264: Chapter 264: Undercover Training in Fukaya

Absolute darkness is not pure silence. The low hum formed by turbulent energy, like the snoring of an ancient giant beast in deep sleep, never ceases. It permeates the rock walls, drills into the marrow, and becomes the eternal background sound in the depths of this Rift Canyon. The air is filled with chaotic energy particles. Every breath feels like inhaling countless tiny, electrified grains of sand, bringing a continuous, faint tingling sensation that disturbs the nerves and erodes the will.

Inside the shallow cave, Ling Ye and Old Shi are like two injured beasts that have wandered into a foreign land, curled up on the cold rock, resisting the omnipresent energy pressure and the decay within their bodies.

Resting is the only option at the moment. But in this area of abnormal energy, rest itself is a form of resistance and adaptation.

In the first few hours, Ling Ye could barely enter an effective "Star Visualization". The turbulent energy outside was like a violent tide, constantly impacting the intent he was trying to condense, tearing the warm current he was guiding into pieces, and even nearly causing a Mental Energy backlash several times, making his head feel like it was splitting. He had to give up on forced Cultivate and instead focus his mind on the most basic task: resisting the external energy pressure and stabilizing his own vital signs.

He was like a sailor gripping the railing in a storm, using all his willpower to maintain the steadiness of his breathing and the rhythm of his heartbeat, holding onto the last sliver of clarity in his mind, so as not to be completely overwhelmed by the chaotic energy noise and the physical discomfort. This process consumed more Mental Energy than any battle, but it was also the most primitive, cruel tempering of mental resilience.

Old Shi's condition was worse. The chaotic energy field and the unstable contamination within its body produced some unpredictable, malicious interaction. It would tremble with cold one moment, and its forehead would be burning hot the next, falling into brief, painful comas filled with delirious muttering. The gray-green patch on its right hand emitted an ominous, extremely faint, ghostly light in the darkness, as if it were conducting a silent, dangerous resonance with some existence in the depths of the canyon.

Ling Ye had to, while barely able to protect himself, divert a portion of his energy to constantly monitor Old Shi's state. Once Old Shi's condition worsened and the contamination in its body showed signs of spiraling out of control, Ling Ye had to forcibly interrupt his own adjustment and intervene with the warm current of "Star Visualization", even if it made his own condition worse. This was the price of the "Symbiotic Contract", and a responsibility he could not shake off at this moment.

After enduring this for about a day and a night (only able to estimate vaguely based on physical sensation and biological clock). When Ling Ye felt that his spirit, in the extreme exhaustion and confrontation, seemed to have been honed into something more "dull" yet also more "resilient," and had developed a faint adaptability to the "noise" of the surrounding turbulent energy, he finally managed to try again. He guided a thread of extremely weak, yet relatively stable, warm current to circulate extremely slowly through the most core meridians in his body.

This time, he did not try to resist the energy outside, but instead tried to guide, absorb, and filter the extremely scarce energy particles that were relatively "gentle" and not completely repulsive to the nature of his own "Star Visualization" warm current. It was like painstakingly panning for a few insignificant grains of gold in a muddy swamp. The process was despairingly slow, and the efficiency was pitifully low, but at least, he saw the possibility of energy recovery, rather than just consumption.

He first used this bit of recovered warm current to prioritize repairing the meridians and spirit damaged during his previous escape, resistance to contamination, and resistance to turbulent energy. The recovery of injuries in the harsh environment of chaotic energy became exceptionally slow, but it was improving after all. The throbbing pain and dizziness in his brain gradually eased under the continuous nourishment of the warm current.

Only then did he dare to spare a sliver to help stabilize Old Shi's condition. Old Shi's condition was still worrying, but it seemed to have barely adapted to this chaotic environment, and the most dangerous period of contamination outbreak seemed to have passed for the time being. With Ling Ye's assistance, the spread of contamination in its body was suppressed again, and the ghostly light emitted by the gray-green patch even seemed to dim slightly.

Food and water were another major crisis they faced. The dried meat and water they carried, under strict rationing, were only enough to last for at most three days. In the canyon, no vegetation could be seen, let alone a Water Source. Under the interference of turbulent energy, even the air was exceptionally dry.

