10: Chapter 10: Doing the Mission

Returning to his small courtyard, Lin Xuan began to prepare: a sturdy, large cloth bag, a few bundles of flexible dried grass stems, a flask of clear water, and a few pieces of dry rations.

Although the spirit control tower had a space that could store items, these ordinary items were not heavy, so there was no need to put them into the Beast Taming Space, which would only increase the risk of exposure.

He summoned the Herb-Seeking Mouse from the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The little fellow seemed accustomed to the thin but stable environment within the tower; after coming out, it rubbed against Lin Xuan's palm, its black bean-like eyes looking around nimbly.

"This time, I will have to rely on you." Lin Xuan whispered to himself.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse's keen sense for faint Spiritual Qi might help him more efficiently find the Wind-Bell Bamboo that met the requirements and was relatively full of Spiritual Qi, and could also... incidentally keep an eye out for any other unexpected discoveries.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Lin Xuan set off with the Herb-Seeking Mouse.

The Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove was located on the east side of Emerald Bamboo Peak, adjacent to Fire Cloud Valley where Chen Hao had found the lightning-struck stone; he needed to go around the main peak and walk along a path that had clearly been trampled by human feet for about half an hour.

Along the way, emerald bamboo provided shade, and the air was fresh, but the Spiritual Qi concentration was indeed even thinner than in the residential area of Emerald Bamboo Peak, no wonder it was classified as a production area for low-grade Materials.

Upon reaching the edge of the bamboo grove, he could already see a few scattered Outer Sect Disciples who had also accepted the task, each choosing a direction and beginning to carefully select and pick bamboo leaves.

The leaves of the Wind-Bell Bamboo were slightly wider than ordinary bamboo leaves, light green in color, with extremely fine wavy patterns on the leaf margins; it is said that when the wind blows, they emit a faint sound similar to wind chimes, hence the name.

One must be careful when picking them, otherwise they are easily damaged.

Lin Xuan did not rush to join in, but instead observed the bamboo grove first.

The bamboo grove was quite vast, stretching beyond sight; at the edge stood a half-person-high blue stone tablet, engraved with the three red characters "Three-Mile Forbidden Zone," the handwriting already somewhat blurred.

Behind the stone tablet, the bamboo shadows were dense, shrouded in mist, making it hard to see clearly, vaguely giving one a feeling of oppression.

He withdrew his gaze, found a secluded corner far away from the others, put down the Herb-Seeking Mouse, and whispered: "Go, sense the Spiritual Qi, and find the bamboo with the best leaves."

The Herb-Seeking Mouse twitched its nose, quickly locked onto a direction, and darted out; Lin Xuan followed closely behind.

Under the guidance of the Herb-Seeking Mouse, the few clusters of Wind-Bell Bamboo that Lin Xuan found indeed had thicker and more intact leaves, and the faint light circulating between the leaf veins was also slightly more obvious, which should be of better quality.

He carefully picked only two or three of the most perfect leaves from each bamboo branch, trying his best not to damage the bamboo branch itself.

Even so, picking was a meticulous task, and progress was not fast.

A morning passed, and Lin Xuan had only picked about three hundred qualified leaves, with the cloth bag at his waist just barely having a thin layer at the bottom.

He found a clean rock to sit and rest, eating his dry rations, but his gaze couldn't help but drift toward the depths of the deep bamboo grove.

"In the early years, there were Disciples who went missing inside..."

The Deacon Disciple's words echoed in his ears.

Missing? Was it encountering a Yao Beast, or something else? The depths of this seemingly calm bamboo grove were likely not simple.

While he was pondering, the Herb-Seeking Mouse at his feet suddenly became somewhat restless; it didn't rush over directly as it usually did when discovering spiritual plants, but instead circled around Lin Xuan's feet.

Its nose twitched rapidly, sometimes looking toward an area on the left where the soil color was slightly darker brown and the bamboo was relatively sparse, emitting faint "squeaking" sounds, carrying a trace of doubt and instinctive vigilance.

Lin Xuan's heart stirred; the Herb-Seeking Mouse was sensitive to fluctuations in Spiritual Qi, but it would also react to certain special minerals or residual energy; he put down his dry rations and got up to walk to that area.

The ground was common humus soil, mixed with gravel and bamboo roots.

At first glance, there was nothing unusual; Lin Xuan squatted down and used his hands to brush away the fallen leaves and loose soil on the surface.

As his fingertips touched the soil, he vaguely felt a trace of an extremely faint, almost imperceptible tingling sensation, similar to the feeling when absorbing the Spiritual Qi of a lightning-struck stone, but more than ten times weaker.

