Heaven Awaits in Hell

They soon returned to their shelter.

"Alright, tell me the explanation now," Fana asked, folding her hands. Impatience was written all over her face.

Zion, seeing her state, decided not to start with an explanation but with proof.

"See this," Zion showed his left hand.

A golden ring appeared over his ring finger the next moment.

"Wha-"

Before Fana could express her shock, the ring disappeared again and came back once more, making her jaw almost open up.

"This is a ring with miraculous ability," Zion said as the ring became visible again. He stretched his hand towards Fana.

"How is this even possible…" Fana at first hesitated when Zion stretched his hand towards her, but curiosity got the best of her, and she raised her hand to feel it.

'It's real…I wasn't hallucinating,' She thought as her hand felt the writings which were carved on the ring.

Seeing that she finally believed him, Zion began speaking, "This ring gave me a powerful technique. It was because of that technique only that I was able to kill that panther,"

"…What technique?" Fana asked in amazement. This was her first time hearing something like this.

Zion pointed towards a thick tree beside them and said, "If I punch that tree's trunk, I'll be able to form a two to three-centimetre deep dent in it."

Fana furrowed her eyes and immediately replied, "…but that's humanly impossible to do! Even the strongest hunters will only end up with a broken fist,"

"I know! That's why I showed you the ring first. Before seeing it, didn't you also believe that such a thing couldn't exist?..."

Fana wanted to say something, but Zion, knowing that she would still have her doubts, continued, "I know it's hard to believe me now since I cannot demonstrate this ability to you right now…but give me time till the evening.

I promise that I'll prove it you that it's possible. If I fail, then like we'll continue to travel through the forest like before, but if I succeed, we'll have a new hope for survival, so don't you think it's worth waiting?"

The miraculous ability of the ring, along with Zion's firm gaze, finally made Fana agree to his words, "Alright, I'll wait."

"Thank you, you'll definitely not regret it," Zion said gratefully.

"So, what will you be doing until the evening that will allow you to demonstrate it?" Fana asked. She couldn't understand how a few hours would make any difference.

"When you shook me awake in the morning, I wasn't smiling for no reason," Zion said with a grin and sat in the usual lotus position next.

"I'll be closing my eyes, alert me if there's anything wrong," Zion told her before closing his eyes.

'This…' Fana stared at Zion's actions in doubtful confusion

 She had expected that he would be practising how to hit the tree trunk or something during this period, so his actions were a complete surprise for her.

 A couple of minutes later, when she realised that Zion really planned to just sit there with closed eyes, she sighed powerlessly.

'Fine! I'll wait!' She thought in frustration and sat down next to a tree, watching her surroundings vigilantly.

Although Zion had requested her, she felt that she had no say in his decision. If Zion doesn't want to go, then how will she be able to force him?

Going alone would mean certain death, so she could only believe him and wait.

'At least that ring gave me some hope…' She thought to herself and continued guarding.

Meanwhile, Zion was focusing solely on absorbing Qi with a jovial mood. Just like he had guessed, even after a full night of Qi absorption, he could still go out.

The constant mental prickling sensation he was subjected to earlier was no longer there.

'This is definitely because of that,' Zion thought, thinking back on the strong and sudden jolt of pain he had experienced last night.

After that, it felt as if a limiter in him had been removed. The feeling was the same right now. He felt that he could go on forever.

What's even better was the fact that his absorption rate had also increased.

With determination and newfound hope, he fully involved himself in Qi absorption.

Hours kept passing by.

In the afternoon, Zion's stomach growled from hunger, making him end his practice.

He noticed that beside him, fruits had been placed on a leaf. He turned towards Fana, who had just noticed that he had opened his eyes.

"Thanks," Zion smiled.

"Mhmm," Fana hummed in his response. It was clear that her mood was not at all good.

Zion could see the irritation on her face and chuckled, "Just two more hours, alright? I'll be ready then,"

"Yeah, you better," Fana said in annoyance. Waiting for so many hours beside him had fouled her mood.

Thoughts of whether they would survive or not kept poking her mind in silence.

Zion soon finished his meal and began practising once again.

When it was nearing half past four in the evening, his eyes finally snapped open.

"It's done!" He exclaimed, attracting Fana's attention.

Zion turned towards Fana with a confident expression and said, "With this, all your doubts will be answered."

'I hope things work out,' Fana thought. If Zion could really do what he had stated earlier, then their worries would lessen a lot.

Zion soon walked towards a thick tree, guided his Qi and launched an explosive punch towards it with all his might.

Boom!

"Are you crazy?!" Fana exclaimed the next moment and rushed to check his wrist. She feared that his bones were shattered.

However, the next moment, she saw Zion normally retracting his hand from the tree's trunk, and what was left in that spot was shattered wood and a deep dent.

At first, her eyes widened, and when a trace of understanding returned in them, her breath increased.

"I told you, right? Now you believe-" Before Zion could continue further, Fana's figure tightly embraced him.

"We can survive! We can finally get out of here alive!" She exclaimed while hugging him. Her whole body was shaking from excitement, and if not for a last-second restraint, she would have been jumping on her feet.