The pearl rushed into her body, like a cloud of smoke, leaving nothing behind.

 

Yang Zanxing reached out and touched her chest, it felt as though there was a small area in her heart that was being warmed, like a stove simmering in the winter, but it was not uncomfortable. 

 

This was probably the treasure recognizing her as its owner. 

 

In all the cultivation novels, a drop of the protagonist's blood would drip on their treasure, which in turn causes the treasure to open its spiritual mind and recognize the protagonist as its master, forming an irreversible bond. Then the loyal treasure would take the protagonist to new heights. 

 

The same was true for this pearl.

 

But right now, the most important thing was how to get out of here.

 

In the original novel, after the male protagonist got the Xiao Yuan Pearl, he cultivated underwater but Yang Zanxing couldn't remember what else happened. After all, it was a novel that she had read a few years ago and afterward she had read dozen of similar novels. The plot has long been forgotten by her, let alone this kind of small detail. In short, the male protagonist's operation was as fierce as a tiger, with "a flash of inspiration" and "a movement in his heart" he advanced three ranks in a row, and seemingly found the exit at the end. But now...Yang Zanxing looked at her hand, there was nothing different with her except for the feverish pearl in her heart. 

 

She put her hand on the cave wall, took a deep breath, and slapped the wall with her palm. 

 

Two small grains of sand fell from the wall as Yang Zanxing cried out in pain, looking at her instantly flushed palm, she knew that she was thinking too simply. 

 

Sure enough, novels were full of lies and this path will not work. 

 

She stood up and was quiet for a moment, feeling a cool breeze coming from somewhere in front of her.

 

Wind?

 

The only light in the cave was overhead, and there were walls on all sides. Where would this wind come from?

 

Yang Zanxing stopped for a moment, she didn't know if it was because of the Xiao Yuan Pearl but the cool breeze gradually became more obvious forming a long line and as long as she followed this line, she would be able to find the end of the thread. 

 

Knowing this could be her way out, she stood up and took measured steps towards the direction the wind was blowing. 

 

She wasn't sure how long she had walked, but just as she began to think the darkness would never end, a light appeared in front of her. Unlike the faint and distant light from the gap overhead, this light was accompanied by the sound of running water. 

 

Not far away from her was a small crack on the cave wall, it was big enough for her to fit through but Yang Zanxing hesitated for a moment, only walking towards it. She didn't rush out immediately instead she looked out through the crack. 

 

In front of her was a boundless curtain of water, the sound of a waterfall crashing into a river reverberated through the space. Looking up, the shadow of a mountain peak was vaguely visible. Yang Zanxing was overjoyed, regardless of the unscientific setting where water won't seep through the crack of a cave underwater, she understood one thing in her heart. If there was a stream of water outside, as long as she goes out from here, she can swim up to the shore.

 

She had just tentatively stuck a leg out through the crack when a dark shadow unexpectedly appeared in the otherwise calm waterfall. This black shadow was not too large but it was also not small. It was about the size of a cow, it had no dimension to it, it was flat, a bit like a snowflake. Its pattern was similar to a static TV that had no signal from when she was a kid, it was like an ant colony that had gathered together countless black ants. 

 

This image was really too stimulating, patients with intensive fear could die on the spot.

 

Yang Zanxing retracted the leg that was eager to go outside with lightning speed, suddenly remembering that in the original novel there was still one last obstacle before the male protagonist could go ashore, killing the damn demonic beast.  

 

Hidden in the water, the demonic beast 'Hu' was under the calm stream.

 

It could shoot people with sand. Those shot would begin to suffer from shortness of breath, headache, fever, and eventually death. The idiom "to attack someone by innuendo"[1] came from this beast. Since it likes to hide in the water, no one has seen its true face clearly, it was like a mosaic and not very good-looking. 

 

So the question was, how is a weak woman like her going to fight a bunch of mosaics with her bare hands underwater? And this demonic beast was also a long-range mage, this was not hard mode, this was hell mode!

 

Yang Zanxing sat down on the ground with her buttocks, suddenly feeling that the road ahead was vast.

 

There was no danger in staying here, but sooner or later, she would starve to death, she couldn't eat the soil. Going out was another death sentence, there was still the demonic beast waiting for her. In fact, this was not a cultivation novel but a survival one!  

 

"Calm down, Yang Zanxing." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to recall the plot. The male protagonist, Mu Cengxiao, was also here. After he got the Xiao Yuan Pearl, he began to cultivate. His physique was special. Although he hasn't broken through Foundation Establishment, his strength had been accumulated in his body. Xiao Yuan Pearl broke through the shackles of his physique for him. Over the past few years, all his vitality was attributed to muscles and veins but he was able to advance through several ranks in an instant. From the early stages of Qi Refining to the late stages of Foundation Establishment, he was only one step away from Golden Core.

 

As such, the upgraded male protagonist was able to successfully kill the demonic beast and return to shore.

 

The premise of killing demonic beasts was to have enough cultivation. Does she have to cultivate here also?

 

Yang Zanxing still remembered that in the original novel, the cultivation level of this female cannon fodder with the same name as her was very low. Her existence was only to contrast against Liu Yunxin's kindness and tolerance and to help canon fodder Wang Shao and the male protagonist Mu Cengxiao stabilize their hatred. For "Miss Yang", the original novel described her as beautiful, domineering, and with a vicious heart, about her cultivation base, it was mentioned in one stroke. 

 

But it can't be that great when you think about it.

 

Unfortunately the current "Miss Yang" was Yang Zanxing. Yang Zanxing who was a person from modern times, not to mention cultivate, doesn't even try to exercise. If you want to talk sport, you'd have to go back to her Tai Chi exercises in physical education class during middle school. 

 

So now...how to cultivate in the novel...Yang Zanxing racked her brain for a long time and finally sat up straight.

 

The first step should be to retreat and meditate...is that so?

 

Sit cross-legged, relax her body, what is the second step...she wasn't sure, it should be like yoga, close her eyes, focus her mind, relax her mind, and adjust her breathing. 

 

Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale—

 

Perhaps it was because she had never stopped since she crossed over. As soon as Yang Zanxing relaxed, she felt very tired. It seemed that she was about to fall asleep, but her expression gradually relaxed. It felt as though her whole figure was floating in the air and her body became extraordinarily light. She was clearly in a dry sandy cave, but there seemed to be a stream of water slowly flowing throughout her body and it was warm. The water flow was breathing, like fish gills, one by one, sucking air into it.

 

Yang Zanxing with her eyes closed did not see it. But from her heart, there was a faint golden light and from the waterfall outside, countless beams of light gradually appeared, as if attracted by the Xiao Yuan Pearl, it swept in from the stone crevices, and quietly penetrated Yang Zanxing's body who was sitting quietly with her eyes closed. 

 

If a cultivator was here, they would see at a glance that this girl whose cultivation base was not worth mentioning, actually broke through Qi Refining in such a short period of time, she transformed into a genius, and with another glance, she was about to enter Foundation Establishment.