Merin sits motionless within the quiet camp.
Outside, his soldiers guard the valley carefully, their tents forming a ring around the place where their lord rests.
But Merin's mind has already withdrawn inward.
Inside his dantian, the world appears very different.
A vast Bronze-coloured Qi Sea spreads quietly beneath a dim sky of spiritual light.
Floating above that sea is the small body of the Dream Worm.
The creature absorbs Merin's Qi continuously.
Every breath of his cultivation feeds it.
Around the Dream Worm's small body, faint violet runes condense one by one.
Virtual Runes.
They circle the creature like drifting stars before slowly sinking into its body.
Merin's situation is dangerous.
After burning his vitality during the battle with Zefre, only one year of lifespan remains to him.
Breaking through to the Origin Seal Stage would restore more than a century of life.
Perhaps even two centuries.
But reaching the Origin Seal Stage requires crossing tribulation.
Lightning tribulation would descend from heaven.
Such a disturbance would immediately attract attention.
And in his current condition, with his aged body only recently restored, crossing tribulation would be extremely dangerous.
So Merin has chosen another path.
He turns to the cultivation he previously set aside.
The path of the Spiritual Refiner.
His Dream Worm had already experienced two mutations earlier in his cultivation.
Those mutations allowed his spiritual refining cultivation to reach Stage One.
Now he pushes it toward the Third Mutation.
The ingredients for the mutation are unusual.
He feeds the Dream Worm with condensed runes of the Virtual Law.
The runes dissolve slowly as the creature devours them.
The Dream Worm continues swallowing Merin's Qi greedily.
More runes condense around its body.
The creature's aura rises slowly.
Its cultivation climbs steadily until it reaches the peak of Stage One.
Then the transformation begins.
The Dream Worm suddenly emits a sharp cry.
From its mouth, thin strands emerge.
Silvery threads pour outward continuously.
The threads wrap around its two-inch violet body.
Layer after layer.
Soon, the creature is sealed completely inside a cocoon.
Inside the cocoon, Merin's Will descend.
His consciousness enters the Dream Worm's body directly.
The creature possesses its own instinctual will.
But Merin suppresses it without hesitation.
Control shifts entirely to him.
Inside the cocoon, the transformation begins.
The worm's scaly skin peels away slowly.
The discarded layers dissolve and are absorbed into the cocoon itself.
The creature's body begins to stretch.
Two inches become three.
Its simple worm-like structure begins changing.
The small legs that once clung to its body disappear.
Muscle fibres grow thicker.
Stronger.
Bone structures begin forming within the flesh.
A spine takes shape.
Ribs grow outward.
The head begins sharpening.
The creature gradually takes the form of a snake.
The transformation continues steadily.
Three inches grow to four.
Four inches stretch into five.
By the time the cocoon trembles again, the creature inside has become a small five-inch snake.
The cocoon splits open.
The newly formed Dream Snake slides free.
Its violet body gleams faintly beneath the spiritual light.
The snake glides smoothly through the Bronze Qi Sea.
Its movement resembles a fish swimming through water.
After circling once across the sea, the Dream Snake raises its head and hisses sharply.
Spiritual energy bursts from its body.
The energy spreads outward and merges with the Bronze Qi Sea.
The entire sea trembles.
The colour of the Qi begins shifting.
Bronze slowly fades.
Silver begins appearing beneath it.
But the transformation stops before reaching halfway.
The change stabilises.
Merin's spiritual refining cultivation rises to Stage Two.
The increase in cultivation itself is not dramatic.
But something far more valuable emerges from the Dream Snake.
Vitality.
A pure wave of life force pours from the creature and flows directly into Merin's Life Origin.
To his damaged life origin, the vitality feels like rain falling upon land long struck by drought.
His life force stabilises.
The damage left from burning his lifespan begins slowly recovering.
Not fully.
But enough.
His lifespan increases by twenty-five years.
The wave of vitality spreads through his body.
Cells regenerate.
Wrinkles fade.
His physical form returns completely to youth.
Yet Merin does not open his eyes.
He continues cultivating.
Without pause, he begins the Fourth Mutation.
Inside the Qi Sea, the Dream Snake trembles again.
Its body grows larger.
The skeleton strengthens.
More bones form.
Its organs develop completely.
A heart begins beating within the creature.
Lungs expand.
A digestive system forms.
The transformation completes the evolution from Dream Worm to Dream Snake.
The snake grows longer.
Stronger.
Its scales become denser and darker violet.
Its length expands across the Qi Sea.
The creature now possesses a complete serpent body.
Muscles coil with quiet power beneath its scales.
When the mutation stabilises, the Dream Snake swims slowly across the Bronze Qi Sea again.
Merin senses the change clearly.
His Qi Sea remains at the Bronze stage.
But the next mutation will likely transform it completely into Silver.
His spiritual refining cultivation remains at Stage Two.
Yet the vitality released during this mutation adds fifteen more years to his lifespan.
His remaining life now extends far beyond the desperate edge he once stood upon.
For most cultivators, this would be enough.
They would stabilise their cultivation.
Rest.
Recover.
