Yu Qing's current state was terrible to the extreme.
Having activated the Star Burning Battle Method twice in succession—especially the second time to counter Bo Saixi's Divine Skill—he had nearly exhausted all the star energy stored within his Star Core and Torso Spirit Bone. This practice of overdrawing his Origin had placed a devastating burden on his body.
His Meridians were fractured and twisted over a large area, with some spots even showing signs of charring. His Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores were covered in web-like cracks, their rotation slowing significantly, making it nearly impossible to absorb spirit power from the outside. His spirit power was almost completely dry, making even maintaining flight exceptionally difficult.
Intense pain washed over his nerves like a tide, his vision darkened in waves, and a powerful sense of weakness nearly made him lose consciousness.
He had to find a safe place to repair his injuries immediately; otherwise, his Foundation would be damaged, potentially leaving permanent hidden wounds and ruining his future.
However, the ocean was vast and endless. Yu Qing forced himself to fly an unknown distance, but as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but azure seawater! Forget an island, he couldn't even see a slightly larger reef.
"Dammit... am I really going to..." Yu Qing's consciousness began to blur, and his flight path became unsteady.
Just as his vision was completely swallowed by darkness and he was about to lose consciousness and fall into the sea, he suddenly bit the tip of his tongue. Relying on a final sliver of clarity and willpower, he frantically channeled the meager, pitiful amount of spirit power remaining in his body and painfully tore at the space in front of him with both hands.
Star Flash!
Riiip—!
An extremely unstable spatial crack, its edges flickering with chaotic purple light, was forcibly torn open by him! This was the longest distance teleportation his Star Flash could achieve after multiple enhancements, but it was highly unstable, especially when performed in such a weakened state; the destination was completely unpredictable.
But he had no other choice. Yu Qing used his last ounce of strength to plunge into that distorted spatial crack... It felt like a long, bumpy journey where the world spun around him. When Yu Qing was finally "spat" out by the spatial power, he found himself falling rapidly from mid-air.
Below him was still an unfamiliar stretch of sea! Before he could even see his surroundings clearly, his vision went black, and he completely lost all consciousness, falling straight toward the cold surface of the sea like a kite with a broken string.
Plop.
As the water splashed and his body slowly sank into the sea, far away in the core Forbidden Land of Sea God Island...
Bo Saixi's figure quietly appeared, walking straight toward that towering and solemn statue of the Sea God.
Her beautiful face bore a trace of fatigue and respect as she slowly knelt on one knee, her expression incomparably devout.
"Lord Sea God, Bo Saixi has failed the trust placed in her. I was unable to detain that land Spirit Master who hunted the Evil Spirit Orca King. Please... punish me." Her voice echoed softly in the empty Forbidden Land.
Buzz—!
The tall Sea God statue seemed to be moved by her words, and its entire body emitted a soft and holy azure glow. The blue light, like a warm tide, gently enveloped Bo Saixi.
Bo Saixi immediately felt an incredibly pure energy, containing endless life and oceanic power, surge into her body, quickly nourishing her parched spirit power and exhausted form. Within moments, her state had returned to its Peak, and even the subtle hidden injuries caused by using her Divine Skill were smoothed away.
Feeling grateful, Bo Saixi continued to report: "He... should be a powerful Divinity successor. Judging by his spirit rings, it is very likely he has passed at least seven God Trials. On his person... five spirit rings have already reached the hundred thousand years level."
She paused slightly, as if reminiscing about that thrilling battle: "In the ocean, he was originally no match for me. Yet he still forced out the Divine Skill you bestowed upon me. I should have been able to capture him, but... at the final moment, he... he actually comprehended and performed a Divine Skill of his own! Its power... could actually rival the 'Sigh of the Ocean,' resulting in the exhaustion of my spirit power. Ultimately... I had to abandon the idea of bringing him back to Sea God Island."
After she finished speaking, the azure light on the Sea God statue flickered gently a few times, as if thinking and weighing the situation, before slowly returning to tranquility without any further instructions.
Bo Saixi understood that Lord Sea God did not blame her. She bowed respectfully once more: "Thank you for your grace, Lord Sea God."
