The sun hung high above the lake.
Its bright light reflected across the calm surface, turning the water into a vast sheet of shimmering gold.
Near the shore—
a lone fisherman sat inside a small wooden boat.
He slowly pulled his net through the water.
The net spread across the surface before sinking beneath the waves.
The man hummed quietly to himself.
He had no idea what existed beneath him.
Far below—
deep within the lake—
the world was completely different.
The sunlight had long since disappeared.
Only faint blue light illuminated the dark depths.
At the bottom of the lake—
Lían sat cross-legged.
His body remained completely still.
A faint blue aura surrounded him.
Water Essence continuously flowed toward his body.
It entered his meridians.
Circulated through his cultivation.
Then slowly returned to the surrounding water.
Time passed.
Minutes.
Then—
much longer.
Eventually—
Lían's eyelids flickered.
His eyes slowly opened.
A faint blue light reflected within them.
He released a quiet breath.
"...That felt good."
He slowly rose from the lakebed.
His body remained completely comfortable beneath the water.
There was no pressure.
No discomfort.
He could breathe naturally.
In fact—
Lían had begun to feel more comfortable underwater than on land.
His gaze lowered.
Beneath his feet—
a tiny blue crack remained embedded within the lakebed.
Faint spiritual energy continued leaking from it.
Lían stared at it thoughtfully.
"...After absorbing the Water Essence leaking from this place..."
He stretched slightly.
"I really do feel much better."
His gaze remained fixed upon the crack.
"...After Master removed the clam, because it had been absorbing it."
He paused.
"That fish..."
Lían's expression became thoughtful.
"It probably absorbed the Water Essence too."
He remembered the Third Stage horned fish he had encountered.
His eyes narrowed.
"That's probably how it became so strong."
He slowly looked around the dark lake.
"If another creature discovered this place..."
"It could probably absorb the Water Essence and become stronger as well."
Lían sighed.
"So this place really is valuable."
He glanced toward the blue crack again.
"If I stayed here and cultivated..."
His eyes brightened slightly.
"Like back then, my cultivation speed would probably increase dramatically."
He considered the thought.
But—
his expression soon changed.
"...However."
He shook his head.
"I already have the art Master taught me."
His cultivation speed was no longer dependent on naturally gathering spiritual energy.
As long as he hunted demon beasts—
he could continue growing.
"Staying here all the time would just be a waste."
Lían looked around once more.
"But coming here occasionally..."
He nodded.
"That should be fine."
He had no idea how long he had been cultivating.
Judging by the faint changes in the light above—
quite some time had passed.
Lían sighed.
"...I should probably go home."
He glanced toward the surface.
"Words must have spread after the villagers saw me. Mother is probably wondering where I am."
His body slowly rose.
Water Essence gathered around him.
**WHOOSH!**
Water Control activated.
The surrounding lake immediately responded.
A gentle current carried Lían upward.
He accelerated through the darkness.
The surface gradually became brighter.
Soon—
Lían's head broke through the water.
**SPLASH!**
He quickly looked around.
The lake was peaceful.
The small fishing boat remained farther away.
The fisherman was still casting his net.
Lían blinked.
"...It's already afternoon?"
He looked toward the sky.
The sun was clearly past its highest point.
His expression became slightly surprised.
"I must have stayed down there for quite a while."
He glanced toward the fisherman.
The man remained completely unaware of him.
Lían quietly sank back beneath the surface.
Then—
his body transformed into a stream of water.
**WHOOSH!**
Using Water Control—
he shot toward the lakeside.
A moment later—
Lían emerged from the water near the shore.
He quickly climbed onto land.
After making sure nobody had noticed him—
he turned toward the direction of the village.
"...Time I go home."
With that—
he disappeared into the forest.
After a while—
Lían finally returned to the village.
The familiar houses slowly appeared between the trees.
His footsteps became lighter as he approached his home.
Before long—
he arrived.
Lían glanced at the house.
It was the same place where the villagers had gathered before.
The same place where everyone had watched in shock when he emerged from the enormous clam.
He quietly approached the house.
Then—
he pushed open the window.
With a quick movement—
Lían climbed inside.
He landed silently on the wooden floor.
His eyes swept across the room.
Nothing had changed.
Yet—
there was no sign of his mother.
Lían frowned slightly.
"...Mother isn't here?"
He looked around once more.
He had expected her to be home.
After what happened—
he was certain the news had already spread throughout the village.
Everyone had witnessed him emerging from the clam.
Everyone had seen Lizarius.
There was no way something like that could remain a secret.
*She should've heard about it by now.*
Lían sighed.
"Guess she remained at the old Village Head's residence."
His gaze shifted toward the doorway.
He remembered the enormous clam shell that had once been left outside.
Now—
it was gone.
Lían stared at the empty spot.
"...The shell is gone too."
He thought for a moment.
"That was probably the old Village Head's doing."
A faint movement suddenly caught his attention.
Lían's eyes narrowed.
Someone was watching the house.
From a distance—
a figure remained hidden among the trees.
Lían's expression became slightly colder.
*Someone is spying on my house?*
He didn't immediately move.
Instead—
he quietly observed.
The figure remained several dozen meters away.
Not particularly skilled at hiding.
Lían narrowed his eyes.
*If the Village Head sent him...*
*Then perhaps he's waiting for me to return.*
But—
another possibility surfaced.
*Or maybe he came here on his own after hearing the rumors.*
Lían's gaze sharpened.
By now—
the entire village should already know what happened.
