Perhaps sensing the confusion in Huo Sining’s gaze, the Taoist lowered his head and gazed at her for a few moments before suddenly breaking into a smile, his eyes and brows filled with goodwill:

"Don’t be afraid, Master is so fond of me. He won’t blame me. I’ll take you down the mountain immediately. We absolutely can’t let that bald monk succeed!"

Huo Sining was still somewhat puzzled but then saw the small child reach into a large water jar, directly embracing her whole form within his loose Taoist robe, and with his stubby lotus-like arms and little legs, huffed and puffed, he exited the Taoist Temple Gate and ran straight down the mountain.

Bouncing all the way, Huo Sining felt herself rapidly losing moisture, and her whole being was somewhat suffocating, forcing her to struggle.

The little Taoist seemed to sense her struggle and panic, hurriedly soothing her: "Don’t worry, we’re almost there!"

All the way down the bluestone path, through a deep bamboo forest, the little Taoist brought her to a cliff waterfall.

The cliff stood tall, the waterfall flowed with springs, and amidst the swirling mist there seemed to be purple Spiritual Energy flowing along the earth’s pulse.

Reaching the waterfall’s pool, the little Taoist squatted down and placed her in the pool, wiping the sweat from his forehead while smiling proudly, "Great, finally made it! Lucky I ran fast enough so Master didn’t notice."

Feeling the refreshing pool water surrounding her, Huo Sining instantly became clear-headed, instinctively struggling a bit, and was overjoyed when the restraints on her body vanished, and she could move freely again.

"Master said Cang Hai is gone, and those ancient gods have vanished. Go to another sea, Biluo Sea is so vast, surely there must be a place for you there. Hurry, swim down this river, and you’ll return to Biluo Sea!"

The Taoist’s voice, sweet and snug, seemed to lightly tap on Huo Sining’s heart, like joy mixed with reluctance.

For some reason, hearing the little Taoist’s words, Huo Sining’s heart suddenly welled up with an extremely sour feeling.

"Disobedient child, who allowed you to bring her out?! Stop her now!"

At the moment of the Taoist’s hesitation, a deep, aged voice filled with sharpness and rage suddenly echoed from the mountaintop.

The little Taoist trembled suddenly, eyes wide in realization, and swiftly pulled a strange pendant from his bosom, hanging it on Huo Sining as he urged nervously but timidly:

"Master has come, you must leave now. Once you gain clarity and transform into a Jiaoren, once I’ve learned Master’s Tao techniques and immortal secrets, I’ll come to Biluo Sea to find you!"

With that, he hugged Huo Sining tightly, abruptly pushing her into the water below.

Huo Sining was shocked, unable to react in time, only feeling a void beneath her, as her entire body fell along the waterfall off the cliff, plummeting into the abyss...

"Sister!"

A clear call jolted Huo Sining awake, where her eyes met Qibao’s astonished, blank stare.

The overlapping dreamscape in her mind remained crystal clear, leaving Huo Sining momentarily unable to discern dream from reality.

Once she was fully awake, Huo Sining finally remembered where she was.

Before she fainted, her Spiritual Energy was almost entirely absorbed by the wall, yet now, when Huo Sining checked the Azure Pearl on her forehead, she discovered that unbeknownst to her, it had begun to rotate, channeling azure Spiritual Energy down a meridian to her palm, forming a vortex.

The vortex spun continuously in her palm, enveloping Huo Sining’s once drained form in cool Spiritual Energy. The ethereal pleasure left her momentarily intoxicated, as if she were about to ascend, causing her to forget where she was and why she had come.

At her touch, a vibrant rainbow-like Spiritual Energy spread from the wall, flowing through her palm’s meridians and merging into her being.

With the Spiritual Energy coursing through her body, Huo Sining only felt total wellness, involuntarily closing her eyes.

The Spiritual Energy wandered inside her, finally re-entering the slowly rotating Azure Pearl on her forehead, becoming more abundant and pure than the Spiritual Energy she had previously possessed.

Until her right wrist could no longer absorb any more rainbow Spiritual Energy, only then did Huo Sining release her right hand from the wall, slowly opening her eyes.

She didn’t realize until that moment how shocked she would feel.

She distinctly remembered when she first pushed this room’s door open, the vivid colors and lively characters of the Flying Apsaras Mural appeared almost ready to leap off the walls.

However, now, what met her eyes was a mottled, worn ancient mural; the vibrant colors gone, and the figures on the wall seeming lifeless, the yellowed wall appearing as if it had weathered millennia, no longer vivid.

If it weren’t for the unmistakable clarity and richness of the Spiritual Energy within her, if she didn’t feel so comfortable at that moment, Huo Sining would’ve thought it was all an illusion.

Just one day in the mountains, yet millennia have passed in the world.

Huo Sining always considered such stories merely legends, never imagining she would witness such an anomaly herself.

Huo Sining was certain the Spiritual Energy absorbed by her Azure Pearl must have a connection with the mural before her.

She stared intently at the Flying Apsaras picture, trying to discern some clue from the enigmatic pattern.

But to her frustration, after thorough examination, Huo Sining could not find any semblance of a solution.

Not seeing any issues, she didn’t dwell on it any further, turning to leave with Qibao, until she noticed Qibao had been frozen in place, staring dumbly at her without a word.

Finding it odd, Huo Sining couldn’t help but ask, "Qibao, what’s wrong?"

Qibao’s expression was peculiar as he extended his hand, revealing a jade green Jade Clean Bottle Pendant in his palm:

"Your pendant, I never managed to fix it, but just now, the pieces restored themselves! Sister, you’ve transformed too!"

The little fellow spoke while pointing at Huo Sining’s lower half.

Startled, Huo Sining instinctively lowered her head, and upon seeing the sight, she gaped in shock.

"What’s going on?!"

Huo Sining’s eyes widened in disbelief.

At that moment, her lower half, the pair of sleek white legs had somehow merged, forming into a gleaming fish tail!