Chapter 28

Level up

Silent waves surged, the horizon dyed azure like an inverted sea; the sky instantly darkened again, half heavy black clouds, half shattered like a black hole.

Light was devoured completely, as if heaven and earth fell into darkness, but within seconds a towering wave rose from flat ground, pressing heavily on everyone's bodies and heads, as if about to slap them head-on.

Thick water vapor and the scent of the ocean rushed over.

The image shattered and vanished in an instant, leaving only the Sentinels in awe.

The Guide who could alter weather phenomena, an S-rank at that, looked at the oblivious Fu Guang with a scorching, wanton gaze.

The white fox lay on Shang Ze's shoulder, suddenly feeling its whole body heavy; its smooth fur pressed wetly onto it, making it let out a soft cry as it returned to the mental landscape.

Several Sentinels each harbored their own thoughts, speculating whether Fu Guang was some S-rank Guide hiding her identity to play house with the Military Department and them.

Was it merely to probe the Sentinels' opinion of low-ranked Guides?

Fu Guang immersed herself in her thoughts.

Having suddenly arrived in this world, she felt as if a thin film separated her from everything around her; she could see clearly yet lacked true sensation, earnestly experiencing it while maintaining an attitude of being able to detach at any moment.

In fact, she had once wondered whether this was an illusion crafted by some illusionist; to make her become engrossed, they had expended tremendous effort to create an extraordinarily realistic illusion.

As she knew, an illusionist's illusion is built from the target's inner desires; a sufficiently realistic illusion, aside from draining the caster's spiritual power, serves little other purpose.

For only desire can make one obsessive; blinded by desire, one will unconsciously cover their eyes.

Moreover, a falsehood remains false no matter how realistic; there will always be aspects beyond the caster's power.

An illusionist defeats enemies by actually expanding the opponent's desire to annihilate them, achieving a self-destructive end.

Furthermore, Fu Guang counted her enemies; she had never feuded with an illusionist, and there was no one capable of draining her cultivation and vast resources to harm her.

She is a top-tier alchemist; killing her would be pointless—capturing her alive is far more valuable.

In other words, this is a real world.

A world she had never heard of, vastly different from what she knew; everything familiar and everything she possessed were gone, except for similar herbs that could still give her a hint of comfort.

She had once considered staying forever in the Dark Forest as a reclusive alchemist—a fine option. Without the White Tower, the Military Department, or even Guides and Sentinels, she would be utterly free to do as she pleased.

Yet she felt that would be a waste of her second life, and she had also promised her sister to go see the outside world in her stead.

So she stepped out and gradually accepted this entirely new, different world.

This world is vast and broad; each planet is similar yet different, possessing unique traits she wishes to see.

Spiritual tides spread like ripples, gently falling upon each person.

Azure sky, the sun hidden behind clouds, two drops of rain fell, pattering down a light rain.

Fu Guang's mental landscape swiftly repaired half of it; beneath the azure-golden giant egg, what was once a small puddle expanded to the size of a lake.

It happily sank into the lake's deepest depths; the eggshell glowed blue, nearly invisible in the water, only occasionally revealing the fleeting shadow of a huge fish-like creature.

Relaxed and content, Fu Guang eased her brow, closed her eyes, and heard the raindrops pattering on the grass, clattering together into a unique melody.

There was also a faint, almost inaudible breathing sound.

Within the mental landscape, her still ample spiritual sense reached out, sensing a man standing behind her, almost pressed against her.

Fu Guang shuddered and opened her eyes.

At that moment a light drizzle fell; fine rain threads were brushed by a gentle breeze over her face, as if there were a trace of her spiritual power here.

Without time to mind him, Fu Guang stepped forward and turned her head to see who the man was.

It was someone who originally would not appear here—Li Shao.

His flamboyant red hair was soaked by the rain, strands sticking to his forehead; raindrops traced his sharp brows and eyes, sliding over his gorgeous eye corners and falling from his chin.

He wore a black Military Department uniform that clung to his form, outlining his musculature while making him appear tall and stern; his powerful aura pressed so hard that people could barely breathe.

He lowered his eyes and smiled lightly, his smile unrestrained; a drop of water clung to his long eyelashes, about to fall but not yet—'I never expected it to be you, Guide Fu Guang.'

The following words he spoke were drawn out slowly, his tone seeming to grasp a handle, yet they conveyed a lingering, tender meaning.

The rest of the team were undergoing this purification, not noticing Li Shao suddenly appearing.

At this moment they reacted, their faces unchanged yet they all walked toward Fu Guang's side.

Li Shao glanced at the few colleagues guarding against him, snorted, and a flicker of cold light passed through his eyes.

"With your reaction speed, having the Guide in your hands is no different from not having her."

"If I wanted to strike, could you even stop me?"

He used what he considered a light grip, seizing Fu Guang's wrist to pull her away, but in his inattention he ended up pulling her into his embrace.

The soft sensation in his arms made Li Shao instinctively step back two paces, yet he still did not release his hold.

Fu Guang felt the scorching palm grasp her wrist and knew the consequence—her wrist was about to suffer another severe injury from Li Shao.

He had no awareness that she was a fragile Guide, not his thick-skinned comrade.

"Are you trying to break my wrist? If so, say it straight—don't beat around the bush, keep holding."

Fu Guang said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Li Shao hastily released his grip, then reached out again to check, but Fu Guang brusquely swatted his hand away with her other hand.

She summoned water elemental energy, applying it to the scorched red flesh for a while; the burning sensation faded, she glanced at the sturdy, tall Sentinel and said, 'Are you a branding iron?'

Pfft.

Wen Ya laughed aloud; seeing Fu Guang look over, she embarrassed herself by pressing her lips together and came to Fu Guang's side.

"Your two abilities are both excessively pure; they thus attract and oppose each other at once."

"The Sentinel's rank is obviously much higher than yours; if he does not control himself well, you will keep getting hurt."

Golden light shone upon the scorched-red skin.

"Do not approach the Guide, Sentinel." Wen Ya's tone sank, warning the ever‑touchy Sentinel.

"Didn't your teacher teach you not to approach a Guide without permission?"

"Sister, how is your injury?" Bai Gao and the others stepped forward, pleased to see one less formidable rival.

"Li Shao, you're also too careless."

"Li Shao, your ability control during fights is not bad."

They kept pouring oil on water for Li Shao.

Li Shao's eyes' flames jumped twice; he handed a palm-sized box to Wen Ya, saying, "Then it's trouble for Guide Wen Ya to help pass it along."

"Thank you." His red pupils gazed at her, speaking of something only the two understood, thanking her for the earlier purification.

After saying that, he looked at the colleagues who provoked him; the fire spread excellently, sweeping away all the Sentinels, leaving only Sheng Lai Ke Si to protect the guide.

"Li Shao, you don't observe martial virtue."

Li Shao and the Sentinels went somewhere unknown, and the flames also vanished without a trace.

Wen Ya looked at Fu Guang's complexion, which showed no change; there was neither the Sentinels' self-satisfaction from her fighting nor any worry.

"Are the Sentinels fighting abnormal? They can fight if they want, and now there's no mission anyway."

Fu Guang opened the box; it was a translucent blue bracelet, and when shaken, it seemed a thread of water light flashed across.

"It is the water essence from the Dark Forest Water Source, an S-rank quality that can increase the purity of water attribute."

"Don't look down on just a thread; after absorbing it, you can stabilize at B-rank and even comprehend a new skill."