Chapter 271:

Recalling the scenes he had just witnessed, Su Bei pulled himself out of the Marsh of Illusions and sat down to rest. The next activity was the hot spring, and since there was a bathing area right next to it, there was no rush to go back, wash up, and change clothes.

He had to admit, the ‘Marsh of Illusions’ was truly something special; Su Bei had genuinely gained some inspiration. The content he saw in the illusion was related to cycles—the cycle of destiny.

To put it simply, it was the kind of causal loop often found in science fiction novels: an action in the past influences the future, causing one to return to the past from the future, where they perform more actions that influence both the past and the future.

Su Bei had read similar novels and was always struck by the concept. But to experience it firsthand, that feeling of awe was amplified manifold.

Just as the illusion had shown, destiny and causality were inextricably linked. Feng Lan had used this very principle to develop his Future Fragments ability. As for him, with his [Destiny Gear] ability, what new power could he create from this insight?

A faint idea began to form in Su Bei’s mind, but he needed to calm down and properly organize his thoughts, and now was clearly not the right time for that.

Sighing, he stored the train of thought in the back of his mind and turned to look at Feng Lan and Si Zhaohua. The two of them had yet to emerge from their bubbles, sealed inside like mannequins in a snow globe.

Speaking of which, the container that preserved Zhou Renjie’s life was also made of crystal, though it was coffin-shaped. It was hard to imagine that Snow White’s crystal coffin actually existed. If an item like this were to be revealed to the public, uninformed ordinary people would probably suspect that Ability users had appeared a thousand years ago, not just a few hundred.

After waiting a moment, the two of them also woke up. The three mud-covered figures walked toward the Body-Refining Hot Spring, discussing what they had just experienced in the illusion.

Si Zhaohua had gone directly to heaven, experiencing the duties of an angel. He didn’t have a strong impression of the specific details, but the sense of sacredness was etched into his very bones.

Feng Lan, on the other hand, experienced the perspective of an ordinary person, witnessing a prophet trigger widespread chaos with a single prophecy that ultimately came true. Similarly, he didn’t recall the specific details of the chaos and displacement, but the feeling of the prophet’s lofty superiority and the common person’s insignificance left a very deep impression on him.

After personally experiencing the illusion and learning about their companions’ experiences, the three of them understood that the illusions created by the ‘Marsh of Illusions’ weren’t meant for them to truly experience a story, but rather, to feel the emotions within that story.

This feeling was the crucial factor for them to grasp new abilities.

“Should we head back and think about this?” Si Zhaohua couldn’t help but ask. He wanted to capture this feeling and see if he could develop a new ability on his own.

Unlike abilities gained from skill books, a self-developed ability would surely be the most potent.

“We can think while soaking in the hot spring,” Su Bei persuaded. He had nothing to do this afternoon and could think anytime; he certainly didn’t want to go back right away. If he missed this activity now, he was worried it might be dangerous to go by himself later.

Still, thinking about skills while soaking in a hot spring was indeed a good idea, and besides, developing a new skill wasn’t something that could be done overnight. Feng Lan was the first to nod. “Let’s go to the Body-Refining Hot Spring first.”

Along the way, they attracted countless strange looks. After all, it was hard for three mud-covered people not to draw attention, especially since the mud on them was multi-colored, making them look like performance artists.

When they arrived, the three of them eagerly headed to the bathing area next to the hot spring to wash off the colorful mud. Coming out of the showers, they didn’t need to wear much; the large shorts provided for free by Wesi Sanctuary were enough.

Ability users were naturally in superb physical condition, and with daily training, all three had excellent physiques. Su Bei looked at the other two, then down at himself, and said in shock, “I’m actually the most tanned of the three of us?”

His own complexion was already much fairer than an ordinary person’s, but Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan were even paler than him, each one fairer than the last. If it weren’t for the fact that they all had abs, Su Bei would have mocked them for being ‘white-cut chickens.’

Interestingly enough, the definition of their abs seemed to follow their complexions. Su Bei’s abs were the most defined, but he didn’t look bulky, just lean and powerful. Si Zhaohua’s were next, and Feng Lan had what would be considered standard lean muscle.

But in truth, the other two also trained very diligently. Su Bei was genuinely curious where their abs had gone.

Guys usually admire exaggerated muscle definition. While Su Bei’s muscles weren’t exaggerated—in fact, they were quite aesthetically pleasing—they were still the most defined of the three, naturally drawing envious glances from the other two.

Even Feng Lan couldn’t help but take an extra glance, a twinge of envy in his heart. They all trained every day, so why was the difference so great? Could this also be a matter of natural talent?

The bathing area was very close to the hot spring, but there was still a short distance to cover. Over this short stretch, the three felt as if they were animals on display at a zoo. All along the way, countless girls were either sneaking glances or staring openly at them, drawing even more attention than when they were covered in mud.

