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Chapter 117: Golden Heart

It was strange, feeling regret about something he had completely forgotten about. The memory of wanting to bathe in the giant's gold blood returned with a vengeance. The realization that the tree grew from the blood made his greed rear its ugly head since it made him think it was a supercharged version of the oasis water.

However, that was no longer something William wished for. The red blood seeping out of the fetus smelled rancid, enough that it still made Princess Jin unable to hold back her disgust. He had stopped breathing. The only reason he had stopped dry heaving along with her.

"Princess, I need you to use that bow of yours," William said slowly as he eyed the active side quests for the first time in ages.

Side Quests (5):

1. Daoist Chen has challenged you to become a Nascent Soul cultivator in ten years for a reward

2. Return to Jade Healing Clinic and make Huang Jingyi kneel with your superior cultivation

3. Visit Jade Healing Clinic 2-3 times a week (Repeatable)

4. Mission: Investigating Strange Occurrences

5. Take the heart from Magmaheart Goliath Embryo

Out of the five side quests active, three of them were likely never going to happen.

Making Elder Huang kneel after he was typically kind to him was something only an emotionless monster would do. Visiting the Jade Healing Clinic was better left in the past, even if it was possible to restart after leaving the secret realm, mainly because the experience points it would reward him wouldn't be worth it. As for the mission, he doubted that it would ever be completed, but out of the three, it had the highest chance of being active.

[Remove Side Quests 2 and 3]

[Y/N]

He had forgotten that this was something he could do. He accepted, figuring that less clutter was a good thing.

[Side Quests removed]

"Why?"

William looked away from the screen to see the princess looking at him with teary eyes, likely from the smell. But at least she had stopped gagging, which he noticed was accomplished the same way he had done so, by not breathing.

"I would rather not get close to that," he waved his hand in the general direction of the slowly bleeding out fetus, "And you're the only one that has a ranged attack."

William also had another reason for her to be the one to make a move. He expanded the side quest to confirm he remembered the details correctly.

[Quest: Take the heart from Magmaheart Goliath Embryo]

[Details: Princess Jin wants to take the heart from the Magmaheart Goliath Embryo. Find the womb and protect Princess Jin while she extracts the heart before time expires.]

[Reward | 3 Treasures suitable for early Spirit Severing Realm cultivators]

[Penalty | Decreased reputation with Princess Jin | Impurity increased to Stage 3]

He was correct but had also forgotten some details that the side quest revealed. Those giants were apparently called Magmaheart Goliaths. And the thing in front of him wasn't a fetus. It was an embryo.

William shuddered, wondering if he had already forgotten how large the giants actually were. What they had killed had been in the earliest stages of development, and he could only imagine how large it would need to be for it to be called a fetus.

He shifted uneasily when he saw the word 'womb' used in the details. He glanced at his surroundings and wondered if that meant the embryo would grow to fill the space. Thankfully, the princess took him out of his thoughts with a question.

"No, I mean, why do you want me to use my bow? It's already dead."

The only way to answer that truthfully was to tell her that the system told him she needed to extract the heart, but then he would need to explain what the system was.

"That's true, but do you see anything here that might be worthy of being called a treasure?" William asked with a raised brow, "I'm guessing that whatever we want is inside that thing. You know how I said that we have to extract the heart? What if your ancestor meant that literally? You might get lucky and reveal the heart if you use your bow."

"Fine," Princess Jin scrunched her nose before reluctantly nodding, "Hopefully, I won't hit the heart by accident."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," William assured as she took out her bow.

He praised Sophia for having a descendent with such fantastic Luck. However, he had no idea how to convince her to extract the heart since that would involve approaching the foul-smelling embryo.

Maybe he could join her when they inevitably had to dig through the embryo's flesh but avoid touching the heart if he was the one who found it. Of course, that was easier said than done. Going near that embryo wasn't something he wished to do.

"Look!"

William blinked, seeing the princess point at the embryo excitedly. It had two rather large holes in the side of its body. Holes that he could easily crawl into with little difficulty. And holes that led to something that was shining a bright gold.

Princess Jin had used her bow while he was still wondering how to extract the heart.

"That's what we're looking for, right?" She said with a bright smile, one that was enhanced by the golden glow coming from inside the embryo's flesh.

"… It certainly looks like it," William said numbly, "So one try was all you needed. How… lucky."

"That's what my cousins tell me," Princess Jin's smile wavered, clearly unhappy about that. That wasn't his intention.

"There, there," William patted her shoulder awkwardly, "I meant that in a good way."

He got the hint that his poor attempt at comforting her was not appreciated when she stared at him strangely. He retracted his hand from her shoulder and said, "Well, I guess you have the honor of taking the heart since you found it."

"Really?" Princess Jin's eyes widened in surprise, "Are you sure? I don't mind giving it to you. You did do most of the work to get us here."

"I insist. Besides, let's not pretend that you didn't lead us here. How about this, you take the heart, and I'll take any other treasures we might find. Is that fair to you?"

William didn't care much about the gold heart in the embryo. The moment he saw that the side quest required Princess Jin to be the one to extract it, he had filed that in his mind as something off-limits for him.

Besides, giving that up apparently gave him three treasures for cultivators in the Spirit Severing Realm. That cultivation level was far too distant for him to even think about. Still, he was confident he could trade it for something useful. If that wasn't possible, getting the value of the treasures in Spirit Stones through the sect should be easy.

"Thank you," Princess Jin beamed before giving him a quick hug, "I promise I won't forget this favor."

William blinked in surprise, wondering if he had inadvertently accomplished his goal of getting a closer relationship with the princess by accident. The next thought he had was why she felt so thankful. Was this gold heart so precious that it required this level of gratitude?

… He had to admit that was a rather dumb question. Of course, it was. After all, this embryo would grow into a massive giant that could reshape the landscape without meaning to, purely due to the aftershock of its punch.

"Do you know what this heart can do?" William asked curiously.

"I have no idea," Princess Jin still had that bright smile on her face, "But I'm sure it'll be amazing."

He opened his mouth to question her confidence but ended with yelling, "Wait!"

She was running toward the embryo as if to avoid giving him the chance to change his mind. However, he was more stunned at how unhesitant she was with the idea of digging through the rancid-smelling corpse. Clearly, it didn't phase her when the reward was potentially massive.

William imprinted that in his mind before chasing after her. If a little girl could put aside her squeamishness, so could he.

Chapter 118: Feel The Power

"Are you crazy?!" William hissed as he pulled the princess back. Right before it looked like she was basically about to dive head-first into the hole she made in the embryo with her bow. "How do you know you won't die the moment you touch this thing?"

"I don't," Princess Jin said far too leisurely as she tried to escape his grip, "It's a chance one of us has to take."

William had nothing to say to that, knowing that she was right. However, it brought up the memory of what he did to test the oasis's water.

Without freeing the princess, he pulled out one of his low-level spirit fruits, the lightning berry, and tossed it into the hole leading to the golden heart.

Nothing happened.

"You can store spirit fruits in your storage space?" Princess Jin has stopped trying to escape him, "Is that a spatial stone?!"

"… Fuck me," William sighed in resignation. He didn't think this would be how she would find out. In fact, he didn't think she would ever find out after she had assumed that all he had was the regular storage space.

"Excuse me?!" Princess Jin puffed up indignantly, "I'm an Imperial princess! Not a brothel worker!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" William threw up his hands in exasperation, "It's an expression, princess. Don't flatter yourself."

He didn't know how it was possible, but she seemed even angrier than before. But he quickly headed any arguments off. "Can we focus on what's important here? That spirit fruit didn't rot after touching the flesh. You're probably safe."

Princess Jin obviously wanted to speak more about the newly discovered spatial stone, but eventually, she let out a puff of air and nodded reluctantly. "You're right. I guess I was just surprised you were able to keep possession of it."

"Me too," William muttered, though it was likely a different reason than she was thinking. It had more to do with his complacency after time had passed. Then again, it wasn't like there was much of an opportunity for it to be taken from him since he had been sucked into the secret realm shortly after he received the spatial stone.

"Alright," Princess Jin turned back to the embryo, "Wish me luck."

William had to stop himself from laughing. As if she needed him to do that with her Luck attribute. Still, it was only polite to do so. "Good luck, princess. I'll be here if help is needed. Oh, and store the lantern. The heart is giving off enough light."

He thought about entering the embryo with her but figured there was no point in throwing himself in harm's way when it wasn't necessary. He would have a better chance of acting if he wasn't trying to frantically save himself first.

That didn't stop William from tensing in anxiousness when Princess Jin jumped into the hole.

His Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons was ready to be activated in an instant. If necessary, he would have ripped through the flesh to get to the princess, or at least, he would have attempted to.

Thankfully, that wasn't necessary.

Princess Jin stood still near the edge of the hole, waiting for something to happen, but when nothing happened, she yelled to him, "I'm going in. If you think something feels wrong, tell me."

"Understood," William replied immediately, "Same to you. Don't let greed overtake you, princess. Nothing is worth giving up your life."

