Shi Yan sat where he was, his expression grim, silently gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without a word.

Yi Tianmo, Ye Changfeng, and the others fanned out, quietly observing him, their faces revealing a multitude of emotions.

Ye Changfeng, Lin Yaqi, Cao Zhilan, and Xia Shenchuan all shared looks tinged with regret and disappointment, as if they believed Shi Yan had plummeted from a divine height into an abyss, one that would leave him permanently crippled and unable to advance his cultivation further.

Xia Xinyan’s beautiful face was calm, but her heart was in turmoil; she couldn't bear to imagine what would become of Shi Yan if he failed to consolidate his vital essence. Given Shi Yan’s inherent arrogance, transforming instantly into a mere mortal—with all his strength vanished—she doubted he could endure it.

Yi Tianmo, Kaba, and Zha Meng were even more tense. They had sworn fealty to Shi Yan as their master, staking the future of the Yin Mei clan on him; if Shi Yan became mortal, it would be a severe blow to them as well.

Under everyone’s gaze, Shi Yan, his face dark, closed his eyes and secretly tried to draw in the world’s spiritual energy.

The Black Kui Lotus tattoo on his chest naturally activated, drawing in the surrounding diffused energy. Under the tattoo’s influence, wisps of spiritual energy seeped into his chest, were refined slightly by the Black Kui Lotus, and then guided by his will along his meridians toward the ball of nascent essence located in his lower abdomen.

The original nascent essence, which had been a swirling vortex the size of a fist, was where he now submerged his consciousness. Shi Yan discovered it was utterly hollow—devoid of any vital essence, and even the miraculous ancient essence tree was gone, leaving only nothingness.

Threads of refined spiritual energy were poured into the vortex. As the vortex spun, it attempted to convert and condense the energy into true nascent essence. In previous cultivation sessions, he would first gather the spiritual energy, which would then be purified and condensed by the vortex in his lower abdomen, transforming large amounts of ambient energy into faint vital essence. This essence would then sink into the heart of the vortex, gathering in the nascent essence pool.

However, this time it was different.

As the ambient energy was injected, the vortex began to spin rapidly, but after a short while, the spiritual energy that had entered it simply vanished during the rotation, seemingly flung out by the centrifugal force. It slipped out through the pores in his lower abdomen, failing to be refined into pure, usable vital essence by the vortex.

Shi Yan’s face grew grim, but unwilling to quit, he continued to condense more spiritual energy.

The result was the same.

Once the gathered spiritual energy was injected into the vortex, the vortex would soon spin it out of his body. When the spiritual energy disappeared, the vortex itself would cease moving, settling into a stagnant pool with no sign of life.

His heart sank to the very bottom; Shi Yan’s expression grew increasingly bleak.

Yi Tianmo and the others, watching him secretly, tracked the changes in his expression and felt their own spirits grow heavy, beginning to worry if he could withstand such a devastating blow.

“It seems this mutation of your Martial Spirit has directly prevented you from re-condensing your vital essence,” Ye Changfeng sighed softly, a hint of pity in his voice. “Without vital essence, one cannot be called a martial practitioner. What a pity…”

Cao Zhilan’s beautiful face shifted subtly; her gaze, fixed deeply on Shi Yan, was complex. After a long moment, she resolved in her mind that it was time to distance herself from him. Her prior favorable feelings and faint affection for Shi Yan were now ruthlessly suppressed by cold reason due to the sudden turn in his condition.

What a shame… Cao Zhilan thought inwardly, her brow furrowed. Reason dictated that betting the happiness of her entire life on the current Shi Yan was clearly an unwise choice. She instinctively planned to abandon Shi Yan, to abandon her initial choice.

Xia Shenchuan was also deeply frustrated, holding much the same view as Cao Zhilan. He had regarded Shi Yan as the future head of the Yang Family, perhaps even someone who could one day surpass Yang Qingdi to become the most dazzling powerhouse in the Endless Sea. He believed Shi Yan could help the Xia Family regain its former glory. Alas, all these hopes had become phantoms in the water because of Shi Yan’s bodily anomaly, making them seem increasingly unrealistic.

Yet, he differed from Cao Zhilan. Seeing Shi Yan gravely wounded, for various reasons, he did not consider pulling away. He only lamented the change in Shi Yan and wished to offer comfort, hoping Shi Yan wouldn't be utterly broken by this event.

“It’s alright…” Xia Xinyan’s smile remained, and she spoke softly to Shi Yan, “I believe you are capable of recovering. At worst, you should still have a chance to start over…” Although Shi Yan’s expression was somewhat stiff, her words stirred something within him, and a sliver of hope resurfaced.

Yes, if necessary, I’ll just start over! He recalled that when he first arrived here, this body was ordinary. It was only because of the mysterious Martial Spirit that he possessed a trace of vital essence, but through his own effort and the Martial Spirit’s aid, he had rapidly reached the peak of his current realm. Now, even if he couldn't gather essence, he still had the negative energies within his acupoints. His Sea of Consciousness was formed, his body contained many mysteries, and his ring held the Profound Ice Cold Flame and the Ten Thousand Year Earth Core Fire, not to mention the tightly sealed Nine Nether Soul Devouring Flame. All of these could provide him with supplementary power; if used well, he might not be worse off than before. Furthermore, the inability to gather essence might not be an absolute terminal illness.

