Ru Jiao clutched the black crystal core and took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement. She got up and walked around the bedroom, then placed an enormous refrigerator in front of the door to block it. After drawing the curtains, she placed another refrigerator beside the window to prevent zombies from breaking in or anyone from seeing what was happening inside.
This room was not entirely safe either. Ru Jiao had a premonition that absorbing the crystal core might cause quite a commotion, so she immediately slipped into her space.
As before, she took out the wooden bathtub and filled it with spiritual spring water. After removing her clothes, she sat inside and took out the crystal core, tentatively beginning to absorb it.
The moment the thought of absorbing the crystal core entered Ru Jiao’s mind, it immediately transformed into a streak of black light and sank into her palm.
As soon as the black light entered Ru Jiao’s body, it shot straight toward her head. She felt as though her head were about to split apart from the pain, but she knew she absolutely could not lose consciousness at a time like this. Gritting her teeth, she endured the agony. The black light wreaked havoc inside her brain, but fortunately, she was immersed in spiritual spring water. Wherever the black light caused damage, the spiritual spring water immediately repaired it.
The agony of having her brain repeatedly torn apart, followed by the itchy numbness of being healed, made Ru Jiao’s face turn bright red. Blood from the damage streamed from the corners of her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, staining the spring water crimson.
Her entire body looked as though it had been soaked in blood, but Ru Jiao had no time to worry about her appearance. After completing one round of destruction inside her brain, the black light did not stop. Instead, it rushed out of her head and began striking every part of her body!
At this rate, the spiritual spring water in the bathtub would never be enough!
Ru Jiao endured the pain and shifted her thoughts, instantly transporting herself into the spiritual spring lake. She then summoned her remaining strength to find a swimming ring in her space and put it around her waist to keep herself from sinking into the depths. Floating on the lake, she continued to endure the agony coursing through her body.
Once she entered the spring, the healing process became much faster. Vast amounts of spiritual energy poured into her body. One moment, Ru Jiao was covered in blood, with torn flesh and shattered meridians; the next, her skin was completely restored, as flawless as if she had been reborn. This cycle continued throughout the night before finally coming to an end.
Ru Jiao felt the last trace of black light disappear inside her body. After the spiritual spring had finished repairing her, she finally dragged her exhausted body out of the water, made her way into the wooden house, and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Five hours later, Ru Jiao awoke. She first moved her body and checked that everything was fine. Then, with a thought, she tried to examine the condition inside her body. A streak of light immediately emerged from her head and, following her intention, swept through her body.
Ru Jiao was startled, then delighted. Could this be the benefit brought by the black crystal core?
She closed her eyes and tried using the streak of light in place of her eyes to see the outside world. To her surprise, not only could it see beyond her body, but its range was even greater than that of her ordinary eyesight! It could even penetrate the wooden house and see what lay outside. Ru Jiao felt as though she had personally stepped outside the house to look at the spiritual spring. She then tried using the light to examine different parts of the wooden house. Not only was its vision clearer than her eyes, but it was also much faster. Everything it passed over was transmitted directly into her mind.
Although observing the surroundings with this streak of light seemed to take a long time, only a few minutes had actually passed. Suddenly, Ru Jiao felt a sharp pain in her head and hurriedly withdrew the light. She drank another cup of spiritual spring water, and only then did the pain disappear.
In her previous life, she had never heard of any ability user absorbing this kind of crystal core and gaining such an ability. Ru Jiao was incredibly excited to have obtained it. In the future, whenever she needed to investigate a dangerous place, she would no longer have to go there in person. She could simply use this streak of light to scout ahead.
After her excitement subsided, Ru Jiao could not help feeling fortunate. It was a good thing she had prepared in advance by entering her space and had also made sure to have enough spiritual spring water on hand. When she realized that the water in the bathtub was insufficient, she had immediately made the decision to enter the spiritual spring lake. Otherwise, even with such an abundant supply of spiritual spring water at her disposal, she might still have died from the destruction caused by the black light.
Ru Jiao reflected on her actions for a while before tidying herself up. She then took out the meals she had previously stored in her space and placed them on the table. They had been steaming hot when she put them away, and they were still just as hot now. After finishing her meal, Ru Jiao got up and exercised according to the instructions her fitness trainer had previously given her. Only then did she leave her space.
