Meng Lin circulated the Elemental Qi Convergence Method for the last time as she absorbed the third Spirit Jade Berry, other than the delectable aftertaste, she felt a significant surge in her cultivation base.

A potent energy from the Spirit Jade Berry flowed through her spiritual veins and joined with her qi, enhancing it a little.

She opened her eyes, her gaze trailing to the 13 fruits before her. After the group harvested the fruits, she was given 6 Spirit Jade Berries, 4 Vermilion Nectar Fruit, and 3 Giant Qi Fruit, the last one for the quick restoration of her exhausted spiritual qi.

Her other concern, the Brute Qi, was also slowly getting restored, a bit less than normal, she wondered if it was having a reaction with the Ancient Realm they were in.

She murmured something under her breath and looked at the others, Luo Mei was sitting 4 meters away from her, while the rest were spread out, sitting in comfortable positions on the tree while absorbing the energies from the fruits.

Meng Lin closed her eyes and went back to eating and absorbing the remaining fruits, making sure to save at least one of each, for later on.

After eating up almost all the fruits in her possession, she still had 2 Giant Qi fruits, and one of each remaining fruit.

She called out to her system and looked at the system menu.

[Meng Lin]

[Soul Wondering Stage (Early)]

[Experience points: 49>62%]

System coin: 1080

Immortal Jade: 3

Taoist Gacha wheel: unavailable

Spiritual Roots: [Water > Fire > Gold > Wood > Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi: [Mud] [Erosion] [Water] [Darkness]

[Gold Comprehension 13.8%]

[Heavenly Dao]

[Death]

Comprehension 0.02%

Main Cultivation Method: [Elemental Qi Convergence Method]

Side Cultivation Methods: [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation Method] [Brute Vortex Cultivation Method] [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 5th Layer] [Imperial Water Art]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Hundred Unity Techniques] [Wrath of Thunder] [Physique Cleansing Sutra] [Vital Essence Exchange]

Secret Techniques: [Stellar Soul Shield]

Skills: [Immortal Flesh]

Ancient Spirit Seals: Black Tortoises, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy] [Daily Mission]

After noticing the obvious increase in her experience points, Meng Lin looked over all her cultivation techniques, pondering over the usefulness of each and if she needed to change anything.

After looking at everything up and down, her gaze stopped at the Ancient Spirit Seals; she realized that she still hadn't used the Ancient Spirit Seal Union.

She wondered about the Seal's usefulness once completed. However, she was also not in a hurry, so she decided to delay until she was away from prying eyes.

Checking her system inventory, Meng Lin looked at the slots, mainly consisting of pill bottles with only the last few slots being her weapons and items that she valued.

She thought back to the matter of Wei Wei and looked at her last three slots, slight pain within her eyes. 'i am sorry, but until I am sure there is no threat to us, you guys have to stay there for a while'.

She looked up at the sky, her gaze barely piercing the fog-covered environment that covered the whole area.

She wondered about the massiveness of this secret realm, as it's been over a whole day and they still haven't even seen a shadow of the other disciples from the sect.

She turned to Luo Mei, who had stopped her cultivation to stand up and stretch. "You like to stretch a lot" she commented, after noticing her familiar movement.

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Luo Mei grinned, "One of the things I do after I finish concocting a pill, they take quite a lot of time so I feel stiff even if my body doesn't actually hurt"

"I feel a noticeable improvement in my qi," she continued, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "If we keep this up, at this pace I'll be able to breakthrough in 10 days"

"10 days! that's wonderful progress," Meng Lin replied, her eyes flickering with slight curiosity "How long have you been in the middle stage"

Luo Mei's grin widened a hint of pride in her eyes. "It's been about four years since I broke through to the middle stage. I've been focusing on refining pills and eating them like candy, otherwise with my aptitude, it would have taken even longer"

Meng Lin nodded thoughtfully. "That's still impressive. For some, it takes almost a dozen years to make such significant progress," she continued. "This realm belongs to the sect, right? why do they not have a map for it"

Luo Mei's expression turned more serious. "It's not that the sect hasn't tried. The secret realm is vast and constantly shifting. Mapping it is nearly impossible because the terrain and structure are different every time. It's like the realm has a life of its own."

Luo Mei continued "And it's not just the terrain. There are powerful formations and arrays, like the one we encountered at the pillar. They can block or alter spiritual consciousness, making navigation even more difficult, plus the realm changes to adjust to the strength of the people that enter so even those at the Ensoulment Realm aren't safe"

Meng Lin frowned, taking in Luo Mei's words. "That truly complicates things. It means we have to be extremely cautious in our exploration."

Luo Mei stretched again, her eyes gleaming with determination. "I say we take advantage of the time we have now, 20 days. We can rest and cultivate a bit more, but we've gotta be moving to make sure we maximize the chances we get"

Meng Lin glanced at the horizon, where the fog seemed to swirl in unusual patterns. "I agree"

Chen Wei, who has been keeping a lookout suddenly appeared before everyone, a worried expression plastered on his face, "we've got company"

Meng Lin looked confused as she released her spiritual consciousness when suddenly she felt a shift in the air, a faint vibration that sent shivers down her spine.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she got up abruptly, the same thing happening to the others on the tree as they all felt intense danger. Something was approaching.

Thud!!

A massive figure emerged from the fog, its silhouette towering over the trees. A deep growl resonated through the clearing, and the ground trembled beneath its weight.

"What is that?" Luo Mei gasped, eyes wide as she took in the sight of the creature before them—a colossal beast with glistening fur, sharp claws, and fierce golden eyes that glowed with predatory intent.

