Swallowing the Bead itself wasn’t difficult; what was hard was overcoming the psychological resistance.
Ning Li knew all too well where the Bead came from.
If she could, she would have preferred to keep the Bead as a collector’s item, to treasure it forever.
Unfortunately, she never got the chance.
Before swallowing the Bead, she’d imagined all sorts of outcomes: what if it didn’t work, what if she couldn’t digest it, or…
But she quickly found she had no time left to think.
The Bead melted the moment it touched her tongue, bursting forth with an incredibly pure and gentle energy.
It was like a spring breeze sweeping across the land, like spring blossoms carpeting the green hills, or like a swallow skimming the river’s surface.
She seemed to hear someone chuckle softly at her ear, with a warmth and acceptance.
This pure energy continuously washed over and expanded Ning Li’s Spirit Sea, causing her thoughts to momentarily descend into chaos.
Chaotic images flashed rapidly before her eyes: the grotesque faces of Abnormal Species, the mint-green fluid that spurted out when an Abnormal Species was killed, the faces of innocent people weeping in fear…
At that very moment, thirty or forty meters away, the group of Guides and Sentinels ordered to search for the Bead were exchanging bewildered glances, completely at a loss.
The instruments that had been emitting urgent beeping noises suddenly all went silent, as if they had failed at the same time.
The leader’s heart sank heavily—this was not good.
The probability of all the instruments failing simultaneously was zero. In this situation, there was only one explanation—
The Bead had either been destroyed or used.
Either way, it was not the outcome the leader wanted.
Because it meant the mission had failed.
After a brief moment of contemplation, the leader still gave the order.
Since the Bead had appeared nearby, no matter the cost, they had to find it—even if all they found was the person who destroyed or used the Bead.
To dare destroy or use the Bead right under his nose—this person must be tired of living.
Ning Li, already exhausted, had no energy left to worry about anything else.
All her attention was focused on the rapidly flashing images before her eyes.
She even completely ignored the pain of her Spirit Sea being forcibly expanded.
The images were actually quite simple.
Abnormal Species, Abnormal Species, all sorts of Abnormal Species…
Comrades, comrades, all sorts of different comrades…
Ordinary people, ordinary people, terrified and helpless ordinary people…
Of all the images, these three types appeared the most.
The Bead’s owner must have been a Sentinel who spent years at the Frontline.
That’s why their life was so simple—so simple that all that remained were Abnormal Species, comrades, and the ordinary humans waiting to be rescued, or who had already been saved.
Even if it was just a series of simple fragments, Ning Li could still feel all sorts of emotions—so many, so chaotic—that they finally coalesced into one thing: Gentleness.
Someone who loved this world so much must have been an incredibly gentle, incredibly gentle person.
The group searching for her was getting closer and closer.
Even without the aid of instruments, there were simply too many of them.
Ning Li endured the throbbing pain in her Spirit Sea, leaning against the trunk behind her, not making a sound.
Her Spirit Sea kept expanding and growing.
The starlit river that had once been only three meters long was widening and lengthening bit by bit.
The bright full moon within it also seemed to have been nourished, growing twice as large.
It was as if she was a sapling being forced to grow rapidly.
What would have taken her years, maybe even longer, she accomplished in just one night.
So this was the Bead’s effect—
To inherit the spiritual power of the Bead’s owner and forcibly enhance one’s own Spirit Sea.
The group drew ever closer, and when they were only about ten meters away from discovering her, Ning Li finally saw Xiao Hei hurrying over.
Because her Spirit Sea was being forcibly expanded, Xiao Hei couldn’t return to it, and could only approach her in the most primitive way.
[Hehe. Hehe.]
[Master, I’m here.]
Ning Li: Since Xiao Hei still had the energy to giggle, that meant things weren’t too bad. So Ning Li relaxed and promptly fainted.
Before passing out, she saw her silly Overlord Flower revert to its true form, switching to [Necromancer] mode.
The nearly two-meter-tall Necromancer wore a jet-black robe that seemed to blend into the night, making it almost impossible to notice its presence.