He could see her nodding her head, though it was more like he saw her hair fluttering from the movement of her nodding in agreement. However, the following few seconds were torture.

The Qi he kept evenly spread out in his body pulsed erratically as his emotions fluctuated from his anxiety. He was straining his ears to hear the slightest hint of struggle, but all that accomplished was making him almost activate his martial skill when all he heard was faint steps.

"I'm close to it!" Princess Jin was yelling, but her voice was muffled due to where she was, "It's hard to keep my eyes open. The glow is almost blinding."

William's entire body twitched as he held himself from acting. He saw his arms glow with the Qi roiling just underneath before it returned to normal.

"Keep talking. princess!" William yelled to her, "Tell me what you're doing, even if it's just taking a step!"

"Sure, you want me to talk about how I'm closing my eyes?"

William rolled his eyes at the sarcasm. "If that's what you want to tell me, sure."

He waited a few seconds for a reply before his paranoia rose again. "Princess?"

"I-I think I'm near it. It's… warm."

William frowned as he stared up at the hole she went through. The golden glow was brighter than it was a second ago.

"It's under my hand!" Princess Jin sounded ecstatic, "W-Wei Liang! I need to cultivate!"

The moment she said it was under her hand, William decided that staying out of the embryo no longer helped anyone. He hopped up to the hole and narrowed his eyes to minimize the harsh glow coming from the heart.

He could see the outline of Princess Jin's body blocking out some of the glow. Still, it was so minuscule in comparison that she was almost drowned out anyway. It made him question what their original plan was. It should have been obvious that the embryo's heart would be massive. Still, he had agreed, even pushing for Princess Jin to head inside alone. He found it difficult to believe she would have a way to move it by herself.

No matter. He was here now.

"Princess, do you need any help?" William fully expected her to deny him or not reply at all. He suspected the golden heart had a similar effect to the oasis's water when she said she needed to cultivate.

It was the latter she did. Princess Jin said nothing.

He could see her slight form sitting crosslegged on the flesh of the embryo with her hand attached to the gold heart, somehow entering the required state to cultivate. William could only assume that she was required to do it with little choice left to her. He had experienced the rush when he gained an overwhelming amount of experience points, but he had the system keeping him safe.

Princess Jin did not. There was a faint connection between the glowing heart and her body, her hand slowly gaining a golden glow similar to the heart. William was afraid that she might not be able to handle the influx she might be receiving since there was nothing like the system helping her.

He took a step forward but froze instantly when the intensity of the glow increased significantly. It usually wouldn't have been something that would have made him stop, but the princess's cry of pain was very effective.

William wanted to ask her if she was alright, but that would be counterproductive. The distraction that might cause could turn things for the worse. However, if she actually needed help, his inaction might spell the end for her.

He didn't have a learned skill of sensing if Princess Jin's Qi was in havoc. More importantly, if it was causing her to lose her health. Thankfully, Sophia designed the system to provide one for him. He used Observe on the princess, hoping that he would see nothing wrong.

[-5 Spiritual Energy]

William quickly glanced at her health, noting that she wasn't hurt. However, the problem with Observe was that it was a snapshot. It wouldn't constantly keep him up to date.

"AHHH!"

[-200 Spiritual Energy]

The bloodcurdling scream the princess suddenly released made him instantly activate his new martial skill. There was no showing off. There was no time to announce the grand name he had given the martial skill. Flames of Qi burst into existence around William's body, disintegrating the flesh of the embryo around him as he rocketed toward the princess.

Chapter 119: No Pleasantries

It took less than a second for William to reach the princess, but that short amount of time was enough for everything to change.

The almost blinding golden heart disappeared, with the harsh glow now coming from Princess Jin herself. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face protruded with greenish-brown veins that looked far too much like the vines that had been attached to the embryo. She was writhing uncontrollably, making it almost impossible for William to keep her in his arms when he picked her up.

The only thing that didn't change was her screams. The same bloodcurdling scream that made him forget about everything and rush to her continued without pause.

William struggled to keep Princess Jin in his arms while being hyperaware of his surroundings. He wasn't sure if the Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons was causing the embryo's rapid disintegration or if it was the princess interacting with the heart. In the end, it didn't matter.

Getting out of the embryo was the priority. Even the fraction of the second he spent picking Princess Jin up caused the embryo to melt around him, making his feet sink into the flesh he was standing on.

William propelled himself with a strong jump, ripping apart the melting flesh beneath his feet. The Qi surrounding his body helped immensely to stop the flecks of blood from splattering his exposed skin, but since he was actively turning the flesh around him into slop with his movements, it didn't stop enough.

By the time he escaped the flesh of the embryo, William was painted red with blood, but the princess was strangely clean compared to him. However, that was no boon. It was because of whatever happened between her and the heart.

Princess Jin was still shining a harsh gold, but the intensity had increased drastically to a point where William couldn't even tell her features apart. It was impossible to see her individual fingers, let alone anything on her face. The only reason he even knew that the princess still had a human-shaped body was due to him carrying her.

Her screams had stopped shortly after William left the deteriorating embryo, but that scared him even more than what she was trying to destroy her vocal cords.

[-5 Spiritual Energy]

Name: Princess Jin

Age: 14

Level: 58

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (5th Level)

Health: 1400/1400

Spiritual Energy: 664/830

Spirit: 166

Strength: 38

Stamina: 44

Agility: 45

"Princess?" William's voice broke the silence, adding to the odd gurgling the embryo was making as it deteriorated, "Do you hear me?"

Using Observe on her gave him a sense of relief. She was still alive and in full health. Of course, it wasn't a great sign that she was unresponsive to his question, but it reassured him that it might be able to save her… somehow.

And William didn't miss how Princess Jin had increased her level by twelve and entered the next minor realm, with all the extra stat points she gained added to her Spirit attribute. While it was good to know he was right about what the benefit of the heart would be, this seemed to be woefully lacking.

This minor benefit was not worth the pain the princess had gone through, though as far as he knew, she might still be feeling that nightmarish pain.

"Fuck me," William cursed softly, "What the hell do I do now?"

He impulsively used his martial skill, depleting his Spiritual Energy. Princess Jin's state was out of his control. And even more worryingly, the side quest to help her extract the embryo's heart hadn't been completed.

William glanced at the embryo, finding it was quickly shrinking in size but not in the way he had assumed. Instead of it deteriorating like he had thought, it was more fitting to describe it as all the mass being compressed into something more compact.

He spat out a curse and disappeared from his spot, using his massively increased attributes to get as far from the embryo as possible. A few seconds later, he came to a spot near a wall made out of bark, just like the ceiling. He turned to see how far he ran and frowned when he saw the embryo a little over a mile away. Not as far as he had hoped.

However, the glow coming from Princess Jin's body was bright enough to clearly illuminate it at this distance.

Forgetting that concerning feature that the princess seemed to be stuck with, he went over the hastily drawn-up plan to avoid letting the embryo complete whatever it was in the process of.

William remembered what it said before the princess threw her tokens at it. Specifically, the word it was cut off from completing.

Repent.

He expected another fight for his life, and he hoped to every higher being that existed that the embryo would finish whatever it was doing soon.

Around twenty seconds had passed since William activated the Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons. Still, it seemed like far too much had happened in that amount of time. Still, it felt to him like it wasn't fast enough.

Only around forty seconds left before the martial skill deactivated, and he was left with his default strength.

William did not want to be left with that when the embryo of an apocalyptic-level being, at least to him, didn't seem to be dead. He could do nothing, hoping it would all turn out in his favor, but he didn't have a death wish.

"Princess, I'm going to leave you here until I know it's safe," William glanced over her body before having to look away from the bright golden glow, "Wish me luck."

He didn't waste any more time and shot back to the collapsing embryo. His palm was open and ready, and his eyes showed murderous intent. A stark difference from when he hesitated to get himself dirty. There was none of that now, though it might be because he was already covered in bloody slop.

William let out a guttural roar, something he didn't even know this body was capable of, as he thrust his palm with every ounce of power the Fury of Five Heavenly Dragons gave him. Since he wanted to pulverize the embryo into meat paste if possible, he would have loved to use his other martial skill, Thunderous Palm, to layer with his attack, but it was impossible due to the fact that every bit of his Qi was in use through his body.

His palm crashed into the soft flesh wall, shockwaves rippling from where his attack landed as the embryo exterior shook wildly. He could hear the aftermath of his attack ripping apart the embryo internally, but that was just the beginning.

The force behind William's palm caused it to pierce into the flesh, and he fully expected his entire body to shoot through the embryo like a bullet. He predicted that at the start since he knew how soft the embryo was.

However, instead of his entire body piercing through the embryo and causing havoc, William was blasted back by a massive explosion.

He rag-dolled through the air for a second before he found himself, quickly righting his body to land on his feet. It was a relief that his mouth had been sealed shut during the explosion. Because if it hadn't, a significant amount of rancid flesh would be taking up space in his mouth.

