135: Chapter 135 Revisiting Qinglong Temple

The steam from the clay pot porridge was still curling up from the table. Hu Jinsi set down his spoon and swept his gaze between Lin Rui and Su Wan. One of them was slumped against the back of his chair rubbing his stomach, while the other was looking down, scrolling through her terminal screen; they both seemed to have recovered their energy.

"What are your plans?" Hu Jinsi asked directly. "Are you planning to rest, look around at the sights in Daibei City, and then head straight back to Wei City? Or do you want to find another dungeon to play through and take the bus back with me on Friday night?"

Su Wan looked up, glanced at Lin Rui first, and then said, "It doesn't matter to me. In [Unparalleled Hulao Pass], I wasn't as tired as those Soldiers. I just stood on the side and sang, staying there for seventy-two hours. The only downside was that the sleep quality wasn't great, but my physical exertion wasn't actually that high."

Lin Rui had just finished the last spoonful of porridge, cleared his throat, and pushed the bowl to the center of the table. "Let's go to a dungeon, but not one that's too intense. The last seventy-two hours were genuinely exhausting for me. If you throw me into a high-intensity dungeon now, I'm afraid my hands will shake."

After hearing their situation, Hu Jinsi nodded. "Alright, then just leave it to me. We'll go to [Temple of the Jade Serpent]. I can solo this dungeon by myself anyway, so you two can just follow me and treat it like sightseeing."

Although he said that, Hu Jinsi didn't set off immediately. He let Lin Rui and Su Wan rest a bit longer to relieve their fatigue. Lin Rui leaned back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, tapping the table rhythmically. Su Wan continued scrolling through her terminal, occasionally looking up at the street view outside the window.

Hu Jinsi logged onto the local professional forum to check if there had been any changes to the [Temple of the Jade Serpent] dungeon recently, or if there were any newly discovered achievements or guides.

He didn't know until he checked, and sure enough, there were new discoveries. During this time, players had dug up methods to achieve two more achievements. Although the rewards were average and they were a bit troublesome to implement, free achievements were not to be passed up.

The previous achievement, [Cleanliness], was definitely out of reach given Lin Rui and Su Wan's speed. But for the two newly discovered achievements, [Aquaphobia] and [Seed of Doubt], Hu Jinsi calculated the difficulty in his mind and decided it shouldn't be a problem.

The condition for [Aquaphobia] was: during the battle with Sage Mari, no one in the party could touch the pool water or be hit by Water Elemental skills. The reward was a 2% Water Elemental resistance.

The condition for [Seed of Doubt] was: during the battle with the Sha of Doubt, it would summon phantoms during the phase transition and four "Seed of Doubt" crystals would appear. Touching them would grant four stacks of the Seed of Doubt debuff, and the party had to kill the Sha of Doubt before the debuff expired. The reward was a Skill Re-roll Ticket.

Hu Jinsi stared at the guide post on the screen, feeling a bit puzzled. Why hadn't he discovered these two achievements when he soloed it back then?

He put his terminal on the table and tapped his fingers lightly against the surface.

For the first one, [Aquaphobia], it required no one to touch the pool water or be hit by Water Elemental skills. Broadly speaking, he hadn't touched the pool water in his previous [Temple of the Jade Serpent] dungeon runs, nor had he been directly hit by Water Elemental skills.

But the problem was that he had been using unarmed attacks the whole time. Whether he was eliminating that small patch of Corrosive Water or attacking Sage Mari, he would more or less come into contact with the pool water on them. That was likely the reason the achievement conditions weren't met.

As for the second one, [Seed of Doubt], that was entirely the fault of speed. When he fought the Sha of Doubt alone, it would only summon a phantom of him. Plus, his mind was completely focused on speed-running at the time, and he had no interest in checking if anything else had appeared besides the phantom, so he had missed it just like that.

But looking at it now, it was fine. The three of them plus the Direwolf Cub made exactly four party members, meeting the minimum requirement to trigger this achievement. He would just let the cub stay safe and keep its wolf life intact on the side, and he would handle the rest himself.

