Shell of All Arts

Besides loving to eat and play, Little Nora had actually been quite fond of daydreaming in the past. After all, the Ancient Cosmos Dragon's world had been far too dull. It used to often fantasize about what it would look like once it grew up, gradually falling in love with daydreaming. It was only now, being with Yu Xian and having fun things to do and delicious food to eat every day, that it had gradually stopped daydreaming as much. At this moment, it looked at Zhang Buyao and guessed, "Big Brother, do you think this big sister might be daydreaming?" Daydreaming? Everyone was taken aback, then turned to look at Zhang Buyao. The more they looked at her, the more they felt Little Nora's guess might very well be the right answer. "What a truly adorable girl," Niman couldn't help but chuckle. Originally, she had thought Zhang Buyao seemed somewhat mysterious and unfathomable. Although Zhang Buyao acted completely carefree and nonchalant, Niman, as the oldest member of the team, naturally wouldn't judge a person purely by appearances. Now, however, she felt she had overthought things. "Speaking of which, look at her face," Yu Xian couldn't resist chiming in as he watched Zhang Buyao daydreaming. "That's completely the face of someone who's never taken a beating from the world since childhood." Zhang Buyao truly gave off a vibe of foolish, carefree joy. It was as if nothing could ever trouble her. Even while daydreaming, she still carried an aura of calm composure, entirely unfazed by praise or blame. "Who says I've never taken a beating from the world? My life's been miserable! Every single day my mom and dad force me to study, saying there are too many fools in the family so there has to be at least one smart cookie. But I want to be a fool too!" Zhang Buyao reacted almost reflexively. Snapping out of her daydream the instant she heard Yu Xian's words, she looked at him and began venting her grievances. As if finding a kindred spirit, Little Nora piped up happily, "Big Sister, I want to be a big fool too!" "Great minds think alike! But why are you all squeezed together? Aren't you hot?" Zhang Buyao said cheerfully upon hearing Little Nora's words, though she couldn't help asking her lingering question at the end. To her eyes, Yu Xian and the others were physically overlapping. She could see every single person inside Yu Xian's body and hear every word they said. Fortunately, she was well-traveled and knowledgeable, never one to make a fuss over trivialities, so she hadn't been frightened. "We're not squeezed together, we're fused! That way we can beat big bad guys who are way stronger than us," Little Nora countered proudly. Hearing that, Zhang Buyao's eyes instantly sparkled as she looked at Yu Xian and the others. Fusion! Wasn't that her dad's favorite way of fighting? She immediately dashed toward Yu Xian, squeezing in before he could even back away. "I want to fuse too! Are we fused now?" Zhang Buyao asked curiously once inside Yu Xian's body. Yu Xian touched his own body, too stunned to speak. The others were much the same. After all, they had merged together through contracts; for someone to suddenly pop out and squeeze in without any contract whatsoever was simply bizarre. "Little Nora, you're so cute! Hug!" The next moment, a space materialized inside Yu Xian's body. Within it, Zhang Buyao swept up the completely bewildered Little Nora into a tight embrace. One after another, everyone else appeared in this space as well, Yu Xian included. "Huh? What's going on here?" Yu Xian touched his body, then sensed his physical body outside as well, asking with a bewildered expression. Sitting on a rug while hugging Little Nora, Zhang Buyao grinned. "This is the Shell of All Arts, though I prefer to call it the Art of Inhabiting All Things. Simply put, it can turn any target into a shell and form a habitable space inside it. Of course, this ability won't cause any harm to any of you." "There's an ability like that?" Yu Xian marveled as he sensed the existence of his body. The limit of his imagination had only been to create a grotto-heaven bubble inside his body to accommodate everyone once they unfused. Yet Zhang Buyao's Shell of All Arts directly pulled their spiritual bodies into this space, while in reality they remained fused. What was even more miraculous was that Yu Xian didn't feel any sense of divided attention. The two sides were like parallel tracks. Everything on the outside and everything inside were miraculously unified; he could process both simultaneously without feeling any strain. "Yu Xian, now isn't the time to chit-chat. We should pursue Zhi'er first," Niman said to Yu Xian once her surprise subsided. Yu Xian nodded. "Right, I'll go after Zhi'er right now." Outside the Shell of All Arts, Yu Xian ordered the Extreme Dragon to continue guarding the lake, then walked out over the water's surface. The lake water that Auntie Number Two had blasted skyward earlier had already rained back down. The ground along the shore was muddy, and the trees and grasses lay limp under the weight of the water. This was his first time getting so close to the center of the lake, and he could clearly sense the abnormality of the water now. 'My own abilities probably won't get me in. I'll still have to use Little Nora's Realm-Breaking Skyward Body.' This time, he used his divine sense to meticulously scan the lake water. Through his powerful spatial perception, he finally located the teleportation node hidden beneath the depths. His body instantly radiated golden light. Ripples rapidly spread across the shimmering water, growing larger and larger. With a single forward stride, he plunged into the lake—yet beneath the surface, there was not a trace of him to be seen. Inside the Shell of All Arts, everyone was eating food conjured up by Little Nora. Zhang Buyao was genuinely envious of Little Nora's ability. While she possessed many abilities of her own, she truly didn't have one that let her get something for nothing like this. Part of her abilities were inherited, and part came from the blessings of her elders. In short, she hadn't cultivated for even a single day—not to mention Little Nora's ability clearly wasn't something one could cultivate anyway. "Oh, I see! So we're on our way to rescue Shuishui and defeat the big villain Zhi'er?" Chatting with Little Nora and the others, Zhang Buyao gradually pieced together the purpose of Yu Xian and his group's journey. Little Nora nodded. "Yeah! Big villain Zhi'er is super bad. Not only did he lurk around Shuishui with bad intentions, but he's also the head of an evil organization and has done all sorts of awful things. Taking him down is doing justice!" In truth, Yu Xian and the others had only learned from Auntie Number Two on their way back to Crescent Bay that Zhi'er was actually the leader of the Ancient Sages Society, and that Zhi'er wasn't even his real name. However, his real name was a bit of a mouthful, so Yu Xian and the others couldn't be bothered to use it, continuing to call him Zhi'er. "That's... awesome! Could this be my big break? Is this the debut stage the heavens have arranged for me?" Zhang Buyao believed Little Nora without question and realized this seemed to be a fantastic opportunity. If she defeated Zhi'er and toppled the evil organization he founded, wouldn't she instantly become a great hero? She was back to daydreaming again. Little Nora glanced at her, then unconcernedly resumed eating. On the other side, Yu Xian finally traversed to the far end of the lake's depths. Helick's Great Trove lay right ahead.