She slowly stood up, her sea-blue eyes looking into the distance toward the area where she had fought the earth-shaking battle with Yu Qing. With a complex gaze, she whispered to herself: "I hope we can meet again next time. Can you... bring me even more surprises?" The corners of her mouth seemed to curve into an extremely faint, yet real, arc of anticipation... Yu Qing's consciousness drifted in a warm darkness for an unknown amount of time before finally slowly coalescing.
He struggled to open his heavy eyelids. What met his eyes was a low wooden roof, and the air was filled with a faint briny scent of seawater and a herbal fragrance.
"Where is... this?" He was slightly dazed, but as his consciousness gradually cleared, he immediately began an internal inspection to check the condition of his body.
This look caused his heart to instantly sink to the bottom.
Terrible! Simply too terrible!
Nearly sixty percent of the Meridians in his body were broken! Furthermore, the breaks were entangled with wisps of violent destruction energy, which constantly hindered repair and even slowly damaged the surrounding intact Meridians! His spirit power was almost completely dried up. What shocked him most was that the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores within his Dantian were covered in shocking cracks, their rotation nearly stagnant and devoid of light.
"This is truly too bad... if this continues, I will soon be completely reduced to a cripple..." Yu Qing's mood was incredibly heavy, and a hint of despair even welled up. With such injuries, without a Heaven-Defying Opportunity, it would likely take years or even decades of slow recuperation to recover, and it would likely leave behind irreparable hidden dangers.
The massive Power of Life within his body was still working hard to repair him, but the speed of repair could not keep up with the speed of the destruction energy's damage; it was like trying to put out a burning cart with a cup of water.
The balance he had always maintained was broken.
Just as he was burning with anxiety and trying to concentrate his spirit to enter the System Mall to find something to save his life—
"You're awake?"
A pleasant female voice, cold yet carrying a hint of natural Charm, came from nearby.
Yu Qing's heart tightened. He immediately suppressed all his emotions, forced his expression back to a calm state, and looked toward the sound.
He saw a woman standing at the door of the wooden hut, walking into the room.
She had short, capable purple hair that looked like fine silk, reflecting the light coming through the doorway. Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her features were sharp and exquisite, especially those lively purple eyes that looked like the purest amethysts—clear and bright, yet carrying a hint of wildness and rebellion. Her nose was high, and her lips were full, combining to form a face with great exotic flair and an aggressive beauty.
Her figure was extremely hot. Her waist was as slender as a snake, flexible and full of power; her legs were straight and long; and her bust was even more impressive in scale, full and perky, stretching her simple linen clothes into breathtaking curves that were not at all inferior to Duan Xin's.
This was a woman like a deep-sea pearl—both beautiful and possessed of a wild edge.
"Who are you?" Yu Qing asked calmly, maintaining his vigilance.
"Purple Pearl." The woman's answer was brief and direct, her voice still carrying that unique cold tone and sense of Charm. "And you?"
Yu Qing was instantly stunned! Purple Pearl?! He was no stranger to this name! Wasn't this the leader of the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew that Tang San encountered when he went to Sea God Island in the original story?!
The woman before him looked even younger than the original description, appearing only sixteen or seventeen years old. There was still a bit of lingering childishness in her features, but that unique wild beauty was already beginning to take shape.
"Yu Qing." He suppressed the surprise in his heart, gave his name, and thanked her sincerely: "Thank you for saving me." Then he hurriedly asked: "How long have I been unconscious?"
Purple Pearl walked to the bedside, placed the bowl of bitter-smelling soup on a nearby wooden stump, and said flatly: "Ten days."
"Ten days?! I've been unconscious for that long?" Yu Qing's expression stiffened.
Purple Pearl nodded, her purple eyes scanning Yu Qing as she spoke plainly yet pointedly: "Your injuries are very heavy. Most of the Meridians in your body are broken, entangled with a very overbearing spirit power. Ordinary medicinal treatments have very little effect. In the future... it will likely be difficult for you to use spirit power again." Her words were direct, even somewhat cruel.
