Chapter 185 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

After singing along with Zhang Ye several times, Xi Ya finally completely memorized the melody and lyrics of the entire song, learning the magic sound techniques.

It was clear that Xi Ya was actually very intelligent. Her inability to learn magic was only because her body couldn't support the release of spells, but she could easily master the magic sound techniques.

Zhang Ye had her try singing it on her own.

Xi Ya nodded and opened her small mouth.

Her voice was very soft. Her manipulation of the magic sound was a bit stiff, and her singing was intermittent, but her voice was so ethereal, like the purest child's voice, breathing a different kind of soul into the song.

Once she finished the song, a sudden glow erupted from Xi Ya's body.

Tier Six peak, Tier Seven Newly Advanced... Tier Seven early stage!

She had actually broken through three sub-stages in a row!

If it were normal cultivation, she wouldn't have been able to achieve this even with the assistance of two major mana circulation routes.

Furthermore, one had to know that just a month ago, Xi Ya was only at the Tier Five early stage, but now she was at the Tier Seven early stage!

The true reason lay in the condensation of faith, the consolidation of her state of mind, and a moment of sudden enlightenment.

Her emotions had received the acknowledgment of this world and feedback in the form of power.

It was precisely because of these factors that she was able to break through two major ranks in a row within a single month!

Everyone was incredibly surprised, then grew genuinely happy for Xi Ya.

Leaving Xi Ya to practice, Zhang Ye asked Ke Lan and Ke Ling, “Is there a way to resolve Xi Ya's meridian withering?”

“There is, but the process is extremely difficult,” Ke Lan said. “Furthermore, it depends on whether it's congenital or acquired. If it's congenital withering, it requires a series of natural treasures as tonics and assistance to perform meridian dilation.”

“If it's acquired, we must find the cause of the withering and treat the root problem.”

“Based on the data from the previous scan, Xi Ya should fall under congenital withering. Her meridian withering has accompanied her since birth, so it's deeply rooted. Performing meridian dilation for her will require a large amount of Saint Materials.”

“We need to further analyze Xi Ya's physical traits to make a precise judgment,” Ke Lan explained professionally.

Zhang Ye nodded. “As long as there's a way, that's good. Let's put this matter aside for now. First, let's perfect the expansion of the fourth and fifth major mana circulation routes.”

“Let's construct the mana models first.”

“Alright.”

“Hmm... let's input my current physical data, and then we'll begin the first attempt at expanding the fourth major mana circulation route.”

“Okay, let the experiment begin.”

...

By the time they left the research institute, it was already nine ke in the evening.

The expansion experiment for the 【Fourth Major Mana Circulation Route — Bones】 had already reached its final stages. If tomorrow's experiment succeeded, it could be put into practice.

The major mana circulation routes for blood vessels and skin were also being debugged and corrected through repeated simulations, becoming more efficient and perfect. This completely put Zhang Ye's mind at ease. He planned to gather everyone tomorrow and expand their mana circulation routes first, allowing their cultivation speeds to soar to the next level.

“You must be hungry. Let's head back to the dorm and cook something. What do you want to eat?” Zhang Ye stretched and asked Lina and Xi Ya.

“Dumplings! Dumplings!” Lina immediately raised her small hand and said.

Xi Ya fidgeted with her small hands and whispered, “I... anything is fine...”

Zhang Ye laughed. “You two really are easy to please.”

Hearing this, Lina leaned in with a grin, resting against Zhang Ye's shoulder as she said, “Then does Brother Ye want to marry us and take us home?”

Xi Ya's face instantly flushed red, and she buried her small face in embarrassment.

Without a second thought, Zhang Ye flicked Lina's forehead. “Go flirt with Samanra. Your Brother Ye doesn't fall for this.”

Lina clutched her forehead and playfully stuck out her tongue.

Back at the dorm, the moment Zhang Ye entered, he saw Nan sitting on the sofa, spacing out.

Seeing Zhang Ye return, Nan snapped out of his daze.

Zhang Ye walked over and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you,” Nan said succinctly.

“Waiting for me for what?”

“To cultivate.”

Zhang Ye chuckled. “Wait for me to eat first... By the way, have you eaten?”

Nan shook his head.

Since Zhang Ye hadn't come back to cook in the afternoon, Nan simply hadn't eaten.

“Then let's eat together,” Zhang Ye said, and then began making dumplings with everyone.

After these past few days, Nan and Lina's dumpling-wrapping skills had become highly proficient, and little Xi Ya could also use her small hands to pinch out exquisite dumplings one by one.

Actually, they could have used mana to quickly wrap the dumplings, but they all tacitly chose not to do so.

They did it simply to enjoy the warmth of the process.

The dumplings were tossed into the pot and cooked quickly.

