OFTLHFRO C187
by berryChapter 187: A Whole New Line of Thinking
Breathing inside the space made Huo Yan feel incredibly comfortable. Even his internal energy began growing on its own.
Luo Mingchen found a place to sit, closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and quietly tried to comprehend the changes.
Meanwhile, Huo Yan observed the glowing diamond-shaped crystal suspended in the sky.
If his guess was correct—that this place had changed because of accumulated merit—then perhaps that crystal was what kept track of it.
Seeing that Luo Mingchen wouldn’t be finished anytime soon, Huo Yan picked up a hoe and dug up the medicinal herbs. Then he grabbed a sickle to harvest the rice before placing a large bamboo basket beneath the fruit trees to collect the fruit he picked.
What Luo Mingchen sensed was still the five elemental energies. There was nothing particularly unusual about them.
Yet the space had changed so dramatically that he couldn’t simply ignore it.
He could only continue trying to understand it, allowing his consciousness to merge with everything around him.
His breathing and heartbeat gradually slowed to an almost imperceptible pace.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
He simply searched little by little.
After an unknown amount of time…
The five elemental energies suddenly vanished.
In their place appeared something he had never encountered before—
A kind of qi.
It was ethereal…
Yet undeniably real.
Afterward, everything inside the space became astonishingly clear.
It wasn’t the same as seeing things through his perception ability.
Instead…
Luo Mingchen felt as though he had become a blade of grass, a gust of wind, or even a single speck of dust.
He watched Huo Yan working.
Then transformed into a gentle breeze that lightly brushed past him.
Huo Yan seemed to sense something.
He looked up instinctively before returning to his work in confusion.
Luo Mingchen circled around him several times before wandering elsewhere.
Everything inside the space seemed to be completely under his control.
With that thought, he decided to see what lay beyond the boundary.
It had merely been an experiment.
To his surprise…
He actually crossed over.
Beyond the border was exactly what he had imagined.
Mountains.
Rivers.
Flying birds.
Wild beasts.
Along with countless strange mutated plants and magical creatures.
It truly was a vast hidden paradise.
Before he could finish marveling at it—
A terrifying force suddenly seized him and dragged him somewhere else.
His surroundings resembled the inside of a crystal, with countless faceted surfaces reflecting pale light.
Here…
He seemed to possess a physical body.
Looking down at his own hands, Luo Mingchen couldn’t tell whether his entire body had entered this place…
Or if only his consciousness had.
There was no exit.
Only dense, overwhelming energy.
Staring at the crystal walls around him, a frightening possibility occurred to him.
Don’t tell me…
I’m inside that gray-and-white diamond-shaped crystal?
Unable to find any way out, he tried absorbing the energy around him.
To his surprise…
It actually worked.
Maybe once I absorb it all, I’ll be able to leave?
Whether that was true or not…
It was the only thing he could do.
Certainly better than sitting around waiting.
The problem was…
The energy here seemed endless.
After organizing everything in the storage area, Huo Yan returned to Luo Mingchen’s side.
He noticed Luo Mingchen’s brows tightly furrowed, sweat covering his forehead.
After hesitating for a moment, he gently patted his shoulder.
No response.
“Mingchen?”
Still nothing.
Looking up at the crystal floating in midair, Huo Yan noticed that it seemed considerably brighter than before.
After pondering for a while, he sat opposite Luo Mingchen, took his hand, and attempted to sense the world Luo Mingchen had once described.
Luo Mingchen had once told him that if one concentrated enough, they could enter a mysterious state—
As though becoming one with the surrounding world.
A state that also allowed one to look inward.
Huo Yan had already reached the stage where he could observe his own body internally.
So…
He decided to take advantage of the unique nature of this space and give it a try.
Inside the crystal, Luo Mingchen was still worrying about how to escape.
When he turned around…
He saw Huo Yan.
The two stared at one another.
Luo Mingchen froze.
Then asked nervously,
“How did you get in here too?”
Huo Yan looked at his own hands and pinched himself experimentally.
There was no pain whatsoever.
Which meant…
This body wasn’t real.
It merely looked that way.
“I saw that you seemed anxious, though I didn’t know why.”
“So I tried concentrating.”
