Like a drop sliding quietly across the surface of a leaf, Lin Mo Chen felt his consciousness return, at first slowly, then all at once.
His eyes opened only halfway, and a single question surfaced in his mind. Didn't I die? I'm sure I did something stupid. When he finally managed to focus, his thoughts stalled.
Jerking upright, he gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his body. "What the hell... where am I?!" Only white stretched before him.
Behind him, in front of him, to either side—nothing. There was absolutely nothing. The place reminded him of those padded rooms for the insane from his past life.
"Agh!" He grabbed his head, wincing as a sharp pain shot through him. Completely lost and with no information, the only thing he knew was that he had to stay calm. I can't make the same mistake and go crazy again.
Lin Mo Chen inhaled slowly, "Hhh..." and exhaled calmly, "Hoo..." forcing his thoughts to settle.
Finally calming down, he dropped to the floor and analyzed the place. Alright, time to use my brain for once. Endless white space and I'm trapped in it... obviously it's that black stone. He frowned and tilted his head.
Every possible explanation ran through his mind. An inheritance? An ancestral prison? Please let it be the first one and not a dragon with anger issues.
Seeing that nothing was happening, he decided staying still would be stupid, and started walking aimlessly, hoping to find something.
__________________________________
Lin Mo Chen dragged his feet as he walked, a drowsy expression on his face. He walked until his feet stopped hurting, then until he stopped counting steps. He wasn't thirsty or hungry. Any hope of seeing something died within the first hour. Now he just wanted to sleep, but he couldn't even do that.
It was a strange place. No matter how far he walked, he felt like he wasn't moving from the same spot. His footsteps made no echo, and he felt like he was in a dream.
His body refused to rest. A stifled sigh escaped Lin Mo Chen. Resigned, he threw himself to the ground again, staring at what should have been the sky but was now an endless white ceiling.
I'm going to die here... no. Wait, am I already dead? Maybe he had gone crazy again, because as he muttered he thought he heard something in this empty place.
A dry laugh left him as he shook his head slowly.
"Hahaha, now I'm hearing voices. What's next, is the system going to activate?"
"Voices?... what an absurd way to put it. And yet you choose to ignore me... ungrateful brat." A burning, calm voice, like the toll of a hollow bell, resonated in Lin Mo Chen's mind.
Depressed as it was, Lin Mo Chen's expression vanished instantly, replaced by pure panic. "Who's there?!" he shouted, jumping up and dropping into a tense defensive stance.
"...What do you think you're doing, child? Are you out of your mind?" The voice sounded again. This time Lin Mo Chen could hear it clearly.
"Where are you looking? I'm over here." Turning his head to the left, Lin Mo Chen followed the source of the voice, only to freeze in astonishment.
Suddenly, the emptiness of the white space vibrated. A crimson flame tore through the stillness and, before Lin Mo Chen's astonished eyes, began to take shape.
A young-looking man with long red hair, a mocking smile, and a piercing gaze appeared out of nowhere in front of Lin Mo Chen, looking at him like he was some kind of exotic animal.
"To be honest, kid, we're even, aren't we?" he said shamelessly. "After all, even though I took a month of your cultivation, I saved your life. I'd say that's more than fair."
Lin Mo Chen was confused and thoughtful, but hearing that last part, his face filled with anger. "So it was your fault I thought I was crippled!" For a moment he had the urge to attack the red-haired man. In the end, reason stopped him.
"Haha, kid, you don't have to be mad, right? I only took a month of your Huan Qi." The young man smiled at the angry Lin Mo Chen.
Lin Mo Chen's lips tightened and a mocking expression crossed his face. Holding back his anger, he said, "I guess you were inside that black rock, so you must know you're the reason I'm in this mess, right?"
"Kid, it's not my fault you're so reckless, I'm serious. I've never seen someone go crazy from not being able to cultivate for a month."
Lin Mo Chen frowned, but his rising anger began to cool. He knew getting angry at this strange man wasn't a good idea. At least he didn't try to steal my body! he thought, relieved.
And now that I know I'm not crippled, I can go back to my plan of cultivating in peace!
After shaking his head a few times, Lin Mo Chen let out a long sigh and said, "You have no idea how hard it was for me to get those pills. I was counting on that month so I wouldn't get sent off to some village to rot in silence."
"...Kid, even with those pills you wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I don't know if you know, but your talent is terrible." Hearing that, Lin Mo Chen's face twitched. That was something he knew all too well.
"Yeah, I know that, but aside from cultivating quietly and waiting for some side character to kill me, I don't have any other plans."
One of the red-haired man's eyebrows rose. "You use the strangest words, kid." Looking at Lin Mo Chen, he seemed to consider something.
"Alright, kid, since you selflessly helped me wake up by giving me your Huan Qi, I'll help you a little." Hearing those words, Lin Mo Chen's body tensed.
The possibility of something like this happening was exactly why he wanted to leave as fast as possible. Ha! This grandpa in the rock wants to help me? I know exactly how this ends!
"I don't think you need to help me, my talent is so bad you'd just be wasting your time." He tried to sound as humble and unmotivated as possible.
"HA, HA, HA! Your talent is definitely nothing to brag about." Pausing, the man spoke again. "But my method doesn't require great talent. You already have two of the requirements. Your soul is unusually strong for someone your age, and you have a stubborn personality, one that refuses to accept a loss."
Lin Mo Chen blinked in surprise. A stubborn person? Me? Since when?! Without giving him time to refuse, the red-haired man kept talking.
"Alright, kid, the decision is made. I'll help you reach rank 9 of Ling Qi in one year. It'll be an interesting experiment." Lin Mo Chen was seriously considering accepting the offer, at least until he heard the last part.
"No, thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll manage on my own, I'm sure I'll figure something out." Seeing Lin Mo Chen's desperate refusal, the red-haired man stared at him intently.
The man's gaze made Lin Mo Chen very nervous. His brain was racing for a way to escape this plot, at least until he heard the words spoken with a melancholic depth.
"Kid... I watched you for this whole month. Although it looks like you cultivate diligently, there's really no ambition behind it. Don't you want to be strong? Don't you want others to respect you? What do you actually hope for, cultivating so hard even though you know your limits?"
Even though Lin Mo Chen knew it could be a trap, that didn't stop his heart from beating faster.
"You're a strange kid. It won't be selfless, I need your help with something too." A cruel, treacherous smile formed on his face, but as soon as it appeared, it vanished. The man reflected for an instant before asking reluctantly,
"Tell me, kid... have you ever tried to absorb the Huan Qi from a spiritual beast core?"