Chapter 48: A Top, Top, Top-Tier Draw
Yu Xian had no better solution. Some things were simply possible, and some things were not. No one understood the cruelty of reality better than he did, so he did not bother offering empty words of comfort. "At this point, all we can do is rest, recover our strength, and wait to see how things develop."
In the meantime, he took out his phone, sat inside his bubble, and continued reading through the various case files on the Qilin app. Strength could be divided into hard power and soft power. Expanding one's knowledge was also a way of becoming stronger. Right now, he was eager to improve himself by any means possible.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Since he could fly now, couldn't he simply chase after the sun? Perhaps that would allow him to awaken Pangu's Divine Arts ahead of schedule.
However, when he shared the idea with Zhang Shou and Gong Qian, Gong Qian rolled her eyes. "Chase the sun? I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish, but I need to tell you something. The moment you cross our borders and enter another country's airspace, there's a good chance someone will shoot you down with some bizarre supernatural ability. Other countries have Dragon-rank powerhouses too."
Just as Huaxia had Dragon-rank powerhouses guarding its frontiers, other nations naturally possessed their own. And even if some smaller countries lacked Dragon-rank powerhouses, they still had Tiger-rank experts.
Yu Xian abandoned the plan, still quite fond of being alive. He had no desire to be mistaken for an invader and blasted out of the sky by a foreign nation. "Alright, forget it then."
He returned to reading the files on his phone. Shortly before midnight, Zhang Shou decisively committed suicide. Once he resurrected, he immediately resumed treating Gong Qian.
The first time Gong Qian witnessed Zhang Shou kill himself, she had been thoroughly startled. Only after he revived and reverted to his youthful appearance did she realize that Zhang Shou was not actually the lecherous middle-aged man she had assumed him to be.
In the latter half of the night, between the lingering effects of the poison and sheer boredom, she fell asleep without even realizing it. As for Zhang Shou, his resurrection had effectively refreshed his condition. To him, it was no different from having just enjoyed a full night's rest. As a result, he remained wide awake and full of energy.
Yu Xian chatted with him on and off until around five in the morning. Then a thought suddenly occurred to him. Even within Huaxia, the country's vast territory meant there were still practical differences in sunrise times. Some places had already welcomed the dawn, while others remained shrouded in darkness.
It's already past five o'clock. I can still get a head start on the sunrise.
He informed Zhang Shou of his plans, then immediately flew into the sky and headed east. About ten minutes later, he witnessed the sun gradually rising above the distant horizon.
When sunlight fell upon him, he closed his eyes in comfort. He used his Silver Blood to enhance sunlight absorption. Almost instantly, his body turned pitch black.
As the sun climbed higher into the sky, the amount of sunlight he absorbed steadily increased. Around 10:30 AM, the temperature of his Pangu Heart began to rise rapidly. The previous day, he had already stored enough energy for the equivalent of thirty-five heartbeats. Now, he had finally accumulated enough for the thirty-sixth.
The Pangu Heart contracted violently. Then it beat with tremendous force. The energy stored within detonated all at once.
Fortunately, his physique had improved significantly compared to before. Even with the immense surge of energy coursing through his body, his expression remained calm and unchanged. The raging energy washed through his muscles, bones, and organs, further tempering his body and improving his constitution.
Gradually, the energy transformed into a light, transparent force. It swiftly gathered toward his dantian. At that moment, Yu Xian immediately knew which ability he had awakened: Pangu Spirit Pearl. This ability allowed him to condense a Spirit Pearl within his dantian, opening up a vast dimensional space within it.
"It's actually a bottom-tier draw..."
What Yu Xian had wanted the most was Pangu Immortality. His second choice was the Pangu Divine Strength. Pangu Spirit Pearl was the one he wanted least. After all, he already had a spatial ring. He did not need additional space.
Just as disappointment began to settle in, the energy meant to condense the Spirit Pearl and open the dimensional space suddenly collided with another source of energy residing within his dantian.
In the past, his Blood Energy flowed through his veins. However, after consuming the Blood of Pangu, the mutated Blood Energy had somehow taken up residence in his dantian instead. It was faster to deploy now, so Yu Xian had never paid much attention to the change.
He had not expected the two energies to collide. All he could do was observe in silence. He did not dare interfere in the slightest. One careless action could turn a fortunate opportunity into a disaster.