On the third day, when the last bit of dried meat was shared between the two and the water bottle was about to run dry, Ling Ye knew he couldn't wait any longer. He had to actively explore to find survival resources, and at the same time, he had to find a way to resist the erosion of this chaotic energy field for a long time and provide a relatively stable environment, otherwise, even with food and water, they would be slowly worn to death by this pervasive energy pressure.

"I'm going out to take a look," Ling Ye said to Old Shi, who was leaning against the rock wall, its face still gray and defeated, but its eyes slightly clearer. "You stay here, conserve your strength, and continue trying to stabilize the contamination. I will set up a warning, and if there is any abnormality, use our agreed-upon code (tapping on the rock wall) to contact me."

Old Shi nodded weakly, not saying much, but worry showed in its eyes. It knew that exploring alone in this unknown, energy-boiling canyon was extremely dangerous.

Ling Ye checked his equipment: a bow and the remaining three arrows (daring not to carry more for fear of losing them), a fruit knife, a spear, a small bag of salt, flint fire starter, and an empty water bottle. He wore the "xuanyuan ring" close to his body, took a deep breath (even though the air was still tingling), and squeezed out of the shallow cave.

Beyond the platform was a deeper, thicker darkness. The width of the canyon seemed to have increased here, but it was still bottomless. The rock walls were steep and covered with strange grooves and cracks eroded by turbulent energy. The chaotic energy fluctuations seemed to have solidified here, forming "energy undercurrents" that were invisible to the naked eye but felt like viscous swamps in perception, with uncertain directions and varying intensities, traveling between the rock walls.

Ling Ye raised his Energy Perception to the limit, cautiously following the edge of the platform to explore downstream of the canyon (the direction where energy fluctuations seemed more intense and chaotic). He walked very slowly, using the spear to probe the path with every step to confirm the stability of the rock underfoot, while using the "xuanyuan ring"'s perception to avoid areas with intense energy fluctuations or obvious "incompatible" contamination.

After walking a few dozen meters, a narrow rock crevice appeared ahead, sloping downward and only wide enough for one person to pass through. Deep inside the crevice, the darkness was thicker, but there was a faint, extremely weak airflow blowing out, carrying a hint of... moist coolness?

Water vapor?!

Ling Ye's spirit lifted. He carefully observed the entrance of the rock crevice and found no traces of creatures or "Abyssal Remains" activity. He squeezed in sideways. The inside of the crevice twisted downward, and the further he went, the more obvious the water vapor in the air became. The chaotic energy fluctuations also seemed to have been slightly neutralized and weakened by this moist breath. The rock walls became slippery, covered in slimy, unknown moss that emitted a faint biological fluorescence.

After walking for about twenty or thirty meters, the view suddenly opened up. The end of the rock crevice connected to a natural cave that was not too large but relatively open! At the top of the cave, countless tiny stalactites hung down, dripping water droplets, forming a basin-sized, but seemingly deep, crystal-clear small pool at the bottom! Beside the pool grew some dark green, fleshy-looking special moss and ferns that seemed isolated from the turbulent energy outside.

A Water Source! And... possibly edible plants!

Ling Ye's heartbeat accelerated, but he didn't rush over immediately. He crouched at the exit of the rock crevice and carefully observed and sensed the entire cave. Except for the sound of dripping water and the slight swaying of the plants by the pool, there was no other movement. The energy field here was relatively stable and gentle, even... carrying a trace of strange, calming, pure natural energy lingering, in stark contrast to the violent turbulence outside.

This was a natural, relatively safe energy "haven"! Although not large, it was enough to accommodate two people, and it had a stable Water Source and a possible food source!

He carefully approached the pool, first cupping a little water in his hands and smelling it; there was no strange odor. He licked it, and the water was clear and sweet, without any weird taste or feeling of energy contamination. He also checked the moss and ferns, used the method taught by Old Shi, took a tiny bit of leaf, crushed it, observed the juice color, smelled the odor, and finally licked a little juice very cautiously, waiting for a moment; there was no adverse reaction.

Preliminary judgment: the water and plants are highly likely usable.

He did not stay long. He quickly filled the water bottle with water and collected a large handful of the fleshy moss and several complete ferns. Then, he exited the cave and returned along the original path.

When he returned to the shallow cave with water and plants, Old Shi could hardly believe its eyes.

