Chapter 258 The Third Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel

Chapter 258: The Third Day in a Fantasy Novel

The little squirrel dared not think further. Deciding on the spot, it frantically stuffed the nuts it was clutching into its mouth, its cheeks quickly bulging like two small balls.

Once its cheeks were full, it wrapped two more nuts in its fluffy tail, then without hesitation leaped down from the tree and, using all four limbs, dashed toward the valley's edge.

After running a few steps, it couldn't resist looking back, casting a reluctant glance at the stash it couldn't possibly carry away, its small eyes filled with unmistakable sorrow.

It had spent so long gathering those nuts, saving them for winter!

But survival came first.

It flicked its tail and decided to move out of harm's way for now.

If the valley turned out to be safe later, it could come back for its precious nuts.

The small brown figure quickly disappeared into the dense underbrush.

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An Yi hurried on without stopping, soon reaching a cave deep in the valley.

The cave was not large, its entrance half-hidden by vines, just big enough for an adult to duck inside.

Inside, it was about ten feet deep—not roomy, but for his palm-sized body, it was plenty.

The cave was dry, the ground covered with a thick layer of dried grass that had been carried in, serving as the previous owner's bed.

The air smelled faintly of dried grass and his own clean, subtle fur scent.

An Yi padded to the center of the grass mat, curled up, and lay down.

He needed to try cultivating—that was the top priority.

He first took a moment to calm his breathing and steady his mind, pushing down all the chaotic emotions from transmigrating, that faint ache of longing for Chu Chen, and the strangeness of a new world and a new body.

He quickly calmed down.

Then, An Yi opened his eyes.

He began trying, guided by the vague, instinctual memories in his blood, to carefully catch and guide a wisp of spiritual energy in the air.

It went surprisingly smoothly.

The wisp of spiritual energy, as if pulled by an invisible force, flowed gently into his body.

There was no resistance or rejection—it was like a trickle soaking into a dry sponge, quickly absorbed and melded into his furry body.

A faint warmth spread through his limbs and bones as the spiritual energy merged into him.

At the same time, an indescribable feeling of fullness and satisfaction washed over him, like a starving person finally getting a sip of warm porridge—not much, but it truly soothed a deep hunger.

An Yi immediately stopped absorbing.

He carefully felt the changes inside his body, on alert for any discomfort.

Time passed, and the light outside the cave dimmed, the rustling of nocturnal creatures echoing from the forest.

The warmth from that wisp of spiritual energy had long faded, absorbed into his body without a trace, leaving only a light, comfortable feeling throughout his body.

After a long while, there was still no discomfort at all.

Perfect!

An Yi felt reassured.

This first try confirmed that the original owner's cultivation method worked and proved this body was highly compatible with spiritual energy.

The road ahead was long, but he'd taken the first solid step.

He lay quietly on the grass mat, his fluffy black tail unconsciously brushing the grass stems beneath him.

An Yi dove back into cultivation.

His first success gave him some confidence in cultivation.

He stopped guiding just one wisp of spiritual energy and began to push his limits, like opening a floodgate, letting more streams pour into his body.

At first, the spiritual energy still flowed like a gentle stream, calm and smooth.

But with his deliberate guidance and his seemingly natural affinity for spiritual energy, the "stream" gradually widened and picked up speed.

The formless energy in the air began to gather, almost imperceptibly, around his curled, tiny body.

An Yi closed his eyes, hidden under thick fur, and sank his whole mind into his body.

He could clearly tell that the absorbed spiritual energy wasn't just strengthening his furry body.

It also nourished his ability core—the spatial and ice-water abilities honed across several worlds.

Wrapped in spiritual energy, the old sense of disconnect between his abilities and this world was slowly fading. Their essence seemed to be refined and purified bit by bit, growing denser, more active, and stronger.

He'd never experienced anything like this.

In past worlds, ability growth was like chiseling into solid rock—difficult, slow, and always with limits.

But now, in this place abundant with spiritual energy, his abilities seemed like parched land meeting sweet rain, greedily absorbing nutrients and undergoing a subtle transformation alongside this body.

He immersed himself in the thrill of rapid growth, continuously accelerating his absorption.

Spiritual energy in the valley gathered more and more, starting as ripples like a breeze across water, gradually becoming a visible vortex.

Dense spiritual energy, drawn by frantic extraction, surged from all directions, compressing into his palm-sized body.

This seemingly minuscule body now seemed like a bottomless pit, devouring energy millions of times its volume without rejection.

The frenzied influx of spiritual energy even formed a faint white mist around his body, casting his pitch-black fur in a hazy glow.

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The first to sense something wrong were the minor demons and ordinary animals around the valley.

A deer drinking by the stream suddenly raised its head, its wet nose twitching violently, clear eyes filled with terror.

It felt the usually gentle energy around it turning wild and thin, all surging toward the depths of the valley!

As if a massive vortex were there, about to drain everything around.

In the trees, several small sparrow demons that had gained intelligence but couldn't transform hopped about anxiously, letting out urgent chirps.

"Is... is a great demon about to undergo tribulation?" a slightly bolder weasel demon said, standing upright, staring toward the valley, fur standing on end, voice trembling.

It had heard from its ancestors that some powerful demons, when breaking through realms, could stir heaven and earth's spiritual energy, creating phenomena of immense power—any who approached would die or be injured!

The minor demons and animals felt fear.

In an instant, whether birds, beasts, or grass and wood spirits, anything that could move desperately fled away from the valley, cursing that they hadn't been born with more legs, fearing that one step too slow would see them devoured by that terrifying spiritual energy vortex and turned to ash.

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Next to sense something wrong were the demons deeper within the several-hundred-mile stretch known as the Jiaolian Mountain Range.

By a misty, frigid pool, a great green-scaled serpent halted its movements, a flicker of suspicion passing through its cold, vertical pupils. It felt the spiritual energy that usually flowed gently around it growing restless, flowing with clear direction toward a certain point at the mountain range's periphery.