The room was dark—no windows, no candles.
The only source of light came from faintly glowing runes etched across the walls and ceiling, bathing the chamber in an eerie luminescence.
On the bed lay a motionless figure. Suddenly, his eyelids trembled ever so slightly.
A moment later, his eyes snapped open.
And the first thing he saw was a face—far too close, grinning from ear to ear.
"You're finally awake!"
A familiar voice rang beside him, filled with unrestrained joy.
The man blinked, disoriented for a few seconds before clarity returned.
He remembered.
He was Liu Ba—one of Liu Ming's avatars.
Days ago, he had entered Luoshan City to gather intelligence and had secretly cultivated the city's core technique, the Luoshan Art.
The moment he began that cultivation, his consciousness had been swallowed by darkness. Only now had he awakened.
Far away, within his secluded cave, Liu Ming exhaled quietly in relief.
He's awake… finally.
Liu Ba's sleep hadn't been particularly long, but not short either—about four or five days. Longer even than Qin Shuang's recovery.
For a time, Liu Ming had truly thought he'd fallen into a trap.
Could it be that this Luoshan Art was another poisonous technique? He had even prepared to write it down in his "Book of Mistakes"—the notebook where he listed every disastrous experiment.
But to his surprise, the people of Luoshan City hadn't deceived him.
Practicing the Luoshan Art indeed caused temporary loss of consciousness—but it was normal. Once the process ended, one would awaken naturally.
Liu Ba sat up, flexing his hands and legs, feeling his body—or rather, his spirit form.
He was now a complete soul-body, yet he could still feel the spiritual energy circulating smoothly through him at the peak of the third Qi-Refining level.
Everything felt real—the softness of the mattress beneath him, the faint trace of sandalwood in the air. The illusion of the soul-banner was so vivid that it was hard to tell if this world wasn't real after all.
Perhaps, for a soul, this was reality.
But there was another change—one far more significant.
The spiritual imprint connecting him to Liu Meng was gone.
Completely.
He had truly broken free. He was now a "free cultivator" of Luoshan City, unbound by any control.
"Brother, how do you feel?"
Zhao Ping's cheerful voice came from beside him, full of genuine concern.
Liu Ba blinked, pretending confusion, rubbing his temples.
"I… where am I? How long was I asleep?"
Zhao Ping chuckled.
"Of course, you're in my residence! You've been out cold ever since you cultivated the Luoshan Art in the City Lord's mansion. I brought you back here. As for how long—eh, not too long, just four or five days."
He patted Liu Ba's shoulder, admiration in his tone.
"You're really gifted, brother! The shorter the sleep, the higher your compatibility with the Path of the Unbuilt Way. That means your cultivation speed will skyrocket in the future! I myself slept seven whole days when I learned it—and the stewards still said I was 'decently talented.'"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
"Some poor souls sleep for an entire month before waking up. That means their resonance with the Path is terrible. If Luoshan Art weren't so simple to cultivate, they'd probably never even step on this path."
Liu Ba's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"Then what if someone's completely incompatible with it?"
Zhao Ping's smile froze for a second. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ah, well… in that case, they'd, uh… never wake up."
Then he grinned again, waving the thought away.
"But why worry about that? You're clearly talented! I'd bet my core that your cultivation speed in this city will outstrip mine in no time!"
Liu Ba quietly examined the flow of energy within him. Still steady. Still capped at the third layer of Qi Refinement—no sign of a breakthrough.
He finally asked, sounding casual,
"Brother Zhao, since I've already mastered the Luoshan Art, how can I break through this bottleneck to mid-stage Qi Refinement? I've heard that techniques like the Xuan Art or Blood Feast Sutra require special conditions for advancement. What about ours?"
Zhao Ping burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Oh, brother, you're overthinking it. Our Luoshan Art isn't like those demonic techniques that demand blood sacrifices or forbidden rituals."
He waved his hand with pride.
"Here, it's simple. You already have the strength of peak third stage, yes? Then just head to the City Lord's mansion and request a Boundary-Breaking Pill. Once you take it, you'll naturally advance to mid-stage Qi Refinement."
A Boundary-Breaking Pill?
Liu Ba froze.
He had never heard of such a thing—not once. Even Liu Eleven, who carried a mountain's worth of alchemical knowledge, had no record of this pill.
Zhao Ping saw his confusion and grinned.
"You've never heard of it, right? That's because it's one of our city's top secrets. The formula is known only to a handful of elders within the City Lord's mansion. Even if the outside sects knew of it, they couldn't possibly replicate it."
He puffed out his chest proudly.
"That's the advantage of Luoshan City! Anyway, don't worry about cultivation. Here, everything comes naturally. When the time's right, you'll just… ascend."
He clapped Liu Ba on the shoulder again.
"Come on! I've got nothing better to do today anyway. I'll accompany you to the City Lord's mansion myself. Let's get that pill and help you break through right away!"
Dragged along by Zhao Ping's infectious enthusiasm, Liu Ba could only sigh inwardly.
These people… were truly idle.
With no need for cultivation effort, they wandered the illusion-city like shades with nothing left but habit and cheer.
Soon, they reached the familiar grand gates of the City Lord's mansion.
As before, the path inside was wide open. The spectral servants—illusions conjured by the soul-banner—greeted them warmly, bowing and smiling in eerie perfection.
"Brother Zhao," Liu Ba asked softly, "where do we collect the pill? It shouldn't be that Soul-Hall from before, right?"
"Of course not," Zhao Ping chuckled. "That hall's for initiations and basic techniques. Pills are distributed elsewhere. Follow me."
As they walked, Zhao Ping lowered his voice, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"You know, you missed quite the scene a few days ago. Feng Wuya caused a huge commotion here! A real spectacle. Too bad you were asleep—you'd have loved it."
Liu Ba's senses sharpened instantly.
"What happened?"
Zhao Ping snickered.
"Oh, the usual. I heard someone snatched his spot for the Secret Realm trial. The whole city's been gossiping about it. He got so furious he stormed right into the City Lord's mansion to demand justice!"
He chuckled darkly.
"Can't say I blame him though. Who could've guessed that the envoy from the Blood Feast Valley would suddenly interfere in our Luoshan City's affairs?"