Meng Lin took a moment to process the information displayed by the system. The merging of the Black Tortoise and Golden Lizard into the Crimson Tortoise Dragon was both unexpected and expected at the same time. She didn't understand whether the Ancient Spirit Seal Union had worked as intended or if something different had happened.

Nevertheless, just the absorption of the Fire Elemental Qi made her perceive the whole cave differently. The ground beneath her feet felt more solid, and her movements were more assured as she walked away from the wall.

The oppressive heat had subsided, replaced by a steady warmth that seemed to emanate from her own body. She walked up to the Ancient Spirit Pool and stretched out her arm.

"Come forth, Crimson Tortoise Dragon," Meng Lin said, her voice soft and could break through as the newly formed Tortoise Dragon spirit seal began to glow. Slowly, the intricate mark on her arm glowed with a bright crimson light, and the air grew heavy with a powerful, ancient energy.

From the mark, a small, serpentine figure began to materialize, its form a fusion of a tortoise and dragon. It looked no different from a dragon, with the only difference being the four stumps that replaced the dragon claws.

The creature's eyes glowed with an intense, sentient awareness as it emerged fully, its presence filling the cave with an aura of immense power.

The Crimson Tortoise Dragon coiled around Meng Lin, its gaze locking onto hers. For a moment, the cave was silent, the energy between them palpable.

"Mistress," the dragon's voice echoed in her mind, deep and resonant, a stark contrast to the derisive tones of the Black Tortoise and Golden Lizard.

"Mistress?" Meng Lin's eyebrows were raised at the unexpected title. She had anticipated resistance, even defiance, but this newfound spirit was showing her respect.

"Yes," the dragon confirmed. "You are my creator, so you are my mistress."

Meng Lin studied the Crimson Tortoise Dragon with an intense gaze before asking, "What do you mean by that? Are you not the union of the Black Tortoise and Golden Lizard?"

"I am indeed the union of two mighty spirits, yet I am neither. My existence is solely because of your will," the beast answered.

"My will?" Meng Lin felt a strange feeling emerge within her as she heard those words. In the end, she shook her head and said, "Fine, you may call me however you like."

Meng Lin's thoughts were a whirlwind as she began to plan out her next step while the Crimson Tortoise Dragon continued to coil around her.

She had been in this cave for four days now, and that strange beast was still standing outside the cave. She knew that she was no match for it at her current level.

She reasoned that the only thing she could do was to break through first and confront the strange beast. If she were to stack up the Brute Qi, as well as her Elemental Convergence Method, then she might have a chance at fighting the beast.

If that didn't work, then she would just use the Void-State Tablet. Even though it's a Sacred-grade item, it's mainly for transportation and has great control over the surrounding space.

If that also didn't work, then she would use the teleportation talismans that she received from Luo Hao to escape.

As Meng Lin was lost in thought, she felt warm scales brushing against her skin, and from the scales came pulses of qi, elemental qi.

She could feel all her elemental qi within the beast—water, erosion, mud, fire, and darkness. It seemed that when she poured all her Elemental Qi into the Beast slate, it integrated it into this new beast.

She finally released her spiritual consciousness to gauge the beast’s power, her mind calculating as new information presented itself. 'This creature could easily contend with, and perhaps even defeat, a late-stage cultivator,' she thought.

"It seems there really is a chance," Meng Lin said with determination as she sat down by the Ancient Spirit Pool, her mind focused on using the remaining Elemental Qi to increase her cultivation base into the middle stage.

She allowed the tortoise dragon to return to its seal as she entered deep meditation. She felt the qi in the surrounding area swirling and gathering easily as her control over the Fire Elemental Qi filled the area.

Hours passed with the only movement being the rhythmic pulse on the surface of the pond.

Finally, after three hours, Meng Lin felt a shift within her. Her qi surged, the energy within her reaching a critical point, and she felt her body trembling uncontrollably.

Boom!!

A moment later, she felt a barrier within her cultivation shatter, and her qi erupted like a storm. Her entire being was flooded with power, her soul trembled, its form doubled in size and power as she felt her breakthrough to the Middle Stage of the Soul Wondering Realm.

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"Aah!!"

Suddenly, Meng Lin felt an intense pain as a yelp escaped her mouth. Her body echoed with a chaotic aura and Brute Qi surged from her dantian, filling the whole cave. Her eyes opened wide as she felt her body heat up to an unimaginable degree.

The pain surged through Meng Lin's body like a raging inferno, overwhelming her senses and threatening to shatter her focus.

The Brute Qi that had once been under control now surged uncontrollably, filling the entire cave with its chaotic energy. Her vision blurred, and she felt her consciousness on the edge of collapse.

"Damn it!" Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to regain control, channeling her thoughts inward. She had to calm the raging Brute Qi before it consumed her.

The Physique Cleansing Sutra—she had to recite its words, its rhythm. It had worked before, and it had to work now.

Through the haze of pain, Meng Lin began to chant the Physique Cleansing Sutra, her voice trembling at first but growing steadier with each word.

"By the will of the heavens, cleanse this body of impurities. By the essence of the earth, stabilize this form. By the power of the world, harmonize this vessel. Let the qi be tamed, and let the essence flow pure."