William held back the reflex to gag as he quickly wiped his eyes to rid himself of the blood caked on them.

[Name: Weakened Magmaheart Goliath Seedling | Level: ?]

He stiffened at seeing the system information above the humanoid being standing in the middle of where the embryo had previously been. The only thing left now was a circle of blood spatter surrounding this… seedling.

"I said you would repent. I offered you freedom as respect to the one that provided your mark. You spat on it."

William shuddered, the rumbling voice only adding to the sense of urgency that was lit inside him. It was already there before when the embryo hadn't died, but now it had been raised to another level.

This beast was in a higher realm. It was likely in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and there was no chance he would live after his martial skill was deactivated after that one-minute time limit.

That meant there would be no pleasantries exchanged. He couldn't afford it. William had to destroy it without delay.

Chapter 120: No Time

In the next instant, he was a few feet away from the Seedling, which let him get a close-up view of what he was trying to kill.

It was a replica of the massive giants William had seen fighting but proportionally shrunken into the size of a seven-foot man. Charred skin, tiny glowing orange lines running down its body, and shockingly red eyes glaring at him.

That didn't stop William from trying to cave its head in. He bared his teeth as he threw a haymaker at the Seedling, probably the dumbest thing he had done so far.

"Gah!" William yelped as he was launched back. His attempted punch had been casually blocked, or so he had thought, until he landed on the ground and looked at the Seedling.

The arm that had blocked his haymaker was leaking an orangish red liquid. It was damaged in a way that more fit a landscape than a living being. The arm was cracked like the ground would be after an earthquake, with magma escaping from those cracks.

It looked terrible, but William could see the arm visibly healing itself. The desperation it brought up in him was unmatched. There had to be less than thirty seconds before his martial skill was deactivated. And he had to throw himself into hand-to-hand combat with a younger version of the being that seemed specialized in that type of fighting.

"Now, you harm me further."

William ignored the Seedling's attempt to speak to him. He intended to use the precious few seconds left to cause as much damage as possible. And in the back of his mind, he dearly wished to do enough damage to end its life.

William forced his mind into a calm state, grounding himself. He launched forward, propelling himself with a speed that still surprised him. His fist aimed straight for the Seedling's face, but with surprising agility, the creature raised its undamaged forearm, deflecting his attack with a sickening crunch.

Both of the Seedling's arms were now a cracked mess. However, William didn't allow himself to be pushed away. He easily dodged the soft counter since he was expecting it. If this was the Seedling's maximum agility, it bodes well for him.

Immediately afterward, William spun on his heel, aiming a roundhouse kick at the midsection. He didn't care if the attack landed or if it was blocked once again. It would do just as well to further damage the Seedling's arms.

The beast chose the latter option.

Seeing the impending blow, the Seedling crossed its damaged arms, taking the full force of the kick where it couldn't afford it. The thunderous boom from the impact was immediately followed by the beast letting out an earsplitting shriek.

William's kick had destroyed its forearms. Everything below the elbow no longer existed, leaving a thick flow of orangish-red blood oozing from the open wound. However, he didn't rest at the seeming success. It wouldn't surprise him if the Seedling could regrow the missing limb.

William's eyes narrowed when it seemed the beast was finally tired of being passive. It had refused to counter him for some reason, and he had started to think that interrupting the embryo from fully compacting might have been the key to staying alive.

After all, the system told him the name of it was Weakened Magmaheart Goliath Seedling. There must be a reason for that.

The other option was that the Seedling didn't want to harm him, but this was something he doubted. Perhaps before Princess Jin threw her tokens at it, but not now. Not after it said he would repent, whatever that meant.

William's eyes widened when the Seedling whipped his arm up, spraying the blood leaking from the end at him in an arc. He hadn't been ready for such a thing, thinking that an attack would involve physical contact, not some blood flinging.

That was a mistake.

[-250 HP]

"FUCK!" William screamed in pain when it felt like molten lava was sprinkled on him, and his robes caught fire. He jumped back to put some space between himself and the Seedling and quickly ripped off the smoking clothes, not that it was in a state worth saving even before it caught on fire.

"Leave. But the girl will stay to return what she stole. Your last chance."

That didn't sound like Princess Jin would get out alive after the beast was done with her. Since he was already this far, what was the point in backing out now? William had a real chance at taking this thing down, and he wouldn't be foolish enough to let its blood touch him again. He didn't know why the blood didn't harm him when his fists made contact with it while on the Seedling's body, but he didn't question it.

Besides, he noted something interesting after he was hit by the blood. His hand was unharmed. The Elemental Gauntlet, something he had forgotten he was wearing, protected him from the molten blood. Something to keep in mind.

He launched himself at it again, intending to not let off until it was a corpse.

"You made your choice."

William feigned a high kick, targeting its head, causing the Seedling to raise its mutilated arms to block the attack. But at the last moment, William switched tactics, dropping low and aiming for the knees, wanting to take out the remaining limbs to make easy movement close to impossible.

The Seedling was caught off-guard. It let out a rumbling grunt of pain but didn't fall. However, the left knee was heavily damaged to the point where he felt another kick in that exact area would make the leg entirely useless. The Seedling's red eyes were narrowed, and it shifted to protect the damaged knee from him.

With a bellowing roar, the Seedling thrust its arm at his face, the gaping wound at the end suddenly letting out heat that was visible to the eye. That was what William was waiting for.

Seeing the small opening, William lunged right at the arm, using the hand protected by the Elemental Gauntlet to grab the open wound and push it out of the way. The very next moment, a barrage of rapid punches was aimed at the Seedling's exposed torso. Each thud of his fist against the creature's charred flesh was like the beating of war drums.

The Seedling grunted with each impact, the cracks on the torso expanding every time until the orangish-red blood flowed copiously out of the newly created wounds and dripped down its body. Sensing the shift, William pressed his advantage.

He used the short training from Qin Yu and the frantic mob fights he experienced to its limits.

William unleashed a flurry of attacks, combining punches, kicks, and quick counters to the weak response of the Seedling, pushing it back step by step. For each block the creature successfully made, two or three attacks from William landed the intended target.

It was in a miserable condition. Its arms were even further destroyed, over half of its torso utterly red with blood, its legs mangled from taking repeated kicks but somehow still whole, and more importantly, its face finally caught a little damage.

Out of all the parts of the body William targeted, the Seedling was extremely careful with never letting an attack land on its face. He had taken advantage of that by repeatedly targeting the head, never hoping to actually land an attack on it, but instead on the part of the body the beast offered up as a sacrifice.

It wasn't hard to understand that keeping its head safe was paramount for the Seedling. William's attacks hadn't been successful in landing on the head till a moment ago when the rest of its body was too damaged to block his attacks.

The end was near. He could sense it, and apparently, so could the Seedling.

Suddenly, the beast pushed forward with a roar of frustration. It looked like it was trying to body him, but the attempt was laughable since it was so slow in his eyes. William didn't stay idle. He rushed to meet the Seedling, intending to use the beast's momentum against itself. It wouldn't be much, but maybe that extra bit of force behind the impact of his fist would finally end this.

The Seedling's red eyes glared at him hatefully as it likely realized that it was over. Its life would be taken from it when his fist impacted its forehead.

[-1000 HP]

"GRAHHH!"

William found himself staring at the ceiling, blood bubbling past his teeth as his mouth opened, soundlessly crying in pain. He had no idea what had happened. How it went from victory to inches away from death.

"It seems you are finished."

His ears twitched as he fought through the unexpected pain and pushed himself off the floor to stand on his feet.

The Seedling was hundreds of feet away from him. Its attack launched William this far from it. It slowly walked toward him, stumbling from the damage its legs had taken.

"You will help replace the nutrients your companion denied me."

Ah, his martial skill had been deactivated. Right before he was about to kill the Seedling.

Chapter 121: Buying Time

Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)

Age: 13

Level: 62

Experience: 2550/7750

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (6th Level)

Health: 250/1500

Spiritual Energy: 189/440 (20% per Hour)

William stopped looking at the screen after seeing the amount of spiritual energy he had left. He needed eleven more to activate the Fury of The Five Heavenly Dragons again.

That would take a little over seven minutes to recover.

He might as well be dead.

William reached for his spatial stone, intending to take out much-needed Vitality Restoration Pills to give himself more time. The Seedling was a major realm above him, and even a glancing blow would take away more health than he had left. He no longer had the robustness given to him by the martial skill increasing his Strength attribute by five times.

Unfortunately for him, it seemed that the Seedling was not keen on letting him pull out the pills.

"Fuck!" William gasped as he awkwardly dodged the spray of blood shot right at him. The way it melted small holes into the ground made him extremely happy he hadn't been hit by that. It would have meant death with his low health.

"If you move, I will end your life."

He honestly wasn't more concerned about his life after that ultimatum. That wouldn't be possible. It was over whether he restored his health or not. He only wanted to take those pills to increase the chance of living by a minuscule percentage.

"What is this place?" William spoke to the Seedling for the first time. He had to try something, anything, to buy some time.

