"These disciples from the major sects are so foolish. They could easily reach the top faster by following the river’s current, but instead, they insist on going against it."
"They think this is a test from the Path of All Immortals."
"A test from the Path of All Immortals can’t possibly be more important than the treasures up above."
"Exactly! As long as we secure a good position, we can claim the treasures before anyone else!"
Several wild cultivators decided to move with the river’s current. As expected, they were quickly carried a short distance downstream. Their progress was far faster than those climbing upward—more than double in speed—and they soon neared the river’s lower end.
"Senior Brother, they..." Renshu Chang hesitated as he glanced back.
Jirandal Tang understood what he ant and cast a dispassionate glance at the three cultivators. "Ignore them. It’s nothing more than misplaced cleverness."
Just then, a scream echoed through the air.
Everyone turned around to see one of the wild cultivators stumbling into the river’s lower end. The current swiftly engulfed him, subrging him entirely beneath its surface.
Unlike Seongwoo Jin, who had earlier tried to sink into the river on purpose but managed to keep his limbs flailing above the surface, this man was not so fortunate. The suction here was far greater.
Seongwoo Jin had at least been able to struggle briefly, but this man didn’t even have a chance to flail.
Within one or two seconds, by the ti his two companions realized what had happened, he had been dragged into the depths. The water’s surface soon returned to its calm state, as if nothing had occurred.
Terrified, the remaining two wild cultivators abandoned their plan and hurriedly retreated to the starting point, drenched in sweat and trembling with fear.
"Did you see that? This is the consequence of misplaced cleverness!" Dayeon Xinyue admonished the female disciples of the Divine Maiden Sect behind her in a cold voice.
Nari Yin’s heart filled with dread. She had initially proposed the sa idea, thinking it was worth a try, but Dayeon Xinyue had firmly rejected it.
Nearby, Seonho Ming of the Eternal One Sect remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Though he hadn’t voiced it, he too had briefly entertained the thought. However, seeing that Temujin Lin didn’t act on it, he kept his doubts to himself.
If Amalia had followed the sa path as those who ventured through the bottom of the river, she would likely have t the sa grim fate.
"These boxes seem to mostly float near the top, with only a rare few drifting downward," Amalia observed after studying the flow at the forefront of the energy river.
After a mont of reflection, she ca to a conclusion—one that left her uncertain whether to feel relieved or disappointed.
This ant that if they wanted to collect the boxes, they would have to ascend the river.
"Let the ones that drift down go. They’re probably not worth much anyway," Kenny Lin dismissed the idea nonchalantly.
"Only you would think that," Amalia retorted, glancing back at the crowd eyeing the descending boxes greedily.
"Don’t act so smug. Your Yin-Yang Pearl was sothing we painstakingly repaired bit by bit. If that final crack can’t be nded, the pearl will never regain its full potential. A flawed treasure is never truly a treasure," Amalia reminded him sharply.
"Then we’ll make our own," Kenny Lin said optimistically. "Once you learn the true technique of refining divine artifact."
Amalia wasn’t as optimistic as he was. They had been in the Path of All Immortals for quite so ti, yet she still had no clue where to start. She had even considered asking the old lady in the tomb she had encountered earlier, but she forgot about it because her mind full of Kenny Lin.
"Let’s hope so," she murmured, her tone filled with doubt.
Amalia then focused on absorbing the spiritual energy from the river. A torrent of spiritual energy surged into her body like a rushing river, an overwhelming sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced. Not even soaking in spirit springs compared to the raw force of this energy stream.
"This spiritual energy is like an elixir for us. If we can train here for a while, we might actually break through to the next level," Amalia noted, her voice filled with hope.
"Treasure first!" Kenny Lin interjected without hesitation, though his body also continued to absorb the spiritual energy voraciously.
With the aid of the Yin-Yang Pearl, his absorption rate was remarkably fast.
The pearl seed starved, greedily devouring the energy in massive quantities. The sheer intake made Kenny Lin’s ridians ache, like a gluttonous beast consuming far more than it could handle. This overwhelming sensation was unlike anything he had experienced before.
Amalia noticed his odd expression and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I feel amazing—unbelievably amazing," Kenny Lin replied with a sly smile, his long, phoenix-like eyes narrowing mischievously. "It’s like when we practice dual cultivation together: painful, yet exhilarating."
Amalia couldn’t help but laugh in frustration, resisting the urge to kick Kenny Lin. "What could possibly hurt you?"
"When you don’t let move," Kenny Lin replied with a blissful groan.
Amalia: "... Stop joking. What’s the state of the Yin-Yang Pearl?"
Kenny Lin closed his eyes briefly to examine it internally. "It seems like there’s so change."
"The immortal spring really works! That’s fantastic!" Amalia’s face lit up with joy. If the Yin-Yang Pearl could be repaired, it would ease so of her worries. The next step would be finding the corresponding strand of white vital energy.
Their cultivation would only grow stronger over ti, and eventually, they would find it. For now, there was no rush.
Suddenly, Kenny Lin had an idea. "Why don’t you try storing so of the river’s water in your Soltice Ring?"
"I already tried that—it doesn’t work," Amalia replied, unimpressed by the suggestion.
"A box is coming down!"
A loud shout interrupted their conversation.
All eyes turned to the opposite side of the energy river. A box wrapped in glowing light was floating down the river. As it approached the bend, its speed wasn’t remarkable, but the mont it flowed to their side, it accelerated dramatically, becoming nothing more than a fleeting white streak to most onlookers.
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