge, merging with the webs. It was then Sky realized in horror that the webs were woven from human hair.
Sky shivered.
Lumiya, noticing this, couldn't help but exclaim, "These webs are woven from human hair! My God, no, I mean, my goddess 007."
Her incongruous exclamation somewhat lightened the spooky atmosphere.
Sky, reflecting on his status as the sole direct subordinate of the world's only goddess and a worker in the divine realm, the plane's representative of the "Deep Space Eyes" deity, had no reason to fear ghosts.
Yet, the sight of the ghost woman triggered a mix of innate human fear and an inexplicable urge to approach. The conflicting desires to flee and enter the room made Sky extremely uncomfortable.
"Be cautious, these hairs are strange," Lilianna warned.
"No kidding, these hairs are obviously abnormal," Lumiya retorted.
After a closer examination, Lilianna added, "Look closely, those hairs are strands of tiny black characters."
"Ah?!" Both Sky and Lumiya exclaimed in shock.
Sky closely inspected a few torn hair webs on the doorframe, indeed comprised of countless tiny black characters.
The characters were too minuscule for Sky, at the first rank of Foundation Building, to discern their content.
"It's a curse!" Lilianna finally recognized the essence of these hair strands.
"Let's leave this place," Sky suggested.
"Ah!" Lumiya screamed again.
"What's wrong?" Sky turned to Lumiya, who pointed in the direction they had come.
Following her direction, Sky saw the corridor they had traversed now blocked by black webs, their path completely obstructed. Invisible spiders seemed to weave incessantly, the webs rapidly expanding toward them.
"What do we do?" Sky turned to Lilianna, her strength presumably the strongest and her knowledge the broadest, given her alternate identity as a 6000-year-old vampire.
However, Lilianna remained silent, fixated on the room's interior.
The woman on the bed slowly sat up, turning her mostly hair-covered face toward the door.
As she rose, her song gradually faded until, sitting upright, it ceased entirely.
Silence ensued, all sound vanished from Sky's ears, even the constant wind outside seemed muted.
Then, the woman in the white dress opened her mouth wide, emitting a piercing shriek that seemed to penetrate the eardrums.