But Merin does not stop.
Inside the Qi Sea, the Dream Snake coils again.
Merin pushes forward.
Without hesitation, he begins guiding the creature toward its Fifth Mutation.
Inside Merin's dantian, the Dream Snake coils across the surface of the Bronze Qi Sea.
The creature's violet scales gleam faintly beneath the quiet glow of spiritual energy.
Merin's will presses down upon it firmly.
More Virtual Law runes begin forming around the snake's body.
The runes drift slowly through the spiritual sea before embedding themselves into its scales.
Each rune dissolves into its flesh.
Each rune becomes nourishment for the coming transformation.
The Dream Snake trembles slightly.
Energy gathers.
The Fifth Mutation begins forming slowly.
But far away from Merin's silent cultivation, another storm rages across the world.
In the Eastern Ocean, thunder roars through the sky.
Black clouds cover the heavens.
The sea churns violently beneath them.
A lone ship struggles against the massive waves.
The vessel rises and falls like a fragile leaf caught in a hurricane.
Water crashes over the deck repeatedly.
Each wave strikes the wooden structure with enough force to shake the entire ship.
On the deck, sailors and passengers cling desperately to whatever they can grasp.
Chu Feng stands near the centre mast.
One hand grips the rail tightly.
Beside him, Yu Diexin clutches another section of the railing.
The ship sways violently again.
A massive wave crashes across the deck.
Cold ocean water slams into everyone standing there.
Several people lose their grip instantly.
Their screams vanish beneath the roar of the storm as they are swept overboard.
Yu Diexin tightens her hold on the rail.
Her fingers tremble from the strain.
Her mind is filled with fear.
Not for herself.
For the child growing inside her womb.
Her heart trembles with worry.
If she dies here…
Then the baby will die with her.
Her thoughts become chaotic.
Fear begins turning into anger.
And that anger finds a target.
Merin.
She curses him silently in her heart.
Even though she knows the storm has nothing to do with him.
Even though she understands this disaster is not his fault.
Still, her mind clings to the thought.
Because of him, she left the safety of her home.
Because of him, she carries this child.
Because of him, she is now trapped in this deadly storm.
She knows the thought is unreasonable.
She knows this situation is ultimately her own choice.
But she cannot help it.
Merin is powerful.
Strong enough to stand against the Song Kingdom.
If he were here, he could protect her.
A bitter thought rises in her mind.
Is it because I never told him the truth about my identity…
…that he never truly considered me his wife?
Even if he does not see me as his wife…
…what about the child?
What about the baby growing inside me?
The thought cuts deeply through her heart.
Before she can think further, the ship lurches violently again.
The railing she grips cracks suddenly.
Wood splinters beneath the strain.
The rail snaps apart.
Yu Diexin's body loses its support.
She falls backwards.
The storm swallows her instantly.
Her body crashes into the dark ocean.
"Diexin!"
Chu Feng shouts the moment he sees her fall.
Without hesitation, he activates one of the Chu Family's treasured semi-holy weapons.
"Dragon Chain!"
A glowing chain shoots out from his body like a living serpent.
The chain extends across the raging water.
It wraps tightly around Yu Diexin's waist just before the waves drag her completely away.
Chu Feng pulls with all his strength.
But the ocean current is far stronger than him.
Instead of pulling her back to the ship, the violent current drags both of them overboard.
Chu Feng loses his footing.
His body plunges into the ocean as well.
The two figures vanish beneath the waves.
The storm continues raging above.
Below the surface, the ocean pulls them downward.
Yu Diexin forces her mouth closed.
Her lungs burn for air.
She tries to swim upward.
She channels Qi through her body.
Her muscles strengthen instantly.
But the ocean current is overwhelming.
The water drags her deeper.
Her strength fades quickly.
Darkness begins creeping into her vision.
Soon her consciousness slips away.
Her body sinks slowly into the depths.
Then something changes.
Inside Yu Diexin's sea of consciousness, a faint violet light appears.
The light blooms gently like a flower opening in darkness.
It spreads outward.
The violet energy surrounds her body.
The water pressing around her suddenly stops.
The violet light forms a barrier that keeps the ocean away.
Time passes.
Yu Diexin groans softly.
Her eyes flutter open.
She suddenly sits upright with a sharp gasp.
"I'm… okay…"
Her first thought immediately returns to the child.
Her spirit sense moves inward toward her womb.
She checks carefully.
The baby remains safe.
No harm.
A deep sigh escapes her lips.
Relief washes over her heart.
Only then does she begin noticing her surroundings.
She turns her head slowly.
Nearby, Chu Feng lies on the ground.
His body is soaked and motionless.
He is unconscious.
Yu Diexin raises a hand and channels Qi lightly.
Warm energy spreads across her body.
Steam rises as the water evaporates from her clothes.
After drying herself, she stands slowly.
Her eyes scan the area around her.
Stone walls rise in every direction.
Dim light reflects across wet rock surfaces.
Water drips from the ceiling in slow echoes.
After observing the surroundings for a moment, Yu Diexin realises something.
She is no longer in the ocean.
She is likely inside an underwater cavern.