Chapter 42: Mystical Consciousness

“Junior Sister, this is the place that will help you break through your cultivation.”

Ye Ping’an turned around at the entrance of the cave leading to the cavern and spoke to Xiao Mengyao with a serious expression.

Xiao Mengyao lifted her eyes and glanced inside. Maybe because of the glowing stones around, she could see some things, but inside it seemed like there was nothing at all?

She turned her head, looking at her Senior Brother with some confusion. “But… it looks like there’s nothing inside!”

“Yes, Young Master! There really doesn’t seem to be anything inside! Unless the thing is deeper in, why don’t we go down and take a look?” As she spoke, Ningyue was about to enter the cave to investigate.

“Wait.”

Ye Ping’an immediately grabbed Ningyue’s jade-like hand, pulling her back with urgency in his voice. “The two of us can’t go in.”

Seeing the anxious look on the Young Master’s face, it was obvious there was some danger below.

This made Ningyue’s heart warm, yet she didn’t sense any danger down there, so she asked in confusion, “Why not?”

Xiao Mengyao also looked at Ye Ping’an with a wronged expression. After all, judging by her Senior Brother’s attitude, there must be some danger inside.

If there’s danger and Senior Brother won’t let Ningyue go, but wants her to go instead, she couldn’t help but ask with a hint of grievance, “Yeah, Senior Brother, why not?”

Ye Ping’an didn’t hide anything and immediately explained to the two of them, “Within the cave lies the remnant intent left behind by a phoenix’s nirvana.”

“The extreme heat inside can only be barely endured by someone like Junior Sister, who has reached the Qi Refining Twelfth Layer and has a constant flow of spiritual energy.”

“But for someone like me, whose cultivation is low, staying inside for a while would leave me so weak I’d be nearly evaporated. Not to mention you, Ningyue, who is just a mortal.”

“So… that’s how it is!” Ningyue understood.

“Then… Senior Brother, there won’t be any danger inside, right?” Xiao Mengyao asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry! There’s no danger to your life, but if you don’t break through, you might feel weak for a while afterward.”

“Hehe, that’s good then.”

Hearing there was no danger to her life, Xiao Mengyao immediately let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that Xiao Mengyao feared death, but rather she was afraid that if she died, she would go to another world and never see her Senior Brother and Ningyue again.

“Breaking through must be done in one go. If there’s any hope of success, you must not give up! Take these Dry Rations, and once you’re ready, go down!”

***

After giving Xiao Mengyao a solemn reminder, Ye Ping’an handed her all the Dry Rations they had brought this time.

“Alright, Senior Brother, Ningyue, I’m going down now!”

After receiving the bundle with the Dry Rations, Xiao Mengyao spoke seriously to the two of them. She then turned around and entered the cave.

“Xiao Mengyao, be careful!”

Ningyue still couldn’t help but remind her, worried.

“Ningyue, don’t worry.”

Xiao Mengyao waved to Ningyue and then disappeared into the depths of the cave.

“Young Master, are you sure she’ll be alright?”

Ningyue looked in the direction where Xiao Mengyao had disappeared, and asked Ye Ping’an subconsciously.

“Don’t worry! It’ll be tough, but you have to believe in Xiao Mengyao. Do you remember what I told you?”

“Mm! Of course I remember. Young Master said Xiao Mengyao is the reincarnation of a big shot, but I still feel like that’s not quite right!”

“That’s just because Xiao Mengyao hasn’t awakened yet! Once she does, she’ll be different. Anyway, we’ve given all our Dry Rations to Xiao Mengyao, so now we have to worry about our own food.”

After explaining, Ye Ping’an suddenly grew serious as he talked to Ningyue about their food problem.

Back then, in the story, the protagonist Feng Aotian stayed in the cave for two whole weeks before finally breaking through to the Qi Refining Thirteenth Layer.

And during those two weeks, of course he couldn’t go without food or water, so he had prepared a large amount of rations in advance.

Unlike the three of them, the protagonist’s rations were stored in a Storage Ring.

That’s right, early on the protagonist obtained this must-have artifact for travel and robbery: a Spatial Magical Tool.

With a Spatial Magical Tool, the food stored inside would still be fresh when taken out, so there was no need to worry about food.

Without a Spatial Magical Tool, you naturally wouldn’t bring too much food.

So after giving all their Dry Rations to Xiao Mengyao, the two of them would have to keep searching for food while Xiao Mengyao was in seclusion.

Whenever things reached this point, Ye Ping’an would even dream of having a Spatial Magical Tool of his own. But sadly, for now, Ye Ping’an could only see himself owning a Storage Ring in his dreams.

Due to the high temperatures near Fengqi Mountain, there were no fruit trees around. Plus, with the lingering pressure from the phoenix, not even wild beasts dared to approach.

So, after silently glancing at the cave, the two of them set off to look for food elsewhere.

Inside the cave.

As soon as Xiao Mengyao entered, she felt a wave of heat wash over her, and in an instant her dress was drenched, her whole body sticky and uncomfortable, making her want to leave right then and there.

But, her Senior Brother’s words flashed through her mind unintentionally, and in the end, she didn’t leave. She kept going deeper inside.

The further she went, the hotter it became. Every moment spent inside was torture for Xiao Mengyao.

Fortunately, she had undergone willpower training with Ye Ping’an when she was younger, so she managed to endure.

Under the glow of the unknown luminous stones, Xiao Mengyao finally reached the bottom of the cave.

Just like everywhere else, the bottom was empty, only the temperature was even higher than above.

Xiao Mengyao wiped the sweat from her forehead and went to a flat spot, getting ready to sit down and start cultivating.

“Ah! Hot, hot, hot!”

But as soon as she sat down, the scalding heat from the ground instantly seared through her skirt, making Xiao Mengyao jump up and hurriedly pat herself.

If only the spot were behind her so she could blow on it, she thought. She even wished her Senior Brother were here, so he could help her cool off.

In the end, Xiao Mengyao unpacked the bundle and used it as a cushion. After adapting for a long while, she finally managed to start cultivating.

As she went deeper into cultivation, sure enough, the bottleneck that had troubled her for days began to loosen, filling Xiao Mengyao with joy.

With something to hold onto, Xiao Mengyao immersed herself in cultivation with even more determination.

However, what Xiao Mengyao didn’t notice was—

There was a consciousness that had been observing her ever since she entered, though it harbored no malice.

Yet this consciousness seemed to be restricted by many things—besides observing, it could do nothing else.

It seemed to want to greet her, but, after considering some circumstances, ultimately gave up, silently becoming a bystander.