The Xie family hut was quiet, wrapped in the heavy silence of the night. Mingzhi sat cross-legged on his bed, the door barred tight against the world.

  In his hand, the black wooden necklace pulsed with a soft, steady rhythm, like a sleeping heart.

  Mingzhi stared at it, his expression grave. The playful mood from the riverbank had evaporated the moment he closed his door. Rou’s innocent question—“Could it be related?”—echoed in his mind like a warning bell.

  "Spirit," Mingzhi whispered.

  "I am here, Mingzhi."

  "We have a problem," Mingzhi said, running his thumb over the wood grain. "As Rou said, we’ll be meeting many strong people if we get into the Sect. Elders, Core disciples, maybe even Masters from the city. Today, Rou figured out my knowledge is connected to you. She’s thirteen years old."

  "She possesses high intuition," the Spirit noted.

  "She does. But if she can figure it out, an old monster who has lived for two hundred years will see through me in a glance."

  Mingzhi tightened his grip on the necklace.

  "You are very important to me," he said, his voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "Not just because you know techniques. Not just because you are a library. But because... we are partners. We are getting closer to each other with each hurdle. You saved my cultivation. You pushed me when I wanted to quit."

  The necklace hummed, a warm vibration seeping into Mingzhi’s palm.

  "It’s one thing if they take you," Mingzhi continued, his eyes darkening. "If they steal you, I can cultivate, get stronger, and take you back. But if they destroy you? Or kill me? If they sense a foreign soul and decide to purge it?"

  He shook his head slowly. "There would be no way back. I don't want to lose you."

  The Spirit was silent for a long moment. When it spoke, the scholarly detachment was softer, colored by a profound sense of loyalty.

  "Your concern is... noted. I start to feel the same way. We are in this together. My existence is tied to yours."

  "So, my first question is this," Mingzhi asked. "If we meet stronger people—cultivators in the high Cloud Gathering realm or higher—can they detect you inside the necklace?"

  “It is possible. Our communication leaves traces — like ripples in still water. If a cultivator with a powerful Divine Sense intercepts our channel, or simply scans you deeply enough to feel the fluctuation of a second soul... we will be exposed."

  "Then we can't take the risk," Mingzhi said firmly. "Before we enter the tiger's den, we have to solve this. We need to be on the safe side."

  He leaned forward. "Is there any secret technique? Something that can cover you up, hide you, or put you in a safe place?"

  "To cover me up," the Spirit mused, analyzing the variables, "we would need to use a Divine Sense stronger than the observer's to mask my presence. But since our hypothetical opponents are stronger than us, that is a logical impossibility."

  "Hiding me physically is also out of the question," the Spirit continued. "If we are separated, the bond weakens. And if I am not with you, I cannot assist you. It is effectively the same as losing me."

  "So we can't hide it, and we can't leave it," Mingzhi summarized. "We need a third option. A safe place that is with me, but not on me."

  "Putting me in a safe place implies we have a safe place," the Spirit said. "The only location truly secure from external scanning would be... a separate dimension. A pocket space isolated from the laws of this reality."

  "A pocket space?" Mingzhi asked. "Like a storage bag?"

  "No. Storage bags are unstable. Living souls cannot survive in them. I require a stable void."

  The necklace vibrated as the Spirit accessed the vast library within its memory.

  “Let me search my records,” the Spirit said, her voice slowing. “Techniques related to dimensional construction… ones that do not demand high cultivation…”

  A moment later, the light on the necklace pulsed brightly.

  “There is one,” the Spirit said after a pause. “A method once used by the Void-Walker Sect. They called it the World-Forging Void Eye.”

  "This technique is usually impossible for a low-level single-element cultivator," the Spirit said slowly, as if recalling countless failed attempts recorded in forgotten histories. "However, it is perfectly suitable for an all-rounder physique like yours. It utilizes the fundamental law that every complete world is built from the Five Elements."

  "My constitution," Mingzhi realized.

  "Precisely. A pure Fire cultivator cannot build a world; it would burn to ash. But you possess the blueprint of a universe in your blood. We can use your 5-element constitution to form a Mini-World—a pocket space. Traditionally, such spaces are anchored in the 'Third Eye' region, the empty void behind the optic nerve."

