26: Wind Spirit Butterfly! We're rich!

The closer they got to the Outpost, the more people they encountered.

Strangely, most of these people were in a hurry, with expressions of surprise and excitement, and their direction… was precisely the hinterland of the hills they had just left!

"Quick, quick! I heard there's a big commotion over there!"

"It seems like some kind of energy burst, flattening a large area of land!"

"Maybe some exotic treasure appeared, or a powerful monster was killed!"

Discussions came in fits and starts.

Lu Yuan's heart tightened. It seemed the Raging Waves Sea Soul's attack was truly too powerful, attracting everyone nearby. Luckily, they left quickly.

Just then, several figures wearing black skull jackets brushed past them, rushing towards the hinterland of the hills.

The leader was none other than a shiny Bald Head Qiang!

Bald Head Qiang!

Bald Head Qiang and his group were clearly also eager to see the excitement, or rather, to investigate the source of that immense energy, and paid no attention to the people beside them.

They passed each other.

So close, yet so far… Finally, the group reached the familiar stairwell entrance.

The clamor of the underground base returned, dispelling the solitude of the wilderness.

"Lu Yuan, how about we go to the medical station for a check-up?"

"No need, senior sister, Uncle Liu." Lu Yuan quickly waved his hand, "I just overused my Source Power. I'll be fine after some rest. I won't trouble you two."

He just wanted to find a place to hide and get away from the crowd.

"Thank you very much for saving my life!" He expressed his gratitude solemnly once more.

Liu Shan glanced at him and nodded: "Alright then, take good care of yourself. This is my contact number. If you encounter any trouble at school or outside, you can contact me."

He handed Lu Yuan a business card.

Liu Qingzhu also gave her contact number: "Junior brother, let's keep in touch!"

"Absolutely, absolutely!"

They said their goodbyes.

Watching Liu Shan and his group leave, Lu Yuan finally relaxed. Dragging his tired body, he walked towards the inn.

Just as he reached the door, the landlady, who was wiping glasses behind the counter, lifted her eyelids and glanced at him.

She put down the glass and waved to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan was puzzled and walked over.

"Kid, a few people came looking for you earlier." The landlady lowered her voice, her eyes unfriendly, "Wearing black clothes with skulls, didn't look like good people."

Lu Yuan's heart trembled.

"They asked if I had seen someone around seventeen or eighteen, looking like a student, staying here." The landlady pouted, "I said I didn't remember."

"Thank you, landlady!" Lu Yuan felt grateful and quickly thanked her.

"Thank me?" The landlady scoffed, "They didn't rent a room here, otherwise I'd have to tell them you were back."

Lu Yuan: "..."

Indeed, one couldn't count on the "simple folk customs" here.

However, her words also confirmed his suspicion.

The Black Water Gang's target was clear: him!

Why?

The only explanation was the gold card, enough to drive any force mad!

An innocent man is guilty only because he possesses a treasure.

He absolutely could not stay here any longer!

Lu Yuan reluctantly handed over a star coin: "Thanks for the warning."

"Scram!"

Lu Yuan gave a dry laugh. He didn't even want to give it, and quickly walked to his room.

He locked the door and carefully checked it, confirming that it hadn't been tampered with.

He sat cross-legged, cleared his mind, and began to circulate Source Power, absorbing the free-floating energy in the air.

Strands of warm current slowly converged into his parched Source Power pool.

[Source Power: 1 / 86]

[Source Power: 2 / 86]

...Time passed little by little.

When the sky outside the window gradually darkened, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

Whoosh—

He exhaled a mouthful of stale air.

[Source Power: 86 / 86]

His Source Power was finally fully restored!

Peak eight-star apprentice! With a Source Power limit of 86 points, he was only 4 points away from the 90 points of a nine-star!

His mental fatigue had also largely eased.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt his strength return to his body.

Now, he must leave!

The Black Water Gang members were still outside, possibly searching the base.

Where to go?

Take a bus back to Jiangcheng? No, he might be intercepted on the way, and the safety factor would be low.

Continue to farm monsters near Gray Wolf Hills? Even worse, that place must be overcrowded now, and the Black Water Gang members were also there.

Lu Yuan took out the map and quickly scanned it.

His gaze fell on an area in the opposite direction of Gray Wolf Hills.

Giant Horned Rabbit Camp!

The data showed that it was the main habitat for first-order Giant Horned Rabbits, with occasional appearances of second-order Giant Horned Rabbit Kings.