The two energies repeatedly clashed and merged within his dantian. Gradually, they fused into a single stream of white energy. Perhaps because the mutation of his Blood Energy was itself related to the Blood of Pangu, the entire process proceeded with surprising smoothness. Even when the two energies collided, it was completely uneventful. Eventually, the mutation ended, and peace settled back over his dantian.
Yu Xian looked at his state and froze. He muttered to himself in disbelief, "Wait, something is not right. Where's my Spirit Pearl?"
He carefully examined every corner of his dantian. Not a single area escaped his scrutiny. In the end, he had no choice but to accept the truth. Although he had awakened the Pangu Spirit Pearl, the energy meant to form the Spirit Pearl and create a dimensional space had fused with his mutated Blood Energy. As a result, he didn't actually have a Spirit Pearl. A Pangu Spirit Pearl without a Spirit Pearl—across all of Huaxia, he was probably the only person unlucky enough, or unique enough, with such an ability.
Yu Xian sighed. "Forget it. What's done is done."
After all, the Divine Art had never been his preferred choice to begin with.
Next, he attempted to mobilize the energy within his dantian. To his surprise, this new energy felt even smoother and more responsive than his mutated Blood Energy. In the blink of an eye, the energy had shifted to his hand.
With a flicker of his thought, he formed a bubble. Other than changing from having a brilliant rainbow sheen to becoming completely transparent, there seemed to be no obvious difference.
Yu Xian carefully examined the new bubble. Unable to spot anything unusual from its appearance, he extended his hand into it. The next instant, his eyes widened. Within his perception, he could still sense his hand with perfect clarity. He withdrew his hand, plunged it back in, and pulled it out again. Only after testing it repeatedly did he confirm that the sensation was not an illusion.
But that raised an important question. What was the point?
He manipulated the bubble, sending it swirling back and forth. Then, he launched it outward to test its characteristics.
First, the bubble's membrane had become significantly more stable. It could now withstand speeds of up to twenty times the speed of sound. Second, none of its original characteristics had disappeared. On the contrary, its offensive power had increased substantially.
Yu Xian felt somewhat disappointed. "Don't tell me it just got stronger?"
He guided the bubble back into his right hand. Out of habit, he condensed a second bubble in his left hand. Two basketball-sized transparent bubbles slowly revolved above his palms. On a whim, he simultaneously inserted both hands into the bubbles.
The next second, a look of utter disbelief appeared on his face. Lowering his head, he stared at the two bubbles. Slowly, he extended his hands forward. In an instant, his left and right hands switched places. His left hand emerged from the bubble in his right while his right hand emerged from the bubble in his left.
The spaces inside the two bubbles are actually connected!
Yu Xian immediately enlarged both bubbles. Testing his theory, he climbed into one of them while dismissing and reclaiming the old bubble he had been using. He instantly appeared inside the other bubble.
Yu Xian sat within the bubble, staring at its counterpart, and excitement surged through him. "The spaces inside the bubbles can actually be used for teleportation!"
Compared to the original Pangu Spirit Pearl, which merely granted additional dimensional space, this mutated ability was an absolute life-saving treasure.
Unable to contain his joy, Yu Xian burst out laughing. "It actually is a top, top, top-tier draw!"
This ability was simply too incredible. Even if someone offered him the genuine Pangu Spirit Pearl right now, he would never trade for it.
Over the next several hours, he continuously created new bubbles. More and more transparent bubbles appeared throughout the sky. Previously, his mutated Blood Energy could only support the creation of around one hundred bubbles with a diameter of two meters. Now, the new energy within his dantian could support roughly five hundred bubbles of the same size.
There was another major difference. When his mutated Blood Energy was used to create bubbles, failing to reclaim them greatly slowed the recovery of his energy reserves.
The new energy, however, regenerated at nearly ten times the previous rate. Even if he left bubbles permanently stationed in various locations without reclaiming them, he could still recover his energy in a relatively short amount of time.
"Time to head back," Yu Xian said as he flickered from bubble to bubble. Because the teleportation occurred so quickly, it appeared as though every bubble contained a copy of him.
After practicing until he grew familiar with the new ability, he looked toward the distant battlefield, barely visible on the horizon. For the first time, it no longer seemed quite so terrifying.