"You refused to leave. Why?"

He didn't mind that his question was ignored. As long as the thing kept speaking to him, it was fine.

"I'm not sure what you mean," William said obliviously. Anything to waste more time. The Seedling didn't appreciate that.

He felt a surge of pain in his legs as he put pressure on them to frantically avoid the blood thrown at him.

"Why?" The Seedling repeated calmly. As calmly as was possible in its rumbling voice.

William winced as he adjusted his position before shutting out the pain. He avoided looking at the damage since all that would accomplish was to make him think about the pain he should feel. The Seedling slowly making its way to him made that unwise.

Even though it had an awkward gait, it made steady progress toward him. It would take no more than a minute to reach him. Far less than the time required to recover enough Spiritual Energy. And he knew from the Seedling's quickness during their fight that if it was necessary to move faster, it would be more than capable of doing so.

"I couldn't leave her behind," William admitted, no longer trying to avoid the question.

"She would have been safe," the Seedling sounded puzzled, "You had my word."

"How was I to know you would keep that promise?" Even as William asked that question, he wondered if his greed made him reject the offer. However, that was only a brief thought that lasted only a fraction of a second.

William knew he would have gladly taken it if there had been a way to escape with Princess Jin.

"You have the mark, but you seem oblivious to it. You were offered freedom, but you denied it. You were given another opportunity, but you chose to reject it… again."

William flinched, feeling all the more foolish at the disappointment he could hear. At least, that's what it sounded like to him. Having the thing that he was trying to kill talking down to him in such a way brought up a feeling of ultimate shame.

"Not only have you spit on the mark you are fortunate to possess, but you go as far as allying with that spawn to destroy my lady's efforts."

"Your lady?" He frowned in confusion before he continued while showing respect, "Do you mean Empress Sophia?"

"Good. At the very least, you know my lady's name. However, this makes your actions even more sacrilegious."

The Seedling had closed the distance and had stopped less than twenty feet away. It was far too close for him to have any hope of dodging any attack.

Spiritual Energy: 191/440 (20% per Hour)

He still needed around six minutes to have any hope for survival. He certainly couldn't hope for continued life if it was left to the Seedling, which was understandable given that he did his best to kill it. But there was something more than a personal grudge it seemed to have against him, which was made obvious with the repeated questioning.

"Did Empress Sophia give me this mark you keep mentioning?"

"If you were unaware, it must be for a reason. You will not enlightened by me. There is no reason to with your body about to be consumed."

[-10 HP]

William grunted in surprise when vines wrapped around his arms and legs before lifting him around twenty feet in the air. He looked up in shock, having thought that he and the princess had destroyed all of them. When he saw that the vines seemed to have regenerated where they took the most damage, he quickly glanced at the rest, expecting much of the same.

Thankfully, it was not. It was a small comfort that they were still lifeless. If he was still living in six minutes, it would be nice to not have to deal with vines attacking him from above.

What concerned him the most was how easily the vines overpowered him. It confused him as to how they suddenly had such strength when they were so easy to destroy previously. Perhaps the Seedling no longer in an embryo state was the factor.

William tensed when he saw the beast slowly make its way to where Princess Jin was located. "Wait! What are you going to do to her?"

He was ignored, which made him struggle even more against the vines futilely. Plenty of things were running through his mind at the moment, mostly how Princess Jin had finally changed her mind about continuing and how he was the one who wanted to push on.

It was all due to the rewards that were promised to him. Instead of the treasures he desired, he would be gifted with the sight of Princess Jin getting killed or, worse, devoured for nutrients, as this beast mentioned. That would soon be followed by the same fate falling upon him.

"Empress Sophia is her ancestor! Why would you be so eager to kill her descendant if you hold her in high regard?"

"DESCENDANT?"The Seedling stopped, turning to glare at him with fiery eyes, "My lady will thank me for ridding the world of filth such as her. An Empire of traitors, picking apart my lady's gifts like vultures and seeking to usurp the laws she placed on the world."

William had no idea what the beast was talking about. Princess Jin practically worshiped Sophia, and from the little he knew about the Tanxia Empire, they still protected the mortals from wanton slaughter. However, it wasn't like he knew the inner workings of the Empire.

"I don't know about what the Empire has been doing, but the princess loves Empress Sophia," William saw it didn't change the Seedling's glare, "And she was helping me complete a task the Empress assigned to me!"

"Task?"

He grabbed onto the one thing that seemed to have caught the beast's attention.

"Yes, task!" William nodded rapidly, "Empress Sophia commanded me to take control of a fragmented realm stone. To stop people from breaking apart this secret realm."

When the Seedling's red eyes dimmed, as if its anger had lessened, he thought there might be an opening to save their lives.

Chapter 122: A Strange Acceptance

"It is impossible for one such as you to know of the stone. Even more so of its wretched state. Unless what you say is true."

William kept his mouth shut, waiting for the Seedling to continue. In fact, he would welcome it the longer it took to speak.

Spiritual Energy: 196/440 (20% per Hour)

Just a little under three minutes. All he needed was to keep it talking for just a little more time, and there was a real shot he would be able to pull through this.

"Did my lady tell you why you need possession of the stone?"

"Not directly, but I can make a good guess. Empress Sophia mentioned that the secret realm is being drained. I can only assume that would stop if I have control of the realm stone."

More seconds passed in silence, with William again rooting for it to last longer in his mind.

"It will not be necessary," the Seedling declared, "The time has not come for such drastic actions."

He stared at it, wondering why it was suddenly willing to do something counter to what Sophia wanted. It had been 'my lady' this and 'my lady' that the whole time until now.

William would have loved to sate his curiosity but smartly kept his mouth shut when the Seedling fell silent again as it stared at him, as if studying the meaning of his existence. He didn't care. A sentence was repeated in his mind.

Whatever was needed to waste time.

Besides, it was easy for William to focus on other things, though he wished it hadn't been something that was a little worrisome.

The horrific damage he caused to the Seedling's body was recovering quickly, not enough where all the wounds would be healed, but it would be in his best interest to reactivate his marital skill when possible to kill it without delay.

"You will be spared."

William blinked, wondering if he had heard correctly. "What?"

The Seeding ignored him.

"But your companion is required to stay. The damage caused must be reversed. I am sure if what you say is true, she will be glad to sacrifice her life to help my lady's goals."

Spiritual Energy: 199/440 (20% per Hour)

It was almost ready. Just a bit more time.

"That was not Empress Sophia's goal!" William said loudly when the Seedling seemed to be done talking to him. It was focused back on Princess Jin, "The only thing she ever mentioned was getting the realm stone. How did that turn into killing my friend?"

He was ignored. It was standing over the princess, and more worryingly, the constant golden glow that her body emitted suddenly changed. It started pulsing.

"How much can she help anyway?" William tried to keep the panic out of his voice as he glanced at his Spiritual Energy, "She's too weak to replace whatever was broken."

The Seedling gave him a quick glance, and though its face didn't have any features other than the red eyes, it felt to him like it was amused.

"You underestimate the potential inside a soul. This one, in particular, will be the key to restoring what was taken by the abomination placed by the traitors."

"Then use me!" William yelled when a tether was created between the princess and the Seedling. One that originated from where Princess Jin's heart was located. "Mine should be of better use to you!"

All he needed was a few more seconds. It would give him more than enough time if it took his offer.

"I think not. Even if you did not possess the mark and it was more palatable to use you, your soul can not compare."

Spiritual Energy: 200/440 (20% per Hour)

Finally.

A precious second was wasted as he prepared his Qi, spreading it evenly through his body as quickly as possible. In that time, the tether made of light grew stronger, and the glow that Princess Jin's body gave off dimmed minutely.

[-200 Spiritual Energy]

The familiar flames of Qi erupted around his body, returning the strength that had been sorely missed.

William grunted in surprise when the vines constricting his limbs actually put up a fight when he tried to free himself. However, that was only for a moment. He let out a frustrated growl as he ripped the vines to shreds before forcing himself to fall to the ground faster.

All actions that wasted time. The Seedling only spared him a glance, but instead of preparing for battle, it continued whatever it was doing with Princess Jin.

"If you truly wish to help the Empress, you will not interrupt."

William no longer found it in himself to care for what it said. He was already well within striking range, and his fist was heading right at the Seedling's head. He very much intended for that head to turn into a bloody mist.

It sounded like his fist collided with a rock, and it sounded like it, too. Thankfully, he was nearly indestructible with the Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons active, so it was more comparable to a sledgehammer meeting a rock.

The Seedling's face was rocked back violently, the strange orangish-red blood pouring from the newly created open wounds. William was disappointed that this was the extent of the damage, but he would do his best to complete his goal of killing this damn thing in the subsequent attacks.

Besides, the movements of the Seedling were slowed down to the extent that even his regular state without the martial skill activated would be enough to deal with.

"It is already too late for your companion. This will only end her life at a quicker rate."

