Just as Thorne received the devout faith of the Huang Tribe High Priest and his group, far away in the central part of the continent, within a secretive basement of the Holy Light Temple, a figure in a red robe exuding a terrifying aura was muttering to himself before a map.
"How could it suddenly disappear? The faith map can't be wrong."
"Judging by the direction, it seems to be the eastern desert, neighboring the Elven Forest. Could the elves be up to something again?"
"No, the millennial faith war is approaching. We must ensure nothing goes wrong. All faith on this Divine Demon Continent must be under our control—no exceptions allowed."
The red-robed figure inscribed something onto a scroll with mental force, then waved his hand, and the scroll flew off, vanishing.
"Though the eastern desert has always been in the elves' hands, at this point, I have no choice but to intervene. This continent cannot tolerate darkness—only light shall reign eternal."
The red-robed figure, now resembling a fervent believer, knelt before the map.
The map displayed the known distribution of all faiths on the Divine Demon Continent. Aside from the light faith, represented by a pervasive white glow across the continent, patches of black light occupied the edges and corners.
…
After the Huang Tribe members left, Thorne resumed his daily routine of training to master his skills and control his body.
Even without using skills, he could now kill Mortal Tier Level 3 or 4 magic beasts solely with the lake water. With proficient skill use, he could take down Level 6 or 7. With the Ghost Thorn Tree and Magic Dragon Gecko's help, even a Transcendent Tier foe might not be out of reach.
Rain The sky still poured with the heavy rain summoned by Spring Breeze Rain. Thorne shaped the water into a human form, holding a water sword in its hand.
The last time he'd shaped water into a qilin to appear before the Huang Tribe, it was partly to conceal his true form. This world surely had magic capable of reading memories. If the Huang Tribe's memories were read by the elves, they'd see Thorne as a water qilin and mistake him for a trickster magic beast.
On the other hand, it was a whim to practice his water control.
Today, he wanted to test if he could simultaneously form and control multiple water shapes.
Initially, Thorne could create three or four identical shapes but couldn't make them perform different actions. After over half a month of practice, he could barely control ten human-shaped water figures to perform complex movements simultaneously.
However, this was mentally taxing and somewhat counterproductive.
He'd also tried simulating Water Arrow by forming water swords. Though less powerful than the system's skill, their sheer number—tens of thousands at once—made them ideal for large-scale battles.
Thorne tirelessly practiced daily, growing ever more adept with his body. Now, unless a force could instantly evaporate the entire lake, especially physical attacks, it could hardly harm him.
Each of Thorne's strikes carried the force of ten thousand jin. Even a Transcendent Tier mage's frail body couldn't withstand it.
"Failed again."
Thorne tried controlling a water figure to walk ashore, away from the lake, but it collapsed after a few hundred meters.
Despite repeated attempts, Thorne, though immune to physical fatigue as a lake, felt mental weariness.
"Bang."
The water figure collapsed again, turning into a puddle on the shore.
The Ghost Thorn Tree and Magic Dragon Gecko's mocking laughter echoed in Thorne's mind.
The tree and beast now got along well. Watching Thorne fail repeatedly these past few days, they laughed endlessly.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the sky, and a white object fell out.
"Bang."
The sound of something heavy hitting the water.
Thorne didn't react in time. When he lifted the object with the water, he realized it was a person.
Sensing a faint breath, Thorne quickly sent her to the shore.
It was a woman, graceful and curvaceous, especially striking with her wet clothes clinging to her.
Yet, as a lake, Thorne was powerless to appreciate it.
She appeared young, with delicate features and starry, mysterious eyes.
What shocked Thorne more was that he couldn't accurately gauge her strength. He'd clearly sensed the Transcendent Tier Level 8 mage before, but this woman fluctuated—sometimes an ordinary person, sometimes Transcendent Tier, and occasionally exuding a mysterious, powerful force that threatened even him.
"Who is this woman who fell from the sky? She can threaten me. Should I kill her first? The system would surely reward plenty of energy points."
Thorne was growing obsessed with energy points, always thinking of them first.
As he pondered, he formed a water figure and sent it toward the woman on the shore.
Perhaps sensing someone approaching, the previously listless woman stirred, her eyes locking fiercely onto Thorne's lake body.
Thorne froze.
He had a gut feeling that one more step would provoke a devastating strike from her.
"Terrifying. Dangerous!"
Thorne found himself in a dilemma.
Then, the woman spoke.
"Help me."
Her once-angry gaze softened into a pitiful plea.
Though it tugged at his sympathies, Thorne wasn't driven by base instincts—especially without a lower body.
Seeing Thorne unmoved, a stone suddenly appeared before the woman.
Curious, Thorne was interrupted by the system.
"Ding, Void Stone detected. Can be used to create storage space. Suggest host acquire it."
"Void Stone? Storage space?"
Though unclear on the details, the name hinted at its value, and system recommendations were always top-tier.
Just as Thorne considered killing her to seize it, the Void Stone vanished.
Thorne realized she was using it as a bargaining chip to make him save her.
"I can save you, but give me the Void Stone first."
Seeing her eyes shut with no response, Thorne thought she might refuse.
"I know you're no ordinary person, but if you don't hand it over first, how can I trust you won't back out?"
With still no reaction, Thorne wondered if she'd died.
A closer check revealed she still had a breath, and he shook his head helplessly.