He quickened his movements, brushing away more loose soil; soon, beneath a few ordinary mountain rocks, he found his target—three or four fingernail-sized gravel fragments, grayish-black in color, interspersed with lighter purple patterns.

They were smaller than the lightning-struck stone given by Chen Hao, duller in color, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations were so weak they were almost imperceptible; if not for the Herb-Seeking Mouse's special sensitivity to lightning-attribute remnants, he would definitely have ignored them as ordinary stones.

"As expected..." Lin Xuan picked up a fragment and examined it carefully.

The patterns were similar, the aura was of the same origin, just thinner and more adulterated.

This confirmed that Chen Hao's statement about "early year lightning storms" was not groundless.

The vicinity of Emerald Bamboo Peak, and even this Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove, very likely in a more distant era, had been an area frequently visited by heavenly lightning or active with lightning-attribute Yao Beasts!

He quietly put these almost useless lightning-struck stone fragments into his bosom and restored the ground to its original state.

Thoughts raced through his mind: What if there were more, higher-quality lightning-struck stones buried underground or in the depths of this area, or even... other lightning-attribute spiritual Materials?

This thought made his heartbeat accelerate slightly.

But glancing at the "Three-Mile Forbidden Zone" stone tablet not far away, he calmed down again.

With his current strength, deep exploration was tantamount to seeking death.

The Deacon Disciple's warning and the missing Disciples all indicated that there was indeed danger in the depths of the bamboo grove.

"Must not be impatient." Lin Xuan warned himself; his primary task now was to accumulate strength, safely earn contribution points, exchange them for basic resources, and improve step by step.

These fragment clues could be noted down, and he could come back to investigate when his strength was sufficient in the future.

He picked up his tools again and continued picking bamboo leaves.

But for the next half day, his gaze would always, intentionally or unintentionally, sweep over the depths of the bamboo grove, silently noting the surrounding terrain, the growth of the bamboo, and even the abnormal auras occasionally passing through the air in his mind.

At dusk, Lin Xuan quietly returned to his small courtyard in Zone C, carrying the bulging cloth bag and more important discoveries.

Just as he entered the courtyard gate, he heard the familiar loud voice of Chen Hao next door.

"Lin Xuan! Where have you been all day? I've looked for you twice!"

Chen Hao pushed open the courtyard gate and came in, still looking as energetic as ever; the light red Flame Peak attire on his body made his face appear reddish, and his aura was even more robust than when they last met, clearly his cultivation had improved again.

"I accepted a collection task and went to the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove." Lin Xuan smiled and put down the cloth bag.

"A collection task? Just that kind of job where you scrape together contribution points bit by bit?"

Chen Hao curled his lips, then immediately thought of Lin Xuan's situation and patted his head, "That's right, there aren't many tasks you can accept right now; how is it, are you tired? Do you need help?"

"No need, I can still handle it." Lin Xuan felt a warmth in his heart and shook his head to refuse; Chen Hao had heavy Cultivation tasks of his own, and he couldn't always rely on him.

"Alright then, as long as you know what you're doing."

Chen Hao did not insist, but instead said excitedly, "I came to tell you that I am almost at Perfection in Level 1 Qi Refining!

At this rate, in a few more months, I might be able to break through to Qi Refining Level 2! Hehe, then I'll be able to learn more profound Spells and accept more exciting tasks!"

"Congratulations." Lin Xuan said sincerely; Chen Hao's High Grade Fire Spiritual Root meant his Cultivation speed was indeed astonishing.

"By the way," Chen Hao remembered something and lowered his voice, "I heard that some Senior Brothers from Flame Peak who often go deep into Fire Cloud Valley for tasks recently discovered some strange traces there, which don't look like they were left by ordinary Yao Beasts.

Some people speculate that it might be related to the great fire in the early years that turned Fire Cloud Valley into what it is now, perhaps... some left-behind treasures or the entrance to some ruins has been triggered!"

He paused, and seeing that Lin Xuan was listening attentively, he continued: "Of course, this is just a rumor, those Senior Brothers are not sure, and they dare not venture deep to investigate.

It is said that even a Junior Martial Uncle at the Foundation Establishment Stage would find it troublesome to enter the depths of Fire Cloud Valley; I just suddenly thought... didn't you also feel something unusual in the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove before? Could it be that these two adjacent areas really had some major event happen in the past?"

Chen Hao's idea was very simple; he just felt this coincidence was interesting and casually shared the gossip he had heard with his friend.

