Li Lang had just finished the fourth round of the brushweaving trial and returned to his room after copying over the manual he received onto his computer.

As always, it was related to what he had shown during the trial. This time, he used elemental Qi to draw out the runes that corresponded to the same element. With the irrelevant energies out of the picture, it allowed the runes to be completed with less overall Qi. This made it more compact, allowing Li Lang to fit three runes onto a mortal-grade talisman paper.

It was understandable that his reward, the Elemental Condensing Brush technique, taught him how to filter out his desired elements of Qi. During his previous inscribing session, he had expended several times more energy than usual.

It couldn’t be helped as only a tiny part of his Qi was of the elements he needed, like light. The reward he earned would address this exact issue, conserving his energy. He believed it could even help him in other ways. While it required a Moon Brush as a catalyst, it didn’t say the filtered Qi must be used for brushweaving. He could use the filtered Qi for other endeavors.

Just as he got settled in his room and was about to get started with his new manual, Ruby suddenly shouted in his ear. It was a voice he had never heard it use. It was tinged with urgency and aggression. Completely different from Ruby’s usual antics.

“Master! Intruder! Someone tried to invade me!”

Before Li Lang could respond, the artifact spirit already kicked him back to reality. As soon as he did, he immediately heard a loud crashing sound. Having been warned trouble was here, he immediately turned to the commotion.

He blinked rapidly as he tried to process what he found. A young woman in blue robes lying sprawled on his floor. Her blue robes were of a different shade compared to the Eternal Wave Sect that he had come to be familiar with, so he knew she wasn’t one of them.

The unknown intruder only put Li Lang more on guard as he cautiously took up a defensive position. He had one hand hidden in his robes, ready to deploy a talisman at any moment.

One moment passed, then another one. Nothing happened, as the woman remained unconscious on the ground.

Hmm, I should leave, but Ruby said this person tried to invade it somehow. Does this mean it knows about the existence of Ruby now? If that is true, I can’t leave her alone…but what do I do?

Heinous thoughts flashed through Li Lang’s mind before he shook his head. While those solutions may appear simple, the baggage that came along with it could be more than he bargained for.

With the identity of the woman unknown, he had to take a more cautious approach. He needed to draw more information out of her before deciding on the next step.

If she does know about Ruby, then I’ll think about how to deal with her then. There must be a way for me to silence her without resorting to murder or poison.

Nevertheless, precautions had to be taken. Li Lang may not have malicious intentions against the woman, but the same couldn’t be said for the other party. Li Lang quickly fished out several items and moved toward the door.

He made sure it was half opened, so if anything happened, he had an escape path or at least his voice could reach someone outside. He then coated a small needle in the most powerful poison he currently had and held it at the ready. In his other hand, he continued to grasp onto a talisman.

He was ready to deploy his Veiling Shroud technique at any moment and combine it with the concealment talisman.

With those safeguards in place, he began approaching the unconscious woman.

First, he tapped her with his feet. No response.

He tried again, but harder this time.

Still no response.

He didn’t want to shake her any more violently or expose himself to her in a vulnerable position, so he took a step back. He then picked up a cup of water and splashed it across her face.

Once again, nothing happened.

This got Li Lang slightly worried. He took out a Recovery Pill and approached her. Holding it in the same hand as the poisoned needle, he carefully placed it into her mouth before stepping back.

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Within a second, he got a reaction. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. They were inside a small room, so she naturally discovered Li Lang the moment she opened her eyes.

The young man and woman stared at each other in the small room. They blinked blankly, each watching the other carefully.

It took a few breaths of time before the woman’s expression changed to that of terror.

“A natural spirit! You’re carrying an Origin artifact!”

The girl began trembling, causing Li Lang to become even more perplexed. However, he did confirm the woman had likely taken note of Ruby. That was why he pressed his hat against him to consult his partner.

“Ruby, do you know who this woman is or what she is talking about?”

“Master, that’s an artifact spirit, not a woman! And a spirit of a pretty high-level artifact too! You should be careful.”

