Looking back, it was all like a fairyland.

And because Cao Chen's spirit was so full, no one else noticed the problem. Only after Cao Chen's spirit landed did everyone notice the changes.

"Cultivation is indeed never smooth sailing; even enlightenment is fraught with both fortune and misfortune. If things go wrong, Cao Chen might ascend to immortality on the spot," the Mirage Dragon remarked. The power of the innate deities is now evident; born as gods, they have no need to consider such matters.

They are born perfect.

Strength, wisdom, spirit, and body are all in perfect harmony. Therefore, Shenlong has never encountered a situation like Cao Chen, who is clearly enlightened but can accidentally cause trouble.

Su Mu chuckled: "It's not that simple. If Cao Chen reached your level, and you two cultivated together, his progress would definitely be far faster than yours."

When you're still weak, you step on the mines step by step. As long as you grow up, these misfortunes will inevitably become your strengths, and at the very least, you won't fall into the same pit again. It's much smoother than the Mirage Dragon.

Although the Mirage Dragon is very powerful, it is not omnipotent.

In a way, Su Mu's current situation is a replica of that of a "natural being". Although he also climbed up step by step, his progress was much smoother than most people's, and in the blink of an eye, he had already left his peers far behind.

Peer...Actually, he is of the same generation as Lin Yuan and Yun Yue.

Su Mu seems to have grasped a bit of the key now, so he's no longer as impatient or persistent as before. He's gradually rediscovering his former self, something only Su Mu can do himself; no one else can help, and no other "Su Mu" will come to enlighten him.

"You're really lucky," Su Mu murmured, handing a cup of tea to Cao Chen. Then, seemingly realizing that her words sounded a bit like self-praise, she chuckled softly.

The old goat, along with Shenlong and Shen Qiu, glanced at Su Mu, seeming to see something, yet also seeming not to see anything. As the people who knew Su Mu best, they certainly noticed something different about him, but they didn't understand where this difference came from.

Cao Chen expressed his gratitude. He also thought so. It was a blessing that someone could enlighten him in such a dangerous situation and offer him a cup of tea when he was feeling unwell.

This tea was not simple. When Cao Chen drank it all in one gulp, the tea's fragrance, with its hint of Dao essence, permeated his entire body, replenishing the vitality that had been plundered by his spirit and healing the Dao injuries and deficits that had arisen after enlightenment.

The body and mind once again reach a level of harmony.

From that moment on, this enlightenment was truly over. This was the strength of his foundation. If an ordinary person suffered such damage, it would likely take decades to repair it.

It's not like drinking a cup of tea would make all the scars disappear. You have to know that Cao Chen was not unaffected, but he was awakened after being affected, and the scars were already left.

Shenlong didn't say anything else. Whether the opportunity he gave him was a blessing or a curse was something Cao Chen had to grasp on his own.

Seeing that Cao Chen was alright, the group changed the subject: "Speaking of which, Lin Yuan and Yun Yue have been training for quite some time now. When are they coming back?"

"They'll be there soon; they're heading towards the Northern Wilderness."

After Shen Qiu finished speaking, he felt the entire world shake a few times. Fortunately, the shaking stopped shortly after. These shakings had been a regular occurrence over the past few days, as the mirage dragon was rebuilding this cave from the ground up. As outsiders, they hadn't noticed anything, and ordinary people simply thought it was just a terrestrial dragon turning over, causing no significant damage. So, they'd gotten used to the intermittent shaking over the past few days.

Only a few cultivators discovered the subtle changes in the world.

For example, the concentration of spiritual energy. The mirage dragon drilled a small hole in the cave. Water flows to the lowest point, and the same principle applies to spiritual energy. He continuously draws spiritual energy from the outside world in. This hole can be opened and closed, so it can be used when needed and shut off when not needed.

The concentration of spiritual energy in this cave is not high, and if Mirage Dragon wants to carry out his grand ambitions, he must need more spiritual energy, which he can only borrow from the outside world.

This was only the first step. With Yuan Gu's disappearance, negative emotions lingered in the world for a long time. Initially, it was possible to put it off, but the longer it was delayed, the more difficult it became to deal with.

The world of caves originally had a system, and the reincarnation of souls was a part of it. However, this reincarnation had a standard: faith, though almost everyone was unaware of it. Ultimately, everything in this world of caves operated for the sake of faith.

Of course, no matter what you believe in, whether it's gods, immortal cultivators, heaven and earth, or even if you believe in yourself, this belief will be quietly taken away by the cave world.

Therefore, there is no God in this world, and no God will be born.

There is no god; the only standard for reincarnation is faith. In other words, the more devout you are, the greater your chances of being reborn as a human. Furthermore, there is no standard of punishment for good or evil. In this world, "good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil consequences" is merely an empty phrase.

If that were the case, there would be a lot of ghosts. But in reality, there aren't any. This is because there's a garbage dump in this cave that welcomes everyone.

So, either you reincarnate, or if you don't, you'll be thrown into the Abyss and turned into a demon. What Su Mu said before was right, the existence of the Abyss has more advantages than disadvantages.

Because there was no such organization as the Yinsi in this cave world. If the Mirage Dragon wanted to abolish this crude garbage dump, it would have to put in ten times the effort to build a team to manage reincarnation, which was a bit thankless and was a waste of time.

The operation of the world is not that simple, but as long as the world can be turned, sometimes it is not that difficult.

There are simple and crude methods, and there are also meticulous methods. Generally speaking, making the world work while achieving the goal is a good method. If the Mirage Dragon wants to make this cave world into an iron barrel, then it must choose a meticulous method.

Renovations are happening every now and then.

The Mirage Dragon planned to remain in the grotto for a while. As for the puppet following Su Mu, it made little difference; it was simply a matter of the dragon diagram in Xuan Su Mu's hands being transformed into the real world. The outside world wasn't exactly friendly towards the innate deities.

The process of leaving also began when Lin Yuan and Yun Yue arrived.

By the time the two of them arrived in Northern Wasteland, the reconstruction of the state was already halfway through. They hadn't participated in major events, as that wasn't something they could participate in right now. So when the war in Northern Wasteland began, neither of them returned.

There's no point in coming back, as we'll just be cannon fodder in a battle like this.