136: Crimson Flame Roc

When the gong signaling the end of the second round of the Martial Examination echoed, the setting sun had already sunk to the edge of the western mountains, dyeing the Drill Ground in a wash of golden red.

After two consecutive days of high-intensity competition, even though Chen Linsheng possessed a robust Foundation and abundant Qi and blood, his mind could not help but feel a trace of exhaustion.

It was not physical fatigue, but rather a mental weariness accumulated from maintaining a high level of focus for a long time and dealing with various sudden trials.

He did not return to the martial arts hall with Lei Hao and the others to celebrate, nor did he accept Yu Linfeng's invitation for a "small gathering and a light drink." He simply instructed Shi Poyue to report to the Hall Master on his behalf that he was safe, then left the bustling Drill Ground alone.

Walking through the long streets where lanterns were gradually being lit and avoiding the densely populated markets, Chen Linsheng did not stop, heading straight toward the south of the city.

The Jiuqu River carved out a massive river bend in the southern suburbs of the prefecture capital. The current here was relatively gentle, with reeds growing thick along both banks; usually, apart from a few scattered fishing boats, few people visited. Now that twilight had fallen, it was even more silent and deserted, save for the rhythmic splashing of the river against the shore and the faint clamor from the distant prefecture capital, diluted by the night wind.

Chen Linsheng stopped beside a patch of reeds.

He shed his outer robe, shoes, and socks, wearing only a form-fitting diving suit. He rolled up his clothes and stuffed them into a waterproof leather pouch, hiding it deep within the reeds. After finishing this, he stood by the shore for a moment in silence.

The river breeze brushed his face with moisture, blowing away the residual heat and the scent of gunpowder from the Drill Ground.

He slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, and his mind gradually settled into a state of calm.

In the next moment, he leaped into the river.

The early autumn river water already carried a chill, but it was no hindrance to him. The moment he entered the water, the Realm of Aptitude for Water Perfection activated naturally; his pores opened throughout his body, as if establishing a mysterious connection with the current.

He was in no hurry to dive. Instead, he lay flat a few feet below the surface, allowing the river current to buoy his body as he drifted gently with the waves.

The Mind-Cultivation Technique of the White Crane Wind and Cloud Song circulated quietly, but it carried no hint of murderous intent, leaving only the carefree essence of a crane soaring through the clouds.

The agility of the Spirit Monkey Hundred Changes settled down, transforming into a natural rhythm synchronized with the flow of the water.

Gradually, he activated the special Divine Effect he had obtained after reaching Aptitude for Water Perfection—

Jade Wave Stealth.

This was not some profound escape technique, but rather an extreme application of the properties of water.

His entire aura was completely internalized; the flow of his Qi and blood became slow and steady. His skin seemed to be covered by a layer of flowing water film, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding river.

His figure began to blur in the water, his silhouette melting and his colors fading. Finally, he appeared like a transparent, slightly distorted watery shadow, suspended quietly in the river. Unless one observed with intense focus at close range, it was almost impossible to detect his presence.

Complete relaxation.

His mind, like threads of silk, withdrew from his tense physical shell, spreading and flowing soothingly with the vast river current.

The drumming, shouting, clashing of blades, and the roars of Yao Beasts on the Drill Ground... those noisy sounds gradually drifted away. Yan Chen’s burning hostility, Eunuch Cao’s scrutinizing gaze, and his teammates' trusting or complex looks... those invisible pressures also slowly dissolved.

There was only the eternal flow of the river, washing over the riverbed and smoothing away all traces.

He "floated" quietly like this for about half an hour.

Fatigue receded like the tide, and his mind returned to a state of clarity and transparency, even more condensed and pure than before he entered the water.

One hidden benefit of the robust Hunyuan Martial Dao Foundation was that his recovery power far exceeded that of ordinary people. Not only could physical injuries be healed, but even mental exhaustion could be quickly replenished after deep relaxation.

Just as he was preparing to end this "hydrotherapy" and return to the shore, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint flash of light somewhere at the bottom of the river from the corner of his eye.

That light was extremely weak, almost undetectable at the dark bottom of the river. Had his mind not been empty and clear, his perception magnified to the limit by the water, and his sensitivity to light changes heightened by his Jade Wave Stealth state, he probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Chen Linsheng's heart stirred slightly.