But these words, falling into Lin Xuan's ears, were no less than a thunderclap!

Abnormal traces in Fire Cloud Valley? lightning-struck stone fragments in the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove? The warning of the "Three-Mile Forbidden Zone"? The great fire and lightning storms of the early years?

These scattered clues seemed to be vaguely linked together by Chen Hao's unintentional words!

Could it be that Emerald Bamboo Peak (including the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove) and the adjacent Fire Cloud Valley were once a single entity in the distant past?

Some kind of earth-shattering change occurred, leading to a change in the landscape and the differentiation of the nature of Spiritual Qi, with one place left with the violent lingering effects of flames, and the other retaining traces of lightning devastation?

If this were true, then the danger within the "Three-Mile Forbidden Zone" might not be as simple as just Yao Beasts; it could also contain dangerous grounds, remnants of arrays, or... some special products born from the drastic environmental changes left behind by the events of that year!

And Chen Hao's speculation about "left-behind treasures" or "ruin entrances" made Lin Xuan's heart skip a beat.

The existence of the spirit control tower made him clearer than anyone else that Opportunity is often accompanied by huge risks, but it can also bring unimaginable gains!

If there really existed ruins or resource points related to lightning that were not fully controlled by the Sect...

"Hey, Lin Xuan? What are you daydreaming about?" Chen Hao reached out and waved in front of his eyes.

Lin Xuan snapped back to his senses, suppressed the churning thoughts in his heart, and tried hard to make his expression look just a bit surprised and curious: "Nothing, I just think... it's quite mysterious; if there really are ruins and treasures, I'm afraid it wouldn't be the turn of small fry like us in the Early Stage of Qi Refining, right?"

"That is true." Chen Hao scratched his head and chuckled, "I was just saying it casually, don't you take it seriously and go explore the depths of Fire Cloud Valley! That place is really not something to play around with! I don't want to go collect your corpse in a few years!"

"Don't worry, I value my life very much." Lin Xuan smiled, his tone relaxed, but a sharp glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Opportunity is often left to those who are prepared and dare to take risks; of course, the prerequisite is that the preparation is sufficient, and taking risks is not seeking death.

Seeing that his expression was normal, Chen Hao relaxed, chatted a few more sentences, and then went back to his own courtyard to Cultivate.

After seeing Chen Hao off, Lin Xuan stood alone in the courtyard, looking at the vague silhouette of Emerald Bamboo Peak in the twilight, as well as the direction of Fire Cloud Valley, which was faintly visible in the distance and seemed to be shrouded in a faint reddish glow, and he already had a new plan in his heart.

In the short term, exploring the Forbidden Ground and searching for ruins were both unrealistic fantasies; what he needed to do was still to be down-to-earth:

First, complete the Wind-Bell Bamboo leaf collection task as soon as possible, obtain contribution points, and exchange them for what he needs.

At the same time, with the help of the Herb-Seeking Mouse, search more systematically and covertly for other minor clues related to the lightning attribute that might exist in the periphery of the Listen-Wind Bamboo Grove, and record the geographical location and environmental characteristics in detail.

Second, use the existing resources (dew-condensing grass, lightning-struck stone fragments) to accelerate the accumulation of Spiritual Qi; although slow, it must be persisted with.

Third, learn more deeply from the "introduction to hundreds of herbs" and other miscellaneous books and classics that might be found regarding minerals, geography, and even ancient rumors, to improve his knowledge reserve and prepare for "special environments" or "identification of spiritual Materials" that he might face in the future.

Fourth, pay attention to various news about Fire Cloud Valley and Emerald Bamboo Peak that comes through Chen Hao and other channels, filter out valuable information from it, and piece together the possible truth.

The road must be walked one step at a time, and meals must be eaten one bite at a time; but the goal in his heart could be set further.

He moved the Wind-Bell Bamboo leaves picked today into the Quiet Room and began to organize them carefully under the oil lamp.

His movements were still meticulous, but in those calm eyes, the flickering lamp light was reflected, and it also seemed to have ignited two tiny flames named "exploration" and "Opportunity."

The night grew thicker, and Emerald Bamboo Peak fell silent; only in the Quiet Room of the small courtyard in a corner of Zone C, there was occasionally the faint rustling sound of bamboo leaves rubbing against each other, as well as the steady breathing of the youth who would pause from time to time, falling into deep thought.

The path of immortality is vast, and the Dao is obstructed and long; but the hidden clues might just be the secret signposts pointing the direction and leading to a broader world.