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Lin Su, their team leader, stepped forward and gestured to the lake. "The area around the lake seems undisturbed," she said, her tone relieved but cautious. "This might be a safe place for us to rest, at least for tonight."

Junior Brother Wu, known for his sharp instincts, frowned as he walked closer to the lake. "Isn\'t it odd that there are no beasts around? A water source like this would usually attract them—especially at dusk."

Lin Su nodded in agreement, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "Yes, I noticed that too, but there are no tracks or signs of recent activity here. It\'s almost as if something is keeping them away."

Junior Sister Mei, ever curious, leaned down and dipped her fingers into the water. "It\'s cold," she murmured, watching the ripples spread out across the surface. "Too cold for this season."

Li Yuan knelt by the edge of the lake, his brows furrowing. "There must be something about this lake... something that even the beasts fear."

Lin Su crossed her arms, her eyes scanning the surrounding forest. "Whatever it is, we can use it to our advantage. If the beasts are avoiding this place, it means we\'re less likely to be attacked during the night. We\'ll set up camp here."

Reluctantly, the group agreed. The lure of rest after a long and arduous day was too tempting to resist, even with the eerie quiet surrounding them. Lin Su ordered the disciples to set up a perimeter, placing small protective talismans around their camp for added safety.

Junior Brother Wu, still uneasy, approached Li Yuan as they both stood near the water. "Do you really think it\'s safe? There has to be a reason the beasts avoid this place."

"I don\'t know... but whatever is keeping them away might be exactly what I\'m supposed to find here." His voice was low, filled with uncertainty but also with the same sense of purpose that had driven him the entire journey.

Wu shook his head, a worried frown on his face. "Just be careful, Li Yuan. Whatever it is, I don\'t trust it."

"Senior Sister," Li Yuan called out to Lin Su, who was seated near the fire. "I\'m going to check something."

Lin Su looked at him curiously. "The lake?"

Li Yuan nodded. "There\'s something about it… I can\'t explain it, but I need to see for myself."

Lin Su\'s expression shifted to one of concern. "You\'ve had a strange feeling since we arrived here, haven\'t you?" She rose to her feet, walking over to him. "Alright, but don\'t take too long. We\'ve already had enough trouble today.

Li Yuan, driven by a sense of desperation and curiosity, plunged beneath the surface, swimming deeper into the lake\'s cold depths. He strained his eyes to see through the murky water, his hands brushing against the smooth stones at the bottom. His lungs burned, but he kept pushing himself deeper, driven by the belief that the answers to his strange feelings lay below.

"He\'s been down there for too long," Junior Sister Mei whispered, worry etched on her face. "Should we go in after him?"

Lin Su shook her head but her own eyes were glued to the water\'s surface. "Give him a few more moments. He\'s not foolish—if something\'s wrong, he\'ll surface."

Junior Brother Wu glanced anxiously toward the lake, "I don\'t like this. Something doesn\'t feel right."

Li Yuan\'s hand grazed something at the bottom—a large, smooth rock. His eyes widened with excitement as he brushed off the mud and debris. His heart raced. "This must be it!" he thought. "The inheritance I was meant to find."

But as he looked closer, disappointment set in. There was no glow, no energy radiating from the stone. He pressed his hand against it, but nothing happened.

Confusion surged through him. "Why? Why isn\'t this working?" he thought frantically. The pull of the lake, the whispers—none of it made sense anymore. He had expected to find something... but the stone remained lifeless.

His lungs began to ache, and the pressure of the water pushed against his chest. He had to return to the surface. With one last desperate look at the stone, Li Yuan pushed himself upward, breaking the water\'s surface with a gasp for air.

As Li Yuan emerged, his face was a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. He swam back to the shore, wiping the water from his face. Lin Su rushed to his side, concern evident in her voice.

"What did you find, Li Yuan?" she asked, her eyes searching his.

Li Yuan shook his head, his frustration boiling over. "Nothing... there was nothing down there. I was sure I\'d find something, but it\'s just... a rock."

"That\'s impossible," Junior Brother Wu muttered, crossing his arms. "With the way you were acting, we thought there was some ancient treasure in that lake."

Li Yuan, still panting, collapsed onto the ground. "I... I don\'t know. I was certain there was something calling to me, but... I was wrong." His voice was filled with disappointment. He had pinned so much hope on the idea that this place held the key to his future.

But now, all he felt was emptiness.

The moonlight flickered through the dense trees as they set up their tents, the quiet sound of the water lapping against the shore offering a sense of calm after the day\'s challenges.

Junior Brother Wu, who had been on edge throughout the journey, let out a sigh of relief as he sat down beside the fire. "Finally, some rest. I thought we were going to have to deal with another beast attack."

Li Yuan, however, was quiet, still brooding over the mysterious pull of the lake. He couldn\'t shake the feeling that something important had eluded him. As the group ate a simple meal of dried rations, he glanced over at the water, his mind swirling with unanswered questions.

"You\'re still thinking about the lake, aren\'t you?" Lin Su asked, her voice cutting through his thoughts.

Li Yuan gave a small nod. "I can\'t help it. It felt like... something was there, but I just couldn\'t find it."

"You\'re overthinking it," Junior Sister Mei chimed in, poking the fire with a stick. "We\'ve got the herbs, and we\'re still alive. That\'s a win in my book."

Li Yuan forced a small smile. "Yeah, you\'re right. Maybe I\'m just tired."

As the night wore on, the group gradually settled into their tents, the exhaustion of the journey overtaking them. The campfire crackled quietly, casting long shadows over the forest as the stars twinkled above. Li Yuan, however, lay awake, staring at the dark sky, still plagued by the strange pull he had felt earlier.

Meanwhile, deep within the forest, Aric sat in meditation, far from the camp. The glowing Rebirth Stone hovered in front of him, its ancient energy pulsating in sync with the rhythms of the night. He had already claimed the stone earlier, taking it from the lake long before Li Yuan arrived.

Now, it was time to fully fuse the stone with himself, to unlock the ancient knowledge and power that lay within.

The system\'s voice echoed in his mind.

[Ding! The Host is ready to fuse with the Rebirth Stone. The knowledge and essence of Li Chengfeng will become part of the Host.]

Aric\'s eyes glimmered with anticipation. "Yes, fuse it," he thought. "This will give me the advantage I need."

He closed his eyes and began the fusion process. The Rebirth Stone trembled for a moment, then glowed brighter as its energy was drawn into Aric\'s body. The power coursed through his veins, filling him with immense strength and knowledge.

As Aric continued the fusion process, he felt his understanding of the world deepen. Visions of the Upper Realms flashed before his eyes—towering celestial cities, ancient sects that made the mortal world seem insignificant in comparison, and cultivators who had transcended mortality itself.

The very laws of nature seemed different in the upper realms, more fluid, more malleable to the will of powerful cultivators like Li Chengfeng had been.

The Rebirth Stone also held something else—ancient techniques long lost to time, cultivation methods that had been forgotten by even the strongest sects of the mortal realm. Aric could feel the immense potential locked within these techniques, the promise of power far beyond anything he had ever encountered.

[Ding! The host has successfully fused with the Rebirth Stone. ]

Aric grinned as the process came to an end. His body buzzed with newfound power, and his mind was filled with the knowledge of a realm far beyond the one he inhabited. "This is more than I could have imagined," he muttered, clenching his fist as the energy pulsed through him. "With this, I\'ll rise even higher."