A powerful force blasted out from the east courtyard.
"Finally, I'm at the 2nd Rank of Qi Condensation," Yi Ling said as she stabilized her energy inside her dantian.
After an hour, she exhaled and stretched her body.
"Congratulations, Ling'er," Mu Xin said as he came inside her room. He smiled at her adoringly.
"Now that you've had a breakthrough, I am at ease. You may leave the Abyss anytime. I will get rid of the formation when you go back. I already talked to Tefei; he will be waiting for you to make a contract." He rubbed her hair gently.
"Finally! FREEDOM!" Yi Ling raised both of her arms in the air and said jokingly. Mu Xin shook his head and sent Yi Ling back to the Abyss.
Tefei was outside her makeshift tent, waiting for her. Yi Ling hadn't been able to have a good look at Tefei since he showed her the Ring. Tefei now had the aura of a 5th Rank of Qi Condensation. She didn't know how Tefei got stronger, though.
Yi Ling took her dagger out and made a small cut on her finger. Tefei came closer and allowed her to put the blood on his forehead.
Upon contact, Yi Ling got dizzy. Tefei was now her contracted beast. She could now feel Tefei's emotions and communicate with him telepathically. Mu Xin had told her before that Tefei would be able to talk and conjure a human appearance once he reached the Nascent Stage. She felt that Tefei's aura seemed familiar, like a long-lost old friend. She rubbed her temples. That wouldn't make sense.
"Bring Tefei inside the Ring. It'll frighten the people when they see him," Mu Xin interrupted her thoughts. Humanity and spiritual beasts had gone against each other after all. She whisked her sleeve towards Tefei, and he disappeared.
"I need to find more herbs to hasten my growth and to unlock the Second Seal. You told me that the closest herb market is in Feng Kingdom. Do you know the way?" she asked Mu Xin in her mind.
A green light came out of Yi Ling's body. "I will guide you, master." Linyu clasped his fists and bowed. Even though his past master wasn't able to bring him out of the Ring ever, he was well-versed in Huaxia. This was an inborn ability that he had, being connected to the land itself. He would never get lost.
"Alright, thanks, Yu'er." She smiled.
Mu Xin removed the formation surrounding the Abyss. He knew he wouldn't be able to suppress Yi Ling's aura, which attracted all kinds of beasts. He didn't dare tell her about this; she would lose her carefree attitude. He didn't want to scare her. He'd rather have Linyu accompany her so that Linyu could prevent any situation from getting out of hand.
Linyu was at the 2nd rank of the Nascent Stage. That's why he was able to conjure a human-like appearance. Though he could hide his spiritual herb aura, it wouldn't fool anyone above the Emergent Stage. But for now, they didn't have to worry about it. The lesser the spiritual energy in the area, the less likely they were to meet anyone who was strong either.
Yi Ling could still vividly remember the painful accidents that her appearance caused. So before heading out, Linyu handed her a mask. He told her that Mu Xin had made it for her. It was much better than her makeshift mask.
This mask was built from wood, the silver and gold hues mixed with a light brown color of the wood were magical. There was also a rose-shaped sapphire jade on its forehead. A dark blue color traced around the area where her eyes would be. Everything was covered except for her eyes.
Just then, Mu Xin's voice came into her head.
"This is the Eternal Oak's inner bark. When you wear this, it can mask your skin's appearance, making you have light tan skin and a slightly rough surface. Your face will still look the same inside the mask. This is part of Linyu's powers. I also added the Sapphire Jade, which is from me. It will hide your cultivation aura from anybody when you're not using powers, so people will not think that you are a Qi Cultivator. When you remove your mask, though, you will return to your original appearance and aura. You might as well be the cause of calamity to mankind, so be aware." He smirked. Yi Ling could feel that he was trying to lighten her mood.
"The rest is up to you. I can only help you this much. I know you like dressing up like a man," he teased.
Yi Ling's mouth twitched. This jerk is teasing me endlessly, but he has helped me so much too, she thought. It sounded like a Pandora's box but in the form of a mask. She thought it was ironic, her beautiful appearance as her inner demons.
"Thank you, Mu Xin, and you too, Yu'er," she said, looking at Linyu. He was taller than her; he looked around 18, dressed like a young master from a noble family. Thinking that Linyu didn't even know his age and was around long before Mu Xin's arrival in the Blue Rose Palace, she knew he was definitely not 18, she thought.
After fixing herself up, she tied her hair up and put on her rugged clothes. As she put on the mask, her skin did look tanner and rougher. She now looked like a servant boy beside Linyu. Seeing the satisfied look on Yi Ling's face, Linyu pulled out his own mask. It was different from hers. It was half silver and half gold, split in the middle. There was also a green color traced around the area where his eyes were. It looked lovely with his gray eyes. His appearance was the same, though; nothing changed. So, she didn't know if it had powers too or not. She didn't want to bother herself with this.
She then left the Abyss with Linyu.