The vast ocean of cultivation techniques and fragmented memories, once a raging torrent in Lin Ying's mind, finally settled into a calm sea. As the last piece of information was imprinted, Lin Ying's eyes snapped open. Her face, once drained of color from the agonizing process, now glowed with a soft, radiant light. Her gaze was clear, her spirit brimming with vitality.
"Wow..." she exhaled a long, amazed breath. "These techniques are so intricate! Controlling spirit beasts, strengthening the soul, and so many spells I've never even seen before!"
She looked up at the now-fading projection of the Green Lotus Matriarch, her large eyes sparkling with excitement. "Matriarch, are you... are you going to teach me all of these?"
The Matriarch's remnant soul let out a light laugh, though her form flickered weakly. "Silly child, if I did not intend to pass them on, why would I have expended the last of my soul power to impart my life's work to you?"
She sighed, her tone carrying boundless hope and a touch of finality. "You possess the Innate Beast Taming Constitution—you are the perfect heir to continue the legacy of my Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. I pray you use this gift well, to let our sect's arts flourish once more. Do not let this ten-thousand-year heritage end with us."
"Mm! I'll remember!" Lin Ying nodded vigorously, her expression solemn.
"Good. Now, time is short." The Matriarch's gaze shifted to the massive Sect Master's throne. "Press the small, round orb on the right armrest."
Lin Ying did as instructed, standing on her tiptoes to feel around the stone armrest. She soon found the seamless, rounded protrusion and pressed down firmly.
Click.
A crisp, mechanical sound echoed. Immediately, the entire throne began to rumble, slowly descending into the floor! As it sank, the seamless stone wall behind it slid apart, revealing a dark, descending staircase.
"Go down," the Matriarch's voice came from above. "At the end of the stairs is a hidden chamber. Inside, you will find two spatial rings, large enough to contain everything within."
Her heart racing with curiosity, Lin Ying carefully descended the stairs, followed by Big White, Little Black, and the rest of her spirit beast entourage. The staircase was short, ending at a slightly ajar stone door. She pushed it open, and the sight that greeted her made her gasp.
The chamber was not large, but it was packed to the brim with dazzling treasures! In one corner, piles of Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones emitted a radiant, multicolored glow, their spiritual energy so dense it was almost tangible. Shelves were crammed with countless jade slips, pill bottles, and ancient texts. On the walls hung several magnificent magical artifacts, their spiritual auras still potent despite the passage of time.
In the very center of the room, atop a simple stone table, rested an exquisite jade box carved with lotus patterns.
Lin Ying rushed forward and opened the box. Inside, nestled on soft silk, were two rings. One was pure silver, its surface set with an icy-blue gem that emanated a faint chill. The other was a deep, imperial purple-gold, intricately carved with the lifelike image of a miniature nine-tailed fox, its eyes tiny, gleaming rubies.
"They're so beautiful!" Lin Ying marveled, picking up the silver ring. She channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it.
The moment her divine sense entered the ring, her jaw dropped.
The spatial void inside was unimaginably vast—easily as large as the main hall upstairs! And it wasn't just large; the space was incredibly stable, saturated with spiritual energy, far surpassing any ordinary storage artifact.
She tried the purple-gold ring next. Its space was just as enormous, perhaps even larger than the silver one!
"Oh my gosh... I could fit so much yummy food and treasure in these!" The little girl's priorities were as practical as ever. Beaming, she slipped the rings onto her fingers and got to work.
"Take it! Take it all!"
With a wave of her hand, the Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones, the pill bottles and jade slips, the rare materials, the glowing artifacts—everything in the chamber was sucked into the two rings like a whale drinking the ocean. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the once-packed vault was stripped bare, not a single speck of dust remaining.
Satisfied, Lin Ying patted her hands together and led her beastly army back up the stairs, emerging once more into the great hall.
The Green Lotus Matriarch's projection hovered in the air, now so faint and translucent it seemed a mere breath could scatter her. She watched Lin Ying's return, her gaze lingering on the girl before a slight frown touched her ethereal features.
"You, little one..." the Matriarch's voice held a mix of amusement and exasperation. "What a waste of that one-in-a-million constitution. The beasts at your side are all at the Nascent Soul stage at the very least, with the strongest rivaling a Soul Formation cultivator. And yet you, their master... have not even reached the Soul Formation realm yourself?"
She shook her head, a trace of helplessness in her fading form. "What would people say if they knew? That the Holy Maiden of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has such paltry cultivation? It is an embarrassment."
Lin Ying's cheeks flushed. "I... I spend a lot of time eating and playing... I guess I have been a little lazy with my training..."
"Enough." The Matriarch sighed deeply, her form wavering. "This remnant of my soul is at its end. Rather than let my remaining power vanish with me... I shall give it all to you."
She looked at Lin Ying, her gaze softer and more serious than ever before. "Come here, child."
Lin Ying obediently walked to stand beneath the projection.
"Sit. Cross your legs, clear your mind of all distraction." The Matriarch's voice became solemn, ancient. "Relax your body and spirit. Do not resist. Open your sea of consciousness and your dantian... and accept this, my final gift."
Though she didn't fully understand, Lin Ying could feel the Matriarch's pure, selfless intent. She sat as instructed, closed her eyes, and focused on calming herself.
The Matriarch's projection slowly descended, coming to a stop three feet above Lin Ying's head. She raised a translucent hand and gently placed it upon the girl's crown.
The moment that ethereal touch made contact—
BOOM—!!!
The entire hall shook violently! The Matriarch's form erupted with a brilliance that dwarfed all previous light. Countless profound, golden runes surged from her being, transforming into a golden torrent that flowed down her arm and poured directly into the top of Lin Ying's head!
"Ugh—!" Lin Ying grunted as a wave of impossibly pure, vast, and warm energy flooded her being. It was a true baptism of power, rushing through her meridians, her limbs, her very core. Her cultivation base skyrocketed at a terrifying, unprecedented rate.
Mid-Golden Core... Peak Golden Core... Early Nascent Soul... Peak Nascent Soul... It didn't stop until it stabilized firmly at the Late Soul Formation stage.
Above her, the Green Lotus Matriarch's projection was vanishing rapidly. Yet her voice rang clear and firm within Lin Ying's mind, filled with fondness, contentment, and endless blessing:
"The Immortal touches my crown, bestowing the gift of eternal life..."
"Little one, the future of this realm, the legacy of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect... and so much more... I leave it all in your hands."
Her voice faded. Her light vanished.
Alone in the great hall, Lin Ying sat encased within a thick, golden cocoon of light, her aura undergoing a terrifying, heaven-defying metamorphosis.