Chapter 10: You Are Truly Remarkable

“Nyx?”

Yu Xia transformed into her mermaid form and dug the little wolf out from the snow.

“Aw~” The little wolf stuck its tongue out at Yu Xia and excitedly nuzzled against her in her arms.

Yu Xia noticed how lively it was—completely different from the barely breathing little leopard she had seen with Huo Lin before.

What she didn’t know was that within the mental landscape, unless the damage was too severe and uncontrollable, turning into a spiritual entity, one could freely change into any form they desired.

For instance, at this moment, she instinctively wanted to assume her human form.

Nyx, in his little wolf form, rolled shamelessly in Yu Xia’s arms, basking in the warmth of her spiritual energy.

Without her noticing, the wind had picked up again. It grew stronger, a hurricane swirling snowflakes and broken branches from all directions toward them.

“Aw, aw!” The little wolf, frightened, pressed tightly against Yu Xia’s chest.

“Don’t be afraid,” Yu Xia soothed, stroking the little wolf gently. She glanced around, searching for a safe place.

But the shattered mental landscape offered no refuge—only restoration.

The hurricane nearly blew Yu Xia away. She gathered a stream of water around her to shield against the chaotic debris tossed by the storm.

The water she sent out instantly froze, then shattered under the hurricane’s might.

Yu Xia herself was blown away, tumbling in the snow while clutching the little wolf.

She hadn’t expected that, beneath his seemingly carefree and effortless exterior, Nyx’s mental landscape would be so volatile.

The little wolf looked up at her pitifully from her arms. “Aw...” Sorry!

Yu Xia continued to stroke his head, calming him, soothing his emotions until Nyx’s spirit settled somewhat.

At that moment, the little wolf jumped out of her arms and began digging quickly in the snow.

Yu Xia thought he might be scared and trying to hide, reaching to pick him up, when she noticed a layer of ice exposed beneath the snow where he had dug.

She felt the flow of water beneath the ice—beneath them lay a frozen lake.

Nyx’s mental landscape contained a lake. His affinity for water was a boon for Yu Xia, making her efforts twice as effective.

The little wolf stuck out his tongue, as if asking for praise. “Aw, aw! Look how cooperative I am!”

Yu Xia floated up and spun in the air, her long pink mermaid tail sweeping across the snow, sending flying flakes and the little wolf himself into the air.

Yu Xia was just beginning to manifest her power, and Nyx, in the midst of his mental recovery, began to sweat.

Her spiritual energy was both gentle and fierce. She had no formal training in spiritual guidance and relied entirely on her intuition.

Her nature was gentle; her power, surging and tempestuous.

With a single swipe of her tail, the thick ice cracked and shattered.

She stirred the entire lake, the raging icy snowstorm freezing everything, only for the water currents to smash it all apart.

Yu Xia turned Nyx’s mental landscape upside down without hesitation. When she pulled the little wolf, nearly drowned, from the lake, Nyx’s spirit had been thoroughly battered by her power.

His mental landscape was calm now—but he was nearly “quieted” for good.

Tender shoots sprouted from the snow, trees growing visibly fast, soon to form a forest.

Yu Xia swam with the now much calmer little wolf in the lake for a while before reluctantly leaving Nyx’s mental landscape.

When Yu Xia opened her eyes, she saw Nyx slumped in his chair, no longer sitting upright as before.

He leaned his head back, sweat pouring down his face, his cheeks flushed unnaturally red.

“Nyx?!” Yu Xia was startled. “Are you alright?”

Had she done something wrong?

“I’m fine.” Nyx opened his eyes, his gaze complex.

He found it hard to describe this feeling—his mind felt completely stirred, both painful and indescribably exhilarating.

It was like drinking a glass of mint juice that made his soul soar.

He had wanted to use this opportunity to seek some comfort and closeness with her, but she had thrown him into chaos instead, giving him an all-encompassing thrill.

He looked at Huo Lin, his voice slightly sulky. “Was it like this when she helped you with your mental guidance?”

Huo Lin: “Pretty much.”

Nyx: “You could’ve at least given me a heads-up.” It was a bit too much; he hadn’t even had time to savor it!

Huo Lin opened a water bottle and handed it to Yu Xia. “Need this? She did a great job.”

His look seemed to say: Don’t be ungrateful, go praise her.

Yu Xia held the water bottle and regarded Nyx with concern. “You don’t look well. Are you really okay?”

Nyx: “I’m alright. You… you’re amazing.”

Then, with slightly unsteady steps, he rushed out of the room. He needed to recover.

Yu Xia noticed his odd demeanor as he left and, still worried, asked Huo Lin, “When I do this mental guidance for you, do you feel any pain?”

“Of course not,” Huo Lin said. “Just do it your way.”

Yu Xia: “But Nyx doesn’t look comfortable.”

“That’s not pain,” Huo Lin said, unsure how to describe it. After thinking, he added, “It’s like getting a cavity filled. Other guides dig out the bad part and patch it up; you pull the bad tooth out completely and let a new one grow. The pain is brief, but the feeling afterward is much better.”

Yu Xia found this analogy amusing. Her father had pulled her bad teeth as a child, and indeed, it only hurt briefly before feeling much better.

In truth, Huo Lin had just found a less ambiguous comparison; the actual feeling was far more difficult to describe...

He added, “When you’re in the mental landscape, don’t directly touch their spiritual bodies—you’ll drain too much spiritual energy.” Just touch me instead.

Yu Xia nodded, taking his words to heart.

Next to enter was Baru. He sat tensely, legs pressed together, hands on his knees, clearly uneasy.

Yu Xia spoke softly to soothe him, “Don’t be nervous.”

She found this mental guidance easier than she had imagined. Her first attempt with Huo Lin had been accidental, and after the second with Nyx, she quickly grasped the process.

As long as the damaged parts were completely cleared away and new growth allowed, everything would be fine.

Baru nodded enthusiastically, trusting her enough to open his mental landscape.

Yu Xia closed and opened her eyes—and finished guiding him even faster than Nyx.

Baru could no longer smile. He stammered his thanks to Yu Xia, then, sweating profusely and flushed, staggered out.

The next sentinels either trembled in their steps or leaned against walls as they left.

Midway through, Huo Lin suggested Yu Xia take a break, but she felt fine except for hunger. After eating and drinking plenty of water, she continued guiding the sentinels.

Including Nyx, she completed the mental guidance for eight sentinels in one hour.

Her speed and spiritual power far exceeded Huo Lin’s estimate of B-level.

Previously, when Yu Xia had guided him, Huo Lin sensed her spiritual energy was unstable. Though her guidance was excellent, she was left weakened afterward.

He had roughly estimated her level as B.

But now, even if her energy wasn’t stable, she far surpassed B-level.

Having mastered the technique, she repaired the mental landscapes of eight sentinels at once—far stronger than when she had guided him.

“Mission accomplished,” Yu Xia stretched, smiling one moment and yawning the next as she leaned toward Huo Lin.

His pupils contracted sharply as he caught her.

Yu Xia’s breathing was steady, cheeks tinged with a faint blush—she had fallen asleep.

Huo Lin breathed a sigh of relief and carried her out of the guidance room.

“Is Yu Xia alright?” Nyx hurried forward, and the sentinels waiting at the door gathered around.