Volume One: The Game of the Controller Chapter Forty-Nine: The Marvelous Use of the Fire Source Spirit Pearl

The Primordial Origin Water—each drop contains a vast, independent space. Yet here, the entire lotus pond is filled with it, and at its center lies the final treasure of Shanhai Heaven: a solitary lotus, resting quietly. To swim through the water would mean breaking through countless individual spaces; even if Qin Si could shatter them by force, the number of droplets in the pond is beyond measure, and the time left simply does not allow it.

Flying over the pond seems the only option, but the restrictions around it are immense. Not only flight, but even a simple leap is extraordinarily difficult. The lotus pond’s radius measures sixty or seventy meters—a trivial distance under ordinary circumstances, but now, it stretches before Qin Si and his brother Qin Shuang like an insurmountable chasm.

Surveying his surroundings, Qin Si grew anxious. His nature was lively and restless, never patient; even the space he had just broken was conquered by brute force. Now, forced to contemplate, he found himself at a loss.

“What now? What now?” Qin Si paced around the pond, unconcerned with his status as an upper realm deity. Qin Shuang, accustomed to his brother’s temperament, watched calmly. The celestial immortal, restrained by Qin Si’s prohibition, looked nervous, fearing Qin Si might kill him in a moment of displeasure. He sat quietly in a corner, his eyes tracking Qin Si’s every move.

Determined to help Qin Shuang escape, Qin Si racked his brains—perhaps more than ever before in his life.

“Heh.” Qin Shuang suddenly let out a gentle laugh. “Forgive me, brother. You could have continued cultivating in the divine realm. Even without great effort, you would have become a divine king one day.”

Memories of the Purple Profound Mansion flickered through Qin Shuang’s mind, twisting his heart with pain. “It’s all my fault. If not for my foolish pride, for that futile desire to be favored, if I’d just quietly cultivated in the divine realm, we wouldn’t be trapped here.”

“Shuang, what are you saying?” Qin Si, seeing his brother’s expression, paused his thoughts and came over, patting Qin Shuang’s shoulder. “Honestly, I should thank you. Life in the divine realm was dull—endless cultivation or fighting. The servants in the Purple Profound Mansion never dared to fight me for real. But since coming to the lower world, I’ve discovered how wonderful this world truly is.”

Qin Si glanced at the celestial immortal, then whispered in Qin Shuang’s ear, “Let me tell you a secret—I’ve met many girls on Earth.”

“If Father finds out, he’ll definitely punish you,” Qin Shuang replied, his mood lightened by Qin Si’s casual tone.

“Life in the lower world is far more interesting than in the divine realm,” Qin Si continued, pointing at Qin Shuang. “Look at yourself—if you’d stayed obediently in the divine realm, how long would it take to form a Soul Golden Core? How long to temper your body to the hardness of a lower-grade divine artifact?”

“Yes… but the price we’ve paid is enormous,” Qin Shuang murmured, staring at the pool, unable to think of a solution.

“Brother…” Suddenly, Qin Shuang’s eyes brightened. “Brother, how did you pass the final trial in the Sea of a Thousand Tribulations?”

“I broke through with force,” Qin Si replied slyly. “Just used a bit of clever strength.”

“Force?” Qin Shuang was taken aback. He’d tried brute strength himself, but failed completely.

“No, brother, I broke through by fully comprehending the laws of that space. It took me thirty years to shatter it,” Qin Shuang explained. “If I encounter a similar space again, it would take me no more than twenty years. I believe that, given enough time, I could break through every drop of water in this pond.”

“Time?” Qin Si smiled bitterly. “Shuang, don’t you know? There’s a time limit in Shanhai Heaven.”

“Time limit?” Qin Shuang was startled—the spirit serpent Xiao Qing had not told him much.

“Yes, a time limit. From the first day we entered the Mountain of Ten Thousand Honored, one hundred and twenty years. If we don’t obtain the lotus within that period, we’ll die inside.”

“One hundred… twenty years?” Qin Si was stunned. Roughly counting, more than fifty years had already passed since they entered. Less than seventy years remain.