There was no reason for someone to secretly watch his house unless they had a specific purpose.
Lían's killing intent quietly surfaced.
His figure disappeared.
---
Not far away—
a man sat beneath a large tree.
His back rested against the trunk.
One leg was stretched outward while the other remained bent.
His eyes remained fixed upon Lían's house.
He had been watching for some time.
Then—
a voice suddenly came from above.
"What are you doing?"
The man's body jolted.
"Ah?!"
He instinctively looked upward.
His balance immediately failed.
**THUD!**
He fell backward from the tree root and landed heavily on the ground.
"Oof!"
The man quickly pushed himself upright.
His eyes darted around.
Then—
he saw him.
Lían stood upon a thick branch above the man.
His expression was calm.
His eyes, however—
were sharp.
The man froze.
"...Who are you?"
Lían stared down at him.
"Is there a reason you're spying on my house?"
The man's expression became confused.
Then—
his eyes widened.
A sudden realization appeared on his face.
"...Lían?"
Lían's eyebrows lifted slightly.
The man stared at him in disbelief.
"It's really you?"
Lían jumped down.
His feet landed gently upon the ground.
"Yes."
He looked directly at the man.
"So..."
"Why were you spying on my house?"
The man immediately raised both hands.
"Wait, wait!"
"It's not what you think."
Lían's expression remained unchanged.
The man quickly explained.
"The Village Head told me to watch your house."
"He said that if you appeared..."
"I was supposed to tell you to go to his residence."
Lían stared at him silently.
"...The Village Head?"
The man nodded.
"Yes."
"He specifically told me to wait for you."
Lían's eyes narrowed slightly.
He glanced toward the direction of the Village Head's residence.
*So that's what this is about.*
He looked back at the man.
"And he didn't tell you why?"
The man shook his head.
"No."
"He only said that once you returned..."
"I should bring you to him."
Lían remained silent for several moments.
Then—
he slowly turned toward the village.
"...Alright."
The man blinked.
"You're going?"
Lían nodded.
"Take me there."
The man quickly stood.
"Right."
He dusted off his clothes.
Then—
he started walking.
Lían followed the man through the village.
His expression remained calm.
Inside—
he wasn't particularly concerned.
*I was going to the Village Head's residence anyway.*
*Mother should still be there.*
He glanced toward the familiar houses around him.
*So I might as well see him while I'm there.*
They continued walking.
The moment they entered the more populated part of the village—
several villagers noticed Lían.
Their conversations immediately stopped.
Then—
whispers began spreading.
"Is that Lían?"
"He's back?"
"I thought he disappeared."
"That's really him?"
"He came out of that enormous clam..."
"I heard everyone saw it."
"He disappeared right afterward."
"I heard that happened three days ago. I thought it was just a lie."
Lían's expression became slightly awkward.
As he expected, the rumors had spread so quickly.
*Three days?*
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then—
he suddenly realized something.
*Wait.*
*I was only supposed to be gone for a short while.*
His expression changed.
*I spent two days inside the lake.*
He had completely lost track of time while cultivating.
*No wonder everyone thinks I disappeared for three days.*
The man walking ahead suddenly stopped.
He turned around.
"We don't have time to waste."
"The Village Head is waiting."
Lían blinked.
"Oh."
The man pushed through the gathering villagers.
"Move aside."
"The Village Head is waiting for him."
The crowd slowly separated.
Lían followed.
The whispers continued behind him.
"He's really come out of a clam after not being seen for a year..."
"Did he stay inside that thing the entire time? Is he still human?"
"That clam..."
"What exactly happened inside it?"
Lían ignored them.
His attention remained focused ahead.
After a while—
the Village Head's residence finally appeared.
The man immediately approached the entrance.
Lían followed behind him.
The door opened.
A familiar woman stepped outside.
She looked at the man first.
Then—
her eyes shifted toward Lían.
She paused.
Her expression became confused.
"...Can I help you?"
Lían blinked.
He stared at her for a moment.
Then—
he smiled awkwardly.
"Auntie Xu."
The woman froze.
"...Auntie?"
She looked at him again.
Her gaze traveled across his face.
Lían's hair had grown considerably longer.
Several strands hung over his forehead.
Others covered much of his face.
Combined with his slightly changed appearance—
he looked quite different from before.
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"...Wait."
She stepped closer.
Lían smiled.
"It's me."
The woman's eyes suddenly widened.
"...Lían?"
Lían nodded.
"Yes."
Her expression immediately changed.
"That really is you!"
She quickly stepped forward.
"My goodness!"
"You're finally back!"
She looked him up and down.
"You've changed so much!"
"And your hair..."
She reached toward his face.
"Look at how long it's gotten!"
Lían awkwardly stepped back.
"I've been away for a while."
The woman laughed.
"I can see that!"
She continued examining him.
"Are you alright?"
"Did anything happen?"
"Are you injured?"
Lían shook his head.
"I'm fine."
The woman released a relieved breath.
"That's good."
"We were all worried after what happened."
She glanced toward the crowd outside.
"Everyone has been talking about you."
Lían's expression became slightly awkward.
"I noticed."
The woman smiled.
"Come inside."
"Your mother is here."
Lían's eyes immediately brightened.
"She is?"
"Of course."
"She has been waiting for you."
The woman stepped aside.
"Come."
"I'll take you to her."
Lían nodded.
"Thank you, Auntie Xu."
He followed her inside.
The door slowly closed behind them.
Outside—
the villagers continued whispering.
Inside—
Lían finally began walking toward the room where his mother was waiting.