Chapter 23: A Green Lotus Emerges from Chaos

Ji Ling had also acquired a portion of the abilities from those deities. For instance, the Divine Contractor responsible for the expansion toward the southeast these past few days, a man named Guo Wenhao, had the deity Tu Xingsun as his contract. Consequently, Ji Ling had gained Tu Xingsun’s ability: Earth-Shifting. Ji Ling had tried out every one of these newly acquired abilities, and they were indeed all functional.

However, Ji Ling was taken by surprise today. Within his Chaos Space, a green lotus had sprouted. Even to call it "sprouted" was not entirely accurate, as the green lotus was floating in the middle of this Chaos Space out of thin air. This Chaos Space was inherently void—there was no ground, no sky, and no soil to provide the sustenance for the lotus to grow. It simply hovered there, eerie and silent, motionless. Ji Ling could clearly see every single one of its rootlets, and he could even perceive them slowly absorbing something from the void of the space.

Around this green lotus drifted even more phantoms of deities. Ji Ling observed them closely and realized with shock that these were the phantoms of the deity statues he had appraised earlier that day. He had neither formed a contract nor performed a summoning; he had merely appraised them. Yet, the phantoms of these statues had already appeared, circling and hovering around the green lotus.

Ji Ling’s breathing quickened as a bold idea formed in his mind. Finally, he selected one of the deities drifting around the lotus: the Goddess of Frost and Snow, Qing Nü. She was not a particularly famous deity from the Dragon Kingdom, originating from the "Treatise on Astronomy" chapter of the *Huainanzi*. It was written: "In the third month of autumn, Qing Nü emerges to bring down frost and snow." Later scholars had annotated this text, clarifying that Qing Nü’s full name was Qingxiao Yuni, the ruler of frost and snow.

Ji Ling took a deep breath, slightly raised his palm, and attempted to activate the ability of the Goddess of Frost and Snow.

Soon, a thin layer of frost emerged on Ji Ling’s palm. As he continued to channel his divine power, the frost spread rapidly, forming an "ice path" between his hand, held in mid-air, and the ground. Shortly after, a thin layer of frost began to coat the floor as well. His curiosity not yet satisfied, Ji Ling continued to channel his energy, and the frost expanded until the entire room was covered in a thick layer of ice.

The temperature in the room plummeted. Clad only in a short-sleeved T-shirt, Ji Ling couldn't help but shiver. He stood up, rubbing his hands together, and exhaled onto his palms. A mist of white vapor puffed out, and Ji Ling grinned.

It was true! Because of the appearance of that green lotus in his Chaos Space, he could acquire a portion of the powers and abilities of any deity statue he appraised, even without summoning or forming a contract. This was effectively a cheat code!

Just then, a knock sounded at his dormitory door.

"Who is it?" Startled from his joy, Ji Ling hurried to the door to open it.

The door swung open to reveal the petite figure of Nangong Lingyue framed in the doorway. She looked up at Ji Ling and snapped, "Who, who, who—why the hell are you asking? Wouldn't you know who it is if you just opened the door?"

Ji Ling shook his head helplessly. He truly couldn't fathom the temper of this young lady. When they had first met, she had been incredibly enthusiastic toward him. But ever since he had pulled her out of the team that day and told her to go back, she had been holding a grudge. For five whole days, she hadn't spoken a single word to him. Sometimes, when their gazes accidentally met, she would glare at him viciously before immediately looking away, as if he were invisible.

Over the past few days, Ji Ling had tried to take the initiative to talk to her and apologize. After all, pulling her out in front of everyone and "mocking" her height had indeed been rather impolite. But every time Nangong Lingyue saw him approaching, she would turn and walk away, giving him no opportunity to speak. Seeing her come to find him on her own today—even if her temper remained prickly—at least meant she was finally speaking to him.

"I opened the door for you, didn't I?" Ji Ling said with a conciliatory smile. "Please, come in."

After all, he was the one who had "erred first," so offering a smile was the least he could do.

"Hmph!" Nangong Lingyue clearly didn't appreciate the gesture, stepping into the room. But before her first step had even landed, she noticed the frost covering the entire room and was taken aback.

"Whoa! What’s going on with your room?" Nangong Lingyue turned to look at Ji Ling. "It’s midsummer in June, and you’ve got ice in here?" She narrowed her eyes. "Did you hook up a refrigerator's power cord in your room?"

Ji Ling gave a helpless smile. "Even if I brought a hundred refrigerators in here, it wouldn't have this effect."

"Fair point. So, is this another one of your... special abilities?" Nangong Lingyue asked, curling her lip at him.

"How did you know I had other special abilities?" Ji Ling asked, stunned.

Nangong Lingyue rolled her eyes, held up two fingers, and pointed at her own eyes. "Please, I’m not blind, okay? I have a pair of eyes, and I can see for myself! You've used so many abilities these past few days; I’ve seen them all!"

Ji Ling sighed, shaking his head. "I thought you hadn't been paying any attention to me at all. Why are you acting like you've been eating gunpowder the moment you walked in?"

"I *am* eating gunpowder!" Nangong Lingyue glared at him, pushed past him, and said, "Don't block the way! You have no sense of decorum—a guest arrives and you don't even know how to invite them in!"

Ji Ling was exasperated. "Ask your conscience—didn't I just say 'please come in'?"

Nangong Lingyue sat down unceremoniously on the lower bunk, pouting. "My chest is too big, I can't reach my conscience."

Ji Ling’s gaze drifted slightly downward, and he nodded. "Hmm, it is indeed quite substantial. My mistake."

Nangong Lingyue noticed his gaze, glanced down at herself, then looked back up, glaring at him fiercely. "Look again and I'll dig your eyes out!"

Ji Ling hurriedly retracted his gaze. "So, Miss, did you come to find me for something?"

"For something???" Nangong Lingyue stared at him in disbelief, as if he had said something incomprehensible. "You humiliated me in front of so many people that day! Don't you think you owe me an apology?!"