They ate and chatted.

“A-Nan, you've fought Gajeel twice. How did it feel?” Zhang Ye asked.

Hearing this, Nan said, “His strength is average.”

Gajeel, who possessed combat strength beyond his level, only received an “average” evaluation from Nan. If Gajeel himself knew, he would probably fume with rage.

Zhang Ye chuckled.

But then Nan added, “That guy has comprehended a portion of the dark laws. He can release weakening spells and a pseudo-domain that restricts the flow of mana.”

“Restricting the flow of mana...” Hearing this, Zhang Ye said solemnly, “That's a bit troublesome.”

One had to know that the prerequisite for casting magic was circulating the mana inside one's body. If the flow of mana was restricted, then a mage's strongest weapon would be rendered useless.

A mage who couldn't cast spells was worse than an archer.

Fortunately, as practitioners of Magic-Martial Dual Cultivation, even if their mana was restricted, Zhang Ye and Nan could still rely on their powerful physiques to fight.

“How long can the mana restriction last?” Zhang Ye asked.

“The effect he produced on me lasted less than a breath, but for opponents with lower cultivation than him, it can probably restrict them for more than five breaths.”

“Five breaths...” Zhang Ye grimaced.

That was equivalent to being silenced for ten seconds. Furthermore, because the flow of mana was restricted, a mage couldn't even cast a basic Mana Ball. It was equivalent to completely disabling a mage's skills and basic magic attacks.

Dark-attribute magic generally had bizarre and unpredictable effects, and its lethality was not lacking at all. Thus, light-attribute and dark-attribute mages could basically be considered the most troublesome elemental mages.

“What is the range of coverage?” Zhang Ye asked again.

Nan shook his head. “Very large. It can cover two-thirds of the Grand Arena. Moreover, he can swap places with shadows, and his mobility is also quite impressive, so it's basically impossible to avoid being covered by his pseudo-domain.”

Zhang Ye clicked his tongue and looked at Lina. “Lina, this guy's pseudo-domain heavily counters you. Once your mana flow is restricted, neither of your innate abilities can be cast. So if you face him, avoid fighting as much as possible. It's best to just forfeit directly.”

Seeing Zhang Ye's serious expression, Lina nodded. “Okay!”

“Tsk... I hope I get to face him tomorrow. If I don't beat him up with my own hands, I won't feel satisfied at all...” Zhang Ye said, grinding his teeth.

Hearing this, Lina and Nan found it amusing.

Just because Gajeel had heavily injured Copico, Zhang Ye kept nagging about beating him up with his own hands to vent Copico's anger. He truly was one of a kind.

But a Zhang Ye who protected his own like this... was very nice!

Having eaten and drunk their fill, Lina escorted Xi Ya back, while Zhang Ye and Nan prepared to start cultivating.

After eating some Tier Ten magic cores, a feeling of fullness washed over his body.

“Sigh, the reserves are running low.” Looking at the remaining high-tier magic cores inside his ring, Zhang Ye sighed.

After the consumption over these past few days, there were very few high-tier magic cores left.

There were still quite a few low-tier magic cores, but they no longer had any effect on Zhang Ye. Usually, he just ate them like candy. Aside from recovering mana, they barely had any effect on improving his strength anymore.

Seeing this, Nan suddenly said, “I have some.”

“Eh?” Zhang Ye looked over at Nan, only to see Nan wave his hand, and a pile of high-tier magic cores appeared on the bed.

They were basically all Tier Seven and above, at least over a thousand of them, with nearly a hundred Tier Ten ones. It made Zhang Ye's eyes go wide.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Ye asked.

“Giving them to you,” Nan replied.

“Where did you get so many magic cores?” Zhang Ye asked curiously.

“Hunting magical beasts,” Nan said.

“You hunted all of them yourself?”

Nan nodded.

Hearing this, Zhang Ye suddenly burst into laughter, leaving Nan quite confused.

“What are you laughing at?” Nan asked, furrowing his brows.

Zhang Ye looked at him with a smile. “I'm just happy.”

He gently flicked through the magic cores in front of him and said, “Eighty-nine Tier Ten magic cores, with a third of them at the Tier Ten early stage, and over two hundred Tier Nine ones...”

“And you hunted all of them yourself.”

“It must have been really hard, right?”

Listening to Zhang Ye's slow words, Nan suddenly felt a tremor in his heart, his eyes staring at him without blinking.

“Since you're willing to give me the magic cores you worked so hard to get, of course I'm happy!” Zhang Ye revealed a brilliant smile, his gaze soft.

Back then, Nan wasn't as strong as he was now. Hunting Tier Ten magical beasts was definitely not as simple as just “hard work.” He must have been heavily injured multiple times, or even hovered on the brink of death, to obtain these magic cores.