Seventy years—at ten spaces broken per day—it’s nowhere near enough!

“Forget it. Shanhai Heaven is merely a trial; the solution cannot be absolute,” Qin Si said with determination. “That lotus—there must be a way to acquire it.”

“I’ll give it a try!” Qin Si declared abruptly, finding an open spot and ignoring Qin Shuang’s and the celestial immortal’s surprise. He stood quietly.

“Ha!” Qin Si suddenly shouted, his body erupting in golden light streaked with sparks. The radiance grew brighter, shaking the stone walls with his aura, as if they might collapse.

“Rise!” Qin Si lunged forward, his vast divine power supporting him. In a space where even a ninth-level celestial from Yanjing could not jump, Qin Si traced an arc through the air, landing ten meters away.

Boom! Qin Si struck the ground, leaving a pit over a meter deep, stone fragments scattered everywhere.

Ten meters! Qin Shuang’s mouth hung open, amazed at Qin Si’s leap.

To leap ten meters!

Though Qin Shuang had not tested his own jump, with his strength, even two meters would have been extraordinary here. Qin Si had leaped ten.

In this heavily restricted space, Qin Si had managed a ten-meter jump—it was incredible.

Qin Shuang felt a surge of emotion. The power of an upper realm deity was indeed beyond ordinary.

But Qin Si felt no such pride. Despite exerting all his strength to overcome the space’s limits, he had only managed ten meters or so. He sat dejected by the pond, drained of divine power, filled with helplessness.

“What now?” he muttered, gazing at the lotus. The sixty-meter distance, once traversed by a simple thought, now seemed an impassable gulf.

A hand rested on his shoulder. Qin Shuang smiled, comforting him softly: “Brother, it’s all right. We’ll find a way to obtain the lotus and leave! We’ve survived countless trials—can this last hurdle stop us?

Remember how much our father endured to create all those miracles!

Remember, he grew up facing opponents stronger than himself. The challenges of Shanhai Heaven are nothing compared to what Father overcame.”

Qin Si, breathing heavily, felt a warm current flow through him. He stood tall, his face gentle. “You’re right. If Father could do it, then as his sons, so can we!”

Seventy years—one method after another—no matter what, I will get you out, Qin Si resolved, clenching his teeth. With a thought, the Fire Source Spirit Pearl floated above his head, its warmth restoring his depleted divine power within moments.

“Huh? Brother, the Fire Source Spirit Pearl can float?” Qin Shuang noticed the pearl hovering in the air, apparently unaffected by the space’s restrictions.

“Fire Source Spirit Pearl?” Qin Si’s heart stirred. The pearl began to fly in circles around the pond of Primordial Origin Water.

“Haha! Top-tier Primordial Spirit Treasure—indeed extraordinary!” Qin Si laughed joyfully. “Humans cannot fly, but Primordial Spirit Treasures can.

If something can ignore the space’s restrictions, acquiring the lotus becomes simple,” Qin Si said confidently, a golden spear appearing in his hand.

“Brother, you intend to…”

“Yes. This spear is also a top-tier Primordial Spirit Treasure. Though I can’t fly, I can control it. I’ll use the golden spear to fetch the lotus and bring it back to us—problem solved!” Qin Si laughed with delight.

“But…” Though Qin Si’s logic made sense, Qin Shuang felt uneasy. Before he could speak, Qin Si, impatient, had already thrown the golden spear toward the pond, manipulating it.

Indeed, the top-tier Primordial Spirit Treasure could fly in this space, but its speed was exceedingly slow. The sixty-meter distance took two breaths to traverse.

“Two meters left.” The brothers’ eyes were fixed on the spear, hearts pounding.

Boom! When the spear was half a meter from the lotus, it suddenly stopped, as if hitting an invisible barrier.

“Damn, there’s another barrier!” Qin Si cursed under his breath.

“Break!” Qin Si shouted. The spear withdrew a few meters, then shot forward with renewed force.

Crack! This time, the sound was different. Around the lotus, cracks appeared.

Crash! Like shattering glass, the space surrounding the lotus broke apart.

(To be continued)