Ink-Clad Creator

When Xiao Lingshan's fingertips touched the withered little pine tree, they did not make direct contact, but paused slightly at a distance of millimeters.

In that instant, Li Xian clearly saw that the tips of the originally gray pine needles were now tinged with a barely perceptible emerald green luster! It wasn't that she had injected anything into them, but rather that the pine tree itself was responding to her approach in some kind of...echo?

Immediately, a soft, almost instinctive light appeared in Xiao Lingshan's eyes, as if she had forgotten the danger she was in and the "villain" before her. She gently brushed her hand across the top of the pine branch, without actually touching it. The previously dull leaves, as if nourished by an invisible spring rain, quickly regained their vibrant green luster, and the entire trunk became straight and upright again. A faint yet incredibly real life force, distinct from its previous "model-like" appearance, began to quietly flow and stir within it!

Even more remarkably, as the little pine tree revived, Xiao Lingshan's pale complexion visibly regained its color, her breathing became steady, and even her eyes brightened. It was as if a two-way energy nourishment cycle had formed between her and the little pine tree.

"Hahaha!" Laughter reverberated in Li Xian's consciousness, filled with the ecstatic joy of discovering a treasure. "Energy resonance! Life information exchange! I've searched high and low without finding it! Sure enough, this little girl is the 'best catalyst' I've been looking for! No, she's not just a catalyst, she herself is a special 'energy-information conversion interface'!"

Li Xian stared in disbelief, then felt a pang of jealousy and disappointment—why? I was the chosen one! The transmigrator! The host of the cheat system! And I messed up the first experiment, while they just casually touched (without even touching) and succeeded? This isn't how the script works!

"However, I cannot communicate with her directly through consciousness; her brainwave frequency doesn't match mine." The brain's voice regained its calm, scientific tone. "You still need to act as an intermediary. Go ask her what she just experienced? How exactly did it trigger the change? I need the data."

"Understood!" Li Xian immediately perked up; this was a crucial moment to demonstrate loyalty and value. He squatted down next to Xiao Lingshan, trying to make his tone friendly and inquisitive: "Miss, how did you do that? What just happened? Did you use some special technique? Or did you just... sense something?" He clearly remembered that he should have absorbed most of her internal energy.

However, Xiao Lingshan was completely immersed in the wonderful "communication" with the little pine tree. Her cheeks regained their rosy hue, her breathing became steady, and even a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. She completely ignored Li Xian, who was squatting beside her with a curious expression. She gently gestured with her fingertips, and the little pine tree actually swayed its needles slightly in response.

Li Xian suddenly felt utterly invisible, a strange resentment welling up inside him as if his experimental results had been stolen. He snatched the pine tree back: "Answer me! How did you do this? This is important!"

The warm connection was abruptly interrupted, and Xiao Lingshan snapped back to reality, her eyes instantly filled with wariness, humiliation, and anger. She glanced at him, snorted coldly, and turned her head away, her face full of "disdain for conversing with a demonic cultist," but her slightly trembling shoulders and clenched fists betrayed her inner turmoil—that strange sense of resonance from before had confused her, and also stirred within her a tiny, almost imperceptible, curiosity.

"Idiot!" Brain exclaimed in exasperation. "She sees you as a demonic sorcerer, kidnapping her, absorbing her power, and harming her with bizarre methods. Why would she tell you her secret techniques? You can't even do the most basic thing: gain the trust of your experimental subject!"

Suddenly, the brain's tone shifted to one of extreme joy, even trembling slightly: "It's grown! It's grown! Although extremely small, my monitoring unit confirms—in just those few seconds of resonance, its cellular structure expanded in accordance with the logic of life growth, increasing its total volume by approximately one cubic micrometer! Life activity has been successfully 'ignited'!"

Li Xian stared wide-eyed at the small pine tree in his hand—with his eyesight, he obviously couldn't perceive a growth of even one micrometer. But this undoubtedly proved the correctness of the experimental direction! Creating life—the first step from theory to practice!

"Great! Now, let's conduct an even greater and more challenging experiment!" The brain's voice was filled with excitement and anticipation, as if scientists were about to unveil the ultimate mystery of the universe.

As soon as he finished speaking, two small, gleaming white objects floated out from the cabinet door under the stone table and hovered in front of Li Xian.

Li Xian looked closely and almost burst out laughing, then felt a chill run down his spine.

They were two tiny, lifelike figures, barely an inch tall, completely naked! A man and a woman, their facial features, body proportions, skin texture, and even the finest hairs were astonishingly realistic, practically miniaturized versions of real people. Their eyes were closed, their expressions serene, yet there was no fluctuation of their breathing.

He took it, and its texture was warm and smooth, just like real skin, and he could even feel a slight elasticity!

