Evan Lin held the stone in his hand.
He could feel a stream of cold, eerie chill flowing out from the stone, like running water gliding across his palm.
Is there spiritual qi inside the stone?
"Sir, is something wrong?"
Seeing Evan's expression, Shawn Shi asked cautiously.
"It's nothing. But this stone might be related to the Water Spirit."
Evan Lin shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Water Spirit?"
Shawn Shi looked completely puzzled.
"Everything has spirit. The so-called Water Spirit is the purest form of water power. If you can refine it, you'll be able to control water itself—stir rivers, overturn seas, turn rain to ice, and so on."
Evan Lin nodded slowly.
There are Five Elemental Spirits in this world: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Each one is hidden in a different region, and they're the kind of treasures you stumble upon by luck, not by searching.
Looking at the shallow-blue Aquaspirit Stone in his hand, Evan Lin felt a bit of delight inside.
But to truly refine this Water Spirit, I’ll probably need to reach Foundation Establishment first.
Right now, Evan Lin hadn't reached Foundation Establishment yet. All he had was true qi—which, to other people, was already crazy powerful, enough to wipe the floor with those so-called unbeatable Vajra Realm experts.
But to Evan Lin, it was still way too weak.
"That's amazing! Congratulations, sir!" Shawn Shi said.
Shawn Shi's eyes flashed with a bit of greed, but he quickly lowered his head. Stuff you shouldn't covet, don't even think about it—otherwise, you'll die fast.
Shawn Shi understood this rule.
"Let's find a place to stay first," Evan Lin said.
After a moment of silence, a massive boom exploded inside Evan's body.
It was like thunder splitting the heavens and striking stone, the impact making Evan's brow crease slightly.
The green mist swirling around his body grew chaotic, then surged back into him like rivers flowing backward.
His true qi boiled over. In an instant, the whole room filled with vaporous mist. Cracks split open on his skin, revealing blood-red flesh, but healed as quickly as they appeared. Black impurities oozed from his pores.
The Three Maiden Spirits hid in the room's exhaust vent, peeking out with only their heads, faces full of terror as they watched Evan Lin sit cross-legged, unmoving.
There, a terrifying power was condensing, enough to make anyone tremble.
Evan Lin glanced at them. Compared to when he first met them, the Three Maiden Spirits looked much more solid now. As soul-refined artifacts, they grew stronger by constantly absorbing baleful and death qi.
"What level are you at now, compared to humans?"
Evan Lin looked at them and asked.
"Master, if we're talking human realm rankings, each of us is about fifth-grade Vajra Realm. But if we join forces, we can match a third-grade Vajra Realm expert."
The Three Maiden Spirits looked at Evan Lin with a mix of awe and fear.
They feared his Buddha-Sigil Mantra—a law-level power that drew on the strength of the user's will and could be devastating depending on their resolve.
But being by Evan Lin's side let them grow much faster, and for that, they were deeply grateful.
"Mm."
Evan Lin nodded, lost in thought.
Luke Lu was just a pseudo-Vajra expert. After activating the Berserker Martial Canon, he reached fifth-grade Vajra. Drake Huang, once River City's top fighter, was also fifth-grade Vajra. To deal with people like them, Evan Lin didn't need to use the Three-Foot Sword—it wouldn't be difficult, but would probably take some effort.
So far, Evan Lin hadn't met anyone above fifth-grade Vajra, so it was hard to say exactly where his strength ranked.
He shook his head slightly and said calmly, "Stand guard for me. Don't let anyone disturb me."
"Yes, Master!"
The Three Maiden Spirits quickly spread out around the room, guarding every entrance and keeping their eyes on Evan Lin.
Evan Lin placed the Drunken Cloud Plum on his left palm, feeling a gentle warmth radiate from within his left hand.
The dragon sealed in his left hand seemed to sense the life force contained in the Drunken Cloud Plum, its scales quivering ever so slightly.
"Too bad," Evan Lin thought, "the dragon in my left hand doesn't have enough stored spiritual qi left to nourish the Drunken Cloud Plum."
Regretful, Evan Lin simply popped the Drunken Cloud Plum into his mouth.
The moment the Drunken Cloud Plum touched his tongue, it melted into a warm current that flowed down his throat and merged with his blood.
Evan Lin closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and rested his hands on his knees, entering a meditative state like an old monk.
That warm current surged into Evan Lin's body, instantly transforming into countless strands of tender green life energy, flooding into every limb and bone.
The dragon in his left hand, usually lazy and dormant, shivered, opened its mouth, and devoured the green strands of life energy. It then exhaled an even denser, deeper green mist, spreading it through Evan Lin's body like thin clouds.
That mist, light as water and soft as gauze, floated gently with no weight at all, slowly seeping into every inch of Evan Lin's bones and muscles.
From a distance, the Three Maiden Spirits watched this scene and couldn't help but shrink back.
In their eyes, a green halo formed around Evan Lin, cycling into his body and then seeping out again and again, rolling like clouds and waves.
At the same time, a surging life aura filled the air—warm, moist, and carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.
In the corner of the hotel room, a potted plant that had long since withered touched a wisp of green mist, and its yellowed branches slowly turned green and lifted again, coming back to life.
A long while passed.
Inside Evan Lin's body.
The dragon in his left hand breathed out one final, extremely concentrated breath of green energy. It wasn't vast, but its color was deeper and more profound.
After exhaling, the dragon fell silent, unmoving once more.
This energy started from his left hand, slowly passing through every meridian. Wherever it went, Evan Lin's meridians widened, his muscles grew more active, and his body felt heavy and powerful.
Thunderous booms echoed inside Evan Lin, like bolts of lightning crashing down.
That energy traveled through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and finally gathered at his dantian.
After a moment of silence, a massive boom exploded inside Evan Lin's body.
It was like thunder splitting the heavens and striking stone, the impact making Evan Lin's brow crease slightly.
The green mist swirling around his body grew chaotic, then surged back into him like rivers flowing backward.
His true qi boiled over. In an instant, the whole room filled with vaporous mist. Cracks split open on his skin, revealing blood-red flesh, but healed as quickly as they appeared. Black impurities oozed from his pores.
The Three Maiden Spirits hid in the room's exhaust vent, peeking out with only their heads, faces full of terror as they watched Evan Lin sit cross-legged, unmoving.
There, a terrifying power was condensing, enough to make anyone tremble.