25: Chapter 25 Water Condensation Stone

Lin Xuan unfolded the map Chen Hao had given him, scanned it, and chose a remote path to the northeast—the resource points marked on that path were few, but the danger level was also relatively low.

The moment he stepped into the gap in the barrier, the pressure around his body tightened, as if he had passed through a layer of water film.

The next moment, his vision changed abruptly.

Thick white mist rushed towards his face, and visibility was less than ten zhang.

The Spiritual Qi in the air was indeed denser than outside, but it was incredibly impure, mixed with water vapor, the smell of rotting vegetation, and a faint, sweet, fishy odor—that was the smell of miasma.

The temperature plummeted, and the damp, cold chill seeped through his magical robe.

Lin Xuan immediately circulated his Spiritual Energy to protect his body, while simultaneously forming a hand seal with his left hand, activating the Breath Concealment Technique at full power; his figure and presence almost merged with the surrounding mist.

He did not venture deeper immediately, but instead observed his surroundings first.

This was a gravel beach; behind him was the Restriction barrier, and ahead, the mist was pervasive, with the outlines of jagged rocks and twisted trees vaguely visible.

From the distance came the shouts and footsteps of the Disciples who had entered earlier, but they were quickly swallowed by the mist, leaving only blurred echoes.

With a thought from Lin Xuan, the Herb-Seeking Mouse appeared in his palm.

As soon as the little fellow came out, it sneezed, its black bean-like eyes looking around vigilantly, the purple at the base of its fur flickering in and out of sight in the mist.

"Scout the path." Lin Xuan conveyed his intent through the contract.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse immediately darted to the ground, its nose twitching as it ran towards the path in the northeast direction.

Lin Xuan followed closely behind, while simultaneously activating the Earth Listening Technique.

The world in his ears suddenly became clear: thirty zhang to the left, there was the sound of a babbling brook; fifty zhang to the right, there were faint footsteps—likely other Disciples; deep in the mist ahead, there was a rustling sound, like some small beast crawling.

His footsteps were light, every step landing firmly to avoid loose gravel.

The qingyun sword was already in his hand, with faint thunder light circulating on the blade.

The path wound upwards, and the mist grew thicker.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the Herb-Seeking Mouse suddenly stopped in front of a cluster of grey-green ferns, emitting a faint "squeak" sound.

Lin Xuan crouched down and pushed aside the leaves.

He saw several small herbs growing under the fern cluster with slender leaves and silver-white fluff on the edges; fine water droplets had condensed on the leaves, glimmering in the mist.

"cloud mist grass." Lin Xuan recognized this as the spirit plant Deacon Wu had mentioned.

He took out a jade box, carefully plucked the three most plump ones, placing them into the box along with a little soil from the roots, and moved the two immature ones into his Beast Taming Space.

Although the harvest was small, it was a good start.

Lin Xuan closed the jade box and continued forward.

The further he went inside, the more eerie the mist became.

Sometimes it was as thin as gauze, allowing him to see dozens of zhang away; sometimes it was as thick as milk, and he could not see his own fingers at a distance of three feet.

Lin Xuan was fully focused, the Earth Listening Technique constantly active, with the Herb-Seeking Mouse leading the way three zhang ahead.

After walking for another stretch, the Herb-Seeking Mouse suddenly crouched down vigilantly, baring its teeth at the mist on the right.

Lin Xuan stopped immediately, concentrating on listening.

"Hiss... hiss..."

A faint friction sound came from the mist, accompanied by the movement of some wet, slippery object crawling.

Lin Xuan drew his sword quietly, slowly injecting Thunder Spiritual Energy into the blade.

The mist fluctuated, and a python as thick as a water barrel, with a grey-brown body, slowly slithered out.

Its head was flat, its eyes turbid, and its body was covered in mucus, leaving behind a slippery trail wherever it passed.

"Mist-Hiding Python, First Grade Low Grade."

A record about the canyon's Yao Beasts from the appendix of the introduction to hundreds of herbs flashed through Lin Xuan's mind.

This python was adept at hiding in the mist and attacking suddenly; its toxicity was not strong, but its power was quite great.

The Mist-Hiding Python had clearly discovered him; it flicked its tongue in and out, slowly coiling its body to assume an attack stance.

Lin Xuan did not retreat.

He needed actual combat to adapt to the canyon environment.

Forming a hand seal with his left hand, he tentatively fired a Lightning Strike Technique.

"Crack!"

The lightning bolt struck the python's body, blasting open a small patch of charred black.

The Mist-Hiding Python, feeling pain, lunged forward violently, its bloody maw aimed directly at Lin Xuan's face!

Lin Xuan shifted his feet, activating the Wind Control Technique, and moved his figure three feet to the side.

At the same time, he slashed diagonally with the qingyun sword backhanded; the blade grazed the python's body, sending up a trail of sparks—this python's scales were harder than he had imagined.

Man and python grappled in the mist.

Lin Xuan was in no rush to use a finishing move, instead taking this opportunity to hone the coordination of his movement techniques, swordsmanship, and Lightning Strike Technique.

Thunder light crackled from time to time, and the wounds on the python's body increased.

About half a quarter of an hour later, the Mist-Hiding Python's movements became noticeably sluggish.