"This is a 'humanoid model' condensed using higher-precision energy," the brain explained, with the pride of a creator. "They possess complete, anatomically sound flesh and bones, internal organs, and neural networks, but lack the most crucial 'spark of life'—the 'original code' that drives this intricate machine. In your world, this can be understood as a highly condensed composite of true energy and consciousness, or a 'soul.' Now, by channeling and activating the appropriate 'bio-energy' through the girl's 'interface,' I want to witness firsthand… a cosmic miracle created by true life!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xian's heart raced with excitement. He stretched out his index finger, ready to unleash the One-Finger Divine Skill and become the "Creator" for once.

"Not you." His mind coldly interrupted his fantasy. "Your energy transfer method is too crude; it will damage its delicate structure. Do it for her. Guide her, let her resonate with these two 'simulations' as she would with the little pine tree."

"...Oh." Li Xian immediately deflated, as if he'd been doused with cold water. He obediently handed the two naked little figures to Xiao Lingshan, forcing a serious, academic tone, and said, "Ahem, look at this, a very serious scientific experiment! Try to...bring them to life? Like you did with the sapling just now?"

Xiao Lingshan subconsciously glanced up, her gaze falling on the tiny, naked man and woman. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like boiled shrimp, even the tips of her ears turning bright red. "Pah! Vulgar! Shameless! Lecherous scoundrel!" She abruptly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently, wishing she could bury her head in the ground, her body tense with extreme shame and indignation. This villain, how dare he produce such an obscene thing! Truly a demonic cult member, his actions are absurd and lewd!

"Tell her this is a serious exploration of the essence of life! If it succeeds, I might consider not only releasing her, but even giving you unimaginable benefits!" the brain commanded, beginning its attempt at enticement.

However, no matter how hard Li Xian tried to reason with her, presenting facts and logic (from "this is not a toy, it's art" to "the sacredness of life creation," and then making wild promises like "I'll release you and your father, and give you a mountain of gold"), Xiao Lingshan resolutely refused to open her eyes or pay attention. She resisted to the greatest extent possible with silence and tightly closed eyelids. Only her rapid breathing and flushed face showed the intense turmoil in her heart.

The brain's patience seemed to have run out; the frustration of encountering uncontrollable variables in scientific research transmitted through consciousness: "Force it! Grab her hand and shove the 'experimental subject' into it! Physical contact might trigger resonance! This crucial step of data collection must be completed today!"

Looking at the girl's ashamed and indignant expression, Li Xian felt a pang of reluctance. But the orders from his superior and the increasingly clear bombardment from outside left him no choice. "Sorry, young lady, it was truly for science… uh, for survival," he muttered, reaching for Xiao Lingshan's freed hand.

"Don't touch me!" Xiao Lingshan suddenly opened her eyes, tears welling up, and shouted sharply. At the same time, she flipped her wrist and used the last bit of strength and skill to try to break free by displaying a smattering of her family's grappling technique.

Li, who had never practiced hand-to-hand combat, was startled and instinctively gripped the handle tightly. The two immediately became entangled, one struggling desperately to resist, the other clumsily trying to control the other's hands to touch the small dolls. The scene was chaotic and awkward for a moment, and the exquisite little dolls nearly fell to the ground in the struggle.

Just as this "serious scientific experiment" was about to devolve into an awkward and chaotic "forced hands-on" situation—

"You audacious villain! Release my daughter! Prepare to die!!!"

A furious roar, filled with boundless rage, grief, and anxiety, exploded like a thunderclap from the direction of the cave entrance! The sound waves rolled and shook the stone walls of the hall, demonstrating the profound inner strength and turbulent emotions of the newcomer.

Immediately following was a violent whooshing sound and a series of impacts, as if someone was rushing through the passage and knocking away all obstacles in their path!

"Father!" Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Lingshan trembled with excitement. She tried to stand up, but her bound legs and the tangled threads tripped her, causing her to fall to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes, a mixture of grievance, fear, and hope.

Li Xian was also startled and turned to look.

A figure in azure, like a mad tiger, charged into the hall from the passageway with astonishing speed! It was Elder Xiao! His beard and hair stood on end, his eyes were bloodshot, and azure wood-elemental profound energy surged around him like a tidal wave. His robes billowed, and he seemed to have transformed into a giant humanoid tree, carrying the power to shatter mountains and the strength of his entire life, rushing straight at Li Xian without regard for anything else! Before he even arrived, his surging anger, killing intent, and powerful palm strikes had almost solidified, locking onto Li Xian firmly!

"I'll deal with him." The voice in his brain instantly turned cold and efficient, devoid of any of the previous emotional fluctuations, like a sophisticated killing machine being activated. "Keep an eye on that girl. She's a key experimental subject and cannot be lost. Use her as a threat if necessary."