  “But understand this, Mingzhi,” the Spirit cautioned. “If you make a single mistake during construction, the backlash will blind you or shatter your mind. There is no room for error.”

  "With your limited cultivation level," the Spirit cautioned, "we cannot build a palace. We can only slowly gather all five elements to form a small Void. But it will be capable of holding my consciousness, and perhaps some physical objects."

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  Mingzhi’s eyes lit up. "A hidden outer storage... inside my head. That’s really useful. And not just for hiding you."

  He stood up and paced the small room, his mind already racing to the next logical step. The puzzle pieces were falling into place.

  "Okay," Mingzhi said, turning back to the necklace. "Before you teach me the technique, let's talk about the next important thing."

  “Second problem,” Mingzhi said, holding up two fingers.

  He gestured to his own body.

  "My constitution restrains me. We fixed the leakage with the Divine Sense Mold, but that’s just a patch. I still gather Qi slowly. I still can't refine it to a high purity on my own. I know we talked about not being able to change innate constitution..."

  He paused, a meticulous glint in his eyes.

  "But maybe we can find a workaround. An extension. An outer help."

  He looked at the Spirit. "Is there any natural treasure out there that has the same function as a constitution? Something that naturally gathers, refines, and stores elemental Qi?"

  "Based on my knowledge," the Spirit replied instantly, "the only object that fits that description is a Beast Core."

  "Great," Mingzhi said. "A Beast Core takes in raw Qi and turns it into monster power. We can work with that. Can we use a Beast Core to refine my Qi for me?"

  "Impossible," the Spirit shot down the idea. "The Qi contained within Beast Cores is highly volatile. It is filled with the beast's feral nature. Humans have to refine it extensively before absorbing it, or they risk Qi Deviation and madness."

  "Furthermore," the Spirit added, "Cores and Constitutions both possess a 'Print'. A Fire Lion's core contains the Print of 'Explosive Heat'. An Iron Tortoise's core contains 'Solid Density'. They are specialized. Your body, currently, is neutral. If you introduce a foreign Print, your meridians will reject it."

  Mingzhi nodded slowly. "A Print... like a stamp. A signature."

  He sat back down, holding the necklace up to his eye level.

  "Spirit," he asked slowly. "Is it possible to combine my Print with the Core's Print? To make it both usable by me and containing the better refinery of the beast?"

  The Spirit went silent. The light flickered rhythmically as it processed the possible mechanics.

  “There is a theoretical approach,” the Spirit mused. "The Qi in your Dantian already carries your biological Print. If we were to inject your Qi into an Empty Beast Core... and use a Secret Technique to fuse the Prints..."

  "It should be feasible," the Spirit concluded, sounding impressed. "We can use your Qi to stamp the Core. It would essentially turn the Beast Core into an 'External Dantian' that vibrates at your exact frequency."

  "That’s it," Mingzhi smiled. "We turn the Beast Core into a machine that runs on my code."

  "However," the Spirit warned, "for the greatest result, we would need one of each 100% Pure Elemental Core. Getting them would be difficult. And you would need five of them."

  "No problem," Mingzhi dismissed the concern. "It’s enough that it’s possible. Great. So, we create the Eye Space. We put the Cores in the Eye Space. We use them as extra storage and refineries."

  "Still not enough," the Spirit corrected. "Placing them in the Eye Space does not connect them to your body. There is no direct connection. The Cores do not connect to your meridian system."

  "So we need to bridge them," Mingzhi said. "Is there... is there an Eye Meridian? Can we carve a bridge between the Eye Space and my main network?"

  "There are minor meridians connecting the eyes to the liver," the Spirit said. "But they are too fragile to carry the output of a Beast Core. To reinforce them... we would need a Catalyst. Five very strong Elemental Herbs to build five distinct bridges."

  Mingzhi patted his pocket where he had stashed the stolen Iron-Bark Root and Spirit-Whisper Grass. "I have a few types now. If those are strong enough, I'll need to find three others. But we can start building the infrastructure."

  "Third problem," Mingzhi said, holding up three fingers. "To manage all this—the Eye Space, the Cores, the Bridges and to be able to handle my weaker Qi better—I need better control. My mind needs to be sharper. I need Divine Sense."

