On the fourth day after the arena match, the Sky-Pillar Airship's entertainment halls were unusually quiet, while the residential quarters echoed with the shouts of people training. Since agreeing to Lu Chen's request, the disciples of Serene Void Academy had started diligently practicing, hardly taking any breaks. Meanwhile, Lu Chen remained unconscious. He lay on the bed in the courtyard, with Nantian Wan'er sitting quietly by his side. Suddenly, his breathing grew heavy, and his chest started heaving violently. His hands flailed in the air as cold sweat beaded across his forehead. Hoarse mutters slipped from his lips: "Kill... kill... kill, run... run..." Startled, Nantian Wan'er instantly caught his hand. "Lu-gege, are you awake?" But as soon as she looked closer, she realized he was trapped in another nightmare. "Another nightmare... When will Lu-gege finally wake up?" she murmured. She gently patted him, pouring her familiar aura into him to soothe his unrest. Yet his lips continued to murmur, "Run... run..." Nantian Wan'er quickly dampened a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Didn't they say a good night's sleep would help? It's already been four days. Why hasn't he woken yet?" Wind Dragon gazed at Lu Chen and let out a weary sigh. "His body has already healed. It's not his flesh keeping him asleep. It's his heart. He would rather drown in dreams than face the truth of his village's slaughter. "He's only eighteen. The massacre of his entire village carved too deep a scar. Even during the Beast King's inheritance trial, this very trauma dragged him into the illusion. "His obsession runs too deep. The cultivator leader may have been slain, but the faction behind the massacre remains hidden. That is the true culprit." Hovering at the bedside, Wind Dragon released the Ice-Heart Command to calm Lu Chen's spirit. "Until he finds the real culprit, the destruction of Greenheaven Village and the capture of his grandfather will remain the nightmare that binds him." Nantian Wan'er patted Lu Chen's hand softly. "Then what should we do? He can't go on . We'll be arriving at the Heavenly Mandate Hall tomorrow." Wind Dragon pondered for a moment before turning to her. "There may be a way. Since the two of you are linked, enter his mind again and call him back. That was how you woke him last time." Nantian Wan'er nodded. "I'll give it a try." She then proceeded to link her consciousness with Lu Chen's mind. She landed upon the lone island in his sea of consciousness, where Lu Chen's Divine Psyche Incarnation sat trembling outside the divine chamber, his face pale with pain. The tide of spirit liquid surged restlessly, battering against the solitary island. "Lu-gege..." Nantian Wan'er whispered. She drew closer, reciting the Ice-Heart Command. A wave of cold energy swept through his mind, calming the turbulent waters. His Divine Psyche Incarnation stirred at her voice, and he slowly opened his eyes. "Wan'er? Why are you here? I think... I was dreaming. So many things happened in it." The moment his eyes opened, Nantian Wan'er rushed forward and embraced him tightly. "Lu-gege, it's wonderful you're awake! Let's talk once we're out." "Alright. We'll talk later." Lu Chen's Divine Psyche Incarnation pressed his palms against the divine chamber. His eyes opened in the waking world. Wind Dragon finally relaxed. "He's awake at last. So this symbiosis does have its benefits." Nantian Wan'er opened her eyes as well, smiling in relief. "Lu-gege, rest a bit. I'll fetch some water for you." "Wan'er, that's not necessary." Lu Chen sat up slowly, leaning against the bed. "Don't forget—we're cultivators. We can cleanse impurities with spirit qi." "Lie back down," she insisted, wooden bucket in hand. "I'll get some water. You should freshen up properly." Lu Chen gave in with a helpless smile. "Fine. Just be careful." "Got it," Nantian Wan'er fetched water, dampened a cloth, and carefully wiped the sweat from his body. Watching her tend to him, Lu Chen scratched his head awkwardly. "Wan'er, why are you so good to me? The only time I've seen this before was Auntie Wang taking care of Uncle Wang after he was injured hunting." Her cheeks flushed at his words. "Ah... Lu-gege, what nonsense are you saying?" "But it's true! Even in the Beast King's illusion realm, the Wan'er there often cleaned me ." Lu Chen scratched his head in confusion. "I remember Grandpa saying this was something only a wife would do. But before he could explain what a wife was, those cultivators took him away." Her face turned scarlet, and she quickly lowered her head, changing the subject. "Anyway... Lu-gege, didn't you say you were dreaming? What exactly did you dream of?" Lu Chen's eyes lit up at the thought. "Oh, right, my dream. I haven't told you yet. In my dream, there was a great battle. My small world, my Heavenly Pool, and even my sea of consciousness