Giant Horned Rabbit, a first-order monster, although fast, with astonishing jumping power and sharp teeth, its nature is timid, and its aggressiveness is not strong, posing a much lower threat than gray wolves.

Most importantly, they are also gregarious!

Suitable for leveling up!

Moreover, the direction was completely opposite to Gray Wolf Hills, which could maximize avoidance of the Black Water Gang and the Card Masters who had been attracted.

He would go there!

Lu Yuan quickly packed his backpack, pushed open the door, cautiously observed the corridor, and after confirming no one was there, quickly left the inn and walked towards another exit of the base… The night grew deeper.

Lu Yuan walked through a completely different dense forest than before.

The trees here were taller, vines intertwined, and the ground was covered with thick fallen leaves, making his footsteps silent.

He slowed his pace, and his invisible Source Power perception spread outwards.

Not far ahead, a faint buzzing sound came from mid-air.

Patches of butterflies, emitting a faint greenish glow, danced in the moonlight like spirits of the night.

Wind Spirit Butterfly

Quality: Green

Star Rating: One-star

Type: Monster

Ability: Weak Wind Element Manipulation

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.

Wind Spirit Butterfly!

The bestiary recorded that this type of monster itself had extremely weak combat power, but the scales on its wings were materials for making certain auxiliary cards, and were quite valuable.

Moreover, they were very sensitive to energy fluctuations, gentle in nature, and rarely attacked proactively.

Looking at the at least twenty to thirty Wind Spirit Butterflies in front of him, Lu Yuan's heart stirred.

Capturing them head-on would definitely not work; they were fast and could fly.

But… he thought of a brilliant method.

Perhaps… he could try?

Using the faintest trace of the Raging Waves Sea Soul's pressure!

The risk was great. Now was different from before; if he couldn't control it well, it was very likely that powerful presences nearby would sense it… But the reward was equally immense!

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming focused.

If he were asked to last long, he might not be able to.

But if he were asked to be fast! Then, no offense, he had no rivals, including in his previous life and now!

His mind sank into the origin card slot.

This time, he only mobilized a tiny, almost imperceptible wisp of Source Power, like pulling a spider silk, gently touching the edge of the gold card.

At the same time, he envisioned a word in his mind—pressure!

Buzz… An extremely subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation emanated from his chest.

This time, the fluctuation had no earth-shattering momentum, appearing extremely calm.

It was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, rippling out an invisible wave.

The ripple spread.

Passing over the dancing Wind Spirit Butterflies.

Plop! Plop! Plop!… Like dumplings falling into a pot!

The Wind Spirit Butterflies, which were elegantly fluttering a second ago, instantly seemed to lose all their strength. Their wings stiffened, their bodies went limp, and one after another, they fell from the sky, landing on the thick fallen leaves, motionless.

They weren't dead, nor were they even injured.

They were just scared out of their wits by the suppression originating from a higher life level, temporarily losing their ability to move.

"It worked!"

Lu Yuan was ecstatic!

He immediately rushed forward and took out the few remaining blank cards from his backpack.

He aimed at a Wind Spirit Butterfly that had fallen at his feet and infused it with Source Power.

"Seal!"

Buzz!

White light flashed, and the card successfully absorbed the phantom of the Wind Spirit Butterfly!

The card face stabilized, and a lifelike image of a Wind Spirit Butterfly emerged.

Wind Spirit Butterfly

Quality: Green

Star Rating: One-star

Type: beast taming card

Skill: Breeze

Note: A gentle elemental sprite, usable for reconnaissance and transmitting information.

Lu Yuan was greatly invigorated, and his movements became even faster!

Second card! Seal!

Green card! One-star!

Third card! Seal!

Green card! One-star!

...He used up all six remaining blank cards in his backpack in one go!

Not a single failure!

All successfully sealed!

Six one-star green quality Wind Spirit Butterflies!

Lu Yuan looked at the six brand new beast taming cards in his hand, so excited that his hands trembled slightly.

According to market price, each of these six green quality beast taming cards could sell for at least 4000 star coins!

Six cards would be… a minimum of twenty-four thousand star coins!

He struck it rich!

This was simply picking up money!

After a few days of practical experience, Lu Yuan finally understood.

That faint pressure just now consumed almost negligible Source Power.

This was one of the correct ways to unlock his gold talent!

It didn't always have to be about fighting and killing; utilizing information asymmetry and hierarchical suppression could also lead to silently getting rich!

He looked up at the dense forest not far away.

The Giant Horned Rabbit Camp should be just ahead.

Tonight, he would strive to reach nine-star!