Dual Cultivation God Returns Chapter 1041: The nature of the gifts

By now, all but Jian Hao had awakened from the ice sleep, with the area bustling in the aftermath chaos that only heightened his bewilderment.

He recalled the Seed of the Dao descending, a chance that sent his heart racing with equal parts joy and concern given the exposed location. He also faintly remembered the moments before the seed settled into his Soul Sea, since he remained semi-conscious then.

Thus, he was aware of the turmoil nearby, outsiders lured by this priceless opportunity, his elder brother advancing with sinister motives amid the distractions, and then enigmatic strangers coming to his aid. Beyond that, the enlightenment trance swallowed everything else.

As he pieced together these recollections and glanced around, he spotted the aiding strangers still present, now seeing them distinctly with their masks on, positioned next to a strangely uneasy Steward Lee—a striking contrast to the man's usual rock-solid, impassive demeanor.

Jian Yu promptly cupped his hands and bowed his head, "Thank you, benefactors"

"Mm, good to see you've claimed the destined accomplishments", the masked man nodded, drawing nearer to the youth.

'Hmm, surging from 3rd to 5th level of Essence Awakening Realm off just that, eh?', Wu Long inwardly chuckled while noting Jian Yu’s cultivation surge. Such a massive stride was rare, as breakthroughs in the Seven Profound Realms proved far tougher than in the Nine Mortal Realms, with multi-Minor Realm jumps especially uncommon—particularly against Wu Long’s own rapid pace.

Fen Baihu first considered ribbing Wu Long since his own realm hadn’t budged an inch from enlightenment, but observed him scrutinizing the chatting youth intensely, deducing the gains gap stemmed not from his typical cultivation tempo.

'Likely he skipped watching this youth exit enlightenment to cultivate future alliances...', she pondered as Jian Yu animatedly described his enlightenment gains, eliciting a response from Wu Long that cemented the Celestial Fox’s theory.

"Hmm, I possess a minor Archery Skill jade slip of no use to me", Wu Long continued, retrieving a jade slip, "You might make better use of it"

"I-I dare not accept further after your immense aid!", Jian Yu bowed once more, face reddening.

"Heh, it costs me naught. View it as enlightenment congratulations and my token of thanks. The Seed of the Dao aids not only the receiver but onlookers too, as you know", Wu Long chuckled, partly earnest since Jian Yu’s enlightenment proved a vital boon for Yuanfen and an unforeseen gain for himself, "I've added my communication jade details for you to reach me"

Steward Lee’s expression gleamed, delighted that the Manor’s 3rd Young Master forged ties with these formidable figures through the event. Their prowess at Essence Awakening Realm fueled his urgency to win their favor.

"T-Then, I humbly accept your generosity with thanks", Jian Yu realized refusal was futile and undesired anyway, receiving the jade slip reverently with both hands while bowing again.

"Well then, we're departing. Matters await", Wu Long chuckled, glancing at his two beauties as all three nodded together.

The three ice-bound Hearts of Iron near Jian Hao burst free, pursuing Wu Long’s departing form flanked by Xue Bing and Fen Baihu in flight.

Steward Lee and Jian Yu saluted their retreating backs, as Jian Hao at last stirred from his icy slumber, thoroughly lost and steadied by his Manor supporters.

—

"Is Yuanfen in the Dream Realm?", Wu Long questioned amid their flight from the site.

"She is, but already asleep in her customary tree nook", Fen Baihu shook her head, "She dozed off immediately upon return"

"Hmm, that tracks. Processing her gains from it will require time", Wu Long sighed, "Still, I wished to express my thanks at minimum"

"It's not enlightenment?", Xue Bing inquired, intrigued by his previous statement while removing her mask that started crumbling apart.

Wu Long shook his head, likewise removing his mask and flashing her a smile. "As a World Spirit, she truly doesn't require enlightenment", he explained. "Initially, I believed she would simply convert it into nutrients to compensate for the shortages from not completely devouring the World of her origin. Yet it turned out differently—she appeared to change it into... tough to articulate... something like an essence of the Dao? Maybe a blend of a World's memories..."

"The portion she shared with you was the same, wasn't it? That's why you needed to check what the archer received?", Fen Baihu questioned. She had already shifted into her fox form perched on his shoulder, the pair hidden at a distance by her abilities.

"Yes", Wu Long affirmed with a nod. "The archer's gain looks like standard enlightenment, maybe slightly amplified in strength because she boosted his share, but mine from her—intentional or not—matches exactly what she took in herself. Describing it proves challenging since processing it fully eluded me; it suits the Spirit Race, not a human's mind."

"You... witnessed Lady Yuanfen's memories?", Fen Baihu realized abruptly, her eyes expanding in shock.

With a contemplative yet faintly perplexed look, Wu Long nodded once more, his voice carrying an uncharacteristic lack of certainty. "I believe so... though I can't be certain. It wasn't precisely 'seeing'. Rather, it consisted of disembodied fragments—immensely expansive yet intensely compacted simultaneously, scrambled into a disorganized clump, overly linked to isolate any part, yet wildly disordered to grasp entirely. Nor is it 'memory' as humans know it... I suppose... like I mentioned, it resembles the 'memory' inherent to a World itself, resistant to human comprehension. Even after fully assimilating it via the Great Sage Art: The Greed of the Ancient All-Knowledge-Devouring Divine Beast, which preserved it wholly undamaged, unraveling even tiny portions would demand an immensely prolonged period. I had hoped to inquire about it after expressing gratitude, but that opportunity seems deferred."

"Will you actually receive any response?", Xue Bing wondered, recalling their past failed efforts to converse with the World Spirit.

"Hehe, who knows... but I must give it a shot at least, yeah?", he laughed lightly with a touch of wryness, mirroring her doubts about the outcome.

Fen Baihu then guided them via her mist directly into the Thousand Eyes Palace, employing Liang Yuhan—who happened to be present—as a focal point to direct her powers.

Meanwhile, Jian Yu, eagerly examining the jade slip, discovered that the gift from those mysterious helpers held more complexity than expected.

A section within the jade slip responded solely to his Spiritual Qi aura and pulses, visible and decipherable only to him, revealing that the strangers' aid wasn't mere coincidence.

The note read simply, 'You won't be able to win the auction. But I can help. Contact me'