Chapter 1339: You're Too Weak

Li Qianlin seemed somewhat disappointed.

If Zhang Lie didn't need to consume any more genetic lifeforms, there would be far less opportunity for the two of them to meet and interact. Perhaps in the future, she would only be able to see him once every few days—maybe even once every few months. This wasn't something that Li Qianlin could accept.

All of a sudden, she had become useless to Zhang Lie.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But what could she do? Disappointed though she might be, she was unable to leave the sanctuary of the soulshard.

"Do you want to leave this place and have a look at the fourth realm proper?"

Zhang Lie handed her a white potion, the potion of metamorphosis that he had retrieved from the trial-taker's chamber.

Li Qianlin asked, "I can leave?"

Weren't the lifeforms of the third realm supposed to be incapable of adapting to the natural law of the fourth realm?

"This is a potion I obtained from a certain location that allows lower-realm lifeforms to undergo a metamorphosis: a first-realm lifeform can transform into a second-realm one, and so on."

Before he departed, Zhang Lie learned about the specific effects of the potion of metamorphosis from Bu Wentian.

Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have handed Li Qianlin a mysterious potion of unknown provenance.

Li Qianlin gaped. "Are there truly such miraculous potions in this realm?"

"Try it and see. If I'm not mistaken, it's not a potion that came from the dimensional world proper."

Li Qianlin hesitated. "Such a precious potion for me? It's a little..."

"If you don't want it, I'm going to pour it out. It's useless to me, anyway!"

Li Qianlin didn't hesitate any longer. She took the proffered vial and drank it down right in front of Zhang Lie.

As she swallowed the milky-white liquid, Li Qianlin felt an incredible warmth suffuse her body. Her skin began to glow, then turned fiery red, almost like when Zhang Lie had absorbed a disaster-grade core. She felt as though she were burning up all over, an indescribably unpleasant sensation, but she bore it with great fortitude in hopes of being able to accompany Zhang Lie into the fourth realm.

Zhang Lie saw Li Qianlin's cells and genes undergo a transformation. The feverish sensation faded quickly, leaving behind an overwhelming sense of comfort. Her body glowed with light as her skin turned even whiter, as though she had just shed a layer of old skin.

She grew even more beautiful than before, as radiant as a chrysanthemum blooming in the summer heat, as lush as a pine tree whose branches unfurled in a spring breeze, She looked like the radiant moon, like snowflakes falling through the winter air.

From afar, she seemed as pure as a rising sun at dawn, as fresh as a lotus flower blooming amidst a patch of verdant green.

She wore no makeup; she didn't have to. Her long eyebrows were thin and long, her plump red lips fresh and luscious, her teeth snowy white. She looked like a fairy from the heavens.

Li Qianlin's eyelashes fluttered as her eyes opened wide. Her eyes were as bright as the moon. When she saw Zhang Lie staring at her, her cheeks suddenly turned rosy. The flare of color made her beauty mature.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Zhang Lie laughed. "To appreciate your newfound beauty, of course—to familiarize myself with it once more."

Li Qianlin's blush spread up to her ears.

"How do you feel?" Zhang Lie asked.

"What do you mean, how do I feel?"

"Did the potion of metamorphosis have any lingering effects on your body? Any discomfort?"

"So that's what you're talking about... I thought..."

"Thought what?"

Li Qianlin waved a hand. "No, nothing! I feel just fine. I haven't cultivated, but I feel like my strength's just grown by leaps and bounds. I expect I could even take on Father in a fair fight now."

Zhang Lie laughed. "You underestimate your father. He has far more combat experience than you do."

However, Li Qianlin's perception wasn't mistaken. She was beyond a superior king's level in strength; this was the natural state of a fourth-realm lifeform, as imposed by the natural law of the realm.

Zhang Lie extended a hand as Li Qianlin took his palm. "Come, let's see if we can head into the fourth realm proper. With me around, even if an accident occurs, you'll be able to return to the dragonwhale soulspace immediately."

Now that Li Qianlin was above a superior king's level of strength, she could barely avoid being constrained by the natural law of the fourth realm.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Lie had brought Li Qianlin into the fourth realm proper. As she felt the wind caress her face, Li Qianlin opened her tightly shut eyes and looked around. "Is this the fourth realm?"

Zhang Lie let go of Li Qianlin's hand and bowed down to her. "Welcome to the fourth realm."

Li Qianlin sucked in a deep breath. She felt as though she hadn't seen sunlight and fresh air in ages. However, she quickly pursed her lips. "It doesn't seem any different from the third realm."

Zhang Lie asked, "Do you feel any discomfort?"

Li Qianlin frowned. "Now that you mention it, I do feel a little uncomfortable. It's as if I'm having trouble breathing, and I can't seem to move myself as smoothly as before. It's almost as though there's a lock on my body."

Zhang Lie replied, "That's normal. After all, you need to acclimate yourself to the fourth realm, as well as to the metamorphosis you just underwent."

Li Qianlin stretched her arms and legs. "Does that mean I can accompany you now, then?"

Zhang Lie nodded. "You can, but I don't particularly recommend it."

"Why?"

"You're too weak."

Li Qianlin visibly deflated. "So it's still the same as before..."

What was the difference? She might as well have remained within his dragonwhale soulshard!

"Well, you can have a look at the scenery all along by my side," Zhang Lie offered.

Li Qianlin wasn't particularly interested in the scenery.

Zhang Lie smoothly changed the topic. "Conveniently, Ijust obtained something interesting. Come, take a look!"

Zhang Lie retrieved the glass orb containing a model airship, which he had obtained from the trial-taker's chamber. He shattered it in front of Li Qianlin, causing the model airship within to inflate and spread out. Li Qianlin's eyes were raptured by the unfolding airship—or, to be precise, not ruptured, but very scared. The sudden appearance of a metallic object the likes of which she had never seen caused her to grab tightly onto Zhang Lie's wrist. Zhang Lie couldn't help but grin. She looked somewhat cute when she was scared.

"This is an airship, used for transportation."

Li Qianlin asked, "So it's like one of those wormhole shuttles?"

"Not quite. Wormhole shuttles only work in wormholes, whereas this flying airship can fly through the sky with essentially no restriction. It's like a peak-grade lifeform."

"Are you sure this isn't a genetic lifeform with plated metallic armor?"

"You could understand it that way, I suppose, but it's actually a crafted tool."

Li Qianlin gaped. "This sort of tool can be produced?!"