He restrained his aura and, like a true current of water, quietly dove down.

The water was about five zhang deep here, and the light was very dim. The riverbed was covered in thick silt and fine sand, interspersed with pebbles smoothed by the current. Aquatic plants were sparse, and a few small fish scurried away as if startled.

The faint light came from a crevice in the rocks formed by years of undercurrent erosion.

The crevice was embedded in the side of a massive blue-black rock on the riverbed, less than a foot wide and bottomless. At this moment, several objects about the length of a palm were exposed in the silt at the mouth of the crevice.

Chen Linsheng manipulated the water to approach and stopped in front of the crevice.

After seeing those objects clearly, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

They were several feathers.

The feathers were crimson, but at the base and the tips, a faint golden luster flowed. Even at the dark bottom of the river, they possessed a noble and mysterious beauty. Their form was slender and elegant, with neatly arranged barbs; even after being soaked in the river water, they showed no signs of disarray or damage.

But the most unusual thing was that they lay quietly in the silt at the bottom of the river instead of floating up as common sense would dictate.

Feathers are light in texture and should float when they hit water. This was common knowledge.

Yet, these crimson-gold feathers before his eyes defied that common knowledge.

A strong sense of curiosity rose in Chen Linsheng's heart.

He did not act rashly. Instead, he first used his Tracking Perfection perception to carefully probe the surroundings.

The current, silt, rocks, and aquatic plants... there was no unusual aura, nor were there any lurking dangerous creatures.

The depths of the crevice were dark, and his perception was blocked after probing a few feet in, but at least the vicinity of the entrance was safe.

Only then did he reach out, his fingertips moving slowly and steadily toward one of the feathers.

The touch was icy—this was the temperature of the river water. But in the next moment, the instant his fingertips actually made contact with the feather itself, a gentle warmth was transmitted through his skin, forming a sharp contrast with the cold surrounding river water!

What shocked him even more was—the weight!

This seemingly light feather was actually heavy beyond imagination!

Chen Linsheng's single-arm strength, when fully unleashed, far exceeded a thousand jin. Even in a normal state, lifting five or six hundred jin was as easy as picking up a blade of grass.

Yet now, as he picked up this feather that was no longer than a palm, he actually felt a distinct strain, as if he were lifting a piece of pig iron of the same volume!

He carefully cradled the feather in his palm and brought it close to his eyes for a closer look.

The feather trembled slightly in his palm, and the layer of crimson-gold luster on its surface flowed slowly like a living thing, forming extremely subtle and mysteriously difficult-to-describe patterns. Up close, he could even feel that gentle warmth continuously radiating out, even showing a faint tendency to disperse the chill of the surrounding river water.

"This object... is definitely not ordinary." A warning bell rang softly in Chen Linsheng's heart.

He immediately thought of the White Lotus Sect's strangeness, the surging undercurrents in the prefecture capital, and the various warnings from Ling Feng and White Feather before the Martial Examination.

Any object that defied common sense appearing during this sensitive period required extreme caution.

He did not greedily take all the feathers. Instead, he cautiously placed the one in his hand back in its original spot, trying his best to match its original orientation and position without disturbing the surrounding silt.

Then, using his extraordinary memory, he deeply imprinted the number of feathers (five in total), their spacing, the angles they pointed, and even the shapes and positions of several nearby pebbles into his mind.

Having done all this, he stayed no longer. His figure, like a silent watery shadow, floated lightly toward the surface.

When he broke through the surface, night had completely fallen. The crescent moon was like a hook, stars were sparse, and the river surface was shrouded in hazy night and mist.

Chen Linsheng returned to where he had hidden his clothes and quickly changed into dry ones. The diving suit woven from Ice Silkworm Silk shed water extremely quickly; with a slight circulation of his Qi and blood, most of the moisture was steamed dry. He rolled up the diving suit and stuffed it into the leather pouch, then slung the pouch over his back, finally looking back at the calm river surface.

Under the moonlight, the river water was dark and deep. The crevice at the bottom of the river that hid the mysterious feathers had long since disappeared into the profound darkness.

But he knew that he had discovered something extraordinary.

