2: Chapter 2 Absorbing the Invisible Child

The Tentacles tightened more and more, the slick, slimy sensation wrapping around Wu Xi's entire body, sticky fluid rubbing against his skin.

His consciousness began to grow heavy, and only one question remained in his mind: Is this when my Golden Finger arrives?

Just then, a voice devoid of any emotion rang in his mind: " [ Sanyuan Art (Incomplete) ] Analyzing... "

" Warning: High-dimensional pollution detected... Pollution has been neutralized... "

" Suggestion: Maintain emotional stability, avoid excessive excitement. "

A translucent panel suddenly appeared before Wu Xi's eyes, clearly displaying the words [ Sanyuan Art (Incomplete) ], along with a small progress bar stuck at 1%.

He glanced at the panel from the corner of his eye, then looked down at the Tentacles wrapped around his waist and legs.

The Tentacles were rubbing back and forth; the force wasn't heavy, yet it carried an indescribable enthusiasm, the sticky sensation sliding in through his clothing.

He took a deep breath and squeezed a sentence out through his teeth, one word at a time: " You... get off my butt first... "

As soon as he finished speaking, the soft, sweet female voice in his mind carried a deep sense of grievance, sounding as if it were about to cry: " No... "

Wu Xi could clearly feel the Tentacle resting on his butt shrink slightly, its tip rubbing against the corner of his clothes in a pitiful manner.

The veins on Wu Xi's forehead throbbed, and he tried his best to keep his voice steady: " Be good, let go a little bit first. "

This time, the Tentacles seemed to understand; the force loosened slightly, but they remained wrapped around him, still clinging tightly, occasionally rubbing gently as if acting coquettishly.

Wu Xi looked up at the cave entrance, knowing clearly that the three-day deadline set by the Bald Instructor was about to arrive.

Others' results for the evaluation were either cultivating the suction force of the Ghost-Eating Technique, or achieving the initial success of the Sanyuan Art and strengthening their Physical Body.

Yet his result was this sticky, wet ball of Tentacles that treated him like a husband.

He raised his hand and lightly touched the Tentacles wrapped around his arm. The Tentacles immediately coiled up and rubbed against his fingertips. The cold, slimy sensation unexpectedly didn't feel disgusting, but instead had a strange softness.

Wu Xi moved his fingertips and gave a gentle tug. The Tentacles were very resilient; he couldn't pull them away, but they would sway gently along with his movements.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself: " Does this count as a change in Physical Body? It should be able to pass, right? "

As he thought about it, an absurd idea suddenly popped into his head: Since it's a change in Physical Body, then... would his lower body have changed too? As soon as this thought emerged, he couldn't help but look down at his pants, his face flushing slightly.

Just then, the soft, sweet female voice in his mind sounded again, filled with deep reliance: " Husband, let's go home... okay? "

Wu Xi subconsciously replied: " Okay. "

As soon as he finished speaking, the Tentacles wrapped around him instantly became incredibly taut. With a sudden coil, they wrapped him up like a zongzi, and immediately after, a strong sense of dizziness struck him. The world spun, and the noisy sounds of the mine cave vanished without a trace.

Wu Xi only felt his body traveling rapidly, as if he had been sucked into a huge vortex, with nothing left in his ears but the faint trembling sound of the Tentacles.

When he woke up again, the blinding light made him subconsciously squint his eyes. The scent of damp, rotting leaves lingered at the tip of his nose, along with a faint fishy smell.

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a misty forest. Towering ancient trees blocked the sky, their branches and leaves intertwined. Mist swirled between the trunks, visibility was less than ten meters, and the ground was covered in thick, rotting leaves that felt soft underfoot and made a " rustling " sound when stepped on.

" Where... is this? " Wu Xi propped himself up to sit. The Tentacles on his body had loosened a bit, but they were still wrapped around his arm, as if protecting him.

He looked around, his heart instantly becoming vigilant—this was definitely not the previous mine cave; it might have something to do with the Tentacles summoned during cultivation.

He had just stood up and hadn't had time to clear his thoughts when a " rustling " sound came from the bushes nearby. Wu Xi's eyes sharpened; he immediately tensed his body and reached out to press down on the Tentacles on his arm, preparing for battle. His personality was steady, and he never panicked when encountering things; even in a strange environment, he could maintain vigilance at the first moment.

The next second, a tall figure emerged from the bushes—a human body with a snake tail, skin a greenish-blue color, scales shimmering with a cold light in the mist, fine scales on its face, slit pupils for eyes, a forked tongue flicking in its mouth, wearing yellow shoulder armor and amulets on its chest, and holding a polished stone spear in its hand. It was staring fixedly at Wu Xi, its eyes full of vigilance and hostility.

Snake Person!

The incident happened suddenly; the Snake Person was less than two meters away from him, and Wu Xi had no time to dodge.

The Snake Person let out a low roar and thrust the stone spear towards him, moving extremely fast and carrying a fishy wind.

