23: Chapter 23 Bronze-grade medicinal herb! Spirit Gathering Flower!

The morning mist had not yet fully dissipated.

Jiang Yun and his group arrived at the Misty Forest.

This was the most famous practical Training Ground on the edge of City C, and the place where countless rookie Beast Tamers faced wild Vicious Beasts for the first time.

Vicious Beasts were everywhere within, but it also held many opportunities and resources.

Three instructors stood at the very front of the group.

The instructor for the Advanced class pointed to the three forks in the road ahead.

“The one on the left leads to the core area of the Misty Forest. The middle one is the route for the Intermediate and Advanced class students, leading straight to the center of the forest. Students from the Rookie Class take the right path; you can only operate in this outer perimeter. Remember, you absolutely must not cross that Redwood Forest belt up ahead.

That is the boundary between the inner and outer perimeters. The Vicious Beasts inside are at least Black Iron Fifth Tier; you won't be able to handle them.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every student's face as his tone grew more serious: “The instructors won't be following you the whole time. The point of practical combat is for you to face danger yourselves. However, I will be patrolling near the Redwood Forest belt. If you encounter danger, just fire a signal flare, and I can arrive within five minutes. Remember, safety first. Don't try to show off just to hunt Vicious Beasts.”

“Understood!”

The students of the Rookie Class answered in unison, their voices filled with tension and irrepressible excitement.

The instructors nodded and turned to walk toward the Redwood Forest belt.

That area connected the core zone of the Misty Forest with the inner and outer perimeters.

From there, they could not only monitor the movements of powerful Vicious Beasts in the core area at any time but also quickly support students in the inner and outer perimeters.

The black silhouettes of the three instructors soon disappeared into the mist.

As they left, the students instantly became active.

They actually began to form teams in groups of twos and threes.

After all, acting alone was too dangerous. Teaming up not only shared the pressure but also allowed them to look out for one each other.

“Student Jiang Yun, could we team up with you?”

Just then,

Two figures walked quickly to Jiang Yun's side. The speaker was a tall boy with a simple, honest smile on his face. Beside him was a girl with a ponytail and very bright eyes.

Jiang Yun looked at the two of them.

He had some impression of them.

They were both fellow students from the Rookie Class.

The girl was Li Na, and the boy seemed to be Zhang Qiang.

Their Spirit Beasts were a Rock Armor Rat and a Wind Firefly Sparrow, respectively.

“You and your Spirit Beast Fire Dragon Fish were so amazing yesterday! We'd feel more at ease teaming up with you. Don't worry, if we find anything good, we won't fight you for it. We'll only take the prey we kill and the things we find ourselves.”

The girl explained with a smile.

Seeing this, the boy added in a very sincere tone: “The two of us only had our Awakening just over a month ago, and we don't have much practical combat experience. If we run into danger, we'll have to rely on your help.”

Jiang Yun glanced at Jiang Yunyun beside him.

Jiang Yunyun had no objection and nodded gently.

She also felt that teaming up seemed safer than being alone.

“Alright, then let's explore together!”

Jiang Yun agreed, though he remained humble: “I also only recently contracted my Spirit Beast and lack practical combat ability. If we encounter danger and I'm a bit slow to react, please don't take offense.”

“It's fine, it's fine!”

Zhang Qiang immediately waved his hand and patted the Rock Armor Rat beside him. “My Rock Armor Rat is thick-skinned and can take hits. Li Na's Wind Firefly Sparrow can scout. With our roles clearly defined, it'll definitely be fine!”

Li Na also nodded with a smile and summoned her Wind Firefly Sparrow: “Let Xiao Feng scout the path ahead; it's very sensitive to danger.”

The light green little bird flapped its wings and quickly flew above the mist, letting out crisp chirps from time to time as if signaling that it was safe.

After the four-person team was formed,

They headed inward along the right fork together.

The mist gradually thinned, revealing that most of the surrounding trees were ancient ones thick enough for two people to embrace. Dark green vines were Entwine around the trunks, and occasionally, unknown small animals scurried through the grass, quickly disappearing back into the mist.

They walked for about half an hour.

The Wind Firefly Sparrow suddenly let out urgent chirps, its wings flapping uneasily. Li Na's expression changed: “A Vicious Beast is approaching!”

Zhang Qiang immediately summoned the Rock Armor Rat to the front.