Lin Xuan saw the opportunity; the thunder light on the qingyun sword flared brilliantly, and he thrust his sword into its seven-inch mark, causing the Thunder Spiritual Energy to explode.

"Sshhh—"

The Mist-Hiding Python twitched violently a few times before going limp and motionless.

Lin Xuan caught his breath and stepped forward to process the python's corpse.

The snake gall can be used as medicine, and the snake skin can be used to make Low Grade talisman paper; neither should be wasted.

When he finished cleaning up, his body was covered in mucus and blood, but his eyes were bright.

This battle greatly improved his adaptability to the canyon environment.

He now had an intuitive understanding of the mist's impact on his vision and the dampness's slight interference with his Spells.

He took a Qi Recovery Pill, adjusted his breath for a moment, and then continued on his way.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse darted out again; this time it seemed even more excited, running rapidly in a certain direction.

Lin Xuan followed closely behind.

Passing through a strange Stone Forest, the mist ahead thinned slightly, revealing a small stream.

On the edge of the stream, several grey-blue stones were half-buried in the water; water droplets condensed on the surface of the stones, glowing with a faint blue light in the dim environment.

"water-condensing stone!" Lin Xuan was overjoyed.

This was exactly the auxiliary material for refining water-attribute Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills, a First Grade Medium Grade spirit material.

He crouched by the stream, not reaching out directly, but first breaking off a withered branch to probe the water—in unfamiliar waters, caution is never wrong.

The dry branch stirred, and the stream water rippled.

A few small silver fish darted away in panic, with no other abnormalities.

Only then did Lin Xuan reach into the water; the touch was ice-cold and piercing.

He circulated his Spiritual Energy to protect his palm and scooped up the water-condensing stone.

The stone felt heavy in his hand, with water droplets constantly condensing on its surface, only to slowly evaporate in the mist.

Lin Xuan examined it carefully: the stone quality was fine, and the internal texture was uniform; it could be considered good merchandise among First Grade Medium Grade Materials.

He found three smaller ones nearby and collected them all.

Just as he was preparing to leave, the Earth Listening Technique captured an unusual sound.

"...To the left! Surround it!"

"Watch out for its claws!"

"...Senior Brother Wang, block it!"

The voices came from the southeast, about fifty or sixty zhang away, separated by thick mist and a patch of woods.

Lin Xuan immediately put away the Herb-Seeking Mouse, flashed his figure, and hid behind a boulder half a person's height by the stream.

Activating the Breath Concealment Technique at full power, his presence merged with the damp rocks and the babbling water.

He held his breath and concentrated, amplifying the perception of his Earth Listening Technique to the limit.

The sounds of fighting became clearer and clearer.

There were the muffled sounds of Spells exploding, the shrill whistle of sharp claws tearing through the air, and the panting and shouting of people.

Judging by the commotion, at least three or four people were surrounding and attacking a Yao Beast.

Lin Xuan did not curiously go forward.

He listened quietly, analyzing the battle situation through the sounds.

The Yao Beast moved extremely fast, weaving through the mist and emitting a "swish" sound of breaking air.

Its attacks carried a sharp screech, so it should be a feline or leopard-type Yao Beast.

The three Cultivators' coordination was clearly not tacit: when one attacked, the other two's support was always half a beat slow; after someone was injured and groaned, the other two's offensive would show a momentary panic.

"Mist-Hiding Leopard." Lin Xuan determined the type of Yao Beast.

This type of First Grade Low Grade Yao Beast was in its element in the mist and was good at sneak attacks, but its frontal combat capability was not strong.

Judging by the sound, this one should already be injured and was putting up a desperate struggle.

Sure enough, a moment later, a shrill beast roar came, followed by the muffled sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

The fighting stopped, leaving only heavy panting.

"...Finally dead." A young male voice said, panting.

"Junior Brother Li, are you alright? How is the wound?" Another voice asked.

"It's fine... just got scratched... hiss, are these claws poisonous?" The third voice carried pain.

Lin Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Injured? The Mist-Hiding Leopard's claws were usually non-poisonous, but whether the Yao Beasts in the canyon would mutate, no one could say for sure.

"Deal with the wound first. Senior Brother Zhang, how do you think we should split this leopard corpse?" The first male voice asked.

A brief silence.

Lin Xuan could imagine the scene of the three of them sizing each other up.

"I want the leopard skin; the Cultivation Technique I practice requires resilient Materials." The one called Senior Brother Zhang said, his tone matter-of-fact.

"On what grounds? If it hadn't been for my last sword strike hitting the vital point, could it have died so easily? I want the leopard claws and leopard teeth!" The young male voice immediately retorted.

"You both take the good stuff, what about me? Did I get scratched on the arm for nothing?" The injured Junior Brother Li's voice was aggrieved.

The arguing gradually grew louder.

Lin Xuan heard them arguing about the value of the leopard skin, teeth, and claws, and even started blaming each other for mistakes during the battle.

"If your sword strike had been sooner just now, would I have been injured?"

"You still have the nerve to say that? What kind of position did you cast that Vine Technique in? You almost tied me up too!"

Lin Xuan shook his head.

Poor team coordination and uneven distribution after the battle—these were the most common problems in team exploration.

He had no interest in intervening, and while the three were arguing, he quietly retreated and walked downstream along the stream.