“The next thing I knew, I was here.”
Luo Mingchen twitched helplessly.
“I’ve been searching for an exit forever and can’t find one.”
“I can’t even absorb all the energy here.”
“We’re probably going to starve to death trapped inside.”
After observing their surroundings for a while, Huo Yan said,
“Mingchen…”
“Can’t you subdue it?”
“Subdue it?”
Luo Mingchen blanked for a moment.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
“That’s right!”
“I’m trying to completely understand the space.”
“I’m not trying to absorb all the energy here!”
His entire way of thinking instantly changed.
Instead of absorbing energy…
He began attempting to establish a connection with the crystal itself.
Huo Yan found the current situation strangely reminiscent of ghost stories where wandering souls floated about.
Since Luo Mingchen had said the energy here could be absorbed…
He decided to try a little himself.
At first, it was merely an experiment.
Unexpectedly…
The moment he opened that pathway—
Endless energy flooded into him.
His entire body seemed to ignite.
Yet he felt no pain whatsoever.
Instead, he stared quietly at the blazing flames that had suddenly erupted around him.
At last…
Luo Mingchen successfully merged the diamond-shaped crystal into his own crystal core.
The instant he opened his eyes, his face filled with delight—
Only for it to become pure horror when he saw the man sitting opposite him.
“Huo Yan!”
He shouted and instinctively reached out.
The heat immediately burned his hand.
Without thinking, he dumped a massive amount of water over Huo Yan.
Instead of extinguishing the flames…
They flared even higher.
The temperature rose dramatically.
Hearing his voice, Huo Yan slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the flames covering his body, he paused.
“Are…”
“Are you alright?”
Seeing Huo Yan engulfed in fire while both his skin and clothes remained completely unharmed…
Luo Mingchen’s mind went blank.
Huo Yan withdrew all the flames before replying,
“I’m fine.”
Only after the fire disappeared did Luo Mingchen hurry closer.
“What exactly happened?”
“Did you awaken an ability?”
Huo Yan extended one hand.
A large mass of flames burst into existence above his palm.
“I don’t think it’s an ability.”
“Really? Let me see.”
As he spoke, Luo Mingchen grabbed Huo Yan’s other hand.
After examining him…
He became even more confused.
Huo Yan’s condition wasn’t the same as Lan Yiheng’s or Lan Fei’s.
His internal energy was still stored in his lower dantian, and there was nothing unusual in his upper dantian.
However…
There was now an additional crimson-red cluster of energy inside the lower dantian.
It was denser than a cloud.
If he had to describe it…
It looked rather like a fluffy marshmallow.
Seeing Luo Mingchen’s conflicted expression, Huo Yan dismissed the flames.
“How are you?”
“I merged that crystal into my own crystal core.”
Luo Mingchen looked upward.
The crystal floating in the sky had indeed become nothing more than a phantom.
Only then did he continue,
“The entire space is now under my control.”
“But certain conditions still need to be met before I can enter the other side.”
“I took a look over there.”
“It’s enormous.”
“There are countless rare beasts and extraordinary creatures.”
“That’s good.”
Huo Yan wanted to test his newfound strength.
“Mingchen.”
“Let’s go outside the city.”
Knowing exactly what he intended, Luo Mingchen nodded.
The two left the space together.
Although they had spent what felt like a very long time inside…
Only a single hour had passed outside.
Thankfully.
“Yuhui.”
“We’re heading outside the city.”
“If we’re not back by dinner, go ahead and eat without waiting for us.”
Hearing Luo Mingchen’s words, Huo Yuhui nodded.
“Alright.”
“Please be careful, Fathers.”
“We will.”
The couple left in a hurry.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Huo Yuhui simply returned to practicing his calligraphy.
There were countless foreign languages beyond Han City.
The more he learned…
The more useful skills he’d possess in the future.
Huo Xiang looked puzzled.
“Brother…”
“What are our fathers going out for?”
Huo Yuhui answered calmly,
“Probably just taking a walk.”
“Staying in the courtyard all day gets boring.”
After understanding, Huo Xiang looked at his older brother…
Then at his younger sister.
Why…
Was he the only one who thought studying and practicing calligraphy was torture?