He vaguely suspected that this failure to re-condense essence was only temporary, perhaps linked to the Martial Spirit’s mutation. Once the mutation concluded, everything might return to normal.

“I’m fine. I will look into this carefully; perhaps there is a solution.” A stream of thoughts flashed through his mind. Shi Yan managed a strained smile, maintaining a relatively calm demeanor. “I might just need some time.”

“Mm, I believe you can certainly recover,” Xia Xinyan replied with a slight smile.

“Good luck to you,” Ye Changfeng murmured, shaking his head slightly. He looked at Shi Yan with an odd, meaningful expression. “Changes caused by Martial Spirit mutations are usually very difficult to reverse; I want to give you fair warning to prepare yourself mentally. Also, if you want a solution, perhaps… you could start by examining your right arm. That might be the breakthrough point.”

Shi Yan frowned but offered no reply.

“You probably aren’t in the mood for company today,” Ye Changfeng said lightly, offering a faint smile. “I won’t disturb you further. We’ll go out for a casual stroll. There’s an auction happening at the Lingbao Cave Heaven today, and I need to pick up a few things, so I’ll take my leave first.”

After a pause, Ye Changfeng added, “I was hoping to stay here tonight; is that convenient?”

“Suit yourself,” Shi Yan replied indifferently. “There are plenty of houses here; two more people won’t make a difference if you want to come.”

“Very well,” Ye Changfeng nodded. He signaled to Lin Yaqi, and the two departed together.

“Shi Yan, can you remove the restriction on my soul?” At that moment, Cao Zhilan, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up with a smile. “I can make the decision right now to cede the five islands held by our Cao family as the ransom for my freedom. Do you think that’s feasible?” As she spoke, the Phantom Void Ring on Cao Zhilan’s hand flashed slightly, and a stack of official documents appeared in her fair, jade-like hand.

Cao Zhilan’s smile remained breathtaking, but there was something missing in her bearing. She handed the documents to Shi Yan, then smoothly withdrew her hand, stating calmly, “There are mines on all five islands, and the spiritual energy is excellent—no less valuable than the islands Gu Xiao and the others offered. What do you think?”

From Cao Zhilan’s tone and attitude, Shi Yan clearly sensed a thread of unfamiliar detachment. He scoffed internally but didn’t really care, examining the documents seriously. “Fine,” he said coldly.

With that concluded, Shi Yan looked at Yi Tianmo with a complicated expression and suddenly asked, “Can I still make demands of you?”

The three, Yi Tianmo included, straightened up, nodding solemnly. They hadn't allowed Shi Yan’s physical condition to alter their attitude in the slightest. Shi Yan felt a measure of relief and mocked lightly, “To release her soul restriction and restore her free will—in my current state, I can hardly afford to keep such a powerful servant.”

Cao Zhilan’s long eyelashes fluttered. She looked at Shi Yan with a complex expression, then let out a low sigh after a long moment. “Shi Yan, although our relationship is unlikely now, I must say that in my entire life, you are truly the only man who has ever made my heart truly stir. It is a pity that fate has not seen fit for us to be together.”

The three subordinates lowered their heads, simultaneously sending their souls into her mind domain. In an instant, Cao Zhilan’s mind jolted, and she immediately felt the shackles on her soul break, granting her immense lightness.

“I hope you don’t fall completely. Take care of yourself,” Cao Zhilan looked deeply at Shi Yan, sighed mournfully, and then departed with ethereal grace.

Shi Yan’s mouth twitched into a cynical sneer, and he said nothing more.

“That woman is certainly opportunistic, but she is also very direct and efficient. Once she realized things were impossible, she immediately severed sentimentality to keep herself from grieving,” Xia Shenchuan watched her retreating figure, fell silent for a moment, and then remarked, “To be so rational at such a young age, this girl is not to be underestimated in the future. Though I don’t particularly like her, I must admit she is certainly not easy to deal with.”

“That’s normal,” Shi Yan replied calmly, smiling. “Women from powerful families are steeped in various power struggles from childhood; they have no sense of security. She is also highly ambitious, naturally requiring a pillar to support that ambition. The moment she discovered I couldn’t provide what she desired, she left decisively. I actually admire that point of hers.”

“Don’t you feel even a little resentment?” Xia Xinyan asked, somewhat surprised.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced something like this; I’ve come to terms with it now,” Shi Yan said with a faint smile. “Not only have I accepted it, but I also understand her. People pursue their own paths, and choosing a man for a better future is not wrong. As long as she doesn't kick me while I’m down or try to use my current situation for petty schemes, I won’t be dissatisfied.”

“You truly take things in stride,” Xia Shenchuan expressed his astonishment. “Seeing you so rational and not completely broken, I can finally relax.”

“It’s only a temporary inability to gather vital essence; it’s not like I’m dying, so there’s no need to be suicidal,” Shi Yan grinned. “Even without usable vital essence, it wouldn’t be guaranteed that a martial artist of the same realm could kill me.”

Xia Shenchuan looked astonished.

PS: Third update for Qixi Festival! Vote for me!