What Ru Jiao did not know was that the moment she left, her space underwent another transformation. Its overall size more than tripled, with several acres of fertile black soil neatly occupying one-third of the area. Beside it lay a lake that covered another third, while the wooden house had transformed into a traditional quadrangle courtyard occupying the remaining third. The spiritual spring lake had also been incorporated into the courtyard. Moreover, a study filled with all kinds of books and another room packed with mysterious objects that emitted light had silently appeared inside the courtyard.
Ru Jiao returned to the bedroom of the nail salon. Fortunately, no zombies or other people had entered while she was away. She raised her hand and stored the refrigerator back into her space, then cautiously approached the window and pulled the curtains aside to look outside.
Five or six zombies were wandering around the alley. Ru Jiao used the streak of light to “look” outside.
On the road beyond the shopping mall, vehicles occasionally sped past. Some people had discovered that there seemed to be relatively few zombies near this entrance, so they stopped their cars and entered the mall to collect supplies.
Ru Jiao had no intention of showing herself to help them, but this was no longer a suitable place to stay. Several more people had arrived to search for supplies, and among them were some who had awakened supernatural abilities. However, they were making far too much noise. Ru Jiao knew exactly how many zombies were inside the shopping mall, not to mention the one that had ambushed her earlier!
It was only after absorbing the crystal core that Ru Jiao learned the truth. That zombie had developed a little intelligence and was actually a Level Three Zombie! Fortunately, it had only recently advanced to Level Three and had not yet become familiar with its own strength. That was why Ru Jiao had managed to defeat it. If she had waited a few more days, the zombie would have grown accustomed to its strength and devoured some ability users. By then, even someone as strong as Ru Jiao would have had no choice but to flee!
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was passing by, Ru Jiao quietly left the nail salon. She swiftly dealt with several zombies in the alley without making much noise, took the SUV out of her space, and drove away.
Once seated in the car, Ru Jiao opened the map she had downloaded long ago and began considering where to go next. Even before the apocalypse, she had studied the map and considered several possible destinations.
One was the People’s Hospital near her residential complex, another was the wholesale market where she had previously purchased supplies, and the last was the hardware market she had passed by on her way to the gym.
Of these locations, the hospital was closest to where she was now, followed by the hardware market and then the wholesale market.
Originally, she had planned to visit the wholesale market first, followed by the hardware market, and finally the hospital. However, her battle with the Level Three Zombie had made her realize that although her physical strength was impressive, her combat awareness was lacking. She relied on brute force and did not know how to fight properly. Her weapons were also inadequate.
After considering everything, Ru Jiao made up her mind. She would visit the hardware market first to collect steel materials and find suitable equipment to turn into weapons. She would also stay there for a while and fight zombies to improve her combat awareness. Once she had made some progress, she would head to the hospital to collect medical equipment and supplies, and finally visit the wholesale market.
Having made her decision, Ru Jiao followed the directions on the map and drove straight toward the hardware market.
The hardware market was located in the southern part of the city. It was not particularly prosperous, but the vehicles scattered haphazardly along the road still caused Ru Jiao considerable trouble. When she was only one thousand meters away from the hardware market, the road ahead became completely impassable by car. She had no choice but to get out, store the SUV in her space, and decide that she would collect several mountain bikes, electric bicycles, and motorcycles if she came across any later.
After storing the car, she took out her metal rod and pointed knife, then carefully made her way forward, weaving between the vehicles.
Some of the cars had their doors wide open, while others were tightly shut. Occasionally, zombies sprang out of cars with open doors, but Ru Jiao quickly dealt with them.
As she passed a car with only its window open, a baby zombie suddenly sprang out from inside! Ru Jiao was startled and immediately swung her metal rod, smashing it to the ground. Her vigilance increased another notch.
Although the distance was only one thousand meters, the vehicles and zombies blocking her way meant that it took her a full hour to cover it. Along the way, she had nearly been grabbed by the ankle by a zombie trapped beneath a car. Sensing the attack, Ru Jiao jumped out of the way, then used her metal rod to pierce the zombie’s head before finally putting an end to it. After this incident, she decided that sneakers were not convenient enough. She needed to find a pair of high-quality, durable boots suitable for physical activity to protect her ankles. She would also need to find some wrist guards.
