Chapter 39: Spring Heart

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Spring Heart

After everything that had happened, Sui Sui could no longer force himself to remain upright.

He carefully lowered himself onto the ground and lay flat on his back, trying to catch his breath. Retrieving the blue crystal had consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, and the strain of controlling so much Yin energy had left his entire body exhausted.

Above him, the little blue ball of light circled anxiously around his head, occasionally drifting closer as though checking whether he was still alright.

A moment later, another head suddenly appeared above him.

It was covered in soft white fur, with two small golden horns resting on top. Mumu leaned closer and poked Sui Sui’s cheek with his little paw.

"Human, why are you back so early? It hasn’t even been a day yet," Mumu asked.

Sui Sui did not answer immediately.

He simply closed his eyes again, too exhausted to move or explain what had happened. His shoulder still throbbed painfully, and the numbness had already spread through his right arm.

Although the heavenly lightning had only grazed him, the injury was still more than his current body could easily endure. The skin along his arm had darkened from the lingering lightning energy. It was not a serious or incurable injury, but it would likely take several days before it fully healed. Until then, using his right arm would be difficult.

Seeing that Sui Sui remained silent, Mumu turned around.

Sui Sui could not tell what the little creature was doing behind him, nor did he have the energy to find out.

After resting for a while and gathering his thoughts, Sui Sui finally pushed himself into a sitting position. There were still matters he needed to deal with.

However, the moment he opened his eyes, he was greeted by an unexpected sight.

Mumu was chasing the little blue ball of light across the field, while the frightened little spirit darted through the air, desperately trying to escape.

"Come back here! I’m going to eat you!" Mumu shouted as he chased after the little blue ball, a wide and delighted grin spreading across his fluffy face.

If the little blue spirit had a face, it would probably have been crying in fear.

It had only just survived a heavenly tribulation, yet after entering the pocket dimension, it had immediately encountered another disaster.

The moment it noticed that Sui Sui had finally sat up, the little blue ball abruptly changed direction and flew toward him.

It shot behind Sui Sui’s back before slipping beneath his long hair, hiding itself as though it believed he could protect it.

Mumu quickly followed after it, but before he could reach the frightened little spirit, Sui Sui raised a hand and stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Sui Sui asked.

Mumu blinked before pointing toward the place where the little blue ball was hiding.

"Human, didn’t you bring this little thing back for me to eat?" he asked. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the faint blue glow beneath Sui Sui’s hair. "It smells so fragrant. I really like it, so hurry up and give it to me."

As he spoke, Mumu stretched out his little white paws toward Sui Sui. His other paw rubbed his round belly, and he looked as though he might start drooling at any moment.

"No, no. This isn’t food," Sui Sui quickly replied.

He then explained everything that had happened beneath the lake, including how the little blue spirit had led him to the cracked crystal and asked for his help.

After hearing the explanation, Mumu’s ears drooped.

He looked disappointed, but he did not insist on eating the little blue spirit.

Still, Sui Sui could tell that the fluffy creature was sulking.

In the end, he had no choice but to take out several cakes from his storage pouch and offer them to Mumu as compensation.

Only after receiving the snacks did Mumu finally cheer up.

As he watched the growing pile of food in Mumu’s paws, Sui Sui glanced at the noticeably smaller amount of supplies remaining in his storage pouch.

At this rate, his food would soon be completely gone, he would definitely have to prepare more provisions in the future.

After successfully placating the little fluffball, Sui Sui finally turned his attention to the blue spirit hiding behind him.

Seeing that Mumu no longer intended to chase it, the little ball cautiously emerged from beneath Sui Sui’s hair. However, it still remained close to him, clearly unwilling to move too far away.

Not far from them, Mumu sat on the ground and quietly ate his cakes.

Every now and then, he would glance at the little blue spirit before lowering his head to take another bite. From the look in his eyes, he appeared to be imagining that the cake in his paws was the little blue ball.

The little blue spirit trembled slightly.

Sui Sui, who failed to notice the silent exchange between the two, turned his attention back to the little ball of light.

"Now that Mumu has stopped trying to eat you, can you finally tell me who you are?" he asked.

The little ball hovered in front of him, its faint blue light flickering softly.

Since it could not speak, it had no way of explaining itself directly. It remained still for a moment, as though considering what to do, before slowly drifting closer to Sui Sui.

Sui Sui watched curiously as it stopped in front of his forehead.

"What are you—"

Before he could finish speaking, a gentle wave of spiritual energy brushed against his consciousness.

The next moment, his surroundings faded.

A series of unfamiliar memories unfolded before his eyes.

Within the memories, Sui Sui saw the underground lake as it had been thousands of years ago.

The lake was surrounded by countless spirit stones, and the dense spiritual energy they released continuously flowed into the water. Over countless years, the spiritual energy within the lake gradually gathered and condensed into a single blue crystal.

The crystal was known as the Spring Heart.

As the core of the lake, it continuously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy and transformed it into an endless supply of spirit water. With the Spring Heart at its center, the lake remained filled with dense spiritual energy and continued nourishing the spirit stones and other treasures growing within it.

However, after existing for thousands of years, the Spring Heart unexpectedly developed its own consciousness.

