Moonlight spilled softly across the small yard outside the wooden house.
Cold night wind drifted through the grass while the massive invisible clam rested silently beside the home like a hidden mountain buried within the darkness.
Lian stood barefoot near the doorway with his mother beside him.
Both stared toward the floating white lizard ahead.
"…So what exactly are we supposed to do with this thing?" Lian asked helplessly.
"We can't let anyone see it."
He rubbed his forehead in frustration before continuing.
"I already disappeared for three whole months."
"If strange things keep happening around our house, people are going to start noticing."
His expression darkened slightly afterward.
"And once people notice strange things…"
"…danger follows."
His mother's face paled faintly at those words.
Lian immediately turned back toward the lizard.
"And why didn't you just keep it invisible?!"
The white lizard merely stared at him calmly.
Then—
without answering—
he slowly drifted upward through the open doorway.
Lian blinked.
"…Wait."
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Hey!"
The lizard floated outside into the yard.
Lian immediately rushed after him while his mother hurried behind.
The cool night air greeted them instantly.
And there—
hovering silently beneath the moonlight—
was the white lizard.
Moonlight reflected across his snow-white scales while faint blue flames drifted lazily around his body like wandering spirits.
In front of him—
the enormous black clam finally revealed itself completely beneath the moonlight.
Lian's mother froze instantly.
Her mouth slowly fell open in shock.
The clam was monstrous.
Its shell alone was larger than a wagon.
Dark mineral growth covered its surface like layers of black stone while traces of blue spiritual light leaked faintly from cracks along the shell.
Even dead—
it radiated pressure powerful enough to make the surrounding air feel heavy.
Lian swallowed slowly.
"…Every time I look at this thing, it somehow feels even bigger…"
His mother unconsciously stepped closer to him.
Meanwhile—
the white lizard floated silently before the massive clam.
Golden eyes calm.
Unreadable.
Then—
he moved slightly.
No chants.
No hand seals.
No visible effort whatsoever.
Lian swallowed nervously.
"…So what exactly are we supposed to do abou—"
SHHHHK.
A sharp invisible force sliced downward through the air.
There was no explosion.
No violent burst of energy.
Only the clean sound of something impossibly sharp cutting through flesh and shell at the same time.
The enormous clam split apart instantly.
The upper shell slowly slid sideways—
then crashed heavily into the ground.
THOOOOOM.
Lian's eyes widened completely.
"…Whoa…"
His mother covered her mouth in shock.
Inside the opened clam—
beneath layers of pale white spiritual flesh—
glowing blue spheres rested deep within the creature's body.
One.
Two.
Five.
Dozens.
Some were the size of oranges.
Others were as large as watermelons.
Pure blue light pulsed softly inside them like liquid trapped beneath crystal.
The entire yard became illuminated with a faint blue glow beneath the moonlit sky.
Lian stared blankly.
"…Whoa…"
He stepped closer instinctively.
"…What are those?"
The white lizard hovered silently above the opened clam while golden reflections shimmered within his eyes.
Then calmly—
"Condensed Water Pearls."
Lian slowly approached closer.
Carefully.
"…That sounds expensive."
Despite knowing the clam was dead, he still looked slightly nervous.
The glowing pearls reflected within his widened eyes.
"…They're beautiful…"
Even his mother stared blankly at the enormous glowing spheres.
"…T-There are so many…"
Indeed—
dozens of pearls rested within the clam's flesh.
Large.
Small.
Bright blue.
Each one radiated dense spiritual energy far beyond anything Lian had ever experienced before.
The surrounding air itself felt different now.
Cooler.
Richer.
Refreshing.
Almost unreal.
Lian hesitated briefly before pointing toward one of the watermelon-sized pearls.
"…Those are all treasures?"
"Yes."
"…Like…"
"…normal valuable?"
The white lizard remained calm.
"Enough to destroy your village."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lian immediately stepped backward away from the clam.
"…WHAT?"
His mother's face instantly lost all color.
The lizard continued calmly.
"Treasures attract greed."
Lian's expression immediately became serious.
Right.
That made perfect sense.
If ordinary cultivators discovered something this valuable near a weak, defenseless village—
it would absolutely become dangerous.
His gaze shifted back toward the glowing pearls.
Excitement mixed with fear immediately afterward.
"…Then we seriously can't let anyone see this."
The lizard gave a faint nod.
Correct.
For once—
the child understood quickly.
Meanwhile—
Lian's mother looked increasingly anxious.
"…Shouldn't we throw it away then?"
Lian immediately whipped around toward her.
"Throw away something this valuable?!"
"But didn't you just say people could kill us for it?!"
"…That's also true…"
Lian immediately looked conflicted again.
The white lizard silently observed the two humans.
Fear.
Greed.
Concern.
Attachment.
Human emotions shifted rapidly.
Interesting.
His golden eyes turned back toward the exposed flesh inside the clam.
The yard remained bathed in soft blue light beneath the moonlit sky.
The opened clam lay before them like an ancient treasure vault from some forgotten legend.
Dozens of glowing Condensed Water Pearls rested within layers of pale spiritual flesh while cold spiritual energy drifted through the night air.