That was inconsequential, even if true. The other option was to let the princess die slowly. Right as it finished its sentence, William landed another punch under its jaw, shattering the bottom part of its face before it crumbled into pieces, falling away from its face.

For the first time, he saw an emotion other than anger in the Seedling's eyes.

Fear.

William felt a dark satisfaction at causing that. It meant he was on the right path. With a roar, he pummeled the Seedling's ruined head, his fists crashing into it relentlessly as he released his frustration.

"Empress Sophia will punish you. Even death will not be able to save you."

"I doubt that," William snarled as he wrapped his hand around the Seedling's neck in a crushing grip, "I might have made some mistakes with our interaction, but refusing to follow Sophia's wishes brought us to this point."

Its voice already sounded faint. As if it barely had the energy to convey those few words. Not even twenty seconds had passed since he activated the martial skill, and he would end it now.

The Seedling barely had a head to speak of after the damage it had taken, with most of it missing or the few areas left damaged beyond recognition. It was more of a crater filled with blood than a body part resembling anything a humanoid would possess.

"Either way, it would have led to my end."

William was a little thrown off by that admission, but it didn't stop him from what he had planned.

He used his other hand to grip what little was left of the jaw before pulling up with a titanic amount of effort. The vines that had constricted him at the start were nothing compared to the needed strength now.

With a savage snarl that made William sound more like a beast than a human, he ripped the head off the Seedling's body, laughing psychotically when he immediately felt the life in them disappear.

[+217000 XP]

[Trait Activated | -21700 XP]

[Level Up! | 5 Stat Points Added] x7

He ignored the system alerts and dropped the head to the ground before stomping hard enough to shatter it into rubble, leaving an imprint below. As for the body, the golden tether still connected it to Princess Jin. However, the decapitated body was visibly losing its form.

It took no longer than a few seconds before it disintegrated into sand. William watched it drop between his fingers before looking at the princess, discouraged when her state hadn't changed.

He shuddered at the rush he got from ending the Seedling's life. He slowly sat next to the princess before pulling out the Vitality Restoration Pills. All he could do now was wait and hope that the sacrifice of his cultivation for the foreseeable months would be worth it. And it would be, as long as Princess Jin recovered from whatever was happening to her.

Chapter 123: Goodbye Cultivation

Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)

Age: 13

Level: 69

Experience: 140975/8625

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (6th Level)

Health: 240/1500

Spiritual Energy: 0/440 (20% per Hour)

Spirit: 90 (88)

Strength: 90 (88)

Stamina: 80 (78)

Agility: 90 (88)

Luck: 90 (88)

Points: 158

William stared at the screen as he rolled a single pill between his fingers with his left hand while the rest was held in the other. He knew he should take them immediately but still felt some reluctance even though death was at the end of the countdown of his martial skill's activation time.

There was a reason for his stupidity.

Impurity: Stage 2 (97%)

9 Weeks, 4 Days, 22 Hours Remaining

With a small sigh, William hoped the experience point reduction wouldn't be horrific. He popped the pill into his mouth.

[+550 HP]

[Health: 240 —> 790/1500]

[Impurity Increased]

[Stage 2 (97%) —> Stage 3 (12%)]

[Trait Modified | Impurity Poisoning]

[Stage 1 —> Stage 2]

[10% XP Reduction —> 75% XP Reduction]

He stared blankly at the system alerts, wondering why he dared to have hope. This was much worse than his worst-case scenario. He pulled up the time required to rid himself of the trait naturally.

Impurity: Stage 3 (12%)

1 Month, 6 Days + 10 Weeks

The ten weeks must be the time required for stage two, with the additional one month and six days solely applicable to stage three. This meant that every pill taken right now added forty-five days to the clock.

William grimaced and stared at the pills in distaste. He still needed to restore his health.

[+550 HP]

[Health: 790 —> 1340/1500]

[Impurity Increased]

[Stage 3 (12%) —> Stage 3 (27%)]

That was it for now. If he was in immediate danger, he would be willing to take one more pill to restore all of his health. Since that didn't seem to be the case, it made his heart burn at the thought of using the pills inefficiently.

He stored the remaining pills in the spatial stone and wondered what to do now. There was an expectation in him that once the Seedling was killed, they would be freed from this place. Obviously, that was not the case.

Perhaps it was necessary to leave without the princess like the Seedling suggested at the start. But even now, he was hesitant to believe anything it said. It was hard to after the first thing it had tried to do was extract his soul.

On top of that, he had no way of knowing if this place was truly safe or if something was waiting, hidden until he had left.

"You better pull through, princess," William murmured as he stared worriedly at her golden form. Her state had changed in the past few seconds, but he didn't know if it was good or bad.

Her body had gone from emitting a blinding golden glow to something more viewable. It was finally possible to see her features again, but instead of a glow, her entire body, clothes included, had a golden sheen.

What gave William a slight sense of relief was her expression. She had her eyes closed, with a soft smile on her lips in stark contrast to her bloodcurdling screams the last time she had been conscious.

[-750 HP]

[Trait Added | Attribute Penalty - 25% Reduction on Strength, Stamina, and Agility]

He groaned in pain as he felt, and heard multiple bones in his body shatter. The penalty should have been expected, but it hit him at a time when his emotions put him in a state that no longer required heightened awareness.

He again drew the life-extending, yet poisonous, pills from the spatial stone. This time, it would be necessary to heal himself fully to eliminate the new trait, purely for safety reasons.

[+550 HP]

[Health: 590 —> 1140/1500]

[Impurity Increased]

[Stage 3 (27%) —> Stage 3 (42%)]

[+360 HP]

[Health: 1140 —> 1500/1500]

[Impurity Increased]

[Stage 3 (42%) —> Stage 3 (57%)]

[Trait Removed | Attribute Penalty]

William wished good riddance to that trait. He didn't need yet another thing that dragged him down. When he first got the system, he had assumed that he would occasionally get traits that would be of help, but it seemed that every single trait he received shit on his parade, if there was one to be had.

He shook his head, getting his mind off penalties, impurities, and other bad news out of his mind. There was one positive to be happy about. Princess Jin seemed to be getting better.

If becoming less of a glowstick by the second was a good thing.

The only issue was that her skin was also gaining more of a gold tint by the second. He was tempted to use Observe on her as soon as he could, but since it was doubtful he would be able to help even if something turned out to be wrong, he held back his impulse and forced himself to build his Spiritual Energy back to two hundred.

Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons was now his trump card, and William always wanted it as a possible option in reserve. Nobody and nothing would expect someone like him to be able to take down a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator or spirit beast.

"Let's give it an hour, princess," William said, mainly to himself, "Maybe something will change then."

The time passed slowly, and the only reason he could track it in the first place was his constant glances at the amount of Spiritual Energy he possessed. Every three ticks was equal to two minutes. And he tracked that closely, primarily since he had nothing better to do.

He had been tempted many times in that hour to cultivate. The excessive amount of experience points he possessed and hadn't been put to use was a source of irritation, especially since the next advancement of a minor realm would mean his Soul Damage trait would be rendered ineffective.

The paltry two percent reduction on his attributes would reduced to zero, and more than the actual reduction of the penalty, he wanted to know if it came along with any other surprises. Mainly the limitations that the Soul Damage put on his body and soul.

However, for once in recent memory, William didn't let his desire for more to run his mind. He repeatedly decided that being cautious was more of a priority.

That had now changed.

After an hour of zero danger to their lives, that determination was rapidly being questioned. Seen as unnecessary. Instead of spending his time staring between his system screen and Princess Jin, he could have likely advanced two or three minor realms.

Spiritual Energy: 93/440 (20% per Hour)

Still around an hour and a half till his Spiritual Energy would reach the amount needed to activate the Fury of the Five Heavenly Dragons. And it would be even more glorious with higher base attributes.

That settled it for William.

He gave this dead place another once over before straightening his back and closing his eyes.

He slowly sank into the state needed for cultivation before circulating his Qi. His smile turned into a large frown once he sensed the new stage of impurity changed his Qi into something almost unrecognizable.

Chapter 124: To the Eighth

William's Qi was sludge. That was no metaphor. It quite literally seemed like sludge to his senses.

William had spent minutes trying to see if everything was functioning as expected. Strangely, it was.

Every time he circulated his Qi, it traveled around his pathways with the same ease he was accustomed to. His meridians were either in a compact state with a title speck of light in the center or, in the case of his Stomach Meridian, filled with a thick fog of Qi.

Other than the horrific appearance of his Qi, everything seemed fine.

Still, he hadn't forgotten about the trait the Impurity Poisoning gave him. After his current stockpile of experience points was used up, there would be a severe drought until he could get help with it.

He shoved that depressing thought out of his mind and pushed himself to focus on the task at hand. Time slowly passed as circulated his hideous Qi through his pathways.

Over and over, to the point where even the trance cultivating put him under couldn't hide the strangely significant amount of time that passed, until he sensed the qualitative change in his Qi pathways that he was looking for.

William snapped his eyes open as the system started throwing him the alerts that came with the mass advances in levels.