The Rock Armor Rat squeaked, its body curling into a round 'armored ball,' leaving only two wary little eyes visible.

Jiang Yunyun also held the Sky-Swallowing Rabbit a bit tighter. The Sky-Swallowing Rabbit's ears were pressed flat against its back, and its fur stood on end.

Jiang Yun scanned the surroundings.

His Entry Manifestation ability could actually capture the Vicious Beasts ahead directly, and the information of the Vicious Beasts was immediately manifested.

【species】: Spiny-Haired Rabbit

【Realm】: Black Iron First Tier

【Aptitude】: Bronze Low-Grade

【Innate Talent Skill】: Backstab Attack · Common

【evolution path】: None

【Tip】: The back spines are poisonous.

“In the bushes on the left! There are two!”

Jiang Yun warned: “They seem to be Spiny-Haired Rabbits! Not much of a threat, just be careful to avoid their sharp spines.”

Zhang Qiang reacted instantly upon hearing this and commanded the Rock Armor Rat: “Xiao Yan, rush over and use 'Bite'!”

The armored ball bounced out fiercely, hitting the bushes with a 'thud'.

Two rabbits covered in grayish-black sharp spines scurried out. One of them had its hind leg bitten by the Rock Armor Rat and was squeaking in pain.

Seeing this, the other Spiny-Haired Rabbit turned and tried to pounce on Jiang Yunyun, who was closest.

Li Na hurriedly shouted: “Xiao Feng, Wind Blade!”

The Wind Firefly Sparrow dove from the sky, flapping its wings to send two light green Wind Blades slicing through. They struck right on the Spiny-Haired Rabbit's back, sending spines flying everywhere. The Spiny-Haired Rabbit stumbled and was quickly bitten in the neck by the catching-up Rock Armor Rat, soon falling silent.

The battle ended very quickly, taking less than a minute from start to finish.

Zhang Qiang excitedly patted the Rock Armor Rat's head: “Well done! The corpses and beast cores of these two Spiny-Haired Rabbits should sell for quite a bit of money!”

Li Na also recalled the Wind Firefly Sparrow and said to Jiang Yun with a smile: “Fortunately Student Jiang Yun discovered their location in advance, otherwise we might have had to put in more effort.”

Zhang Qiang also brought the corpse of one Spiny-Haired Rabbit to Jiang Yun: “Student Jiang Yun, you deserve credit for killing these two Spiny-Haired Rabbits. This corpse is for you!”

Jiang Yun shook his head.

“According to the rules, the Vicious Beasts were killed by the two of you working together, so they naturally belong to you.”

As Jiang Yun spoke, he slowly walked to the side, his eyes landing on a patch of grass. During the fight just now, his Entry Manifestation had not only alerted him to the Vicious Beasts but also scanned a few inconspicuous medicinal herbs.

Qi Condensation Grass, a Black Iron First Tier medicinal herb. Although not worth much, it contained a trace of Spiritual Qi, similar in effect to a Spirit Stone, just without the vast amount of Spiritual Qi a Spirit Stone held.

Furthermore, Qi Condensation Grass had no attribute, so any Spirit Beast could consume it.

Jiang Yun thought it would be perfect for his sister's Sky-Swallowing Rabbit.

He crouched down, carefully dug up the Qi Condensation Grass by the roots, and tossed it into his Storage Ring. If he collected enough of these herbs, they might even be worth one dark attribute Spirit Stone.

Seeing this, Li Na smiled and said, “Jiang Yun, you even know about medicinal herbs? I've seen it in the school library before; the edges of Qi Condensation Grass leaves have serrations, making it very hard to distinguish from Common weeds. You actually recognized it.”

Jiang Yun smiled. With the talent of Manifestation of All Things Entries, he was undoubtedly walking around with a database of the world's knowledge.

However, Jiang Yun only explained casually: “I saw a shop owner at the mall introducing medicinal herbs before and remembered some features. Let's keep moving. Keep an eye on the surroundings; we might find even more useful things.”

Li Na and Zhang Qiang nodded upon hearing this.

The four of them continued deeper into the outer perimeter.

Along the way, they encountered several more Black Iron First and Second Tier Vicious Beasts.

There were 'Shadow Rats' that were good at ambushing.

