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Fang Yuan and Fang Mei arrived at the Eastern Ravine.

The once-bustling excavation site had turned silent.

Where hammers once rang and miners shouted over one another, now only the low hum of formation barriers and the whisper of wind through the stone remained.

Ever since the discovery of the Spirit Pond the previous night, the entire area had been sealed off.

No miners were allowed near. The air felt denser here now; rich with spiritual energy.

Fang Mei glanced around, hugging her sleeves tighter. "Brother… what are we doing here?"

Fang Yuan kept walking ahead without pause, eyes calmly scanning the terrain.

"With your new bone marrow, it's best you cultivate inside the Spirit Pond for the next week."

Fang Mei blinked in shock. "B-But… that's…"

She trailed off, unsure if she was more stunned by the privilege or nervous about being alone in such a place.

But Fang Yuan didn't turn to her.

Instead, he looked to his left, toward a shadowed alcove where no one stood and spoke with quiet reassurance, "Don't worry, Mei'er. I'm the Family Head. I have full control."

Fang Mei tilted her head, confused. "…Brother?"

Why had he turned that way?

Before she could ask, Fang Yuan shifted his gaze forward again and approached the sealed entry of the ravine, where two family guards stood in attention.

"Family Head," they saluted in unison.

Fang Yuan gave a nod. "Open the formation."

The guards stepped aside and began the unlocking process, their hands forming a series of quick, practiced seals.

The invisible barrier shimmered briefly before parting like a curtain of mist.

Fang Yuan turned back to his sister, his voice calm and firm.

"Come. I'll take you to the pond myself."

Fang Mei hesitated only for a moment before following, her heart pounding with anticipation.

The mine shaft swallowed them in shadow.

Gone were the sounds of celebration from the estate.

Here, only the echo of their footsteps remained, trailing along the damp stone floor like whispers of the past.

Fang Yuan led the way, torchlight casting flickering shadows across the walls.

Crates of unused equipment lined the sides, hastily abandoned after the discovery.

The air grew colder the deeper they went, yet paradoxically denser, rich with qi so thick it clung to the skin.

Fang Mei stayed close behind, her voice hushed in awe. "It feels… different down here."

"It should," Fang Yuan replied, not turning.

"A Spirit Pond forms when ley lines converge. Just being near one is like breathing in liquid essence. Once inside… it'll be up to you how much of it you can refine."

She nodded, the firelight catching the glint of resolve in her eyes.

They took a sharp turn at the second fork. A natural stone arch framed the final passage, glowing faintly with protective formations.

Someone had reinforced the place overnight.

As they stepped past it, the air changed.

Moisture tickled Fang Mei's lashes. A soft, emerald glow pulsed from deeper within, bathing the corridor in hues of jade and silver.

And then, there it was.

The Spirit Pond.

Nestled within a cavernous hollow, it glimmered like starlight poured into water.

Faint threads of spiritual qi rose from its surface in lazy spirals, coiling upward and vanishing into the cavern's peak.

Lush moss covered the stones at its edges, and glowing blue lotuses floated across the water's surface, undisturbed by time or wind.

Fang Yuan's eyes swept across the chamber—the glistening moss, the tranquil pond at its center, the faint, ever-rising wisps of spiritual energy.

But more than anything, it was the jagged cracks along the walls, the scattered scorch marks on stone, and the half-buried claw gouges on the floor that made his brows knit together.

His gaze landed near the far edge of the Spirit Pond, where the water lapped silently against a patch of flattened earth.

There.

That was where he had fought the sabertooth beast. Where the Hollow Yeklo Grass had once shimmered in delicate defiance.

Where he had cleaved the creature in half in a moment of rage and regret.

His eyes narrowed, just slightly.

"Wasn't this… the exact spot?"

The thought surfaced unbidden, bitter and cold.

"So how—how could I miss it?!"

He had scoured this place. Even dug through the beast's remains with his bare hands.

Yet now, not even a full day later, a Spirit Pond emerges like some ancient treasure offering itself to someone else?

"...And Tian just happened to stumble upon it?"

He felt the urge to scoff, but instead kept his expression calm, unreadable.

Not a flicker betrayed the frustration stirring beneath.

He let out a slow breath through his nose, folding his arms behind his back.

"No... No use dwelling on it."

At the same time Fang Mei gasped softly, a hand flying to her lips.

"It's… beautiful."

Fang Yuan gave a quiet nod. "And dangerous if not used properly. Don't dive in headfirst. Sit near the edge first. Let your marrow acclimate."

She nodded, the reverence clear in her stance.

Fang Yuan stepped forward and placed his hand on a control pillar, dissolving the shallow formation veil around the pond.

The qi instantly grew heavier, and Fang Mei inhaled sharply.

He turned to her with a calm expression, hands clasped behind his back.

"This week, this place is yours. No one else steps foot in here unless I say so."

Fang Mei's eyes went round as saucers. "Brother… that's—"

"—A privilege," he interrupted smoothly, "that you'll need."

She blinked. "Need…?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes. If you truly plan on marrying my junior brother, then you'll need to be strong enough to protect him. Or at the very least, be able to fight alongside him."

"…Fight?"

He gave her a deadpan look. "Do you think love in the world of cultivation means picnic dates and poetry under the moonlight? No. It's either dual cultivation or dual decapitation—there is no in-between."

Fang Mei sputtered. "I—wha—"

"You've already stolen my little brother's heart," Fang Yuan said with a dramatic sigh. "Now it's only fair you learn how to guard his liver, lungs, and dantian too."

Fang Mei could only stare at him, torn between laughter and horror.

He placed a hand on her head, gently patting it like a war general sending off a new recruit.

"Go on, Mei'er. Bathe in the pond. Meditate. Enlighten yourself. But at least try not to drown."

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.