[Cultivate in a Qi-dense environment for 48 minutes: +8 XP]

[Trait Activated | -6 XP]

[Level Up! | 5 Stat Points Added] x10

[Cultivation upgraded | Qi Gathering (6th Level) —> Qi Gathering (7th Level)]

[Modified | Health Overall: 1500 —> 1600]

[Modified | Max Level: 69 —> 79]

[Modified | Max Attribute: 90 —> 100]

[New upgrade requirements available]

Upgrade Requirements (2):

1. Spirit: 80

2. Eligible for Level 80

[Impurity Reduced]

[Stage 3 (57%) —> Stage 3 (38%)]

He glanced over the alerts without much emotion since this had been expected and experienced before. He was a little happier than before since his impurity had decreased, but it wasn't anything worth celebrating.

Experience: 49002/9875

He still had enough experience points to get to the next minor realm, but that wouldn't be enough to make a real difference in his impurity levels. However, what he was excited about was the new maximum attribute limits. Mainly because he could increase his Spirit Attribute.

[+10 Spirit]

[Maximum Spirit Reached]

[Modified | Soul Damage (Minor)]

[Attribute Reduction | 2% —> 0%]

[Modified | Spiritual Energy]

[Spiritual Energy Capacity | 440 —> 500]

The additional Qi added to his pathways was quickly directed to the Stomach meridian, which it accepted greedily. There was no sign of the thick fog of Qi inside the meridian collapsing into the tiny speck of light.

William turned his attention from the meridian to the system screen, frowning in disappointment when he saw that the only thing that changed was the attribute reduction. The Soul Damage trait itself was still active, even though it didn't seem to have any adverse effects that could be seen on his stats.

Of course, just because the effects weren't visible didn't mean there were none at all. One thing William knew definitely existed was his limitation on Dao. It was hard to forget when experiencing one had almost shredded his soul.

Spiritual Energy: 225/500 (20% per Hour)

At least there was one shining spot. Increasing his Spirit attribute gained him sixty additional capacity in Spiritual Energy, including the ten freed with no attribute reduction in effect. It immediately gave him access to his trump card. Plus, since he still had the experience points to spare, it only made sense to get himself to the next minor realm purely for more capacity.

The only thing that might have made him delay the advance was Sophia's warning to stay weak. But it was already too late for that. Not only had he killed the thing that knew where the realm stone was, but the turtle meant to be his guide was nowhere to be seen.

On top of that, he had already advanced to the seventh level of Qi Gathering. What difference would it make if he advanced one more?

That quest was already considered a lost cause in William's mind. The penalty that the quest had, the possible discovery by unknown actors, would likely be his future. Since these 'unknown actors' were likely affiliated with the Empire, especially since Sophia and the Seedling shared their dislike of them, it would only help be as strong as possible.

Elder Yu had implied that the Empire searched for geniuses, and perhaps William's age combined with high cultivation would make him more attractive to them.

He glanced at Princess Jin before he intended to cultivate but froze in shock. He blinked repeatedly, wondering if he was hallucinating again. The system was showing him the base information on her as usual. It was something that he had gotten used to ignoring unless necessary.

Only a drastic change would grab his attention, like if the level no longer showed a number. Which was precisely what happened.

[Name: Princess Jin | Level: ?]

"Why am I even surprised?" William grumbled out loud. It seemed that Princess Jin's Luck was still very much in play. Whatever was happening to her caused her to jump to the next major realm.

At the very least, it meant that she was likely safe, so it was one less thing for William to worry about.

He needed to stop comparing himself to freaks of nature and be satisfied with his small gains. Even if this whole thing turned out to be Princess Jin's coming out party, that didn't mean he didn't also benefit in the end.

Besides, this could turn out to be just what William needed. If Princess Jin wasn't completely ungrateful, she would be in his debt for helping her gain such an immense benefit. It might also make his advancement in the secret realm look unremarkable next to hers, as if it was the crumbs from Princess Jin that he took advantage of.

In all honesty, that wasn't even necessarily wrong. This was possible due to Princess Jin's Luck. If not for that, this would have never even happened.

So why was William still feeling sour?

He supposed it was natural due to being unable to stamp out the jealousy. He shook his head to try and refocus.

Princess Jin was getting her reward. She considered him a friend, and he liked the kid enough that it was returned. This was a good thing.

William closed his eyes and turned his senses inward, grimacing at the polluted Qi in his pathways. Nonetheless, he circulated it like normal.

This time, it took well over an hour. And it wasn't even close. He directed his Qi through his body repeatedly, to the point where he almost thought the impurity was finally affecting him by blocking his advancement.

Thankfully, the Qi pathways went through the qualitative change before he misunderstood. The crystalline walls of the pathways were now shining, though the actual Qi contained within did nothing to flatter the new look since it mostly looked like black sludge.

William opened his eyes slowly with a smile to see the system alerts.

[Cultivate in a Qi-dense environment for 2 hours: +20 XP]

[Trait Activated | -15 XP]

[Level Up! | 5 Stat Points Added] x4

[Cultivation upgraded | Qi Gathering (7th Level) —> Qi Gathering (8th Level)]

[Modified | Health Overall: 1600 —> 1700]

[Modified | Max Level: 79 —> 89]

[Modified | Max Attribute: 100 —> 110]

[New upgrade requirements available]

Upgrade Requirements (2):

1. Spirit: 90

2. Eligible for Level 90

[Impurity Reduced]

[Stage 3 (38%) —> Stage 3 (25%)]

He had no reason to save his unused stat points, and with so many available, he found it hard to believe there would be a point that he would ever have a shortage of them. It would cost him a hundred points to max out his attributes, and even after that, he would still have over a hundred to spare.

[+10 Spirit]

[Maximum Spirit Reached]

[Modified | Spiritual Energy]

[Spiritual Energy Capacity | 500 —> 550]

[+20 Strength]

[Maximum Strength Reached]

[+30 Stamina]

[Maximum Stamina Reached]

[+20 Agility]

[Maximum Agility Reached]

[+20 Luck]

[Maximum Luck Reached]

William looked at his screen and wondered if he was one of the few cultivators that was so well-rounded. And if that was true, he also wondered if that was a good thing. Even before Princess Jin had suddenly jumped into the higher major realm, her Spirit attribute was much higher than his maximum allowed. That made him more than a little frustrated with the limits placed on him.

Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)

Age: 13

Level: 83

Experience: 8757/10375

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (8th Level)

Health: 1700/1700

Spiritual Energy: 375/550 (20% per Hour)

Spirit: 110

Strength: 110

Stamina: 110

Agility: 110

Luck: 110

Points: 118

Traits (2):

1. Soul Damage (Minor)

2. Impurity Poisoning (Stage 2) - 75% XP Reduction

It was pretty to look at, but William had to admit to himself that only his Luck attribute excited him. He was getting ever so close to matching the monstrous Luck attribute Princess Jin and Li Xinyue possessed. With what he witnessed with the princess, it would be his greatest ally.

William's body stiffened when he heard a faint crack from above. He immediately got to his feet and looked up, trying to see if there was anything to be wary about. He possessed more than enough Spiritual Energy to activate his trump card, so he wasn't concerned unless he was facing a beast in the Core Formation Realm or higher.

He chuckled when he saw it was a withered vine falling down. It landed soundlessly a few feet away and crumbled into dust. It was not the first time something like this happened, but this was the first time a sound accompanied it.

William glanced at the princess in habit as he took a seat. He stumbled, mouth open in shock, before he ungracefully landed on his bottom.

"What the hell, princess?!"

[Name: ? | Level: ?]

Chapter 125: Princess?

He didn't say anything after his outburst, instead spending time closely studying the princess.

It didn't seem like anything changed about her physically. However, her body's gold sheen had almost disappeared, returning her skin to its normal pale state, and her clothes possessed actual colors again.

Absorbing the heart somehow increased Princess Jin's cultivation to the Nascent Soul Realm… or higher. If she was in the Foundation Establishment or the Core Formation Realm, he would still be able to see her name instead of a question mark in its place.

William couldn't believe it. That was such a massive jump that it was impossible not to consider the option of the system malfunctioning again.

It was either that, or it could be that Princess Jin's body was occupied by something that was at a higher cultivation.

He immediately jumped to his feet and put some space between himself and the princess, heart thudding at the thought of the Seedling using Princess Jin's body as a puppet. The guess wasn't much of a stretch since it strangely accepted its death.

That must have been why the Seedling willingly accepted all the strikes that destroyed its body. It already had its hooks into the princess when that damn tether was created.

The hatred that spiked inside William was unmatched. It put a haze over his mind, making him think of drastic actions that he luckily didn't have the chance to act on. The system distracted him with an alert.

[Side Quest Completed | Take the heart of the Magmaheart Goliath Embryo]

[3 Treasures awarded]

He stared at the alerts stupidly. That meant Princess Jin was still in control of her body, right? And where were the treasures that were supposedly awarded to him?