Lian stared at it for several long moments.
Then—
the white lizard finally spoke.
"Collect what you can."
Lian blinked.
"…What?"
The lizard's golden eyes shifted toward the pearls.
"Take them."
Lian moved instantly.
"Right!"
Questions could wait.
Treasure came first.
He hurried toward the opened clam before carefully reaching toward one of the glowing pearls.
The moment his fingers touched it—
he inhaled sharply.
Cold.
Smooth.
Dense spiritual energy pulsed faintly beneath the surface like living water sealed inside crystal.
"…Whoa…"
The pearl was roughly the size of an orange.
And surprisingly heavy.
Lian quickly shoved it into his coat.
Then grabbed another.
And another.
The blue glow leaking through his clothes made him look increasingly ridiculous.
Meanwhile—
his mother stood nearby, still overwhelmed by everything happening around her.
"…Lian…"
"Be careful…"
"I know!"
Lian continued collecting rapidly while muttering under his breath.
"…These things are definitely worth more than my entire life…"
The white lizard silently observed him.
The child's movements had become noticeably faster the moment treasure became involved.
Interesting.
Soon—
Lian's coat bulged awkwardly while blue light leaked through the fabric from every direction.
Then his gaze shifted toward the enormous amount of spiritual flesh still inside the clam.
"…Wait."
He looked back toward the lizard.
"…I can eat this too, right?"
"Yes."
Lian's eyes widened instantly.
"…Spirit beast meat?"
The lizard gave a small nod.
"Its nutritional value greatly exceeds ordinary food."
Lian immediately looked back toward the clam with entirely different eyes.
Treasure.
Cultivation resources.
And food.
This thing was practically a walking miracle.
Then his expression stiffened.
"…Wait."
"…How exactly am I supposed to cut it?"
The clam's flesh looked tougher than stone itself.
The lizard remained silent.
Lian stared at him.
The lizard stared back.
"…Right."
Without another word, Lian immediately spun around and sprinted back toward the house.
"I'll be back!"
His mother blinked in confusion as he disappeared inside.
Several loud crashing noises immediately followed.
CLATTER.
BANG.
"Where's the knife?!"
More crashing sounds echoed through the house.
Then—
Lian burst back outside triumphantly holding a kitchen knife.
"…Found it!"
He rushed enthusiastically back toward the clam.
Then stopped abruptly.
"…Actually…"
"…This suddenly feels dangerous."
The white lizard ignored him completely.
Lian swallowed nervously before carefully pressing the kitchen knife against the pale spiritual flesh.
To his surprise—
it cut.
Not easily.
But enough.
Soon, he began slicing chunks of spirit beast meat away piece by piece.
Faint traces of blue spiritual energy leaked from the cuts.
His mother watched nervously from nearby.
"…Should we really be eating that…"
Lian grunted while cutting.
"If it makes me stronger, I'm eating it."
Several minutes later—
a new problem appeared.
"…Damn it."
He looked around helplessly.
"I don't actually have anything to carry all this with."
The meat alone weighed far too much.
Without hesitation—
he immediately sprinted back into the house again.
More crashing noises followed almost instantly.
Then—
he returned carrying a large woven basket over his shoulder.
"…Okay."
"This works."
The basket quickly began filling with clam meat piece after piece until it became nearly too heavy to lift.
Finally—
after exhausting himself completely—
Lian dragged the overflowing basket beside his mother before collapsing onto the ground beside it.
"…Alright…"
"…Done…"
He breathed heavily.
His clothes still glowed faintly blue from the hidden pearls stuffed inside them.
His hands smelled strongly of clam blood.
And his hair had become a complete mess.
The white lizard hovered silently above the opened clam afterward.
Golden eyes calm beneath the moonlight.
Then—
slowly—
the remaining Condensed Water Pearls began rising from the clam.
One after another.
Dozens of glowing blue spheres floated upward through the night air.
Lian immediately looked up.
"…Whoa…"
The pearls drifted back inside the opened clam.
Then—
the massive shell slowly lifted upward.
Closed.
Sealed once more through invisible force.
THOOOM.
The clam reformed itself, though not perfectly.
Lian blinked in confusion.
"…You're putting it back together?"
The lizard did not answer.
Instead—
he slowly descended onto the enormous black shell before resting atop it calmly.
Golden eyes glowed faintly beneath the moonlight.
Then—
the earth moved.
Lian's mother gasped softly.
The ground beneath the clam softened like water itself.
No cracks formed.
No destruction appeared.
The massive spirit beast slowly began sinking downward into the soil.
Lian's eyes widened.
"…Wow…"
The white lizard remained perfectly calm.
The clam continued descending deeper into the earth together with him.
Slowly.
Silently.
Until only the lizard's upper body remained visible above the ground.
His golden eyes turned toward Lian one final time.
Then—
he sank completely beneath the earth.
Silence returned instantly.
The yard became still once more beneath the moonlight.
No clam.
No glowing pearls.
No traces remained behind.
Only disturbed grass swaying beneath the cold night wind.
Lian stared blankly at the empty ground for several long seconds.
Then finally muttered quietly—
"…That's so cool."