changed. I almost died in there!" Wind Dragon flapped into the air and plopped squarely on Lu Chen's head. He cried out, "Idiot! You're an idiot!" Wind Dragon smothered Lu Chen's face, and he gasped for air, "Cough, cough." He tugged desperately at the dragon. "Stupid dragon, get off me, I can't breathe!" Watching him struggle, Nantian Wan'er laughed softly. "Lu-gege, why don't you check your small world and Heavenly Pool first? You've been asleep for four days already." "Four days? No way!" Lu Chen's eyes widened. "Didn't the arena match just end?" With a flick of his tail, Wind Dragon swept them both into Lu Chen's small world. "Idiot! Look for yourself!" Beneath the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er stood stunned at the changes around them. "So... none of it was a dream? It really happened?" Connecting his consciousness to the small world, Lu Chen soared high into the sky and looked down. The space was steadily expanding with every passing moment. The spirit qi inside had grown nearly a hundredfold denser, and even the flow of time now ran more than four times faster than before. Apart from the herb fields, the Beast King Manor, the Tower of Time, and the first peak of the Thirty-Three Mountains that had just been unlocked, the rest of the small world was still shrouded in mist, gray and indistinct. The herb fields, Beast King Manor, and the Thirty-Three Mountains formed the vertices of a triangle, enclosing the central core. Around them, the five elemental craters continued to revolve, while the Tower of Time drifted freely within the heart of the realm. Through the rift of the imperial city, Lu Chen gazed toward the Heavenly Pool. The turbulence within had finally settled, and the pool itself was evolving into a world of its own. Its size had already doubled from before. He withdrew his consciousness with a long sigh. "To think it would end up ... what a dreamlike turn of events." In the next instant, his aura suddenly surged in a violent burst. His cultivation leapt from the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm straight to the fifth. "Hm? It even boosts my cultivation?" Lu Chen stretched out an arm, testing his newfound strength as his bones crackled in response. "But for such a great opportunity, why only five levels?" "What do you mean only five levels? Do you think breakthroughs come so easily?" Wind Dragon swung his tail and smacked the back of Lu Chen's head. "Once a cultivator steps into the Qi Regulation Realm and begins refining spirit qi, every stage requires ten times the accumulation of the one before it just to reach the barrier of the next. "In this age of dwindling spirit qi, what you gained in a single sleep would take an ordinary cultivator at least two hundred years of hard training. And you still complain?" "Alright, alright, I get it." Lu Chen rubbed the back of his head and strolled around the core region. "I was just saying. Who in their right mind would complain about advancing cultivation?" Wind Dragon plopped onto his head with a snort. "If you want to advance faster, then quit whining and start training! You're always grumbling about something." Lu Chen steadied the little dragon with his hand, then clenched his fists. "Fine, fine! Since fortune has fallen into my lap, I'll keep pushing forward. Let's aim to find the Sea-Suppressing Magnetstone within two months." "Lu-gege, what should we do now? Can we begin cultivating in this small world?" Nantian Wan'er turned to him, seeking his guidance. "I tried cultivating once inside the illusion realm, but all I could manage was releasing spiritual energy externally. "I've been plagued by cold poison since childhood, and I never studied martial arts or spell techniques. But now that the small world has been strengthened, ten days of training here equal just one hour outside." Her voice softened, her gaze lingering on him. "With the spirit qi so dense here, I'd like to seize this chance to train. Otherwise, if danger comes in the future, I'll have no way to protect myself." Lu Chen nodded at once. "Of course. I also need to get familiar with the small world. Let's spend some time cultivating here." With a wave of his hand, he summoned the collection of manuals stored within the small world. "By the way, Wan'er, did Grandpa Xiu ever teach you a cultivation method?" Check latest chapters at novel(ꜰ)ire.net Nantian Wan'er nodded. "Grandpa passed down the Nantian Mantra. It's our family's heirloom method, more than enough for me to use." "Oh? In that case, good." Lu Chen opened the shelves and began flipping through the martial manuals. "You'll need movement arts as well. I'll find some techniques suited for the Qi Regulation Realm." He combed carefully through the rows, picking out manuals based on her physique. After some time, he finally set aside several movement arts that seemed well-suited for her to learn.