CHAPTER 63 — Rebirth of a Monster
The forest had settled into a strange calm after the battle. No more corrupted beasts stirred. No more assassins crept between the trees. The wind itself felt cautious, as if unwilling to disturb the quiet that followed Lin Xuan's return.
The group set up a temporary camp by a small stream. The light from the setting sun filtered through the canopy, casting warm rays across the mossy ground. For the first time since Lin disappeared into the valley wall, Bai, Mu, and Wen allowed themselves to breathe.
But Lin Xuan didn't rest.
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Using Alchemy to Heal Them
He knelt by the stream and opened his spatial storage. With a wave of his hand, medicinal herbs, roots, and spiritual flowers floated into the air, suspended by his qi.
Mu blinked.
"You… you're concocting pills here?"
Lin nodded. "Your wounds are deeper than they look. I can't let them fester."
Bai sat down heavily, clutching his cracked ribs. "You can do alchemy on the spot?"
"Yes." Lin's tone was calm. Steady. "You'll need high-grade healing pills if you want to keep going."
Mu stepped closer, watching him with a mix of awe and intense curiosity.
"What are you preparing?"
"An upgraded version of the Heart-Restoring Pill," Lin said. "I'm also adding a blood-replenishing agent and a marrow-soothing component. Your meridians took a hit."
Bai whistled. "You make it sound easy."
"Because it is," Lin replied honestly.
Wen snorted despite the pain. "At least he's humble."
Lin ignored him.
He extended his hand—and dozens of herbs glowed faintly as he invoked his upgrade talent.
Their colors brightened. Their spiritual potency surged. Their medicinal fragrance intensified so quickly the whole camp smelled like a medicinal garden in full bloom.
Mu inhaled sharply. "You… upgraded all of them?"
Lin nodded. "I need the pills to work fast. We can't waste time recovering."
Bai chuckled weakly. "Lin, at this point, you're cheating."
Lin cracked a rare grin. "I know."
Then he lifted his hand.
The Divinity Vessel—the former helmet, now a flexible divine artifact—slipped from his storage ring and reshaped itself. The metal flowed like liquid until it became a floating cauldron, the same form Sheng Tianya once used.
Mu watched breathlessly. "Your artifact… it transformed again."
Lin nodded. "It learned from the Saint."
Mu rubbed her arms, shivering. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was alive."
"It might be," Lin murmured.
With a gesture, the upgraded ingredients flew into the cauldron. Flames surged beneath it—controlled, precise, layered with fire and lightning qi, perfectly balanced.
Mu's eyes widened as she watched.
"You're… you're manipulating two elements at once to refine it?"
"Three," Lin corrected gently. "Space is keeping the temperature stable."
Mu nearly dropped the herb she was holding.
"You're insane."
Bai laughed. "Nah. That's just Lin."
Wen grinned. "Don't forget 'monster.'"
Lin ignored them again.
Inside the cauldron, the ingredients melted into a luminous liquid, mixing and swirling. A medicinal scent spread out, heavy with purity and power.
He formed hand seals.
Then—
DONG!
A crisp sound echoed as four pills flew out of the cauldron.
They landed in Lin's palm, perfectly round, each one glowing with a golden luster and faint medicinal mist.
Mu gasped. "Heaven-grade healing pills…"
Lin shook his head. "No. Celestial-grade."
The three disciples froze.
Even Bai, normally loud, went silent.
Celestial-grade healing pills… made in minutes… from herbs refined on the spot… inside an artifact that evolved from a Saint's legacy…
They were no longer traveling with a mere genius.
They were traveling with a phenomenon.
Lin handed one pill to Bai, one to Mu, and one to Wen.
"Eat. Your bodies will finish healing within minutes."
"And the fourth?" Wen asked.
Lin popped it into his mouth. "Insurance."
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The Pills Take Effect
Moments later—
Bai let out a long, relieved groan.
"My ribs… they're knitting together!"
Mu touched her side. "My meridians aren't tight anymore... I can circulate qi normally."
Wen flexed his hands. "No more numbness. And my sword grip feels solid again."
Their wounds were healing rapidly—unnaturally fast.
