Chapter 15: The Mysterious Pool


    No matter what, the priority was to find a way out of this place. Otherwise, death would be inevitable, and that would be a tragic joke.


    Step by step, Han Ming walked out of the pool, only to realize he was completely naked. He couldn’t possibly run around like this. Glancing around, he noticed towering trees everywhere, resembling a dense forest. Catherine had mentioned this was an island, and it seemed to be quite large.


    Han Ming’s eyes fell on the spot where Catherine had stood earlier. There was a bundle on the ground. Picking it up, he found it was a black robe, likely left for him by Catherine. She was surprisingly thoughtful.


    Putting on the robe, he found it fit perfectly. Han Ming then recalled the first time he had seen Catherine—her body had been gigantic. The second time, she had shrunk to the size of a palm-sized fairy. This time, she appeared as a woman of normal height.


    Heh… the ability to change her body at will. Han Ming smirked, his mind wandering into some rather inappropriate thoughts.


    After indulging in his fantasies for a moment, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and quickly composed himself. He had almost forgotten that Catherine hadn’t left—she was merely invisible, possibly somewhere on the island. If she saw him like this, she might get angry and kill him. That would be dangerous.


    Shielding his eyes with his hand, Han Ming spotted a high hill in the distance. He broke off a branch to use as a walking stick and began his exploration. First, he needed to find a high vantage point to survey the terrain and figure out how to escape. The remnants of the World Tree were tall enough, but they were too thick—probably requiring more than a dozen people to encircle. Climbing it was out of the question.


    Using the stick to push aside obstructing plants, Han Ming trudged into the forest. As the saying goes, "The mountain looks close, but the journey is long." The hill, which didn’t seem too far, took him half a day to reach.


    After struggling to climb the hill and surveying the surroundings, Han Ming felt a wave of frustration. The island was enormous, with no end in sight. It was more like a small continent than an island. Please don’t let it be as big as Japan in my world, he thought.


    On the other side of the hill was a narrow valley, only a few dozen meters wide. At the end of the valley stood an even larger mountain, covered in lush, red vegetation. Large animals grazed below, their forms indistinct from this distance, but their size was clearly massive.


    Sigh… How am I going to get out of this damned place? Han Ming felt utterly helpless.


    **Roar…**


    A low growl sounded nearby, startling Han Ming. He turned to see a leopard-sized beast about ten meters away, its eyes gleaming as it stared at him. Its front paws dug into the ground, and it continued to growl.


    Han Ming stood frozen, staring at the beast. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Running was out of the question—he couldn’t outpace it. Fighting was also hopeless. He could only hope the beast would lose interest in him, though he knew the odds were slim.


    Just as Han Ming was caught in this dilemma, a loud **boom** echoed from the distant mountain, startling both him and the beast.


    It was a volcano, and it had just erupted. Lava shot into the sky, cascading down like a flood. The sky was blanketed in ash, and the ground shook violently. Han Ming lost his balance and tumbled down the steep slope on the other side of the hill. Fortunately, the dense vegetation cushioned his fall, and he wasn’t seriously injured. The beast, however, had also fallen with him. Before Han Ming could recover, the beast charged at him. Han Ming sighed and closed his eyes, bracing for the end.


    But the expected attack never came. When he opened his eyes, the beast was gone. Han Ming scratched his head in confusion. Had it really lost interest in him? Suddenly, the ground began to tremble again. Turning around, Han Ming nearly wet himself.


    The large herbivores that had been grazing near the volcano were now stampeding toward him, with a river of lava hot on their heels.


    "Mother of god!" Han Ming screamed, scrambling to his feet and running for his life. If he didn’t run now, he was done for. Each of those beasts was at least five or six meters tall—twice the size of an elephant—and their long tusks were terrifying. If they caught up to him, he’d either be impaled or trampled to death. Han Ming cursed inwardly. Why do herbivores even need such long tusks!?


    As he ran, the beasts closed in. Han Ming felt like he had never run so fast in his life. The veins in his neck bulged, and his legs felt like they weren’t his own. His feet were cut and bleeding from the rough terrain.


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    After running through the narrow valley for nearly two hours, Han Ming was shocked. How had he managed to maintain such a sprint for so long? In the past, he would have collapsed after a few minutes. Was it because his body had been transformed? Or was it due to absorbing the energy from the magic crystal? But there was no time to ponder this now. The end of the valley was in sight, marked by a sharp turn that led to a steep slope. Han Ming bent over, gasping for air. His lungs felt like they were about to explode, and his muscles ached unbearably. His vision blurred, and he saw stars. He couldn’t run anymore. At that moment, the large tusked beasts caught up to him. Han Ming glanced back and saw that the lava hadn’t reached this far. But in that split second of distraction, one of the beasts failed to make the turn and slammed into Han Ming. Its long tusk pierced straight through his body.


    Han Ming was sent flying like a kite, blood spraying into the air. He landed far away, tumbling down the steep slope until he finally came to a stop on flat ground.


