Gift

This Miasma Bead was much more potent than any cultivation bead that Zoran consumed before. The intensity of ripples in the Miasma caused by the existence of this spherical object was enough to rival at least a thousand Puma Soldiers. It was a treasure comparable or even better than high-end cultivation pills in the overworld like the 10-year cultivation pill.

Before Zoran could even do anything, Dalia spoke up. "Don't you dare reject this. It is not a gift, but an exchange for sparing my life. Take it as a trophy defeating me—this would be the last time."

Zoran smiled and took the Miasma Bead. He had already received the debt of Alize, the Panther Queen, which was priceless, but he would not turn away from such a generous gift from Dalia. He was just in need of a Miasma cultivation bead.

By his estimation, this cultivation bead could last him until he broke through the 3rd stage of Body Strengthening. With this level and amount of energy stored in this bead, most cultivators would be able to break through to the 6th stage with this kind of treasure. It only goes to show how much energy his SSS-class cultivation core needed compared to others.

"I will accept this," Zoran said.

Dalia nodded. "Good. You will need it since I do not want my rival to fall behind too much.

Zoran shook his head and laughed. "Sure."

Dalia frowned at him. "I'm serious. Every waking moment of my life will be spent sharpening my skill for the very day that I defeat you."

Zoran did not take her words seriously. After all, when he leaves this Miasma realm, he would unlikely be visiting it again soon. Although he acted nonchalant in front of the Panther Queen, he was still on edge every time he was in her presence. After all, she was a being that could end his life without even moving.

The only assurance Zoran had was the prismatic chains restricting her from breaking her own words. However, he did not know the rules that those chains played within the Universe. He did not know its limits. The chains could only last for a few years, months, or even days. He also knew that there was a possibility of a loop hole within her words, just like how the Supreme Beings did when he was killed.

That was why he wanted to leave the Miasma pit as fast as possible. This was her realm, and he was an invader with no way to hide because every Miasma that surrounded his body was under her control.

Zoran believed Aliza to be non-aggressive, but he could never predict the fickle behaviors of Universe-level beings. One minute they could be wearing smiles and sharing life stories, the next they could be throwing meteors down towards you. Zoran could not let his guard down.

Of course, if push came to shove, Zoran had other plans of escape that could guarantee his survival. Although that would require a lot of sacrifices and would only leave him with a very low chance of success.

"Have you given him the gift, daughter?"

Alize, the Panther Queen, emerged from the darkness as she broke through the 4th dimension and directly traveled in the chambers. Her enormous figure the size of a mountain had shrunken into a small hill. But this did not reduce her stature as she was still bigger than any Miasma Beast here and the regal aura of Miasma still suffocated anyone that came near her.

"Yes, mother." Dalia said as she bowed her head towards the Queen.

"No need to be shy, Zoran. Dalia, my successor, will not have a lack of cultivation sources."

Zoran nodded his head. "I have accepted it."

"Good. Now, are you ready to leave the Miasma?"

Alize pointed towards one of the entrances, the north side, and it immediately opened up and transformed into a chute directly up the surface. Zoran looked up at the opening and saw the briefest faint light, evidence that there was a way out of this Miasma pit.

"It will take several human days for you to traverse, but it will lead you to the surface," Alize said.

Zoran nodded. He had finally found a way out of this place after two months spent inside the dark word of the Miasma. He almost died several times, but he persevered and gained more powers after his triumph. Now, he was finally ready to head back to the overworld.

But before he could leave, Dalia had one last question for him. "How did you do it?"

Zoran looked back at her. "Do what?"

"The partial 4th dimension leap. I didn't think it was possible."

He thought back to when he was fighting against Dalia, the Evolved Panther. When he acquired the 4th dimensional leap, he knew that he would not be able to beat her at her own game. She was much more experienced in this skill than him and she would only gain an advantage because of this.

So, Zoran had to improve the 4th dimensional leap. He didn't 'leap' through the 4th dimension, he broke through it with the help of the Law of Power. He saw the critical point of the 3rd dimension with the help of the Mantra, and it helped him destroy the fabric of reality. This helped him gain enough time to just teleport his arm to another location instead of his whole body.

However, this would still not reach the Evolved Panther, so Zoran used the Law of Attraction to pull Dalia towards the punch so that it would land. With the combination of all his powers, Zoran created the 4th Dimensional Extraction Punch.

This was only possible because his control over the Law of Attraction had elevated to the point where he could control things from a 5 meter radius. Without those, he would not be able to execute it. He didn't want to reveal to Dalia and the Panther Queen his secret powers, so he couldn't spill the details about his technique.

"I can't tell you that." Zoran shook his head. "But since I gained inspiration from your technique, then it is only fair that I give you one too."

Dalia looked at Zoran with anticipation.

"The 4th dimension is not just a dimension for travel."

With those parting words, Zoran shot straight up the chute at top speeds. His goal was the faint light at the top of the tunnel, a symbol of the dawn of a new day for Zoran after those tumultuous months after his regression.

The Panther Queen looked at the disappearing figure of Zoran and smiled to herself. She saw the pure Yi energy in his body, something that was only comparable to those monsters in the overworld. Not only that, he also commanded the tyrannical Miasma in his body.

Those two energies should have created chaos in his body. Destruction was the only result of their clash. But Zoran achieved the impossible and united the two energies to supply him with something that defied the natural law of the Universe.

Is he connected to the fate sisters, Alize wondered. A lot of coincidences and fortunes seemed to converge towards Zoran, as if some invisible power beyond her understanding was at hand.

He looked to be a Royal, but he didn't have the vibe of one. He looked to be very young, but his mind was as mature as the old ones. She smiled. Alize was excited to see where his journey takes him.

Meanwhile, Dalia lowered her body, like a predator ready to pounce. This was her normal 4th dimensional leap, but instead of contracting her muscles to be as hard as possible, she relaxed and let her body flow like the tendrils of Miasma, freely swaying with the motions.

She kept Zoran's words repeating in her mind. With every repetition, she felt like she was getting closer to grasp at understanding the hidden secrets of the 4th dimension.

Then, with all her confidence and Zoran's words as her guidance, Dalia jumped and created a window to the 4th dimension.

And she stayed there. For multiple seconds.