Instead of going directly back to Yuqian Lane, Chen Linsheng took a detour to a bookstore in the east of the city that had not yet closed.

This "Ink Fragrance Study" was not large, but the shopkeeper was an old scholar, and the collection of various miscellaneous books and strange tales was quite rich. When Chen Linsheng was preparing for the literary portion of the Martial Examination, he had purchased the nine meanders prefecture hundred herbs illustrated guide and the supplementary Records of Strange Beasts here. At the time, he only felt they covered a wide range of topics, but now they might prove useful.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to use a lamp to look up some old books." Chen Linsheng handed over a small piece of broken silver.

The shopkeeper recognized this young Martial Artist who had recently been in the spotlight and did not dare to be negligent. He hurriedly led him to a Quiet Room in the back, lit an oil lamp, and served hot tea before withdrawing.

The doors and windows of the Quiet Room were tightly shut, and the lamp flame was like a small bean.

Chen Linsheng took out the two book volumes he had already flipped through several times from his robes—

The nine meanders prefecture hundred herbs illustrated guide was detailed and had exquisite illustrations; the Records of Strange Beasts focused more on strange anecdotes and characteristic descriptions, with slightly messy brushwork but extremely broad coverage.

He first quickly flipped through the Hundred Herbs Illustrated Guide, focusing on chapters recording special minerals, exotic plants, and even strange feathers.

The book mentioned several types of rare bird feathers, such as "Seven-Colored Peacock Plumes," "Ice Goose Down," and "Thunder Eagle Steel Feathers." None were ordinary, but whether it was the color, the description of their properties, or the illustrations, they were all far removed from the crimson-gold feathers he had seen at the bottom of the river.

He put down the illustrated guide and picked up the Records of Strange Beasts.

This book was organized rather chaotically. He patiently searched the table of contents for entries that might be related to keywords like "crimson," "gold," "feather," "heavy," and "warm."

He flipped through page after page.

"Southern Wasteland Fire Sparrow: feathers are crimson, temper is fierce, its feathers can start fires..."

"Western Regions Golden Eagle: plumes are like gold and iron, matchlessly sharp..."

"Northern Lands Snowy Owl: down feathers are extremely light, a treasure for resisting cold..."

"Eastern Sea Qingluan: rumor has it that its feathers..."

None of them were it.

Chen Linsheng's brow furrowed slightly as he continued flipping toward the back. He was more than halfway through the book, yet there was still no clue.

Just as he was about to close the book and think of another way, a page his fingertips flipped over revealed an extremely blurry ink-line illustration in the corner that suddenly caught his eye!

The illustration was so messy it was almost unrecognizable; one could only make out the profile of a giant bird with its wings spread. The bird's feathers seemed to have been decorated with light cinnabar, but because it was old, the cinnabar had faded, leaving only a few dark red traces. The text beside it was even smaller than fly heads, and the ink had smudged.

Chen Linsheng's heart tightened. He moved the oil lamp closer, almost pressing it against the page, and focused his vision to distinguish the details.

Beside the illustration was a fragment of an incomplete record:

"...Yuan Spirit Rank Yao Beast, wing feathers are crimson-gold, heavy as profound iron, containing the essence of fire spirits. They do not float in water and do not burn in fire. Their nests are mostly built in... dangerous places where extreme Yang or Earth Fire converge... their nature is haughty, their eyesight is divine, and they soar for ten thousand li... their feathers... are excellent base materials for forging fire-attribute Spirit Weapons, and can also be used in medicine, but they are extremely difficult to obtain and are rarely seen in a hundred years..."

The handwriting that followed was completely blurred and unrecognizable.

But the information revealed in this fragmented text was enough to make Chen Linsheng's breathing hitch and his pupils contract.

A Yuan Spirit Rank Yao Beast!

Heavy as profound iron! Does not float in water! Contains the essence of fire spirits!

Every single characteristic matched the feathers at the bottom of the river perfectly!

He suppressed the shock in his heart and stared intently at the very beginning of that record, at the blurry, water-stained title. With the help of the lamplight, he exerted his full visual power and vaguely made out the outlines of four characters—

Crimson, Flame, Great, Peng.

Crimson Flame Great Peng!