Of course, the problems Xiao Tian faces are far more than these.

In addition to having to return to the surface before the rescue team arrives, or rather within the surveillance’s line of sight, Xiao Tian also knows clearly that he must not stay underwater for too long.

Otherwise, it’s better to quietly leave, change his identity, and abandon Xiao Erren’s identity.

Because if something against common sense occurs, he will inevitably be listed as a suspect, and Xiao Tian does not want any complications before preparing the antidote for Ghost Face’s symptoms.

As the resistance ahead became increasingly strong, knowing he was nearing the spring mouth, Xiao Tian began to focus all his attention, carefully observing the surroundings to find any unusual places.

But until he was about to reach the spring mouth, he had to continuously output a large amount of True Qi to maintain the shield, ensuring he wouldn’t be swept back by the surging spring water, yet he still didn’t find anything amiss.

On the contrary, Xiao Tian, while continuously consuming True Qi, had to remain fully vigilant of his surroundings, and both his body and spirit began to feel faintly fatigued, slowly showing signs of exhaustion.

Meanwhile, in his perception, three boats are heading towards Xiang Yiting’s direction, maintaining a dissatisfied speed, suggesting they weren’t the kind of wooden boats requiring physical strength to sail.

Upon noticing this, Xiao Tian immediately decided to grit his teeth and leave, returning to the surface before the patrol team arrived.

Although he feels an indescribable regret in his heart, he cannot abandon the purpose of this trip for something hidden somewhere unknown.

Nevertheless, just as Xiao Tian was turning to leave using the thrust, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a point of light appearing near the spring mouth.

Seeing this, Xiao Tian immediately moved towards the point of light he just saw with all his might, even before fully turning around.

He has made up his mind that if he comes up empty-handed this time, he will ignore any other anomalies he sees and focus on getting past this current hurdle first.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Xiao Tian has completely given up on this matter. According to his plan, if he doesn’t discover what the Megrez Stone hints at this time, he will temporarily set this aside and return to explore after preparing the antidote for Ghost Face.

The next moment, when Xiao Tian fumbled across a hard object, he yanked it out of the mud at the bottom of Confucian Spring with force, only to reveal a slightly opened clam.

Its shell surface was black-brown, and Xiao Tian did not have to exert much force to open it, revealing pearls with moonlight-like bright and warm glow inside, totaling seven after counting.

No time for careful research, Xiao Tian took the seven pearls out of the clam and put them into his pocket.

Although unsure whether the pearls genuinely had magical properties or arrived here by chance, the fact that they could withstand such a great push and remain at Confucian Spring’s eye for so long suggested they weren’t ordinary objects.

As he pondered, the spring mouth that seemed to trigger some mechanism suddenly spewed forth a cluster of extremely pure yet water-clear energy.

Xiao Tian’s eyes widened instantly, with his gaze filled only with shock, leaving no room for other emotions.

Because at the moment this energy appeared, a tremendously peculiar yet profoundly mysterious sensation surged in his heart, a feeling containing mystic nourishment like spring rain silently nurturing everything, making him somewhat immersed and unable to extricate himself.

In an instant, Xiao Tian seemed to see flowers and grass rooted in the soil, and he himself seemed to be one of them, with cool mist enveloping him, feeling his growth bit by bit, conveying unspeakable comfort and cheerfulness!

However, Xiao Tian dared not delve too much into this sensation, immediately biting his tongue fiercely, restoring mental clarity through the sharp pain, causing the scene before him to change instantly and that feeling to dissipate.

Perceiving the three boats getting closer to Xiang Yiting’s position, Xiao Tian immediately channeled a large portion of the energy into the Shaking Light Disc and then decisively relinquished resistance, utilizing the powerful momentum to shoot into the distance.

Of course, this was the only option, as even Xiao Tian dared not casually channel that energy into his body without confirming safety, otherwise, ignoring other accompanying dangers, just the extremely pure energy alone would be enough to rupture his Dantian.

Furthermore, Xiao Tian chose to take away most of the energy instead of taking it all at once, not because he couldn’t do so, but because he deeply understood a principle that all things possess spirit and one mustn’t be overly greedy!

According to Xiao Tian’s deduction, that energy should be accumulated over the years by Confucian Spring’s spring mouth. If he took it all at once, it would inevitably greatly damage the vitality here, and it wouldn’t be impossible for a break in flow to occur.

This doesn’t mean Xiao Tian fears being found out; just from his heart, it’s impossible to disrupt the vitality of the Spiritual Spring, draining it completely for his selfish desires and greedy satisfaction, as such an act doesn’t align with his consistent principles.

Obtaining most of it is already his great fortune, and Xiao Tian will not demand more.

Moreover, by taking only a portion of the energy, Xiao Tian ensures it will accumulate again over time without damaging the essence of the Spiritual Spring, achieving a perfect balance!

But he doesn’t know that just at the moment of his departure, the abandoned clam flashed with an eerie glimmer...

...

On the surface, Xiang Yiting was cautiously seated on half a broken wooden boat, frantically waving to the rescue team approaching from afar.

"My companion fell into the water too, please quickly save her!"

At this moment, water was dripping from Xiang Yiting’s wet hair, and her voice had turned hoarse from prolonged yelling, but the urgency visible in her eyes and the water droplets in her gaze all evidenced her current worry.

And naturally, her worry was not for anyone else but Xiao Tian, or rather Xiao Erren played by Xiao Tian.

Xiang Yiting remembers clearly; after being pushed into the water by that nasty staff member, Xiao Tian was safe on the boat, and when she awakened from unconsciousness, she found herself on half a wooden boat.

No need to think much to roughly deduce what happened!

At least regarding who saved her, Xiang Yiting has no doubt that it was Xiao Tian.

Thinking of the person who rescued her and the one who pushed her into the water disappearing together, Xiang Yiting’s heart remained unsettled.

In fact, she considered searching for Xiao Tian, but knowing she wasn’t adept at swimming, any reckless move would only endanger herself, so she tried everything to seek assistance. Drawing the rescue team quickly was the right approach.

However, at this moment, with the much-anticipated rescue team arriving late, Xiang Yiting’s last hope slowly extinguished, losing faith in Xiao Tian’s chance of survival...