What made them most uncomfortable were several women of varying ages sitting on the curb. They all held a handful of sunflower seeds, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the people coming out of the bathing area—namely, Su Bei and his companions.

Occasionally, they would whisper amongst themselves, tactfully ensuring Su Bei’s group couldn’t hear. Even without hearing, they could guess that the women were likely discussing their physiques.

It seemed they were residents of Wesi Sanctuary who specifically came here to watch people heading to the hot springs, treating it as a form of daily entertainment.

The three of them: “…”

Su Bei was relatively fine with it. He had often been shirtless as a child when he was with his father in the army, where he was teased by annoying adults for being a ‘white-cut chicken.’ He never got angry back then, so now that he was in such good shape, he certainly didn’t mind being looked at. While being stared at by women was a little awkward, he was a northern kid, after all, and was more or less used to public bathhouses from a young age.

Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan, however, were completely different from Su Bei. They looked as if they were on pins and needles, so restless and awkward that they could barely walk straight, a sight that was truly laughable.

But what truly made Su Bei laugh out loud were their ears. A casual glance revealed that both of their ears were bright red. They even turned red in different ways: only the tips of Feng Lan’s ears were red, while Si Zhaohua’s entire ears had flushed.

Oh, wait, it wasn’t just Si Zhaohua’s ears; his entire head looked like it was steaming. Su Bei glanced at him from the side and thought the guy was cosplaying a ripe tomato.

This time, he really couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. “Seriously? Are you guys that pure?”

Si Zhaohua: “…”

“You’re the only one who’s thick-skinned!” he shot back, flustered and angry. But knowing he couldn’t win a verbal spar with Su Bei in this situation, he immediately resorted to a threat. “Say one more word and I’ll treat you to a ‘Divine Judgment.’”

The threat was indeed successful. Su Bei pouted and raised his hands in surrender, though his eyes were still smiling, not looking serious at all. “Fine, fine, I won’t call you pure.”

His fists clenched. The urge to punch Su Bei grew stronger in Si Zhaohua’s mind, but unfortunately, now wasn’t the right time. He could only quicken his pace. He was now regretting more than ever not having wrapped a towel around himself earlier. If only he had a towel, he wouldn’t be in such an embarrassing situation.

Feng Lan felt the exact same way. The noble head of the Feng Family, esteemed from birth, had never endured such treatment. While Su Bei and Si Zhaohua were bickering, he had been tempted to abandon them and head to the hot spring by himself. If their exchange hadn’t ended quickly, they might not even be able to see his back by now.

With the two of them leading the charge, the trio quickly arrived at the ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring.’ There was no one in the water. People usually went to hot springs in the evening; it was rare for anyone to come in the late morning like they did.

This was a good thing for Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan. If the hot spring had been too crowded, even with people of the same gender, they might have turned around and left. Without the disturbance of prying eyes, Si Zhaohua finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness there’s no one in the hot spring.”

He usually booked out the entire place when he went to hot springs, and even if he didn’t, he preferred to go only with people he knew. He would feel uncomfortable if there were strangers in the water; more than three and he would turn around and leave.

“Well, it is morning,” Su Bei said. He stepped into the ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring,’ sank into the pool, and let out a comfortable sigh. “This hot spring is quite different from the ones outside.”

On the surface, the ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring’ didn’t look much different from an ordinary hot spring. It wasn’t as flashy as the other attractions. At most, the steam rising from the water was a bit thicker, making one feel as if they were in a misty, immortal palace.

But the bigger difference was the sensation of soaking in it. Initially, the ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring’ didn’t feel very hot, but soon, a continuous stream of heat began to pour into the body. This was completely different from simply soaking in a hot bath. The sensation of energy filling one’s body was far more comfortable than a regular hot spring.

However, along with the comfort, he could also feel a fiery, stinging pain from within his meridians. His strong control over his body told him that this was the hot spring improving his physique and cleansing impurities from his blood.

The ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring’ wasn’t a one-time-use item. Soaking for about two hours a month was ideal; any longer didn’t provide much additional benefit. However, unlike the ‘Gravity Beach,’ which required persistent use to be effective, the ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring’ could enhance one’s physical constitution after just a single session, and the effect of the first use was always the best.

“Indeed, Wesi Sanctuary is truly blessed by nature,” Si Zhaohua said with his eyes closed, his long silver hair, for once, not tied up but draped docilely behind him.

This piqued Su Bei’s interest. The meteorite had landed right here, allowing Wesi Sanctuary to rise to prominence. He asked curiously, “Would you call that being destined for greatness?”

“Just luck,” Si Zhaohua snorted, opening his eyes. “Anyone could have become successful with that opportunity.”

Feng Lan, however, shook his head. “This place was overrun with Nightmare Beasts in the beginning.”