  "Divine Sense typically only forms after Cloud Gathering Level 7," the Spirit noted.

  "I need an edge," Mingzhi insisted. "Is there a secret technique to awaken it early? Or a resource?"

  "The Compendium contains a 'Mind-Forging Art'," the Spirit said. "But to accelerate the process safely and greatly, there is a specific herb. The 'Mind-Refining Orchid'. It nourishes the Upper Dantian and stimulates the pineal gland. If we can find one, we can strengthen your Divine Sense very effectively."

  Mingzhi took a deep breath. "Okay. Eye Space first. Beast Cores second. Herbs third. Let's build the safe house."

  He adjusted his posture, sitting perfectly still. "Teach me the World-Forging Void Eye Art."

  "Focus your mind, Mingzhi," the Spirit instructed. "Do not pull on one element. Pull on all of them. Feel the balance in your blood. The Earth in your bones, the Water in your veins, the Fire in your heat, the Metal and Wood Elements."

  Mingzhi closed his eyes. He didn't try to be strong. He tried to be whole.

  He pushed his awareness toward the space behind his left eye. He felt a resistance—a veil separating reality from the void.

  The pressure spiked. For a terrifying instant, it felt like his eye was about to rupture, like his skull couldn’t contain the concept he was forcing into existence.

  Open.

  He pushed his Neutral Qi against the veil. Because his Qi contained all five elements, the veil didn't reject him. It recognized the blueprint.

  Hummmmm.

  A strange sensation washed over him. It felt like his head was expanding infinitely, yet staying the same size.

  Suddenly, his perception shifted.

  Behind his left eye, the darkness wasn't just blackness anymore. It was Space.

  It was a small, dark universe, swirling with five faint, equal-colored motes of light: Red, Blue, Yellow, White, and Green. They pulsed weakly, a perfect representation of his "trash" neutral constitution. They spun in a slow, harmonious circle, defining the boundaries of a grey, empty void about the size of a small room.

  "The Void is established," the Spirit’s voice echoed, sounding clearer, as if it was speaking from a large hall. "It is stable."

  "It's beautiful," Mingzhi whispered. "It's empty, but it's mine."

  He opened his physical eyes. "Get in."

  "I will try to move in now."

  The necklace in Mingzhi’s hand began to vibrate. The warm, amber light pulsed, and then streamed out of the wood like liquid fire. It shot toward Mingzhi’s face, following his mind, passing through his left eye without pain.

  Mingzhi gasped as he felt a sudden presence fill the empty room in his mind.

  He looked "inward."

  Floating in the center of the dark universe, amidst the swirling five-colored lights, was a humanoid shape.

  It was formed of pure, white spiritual energy. It had no distinct features yet—no face, no gender, just a smooth, neutral silhouette that radiated ancient knowledge and calm. It floated in the lotus position, looking around at its new home.

  "Repositioning was successful," the Spirit said. Its voice resonated within the void, rich and full. "My connection to your soul is now direct. My Divine Sense range... it has expanded."

  "How far?" Mingzhi asked aloud, looking in the mirror. His left eye looked normal, but deep in the pupil, a faint five-colored light swirled if one looked closely.

  "One hundred and fifty meters," the Spirit reported. "And without the interference of the physical world... I sense something."

  "What?"

  "A fluctuation," the Spirit said, its tone sharpening. "It is faint, but highly structured. It is a balanced elemental signature... Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, Wood. All in perfect equilibrium."

  Mingzhi stiffened. "Where?"

  "It is distant. But it is emanating from the foothills... very close to the rocky patch where you found the necklace."

  Mingzhi turned to the window. He looked toward the dark shape of the mountain.

  "Where I found the necklace..." he murmured.

  "Yes. But it is built to hide something... it feels like it was a powerful Array once."

  "That fluctuation," the Spirit realized, "is a Camouflage Array. And it is gradually weakening."

  Mingzhi grabbed his hoe. The weariness in his bones vanished, replaced by the thrill of the hunt.

  "The Camouflage Array," Mingzhi said. "Something important should be inside."

  "Affirmative."

  "Let's go check it out."