Ruby’s aggression hadn’t faded yet. She spoke quickly and sounded strung up.

I guess I’ll just have to ask for the details later when Ruby calms down. If this woman before me is a high-level artifact spirit, then it might be the one who controls this place. The one who’s been watching over everyone.

“So you’re an artifact spirit?” Li Lang gently asked, taking care not to agitate her further.

She slowly nodded, but spoke no words. Evidently, there was still fear in her eyes.

“I’m Li Lang. What’s your name?”

“...Blue.”

“Blue? Can you calm down for me? I–no, we don’t mean you any harm. We should talk things out first.”

Seeing the artifact spirit nod, Li Lang then peeked out of his room. He wanted to see if anyone had overheard them before he closed the doors. As if knowing exactly what was in his mind, Blue made a suggestion.

“Rest assured, I made sure no one could have overheard our conversation. If you want to talk in someplace discreet with no chance of anyone intruding, then I know of a place. Just…have mercy.”

“Of course. I wasn’t lying. I mean you no harm. Lead the way.”

I really need to ask what the hell Ruby did to her, too. For now, I’ll play along with it.

The door to Li Lang’s room was once again opened. He gestured for Blue to take the lead, but she didn’t budge. Instead, she closed her eyes, and suddenly, Li Lang found that the scenery around him had changed.

He glanced around frantically and pinched himself on the cheeks. He then kneeled down to feel his footing. Once he confirmed it felt real, he looked over at the woman allegedly responsible for their transition.

“This isn’t an illusion, is it? Where are we?”

“No, I’ve transported us to the summit. It consumes quite a bit of energy, but it’s the only way I can take you here.”

“You can do that? Teleport people around?”

“Only within the pocket realm.”

Hearing that answer, Li Lang’s eyes sparkled as his face drew closer.

“Tell me! How does it work?”

“...Didn’t you have other questions? Be patient. I’ll try to answer what I can in time. For now, let us head somewhere more comfortable. We’re almost there.”

Li Lang could only swallow down his curiosity. He had forced himself to stop asking the first things that came into his head, like why didn’t she teleport them directly to their destination? It helped that Blue had already begun walking toward the lone hut right beside them.

It was the only structure at the summit and was impossible to miss.

The moment Blue stepped into the hut, Li Lang lost sight of her. The entrance to the hut was pitch black for some reason, and he could see nothing within. He almost wanted to investigate this phenomenon and stay outside when Blue’s voice called out.

“Come in. It’s safe.”

Being directly called out, Li Lang obeyed. While he didn’t know much about the mysterious artifact spirit, it was clear it was powerful. Ruby had said it was the spirit of a high-level artifact. That meant it was likely to be a Saint-grade artifact at the very least. That was in the realm only those in the Violet Core realm and above could handle.

In fact, it may be even more powerful if it supports this entire pocket realm. Thankfully, it’s afraid of Ruby right now and shouldn’t act against us.

When Li Lang stepped past the darkness, the scenery once again changed. The purple skies were suddenly a lot closer, and the yellow clouds were now at his feet.

“We’re…In the sky? Standing on top of a cloud?!”

“Not quite,” Blue replied. “It’s hard to explain, but you can think of this place as the center of the realm. We’ll be able to talk freely here.”

Li Lang was just about to nod when he spotted something in the distance. He spotted two speckles of orange and green a distance away.

“What’s that?”

It was only then that Blue noticed too. Her eyes widened before she performed a grabbing motion towards them. The two speckles disappeared—no; it was more accurate to say they were relocated.

Looking down next to Blue’s feet, Li Lang quickly realized what those speckles were. It was people. Two young men, one wearing an orange robe while the other wore a green robe. They were both lying on the ground, unconscious.

Before Li Lang could ask any questions, Blue stated her request.

“Please, channel some Qi into them. It should wake them up.”

“Come again? I thought you brought me here to talk privately. Who are these people?”

The situation was getting more and more out of hand. It made Li Lang frown as he questioned the artifact spirit’s objectives.