Spirit sea grooming isn’t something big, but it’s not small either.
At the very least, it requires a stable environment where one won’t be disturbed.
With limited conditions, Ning Li could only find a spot a fair distance away from White Wolf Sentinel and the others, but still not too far, to perform the grooming with her new teammate.
The moon quietly peeked out, moonlight casting over her teammate’s face, tinting his cold pale skin with a faint chill.
Red blood, black eyes, white skin — the collision of these three vivid colors gave off a striking visual impact.
[So handsome.]
[He really is handsome.]
Ning Li muted Xiao Hei’s endless “handsome” remarks and let her new teammate lean back against a tree trunk.
This tree was probably a century-old camphor.
Its leaves layered thickly, bark rough and gnarled, roots twisted.
Up close, the fresh and clean camphor scent was unmistakable.
Ning Li asked, “Shall I start?”
“Okay.”
Her new teammate cooperated, closing his eyes.
The moment he closed them, the fierce sharpness and edge he had just displayed fighting the Abnormal Species vanished entirely, leaving only paleness and fragility.
No matter how strong, he was still flesh and blood, vulnerable to injury and bleeding.
Ning Li let her spiritual power flow into his Spirit Sea.
The moment she entered, a violent storm of wind and rain slammed down on her like a flood, forcing her to close her eyes instinctively.
Then she realized: this was the Spirit Sea, intangible and only consciousness.
Once she grasped that, she quickly adapted to the stormy night.
Though the scene was terrifying — thunder flashing across the sky, strong winds and pouring rain, flowers and grass beaten down, cattle and sheep running wildly across the pasture, a world turned upside down in chaos —
Ning Li felt no fear.
Nor did she sense any expulsion.
Oddly enough, she found herself relaxed and leisurely amid this chaotic Spirit Sea, as if she had returned home.
The rain was heavy, but the dense raindrops striking her spiritual power didn’t hurt; the thunder was loud but nothing more.
All those presences that should have intimidated and pressured a Guide completely failed against Ning Li.
Like the Sentinel she had previously groomed, her new teammate’s Spirit Sea was inverted, upside down.
With her experience from the last “puzzle” session, she tried switching the positions of the cows and sheep flying into the sky with the sky on the ground.
She had thought this process would be difficult, but unexpectedly, she did it with ease.
To use an imperfect metaphor: when taking photos, a photographer directs the subject to pose in various ways to get the desired effect.
But when it’s the photographer’s own photo, they can adjust it themselves.
Ning Li was like that photographer.
Although she was supposed to direct her new teammate to cooperate, that step was completely skipped—no communication or cooperation needed.
She handled it all herself with ease.
After placing the displaced “puzzle pieces” back where they belonged, Ning Li carefully observed the grassland, the cattle and sheep, and the meadow itself.
Last time, the Sentinel’s grassland had completely turned desertified — what was once soil had become sand, losing its fertility and function.
This time, the grassland was still lush and full of life, and the cattle and sheep were lively and healthy, unaffected.
Why was this situation so completely different?
Ning Li didn’t dwell on it yet.
She began to freely and boldly repair the Spirit Sea.
She restored the “misplaced” map elements back to their rightful places.
The whole process took only a few minutes.
From what she knew, even for mild cases, Guides grooming a Sentinel’s Spirit Sea usually took at least half an hour.
But those common rules didn’t apply to her.
All these differences she could only attribute to the Bead.
That Bead came from her new teammate.
And it was the Bead that nourished her Spirit Sea.
This Bead naturally linked her and her new teammate, serving as a medium that sustained their spiritual powers.
After finishing the repair, the violent storm, thunder, and lightning all disappeared.
The cattle and sheep calmed down, wandering and grazing on the grass.
The flowers and plants regained vitality, stretching their leaves in the post-rain sunshine.
The sky cleared.
Only the air still held a moist freshness from the lingering water vapor.
Just as she was about to politely exit her teammate’s Spirit Sea, petals suddenly bloomed around her spiritual power.
The petals were bluish-purple, with silver light flowing within them.
On one petal, she seemed to see the cosmos, a vast and wondrous star river.
The petals floated lightly and gracefully, swirling like a vortex.
She felt as if she were caught in a grand, beautiful dream.
She was the protagonist of this world, surrounded by falling flower rain.
Magnificent and brilliant.
[So beautiful.]
[Beautiful.]
[Flowers are super beautiful!]
When leaving her new teammate’s Spirit Sea, Ning Li and Xiao Hei were still savoring the magnificent flower rain.
Xiao Hei’s vocabulary was limited; he could only keep repeating “beautiful.”
It was the first time the Spirit Entity so fully immersed itself in admiration like this.
It seemed this flower rain had indeed enchanted Xiao Hei.
When Ning Li opened her eyes, her new teammate just opened his as well.
For a moment, she thought she caught a fleeting silver gleam deep in his jet-black eyes — the colors of the cosmos.
Unfortunately, that splendid color quickly faded.
Spirit Entities could only occasionally manifest on their hosts.
For better or worse, her new teammate’s Spirit Entity was truly romantic and beautiful — capable of killing enemies but also worth admiring.
Was this flower rain a grand blooming put on especially to thank her?
Ning Li propped her chin on her hand, observing his state.
“How do you feel?”
“Good.”
Yin Que’s lips, once bloodless, regained some color.
He looked less pale.
Ning Li analyzed, “I once treated a Sentinel, but it backfired. With you, it didn’t. Could it be because my spiritual power contains your spiritual power?”