And very fast 'Gale Foxes.' All were resolved by the combined efforts of Zhang Qiang's Rock Armor Rat and Li Na's Wind Firefly Sparrow.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yun kept an eye out for danger while collecting medicinal herbs along the way. Besides Qi Condensation Grass, he also found several Hemostatic Grasses that could treat minor external injuries on Spirit Beasts and Clear Spirit Flowers that could relieve Spirit Beast fatigue.

These herbs were of no use to Jiang Yun, whose Beast Taming Space had recovery properties, but they could be used by his sister or sold after they left.

Unknowingly, they reached the edge of a cliff.

The cliff wasn't high, about a dozen meters deep. Below was a dense Redwood Forest, and mist floated up from the bottom of the valley, obscuring the view.

Clearly, this cliff was the boundary of the outer perimeter.

Jiang Yun was about to remind everyone to be careful when his gaze was suddenly drawn to a cluster of plants by the cliffside.

It was a flower growing in a crevice of the rock. It was only about the size of a palm, yet it emitted a faint glow in the mist.

It had six petals, each a pure snowy white with fine light-gold patterns Entwine around the edges, looking as if woven from moonlight. The stamen in the center of the petals was light blue and shaped like a tiny bell, swaying gently in the wind and releasing a crisp fragrance that refreshed the spirit.

Most peculiar of all, a faint Spiritual Qi seemed to linger around the flower, making the mist around it thinner than elsewhere.

“What kind of flower is this? It's so beautiful!”

Jiang Yunyun also noticed the flower on the cliff's edge and couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes fixed on it.

Zhang Qiang and Li Na also leaned in, their faces full of curiosity: “I've never seen this kind of flower before? With Spiritual Qi Entwine on its surface, I'm afraid it's no ordinary thing.”

Jiang Yun didn't speak but used his Entry Manifestation ability.

A light blue light screen expanded before his eyes, and information about this flower clearly emerged:

【species】: spirit gathering flower (no attribute)

【Realm】: Bronze Rank

【Skill】: No offensive skills

【Core Effect】: Can actively gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The petals and stamen contain vast amounts of pure Spiritual Qi. After consumption by a Spirit Beast of any attribute, it can quickly increase its level by 1-2 small Realms (best effect on Black Iron Rank Spirit Beasts, effect halved for Bronze Rank Spirit Beasts).

【Additional Tip】: Growth conditions for spirit gathering flower are harsh; it requires absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for over a hundred years to mature. It is often accompanied by Vicious Beasts as guardians. Be mindful of environmental safety when picking.

“Bronze Rank...”

Jiang Yun couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the Rank of this flower.

He had asked at the mall before; Bronze Rank medicinal herbs cost at least nearly a million federal currency, and they were very hard to buy.

This spirit gathering flower was also attribute-less, meaning it could be used not only for the Fire Dragon Fish but also for Jiang Yunyun's Sky-Swallowing Rabbit, and it could directly raise them by one or two small tiers.

This was simply a rare treasure!

“Brother, is this flower very powerful?”

Yunyun saw Jiang Yun's excitement and asked in a low voice.

Jiang Yun nodded, his voice carrying a hint of joy: “This is a spirit gathering flower, a Bronze Rank medicinal herb that can let a Spirit Beast quickly raise its Realm. Whether it's for the Fire Dragon Fish or your Sky-Swallowing Rabbit, it can be used.”

“Bronze Rank?!”

Zhang Qiang and Li Na were both dumbfounded!

Li Na even subconsciously covered her mouth: “Isn't that more precious than all the Vicious Beasts we've encountered before?”

“Our luck is way too good! Who knows how many Beast Tamers have scavenged this outer perimeter! I didn't expect us to actually encounter this level of Heaven And Earth Treasure!”

Zhang Qiang rubbed his hands excitedly, then seemed to realize his words were a bit inappropriate, so he quickly smiled and said: “Student Jiang Yun, you discovered this thing so it should belong to you. Go pick it quickly! If someone else sees it, I'm afraid taking it away won't be so easy.”

Jiang Yun nodded upon hearing this, also feeling that they shouldn't delay.

Bronze Rank medicinal herbs would definitely attract Vicious Beasts, and if discovered by other teams, it might lead to a fight.

He walked carefully to the cliff's edge, crouched down, and reached out to pick the spirit gathering flower.

Just as his fingers touched the petals, he felt a wave of cool Spiritual Qi travel from his fingertips, so comfortable that he couldn't help but squint his eyes.

But just then,

A terrifying beast roar suddenly came from below the cliff... instantly startling a hundred birds into flight below...