Ru Jiao finally reached the entrance to the hardware market. Most of its customers were usually manufacturers coming to purchase supplies or place orders, while ordinary residents rarely had any reason to visit. As a result, it was far less crowded than the shopping mall, and there were not many zombies either.
She entered one of the shops with its door wide open. A zombie was standing behind the counter, and she dispatched it with a single stab of her knife. She then searched the shop thoroughly and found another zombie, which she also dealt with. With no more zombies inside, she closed the shop door and decided to rest there for a while. She could also take the opportunity to see whether there was any suitable steel for making weapons.
The shop mainly stocked large steel plates and steel pipes measuring five or six meters in length. None of them were suitable for the weapons Ru Jiao needed. She sighed and stored dozens of steel plates and pipes in her space. Perhaps, once she became more proficient with her fire ability, she could melt the steel herself and forge her own weapons.
A sudden idea struck Ru Jiao, and she realized that this might actually be possible. She therefore stored some of the shop’s equipment that looked particularly sturdy and well-made as well. The shop was filled with steel materials and had no separate resting room, so after collecting the materials she considered useful, Ru Jiao left and used the streak of light in her mind to inspect the surrounding shops. She then headed to another shop that stocked a large quantity of steel.
After visiting six shops in succession, night was approaching. She entered a shop with a resting room and, as usual, secured the room before entering her space.
The moment she entered, Ru Jiao was stunned by the changes. She stared blankly at the completely transformed space. Then the familiar consciousness she had encountered before sounded in her mind once again.
This time, it informed her that she had acquired a spiritual root and divine sense, which had been detected by the space. That was why it had undergone such a dramatic transformation. If she wanted more information, she could consult the books in the study inside the courtyard.
Following the instructions, Ru Jiao went to the study. Only then did she learn that the jade bangle was not an ordinary spatial jade bangle, but a spiritual artifact forged by an ancestor of the Ru family during the ancient cultivation era.
If the bangle was obtained by an ordinary descendant of the Ru family without any cultivation aptitude, it would only display the features Ru Jiao had previously seen. However, if it was obtained by a descendant who possessed both a spiritual root and divine sense, it would reveal its true form, just as it had now.
Furthermore, if a descendant of the Ru family provided the space with rare heavenly treasures and earthly materials, the space would continue to upgrade and transform, bringing countless benefits that were too numerous to describe.
Only then did Ru Jiao learn that the streak of light inside her mind was called divine sense. She was also deeply shocked. She had never imagined that her ancestors had once belonged to a cultivation family. Yet there was something even more astonishing waiting for her.
It turned out that the world she lived in was merely one small world among countless others. In ancient times, spiritual energy had been abundant, and countless powerful cultivators had existed. However, as these powerful cultivators ascended, spiritual energy gradually became thinner. The powerful cultivation families had long since taken their clans and moved to other small and medium-sized worlds. The main branch of the Ru family had done the same. The most talented members of the Ru family had traveled to other worlds under the protection of their ancestors, while some descendants with inferior aptitude and ordinary mortals had remained in this world. The family had left behind sufficient resources as well as this jade bangle, hoping that if a descendant with exceptional aptitude appeared in the future, they would be able to cultivate and eventually follow the instructions left by their ancestors to reach the world where the main family resided.
However, tens of millions of years had passed. The Ru family that remained in this world had experienced countless ups and downs, yet had ultimately failed to achieve anything remarkable. By now, Ru Jiao was the only surviving member of the Ru clan. This made her suspect that even her rebirth might have been the result of some mysterious method left behind by her ancestors, intended to prevent the Ru family from disappearing completely.
Despite her astonishment, Ru Jiao wasted no time and began examining the books in the study. With divine sense assisting her, she could read at an astonishing speed, and anything her divine sense memorized would remain permanently in her mind without ever being forgotten.
Ru Jiao quickly familiarized herself with the knowledge related to the space. The study contained a comprehensive collection of books covering all kinds of subjects, including alchemy, formations, and talismans. The other room contained various materials for crafting magical artifacts and talismans. However, Ru Jiao was currently unable to use those materials to make anything. She would have to reach the Foundation Establishment stage and raise her artifact-refining level to Level Ten before she could use them.
That was right. Ru Jiao learned that the path of immortal cultivation consisted of thirteen levels: Qi Refining, Opening Light, Foundation Establishment, Fasting, Meridian Condensation, Transcendence, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Deification, Great Ascension, Void Refining, Tribulation Transcendence, and Ascension.
