Chapter ( 39 )

"No matter how long it takes, I will work hard and come back to you..."

Zhen Chen's solemn words echoed in Xin Lan's heart. Her trembling hand reached out and touched his tear-stained cheek. Zhen Chen gently closed his eyes, and a few tears slipped from his lashes. Xin Lan stared at him intently, her eyes filled with deep emotion. Zhen Chen took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, saying, "This is the promise I can make to you. As long as I live, I will keep striving to see you again."

The sadness and confusion in Xin Lan's eyes faded, replaced by a warm, affectionate glow. A soft, tender smile bloomed on her lips. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. The kiss was filled with her boundless emotions, as gentle as a breeze on a quiet night. Wasn't he the only one in this world who could make her laugh and cry?

The feelings of despair and helplessness in Zhen Chen's heart vanished.

In this world, there was a beautiful girl who understood him deeply and loved him dearly. She would wait day and night for his return. So, why wouldn't he strive to become stronger and come back to her? If he had enough power, who could stop him?

Xin Lan's tender kiss melted away Zhen Chen's worries and sorrows, filling him with new strength to move forward.

Although this was a precious moment for the two of them, Zi Mo appeared beside them like a shadow.

"Ahem... ahem... I feel bad for interrupting such a moment, but I have something important to say."

Xin Lan, startled by Zi Mo's voice, blushed and quickly stepped back. However, Zhen Chen pulled her back into his embrace and turned to Zi Mo, asking, "Oh, Zi Mo, you even showed up in front of Xin Lan. It must be something serious. Go ahead, tell us."

Xin Lan looked at Zi Mo curiously. Zhen Chen introduced him, "This is Zi Mo, the spirit of the token. He's a really good guy."

Zi Mo nodded and said, "The system has started its automatic upgrade process. This means some parts of the system are being enhanced to improve its connection with the central system. For you, Zhen Chen, there's a 70% chance you'll be summoned soon."

Zhen Chen sighed and asked, "How much time do we have left?"

Zi Mo calculated for a moment and replied, "The system upgrade will be completed within fifteen days. After that, the connection could come at any time."

Zhen Chen asked, "I want to give Xin Lan some resources. Will that be okay?"

Zhen Chen needed to ask Zi Mo for permission because the resources were maintained by the system, and only Zi Mo could grant access to them. Zi Mo casually replied, "Sure. We don't have much use for them anyway. Giving them to your girl will be helpful for her. By the way, Zhen Chen, we have a lot of empty space here. We should store some items."

Zhen Chen, not understanding what Zi Mo meant, asked, "What kind of items should we store?"

"Ah... you're so clueless. If you get summoned by a faction, you won't be able to access items from this world anymore. So, it's better to store them in the token now. Since we don't know when the summons will come, we need to prepare in advance."

Zhen Chen thought for a moment and said, "What kind of items should we bring? Luxury cars? Food? Or maybe guns and grenades? Tell me, Zi Mo... What would be useful for us in another world with different factions?"

Zi Mo seemed a bit puzzled and thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll think about it. For now, you should teach Xin Lan how to practice. We don't know how much time we have left."

Zhen Chen had Xin Lan sit down and said, "Xin Lan, I'll guide you on how to start cultivating your energy. Practice here while I take care of some things."

Xin Lan nodded and said, "Alright, I'll practice. Don't worry about me. I'll do my best to cultivate so I can wait for you. You just focus on what you need to do. I won't go anywhere while you're gone."

Zhen Chen smiled and sat down in front of her. He began to circulate his energy, guiding it into Xin Lan's body to inspect her. Although her ancestral bloodline energy had awakened, strangely, the bloodline runes weren't forming along her spine but were instead appearing on the outer walls of her heart. The runes were a mix of pink and red, with thin strands of energy swirling around them.

Zhen Chen withdrew his energy and focused on guiding Xin Lan's spiritual awareness to unlock her ancestral memories. Xin Lan's ancestral bloodline memories were stored in a glowing liquid-like orb within her heart, but they hadn't fully awakened yet. This was why Xin Lan didn't know how to cultivate her bloodline. Once her ancestral memories awakened, she would understand how to control and cultivate her bloodline.

After leaving Xin Lan to practice, Zhen Chen went outside. He decided to build an energy-gathering formation behind Yu Xue Yin's relaxation house. He cleared some trees to make space and took out the necessary materials from the token. Having studied many advanced techniques and experiences from the ancient tomb, Zhen Chen had a wealth of knowledge in his mind.

A small energy-gathering formation was nothing to him. He first melted a large amount of spirit energy stones with intense fire energy and poured the liquid into the hexagonal formation channels he had dug. Then, he melted some red mercury pearls and poured them over the formation to solidify it.

As the red lines of the formation glowed on the ground, Zhen Chen placed a pure spirit energy crystal in the center. He then placed a five-foot-wide, flat piece of sea-immersed stone above it, carving a bowl-shaped depression in the center. The spirit energy liquid began to seep out, forming a small pool.

Zhen Chen took out a large piece of black stone and used a triangular tool to cut it into forty-five pillars. He engraved energy runes on the pillars and sharpened their tips slightly. He also drilled deep holes at the top of each pillar and embedded spirit energy stones inside. These stones would act as conduits, stimulating the energy within the black stone pillars. The runes on the black stone pillars would connect the pillars, forming a protective maze.

Zhen Chen planted the black stone pillars around the relaxation house and flew into the air to check their alignment. He then condensed his energy into forty-five dense strands and connected them to the pillars, infusing them with energy to activate the formation. Finally, he linked the energy-gathering formation with the protective maze to supply it with energy.

The spiritual energy in the air began to slowly gather around the formation. In a few days, the entire relaxation house would be filled with energy, making it an ideal place for Xin Lan to practice.

After transforming the relaxation house into a suitable cultivation spot, Zhen Chen flew back to his home. He packed all his mementos into the token. His family members were all busy with their own tasks, so no one was home. Zhen Chen sat in the living room, picked up a camera, and started recording a message for his family in case he disappeared.

Then, he left his house and headed for the mountain temple. When he arrived, the young monk was waiting for him. However, the monk could no longer sense Zhen Chen's energy level.

"It's good to see you, young master," the monk said with a smile. "You've grown much stronger. I can't even sense your level anymore."

Zhen Chen bowed and said, "I'm now close to the Earth Formation level. Thank you for your guidance, Master. I've sensed some irregularities in the candidate system, so I came to say goodbye and ask for a small favor."

The monk looked surprised. "As far as I know, candidates don't know they've been chosen until they're summoned. How do you know in advance?"

Zhen Chen smiled and shook his head. "Other candidates might not know, but I'm different. That's why I came to say goodbye."

The monk didn't seem entirely convinced but didn't press further. He nodded and said, "Alright. If it's not too difficult, I'll help."

Zhen Chen took out his phone and showed a picture of Xin Lan. "This girl is named Xin Lan. She's just starting to cultivate. If she encounters any difficulties in the future, I hope you can help her."

The monk carefully memorized the picture and nodded. "Alright. That's not too hard. I'll help."

Zhen Chen smiled and said, "Thank you, Master. Please also convey my gratitude to the Iron Fist King for his help."

"Of course, young master."

Zhen Chen bowed respectfully and flew away.

The young monk watched Zhen Chen disappear into the distance, feeling puzzled. "Wait... Candidates aren't supposed to know in advance. How does he know? But he's definitely a strange one. In just a few days, he's already close to the Earth Formation level. Isn't that too fast?"

The monk felt like he was about to vomit blood as he pondered Zhen Chen's rapid progress.

"Are the candidates just too godlike, or are we just too clueless?"​