As if answering his skeptical thoughts, Princess Jin groaned loudly. Her fingers twitched before clenching to form a loose fist, but his attention was quickly drawn to a bright gold spot that appeared over her heart.

William would have been afraid that this was another issue about to pop up, but the system alert of the quest being completed erased those worries. All that was left now was curiosity.

A bright flash of gold blinded him briefly, but he could hear the soft sounds of several things hitting the ground. He heard the princess sigh softly as if relieved of some sort of pressure.

When his vision was returned to normal, or rather, mostly darkness since Princess Jin's body was no longer acting as a source of light, he was given the answer to his question about treasures. They were the only things that could be seen as they let off a soft light that was bright enough just for the treasures themselves.

One was reminiscent of a crystal ball half a foot wide. Its color was the same as its glow. It was a deep red, but the sphere itself had occasional wisps of bright orange appearing on the surface. He was hit with the image of the massive giants hatefully glaring at each other with flaming eyes before he wiped it from his mind fearfully.

Another was a charred cube with a rough surface that was as tall as him. It gave off a soft white light that only showed the frightening black color the cube possessed. The same color he saw on the giant's skin.

The last treasure was the one that caught William's attention the most. It had a golden glow. The same color that Princess Jin's body emitted for so long, something he was confident caused her ridiculous cultivation growth. The same color of the tether that connected the princess's body and the Seedling. And more importantly, the same color of the blood he remembered spilling out of the giant.

It was a palm-sized puddle of a liquid that was gold.

William had to fight every instinct in his body from licking up that puddle like a thirsty dog. All the answers to his impurity levels were right in front of him, or so his mind was screaming at him.

It didn't take long for him to realize that it was highly unlikely there was such a simple use for the liquid. The side quest that had just been completed mentioned explicitly that the three treasures he would receive would be suitable for Spirit Severing Realm cultivators.

That was four major realms above his current cultivation. These three treasures might as well be three quick ways to die for William.

After that bout of madness was suppressed, he was careful to avoid getting too close to the treasures as he attempted to draw them into his spatial stone. The only reason he even bothered to try was because of Sophia. If an immortal cultivator upgraded his spirit stone, it should be able to store treasures for Spirit Severing Realm cultivators.

It did.

William let out a little chuckle in happiness when he succeeded. At least he didn't completely lose out to Princess Jin when comparing their gains.

"Why are you so pleased, Wei Liang?"

His smile froze at the voice saying his name. It sounded like Princess Jin, but something intangible was added to make him feel more friendly toward the speaker. However, it was so obvious that it was easy to ignore.

This must be what Sophia mentioned about being easily influenced by women with higher cultivation. Thankfully, Princess Jin was given her power and didn't grow into it, leaving her with no clue how to use it subtly.

"I'm just glad you're awake, princess."

"Hmm," Princess Jin sounded amused. When she snapped her fingers to casually create a floating ball of light, he saw that she was indeed amused, "So it has nothing to do with the treasures you stored in your spatial stone?"

It took everything William had to hide the spike of fear. Was this where he would be betrayed?

"A little bit," William shrugged, "But honestly? It's mainly because you're safe. You have been unconscious most of the time, princess, but you won't believe how many times we were close to death.."

"I was aware of everything." She was blunt, this time with an even brighter smile.

"… What?" William asked slowly, wondering if she truly meant everything. If so, he should be more than safe with the amount of times he fought desperately to save her.

Unfortunately, he didn't get an answer since he heard a familiar crack from above, except this time, it was followed by several more. Before he could make a move, he was staring up at a pretty face that had a serious look.

"Looks like it's my turn to save you," Princess Jin announced proudly. A dense veil of Qi appeared around them, disintegrating the falling clumps of dirt and dead vines into nothing.

William supposed this was her way of returning the favor, but did it have to involve him in a princess carry?

However, a sudden void appearing in the ceiling changed his mind. It reminded him of how his soul was almost extracted when they arrived. If he needed to be in a princess carry to avoid experiencing that again, then so be it.

Chapter 126: Giant Lord Paddlington

Princess Jin seemed more concerned about disintegrating the falling debris than trying to find a way out. Of course, it wasn't like William knew what she was thinking, so that could just be what it looked like from his point of view.

He was completely helpless, with everything depending on what the princess did next. She was holding him in her arms so tightly that the most he could move was his head. Still, even that was limited due to the sudden changes in speed the princess made as she went on a merry destruction spree. Likely having fun with her newly gifted cultivation.

William had experienced plenty of times in this world when he was powerless. The demonic cultivators that had been about to sacrifice him to get that woman a slight boost in cultivation. Daoist Chen effortlessly making an illusion so realistic that it might as well be reality itself. Lan Yin slicing off Cao Rui's body in half due to his thoughtlessness and cowardice.

There were many more that could be listed, but somehow, having Princess Jin have him in a princess carry nearly topped all of that.

William narrowed his eyes when he saw a small movement in the void, his shame quickly forgotten as he smiled widely.

"Princess!" William said with excitement, "We're saved!"

"Huh?" Princess Jin casually extended the Qi shroud to vaporize a mass of vines near them, "What do you mean?"

He took a moment to be envious of the princess's imperious look. Clearly, she didn't care about the ceiling crumbling above them. Nor the familiar void that was the cause of the deterioration.

William had initially thought it was more trouble, hence his fear, but that changed when he saw the faint outline of a little turtle appear briefly. He only wished the turtle would succeed instead of causing more problems like last time.

"Don't do anything that'll make it angry," William warned before pointing up, "Your ancestor's creation is here to get us out."

He saw Princess Jin frown in confusion before looking to where he was pointing.

"What do you mean by crea… THE TURTLE?"

William was gaping in surprise, along with Princess Jin. The Lord Paddlington he knew was a tiny, foolish-looking thing, which made it easy for him to forget the power it contained. That became near impossible when, for some reason, the size of the turtle changed dramatically.

When Princess Jin looked up, it had been at the perfect time to see Lord Paddlington's face staring down at them. Only, it was no longer in the tiny form that looked harmless. Its face spanned the entire width of the void, which had expanded to take up every bit of the space the ceiling had to offer.

Even though William was fairly confident Lord Paddlington meant to help them, it didn't stop his heart from skipping a beat in fear. It wasn't looking at them with its signature gummy smile. There was a severe look on its face. Another thing that he never expected to see on the turtle.

"Is this the same thing that dropped me here?" Princess Jin's Qi flared around her before she took out her bow and pointed it at Lord Paddlington.

"What are you doing?!" William hissed, "Even if that heart made you stronger, I can assure you that it is far beyond you!"

Princess Jin scoffed, "You think so? Watch this."

"What the hell!" William yelped as he shut his eyes, turning away from the bow to avoid the searing light from blinding him. The arrow her Qi created looked like it could demolish a large city block, more similar to an artillery attack instead of something from a tiny bow.

The fact that Princess Jin's bow could handle the power of her new cultivation realm shocked him almost as much as her audacity in trying to attack Lord Paddlington. Her family must have strongly believed in her future to give such a weapon to a cultivator in the Qi Gathering Realm.

Too bad that belief didn't take into account the princess going stupid once she got some power.

"I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS."

William felt like his ears exploded from the sheer loudness of Lord Paddlington's voice. He had thought the Seedling was loud, but at least the way it communicated was with some sort of telepathy. Lord Paddlington definitely did not.

He opened his eyes when Princess Jin let out a pained grunt to see a massive flipper reaching down from above. As if that wasn't alarming enough, seeing Princess Jin fighting against the suppression she was obviously feeling, if the dimmed Qi signified anything, made him want to smack her head for being foolish.

"Princess!" William yelled over the roaring Qi around them, "Back down! It doesn't mean any harm!"

He was ignored. He could only watch helplessly as she used the bow and bolts made of Qi struck the flipper with thunderous cracks.

"YOU WERE FORCEFULLY LIFTED INTO YOUR REALM. THIS WILL NOT HARM CORE FORMATION WEAKLINGS, LET ALONE ONE SUCH AS ME."

William almost fainted from the length of that sentence. If Lord Paddlington's personality stayed true to what he experienced, it was playing with the princess. Talking when unnecessary was the definition of wasting time.

When Princess Jin still seemed resolved to resist till the end, and the turtle's flipper somehow slowed its descent, he had to say something to save his ears and sanity.

"Lord Paddlington!" William yelled from the princess's arms, "Take us out of here!"

Princess Jin looked at him, almost as if she was betrayed.

"FINE. RUIN MY FUN. I SUPPOSE IT IS NEARLY TIME FOR THE ABOMINATION TO SURFACE."

William saw the massive flipper disappear, showing a regular-sized Lord Paddlington waving at them with a gummy smile. The next thing they knew, a void opened beneath them.

Princess Jin tried to use her new cultivation to fly away, but her inexperience, along with the void dragging them in, made that impossible. He was happy about that. He didn't blame her distrust of the turtle, and honestly, he didn't trust it either, but it was better than being stuck.

They dropped into the void, and the next instant, they were standing on a very familiar surface. After dealing with a fiery hell followed by endless dark tunnels, the desert seemed akin to paradise.

