119: Chapter 119 Records

The lightning storms in Thunderfall Ravine were not entirely random.

Roughly every hour, there would be a wave of intense lightning storms lasting about a quarter of an hour.

Afterward, there would be a relatively calm interval, but the duration of these intervals varied—as short as half an hour, and as long as an hour.

There was a pattern.

But it wasn't consistent enough.

"It's still not stable enough." Lin Xuan muttered to himself, adding a note to the Jade Slip, "The interval times fluctuate significantly; one must remain vigilant at all times and cannot rely on 'patterns' to act."

The sky gradually darkened.

Lin Xuan did not continue moving through the night.

He found a hidden cave on a low peak, set up a few simple warning Restrictions, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Lin Xuan woke up.

He stretched his limbs, swallowed a Bigu Pill, and then steered his flying boat, skimming low along the ground toward the valley.

According to the markings on Deacon Wu's map, there were several relatively safe collection points on the outskirts of the valley.

The leeward slope—where patches of Electro-Light Grass grew.

The bluish-gray rock at the end of the valley—where fragments of Thunder-patterned Stone could often be found in the crevices beneath it.

Lin Xuan decided to check these two places first.

Not for the harvest, but to verify the accuracy of the map; it wasn't that he didn't trust Deacon Wu, but he was worried that things might have changed.

After flying for less than half a quarter of an hour, he saw the leeward slope.

Calling it a slope was a bit of a stretch; it was more like a slightly flatter piece of mountainous terrain.

The slope faced south, with its back to the direction of Thunderfall Ravine, so it was relatively less affected by the lightning storms.

Lin Xuan lowered the flying boat, put away the cloud-piercing shuttle, and crouched down as he crept over.

On the slope, there was indeed a patch of Electro-Light Grass.

These grasses were about a palm high, with slender, pale purple leaves, and faint electric light pulsed between the veins.

When the wind blew, the entire patch of grass shimmered with a pale purple halo; it was quite pretty.

Lin Xuan crouched down and took a careful look.

The quality was acceptable.

Not particularly good, but not bad either; it was the kind of goods that could fetch some money if taken out, but not worth making a special trip for.

He didn't rush to harvest them, but first circled the area to confirm there were no traces of Yao Beast activity before he began.

He harvested about twenty stalks—enough—and then Lin Xuan stopped.

It wasn't greed, but necessity.

Electro-Light Grass was abundant in the markets outside; harvesting a whole pile and bringing it back wouldn't earn much money.

He had come to Thunderfall Ravine not for such trivial things.

Lin Xuan stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and walked toward the end of the valley.

The terrain of the valley was much more complex than the leeward slope.

The ravines were deeper, the rocks larger, and everywhere were huge boulders shattered by lightning strikes.

Some rocks were taller than a person, their surfaces charred black, with flashes of electric light occasionally visible within the cracks.

Lin Xuan walked cautiously along the edge of the valley, stepping only where he was sure it was safe.

The Earth Listening Technique was always active, his ear pressed to the ground, constantly monitoring the movements underground.

Although he hadn't released the Herb-Seeking Mouse, his own perception was not bad.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, he saw the bluish-gray rock.

The rock was huge, over two people tall, irregular and oval-shaped, with its surface covered in cracks.

The color of the rock was very unique; it wasn't the grayish-white or bluish-black of ordinary stones, but a grayish-blue, faintly carrying a metallic luster.

Lin Xuan walked over and crouched beneath the rock.

A crevice.

Between the bottom of the rock and the ground, there was a gap less than a foot high, pitch black, making it impossible to see what was inside.

He reached in and felt around.

Gravel.

His fingers touched a few small pebbles; the texture didn't feel right—it wasn't the smoothness of ordinary stones, but a rough, grainy sensation.

Lin Xuan pulled his hand out.

In his palm lay three fragments the size of a fingernail.

The fragments were deep purple, with fine patterns on the surface, and faint light faintly pulsed within them.

Thunder-patterned Stone fragments.

Although very small, the largest one was only the size of a small fingernail, but it was indeed Thunder-patterned Stone.

Lin Xuan put the fragments into his Storage Pouch and felt around in the crevice again.

Nothing left.

Just those three pieces.

He stood up, looking at the bluish-gray rock in front of him, deep in thought.

Deacon Wu was right; one could indeed pick up Thunder-patterned Stone fragments here.