As the ancient words flowed from her lips, they resonated within her, resonating with her Brute Qi. The chaotic energy, still raging within her dantian, began to slow its frantic pace; however, it didn't lessen in power in the slightest. In fact, it was getting even more powerful as time went on.

The entire cave became an unrecognizable place as the chaotic white qi shockingly began to eat away at the walls of the cave, slowly but surely.

"By the will of the heavens, cleanse this body of impurities. By the essence of the earth, stabilize this form. By the power of the... Ah!"

Before she could finish, the power within her swelled to an unbearable level. A searing pain shot through her body, and her vision went dark as she lost consciousness, collapsing beside the Ancient Spirit Pool.

*..

Suddenly, Meng Lin's eyes snapped open, and the Brute Qi stopped all movement. Meng Lin got up and stood unbothered within the clear white chaotic qi that encompassed the whole area.

Within the gaze of Meng Lin was something strange. Her once warm and delicate eyes held a sharp, ruthless, and calculating gleam.

“This foolish girl,” Meng Lin murmured, her voice deep, slightly charming yet laced with concern. She wasted no time, her hands moving in precise, practiced gestures.

The Brute Qi in the air began to gather as she expertly funneled it into a small, dense ball of chaotic white light within Meng Lin’s dantian, containing its destructive outbreak with ease.

The chaotic energy, which moments ago had threatened to tear Meng Lin apart, was now tightly controlled, condensed into a small sphere of pure, seething power within her dantian. The once uncontrollable Brute Qi was now completely under her command.

With a final, deliberate motion, Meng Lin—or the entity now controlling her—sealed the Brute Qi within and stabilized her internal energy. The ruthless gleam in her eyes softened, though the cold efficiency in her movements remained.

“There. That should hold for now,” she said, her tone a mix of relief and frustration. Her voice, although still Meng Lin's, carried an unfamiliar authority, one that spoke of ages of experience.

And suddenly without warning, her hands ceased their movements, and Meng Lin's body fell limp, her head slumping forward as if the strings that held her upright had been severed. For a moment, everything was still, the cave echoing with the soft sounds of the Ancient Spirit Pool.

Then, just as suddenly, Meng Lin's eyes fluttered open again, her expression dazed and confused. She blinked, looking around the cave as if unsure of where she was or what had just happened. The ruthless aura had vanished, replaced by her usual warmth, but her body was tense as if on high alert.

“What… what just happened?” she whispered to herself, her voice shaky, though she received no answer from the empty cave around her.

Meng Lin's mind reeled as she tried to piece together the events of the past few moments. The relentless pain, the overwhelming surge of Brute Qi, and then... nothing. It was as if a part of her consciousness had been wiped clean, leaving her with fragmented memories and a lingering sense of unease.

She stood up, her body still trembling from the aftereffects of the Brute Qi eruption. The cave, now marked with signs of the chaotic energy, felt eerily quiet. The only sound was the gentle ripple of the Ancient Spirit Pool, its glowing water casting ethereal reflections on the cave walls.

Taking a deep breath, Meng Lin attempted to steady herself. She reached out with her spiritual consciousness, trying to gauge the state of her dantian and the Brute Qi within. To her surprise, the once wild and uncontrollable energy was now neatly contained within a small, dense sphere. It pulsed with a steady, controlled rhythm, a far cry from the chaos she had experienced moments before.

"What in the world...?" she muttered, her brow furrowing in confusion. The memory of what had happened lingered at the edge of her mind, but she couldn't grasp it fully. It was as if a veil had been drawn over that part of her consciousness.

Pushing the unsettling thoughts aside, Meng Lin focused on the task at hand. She needed to confront the beast that had driven her into this cave and had been waiting outside for days.

With her cultivation now at the Middle Stage of the Soul Wondering Realm and her Brute Qi under control, she felt that she had a chance.

"Crimson Tortoise Dragon," she called softly, her voice resonating with the power of her spirit seal. The air around her shimmered as the dragon materialized once more, its eyes glowing with intense awareness.

"Mistress," the dragon greeted, inclining its head slightly.

Meng Lin asked, "Can you tell me what happened after I passed out?"

The Crimson Tortoise Dragon's eyes glowed with a deeper intensity, as if it was accessing a well of ancient memories. "Mistress," it began, its voice echoing within her mind, "after you lost consciousness, an ancient presence within you took control. It was this presence that managed to stabilize the chaotic Brute Qi and condense it into the small, dense sphere within your dantian."

Meng Lin's eyes widened. "An ancient presence? What do you mean?"

"It is difficult to explain, Mistress," the dragon replied. "It was as if a different part of your soul, one that carries immense experience and authority, emerged to save you. This presence displayed mastery over the Brute Qi that even you, in your current state, could not achieve."

Meng Lin's mind raced, thoughts of a certain master coming to her mind. "I understand," she said, keeping it to herself. "For now, we have a more immediate problem to deal with."

The dragon nodded in agreement, its serpentine form coiling around her protectively. "The beast outside," it said. "It has been waiting for you."

Meng Lin's eyes hardened with determination. "Then let's not keep it waiting any longer."