Wu Xi subconsciously dodged to the side; the stone spear grazed his arm, leaving a shallow wound, and a stinging pain arrived instantly.

" Stop! " Wu Xi shouted in a low voice, wanting to explain clearly, but the Snake Person continued to roar, waving the stone spear and pouncing towards him.

Wu Xi had no choice but to raise his hands to block, barely avoiding the Snake Person's attacks.

Wu Xi discovered that the Snake Person was agile, the stone spear was sharp, and its scales were hard. His fists striking them felt like hitting a rock, making his knuckles ache.

And he only had a piece of ragged clothing on him, without any protection at all. If he kept fighting, he would sooner or later be injured by the Snake Person.

Making a decisive choice, he took advantage of a gap in the Snake Person's attack, turned abruptly, and ran towards the depths of the forest. The Snake Person roared and chased after him, the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer.

Wu Xi only focused on running forward. In his panic, he slipped, lost his balance, and fell directly into a hidden underground cave.

The cave wasn't deep. Wu Xi immediately climbed up and hid behind a rock at the entrance. The hissing of the Snake Person stopped at the cave entrance; they seemed to be wary of something.

It was very dark in the cave, but not pitch black. There was some kind of fungus on the walls emitting light, a blue-green glimmer that barely allowed him to see.

He crawled further inside and found a depression to curl up in. Just then, Wu Xi stepped on something by his feet—it was soft and squishy, making a " squelch " sound.

The ground was covered with that kind of black gelatinous substance, like hollowed-out jelly shells.

Hearing the Snake Person's footsteps gradually fade away outside, Wu Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Xi quickly calmed down. " Dual-world travel? "

He had read quite a few novels in his past life, so he was familiar with this trope—traveling back and forth between two worlds, usually involving a mechanism and a time difference.

But the trigger condition for that " go home " just now... " Is it possible that if I don't answer, it won't happen? "

He recalled the details from just before: the Tentacles asked " go home, " he gave a vague reply, and then he was swept over here.

If he didn't respond next time, could he avoid it?

" Don't think about this for now. " Wu Xi shook his head. " To survive, I must first improve my strength. "

The Sanyuan Art cultivated a tail, but what about the Ghost-Eating Technique? He had only practiced the beginning, but he remembered the principle clearly: " Use the spirit as a cauldron, use the soul as firewood. "

But here... are there any ghosts?

Wu Xi took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his heart. Now was not the time to dwell on the Cultivation Technique; he might as well try anything, like treating a dead horse as a living one.

He found a dry corner to sit down, closed his eyes, and began to recite the Qi-guiding incantation of the Ghost-Eating Technique, attempting to guide the surrounding cold airflow to gather at his Dantian.

Wu Xi frowned, following the incantations of the Ghost-Eating Technique, and tried to construct that " furnace " in his mind.

He gritted his teeth, reciting the Qi-guiding incantation over and over, trying to stabilize the chaotic airflow, and slowly, a gray vortex gathered at his Dantian.

But this vortex was very unstable and would collapse from time to time, requiring him to keep reciting the incantation to constantly reinforce it.

Wu Xi breathed a sigh of relief. According to the records of the Ghost-Eating Technique, this counted as Minor Achievement, and it should be able to produce suction. He tried to activate the vortex at his Dantian, silently reciting the incantation in his heart, wanting to test the effect of the suction.

The black gelatinous substance on the ground trembled violently. It wanted to escape, but although the suction was weak, it seemed to carry a certain suppression in terms of hierarchy.

Wu Xi felt his nasal cavity itch—not physically, but mentally—something was being devoured, flowing along his Meridians into that vortex.

Then he began to " taste. "

An indescribable feeling. It wasn't a sense of taste, but a more direct perception. It was like shoving a piece of lard that had been frozen for three years into his brain.

Wu Xi was trembling all over, not because of the cold, but because of the pleasure. That pleasure carried a stinging sensation, like the numbness of standing up after squatting for a long time, rushing from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

An accident happened again. Just as he activated the vortex, a strong suction burst out from his Dantian, much stronger than he had expected. It wasn't just the black gelatinous substance; even from deep under the cave, several formless, intangible things that only had a trace of cold aura were forcibly sucked over by this suction, sliding into his body through his nasal cavity.

Wu Xi stiffened all over. The feeling was too strange, like eating jelly in his nasal cavity—slippery, cool, and carrying an indescribable tangy pleasure, sliding all the way down his nasal cavity into his throat, and finally merging into the vortex in his Dantian.

He could clearly feel those formless things being wrapped and refined by the vortex, transforming into a trace of weak power that merged into his Meridians.

" [ Ghost-Eating Technique (Incomplete) ] Inhaled Child of the Formless (Larva), gained some Soul Power. "

" [ Ghost-Eating Technique (Incomplete) ] Progress increased, current: Entry (12%). "