After Ning Li used the Bead, the vigorous spiritual power inside it became hers.
Her Spirit Sea expanded from a small area to the size of a town.
Even now, her Spirit Sea still contained his spiritual power.
Those spiritual powers, combined with her own, created a scene as beautiful as a bright moon over the sea within her Spirit Sea.
After speaking, Ning Li looked at her new teammate, hoping for his acknowledgment.
She noticed his porcelain-white earlobe blushing faintly pink.
Seeing his expression still calm and cool as ever, she guessed it must be from mosquito bites.
It seemed that even in the Forbidden Zone, it was impossible to completely escape pesky mosquitoes.
“It’s not that.”
Yin Que snapped out of his thoughts triggered by her bold comment, “Your Spirit Entity is too overbearing, so your spiritual power is too strong.
The healing process ended up becoming destruction.”
Ning Li understood.
So, it wasn’t that she couldn’t groom a Sentinel’s Spirit Sea, but rather that she couldn’t groom the Spirit Sea of Sentinels who were too weak.
Their Spirit Seas couldn’t withstand the strength of her spiritual power.
This reminded her of what the Rescue Teacher said during frontline aid: “Any Guide can groom a Sentinel’s Spirit Sea. There are basically no exceptions.”
At that time, she had thought she was too special — only capable of destruction, not healing.
Now, she realized the Rescue Teacher was right.
It wasn’t her fault; the other Sentinels were simply too weak.
“Is there a solution?”
Yin Que recalled knowledge from various books and carefully said, “There is. But it requires very high control over your spiritual power.”
“If your spiritual power is like an ocean, and you don’t deliberately control it, letting the entire ocean flood into the Sentinel’s Spirit Sea at once, the impact is too great.”
“You need to divide that ocean into a small stream.”
To clarify, Yin Que gave an example: “Like the water flow from a faucet.”
Ning Li understood.
Grooming other Sentinels’ Spirit Seas was a delicate task.
Yin Que added, “If you can learn to control your spiritual power freely, it will effectively expand your Spirit Sea.”
What would happen after her Spirit Sea expanded again?
Currently, the Shadow Undead she summoned only had combat instincts and could communicate only briefly.
The Shadow Undead couldn’t express words — only using gestures, nodding or shaking heads to communicate.
If her Spirit Sea expanded further and her abilities strengthened, could the Shadow Undead someday regain their appearance from before death?
Could they talk with her naturally and fluently?
Would the summoned Shadow Undead be more powerful?
Suddenly, Ning Li had a clear goal.
While they talked, the anxious White Wolf Sentinel came looking for them, tracking their voices.
Seeing Yin Que’s current state, the White Wolf Sentinel exhaled deeply.
“I knew you could groom the Spirit Sea. Besides, which Guide can’t groom a Sentinel’s Spirit Sea? I almost got fooled by you.”
“Girl, I’m not unreasonable. If you can groom the Spirit Sea for my two brothers, I’ll pay you. If you need anything from me, just say the word. I’m not the type to take advantage. You can rest easy.”
Ning Li stood up and clapped her hands, “Then let’s go.”
Consider it practice.
Yin Que interjected, “Dividing spiritual power isn’t something you can master immediately.”
With talent, it requires hundreds of practice sessions.
Without it, tens of thousands.
The Spirit Seas of those two Sentinels couldn’t withstand Ning Li’s trials.
White Wolf Sentinel grew angry, “Brother, you saved us earlier and I’m grateful. If I get the chance, I’ll repay you. But now that your Spirit Sea is fine, you can’t just stop your Guide from saving us, right? Our lives are lives too!”
Yin Que lowered his gaze, skipping over the phrase “your Guide,” and asked, “Have you heard of Gu Shuangsheng, Senior?”
Hearing Gu Shuangsheng’s name, the White Wolf Sentinel was stunned.
He clenched his teeth, “Don’t tell me your Guide is the same as Senior Gu Shuangsheng?”
“Exactly the same.”
Gu Shuangsheng Senior is a Guide.
Her Spirit Entity is a High Mountain.
Half the time covered with snow, icy and bone-chilling.
Half the time lush green, covered with peach blossoms.
Every time her spiritual power appears, it feels like the weight of Mount Tai pressing down on those nearby.
Many Sentinels cannot withstand that pressure — mild cases lead to injury and vomiting blood, severe ones to death.
This Senior isn’t good at Spirit Sea grooming but excels in frontline support.
The White Wolf Sentinel couldn’t help cursing, “Your Guide’s Spirit Entity isn’t also a mountain, is it?”
Yin Que, “You talk too much.”
The White Wolf Sentinel was slightly taken aback.
Since their first meeting, this was the first time he showed a somewhat assertive side.
He thought to himself, capable people, no matter how helpful, wouldn’t be without some temper.
Hmph.
He exhaled a breath and didn’t inquire further about that Guide’s Spirit Entity, only asking, “Then what about my two teammates?”
“There are many Guides in the Forbidden Zone. Find one nearby.”
The moment he issued the order, the White Wolf Sentinel seemed to see the shadow of another person in him.
That person was like a High Mountain covered in snow, a bright moon hanging high.
Even just placing him beside that person felt like an insult.
But—
It really was similar.
Gentle when gentle was needed, strong when strength was needed.
Kindness didn’t mean no bottom line.
Principled, rational, and empathetic — these were that person’s merits.
At that moment, the White Wolf Sentinel saw a bit of his idol’s shadow in this young man he just met.
But—
How could that be?
That person had passed away many, many years ago.
Long gone, never to return.
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