Lin nodded, pleased.
"Good. I need all of you whole for what's coming."
Mu stepped forward, unable to resist.
"What did happen to you, Lin?"
Lin paused.
He could tell them everything…
Or he could protect the Saint's reincarnation.
He chose the middle path.
"I received guidance," he said softly. "And I rebuilt my foundation."
Bai blinked. "Rebuilt? You mean—"
"I tore down my old dantian," Lin continued calmly, "and replaced it with something new."
The others stared in open shock.
"You're serious?" Wen whispered.
Lin nodded. "Completely."
Bai shook his head. "And you didn't die?"
"I almost did," Lin said truthfully. "But I survived."
Mu exhaled slowly, studying him the way an alchemist might study a rare treasure.
"Your aura… feels like it's missing."
Lin responded with a faint, cryptic smile.
"It's sealed."
Mu cocked her head. "You sealed it? Why?"
Lin looked up at the sky.
Because if he released it, the valley might collapse.
Because if he pushed it further, the world might warp.
Because if he dared to expand his solar system…
He might cause a cosmic-level reaction.
But he didn't say that.
Instead he murmured, "If I don't seal it… everyone around me becomes a target."
The group fell silent.
None of them questioned him further.
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Flirting with the Forbidden Thought
Later, after everyone rested, Lin sat alone on a rock overlooking the stream. Moonlight filtered through leaves and danced across the water's surface.
He closed his eyes.
Inside his consciousness, the solar system appeared—bright, stable, beautiful. The sun pulsed gently at the center, each planet orbiting with perfect balance.
He touched the sun with his mind.
Its surface rippled, hinting at deeper potential.
He could upgrade it.
He could.
He could use his talent to enhance the solar system's structure, push his capacity even further. Unlock energies he couldn't fathom. Reach heights no cultivator had touched since ancient times.
He could upgrade not just a technique—
—but his entire inner universe.
The thought sent a thrill through his blood.
If he did…
His dantian might no longer hold the qi of a world, but of a starfield.
His cultivation speed might explode past imagination.
His battle techniques might evolve into new forms.
His affinities might touch domains beyond mortal comprehension.
He felt the temptation rising—
Then—
He stopped.
His heart clenched sharply.
Because he realized something:
If his solar system grew further…
It might overpower his physical body.
Warp his meridians.
Disrupt the fabric of qi around him.
Or worse—
It might destabilize the world around him.
He saw flashes of what could happen:
Valleys collapsing.
Mountains trembling.
Weather patterns shifting.
Qi storms tearing through the land.
Nearby cultivators crushed under the weight of his uncontrolled presence.
He pulled his consciousness away.
Breathing harder than he expected.
"No," he murmured. "Not yet. Not until I understand the full consequences."
He opened his eyes.
The world was still intact.
For now.
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Strength Quietly Felt
Bai approached, leaning on a tree.
"You look like you were fighting something."
Lin shrugged. "Myself."
Bai chuckled. "That's the worst enemy."
Mu joined them, crossing her arms. "You're still hiding something."
Lin smiled faintly. "A lot of things."
Wen nodded. "As long as you don't hide something that will get us killed, we're good."
Lin's expression softened.
"No. I won't let anything touch you."
The three of them felt something shift in the air—something protective, heavy, almost like the quiet weight of a mountain.
But it wasn't oppression.
It was reassurance.
Bai swallowed. "Then… what now?"
Lin stood and turned toward the dark road leading into the next forest.
Now?
He was whole again.
Stronger than before.
And the demonic sect believed him dead.
A faint spark of danger flickered in his eyes.
"Now," Lin said, tightening his grip on his spear,
"we continue the mission."
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Demonic Sect Reaction
Far away, inside a corrupted forest, a demonic elder knelt before a robed figure whose very presence warped the space around him.
The hawk-like spirit beast that fled earlier knelt beside him.
"Speak," the robed figure commanded.
The beast screeched once—its cry translating into a simple truth:
"The boy lives."
The robed figure's eyes narrowed.
"Then the hunt continues."
He raised a hand.
Dark clouds gathered.
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