"Ehehehe." Knowing that his grandma caught him, Myah giggled sheepishly.
"Grandma, how did you know that I'm back?" As if remembering something, Myah's expression was constantly changing, from shock to bewilderment, then most of all, guilty.
"Ara-ara~ looks at this naughty child, so lazy." Looking at him, Mu Suyin was amused.
"How grandma knows that you are back is not important, but..."
Stooping down, Mu Suyin pinched Myah's cheeks, and by the time she was satisfied, there was a soft pink mark decorated his face.
"Now, not only have you skipped morning training, but you not even telling me that you are going out to play, huh?" With a faint smile but a serious tone, she reprimands him. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
In actuality, she wouldn't mind if Myah were to go out to play at any other time.
After all, he is still young.
However, it was just that Myah's ability to sense the world's energy has recovered much slower than she has originally expected.
After this half a year, Myah has absorbed more than ten low-grade Spirit Stone and is currently showing signs of breaking through anytime soon. To be more accurate, it could happen at any moment.
This period is crucial; hence she didn't want him to be distracted by other things since failure to make a breakthrough would bring severe backlash.
"T-this... Myah is not lazy, looks! I have picked a lot of fruits and mushrooms for us." Myah spoke with a toothy smile.
The little adventure near the wood was fun, and he has worked very hard today.
Then, he happily raised the two bamboo baskets with both hands before explaining and showing his grandma a day's bountiful harvest with his friends.
Sighing while feeling a little helpless, she inquired, "Did you have fun today adventuring with your friends?"
After considering that Myah is already back safely, there wasn't any need to delve into the issue any longer.
"Un, today was very fun. There are lots of tasty fruits and mushrooms. Pickle said that the mushrooms are super delicious!" After putting down one of the bamboo baskets onto the ground, Myah tried to get a mushroom to show his grandma.
With his somewhat clumsy hand, Myah stirred up the bamboo basket.
Then, after brushing all the wild fruits aside, he finally found a Fragrant Mushroom hiding underneath. Only after sniffing it a few times in confirmation did he show it to her. "Ehehe, grandma, can you use these to make soup for me?"
Taken over the two baskets, she laughed and said in a soft tone. "Alright, but we will have to wait tomorrow. Let's go inside. Grandma has already prepared your favorite congee."
"Well...okay, let's go, Bumpkin! I'm hungry!" After pondering for a moment, Myah happily ran into the house.
Although the little guy wanted to try the Fragrance Mushrooms today, however, it will have to wait because nothing can beat a bow of Rainbow Fish Congee.
Seeing that there would be no punishment, Bumpkin quickly ran into the house after Myah.
The side of the front door was the same as before.
Nonetheless, since Bumpkin has lost some weight after all those laborious trainings, there wasn't any problem getting in despite its height increase lightly. To which Bumpkin was incredibly proud to have defeated this nemesis.
The humiliation of being trapped at the door has long been buried in the past!
Briefly looking through the two bamboo baskets, Mu Suyin followed them inside to prepare the food.
...
The next day,
It was a new and fresh morning—a few glimmers of soothing sunlight peeking through the veil of hazy mist above the Dandelion Village.
The spring breeze drifted through the backyard.
Under the nascent rays of the rising sun, the dew-laden leaves on the tall apple tree have yet to scatter.
With Bumpkin resting by his side, Myah quietly meditates in a lotus position while holding onto a low-grade Spirit Stone. His back leaned against the rough trunk of the apple tree. This spot was Myah's favorite spot to cultivate.
While droplets trickling down from above unto the water puddles of the rainfall last evening, the sound brings peace and calmness to Myah's mind.
'There it was again—this feeling of fulfillment.'
Seemingly in a dazed state, Myah focused all of his attention inside his soul sea. He could feel that the spirit energy inside his soul sea was flooding and is getting restless.
This feeling was extremely familiar as he also felt it yesterday morning. However, because of Pickle's timely interruption, it has dissipated. Myah didn't expect to feel it again today.
'This feels just like when I'm overeating Rainbow Fish Congee...No, now is not the time. I should focus. According to grandma's teaching, this might be the sign when one becomes a true Warrior.'
Getting rid of distracting thoughts, he becomes as steady as a rock.
Feeling overloaded, Myah instinctively stopped absorbing spiritual energy from the Spirit Stone. Gradually, droplets of sweat begin to accumulate on his forehead.
In the state of extreme focus that he almost stop breathing entirely, Myah could visibly see the change inside his soul sea with specified details.
The thick waves of pure green-colored spirit energy were surging nonstop. Such characteristics and color were due to Myah's C-grade talent and indicated that it has yet to gain any attribute.
After a long time of crashing back and forth, the lively waves of spirit energy finally become thousand of streams before spiraling above the green-colored Soul Origin Crystal.
With each passing second, the streams of spirit energy form into a gigantic water ball, and in no time, all the spirit energy consolidated into a single mass of existence.
This step is also the hurdle that many has failed to surpass—the stage of energy compression.
The previous practice on refining spiritual energy was also in preparation for this crucial moment when Myah is required to compress the spirit energy ball inside his soul sea.
The more skilled he was in refining spiritual energy, the less soul force he would consume.
Suddenly, as if being suppressed by an invisible force, the gigantic ball of spirit energy inside Myah's soul sea began to compress.
Next, he started to burn his ample soul force with his precise control as it forms an invisible hand and tightly gripping the sphere of spirit energy.
With each passing second, the sphere becomes smaller and smaller.
Subsequently, it also becomes much more demanding.
However, Myah continues to persist.
His grandma has said that the smaller one can compress the sphere of spirit energy, the higher the chance of their breakthrough.
Furthermore, once it's successful, the result would also be much better.