Clayne immediately looked toward the classroom door.

The rattling had finally weakened.

The undead outside no longer slammed themselves endlessly against the barricade like earlier. Only faint scratching sounds remained now, followed occasionally by low groans wandering farther away down the corridor.

Seeing that, he slowly relaxed a little.

Then he turned back toward the miniature forest.

Zi Yue suddenly coughed again.

"Puah!"

More blood spilled from her lips.

It stained the ground beneath her knees while her body trembled violently. Her breathing became uneven, and even the spiritual energy around her looked unstable now, flickering weakly around her injured figure before fading again.

Clayne frowned immediately.

"...What happened to you?"

Zi Yue lowered her head respectfully despite her condition.

"Senior Deity... this junior was poisoned."

Another cough escaped her.

Blood dripped down her chin.

"The poison those two Core Formation cultivators used is called Spirit Rot Venom."

Her voice weakened slightly while explaining.

"It is not a normal poison. It attacks both the body and spirit simultaneously. First, it invades the meridians and contaminates the spiritual Qi flowing inside them. Then, once enough poison accumulates, it slowly corrodes the cultivator’s spiritual sense and damages the dantian itself."

Clayne’s brows furrowed harder.

"That dangerous?"

Zi Yue nodded weakly.

"Yes..."

She pressed one trembling hand against her chest.

"The poison is especially dangerous because cultivators naturally circulate spiritual Qi within their bodies. Every circulation spreads the poison deeper instead of expelling it. If left untreated, the poison eventually destroys the spirit roots and causes the cultivator to lose control of their spiritual energy entirely."

Her breathing became heavier.

"At that point, even survival becomes difficult."

Clayne stared at her.

Even though she was tiny, her pale face and trembling body made it obvious she was already in terrible condition.

Still, Zi Yue continued speaking calmly.

"However... this poison is not impossible to suppress."

She slowly wiped blood from the corner of her lips.

"If this junior can replenish enough spiritual Qi, then I can temporarily resist the poison’s spread while searching for healing resources."

Her voice became weaker.

"Spiritual Qi naturally suppresses many poisons. The stronger the cultivator’s spiritual energy becomes, the harder it is for the poison to spread further."

She took another shaky breath.

"But my current spiritual Qi reserves are nearly empty after escaping and fighting continuously...."

Her expression became bitter.

"If this continues, I may not survive long enough to leave the valley."

Then suddenly—

"Puah!"

She vomited another large mouthful of blood.

This time even her aura weakened greatly afterward.

"Senior..."

Her voice trembled.

"This junior may need to leave soon and search for resources to heal myself..."

Clayne paused.

He instinctively frowned.

Honestly...

He did not want her to leave.

Right now, Zi Yue was his only source of information regarding cultivation.

Without her guidance, he would be completely clueless.

His world did not have cultivation manuals lying around everywhere. He was literally learning immortality from a tiny person living inside a school project while trapped during a zombie apocalypse.

Losing her now would be terrible.

Then suddenly—

An idea appeared in his mind.

"...Wait."

Clayne glanced toward his water bottle nearby.

A thought surfaced.

Before she died, he might as well get more guidance from her.

Even if it was a little shameless.

"As for replenishing spiritual Qi..."

he said slowly.

"I might have something here."

Zi Yue’s eyes widened slightly.

"But first, tell me how to cultivate faster."

The moment she heard that, Zi Yue immediately forced herself upright despite the poison.

"Yes, Senior!"

Her voice carried urgency now.

"In the beginning stages of cultivation, the fastest way to improve is through cultivation resources."

She hurriedly continued explaining.

"Spiritual stones, spiritual herbs, spirit fruits, beast cores, medicinal pills, and areas rich in spiritual Qi can all increase cultivation speed greatly."

Clayne listened carefully.

Then his face slowly fell.

Because he suddenly realized something important.

He was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

A mortal world.

Where the hell was he supposed to find spiritual stones?

Or spirit herbs?

Or beast cores?

For a moment, discouragement hit him heavily.

Did this mean his cultivation would stop after the beginning stages?

The thought made his chest tighten slightly.

But then he looked toward Zi Yue again.

Her condition looked even worse now.

Blood still stained her lips.

Her spiritual aura flickered weakly.

Clayne sighed softly.

"...Forget it."

He picked up his water bottle.

Honestly, he doubted ordinary bottled water would help her at all.

At most, he was simply trying something random.

But well...

If she died, he would lose his cultivation guide.

And if he failed to become stronger fast enough, he might die too.

So whatever.

Carefully, Clayne poured a single droplet of water onto his fingertip.

Then he slowly brought it closer toward Zi Yue.

He remained extremely careful.

He did not dare directly touch her.

After all, one wrong movement might crush her accidentally.

Meanwhile, inside the miniature world, Zi Yue stared at the massive finger descending from the heavens.

A crystal clear droplet rested upon it.

At first, she only looked nervously.

Then suddenly—

Her eyes widened.

The water...

Moved.

The tiny droplet resting on the Deity’s finger began trembling faintly.

Then the spiritual Qi around the valley stirred violently.

Winds swept across the forest.

The nearby river rippled intensely.

Strands of spiritual Qi visible only to cultivators rapidly gathered toward that single droplet of water.

Zi Yue’s breathing stopped.

The water was absorbing spiritual Qi.

No...

Devouring it.

The surrounding spiritual energy rushed toward the droplet endlessly, entering it in dense streams while the water itself grew brighter little by little.

The spiritual pressure released from it became heavier with every passing second.

Zi Yue’s pupils trembled violently.

"What..."

Her voice nearly disappeared.

"What kind of water is this...?"

Even the spiritual rivers beneath the valley reacted.