"Water... clean water! And... 'still-pool moss' and 'earth-vein ferns'! These are all... rare Purification plants that can survive on the edge of high-energy pollution or chaotic areas! Their juice has the effect of slightly stabilizing energy, soothing the spirit, and even... assisting in resisting low-level contamination! Where... where did you find these?" Old Shi's voice trembled with excitement.

Ling Ye briefly described the situation of the cave. After hearing this, a strong light burst into Old Shi's cloudy eyes.

"That is... a natural energy 'sedimentation pool' or 'Purification node'! Chaotic energy, under specific geological structures, after years of collision, annihilation, and sedimentation, will form this kind of relatively stable and pure small environment! That is an excellent... treasure land for Cultivate and recovery! We... must move there!"

Ling Ye had the same thought. That cave was much safer and more comfortable than this open-air platform, and the resources were relatively abundant.

The two immediately started acting. Ling Ye helped Old Shi, took the remaining belongings, crossed the narrow rock crevice again, and arrived at the hidden cave.

The moment they entered the cave, they both couldn't help but let out a sigh of comfort. There was no maddening energy turbulence noise and tingling sensation from the outside, only the crisp sound of water droplets, moist and fresh air, and that faint natural energy field that made one's spirit peaceful. Although still deep in the canyon, this place seemed like an independent little "oasis" isolated from the violent energy outside.

They immediately made this their new base. Ling Ye cleared out a relatively dry and flat area and laid down the dry moss he could find. Old Shi began to carefully study the plants by the pool, confirming their utility, and instructed Ling Ye on how to properly collect, process, and eat them.

With a stable Water Source and food (although only plants), the two's survival crisis was temporarily resolved. More importantly, this relatively "pure" energy environment provided crucial conditions for their recovery.

Ling Ye could enter "Star Visualization" more deeply, guide the warm current to repair his body, and even try to further explore the rhythm of the "Ancient Ring" mark. He discovered that in this environment, the condensation and operation of the warm current were several times smoother than outside! Moreover, the faint natural energy in the cave seemed to resonate and complement his warm current, accelerating his recovery. After a few days, his injuries were basically healed, his physical strength had recovered by more than 80%, and his Mental Energy had become more condensed and resilient due to the previous confrontation and current nourishment, and his perception and control of energy had also risen to a new level.

Old Shi's recovery was slower, but the trend was good. The weakening of the chaotic energy field's interference made the contamination in its body more "quiet." With Ling Ye's continuous auxiliary guidance and the help of "still-pool moss" juice, although the gray-green patch on its right hand did not disappear, its color seemed to dim and shrink a bit more, and the spread completely stopped. Its mental state was also much better; although still weak, it could already perform some simple thinking and analysis.

Taking advantage of this precious breathing time, Old Shi began to systematically and unreservedly teach Ling Ye everything it knew about "Abyssal Remains", "contamination", the operation of the "Dark Nest", wilderness survival, Energy Perception, simple traps, herbal identification, and even basic geology and astronomy knowledge. Ling Ye was like a dry sponge, crazily absorbing this knowledge and, combined with his own practice, growing rapidly.

At the same time, they used this cave as a base to cautiously and on a small scale explore the surrounding canyon. They discovered more similar, relatively stable energy "micro-environments" and also found many areas where energy was actively active, suspected of having "Abyssal Remains" activity, or hiding ancient dangers, all of which were marked and avoided. They found several rock layers rich in flint and special minerals, supplementing arrows and tool Materials. Ling Ye's archery skills became increasingly proficient while hunting blind cave lizards and fat woodlice that occasionally wandered near the cave, having adapted to the energy environment.

Time, in this isolated, energy-boiling deep canyon, seemed to have lost its meaning. Only the recovery of the body, the accumulation of knowledge, and the familiarity with the environment marked the passing of each day.

They were no longer just desperate fugitives struggling to survive. In this strange and dangerous "shelter", they began to consciously and systematically restore strength, accumulate capital, and prepare for the next step—whether it was exploring deeper into the canyon, finding a way to completely solve Old Shi's contamination, or finding a path to leave the canyon and return to the outside world.

Deep Valley Cultivation, hibernation and growth in a desperate situation. When the storm outside was temporarily isolated, the internal potential was quietly sprouting and growing in this twisted "greenhouse".