Within a dozen meter wide hole stood the figures of three beings that radiated different levels of lights.

Standing next to each other were a man and a woman that looked exhausted with sweat dripping down their brows and dirt smudged across their faces.

On the other side of the hole was the figure of a mysterious man in black that held within his outstretched hand a golden earring.

Gou Yaqin, the female cultivator in the gray robe stood with a face full of sweat, her gaze was fixated on the man as her fate was entirely in his hand.

The demonic head behind the mysterious man had just closed its mouth and the man finally moved, he lowered his hand with the item still within and looked towards the surviving two of the original eight Gold Core cultivators.

His eyes were filled with a mix of amusement and apathy, as if he found their predicament to be rather entertaining yet utterly insignificant to him.

Gou Yaqin didn’t fail to notice the look in his eyes and her heart sank. She realized that their chances of survival were slim, and that they were at the mercy of this enigmatic and powerful stranger.

However the man didn’t seem interested in dealing with them as he soon moved from where he stood, disappearing just like he had appeared, leaving Gou Yaqin and the other cultivator bewildered and apprehensive.

Sigh!

Gou Yaqin let out a weary sigh, feeling a mix of relief and frustration, it was only now that she realized that the power that she holds is nothing in the face of true might.

She couldn’t help but wonder who that person was in the first place, he appeared to be too powerful for this trial.

“I hope I don’t meet him again” Gou Yaqin whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the deafening silence of the hole.

****

Moving through the ground at a fast pace, Meng Lin had become aware of the hardness of her surroundings as it became more and more difficult for her to move through the mud around her.

Half her qi had already been used to turn the hard rock around her into mud but even then she would take longer to move around with just her fleshy body.

She could feel her muscles straining with each movement, but she knew she had to be far away from that place as she still felt the fear that crept up on her when she gazed at the mysterious man with the demonic head behind him.

She still couldn’t understand how powerful the man was but she realized that he was more powerful than that Zephyr, who appeared more powerful than the others.

Clang!!

Meng Lin’s hand came into contact with a clear solid surface and she was forced to stop as she realized that her qi couldn’t turn the rock ahead into mud anymore, it seemed to be beyond the strength of her qi.

Feeling a rush of frustration, Meng Lin furrowed her brow and studied the rock before giving up.

She realized that she would need to harness a higher level of qi in order to manipulate such a formidable object.

Her brute qi was not that versatile and she could not use anything else at a higher level other than her elemental qi but that was not working.

She turned towards her left and began to think, since she didn’t truly have a place to go then she thought to try her luck at the surrounding areas underground.

She had long realized that the secrets of this landmass had something to do with the underground.

She remembered that when she first arrived at the small island she saw the ground full of holes, that’s what led her to escape through the ground.

And it seems that her suspicions were correct because she was able to acquire a low grade item, the humanoid puppet.

She knew that around her were probably caves with different levels of low and middle grade items with some high and top grade items located at the very bottom.

However she also realized that, it would be at those levels that the really strong Gold Core Cultivators would be trying their lucks.

But she was undeterred by the presence of stronger cultivators because she was confident in her ability to escape if the situation calls for it.

However thinking further, Meng Lin decided not to venture out in search of treasures as she still held an injury.

She raised her hand to touch the right side of her face, the blood splatter had long dried and disappeared, now only a small scar was there, it looked like a line that went from her eye to her ear.

She was more surprised that the small hole in the ear had healed to the point where you would not notice the hole, just more scars on her body.

‘System’

[Meng Lin]

[special physique: Brute Qi physique]

[Foundation Establishment Stage(peak)]

[Experience points: 100%(Breakthrough)]

System coin: 570

Taoist Gacha wheel: unavailable

Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]

Variant Elemental Qi : [Mud] [ Erosion]

Main Cultivation Method: [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 4th Layer]

Side Cultivation Methods: : [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation method]

Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Focused Qi control] [Waterfall slash] [Refine Yin Qi] [Surge] [Thunderbolt Flash]

Ancient Spirit Seals: ~Black Tortoises~, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.

[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy]

Meng Lin looked over her system Menu and began to think, her experience points show that she had reached 100 percent.

But next to it was also showing a breakthrough sign. she wondered if it was showing breakthrough because, to go to the next stage then she would have to go through the Lighting Tribulation.

She herself felt that if she wanted to breakthrough now then she could do it, it’s just that she would have to go through the Tribulations first.

She was slightly worried that she would undergo a Lighting Tribulation out of nowhere but the bottleneck sign indicated that she had control over when she wanted to take it.

She did not want to breakthrough right now because she had not recovered her nails, and she was not sure that others wouldn’t try to attack her when she is breaking through.

However, she knew that if she wanted to reach the next realm in her cultivation and unlock even greater power, she would eventually have to do it.

‘For now, what I need to do is go back up and find a place to recover quickly, I feel that there is something big that is going to happen and I need to be prepared before it happens’

Meng Lin took a deep breath, her mind focused on finding a safe place to recover. She turned around, facing the direction she came from, and began to make her way back up through the mud tunnel.

As she ascended, she couldn't help but notice the change in the surroundings. The mud grew cooler and more smoother, indicating that she was moving closer to the surface.

After what felt like a considerable amount of time, Meng Lin reached the top of the underground where she came upon water that gushed into her mud tunnel, trying to submerge her.

Ooo!

Bubbles came from a small pond as a figure burst out of the water to land on grass a few meters away.

Meng Lin took a deep breath before opening her eyes to look around, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

The first thing that struck her was the brightness of the sunlight. After spending so much time underground, her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.

She found herself standing on a vast, rocky terrain with a single large tree near the pond with the surrounding areas resembling the other areas of the landmass.

Meng Lin held a thoughtful expression as she released her spiritual consciousness.

She scanned the area, searching for any signs of danger or other cultivators. As her spiritual consciousness expanded, she could sense the presence of a few weaker cultivators in the vicinity, but they were far enough away that they wouldn't pose a threat to her.

Satisfied with her assessment, Meng Lin cautiously looked towards the pond that she emerged from.

It was a crystal clear pond with it’s surface shimmering with reflected light. Surrounding the pond were soft, moss-covered rocks, providing a perfect spot for rest and meditation.

Meng Lin approached the pond, feeling drawn to its serene beauty. She knelt down at the water's edge and cupped her hands, taking a sip of the cool, refreshing water. The taste was pure and invigorating, revitalizing her senses.

As she sat on one of the mossy rocks, Meng Lin closed her eyes and let her body relax. She focused on her breathing, allowing herself to sink into a deep state of meditation.

The sounds of nature enveloped her, the gentle rustling of leaves near her, the distant silence of the wind, and the soothing flow of the water in the pond.

As Meng Lin lost all touch of reality, a looming storm cloud began to form above her and the flashing of thunder illuminated the area.