Xiao Hei’s loose robe billowed in the wind, and Ning Li glimpsed a scene beneath it that sparkled like stars.
The robe was thrown over her, enveloping her entire body within its vast folds.
The robe blocked out the sound of others’ footsteps in the mud, and made it impossible for anyone to find her.
What happened after that, Ning Li had no idea.
She fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, a whole day and night had passed.
To her surprise, her Spirit Entity wasn’t running wild as usual, but was instead playing with a pile of Beads.
It had switched back to its Overlord Flower form, its petals swaying as it amused itself.
Seeing her awake, Xiao Hei wiggled over, scattering the Beads, which picked up some damp soil and dust.
It nimbly avoided the Beads and snuggled up to Ning Li,
[Master, you’re awake.]
Recalling Xiao Hei’s performance before she fainted, Ning Li patted the Overlord Flower’s petals, praising it as if stroking a kitten or puppy, “Well done this time.”
[Hehe. Hehe.]
A two-meter-tall Necromancer would bring immense pressure and intimidation to enemies, but for Ning Li, it was the first time she’d ever felt her own Spirit Entity was truly reliable.
It seemed Xiao Hei hadn’t lied when it claimed it had gone in and out of the Frontline seven times, and that going to the Frontline was as easy as returning home.
Necromancers must be naturally suited for such chaotic scenes.
With a sweep of its black robe, it could block out everything.
Death was its nourishment, resentment its sustenance—the Frontline, full of death and resentment, must be its favorite place.
Ning Li didn’t check her Spirit Sea immediately, but asked, “No one found us, right?”
[Nope.]
Xiao Hei sounded rather smug, as if to say, isn’t that obvious?
Its petals swayed even more, looking quite pleased with itself—almost cute.
Ning Li indulged Xiao Hei’s pride this once.
She was very hungry, but instead of rushing back to the Guide Academy, she started reviewing recent events.
Earlier, when she’d been trapped with wolves ahead and tigers behind, utterly helpless, a surge of fury had risen within her.
She was furious at the group that had pushed her into such a desperate situation.
But in the end, that anger wasn’t really directed at the executors, but at the person who gave the order.
After all, the others were only following instructions.
From Scarface’s way of doing things, it wasn’t hard to see what the one who gave the order intended—
Better to kill by mistake than let anyone go.
Even those who had only handled the Bead, even those who didn’t know what it was, were considered thorns in their side.
But why?
What was that person so afraid of?
Such caution, leaving no room for error—was it because they didn’t want anyone to find out they were searching for the Bead?
To be able to mobilize so many people to search for the Bead, the one giving the orders must have extremely high status and authority.
That was a world still far beyond Ning Li’s reach.
She didn’t know who wanted the Bead, but she could more or less guess why.
For the pure energy inside the Bead, to enhance their Spirit Sea—for—
A shortcut.
This Bead was a shortcut, allowing Ning Li to save years, or even more time, to reach a certain level.
She wasn’t sure just how much she’d grown, but she thought that even if she spent the next few years quietly coasting at the Guide Academy, she’d be able to graduate easily.
She hadn’t meant to force her growth, but she had indeed benefited.
Ning Li silently said thank you in her heart.
Thank you to the nameless Sentinel who saved her years of detours.
If she ever had the chance, she wanted to burn some incense for them and wish them a longer life in their next reincarnation.
Once she’d finished reviewing everything, Ning Li finally turned her attention inward to her Spirit Sea.
And she found it had undergone a complete transformation.
What had once been the size of a single room had expanded to the size of a small town.
Before, her Spirit Sea was simple—just a river of stars and a bright moon.
Now, there were streams and bridges, trees, birds, and beasts.
What had once been dead and silent now pulsed with vibrant life.
The water flowed, the trees were lush, the birds and beasts brimmed with vitality.
If Spirit Seas had levels, hers had probably jumped from level 1 straight to level 30.
The experience she would have had to gain by tempering herself and slaying Abnormal Species was now hers already.
And the result of maxing out her experience bar—
Xiao Hei’s second innate skill was unlocked.