At first, it could only sense the changes within the lake. As time passed, its consciousness gradually grew stronger, and it eventually learned to cultivate by absorbing the spiritual energy surrounding it.

Its goal was to one day take human form.

After cultivating for countless years, the Spring Heart finally reached the point where it could undergo its transformation. However, before it could successfully shapeshift, it first had to survive a heavenly tribulation.

The memory suddenly changed.

Golden lightning descended from the heavens, carrying an overwhelming pressure that shook the entire lake.

The Spring Heart had initially left the depths of the lake to face the tribulation. However, after experiencing the terrifying might of the heavenly lightning, it was forced to retreat beneath the water.

It concealed itself deep within the lake and formed several barriers around its body, hoping to hide its presence from the heavens.

For a time, the plan worked and the heavenly lightning could no longer locate the Spring Heart, allowing it to remain hidden beneath the lake.

However, the peace did not last, Not long ago, the heavenly tribulation discovered its hiding place once again.

When Sui Sui saw this, he made a conclusion that this was probably around the time when Yizhou first entered the cave, probably since the formation loosened, the tribulation was finally able to see it’s target again.

The golden lightning returned with even greater force, repeatedly striking the Spring Heart and leaving deep cracks across its surface. Although the crystal continued resisting, its strength gradually weakened.

The memory shifted once more.

Sui Sui saw himself and Yizhou entering the cave several days ago.

The Spring Heart had sensed the cold Yin aura within Sui Sui’s body and immediately realized that he might be able to help. It had originally intended to approach him then, but another powerful aura inside the cave had frightened it.

That aura was fierce and oppressive, carrying an overwhelming sense of danger.

The Spring Heart did not dare reveal itself while Yizhou remained nearby.

Therefore, it continued hiding beneath the lake and waited.

Only after Yizhou left and his aura gradually disappeared from the cave did the Spring Heart finally dare to approach Sui Sui and ask for his help.

The memories slowly faded.

Sui Sui blinked before finding himself back inside the pocket dimension. The little blue ball hovered quietly in front of him, as though waiting for his response.

After seeing the memories, Sui Sui finally understood the spirit’s origins and the reason it had approached him, This also confirmed much of what he had initially suspected.

The lake was filled with dense spiritual energy, and the surrounding area contained an abundance of spirit stones. Judging from the time required for the Spring Heart to form and develop its own consciousness, this place had likely existed for thousands of years.

After such a long period of accumulation, it was not strange for the spiritual lake to eventually give birth to a spirit.

Sui Sui looked at the little blue ball again.

"So you’re the spirit born from the Spring Heart," he said.

The little ball swayed up and down before circling happily around him.

After conversing with the Spring Heart for a while, Sui Sui finally came to an agreement with it.

Since the heavenly lightning had been unable to enter the pocket dimension, the Spring Heart hoped to remain there to hide from the tribulation. This was already in line with what Sui Sui had wanted in the first place.

Although the Spring Heart had been badly damaged and could no longer produce pure spirit water in its current condition, it was still the core of the spiritual lake.

As long as its cracks could be repaired and it was provided with enough spirit stones to absorb spiritual energy, it would eventually recover its strength and resume producing spirit water.

Of course, repairing the Spring Heart would not be easy.

The crystal had accumulated its spiritual energy over thousands of years, and restoring it would require a considerable number of spirit stones. However, the spirit stones within the cave were not his to take. Even if they were divided, most of them would likely end up in Yizhou’s hands.

That meant Sui Sui would have to find another way to obtain the spirit stones himself.

Of course, he could simply tell Yizhou about the Spring Heart and ask for his help. However, doing so would inevitably bring a new set of complications like revealing his own dimension and he might even be forced to reveal his identity as a transmigrator.

More importantly, Sui Sui still wanted to keep a few advantages to himself. He could not reveal every secret he possessed, especially when he had only recently gained the ability to cultivate.

To Sui Sui, this was still a worthwhile arrangement.

Not only would the Spring Heart gain a safe place to hide and recover, but once it was restored, the pocket dimension would also gain a continuous source of spirit water.

Thus, the Spring Heart became the newest occupant of Sui Sui’s pocket dimension.

Before leaving, Sui Sui first spread out his spiritual senses to check the situation outside.

Just as he had expected, the heavenly tribulation had already dispersed after losing its target. Without the Spring Heart’s aura to guide it, the golden lightning could no longer locate its intended target and eventually vanished.

After confirming that it was safe, Sui Sui finally left the pocket dimension.

He swam toward the surface and returned to the cave.

Fortunately, Yizhou had not returned yet.

Everything appeared exactly as it had before, and there was no sign that anyone had discovered what had happened beneath the lake.

Aside from the pain in his shoulder.

The injury still ached intensely whenever he moved his arm. Although the heavenly lightning had only grazed him, the wound was far more troublesome than an ordinary injury.

Fortunately, Sui Sui had several healing pills stored inside his pouch.

He swallowed one before changing out of his tattered clothes. The pill would help treat the injury, but considering the residual power left behind by the heavenly lightning, it would likely take several days before his shoulder fully recovered.

Afterward, Sui Sui sat down and prepared to return to meditation.