"Er, could you let me down?" William asked after a second when he found himself stuck in the princess's arms.

Princess Jin almost dropped him as she glared. "So you actually knew the turtle."

"Obviously," William said, pleased to use his legs again, "I wouldn't have told you to stop attacking it otherwise. It's not like I wanted to die after all the work I did to keep us alive."

Princess Jin stared a little longer before sighing. "I apologize for not listening. The only thing I could think of was how it took me away from my conversation with the ancestor."

William pressed his lips thin to avoid smiling and clenched his hands. Even though the princess seemed a little silly, especially if her previous foolishness of attacking the turtle was considered, she was now someone with far higher cultivation. It wasn't wise to tousle her hair like he wished to.

"It's alright," he waved her off, "Lord Paddlington didn't seem to mind."

"So… Lord Paddlington, was it?"

William shared a smile with her. It was a ridiculous name, no matter how strong the turtle was.

"It is indeed Lord Paddlington. A name that my master gifted me."

He stiffened, his smile quickly vanishing as he warned the princess to relax with his eyes. However, he assumed she didn't get his hint when she grabbed him and tossed him away.

Chapter 127: Completed

William feared for her life when a massive explosion kicked up enough sand to obscure his vision.

"Princess!" He yelled in concern, speeding back to her position, something that took a few seconds with how far she had thrown him.

"When master told you to take the realm stone, I don't think she meant it like this."

The sand thrown up from the explosion settled, revealing a crater layered thinly with glass. And right in the middle was an unconscious Princess Jin with a small turtle casually sitting on her stomach.

"Is she alright?" William asked with worry.

"For now," the turtle nodded its tiny head, "She is far too twitchy from being uplifted. "

William carefully made his way into the crater, silently marveling at its size before stopping next to the princess. It was becoming far too common to see her unconscious.

"Congratulations, by the way. You actually completed my master's task without my help. I didn't expect that."

He frowned in confusion. "Sorry? I wish I did, but I didn't find the realm stone. That Magmaheart Goliath Seedling knew where it was but refused to give it to me."

"I really thought it was already dead," Lord Paddlington commented, "Since it still had sentience, it made sense that it refused. Giving you the stone would have killed it."

"… But I never got the stone in the end."

"It would be hard to when the parts needed were absorbed by this girl," Lord Paddlington patted Princess Jin's stomach with its flipper.

William's mind blanked before he slowly processed what that meant. However, one question was blaring to the front.

"Then why hasn't the quest been completed?"

"Quest?" The turtle asked curiously before its tiny eyes blinked, "Ah, right! The quest! My master told me to mark it complete if you satisfied the guidelines."

William stared at Lord Paddlington, wondering why it came to have that power.

"What is she to you?" Its flipper was patting the princess again.

"A friend?" William said unsurely before changing his tone when it seemed unsatisfied, "She's a close friend. A blood brother… er sister. Whatever the correct term is. We are very close."

"I see. Then, I can assume you have some type of influence over her. Which means you have control over the fragmented realm stone."

William wasn't sure how that made any sense, but he nodded as Lord Paddlington spoke.

"More importantly, you have removed it from this secret realm. It will soon fall apart, just as master wanted. I consider that enough."

[Main Quest Completed | Seize control of fragmented realm stone]

[+30 Levels Awarded]

[Heaven-Tier Martial Skill Awarded | Select 1 Choice]

[Level Up | 5 Stat Points Added] x7

[WARNING | User's cultivation forced into 9th Level of Qi Gathering]

[Level Up | 5 Stat Points Added] x9

[ERROR | Qi Gathering Realm limit reached. User cannot be forced into Foundation Establishment Realm]

[+14 Levels will be held in reserve]

[Cultivation upgraded | Qi Gathering (8th Level) —> Qi Gathering (9th Level)]

[Modified | Health Overall: 1700 —> 1800]

[Modified | Max Level: 89 —> 99]

[Modified | Max Attribute: 110 —> 120]

[New upgrade requirements available]

Upgrade Requirements (3):

1. Spirit: 100

2. Eligible for Level 100

3. Reduce Impurity to Stage 2

[Impurity Reduced]

[Stage 3 (25%) —> Stage 3 (17%)]

"Is it always like that? I would be annoyed to see all that blue."

William was still in shock that the quest was completed. After knowing how badly polluted his Qi pathways were, his intense desire to reach level hundred and rid himself of his soul damage had been suppressed, primarily due to necessity.

What was the point of trying to get experience points when he would only get to keep a quarter of it?

Of course, despite experience points no longer a worry, his impurity was still too high. He would need to wait around two months before he could advance, but it could be done instantly when the time came. The completed quest might have saved him months of extra effort.

"Not always," William replied to Lord Paddlington, "This only happens when I advance a minor realm."

He was tempted to see what martial skills were available for him, but with the turtle staring at him unblinkingly, it would be wise to wait and go through them carefully later. Plus, it would be helpful to have someone guide him while learning the skill, something he doubted the turtle would do. It was more likely it would lead him on the wrong path for its own amusement.

"That's not too bad."

William met Lord Paddlington's stare, waiting for it to say something more. It never came.

"So what now? Can you send us out of the secret realm?"

"I could, but it would take some energy that is better saved."

He sighed, knowing that should have been expected. As unhelpful as ever. "That's fine. Can you tell me how we can leave?"

"Just wait. Once the foundations of this realm start to fall apart, the protections will activate and kick you out."

"Oh," William nodded slowly, "That's convenient."

"I suppose it is. Too bad this place will be destroyed. I might miss it."

It didn't look like that was the case. To William, the turtle almost seemed eager for the destruction. This was a little nostalgic, having to stay on his toes to try and be on the good side of beings far stronger than him.

The secret realm had been a nice change of pace since all he had to do was try and kill everything around him, but the last few encounters were a little too much for the continuation of his life. Returning to playing nice instead of having to use his fists was welcome.

"Couldn't you take whatever you miss? I doubt anything could stop you. Even the serpent in the forest would find it hard."

"Too much work to take them. And I should be insulted that you think the little snake can match me," Lord Paddlington said with amusement, "If it wasn't for my inability to destroy a Magmaheart Goliath with the rules my master created, I would have erased the pitiful beasts the Empire placed in this realm with ease."

"I should have known that was the case," William agreed instantly.

He wondered what the relation the Goliath had to the serpent. While the Seedling didn't follow Sophia's wishes to the letter, it still tried to follow it in a roundabout way. And it definitely hated the Empire with how often they were called traitors.

A lull of silence fell as Lord Paddlington seemed content to look around the crater as if it had never seen sand before, and William was happy to let it do so uninterrupted since he wanted to pass the time as quickly as possible. That was until he was reminded of someone he had overlooked.

"When you say we will be kicked out of the realm, does this include everyone who entered? Or just Princess Jin and I?"

"Everyone," Lord Paddlington replied, "The protections start the removal of all that are tagged as visitors. It does not matter if you are a human, beast, or a plant."

"Oh, good," William said with a sigh of relief.

He hoped that Ren Bo was camped in a safe area and he would see the annoying kid when they got out. He glanced at the unconscious Princess Jin before frowning slightly. If Ren Bo continued pestering her, it wouldn't matter that he had stayed alive in the secret realm. The princess would probably kill him by accident due to her newfound strength… or it might even be accidentally on purpose.

"You keep staring at her."

William flinched when Lord Paddlington's face was suddenly a few inches from his.

"Don't get too attached. Absorbing the realm stone might have increased her cultivation, but its consequences make it too dangerous. She was lucky it was further damaged after it was fragmented. Otherwise, it would cause instant death. Still, I don't expect her to live longer than a few days."

"What?" William's eyes widened in shock, "Are you being serious?"

Lord Paddlington nodded, "There should have been more than enough Qi to elevate a cultivator well into the Spirit Severing Realm. However, advancing to that realm requires far more than just Qi. The excess should still be inside her, and it will soon create problems that will kill her."

William's racing heart quickly slowed at hearing the good news. He knew what the turtle was talking about. That must have been how he was rewarded with those three treasures. They must have been formed by this excess Qi. He looked at the princess with admiration, wondering if her Luck had become even more monstrous.

"Hm? You are calm. Perhaps you are not as close to this girl as you say."

Lord Paddlington sounded like someone that was fishing for gossip. He had no desire to satisfy that, and luckily, the secret realm agreed by interrupting.

William almost fell over when the ground started to shake like the world was ending, reminiscent of the time when the Magmaheart Goliaths cracked open the landscape during their fight.

"Finally!" Lord Paddlington exclaimed with bright eyes, "I can end that miserable beast's existence!"

William watched as the turtle left them behind in the crater to meet whatever it was talking about. He noted the direction it was flying before picking up Princess Jin and jumping out of the crater, but went in the opposite direction.

He ran even faster when he glanced behind him and saw that a familiar hand was coming out of the sand. Staying behind for any reason when he knew what that Goliath was capable of was foolishness.