The air itself became richer with energy.

The droplet no longer resembled ordinary water.

It felt like a spiritual treasure capable of attracting heaven and earth energy naturally.

Zi Yue slowly raised her head toward the endless sky above.

"...Is this..."

Her heart pounded heavily.

"Water from the Deity Realm...?"

Meanwhile, outside the miniature world, Clayne also froze.

"...What the hell is happening?"

He could see it too.

The droplet on his finger looked completely different now.

A faint glow appeared within it while cold air spread around his fingertip.

Even he could feel energy gathering toward it.

Before he could think further—

Zi Yue suddenly lowered her head deeply.

"This junior does not dare accept it!"

Her voice carried panic.

"Such treasure is far too valuable!"

She immediately stepped backward despite her injuries.

"How could someone like me deserve divine spiritual water from Senior Deity?"

Her breathing became hurried.

"This treasure probably contains unimaginable spiritual essence. Even a single drop may be enough to cause entire sects to slaughter each other!"

She lowered her head further.

"If this junior accepts it, then it would only dirty Senior’s divine grace!"

Clayne blinked blankly.

"...Seriously?"

He stared at the droplet again.

Then slowly pulled his finger back.

The moment he did, he noticed the water releasing an incredible amount of spiritual Qi continuously.

The air around his hand even felt heavier now.

"What is wrong with this thing...?"

Then suddenly—

A reckless thought appeared in his mind.

Without hesitation, Clayne stuck the droplet into his mouth.

The instant the water touched his tongue—

Boom!

A massive wave of spiritual energy exploded inside his body.

Clayne’s eyes widened violently.

The energy surged through his meridians like a flood.

His entire body became hot immediately.

He hurriedly sat cross legged again.

Then followed the cultivation method instinctively.

Spiritual Qi rushed wildly through him.

For a moment, Clayne became excited.

But that excitement quickly disappeared.

Because he soon discovered something frustrating.

The spiritual Qi entering his body would not stay.

It kept escaping.

No matter how much energy entered him, most of it flowed out again before he could properly absorb it.

It felt exactly like standing in a river filled with gold while being unable to carry any of it away.

The energy was there.

Everywhere.

But he could not keep it.

"...Damn it."

Clayne frowned deeply.

Then suddenly—

An idea appeared in his mind.

Slowly, he looked toward Zi Yue.

Meanwhile, inside the miniature world, Zi Yue stared at the disappearing droplet with painful regret hidden deep within her heart.

Honestly...

When she refused earlier, most of it was out of respect.

How could she shamelessly accept the Deity’s treasure so easily?

But now that it was gone...

She could not help feeling a deep sense of loss.

That single drop alone probably contained enough spiritual Qi to suppress her poison completely.

Perhaps even heal her injuries.

Just thinking about it made her heart ache slightly.

Then suddenly—

The Deity’s voice echoed again.

"Do you know how to absorb this kind of spiritual Qi properly?"

Zi Yue immediately nodded.

"Yes, Senior!"

"Can you explain it to me?"

Zi Yue quickly composed herself before answering carefully.

"Senior Deity, spiritual Qi absorption is not simply about taking energy into the body."

She slowly began explaining in great detail.

"When spiritual Qi enters the meridians, cultivators must guide it actively using circulation routes. Otherwise, the energy naturally disperses back into the surroundings."

She continued calmly.

"The body is like a container. Mortal bodies are weak and unstable at first. Without proper circulation, spiritual Qi cannot remain inside for long."

Zi Yue explained how cultivators used breathing techniques together with mental focus to direct energy through specific pathways.

She spoke about guiding spiritual Qi toward the dantian.

About compressing it.

About refining it little by little until the body adapted naturally.

"The Five Elements cultivation methods are especially difficult because they absorb spiritual Qi aggressively. If the cultivator does not control the circulation properly, then the excess energy escapes immediately."

She demonstrated slowly using her remaining spiritual Qi.

Tiny streams of energy circulated visibly around her body.

"The key is maintaining continuous circulation while absorbing. Spiritual Qi must never remain stagnant."

Her explanation continued for a very long time.

Step by step.

Detailed.

Careful.

By the end, realization slowly appeared on Clayne’s face.

"So that’s why..."

He muttered quietly.

"No wonder I couldn’t keep the spiritual Qi earlier..."

He finally understood.

He knew how to absorb spiritual Qi roughly because of the cultivation method.

But he did not actually know how to circulate his own spiritual energy correctly afterward.

That was why everything escaped.

Clayne immediately prepared to cultivate again. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

But before starting, he looked toward Zi Yue once more.

Then he spoke calmly.

"I’ll give you some too."

Zi Yue froze.

"Do you have a container?"

She immediately nodded rapidly.

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, she took out a tiny jade bottle from her storage pouch.

Then—

A droplet descended from the heavens.

The water landed inside the bottle carefully.

The moment it entered—

The jade bottle itself began glowing faintly from the overflowing spiritual Qi within.

Zi Yue stared at it blankly.

Meanwhile, outside the miniature world, Clayne already sat down cross legged once again.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Then began cultivating seriously.

...

Below the classroom—

Inside the dark corridor stained with blood...

A zombie crouched over a corpse while chewing noisily on a severed student’s arm.

Wet tearing sounds echoed continuously.

Then suddenly—

Crunch.

The undead froze.

Its body trembled violently.

Bones cracked beneath its skin.

Its fingers slowly stretched longer.

Sharp claws extended outward little by little.

At the same time, four long fangs pushed out from its mouth, sharper and larger than normal undead teeth.

Its arms became slightly longer.

Its legs twisted unnaturally before growing as well.

Then slowly...

The zombie lifted its head.