But judging by the situation, it must have been picked over many times by those before him, and what remained were just small scraps that no one wanted.

But that wasn't important.

What was important was—the map was accurate.

Every point marked by Deacon Wu truly existed.

That was enough.

Lin Xuan added a few notes to the Jade Slip and was just about to leave when his ears suddenly twitched slightly.

The Earth Listening Technique had caught something.

The sound was very faint, coming from far away, but he still heard it.

It was—a beast roar.

A deep, resonant beast roar accompanied by the "crackle" of electricity.

It came from deeper within Thunderfall Ravine.

He didn't know how far away it was, but the sheer might of it, even from such a distance, still made Lin Xuan's heart tighten slightly.

A lightning-attribute Yao Beast.

And not an ordinary one at that.

An ordinary first-tier lightning beast couldn't let out a roar carrying such Bloodline suppression.

Lin Xuan stood where he was, motionless, his breathing suppressed to the absolute minimum.

The beast roar lasted for about ten breaths, then gradually faded, disappearing into the mountains.

Only then did he slowly exhale.

"There really is... something there."

He muttered to himself, glancing toward the depths of Thunderfall Ravine.

Mountain shadows were layered, clouds were dense, and he couldn't see anything clearly.

But he knew that in that valley shrouded in lightning, there truly existed the thing he had been seeking for so long.

A Purple Lightning Sable.

Or some other lightning-attribute Yao Beast.

But that wasn't important.

What was important was—there was an Opportunity there.

Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

He didn't rush to go deeper, but instead followed the original path, honestly retreating back to this side of the valley.

No rush.

Coming here this time was originally just to scout the path.

On the afternoon of the third day, Lin Xuan concluded this two-day exploration of the outskirts, steered the cloud-piercing shuttle, flew low along the mountain ridge, and returned safely to Emerald Bamboo Peak.

When he returned to the small courtyard, the sun was just beginning to set.

The bamboo leaves in the courtyard rustled in the wind, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled spots of light; everything was the same as when he had left.

Lin Xuan sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, took the Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch, and began to organize the records of the past two days.

Topographical map of the outskirts of Thunderfall Ravine—made several corrections by comparing it with Deacon Wu's map.

Lightning storm pattern records—detailed times, intensity, duration, and interval times.

Collection point information—Electro-Light Grass on the leeward slope, Thunder-patterned Stone fragments at the end of the valley.

Signs of Yao Beast activity—those few beast roars accompanied by the "crackle" of electricity.

Lin Xuan reviewed each item one by one, confirmed there were no omissions, and then carefully stored the Jade Slip in the deepest part of his Storage Pouch.

Then, he leaned back on the stone bench, looking up at the bamboo leaves above his head and the sunlight filtering through them.

The late autumn sun wasn't intense, feeling warm and cozy on his face.

In the distance, from the direction of Thousand Talisman Peak, came the faint sound of explosions from failed Talisman crafting—muffled, like a dud firecracker.

In the direction of Artifact Refining Peak, the red glow of the earth fire furnace wasn't very clear in the daylight, but the blue smoke rising from the chimney was still very obvious.

Everything was normal.

Everything was peaceful.

Lin Xuan closed his eyes, but his mind was racing.

He had a rough idea of the outskirts, but he needed to explore a few more times.

Deacon Wu was right; Thunderfall Ravine wouldn't run away, and after the thunder vein revived, it would remain active for at least several years, if not decades.

He could afford to wait.

Wait until his cultivation improved a bit more, wait for the thunder essence fruit tree to recover and bear a few more fruits, wait for the Herb-Seeking Mouse and the Pangolin to grow a bit more—then, he would go deeper.

No rush.

He opened his eyes, looking at the sun gradually setting on the horizon, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"I'll come again next time."

He said softly.

He didn't know if he was saying it to Thunderfall Ravine, or to himself.

Or, perhaps, both.

The setting sun dyed the sea of bamboo on Emerald Bamboo Peak into a flowing golden color.

Lin Xuan sat in the courtyard, watching the sky gradually darken, watching the lights on Thousand Talisman Peak and Artifact Refining Peak light up one after another, connecting into a brilliant river of light among the mountains.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and returned to the Quiet Room.

He sat cross-legged.

The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art circulated, and Thunder Spiritual Energy surged through his Meridians.

In his Dantian, the purple thunder seed pulsed faintly.