    Han Ming lay on the ground, one hand clutching his stomach as blood seeped through his fingers. His consciousness was fading. Was this how he was going to die?


    Just then, he spotted the remnants of the World Tree not far away, and beneath it was the small, emerald-green pool. A surge of hope filled him. Gritting his teeth, he used one hand to hold his stomach, preventing his intestines from spilling out, and with the other, he began crawling desperately toward the pool. His only thought was: **Crawl! If I can reach the pool, I’ll survive!**


    One meter, two meters, three meters… Han Ming’s consciousness grew weaker, and his strength was fading fast. When he was just four or five meters away from the pool, he couldn’t move anymore. Staring at the water, Han Ming felt a wave of despair. He was so close, so close! If only Wei’er were here… Sigh.


    Thinking of Wei’er, the little girl, the hand clutching his stomach began to emit a soft glow. Han Ming felt a small surge of strength return to him. Struggling to turn his head, he saw the faint light emanating from his hand. His eyes lit up—**Healing magic!** This was water-based healing magic!


    Overjoyed, he didn’t waste time thinking. Using the last bit of strength he had regained, he crawled forward and finally reached the pool. With a final effort, he rolled into the water, making sure to keep his face above the surface to avoid drowning. Exhausted and having lost a lot of blood, Han Ming passed out the moment he relaxed in the water.


    Han Ming’s body floated gently in the emerald-green pool. The circular wound in his stomach began to heal slowly as the water worked its magic. Damaged muscle tissue and skin started to regenerate, and his newly grown arm gradually filled out.


    After an unknown amount of time, Han Ming opened his eyes. The comfort he felt made him let out a loud cry of relief. Sitting up, he looked at his stomach—the wound was almost completely gone. Han Ming marveled at the creator’s ingenuity. This pool was truly miraculous. As long as he had a breath of life left, it could completely heal him. Han Ming began to wonder: before leaving, he had to find a way to take some of this water with him. With it, he would have a lifeline. No matter what dangers he faced in the future, as long as he wasn’t dead, he could rely on this water to recover. But why hadn’t Selina shown any interest in it? Why hadn’t she tried to take some? Did the water not work on elves? Or…


    Wait… Could it be that the water loses its power once it’s separated from the remnants of the World Tree? That must be it! The pool was likely nourished by the remnants of the World Tree, drawing its energy from it. Taking the water away would probably be futile.


    Only when the wound on his stomach had completely healed did Han Ming step out of the pool. Gently touching his stomach, he found no scar—the skin was as smooth as a baby’s. Looking at his reflection in the pool, Han Ming was surprised to find that he had become even more handsome! What the hell? Was this another effect? His facial features hadn’t changed much, but his skin was now fair and smooth, making him look more refined. He had always been good-looking, but after two near-death experiences and healing in the pool, his entire body had improved. If the women from his world saw him now, they’d be green with envy. The problem was, he was a man. This was way too effeminate.


    Han Ming suddenly thought of Dar, that kid. The next time they met, Dar would surely tease him mercilessly. "Effeminate?" "Pretty boy?" "Living off women?" Damn it… How annoying…


    But compared to life, these things were trivial. There was no time to dwell on them. The most important thing now was to test his theory—whether the pool’s water would lose its power once separated from the World Tree.


    First, he needed something to carry the water. After wandering through the forest for a while, Han Ming found a type of giant flower. Each petal was as large as a sack, perfect for holding water. The only problem was that the flower was about four meters off the ground. In the past, Han Ming would have immediately looked for something to reach it, but this time, he instinctively jumped. He almost laughed at his own stupidity—how could he possibly reach that high?


    But to his astonishment, he did. He had jumped over two meters, easily grabbing the petal.


    Landing back on the ground, Han Ming stood there, holding the petal, dumbfounded. Since when could he jump so high? He swung his fist experimentally, and the air whistled around it. His entire body was filled with strength. He tried to recall everything that had happened, and a vague idea began to form in his mind.


    He didn’t even bother going back to test the pool water. Instead, he sat down on the ground, deep in thought.


    Could it be… that after pushing his body to its limit during that frantic run, and then healing in the pool, something had changed? Was it possible that every time he pushed his body to its absolute limit and then recovered in the pool, his body "remembered" that limit and adapted to it? In other words, each time he reached his limit and healed in the pool, his body would grow stronger? If that was the case, then by repeatedly pushing himself to his limits, he could continuously grow stronger and stronger!


    The thought excited Han Ming so much that he leapt to his feet. This was like having a cheat code! If his theory was correct, he needed to act fast. He had absorbed the Seed of Life, and the remnants of the World Tree probably wouldn’t last much longer. He had to make the most of this time to grow stronger. Thinking back to his previous encounters—the hateful Kelvin, the so-called Dark Temple, and the oath he had sworn—his anger flared.


    Gritting his teeth, Han Ming muttered, "Just wait. I’ll be back!"