“Am I the only one who was expecting…not this?” Ian poked at a burlap pillow that sat atop a rough bed of flax and broad leaves. “Is this really the den of that monster?”

A large cave had been carved into the rockface behind the waterfall, which led to an open cavern with a sizeable pool of shimmering, golden water at the centre. While everyone else had been taken by the strange supply of shining liquid, Ian and Nolan had gone off to inspect the rest of the cave.

“Look,” he said, pointing at a roughly-hewn table of rounded rock. “Wooden cups, plates, and utensils.” Suddenly vigilant, he continued, “Don’t tell me…someone else lives here too?”

Ian’s body grew tense as he scanned the rest of the room. Other than the pool at the centre, the makeshift bed and the primitive table, the rest of the cavern was empty save for a few streams of water that trickled down the moss-covered walls into their own individual pools. Peculiarly enough, this water possessed a slightly golden hue and was also heavily energized.

What do you think?

Hmm. Either this creature has reached the Soul Strengthening stage, or it’s close to doing so. Seems to me like it’s gained the ability to change into human form.

Whoa, that’s a thing? You’re telling me that animals can turn into humans in this world?

Let alone animals; insects and plants can also make the change if they become strong enough.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to Venara.

He told Ian what Uncle Grey had said, after which the two of them approached the pool of golden liquid to stand alongside the others.

“So, I’m assuming this is the treasure?” he said to May, who was kneeling down and examining the water with deep interest.

“What gave it away?”

“Should we load it up in barrels, or bottles, or what?”

“We can’t,” said May. “The moment you remove this liquid from the pool, it loses all potency.”

“What is it, though?”

Nyla dipped a finger into the water without worry. “It’s like Divine Spirit Fountain water, but much more potent.” She looked at Nolan and gave him a suggestive look. “Am I right?”

Is she?

Partially. This pool might not be that big, but it isn’t exactly the same as the fountain water. It’s like this…

Apparently, this liquid was called heavenly dew, and it only appeared in very specific environments. This liquid was filled with incredibly pure energies that were extremely easy to absorb and filter into inner essence and spiritual energy, to the extent that there was absolutely zero negative effects on the body no matter how much energy was absorbed in one sitting. According to Uncle Grey, there was a current of Origin Energy beneath this island that was incredibly dense, and for some reason all of these natural energies were being drawn to the pool within this cave.

There should be a divine fruit at the bottom of this pond.

Divine fruit? That sounds like a big deal.

It’s no small matter, that’s for sure. Fruits like these are basically heaven-sent elixirs that can drastically increase one’s cultivation level. That beast has clearly been relying on this pond to build up its cultivation base, and if there really is a fruit down there then it’s probably planning to use it in order to break through to the Soul Strengthening stage.

And if there isn’t one, then it’s already broken through?

I don’t think it has. Since it’s so far away, I can only sense its life force and not its cultivation level, but it doesn’t give off the right sort of aura.

Do you have an idea of how strong it is?

Mmm, earlier my senses were sealed because of that mist, so I can only make a guess. Based on what I’ve seen, it should be at the peak of Genesis and thus able to at least partially change its form. There’s no way your slave would have been able to lead it along for so long if it had already made the breakthrough.

Okay. Anyway, how do we collect this stuff?

Listen closely, I’m going to teach you a basic compound arrayment. It’s a combination of a sealing arrayment and a preservation arrayment.

He told the others what Uncle Grey had said and then quickly set about learning the new technique while his friends dispersed around the room to inspect the area while patiently awaiting some positive results. May was extremely interested in the fact that Nolan could communicate with the lingering spirit of a forgotten master that just so happened to be inhabiting his spiritual space—at least, as far as she knew.

The arrayment was mercifully simple. All he had to do was fill a container to the brim with the peculiar golden liquid and then cast his new technique upon it in order to preserve its potency. The only problem was that he and his friends only had so many containers, and even after they had filled every bottle, barrel, cask and wineskin, over eighty percent of the miraculous liquid still remained.

“What do we do with the rest?” asked Sean.

Lyra scratched at her head while frowning in thought. “Drink as much as we can?”

“Yeah, that’ll really put a dent in there.”

She gave Sean an annoyed look. “I mean to waste as little as possible. The rest probably has to stay here.”

Nyla kept to herself and quickly drew out a few diagrams, activating them all as soon as she finished the final one. After a brief flash of light, a dozen new barrels composed of solidified energy sat ready to use, though it hardly seemed to make a difference in the amount left in the pool even after filling these and sealing them.

The liquid should only be at about chest-level now, which means that it’s time to retrieve the divine fruit.

Okay, sighed Nolan, who quickly stripped down until only his underwear remained. Let’s see…

He slipped into the pool of water, which boasted a uniform depth of around a metre and a half. The liquid was slick and slimy, as if he’d just jumped into a tub full of maple syrup. Oddly enough, the water lacked the viscosity that its texture described, and even though most of his body was currently submerged it hardly felt as if Nolan were wet at all. Interestingly enough, his spiritual sense was completely blocked by the dew, which left him with no choice but to start a manual search.

Nolan prodded around with cautious feet, enjoying the sensation that the heavenly dew instilled within his body. It felt as if he’d been wrapped in the arms of a gentle goddess and given the most affectionate and caring hug that anybody had ever received. Not only had his body reached its peak condition as soon as he’d entered into the pool, but the energies within his dantian and spiritual space were filling up at a rapid rate. At this pace, he would achieve a full breakthrough to the second level of Integration after just a day of meditating within this liquid.

While Nolan was enjoying his little treasure hunt, Nyla continued on with the basic construction arrayments and had soon amassed about a hundred containers full of heavenly dew. Because of this, the contents of the pool had gradually lessened to the extent that he was now only waist-deep, which made it much easier to locate the divine fruit.

“Wow,” said Esteban, who had taken a break from helping Nyla to stoop down to talk to Nolan. “Aren’t you scared that there’s some crazy creature hiding in that pool, like a snake or some kind of poisonous frog or something?”

“I am now…” Even as Uncle Grey assured him that this was highly unlikely, he nearly tripped over an odd length of some ropy substance. “Jesus,” he snapped, recoiling backwards from what he assumed was a snake.

Feeling like he was making a big mistake, he gently prodded with his feet until he touched the object again. When nothing happened after a few moments, he reached down and pulled up a thick, golden vine that was laden with sharp, spade-shaped leaves. He pulled at the vine until he eventually withdrew a mass of dripping gold. Furthest from what he’d been expecting, he’d just unearthed a bunch of glass-like grapes that were completely devoid of colour save for the golden seeds within them.

“Hey guys,” he said, turning to his friends to hoist up the fruit. “Check this out!”

The smile drained from his face as someone else walked through the wall of water that separated the large cave from the roaring currents outside, a hairy man with long, wild tangles the colour of healthy moss. He was naked save for a small loin cloth that was made from twine and some random leaves, his eyes a bright shade of green with irises that seemed to give off an odd, devious glow.

Seeing the fruit in Nolan’s hands, the man regarded him with an instant frown, the others freezing up as they belatedly noticed his presence.