Hearing this, Su Bei immediately understood. The fallen meteorite hadn’t just brought about environmental changes; it had also caused the real world and the Nightmare Beast World to merge. As the intersection point between the two worlds, Wesi Sanctuary must have been a major disaster zone teeming with Nightmare Beasts at the start.

As the saying goes, danger is always accompanied by opportunity, and the reverse is also true. The founder of Wesi Sanctuary must have faced immense danger to reclaim this place, so it was only natural that they reaped enormous benefits afterward.

They soaked in the comfortable yet grueling hot spring for a full two hours. By the time Su Bei felt like his bones had been soaked soft, they could finally get out.

After showering, Su Bei gave a big stretch and waved to Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan. “Alright, you two go on with your business. I’m going to get something to eat.”

He wasn’t going to get involved in what came next. Si Zhaohua, Feng Lan, and Jiang Tianming’s group couldn’t possibly settle things just by talking on the phone; they would probably continue their discussions over lunch. He decided not to join the crowd.

Walking to the restaurant, Su Bei felt his body brimming with energy. A pleasant warmth spread throughout him, making him feel very comfortable.

This was the effect of the ‘Body-Refining Hot Spring.’ With his highly refined control over his body, he could keenly sense that his physical constitution had risen to a new level. Both his speed and strength had improved. Although the improvement wasn’t massive, considering it was the result of a single soak in the hot spring, it was nothing short of miraculous.

With so many precious resources, it was no wonder the Radical Faction’s ambitions had grown, making them unwilling to remain confined to one corner of the world. If the entire island were to push in the same direction, they might well be able to achieve great progress. But it was clear they had internal conflicts, which naturally prevented this behemoth from moving forward.

Su Bei had never underestimated the destructive potential of Jiang Tianming’s group, which was why he had told them to take it easy. But to his surprise, his warning came true like a prophecy. At five in the afternoon, while he was quietly reading in the library, a loud clamor suddenly erupted outside.

The library in Wesi Sanctuary was in a remote location, and its walls had good soundproofing. To be able to hear noise from inside could only mean that something major was happening outside.

The few people inside the library were drawn by the sound and looked up, exchanging confused glances before craning their necks to look toward the entrance.

The librarian was the first to stand up. “Please remain calm, everyone. I’ll go take a look outside.”

She got up and walked out, returning a short while later with a grim expression. “Please return to your residences immediately. If you don’t wish to get involved in the conflict, lock your doors and do not come out until it’s quiet again. Outside… the two factions have started fighting. The library will be locked soon.”

The librarian clearly assumed everyone in the library was a resident, so she gave a brief and direct summary of the situation outside. Fortunately, Su Bei knew a fair bit of the inside story and guessed from her fragmented words that the Radical and Conservative factions had started fighting.

He had just been thinking that he hoped Jiang Tianming and the others wouldn’t end up triggering an island-wide conflict, yet they had truly managed to escalate things to this extent, where not even a remote place like the library was spared.

This kind of conflict must not have been the first. The other residents present understood exactly what the librarian was saying, and their expressions changed instantly upon hearing her words. However, some looked annoyed, while others became excited.

Everyone filed out of the library. Su Bei followed the crowd and found an empty corner to use an Invisibility Talisman. In such a chaotic brawl, it was more reliable to become invisible first to avoid being accidentally injured.

After walking just a few steps outside, Su Bei fully witnessed the chaos on the island. People were fighting everywhere, some in one-on-one duels, others in group brawls. An uninformed observer might have thought they had all been infected with some kind of frenzy-inducing virus.

While their fists and feet were busy, their mouths weren’t idle either. They hurled vicious insults at each other, cursing their opponents back eighteen generations. However, their ancestors from eighteen generations ago were likely the same group of people. Weren’t they just cursing themselves by doing this?

But amidst this chaotic free-for-all, Su Bei noticed that these people were still showing some restraint. Although the fighting looked intense on the surface, no one was using large-scale destructive abilities. It was mostly hand-to-hand combat, and the occasional use of an ability didn’t cause any damage to the surroundings or other people.

This restrained group fight made Su Bei raise an eyebrow; he sensed something was off. The Radical and Conservative factions—while both claimed to want what was best for Wesi Sanctuary, the Radicals were gambling with its very future. Logically, the Conservatives should have been fighting them with all their might. Why were they being so restrained?

The Radicals’ performance was also problematic. They were already crazed enough to consider cooperating with Nightmare Beasts. Their reaction to the Conservatives, who were obstructing their ambitions, was far too calm—a calmness that didn’t fit the ‘Radical’ moniker.

Furthermore, although he didn’t know how Jiang Tianming’s group had managed to get the whole island fighting, judging from the reactions of the residents in the library, this probably wasn’t the first island-wide conflict. For such frequent fights to have never escalated into a true, no-holds-barred battle… should he praise the residents of Wesi Sanctuary for truly being one big, happy family?