Yu Qing gave a bitter smile and shook his head, offering a half-truth: "I had bad luck on my way back and encountered a pack of Evil Orcas. These injuries were left behind from fighting them."
"Hmm~?" Upon hearing this, a clear flash of surprise crossed Purple Pearl's eyes. She studied Yu Qing seriously for several moments as if re-evaluating him. After a long while, she spoke with a hint of disbelief: "You're lucky to be alive. To encounter those deep-sea death stars and still survive..."
Afterward, the two exchanged a few more simple words. Purple Pearl didn't say much, but Yu Qing could feel she had no ill intent. She set down the soup and some simple food (grilled fish and black bread), then turned and left the hut.
Yu Qing immediately picked up the bowl of dark soup and drank it in one gulp. Although bitter, he could feel a faint medicinal power within it that could slightly alleviate his pain. He then quickly finished the food, replenishing his body's basic needs.
Having done all this, he immediately closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his sea of consciousness, and impatiently opened the System Mall!
The light screen popped up, and six items appeared. Yu Qing scanned them quickly: Recovery Potion (Small), Tenacity Grass, Merman Dagger (Fine), Underwater Breathing Potion (3 hours), Pirate Treasure Map (Fragment), a bag of gold coins.
"Nothing! None of these are useful!" Yu Qing's heart sank. These items were useless for his current injuries!
"Refresh!" He did not hesitate to spend yin yang points to refresh the mall.
Sea Spirit Beast Meat (Energy Rich), Holy Blood Bandage, Thousand-Year Rum, X-ray Goggles, Angel Feather, Sure-Catch Fishing Rod.
"Refresh again!"
Third page... fourth page... Yu Qing's heart grew colder and colder. After refreshing four times in a row and spending a significant amount of yin yang points—aside from grit-teeth buying a spirit source that could strengthen a Spirit Bone—no Medicinal Pill or item capable of treating such severe injuries had appeared!
"Last time! System bro, give me something!!" Yu Qing prayed in his heart and grit his teeth for the fifth refresh!
The items on the screen vanished and then slowly reformed... When he saw the new item in the very center, Yu Qing's eyes instantly lit up, and he almost wept with joy!
[Xuanhuang Meridian-Generating Pill]: Refined from Earthly Xuanhuang Qi mixed with various rare Spirit Medicines. Effect: Repairs fractured and damaged Meridians, greatly enhances Meridian toughness and width, and can to some extent dispel and neutralize foreign destruction energy accumulated within the Meridians. Price: 200,000 yin yang points.
"This is it!!" Without any hesitation, Yu Qing immediately bought the longan-sized, brownish-yellow pill that emitted a heavy medicinal fragrance! Although the price was exorbitant and nearly emptied the savings he had accumulated from Dual Cultivation recently, it didn't matter compared to recovering from his injuries!
Exiting his sea of consciousness, with a thought from Yu Qing, the Xuanhuang Meridian-Generating Pill appeared in his palm. He swallowed it without hesitation!
The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, instantly turning into a thick, warm, and life-filled torrent of brownish-yellow medicinal power. it rapidly flowed through his entire body, rushing toward those fractured and damaged Meridians.
Wherever the medicinal power passed, the destruction energy entangled in the breaks seemed to meet its nemesis, beginning to be slowly neutralized and dispersed! Under the nourishment of this powerful medicinal energy, the fractured Meridians began to glow with life, healing and reconnecting like parched earth meeting a sweet rain!
A sensation of itching mixed with comfort spread throughout his body.
"It works!" Yu Qing was overjoyed! Although the repair speed wasn't very fast because the destruction energy was deeply rooted—estimating it would take about a day and a night to fully repair—compared to the previous hopeless situation, this was already wonderful news.
"Once the Meridians are repaired, I'll be able to mobilize more spirit power to slowly nourish and mend the cracks on the dual soul cores... To return to my Peak state, I estimate it will take one to three months..." Yu Qing planned in his heart and finally let out a sigh of relief. He slowly closed his eyes, fully guiding the medicinal power to begin the long repair process.
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