The Days of Being Forced to Become the Savior of a Cultivation Civilization

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"Is it changed yet?"

Zhiyue waited listlessly outside the changing room.

"Here it comes, here it comes. The outfit I just picked was too big again, it'll stick out and step on the pants."

Yingzi pulled up her pants as she walked out.

Both of them were wearing standard bathrobes, just like the bustling crowd on the street.

Yingzi looked around:

"Where did Xintong go?"

"Why would she wait for you? She went to soak in the spring. It seems she went to the Inner Earthquake Spring to see if the Vitality Spring could fill the big hole in her stomach."

Yingzi clicked her tongue and shook her head:

"I doubt it. Where should we go then?"

Zhiyue countered with a question:

"I was about to ask you that too. I've never been here before. And you, at your age, have you never been here either? Oh right, didn't you say you used to wander around the Bosha ship a lot when you were young? Didn't you ever come here?"

Yingzi scratched her head:

"I have been here before, but back then this was just Katano Onsen, and nobody really thought about what the various springs were for... Oh, I remember one."

There's a spring that can calm your mind and soothe your nerves. You've been under a lot of stress and feeling anxious lately, so it would be perfect for you to soak in it.

Zhiyue initially denied it, but then quickly accepted it:

"I...you're right, let's go and find out."

Yingzi pondered:

"If you concentrate intently... your mind will be as still as water; I guess that's the waterway."

Zhiyue grinned:

"What's the rush? First, we should go into the inner area. It's rare for someone to pay the bill, so of course we should treat ourselves to the highest standard."

……

Zhiyue showed his pass, which the guard in the inner area accepted expressionlessly. After confirming their identities, he let the two pass—this was a slave without a sense of self.

The moment he stepped over the threshold, Zhiyue felt a great deal of peace and quiet.

The noisy sounds disappeared, leaving only the faint sound of flowing water as the background noise of the environment.

Zhi Yue's eyes lit up. Sure enough, the reverse energy here was even more concentrated than in the outer layer.

His body reacted faster than he could, his pores opening one after another like countless tiny mouths, greedily sucking up the rebellious energy around him, something he couldn't do even while remaining conscious.

In the desolate desert, freely dissipating reverse energy is a rare and hard-to-find resource, but here, it is as abundant as the air itself.

"It's a Yuan Formation."

Yingzi pondered:

"The inner and outer layers are not only separated by rock walls, but also by array formations to block the transmission of sound and reverse energy."

The outer layer of reverse energy is practically just leftover scraps that leaked out from here.

Upon entering the courtyard, what comes into view directly ahead is two spherical objects overlapping each other, shrouded in mist.

"Welcome, distinguished guests. Is this your first time here?"

A uniformed employee came to greet us, wearing the same standard smile as the receptionist at the front desk, even down to the curve of the smile.

Looking at that frozen smile, Zhiyue felt a chill run down his spine.

"Yes. I wonder if you have any carefully cultivated springs here?"

The employee nodded:

"Of course, this gentleman seems to have done his homework before coming."

"Of course, this is the Cleansing Spring in our hot spring town. It not only calms the mind and spirit, but also has the magical effect of cleansing away negative energy and expelling impurities for those suffering from adversity."

Zhiyue raised an eyebrow:

"Is that so? Shall we lead the way to see it?"

"Alright, gentlemen, please follow me."

……

The employee walked steadily ahead, leading the two towards Dixin Spring.

Zhiyue stood to her side and saw that the smiling face was still frozen on her face, even as she walked.

He couldn't help but ask:

Do you know your name?

The employee answered calmly, his tone devoid of any emotion:

"My name is Guide Number Seventeen of the Inner Zone, sir."

Zhiyue then asked:

"I mean, do you remember the name your parents gave you?"

Yingzi coughed softly twice:

You know perfectly well that she's just a slave without a sense of self, so why bother asking?

Zhiyue did not reply.

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you meant. As far back as I can remember, my name has always been Inner Zone Guide No. 17, and there has never been any other version."

Zhiyue stopped asking questions:

I know, I'm just curious about just how far this self-excision technique can go.

"Do you have any other questions, sir? I can answer most of your questions about Ward Hot Springs."

After a long silence, Zhiyue sighed:

"No need, just continue leading the way."

"OK."

……

Compared to the commercial street, this inner area is much quieter, with hardly anyone around. The overall decoration is also more understated and elegant, unlike the bustling outer area.

As they got closer, the two finally saw clearly what the spherical object was.