Hu Jinsi scrolled down the post again to confirm the specific operational details of [Seed of Doubt]. The positions of the four crystals were fixed, located at the four corners of the arena. After touching them, the debuff duration was limited, and he needed to kill the Sha of Doubt before the countdown ended. This shouldn't be too difficult given his current damage output.

He put his terminal away and looked up at Lin Rui and Su Wan. Both of them looked like they had recovered enough. Hu Jinsi took them, along with the Dire Wolf waiting impatiently at his feet, and they took public transport in Daibei City to the [Temple of the Jade Serpent] dungeon.

...

[Dungeon: Temple of the Jade Serpent]

[Entry Level: 10-18]

[Recommended Party Size: 1-5 people]

Arriving at the dungeon entrance again, facing the ancient-looking entrance, Hu Jinsi first helped Lin Rui and Su Wan take a few photos at the gate of the [Temple of the Jade Serpent]. The dungeon entrance of the [Temple of the Jade Serpent] was the gate of the [Temple of the Jade Serpent] from World of Warcraft, with upturned eaves, mottled red lacquer, and faded dragon reliefs carved on the lintel. Sunlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, casting dappled light spots on the bluestone steps.

"Stand there and don't move," Hu Jinsi said, holding up the terminal. "Yes, that angle, frame the whole gate behind you."

Lin Rui struck a stiff pose, while Su Wan turned to the side naturally, letting the wind blow a strand of her hair. The Dire Wolf sat between the two, its iron-gray fur shimmering with a soft luster in the light, its tail wagging gently; it looked like a proper group photo of two people and one wolf.

After the photos of the two of them, they took individual photos, and finally, Hu Jinsi asked a kind passerby at the entrance to help take a formal group photo of the three of them plus Xiaoquan Yilang at the dungeon entrance. The Dire Wolf was very cooperative, sitting upright on the bluestone steps, its amber eyes looking straight into the lens, ears pricked straight up, looking just like a well-trained model.

After finishing the photo check-in, the group slowly entered the dungeon.

Passing through the pale green light curtain, the familiar scene unfolded before their eyes. Ancient ginkgo trees, bluestone steps, upturned eaves, and bracket sets—everything was no different from when Hu Jinsi had come months ago. The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, and the distant, faint sound of bells and chimes could be heard.

After entering the dungeon, Hu Jinsi briefly explained the achievements that could now be accomplished in this dungeon. Among them, the [Cleanliness] achievement, which required mobility, was impossible for them; with Lin Rui and Su Wan's agility stats, it was basically hopeless, especially since it involved climbing trees and walking on walls, so the assistance of transportation tools wasn't very meaningful. But the other two were possible.

"For most of the dungeon's process," Hu Jinsi patted his chest, "I can solo it by myself; you two just need to take the Dire Wolf and have fun taking pictures."

For the first achievement, [Aquaphobia], Hu Jinsi's requirement was clear: "When entering the boss fight, Su Wan, cast [Spider Climb] on everyone directly, and hang everyone on the ceiling. Oh, right, don't forget to cast one on the Dire Wolf too, and let it stay on the ceiling with you. I'll handle the rest myself."

"Are you sure?" Lin Rui raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that Sage Mari cast Water Elemental skills?"

"That's why I'm having you hang from the ceiling," Hu Jinsi shrugged. "Don't touch the ground, don't touch the pool water, and the skills won't hit you. I'll keep my distance and finish it with non-contact attacks."

...

In the subsequent dungeon process, although the party nominally had four members, three of them were slacking off for various reasons. Lin Rui and Su Wan held their terminals and took pictures everywhere, from the ancient ginkgo trees to the bluestone steps, from the upturned eaves to the ancient well deep in the courtyard, not missing a single corner. The Dire Wolf followed at their feet, occasionally stopping to sniff the fallen leaves on the ground or chasing after a blue butterfly for half a circle, its iron-gray tail wagging happily.

