"A pure spatial energy environment can isolate external elemental interference, allowing you to perceive your own state more clearly."

Bai Cheng explained, giving her wrist a slight turn. The miniature spatial field drifted toward Leng Ningxue, enveloping her right hand like a transparent film.

Leng Ningxue paused slightly, then closed her eyes.

A few breaths later, she reopened her eyes, a hint of surprise flashing within them: "The feeling of thirst... it's weakened."

"It's not weakened, it's isolated."

Bai Cheng withdrew her hand, and the spatial field dissipated.

"A portion of the discomfort you perceive comes from the environment's continuous erosion of your King-level powerhouse energy field.

In the Desert Domain, this erosion is magnified to the extreme, which is why you experienced the illusion of your 'ability being stripped away'."

Yu Nian listened intently, and a verdant vine unconsciously emerged from her cuff, gently wrapping around Bai Cheng's wrist.

It wasn't a test; it was more like instinctive closeness.

"So Ning Xue's ability was actually intact the whole time, but her perception was just interfered with?"

"You could say that. Many battlefields in the Infinite Realm possess this characteristic. They don't truly weaken you, but they make you 'believe' you are weaker. Psychological warfare is often the most efficient means of attrition."

Leng Ningxue lowered her head to look at her palm. Ice crystals condensed again, this time more solid and stable.

"In other words... in the Desert Domain, if I completely trusted judgments other than my own perception, I could actually ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) exert greater power."

"Theoretically, yes," Bai Cheng nodded. "But there are no 'ifs' in actual combat. That's why we need more practical data to analyze the impact patterns of different environments on abilities—"

"Wait," Yu Nian suddenly interrupted, gently tugging Bai Cheng's wrist. Her tone carried a rare hint of complaint. "We are resting now, Bai Cheng. This isn't a strategy meeting."

Bai Cheng paused, her pale gold eyes looking at Yu Nian.

The other woman was tilting her head, watching her. Her dark green hair slipped from her shoulder, and her eyes reflected the light of the sea outside the window, showing a soft persistence.

A few seconds later, Bai Cheng relaxed her tense shoulders. "You're right."

She reached under the table and retrieved a small metal box.

It was something found a few days ago in an abandoned outpost, said to be a tea set from a lost civilization.

The box opened, revealing three ancient-looking ceramic cups and a small packet of "tea leaves" compressed from plant essence by Yu Nian.

"Qingniao said the energy fluctuations he captured in the northeast direction are very stable, so there's no risk of a surprise attack for at least twelve hours."

Bai Cheng said, placing the tea leaves into the cups while a gentle spatial energy emanated from her palm.

It wasn't the tearing sensation of combat, but a soft fluctuation like a hot spring, instantly brewing the tea leaves.

The fragrance rose with the steam, carrying a strange aroma that mixed the vitality of plants with spatial stability.

Leng Ningxue finally took the cup that belonged to her.

Ice crystals spread from her fingertips, cooling the piping hot tea to a suitable temperature before she took small sips.

The layer of perpetual frost between her brows seemed to have melted away a fraction more.

The three of them sat quietly like this, watching the sea outside the window.

Time flowed slowly amidst the aroma of tea and the sea breeze.

In the distance, a school of Silver-backed Flying Fish leaped out of the sea, carving hundreds of meters long silver arcs in the air before plunging back into the water, the resulting spray sparkling like shattered diamonds in the sunlight.

"Actually, I've been wondering..." Yu Nian suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the waves. "Why did that leader use a clone?"

Bai Cheng looked at her.

"If his main body is truly that powerful, why didn't he act himself?"

Yu Nian's finger traced circles lightly around the rim of the cup. Verdant vines extended from her cuff, weaving intricate patterns on the tabletop.

"Using a high-value clone capable of carrying most of his combat power just to test us... isn't the cost too great?"

"Because he is afraid," Leng Ningxue suddenly said.

Yu Nian and Bai Cheng looked at her simultaneously.

Leng Ningxue put down her teacup, her ice-blue eyes gazing at the boundless sea outside the window. "Not afraid of us, but afraid of exposure.

Do you remember the scene from the memory of the Modified Assassin we captured?

The Black Palace in the Mist Source Core, dozens of dark red crystals, each connected to harvesting nodes in different areas of the Emerald Sea..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly organizing her thoughts: "That doesn't look like a simple combat outpost.

It looks more like... some kind of massive Ritual Site, or an energy conversion hub.

If his main body were to leave that place, it might cause the entire system to destabilize."

A flash of approval crossed Bai Cheng's eyes:

"The analysis is correct. The fragmented information I read from the crystals left behind after the clone turned to sand also points to this: the collection and conversion of Emotional Energy requires an extremely stable core controller to preside over it.

He cannot leave easily, just like the heart cannot leave the chest cavity."

"So that's why he spread the news to Enforcement City, trying to use official forces to hold us back." Yu Nian suddenly realized, then frowned again,

"But... why would he collect Emotional Energy? For a King-level powerhouse, that kind of thing shouldn't have much practical value, apart from creating illusions and interfering with the mind."

"Unless he isn't collecting ordinary emotions." Bai Cheng's fingertip tapped lightly on the tabletop, creating a rhythmic sound,

"Fear, despair, rage... these Negative Emotions can be converted into a kind of twisted 'fuel' under specific conditions.

Do you remember the remnants on Chao Yin Island who were drained? What they lost was not just life force, but 'hope' itself."

The Observation Cabin fell into a brief silence. Only the sound of waves hitting the bottom of the train was heard, regular and distant.

After a long time, Yu Nian asked softly, "So the northeast direction we're heading to next... is that where his main body is located?"

"The possibility is high," Bai Cheng nodded. "But we can't rule out it being another trap. So before arriving, we need to recover our condition as much as possible, especially—"

Her words came to an abrupt halt.

Because Leng Ningxue suddenly reached out and grasped her wrist.

It wasn't an abrupt movement; the perpetually cold fingertips of the Ice-type Ability User gently pressed against Bai Cheng's warm skin, creating a subtle temperature difference.

Leng Ningxue's gaze fell on the inside of Bai Cheng's wrist, where an extremely faint, almost invisible Silver Pattern was gently rising and falling with her heartbeat.

"Your Spatial Energy Core was also damaged in the Desert Domain," Leng Ningxue said, not as a question, but a statement.

Bai Cheng was slightly startled, then nodded frankly. "Forcibly stripping away the Domain Anchor did cause a temporary overload. But it's already healing itself."

"How long will it take?" Yu Nian also leaned closer, gently stroking the pattern with her soft fingers.