Meng Lin's heart raced as she realized that she couldn't get any information from the Ancestral Symbol, it was an unknown ancient spirit beast, furthermore its aura indicated that it was at least Peak Rank 4.

Chen Wei stepped forward, his dark energy coalescing into his palm. Armor appeared all over his body, and he bellowed. "Soul Shattering Palm"

With a swift motion, Chen Wei unleashed his attack, a piercing wave of dark energy surging toward the colossal beast.

Clunk!!

The air crackled with power as the attack struck the creature, momentarily getting its attention. However, the beast barely flinched, its golden eyes narrowing as it focused on Chen Wei.

'I have to get back!' Chen Wei recognized the danger. But before anyone could react, the beast lunged forward with astonishing speed, closing the distance between them in an instant.

Chen Wei's eyes widened in horror as the creature's massive claw tore through the air, aiming directly at him. He barely had time to gather his dark energy to unleash another Soul-Shattering Palm.

Boom!!

The impact sent Chen Wei crashing to the ground, the bones in his arm, shattering under the beast's strength. He gasped at the pain and disbelief flashing across his face. "It's too strong!" he managed to shout before the beast turned its attention to the rest of the group.

Panic surged through Meng Lin as she watched the beast move with incredible speed, its sharp claws glinting ominously in the dim light. The other disciples scrambled to react, but the creature was relentless.

Without warning, it lunged again, targeting another disciple who had begun to run. The beast's claws swept through the air, striking with lethal precision.

No! Meng Lin leapt forward, but it was too late. The disciple was shredded before he even had time to notice the attack, his body lit on fire, disappearing before it hit the ground.

Meng Lin felt a wave of dread wash over her as she appeared next to the beast, her half-body Armor appearing all over her body.

Her remaining Brute Qi surged and she activated the Brute Vortex Cultivation Method to the maximum, channeling all her power to a single point.

With her Brute Qi gathered, she enclosed her hands together and extended her nails to the maximum, while releasing all her Brute Qi in a single burst.

"Heaven's Punishment"

PENG!!!

The force of Meng Lin's attack collided with the beast's thick hide, but it was as if she had struck an immovable mountain. The creature barely reacted, turning its head slowly to regard her with those fierce golden eyes. A low growl rumbled from its throat, sending another shiver down her spine.

Her heart pounded as she realized the gravity of their situation. Elemental Qi. This beast probably has the elemental qi of Earth or Gold, maybe even both.

Otherwise, her Brute Qi would have done something; she had utilized all 10 fingernails, plus the Heaven's Punishment. Everything was at full strength, yet her attack had merely scratched the surface. She internalized the stark truth: they were severely outmatched.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible over the creature's menacing growls. She turned to the others, her eyes filled with urgency. "Run!!"

Luo Mei and Chen Wei hesitated, their faces etched with concern!!

Roar!!

The beast roared and reared its claws, swinging at Meng Lin at lightning speed.

Boom!!

The ground caved in over several meters as Meng Lin's figure emerged, a mass of mist shaping her body, she utilized the Formless Cultivation Method and her energy drained rapidly, just dodging that attack.

She stopped paying attention to the others and quickly took flight, flying low in the forest, headed towards a single direction far south. Her mist form provided her a fleeting advantage, and the beast, a golden hue in his eyes, followed her into the depths of the forest.

As she fled, Meng Lin circulated the Formless Cultivation Method, maintaining her mist form, while her energy drained more, she felt the lingering potency of the fruits coursing through her spiritual veins, utilizing the residual energies left to fly even faster.

The beast's growls grew stronger as she kept hearing the trees behind her being destroyed as more and more distance closed between them.

She gritted her teeth and reformed her body to conserve her energy, her breath came in ragged gasps. Her eyes flickered to the sky, the fog-covered environment making it hard to discern the direction she was headed.

She reached out with her spiritual consciousness, searching for any sign of her escape. However, it was all useless as Meng Lin's senses were overwhelmed by the beast's relentless pursuit.

The ground shook with each of its powerful strides, and the forest seemed to blur past her as she pushed her body to its limits.

Suddenly, she noticed an unusual energy fluctuation to her left. Desperation fueled her decision as she veered off the path and darted towards the source.

Her spiritual consciousness picked up a hidden rock formation that seemed to pulse with a mysterious, ancient power.

With no time to lose, Meng Lin approached the formation, utilizing the Formless Cultivation Method to enter into a narrow crevice in the rocks.

Clank!!

The beast snarled, its massive claws scraping against the rocks as it left white marks on the rock, it couldn't enter through the rock formation.

Meng Lin squeezed through the tight passage easily, feeling the jagged edges before emerging from the other side.

Within, Meng Lin stumbled into a cave, with the cave walls reflecting the glowing water pond nestled within the rock creek.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Meng Lin quickly released her spiritual consciousness and realized that the beast was still trying to force its way through the narrow passage; even though it couldn't make any dents, it remained persistent.

Breathing heavily, Meng Lin leaned against the cold cave wall, her mind racing. The beast's relentless assault outside echoed through her mind, reminding her that she was far from safe.

"Okay, calm down Meng Lin..." she whispered to herself, trying to remain calm despite the pounding of her heart. She had to remain calm in these situations.

Her eyes scanned the cave, taking in the glowing water pond. The energy emanating from it was unlike anything she had felt before—a mix of ancient power and serene tranquility. She approached the pond cautiously, feeling a slight pull towards it.

Could this be a hidden Ancient Spirit Pool? She dipped her fingers into the water, feeling a fiery warmth spread through her body. Her fatigue began to fade, and she felt her energy reserves slowly replenish, more importantly she noticed a very hot Elemental Qi fluctuation in the pond.

It was the Elemental Qi of Fire.