Hu Jinsi cleared the path in front, long staff in hand, stepping forward to deal with any enemies he encountered. His movements were clean and efficient; the energy from his [Spinning Crane Kick] carved a pale green arc in the air, and the cutting airflow of his [Vacuum Claw] hit every target with precision. Before the mobs could react, they were already torn to shreds by the energy.

Hu Jinsi didn't care about the state of those guys at all; he could have soloed this dungeon months ago, and now it was even easier to handle. Occasionally looking back, those three guys were still wandering slowly behind, looking exactly like they were on a sightseeing tour.

It was also the first time Lin Rui and Su Wan had seen Hu Jinsi's solo dungeon-clearing style up close.

Unlike the style that required coordination with Lin Rui, Hu Jinsi's solo style was more direct. Especially since Hu Jinsi, during the holiday these past few days, had successfully integrated the three specializations—[White Crane Flapping Wings], [Parry], and [Combat Reflexes]—under the pressure of Toguro Younger, making his solo combat much more expressive and tense.

Lin Rui and Su Wan stood on the side, watching Hu Jinsi's figure weave through the enemies, his long staff flying, energy surging. The two couldn't help but whisper to each other.

"Jinsi isn't like this when he fights with us normally," Su Wan whispered, her eyes still fixed on Hu Jinsi's movements. "Look at his positioning; he doesn't need to consider his teammates' positions at all."

"Are we usually holding Jinsi back in dungeons?" Lin Rui rubbed his nose, his tone carrying a bit of uncertainty. "Is he always holding back when he fights with us?"

"I think…" Su Wan paused, "…it probably is."

The first boss fight, the battle against Sage Mari, was fought very effortlessly by Hu Jinsi. Knowing the achievement requirements, this time he deliberately kept his distance from the Corrosive Water and Sage Mari. He didn't even use his ironwood staff to touch the opponent; he used the energy from [Spinning Crane Kick] and the ranged attacks of [Vacuum Claw] throughout the entire fight to finish off the boss.

Sure enough, with the death of Sage Mari, the notification for the achievement appeared in all three of their ears.

[Dungeon Notification]

"Congratulations to Awakened Hu Jinsi, Lin Rui, and Su Wan: during the battle with Sage Mari, no one in the party touched the pool water or was hit by Water Elemental skills."

"The achievement [Aquaphobia] is hereby awarded."

"Achievement Reward: Each party member gains 2% Water Elemental resistance."

A pale blue halo flashed over the three of them, a thin sensation of a water film wrapped around them for a moment, and then dissipated into the air. Hu Jinsi opened his status panel to confirm, and the Water Elemental resistance column had indeed increased by 2%.

What's even more rare—perhaps because it had been a long time since anyone visited this dungeon, or maybe because most of the team members were here for the first time—was that Sage Mari actually dropped loot.

And it was a wooden staff and a skill stone, no less.

[Sage Mari's Semi-Cracked Water Staff]

[Type: Wooden Staff / Simple Weapon]

[Attack Bonus: Treated as a +1 Wooden Staff]

[Purify: 3 times per day: Can purify food/water, equivalent to a 21st-level caster. If used to purify liquid contaminated by Sha energy or fel energy, the purification check is slightly increased (+2).]

[Wading Adaptation: 1 time per day: Water Walking/Water Breathing, equivalent to a 16th-level caster.]

[Fracture Flaw: Because the water core at the head of the staff is cracked, there is a high probability of damage when this weapon is used in combat. Furthermore, while held, it slightly weakens Will saving throws against Sha energy/Void/evil otherworldly creatures (-1).]

[Item Description: A yew wood staff body, wrapped in withered, emerald-green water vines. The head of the staff is embedded with a cracked spherical water core, which is still slowly seeping out clear water droplets. That is the remnant of the Jade Serpent's blessing. The crack was left behind when its owner, Sage Mari, was forced to channel corrupted, tainted water.]

---

[Skill Stone: Purifying Water]

[Effect: Upon use, learn the skill Purifying Water, or integrate its properties into other similar skills.]