At present, Ru Jiao had not even entered the Qi Refining stage. Fortunately, the study contained books on how to draw spiritual energy into the body, along with various cultivation techniques.
One particularly important point mentioned in the books was that those who had not yet drawn spiritual energy into their bodies could only use natural treasures or medicinal pills related to divine sense. If they attempted to use other means to enhance their spiritual roots and activate their abilities before completing the process of drawing spiritual energy into their bodies, they would never be able to embark on the path of immortal cultivation for the rest of their lives.
When Ru Jiao read this, she felt a wave of lingering fear. She had previously killed numerous Level One Zombies, whose crystal cores could be used to increase the levels of supernatural abilities. Then she encountered that strange Level Three Zombie. Fortunately, its crystal core affected divine sense, and she had absorbed only that one without consuming any others. Otherwise, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life!
This meant that most crystal cores from the apocalypse were of little use to Ru Jiao. In the future, she could trade them for the supplies she needed instead.
After making a few plans in her mind, Ru Jiao took a book on drawing spiritual energy into the body. Once she understood the method, she did not immediately begin practicing it.
Since the process required spiritual energy and a stable environment, the city was no longer a suitable place. It would be better to venture deep into an uninhabited mountain, find a quiet place, and begin drawing spiritual energy into her body there.
Having made up her mind, Ru Jiao left her space. It was already nighttime, so she took advantage of the darkness and drove toward the nearest remote mountain.
Meanwhile, in an apartment, Tian Ling’er was staying in a bedroom with a gentle and beautiful woman. Two handsome men were resting on the sofa in the living room.
“Yuanyuan, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, Ling’er. I’m feeling much better now.”
The gentle and beautiful woman was none other than Chi Yuanyuan, the female protagonist of the novel Apocalypse’s Beloved that Tian Ling’er had read.
As for the two men in the living room, one was Chi Yuanyuan’s biological older brother, Chi Xu, while the other was her childhood sweetheart, Yan Xun. After the apocalypse began, the two men happened to be together. Worried about Chi Yuanyuan’s safety, they fought their way through the zombies from the eastern part of S City to the apartment where she lived in the west.
Both men had awakened supernatural abilities, one of the lightning element and the other of the ice element. Chi Yuanyuan had awakened an ability as well, one of the water elements.
Tian Ling’er had known in advance that these two powerful figures, who would later become leaders of major bases in the novel, would arrive at Chi Yuanyuan’s side soon after the apocalypse began. Therefore, she had made an excuse to visit Chi Yuanyuan’s home well in advance. When the zombies broke out, she killed the ones that entered the apartment, earning Chi Yuanyuan’s trust as well as the gratitude of the other two.
However, the original novel had unfolded differently:
【After waking from her fever, Chi Yuanyuan heard banging at the door. She cautiously opened it a crack, but an enormous force suddenly struck from outside, sending the door flying open. A grotesque zombie roared and lunged at her. Terrified, Chi Yuanyuan dodged frantically until she finally reached the kitchen, where she managed to chop open the zombie’s head with a kitchen knife. She hurriedly pulled out the knife, but not a drop of blood splashed out. Instead, a glowing crystal was dislodged along with it. Curious, she used her newly awakened water ability to wash the crystal clean. The moment her fingers touched it, a streak of light shot into her body. Chi Yuanyuan felt warmth spread through her, only to discover that she had unexpectedly gained a healing ability…】
Tian Ling’er arrived at Chi Yuanyuan’s side early. When the banging began, she immediately told Chi Yuanyuan to hide while she swiftly dealt with the zombie herself and claimed its crystal core. Just as expected, the crystal core had granted her a healing ability.
Tian Ling’er curled her lips into a smile. In the original novel, the female protagonist’s best friend had not awakened any supernatural ability at the beginning. She had been an ordinary person. Later, while saving the female protagonist, she had accidentally been scratched by a Level Two Zombie. Just as she was about to turn into a zombie, the female protagonist used her healing ability to save her. As a result, she had gained a soil ability as well, turning her misfortune into a blessing.
Recalling the plot of the novel, Tian Ling’er gave a disdainful snort. She then returned to the bedroom to comfort the frightened Chi Yuanyuan and told her that she had awakened a healing ability.