Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 233: The Ancient Ruins (Part-5)

On the other side of the barrier, Zora had also been startled.

"Kael..."

Her voice rang out, but it vanished the moment it touched the stone wall, swallowed without a trace.

She paused, then let out a slow breath.

"So it’s soundproof as well..."

Judging from its thickness and construction, this stone door was no different from the others they’d encountered earlier. Smashing through it was clearly impossible.

Black and White instantly enlarged themselves, scrambling along the wall with Shihtzu, searching frantically for any hidden mechanisms.

Zora steadied herself and lowered her gaze to the black iron box in her hands.

So this was the trigger.

It was because she had removed the box that the mechanism had been activated.

Yet when she examined the groove again, there were no visible switches or moving parts at all.

Her eyes returned to the box.

Even after countless years, it looked almost new, its surface smooth and unblemished, untouched by time. Whatever was inside was clearly important.

Curiosity stirred.

She tried to open it.

The result was disappointing.

A small but intricate lock sealed the box shut. No matter how much strength she applied, it refused to budge.

Zora sighed quietly. "When you finally find a treasure, you can’t even open it..."

Black flopped down beside her in frustration. "Master, we’ve checked everywhere. There’s no mechanism around here at all."

Shihtzu shook its head as well, equally helpless.

Zora looked at the three dejected little faces and couldn’t help smiling faintly.

"Don’t worry," she said calmly. "Since the owner of this ruin trapped us here, there must be a way out. It just hasn’t revealed itself yet."

She didn’t think this place was meant to kill.

The existence of so many Essence Fruits alone proved that this chamber was a reward, not a trap. The owner of the ruins had built this place to select a successor, not to entomb the living.

Which meant this was a living path, not a dead end.

Her confidence slowly spread to the others.

Though still puzzled, Black, White, and Shihtzu nodded. If their master believed it, they believed it too.

Now, all that remained was patience—and vigilance.

"There are so many Essence Fruits here. From what I can see, it’s best to improve our strength first."

Zora’s eyes gleamed with calm resolve. Since these Essence Fruits couldn’t be taken away, absorbing them on the spot was the wisest choice.

Right now, nothing mattered more than strength.

She had resumed cultivation only recently, yet she had already reached this level. That alone was enough to show her talent. But once she stood among disciples from great families, the gap in strength became painfully obvious.

Strength had always been her pride.

Never had she imagined that one day she would be suppressed at every turn because of it.

She never voiced that frustration, but it weighed heavily in her heart.

Guinvere was not someone to underestimate. She never thought this woman would just let Kael go, because he is married. Her past life experience made Zora know one thing for sure. Those who were born with power and authority would go to any lengths to fulfill their desires.

Not to mention, she was fully confident that someone like Fiona wouldn’t let go of her hatred either. If not her, then it will be people who wanted to curry favor with her.

Zora knew that once they left the ruins, the dangers awaiting her would only grow more severe. If she wanted to stand firm, she had to grow stronger, as fast as possible.

And these Essence Fruits were the perfect shortcut.

The three beasts nodded in unison, agreeing with her thoughts too. Improving strength now was indeed the most urgent matter.

Without hesitation, Zora steadied her breathing, reached out, and seized an Essence Fruit floating before her. She swallowed it directly.

Her cultivation had already reached the brink of a breakthrough. She had merely been suppressing it due to unfavorable conditions earlier.

Now, in this sealed and silent stone chamber, there could be no better moment.

As Zora entered cultivation, the three beasts immediately took up positions around her, alert and vigilant, guarding against any unexpected intrusion.

Time flowed quietly.

The number of Essence Fruits in the chamber slowly diminished. While Zora cultivated, Shihtzu swallowed the demon crystal of the Abyssal Crocodile and lay down beside her, also entering a state of breakthrough.

"It’s been a while already," Black muttered, sprawled lazily on the ground. "The master and Shihtzu are still cultivating. Who knows when they’ll wake up?"

"So boring..."

"There aren’t many Essence Fruits left," White replied calmly. "Master should finish soon."

Even so, White couldn’t help glancing repeatedly at Zora, who remained perfectly still, her posture unchanged.

"But the speed of the master’s improvement during this time is terrifying," Black suddenly grinned. "Haha, these Essence Fruits really live up to their reputation!"

With so many fruits absorbed, years of slow cultivation were being compressed into a short span of time. This pace was more than enough to make others envious.

If this continued, all the ground their master had lost over the years would be reclaimed in one leap.

Boom!

Just as Black finished speaking, a terrifying surge of power erupted from Zora’s body.

A powerful suction force spread outward, and the remaining Essence Fruits floating in midair were instantly dragged toward her, streaking through the air like green comets.

Black and White froze, staring at the scene with wide eyes before slowly turning to look at each other.

"With a fluctuation like this..." Black swallowed.

"Don’t tell me..."

"Master..." White murmured, scarcely daring to breathe.

"Is she about to break through into the Innate Realm, already?"

Everyone knew that before stepping into the Innate Realm, cultivation advanced at its slowest pace. Many cultivators spent ten years, even decades, stuck at that threshold.

Yet here she was...

Standing at its very edge.

The speed at which their master had advanced to the mid–Sky Realm had already been astonishing. None of them expected that, with the help of these Essence Fruits, she would break into the Heaven Realm and then go on breaking into the Innate Realm.

If news of such cultivation speed ever spread, countless people would be left speechless in shock. This trip into the ruins was truly worth every risk.

"That’s terrifying," Black muttered, eyes shining with pride. "That Fiona is only at the second level of the Scarlet Realm, and she’s older than our master."

Back then, Fiona had relied on her higher cultivation to act arrogantly toward their master. Who would have thought that in such a short time, Zora would charge straight into the Innate Realm? If Fiona ever found out, her expression would be priceless.

"Hey... why is it that all the Essence Fruits have been absorbed by the master, but this one is still floating here?" White suddenly frowned.

His gaze fixed on the lone Essence Fruit hovering in the stone chamber. Compared to the others, this one was clearly unusual.

Black followed his line of sight, eyes widening in surprise.

"Don’t tell me..." he whispered. "This is some kind of special Essence Fruit with a hidden mechanism?"

The two exchanged a glance, curiosity blazing in their eyes.

In the next instant, the black-and-white fuball duo shot forward, lunging for the remaining Essence Fruit.

But to their surprise, the fruit reacted. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

As if it were alive, it darted away the moment they drew near, slipping past them with uncanny agility.

Seeing this, both Black and White were certain of one thing.

This Essence Fruit was definitely not normal.

Every previous Essence Fruit had been easily caught. Only this one could dodge so nimbly, refusing to be captured.

"If Master hadn’t absorbed all the others," White said slowly, "we might never have noticed this one."

"The way out of this stone chamber..." Black’s eyes lit up. "It’s probably on this Essence Fruit!"

During the master’s retreat, they had searched every inch of the chamber and found no mechanism at all. Now, this slippery Essence Fruit stood out like a beacon.

The moment that thought formed, both beasts surged with energy.

A wild chase broke out inside the stone chamber.

Two streaks of black and white pursued a flash of green, all three moving at lightning speed.

Only after chasing for a while did Black and White realize just how fast this Essence Fruit truly was. Even working together, they still couldn’t corner it.

That realization only made them angrier.

"Unacceptable!" Black snarled. "If we can’t even catch a single Essence Fruit, how are we supposed to face the master?"

The two beasts gritted their teeth and continued the pursuit with renewed determination.