[Purifying Water: Consumes 1 point of Chi, you channel a stream of pure Jade Serpent water, shooting it toward a target/area. This water has no physical impact, but it will cleanse temporary negative energy from the target (poison, curse, fear, etc.), reducing its duration or having a chance to dispel it.]

---

Seeing these two drops, Hu Jinsi waved at the people on the ceiling: "Come down, the loot is out."

Lin Rui and Su Wan jumped down from the ceiling, and the Dire Wolf also leaped down, its iron-gray figure tracing an arc in the air before landing steadily. The group gathered around, looking at the two items in Hu Jinsi's hands.

Hu Jinsi first tossed [Sage Mari's Semi-Cracked Water Staff] to Su Wan: "I have a short-term water walking ability, so I don't need this. You and Lin Rui see who needs it. If neither of you needs it, we'll sell it once we leave the dungeon."

He paused and added: "Although this thing has two positive special effects, that single negative special effect is too disgusting. I personally suggest there's no need to carry such a high-risk item."

Su Wan took the wooden staff, weighed it in her hand, then passed it to Lin Rui and shook her head: "It's not very useful for me. Once-a-day water walking or water breathing can't satisfy the team's overall needs; it can only be used by a single person. If Lin Rui doesn't want it, let's sell it."

Lin Rui took the wooden staff and carefully examined the cracked water core at the head. Clear water droplets were slowly seeping out from the crack, refracting tiny light spots in the air. He shook his head: "I don't want it either. The Soldier class doesn't rely much on this kind of functional staff, and that Fracture Flaw... -1 to Will saving throws when fighting Sha energy creatures is just too fatal."

Hu Jinsi nodded, put the wooden staff back into his backpack, and prepared to list it on the trading platform after leaving the dungeon.

Then he showed Su Wan the skill stone [Skill Stone: Purifying Water]: "See if this can be converted into a suitable Bard spell. If you need it, I'll give it to you; if you don't, I'll use it to strengthen my other abilities."

Su Wan took the skill stone, and when her fingertips touched the stone's surface, a pale cyan light shone from inside it. She closed her eyes and felt it for a while, then opened her eyes and shook her head: "The Bard version of the spell is displayed as Rank 3, and my level is too low to learn it yet. Since I can't use it in the short term, Jinsi, you take it and learn it first. After all, once you learn it, you can gain a strengthening effect, which will also be helpful to our team."

After hearing Su Wan's words, Hu Jinsi didn't hesitate anymore. He took the [Skill Stone: Purifying Water] and hesitated for a moment: should he use it to strengthen [Vivify] or [Renewing Mist]?

[Vivify] is a single-target instant heal, very useful for saving the day in emergencies. If strengthened, it might gain a dispel effect for negative states, which could be life-saving at critical moments. But [Renewing Mist] is a continuous heal with a wide coverage; although the healing amount per tick isn't high, it wins in frequency.

He pondered for a while, considering the synergy between the skills. Water and mist are related after all, so integrating Purifying Water into [Renewing Mist] is logically more consistent. Moreover, what the team lacks most right now isn't burst healing, but a means to deal with negative states.

The skill stone turned into a clear stream in his palm and merged into Hu Jinsi's body. He felt a cool energy flowing through his meridians, finally converging on the skill node of [Renewing Mist]. A prompt sounded in his mind, and the skill strengthening was complete.

The strengthened [Renewing Mist] gained a trait: [Purify].

[Purify: Your Renewing Mist contains the power of the Jade Serpent's water. Each tick of Renewing Mist will weaken temporary negative energy on the target (poison, curse, fear, etc.), specifically by reducing its duration or intensity, and there is a very small chance to dispel it directly.]

After seeing the new effect, Hu Jinsi shared it with the other team members. Su Wan was very satisfied after seeing the new skill effect: "This is good! Although the effect isn't as powerful as the original skill's direct dispel, at least it retains the core effect."

She counted on her fingers and said: "The team really has no way to deal with negative states like curses right now. Now that you have this ability, we can at least slowly grind them away with [Renewing Mist], tick by tick."