In the center of the inner courtyard stands a large gourd, as tall as a person, its entire body interwoven with black and white. The patterns are not painted on, but rather formed naturally. The black parts are as deep as ink, while the white parts are as smooth as fat.

The two patterns intertwine yet remain distinct, seemingly symbolizing the harmony of yin and yang in the central spring.

"Miss, what is this gourd used for?"

Zhiyue asked.

Yingzi sighed inwardly:

Hey, I actually saw this gourd here when I was young.

It was incredibly domineering; no one could take it away, and even the ground beneath it was firmly anchored, impossible for anyone to dig up.

"Just call me Number Seventeen, sir. This gourd, we call it the Treasure Gourd of the Town Spring, but we know very little about it, only that it is a precious treasure."

Some say it is the essence of Ward Spring, growing together with it, never to be separated, and no one can take it away; its age is now impossible to verify.

"Ah, we've arrived at the Cleansing Spring, esteemed guests."

……

Unlike most pools, Dixin Spring is completely covered by buildings, making the environment more tranquil.

The men's bath was empty; there was no one there.

Occasionally, water droplets would drip from the ceiling, making a pattering sound, along with the sound of water lapping against the pool wall. Apart from that, the only other sound was the lingering echo of the two people's footsteps as they entered.

The room is cleverly designed, with only a few dimly lit wall lamps throughout the room. Apart from that, the biggest light source is the pool itself.

Activating the Reverse Vision, the pool water glowed with blue light, illuminating the entire room.

High concentrations of water vapor surged from the spring, creating bright blue waves.

The gaze faded, and the room returned to its serene atmosphere. The pool water was crystal clear, and a frog sculpture stood in the center of the bottom, its mouth tightly closed.

Zhiyue reached into the pool water; it was cool. No wonder the mist in the room was so thin.

"Oh? This sculpture at the spring is 'Son of the Clear Stream.' Ha, these merchants certainly know how to have fun."

"Could you elaborate?"

Zhiyue asked.

Yingzi shook her head:

"It's nothing. The Son of Clear Stream is just a myth. It's outdated for your generation."

"Yes, this frog is a water spirit, born in the azure mountains, from the bubbles washed ashore by a stream; it is a child of God."

Zhiyue nodded:

"I've never heard of it."

As Yingzi spoke, she dipped her head into the pool, but because she was too petite, the water level was still above her neck even when she sat on the edge of the pool.

He breathed a sigh of relief:

"Ah, this son of the clear stream, the ancestor of frogs, is deeply loved by the gods."

To liberate it from the confinement of the bubble and truly bring it into this world, He summoned the world's best singer, a lyrebird, to burst the bubble with his song.

Zhiyue also tentatively immersed himself in the pool water, and his first feeling was that it was a little cool.

Then, the coolness traveled down his legs, through his spinal cord, and up to his brain.

Like paper being soaked, my body was covered inch by inch by the water of the Cleansing Spring.

Tranquil and peaceful.

This is how he feels right now; he doesn't know how long it's been since he felt this way.

He exhaled, as if to release all the pent-up frustration in his heart:

"So, what happened then? Did it succeed?"

Yingzi smiled:

"I don't know. This story has since split into two, and no one knows which version is the original one."

One story is that a frog successfully came into this world and even learned the song of the lyrebird, so that its croaking could be heard throughout the world's waters.

All the stress and anxiety seemed to disappear, and my mind and body felt relaxed.

This is an unprecedented experience, different from the clarity of mind that comes from reverse aging and cleansing the brain. It is a more relaxing, enjoyable, and indescribable experience.

Ah, yes, it's the sea of ​​consciousness.

The consciousness contained within the Cleansing Spring actually penetrated into his sea of ​​consciousness, merging into that yellowish-brown ocean, and even bringing out a trace of reddish-black 'impurities' from it.

The impurity was extremely small and fine, so small that he didn't even notice it, and so fine that even Xin Tong's keen senses couldn't detect it.

Then the impurities began to twist and deform, and after a moment they were completely crushed under the influence of the mark, leaving no trace, as if they had disappeared into nothingness.

He looked at the frog sculpture at the bottom of the water; it was keeping its mouth closed.

If this is the correct version, then perhaps it should open its mouth and sing out loud.

Zhiyue thought to himself.

"What about the other one?"

Yingzi paused, her pupils contracting slightly:

"The other one is that it failed and died in the womb."

The foam burst, and what flowed out was a dark red—the tragedy of life.