In another part of the plains, far away from the bandits, Amin Baba's trade caravan continued southward. Now openly protected by the guard captain, they suffered no more mishaps and the journey was smooth and uneventful. At the peak of the Strengthening Realm, Harsh Patel was a peerless existence across the Dangerous Region.
Gray was rewarded for his contributions during the bandit attack with a spare carriage just for him. He didn't have to share it with anyone which allowed him the privacy to rest and recover from the brutal battle.
The wounds on his body were numerous but no longer life-threatening. The culprit was not the Tome of Glorious Fortune but his strange physique gifted by the heavenly citrine. By the first day, minor cuts and bruises were healed. By the third day, large gashes caused by bandit swords had closed up without complication. No scars were left over to mar his smooth, suntanned skin. Even the red welts where sword wounds used to be would go away completely with time. There was no need to mention internal injuries as those went away even faster.
Gray didn't find much time to marvel at his healing ability. His thoughts were still plagued by the disastrous duel with Tang Duanmu. Those searing moments of helplessness refused to be forgotten. It was his greatest defeat ever; against the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
The countless fights he had against miners and farmers in the King's Mountains seemed asinine in comparison. Even the brawl with several common bandits seemed meaningless. Unlike them, Tang was the real deal, a true cultivator, someone who was not only strong but also had technique and experience.
There were so many times during the brief duel where he was in real danger. One wrong move, one small blunder, could have resulted in heavy injuries or even death. If he had not achieved a timely breakthrough in the Golden Body of the Bodhi, he would have surely died. His dream of seeing Xueling again would have ended, just like that.
It wasn't a good feeling, the feeling of utter defeat. Xueling's warnings had come true the moment he stepped out of the mountains. He had been totally unprepared and he barely managed to survive. His powerful physique which he was proud of and his special eyes gifted by the heavens were all useless against an overwhelming opponent.
His eyes…
He remembered something. It was the one thing he still could not comprehend, just how exactly he had dodged Tang's final sword. Because it wasn't Harsh Patel who saved him, he definitely dodged that sword himself, somehow.
In the last instant before Tang's attack reached him, he had felt something inexplicable. There had been a surge of black spiritual energy that caused his body to shift sideways, out of the path of danger. That energy definitely came from him but he didn't know how.
Was it his eyes?
---
Gray sat cross-legged, staring in awe, as Xueling brought out one item after another out of seemingly nowhere. There were blankets, pillows, candles, clothes, mirrors, bottles, combs, it was simply endless. He half expected her to reach into her sleeves and pull out a plate of freshly made red braised pork!
"Fairy sister… can you teach me how to do that?" He finally asked.
She laughed, her eyes turning into stunning crescent moons. "Don't be silly. This is just my spatial bag."
"Huh?"
"A spatial bag. It is something created by a spiritual treasure that utilizes the laws of space. It is a separate dimension where I can store anything I want." She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a jeweled bracelet that adorned her alabaster skin. "Yes, see the gems. They are onyx, a black elemental gem containing the attributes of darkness and space. Among elemental gems, it is one of the rarest. It is what allows the bracelet to create a small storage space that is as wide as this bed."
"Wow, amazing!"
He was mesmerized. He could see the spiritual energy of the onyx leaking out, surrounding the bracelet with a shimmering black glow. There was also something else, a comforting and familiar sensation that left him wanting more as if he couldn't get enough of the onyx.
"Can I touch it?"
"No!" She pulled down her sleeve and glared at him, "Such cheap tricks won't work on me!"
She turned around and covered herself in blankets, hiding from his view.
"Come on, woman!" He exclaimed, "I wasn't trying to touch you, I just wanted to see your bracelet!"
But there was no response.
---
The memory provided a hint of a possibility, that his eyes had something to do with space and darkness attribute spiritual energy. The more he thought about it, the more it excited him.
He could see in the dark. What could explain that besides an affinity with darkness...
He could see through solid objects under certain conditions. Perhaps that had something to do with space...
Gray strained his eyes, pumping spiritual energy into them. He stared at the floor of the carriage, then the ceiling, hoping that he could somehow see through them. He willed himself to move without moving, to create a tear in space, to do anything weird and inexplicable.
He tried and tried until his spiritual sea was depleted but nothing happened. He could not summon the same power that had saved his life. There was no black-colored spiritual energy at all.
He wished he had another chance to study the onyx bracelet and the features of the spatial bag. There was no onyx in the King's Mountains. There probably wasn't any in the Jade Plains. It was a rare gem that cultivators many realms higher than him would fight to the death over. Xueling never did let him see it again after that one time. Perhaps she had her reasons or perhaps she was just being stingy.
Gray sighed and gave up on the matter. He had no idea. He didn't even have a starting point. The only thing he could do was practice the Tome of Glorious Fortune, improve his Golden Body of the Bodhi, and get stronger so that he wouldn't lose to someone like Tang Duanmu ever again.