Hu Jinsi nodded, feeling the newly added cool energy in his body. Although the trigger condition for the very small chance of direct purification was harsh, at least their team now had a means to deal with negative states and was no longer at a complete loss.

He went over the new effect of [Renewing Mist] in his mind and imagined the application scenarios in actual combat. If a teammate was poisoned or cursed, he could first apply [Renewing Mist] to slowly weaken the duration of the negative effect while providing continuous healing. Although it couldn't solve the problem instantly, at least there was a means to respond, and they were no longer completely passively taking a beating.

After distributing the items, Lin Rui quickly shifted the topic to what he was interested in. He leaned closer to Hu Jinsi and asked in a low voice: "Jinsi, have you been hiding your true strength while with us?"

He pointed in the direction of the boss fight earlier: "Why is it that in this dungeon, your entire combat style and method have changed so much? If it weren't for your way of speaking and small mannerisms remaining unchanged, I would have thought you were possessed."

Hu Jinsi pushed away Lin Rui's joking, wandering hand and said very formally: "Most of this is thanks to my gains in the [Dark Martial Arts Tournament] dungeon."

He paused and organized his thoughts: "Just like your gains in [Unparalleled Hulao Pass], my gains in the [Dark Martial Arts Tournament] were also quite significant. It's just that you two were too exhausted at noon, so I didn't get a chance to tell you."

Hu Jinsi signaled for the two to find a place to sit, and the Dire Wolf also lay down nearby, its ears pricked up, seemingly listening to them talk.

"After we leave the Temple of the Jade Serpent, you two can also look up information about the [Dark Martial Arts Tournament] dungeon. Anyway, I suggest that in the remaining time in Daibei City, we can go once, and let you two experience it too. Although it's possible we won't be able to finish it, we can fight as much as we can."

He emphasized his tone: "After all, most of the competitions in there are one-on-one, and it's really great for training. There are all kinds of enemies, especially one enemy inside called Toguro Younger; although under the suppression of the dungeon entry level, his projection only has a 20th-level energy level, the combat skills he has accumulated are definitely hard to achieve without thirty or forty years of effort."

Hu Jinsi recalled that nearly two-hour tug-of-war battle, his fingers unconsciously clenching: "It was under his sustained pressure that I completed the integration and transformation of a part of my own combat abilities."

He turned to look at Lin Rui: "Although I don't know if he would be helpful to Su Wan, I am absolutely certain that he will be 100% helpful to you. However, you need to be mentally prepared; there's a high probability you won't be able to beat him."

After hearing Hu Jinsi's words, Lin Rui instantly became interested. Although he didn't think he couldn't beat an enemy that Hu Jinsi could, Hu Jinsi's words clearly stirred his competitive spirit. He quickly said: "Then let's hurry up and finish the process of this Temple of the Jade Serpent, so I can go out and check the relevant information."

Hu Jinsi glanced at him with disdain: "Now you don't feel tired or exhausted anymore? Who was it that didn't even want to move ten minutes ago?"

Lin Rui replied shamelessly: "I didn't have any motivation before, did I? But after entering this Temple of the Jade Serpent, looking at the carved beams and painted rafters, the birds singing and flowers smelling fragrant, I immediately felt my mood was cultivated, my energy came back all of a sudden, and doesn't that mean I have both strength and motivation now?"

He stood up and brushed the dust off his pants: "Come, come, don't say brother isn't helping you; let's take on the subsequent enemies and a few bosses together."

Su Wan couldn't help but laugh from the side: "Your energy recovers really fast, even more effective than drinking a stamina potion."

"Of course," Lin Rui said righteously, "Environment changes people, understand? The feng shui of this Temple of the Jade Serpent is nourishing."

Although Hu Jinsi despised Lin Rui's face, why not let someone help him fight? Plus, the second and third bosses of this dungeon were originally just pure mechanic-type bosses, and the difficulty wasn't too high, so with their help, they could fight faster.

He stood up and walked towards the depths of the dungeon. The Dire Wolf trotted to keep up, its iron-gray tail swaying gently behind it. Lin Rui and Su Wan also packed up their things and followed.