Li Xian reacted quickly, knowing that this was not the time to be soft-hearted. Taking advantage of the moment when Xiao Lingshan was distracted and looking at her father, her mind in turmoil, he quickly used the extra silk thread in his hand to re-tie her hand that had just broken free, and then picked her up—with the help of the internal energy in his dantian, the movement was much more nimble—and placed her on the stone bed in the inner part of the hall, away from the battlefield.

At this moment, Elder Xiao's most powerful move, "Ten Thousand Trees Meet Spring," unleashed with rage, gathered all his strength and was now crashing down! The palm shadows were numerous, as if countless giant trees were crashing down from the sky. The palm force was powerful and fierce, yet it also carried an inexhaustible, binding force, enough to split stone tablets and shatter rocks. Furthermore, it contained the unique penetrating and binding properties of wood-type profound energy!

"boom--!!!"

A deep, resounding boom, seemingly from the depths of the earth, exploded in the hall! It was not the sound of bare hands clashing, but rather the violent collision of Elder Xiao's surging wood-elemental internal energy with a strange energy stream that appeared out of nowhere, colorless and formless yet immensely powerful, carrying high-frequency vibrations!

At the epicenter of the impact, the air seemed to be distorted, creating visible, water-like ripples in space. Fine dust fell from the incredibly solid, mirror-smooth stone walls, causing the light to flicker.

Xiao Lingshan was stunned by the scene before her. She saw Li Xian with his back to the battlefield, clearly guarding her, without even turning his head or moving a finger. Yet, he had caused her father, a highly skilled wood-element elder ranked among the top in Han Family Fortress, to seem to have crashed into an invisible wall. His forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, his face showing disbelief and horror. He then roared repeatedly, his palms flashing with azure light, as if he were frantically fighting an unseen, terrifying opponent, struggling to stay afloat, retreating step by step, utterly disheveled!

The father's fierce palm strikes and mysterious coiling energy hit empty air, only stirring up ripples. Occasionally, a few streaks of energy would pass by the stone wall, leaving deep marks, but they could not get within ten feet of Li Xian and her.

"Sorcery! This must be an extremely profound and evil sorcery!" Xiao Lingshan was horrified, her worldview severely shaken. From childhood, she had only learned martial arts, the interplay of internal energy, and had never seen such a silent, formless, yet incredibly powerful and bizarre technique. What kind of demon... is this villain?!

"Bang!"

Suddenly, Elder Xiao let out a painful roar, as if struck in the chest by an even stronger, invisible hammer. Without warning, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a distant stone wall with a muffled thud. His clothes were torn, revealing skin riddled with small bloody holes and bruises. Blood seeped from his mouth and nose, and his face was deathly pale. He was clearly seriously injured. He struggled to get up, but for a moment, he couldn't catch his breath.

The brain seemed utterly enraged by this sudden interruption, or rather, extremely displeased that the experiment had been disrupted. The pure energy within the hall began to stir, emitting a low hum. Dozens of even more powerful and concentrated invisible streams of radiant energy began to coalesce in various parts of the hall, like venomous snakes ready to devour their prey, radiating a chilling killing intent, all locking onto Elder Xiao, who lay motionless on the ground, his breath weak!

"Father! No!" Xiao Lingshan cried out in anguish, tears streaming down her face. She struggled to rush forward, but was firmly bound to the stone bed by silk threads. "Don't kill my father! I...I'll do it! I'll do whatever you ask! I'll tell you everything I know! Please! Spare my father!" For her father's life, her mental defenses finally crumbled, and she chose to submit. Her innocence, dignity, and hatred for the demonic sect were all unimportant in the face of her loved one's life.

The cold, data-driven logic of experimentation clashed violently with the burning human emotions and will to survive in this mysterious cave.

Looking at the tearful, desperately pleading girl, and then at Elder Xiao in the distance, heavily injured and panting, his eyes bloodshot but powerless to help, Li Xian opened his mouth, his heart filled with mixed emotions. After all, he wasn't a true villain.

"Very good," the voice in his head replied. He said to Li Xian, "Go and drain his internal energy. We're running out of time—the energy clash and my display of power just now may have attracted…some unnecessary 'attention'."

"Attention? What attention?" Li Xian's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm not the only being on this planet sensitive to higher-dimensional energy," the brain's voice said with a rare hint of solemnity.

An even greater crisis seems to be quietly approaching from afar.

Outside the cave, Lord Han's calm and authoritative voice pierced through the stone wall and clearly reached in, carrying an undeniable power:

"My friend inside, I am Han Jinan from Han Family Fort. May I show myself? We can discuss anything."