After standing there and observing for a long time, Su Bei muttered to himself, “Why does this feel like they’re putting on a show?”

He abandoned his original plan of returning to the hotel as the librarian had advised. Taking advantage of his invisibility, he moved brazenly through the chaotic crowd.

After observing up close for a while and finding no clues, a mischievous thought popped into Su Bei’s mind.

He really wasn’t a good person. Knowing that there was likely something wrong with this crowd, Su Bei didn’t mind using some less-than-ethical methods to verify his suspicions.

And so, as two residents were throwing hidden weapons at each other, one of them suddenly received a bloody gash on his neck. The cut wasn’t life-threatening, of course, but an injury to such a vital area was still enough to make one’s blood run cold.

The two of them stopped simultaneously. The injured man demanded angrily, “Are you trying to kill me?!”

“I didn’t!” Seeing the wound on his neck, his opponent was also alarmed and hurriedly defended himself. “We’ve fought before, it’s not like this is the first time. Why would I do that? Maybe you were hit by stray fire from another fight.”

He was very confident in his control over his ability and was certain he wasn’t the one who had injured the other man. If it wasn’t him, then it must have been someone nearby.

However, the injured man didn’t believe his explanation at all. With a smirk that wasn’t a smile, he said, “Take a look around you and then say that again.”

Hearing this, his opponent glanced around and immediately faltered. The spot where they were fighting was quite remote; there was no one else around. Even a stray attack couldn’t have possibly hit them here.

“…Then someone must have sneak-attacked us!” With his first guess refuted, he quickly offered a second possibility. In any case, it couldn’t have been that his hand slipped and he accidentally hit the other guy. As a resident of Wesi Sanctuary, if he couldn’t even control his own ability properly, he might as well not be alive.

After all, on their island, everyone was an Ability user. The prevalence of ability education was naturally far higher than elsewhere. From a young age, everyone learned how to train their abilities after awakening, and their mastery generally far surpassed their peers from other places.

However, the injured man still looked unconvinced. After all, who would sneak-attack him for no reason? Besides, there was no one else around. If it wasn’t the guy in front of him, who could it be? But his opponent didn’t seem to be lying. He looked at him suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you’ve been holding a grudge against me… No, this is more than a small grudge.”

If it were just a small grudge, a slightly harder blow would have sufficed. Who would attack a vital spot like the neck? Although the attack wasn’t delivered with full force, its location alone was enough to indicate considerable malice.

At this thought, his expression turned serious. “You’re not planning to switch allegiances and join the Neutral Faction, are you?”

“Of course not!” The opponent immediately denied it as soon as the words were out. “I think our Radical Faction’s ideas are excellent, perfect, and also very beneficial to me personally. It’s impossible for me to join the Conservative or Neutral Factions, absolutely impossible. Don’t you dare frame me!”

Although he vehemently denied it, the injured man wasn’t entirely convinced, but he wasn’t worried either. “Since you think you’ve done nothing wrong, we’ll have the leader verify it later. With a lie detector or something, you know the drill~”

“No problem!” Although he was hurt that the other didn’t believe him, this was indeed the best way to prove his innocence. The opponent nodded decisively and agreed at once.

Because of this interruption, the two of them naturally couldn’t continue fighting there. The injured man needed to go back and treat his wound, and also ensure his own safety. Although if his opponent tried to silence him by killing him, he surely wouldn’t escape Wesi Sanctuary’s punishment. But one’s life is one’s own; if the other guy really made a move, even if he were punished for it, he wouldn’t be coming back to life, would he?

Watching the two figures depart, Su Bei whistled in a good mood and leisurely strolled toward his hotel.

His little sneak attack hadn’t been in vain. He had indeed obtained some important information.

The Neutral Faction. So, there was such a group on the island.

Logically, the Neutral Faction should be a small group that supports neither the Conservatives nor the Radicals. But based on the tenets of the Conservative and Radical factions, the Neutrals should be categorized with the Conservatives. By doing nothing, aren’t they essentially hoping for Wesi Sanctuary to maintain the status quo?

But clearly, that wasn’t the case. The Neutral Faction was distinctly different from the other two factions. What was even more interesting was that both the Conservatives and the Radicals seemed to disdain the Neutral identity. Within Wesi Sanctuary, the Neutral Faction must be an isolated existence.

True, sometimes those who refuse to take a side end up being rejected by both. But more often, neutral parties are the ones both sides try to win over. Besides, if the Neutral Faction truly did nothing, they wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, so why would they be scorned?

There was only one possibility: the Neutral Faction differed from both the Radicals and the Conservatives on a certain point. And to put it another way, that meant the Radical and Conservative factions were the same on that very point.

Just as he thought, there was a secret.