The effects of the moon blooming lotus

Oasis gritted his teeth, frustration and determination mingling in his expression.

"I need to move faster," he thought, quickening his pace.

The seemingly endless passage stretched infinitely before him, but he refused to be deterred.

The thought of finding and reuniting with his friends fueled his resolve.

"I won't let this place trap me," he muttered, pressing on, each step a testament to his unwavering will.

Oasis continued walking, occasionally popping food cubes into his mouth.

After some time, he noticed a shadow in the distance as he approached.

"Is that me?!" Oasis exclaimed in surprise.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR FIRST TRIAL. DEFEAT HIM AND PROCEED TO THE NEXT ONE," a voice echoed.

As Oasis drew closer, he saw his younger self, from before he had started cultivating.

"Wow, I was so small," Oasis thought. "This must be around the time I met Master Elias."

The young Oasis lunged at him, attacking without hesitation.

With a swift flick of his finger, the older Oasis sent his younger doppelganger crashing into the wall.

Bang!!!

The younger Oasis slowly faded away.

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU PASSED. MOVE ON TO THE SECOND TRIAL," the voice echoed again.

"Damn it, the voice mentioned my time here is different from outside," Oasis thought, trying to make sense of the situation.

"What's going on? Another realm inside a realm—Tir Na Nog's time is different from Verdantia, but...," Oasis pondered, struggling to understand.

"Let me keep moving. Oh, I should walk while studying," Oasis decided.

He retrieved a scroll from his bracelet.

"Raging Phoenix Sword Technique—it's about time I studied this one," he mused.

But then he reconsidered.

"On second thought, I should finish studying the Scorching Crescent Blade first," Oasis decided, changing his focus.

Oasis pulled out the manual and began studying as he continued along the passage.

---

About five days had passed in Tir Na Nog, with many cultivators dropping and treasures being claimed.

"Finally, I refined the Moon Blooming Lotus and even had a breakthrough!" Zane exclaimed in his cave after days of painstakingly refining the Moon Blooming Lotus.

"3rd layer of Newborn Realm, ha ha ha! Now I can take on that brat Oasis," Zane said to himself.

The lotus in Zane's heart worked its magic, absorbing the surrounding mana, healing his severely injured internal organs, and alleviating his fatigue.

Despite looking pale and dehydrated, the lotus replenished his vitality.

"Wow, this is amazing," Zane thought, amazed by the lotus's effects.

Grrr!!! Grrr!!!

"Damn it, it doesn't satisfy my hunger," Zane said, pulling out some food cubes from his bracelet and eating them.

After replenishing himself, Zane emerged from the cave, carrying a foul odor.

Sniff! Sniff!!

"What's that smell? It's like a dead mystic beast nearby... ugh," Zane thought as he moved.

"Huh?! It's me... damn it, no wonder I wasn't attacked. People probably thought an animal had died," he smirked, searching for a place to clean up.

The Moon Blooming Lotus had indeed purified his system, expelling a lot of accumulated impurities from his body.

When cultivators absorb mana, their bodies use most of their affinity mana.

The remaining affinities are converted into spiritual energy to nourish the conscious realm, while the rest becomes excess mana and thus impurities(Unprocessed raw mana).

After walking for some time, Zane found a pond and started washing up.

Mmmmh! Mmmmh! Mmmh!

As he cleaned, he hummed.

"Oasis, this brother of yours is going to teach you a lesson. Where are you, brat?" Zane thought.

Splash!!!!

"Huuhhhhh!!!" Zane was shocked by what he saw.

!!!

A woman emerged from the water, having just finished washing up and was completely naked.

"Me... me... melons!!" Zane thought, his face turning red and a trickle of blood running down his nose.

"Ahhh!! Pervert!!!" The woman released a burst of energy towards Zane, who was lost in thought while she tried to cover herself.

Zane was thrown slightly to the edge of the pond.

"Nooo, nooo, lady! I wasn't watching; you misunderstood. I was just washing up, I didn't know you were here," Zane protested, still glancing at her.

"Pervert, you're still looking at me!!!" she yelled.

"Look away, pervert!!" she demanded as she put on her clothes.

Zane looked away and quickly dressed himself.

"Ah, embarrassing. A man saw my naked body," the woman thought.

"Ah, Lady, why are you here alone?" Zane asked as she finished dressing.

She folded her arms, looked at Zane, and smirked.

"Pervert," she said in a low tone.

"I'm sorry, it was a mistake," Zane reassured her.

"Wow, she's pretty," Zane thought.

"I've been walking alone since most men I met were perverts who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, so I ended up killing them," she said to Zane.

"Ah, great, I'm not a pervert," Zane thought, trying to clear any lustful thoughts from his mind.

"I am Zane Bluemoon from Verdantia," Zane introduced himself with renewed nobility.

"Oh, Lily Arcanum from Celestia," she responded.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Arcanum," Zane said.

"Huh, he seems like a different person," Lily thought.

"Ah, Lady Arcanum, may we accompany each other?" Zane asked.

"As long as you keep your hands to yourself, and please just call me Lily," she replied.

Lily Arcanum was beautiful, with a lovely figure and appeared to be around 12-13 years old.

"She's hiding her cultivation level," Zane thought as they moved through a narrow path in the forest, just after leaving the pond.

---

"Damn it, I've been searching for them, but this place is just too big," Zion muttered to himself.

"It's been five days already. Where are you, Zane? Oasis?" he wondered aloud as he moved through a bamboo forest.

Huh!!!!

"What's that sound?" Zion became alert.

Cling!!!!

The sound of energy slicing through bamboo trees headed toward Zion.

Zion leaped to dodge the slash.

"Looks like it's time for some action," Zion said with a smile.