Pure Blood Guard

The white light faded, and the scenery slowly came into focus.

Before him stretched a dark, gloomy plain shrouded in hazy mist. Visibility was poor, and the rolling outlines of distant mountains could vaguely be seen, like the backs of giant beasts.

The Dead Bone Mountain Range was vast. Even for an Awakened, crossing the entire map on foot would take several days.

Bai Pu opened his map—this was one difference between the Intersection Lands and the Spirit Realm Plane: Awakened could bring real-world items inside.

Taking advantage of this, the military had set up rest camps throughout the Dead Bone Mountain Range. Every camp's location was marked on Bai Pu's map.

"My current location should be called the Black Plain."

Bai Pu looked ahead. "The map marks the dangerous areas and forbidden zones of the Dead Bone Mountain Range, along with the recommended exploration levels for each region. Level 1 Awakened are recommended for the outer regions, Level 2 for the central regions, and Level 3 for the deepest areas..."

The reason for such clearly divided danger levels was the differing concentrations of Spirit Energy Particles in the Dead Bone Mountain Range. They were sparse in the outer regions, denser in the central regions, and strongest in the deepest areas, especially several dangerous zones.

If Spirit Realm creatures were fish, then the concentration of Spirit Energy Particles was their nourishment. They instinctively wanted to gather in areas with the highest concentrations, but Spirit Realm creatures also possessed territorial instincts. Only the strong were qualified to occupy the richest areas, and so on.

Of course, this was not an online game. Unexpected situations could arise sometimes, and monsters from the deepest areas could occasionally wander into the central regions or even the outskirts.

Ahead, a Rotten Bone Skeleton dragged a rusty scimitar as it staggered about, unaware of Bai Pu.

Bai Pu stepped forward and swung his bone hammer, smashing the Rotten Bone Skeleton to death in just a few blows.

Monsters in the Intersection Lands did not drop treasure chests, but Awakened could loot their corpses and strip the equipment from them!

Of course, such equipment was unsealed. Awakened could not complete the Spirit Energy Particle resonance process, so they could not use it normally and could only treat it as a firewood stick.

Bai Pu bent down and picked up the Rotten Bone Skeleton's rusty scimitar.

Rusty Scimitar (Unsealed)

Quality: Crude (Gray)

Equipment Slot: One-Handed

Equipment Requirement: Basic Strength 3

Attributes: Attack Power 1–2

Additional Skill: Fragile: Equipment durability decreases more easily.

Durability: 9/20

Description: This scimitar is severely rusted. Only the ignorant would consider it a reliable weapon.

At the same time, Bai Pu received a notification from the Spirit Realm Will: This equipment had not yet been sealed and could not undergo Spirit Energy Particle resonance.

Although Bai Pu could hold the scimitar, its additional attributes would not take effect.

Still, equipment looted in the Intersection Lands could be collected and sold in bulk to discarded equipment recycling companies. After dismantling and smelting them, those companies could convert them into spirit-energy metal materials.

If he was lucky enough to loot exceptional equipment from a powerful monster, he could spend a drop of Beeswax to seal it a second time. Once sealed, the equipment could be used by an Awakened.

Naturally, Beeswax came in different grades. High-grade Golden Beeswax was extremely valuable, no cheaper than a piece of Golden Equipment itself. Whether secondary sealing was worthwhile depended on the circumstances.

Bai Pu tossed the gray scimitar into his storage space and continued onward, soon discovering several more Rotten Bone Skeletons.

The Virtual Dungeon White Bone Dungeon that he had previously explored had been designed based on the Intersection Lands portion of the Dead Bone Mountain Range. The monsters that appeared in the White Bone Dungeon—such as Rotten Bone Skeletons, Skeleton Soldiers, and Undead Bone Mages—were all monster types that existed in the Dead Bone Mountain Range.

The first, second, and third floors of the White Bone Dungeon had likewise been designed after the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 regions of the Dead Bone Mountain Range.

There was one crucial difference between the two: the White Bone Dungeon was a Virtual Dungeon. It could only train Combat Expertise and skill proficiency; it granted neither class experience nor loot. The Dead Bone Mountain Range, on the other hand, was a true Intersection Lands zone where one could gain precious class experience—meaning leveling up—and loot equipment and materials.

After walking across the Black Plain for several hours, Bai Pu entered the Level 2 region, the middle section of the Dead Bone Mountain Range.

It was a relatively open valley called Black Mist Valley on the map.

Bai Pu first located the camp in Black Mist Valley. It was a bunker established by the military.

To prevent their camps from being damaged by newly spawned monster hordes while the Intersection Lands were closed, the military deliberately dug downward when establishing camps and designed them as bunkers.

Bai Pu entered the bunker to inspect it. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, as though no one had used it for a very, very long time.

During the three-month closure period in the real world, no Awakened had been present in the Dead Bone Mountain Range. With time flowing faster here, several years had likely passed.

The bunker was empty, containing only simple furnishings such as camp beds and small square tables, all made of stainless steel. Though crude, it was sufficient as a temporary camp for resting. The bunker was well concealed, so there was no need to worry about wandering monsters discovering it.

Although an Awakened could go several days without sleep without affecting combat strength, when Spirit Energy was depleted, it was difficult to recover without a proper night's rest. Having somewhere to rest was necessary.

Bai Pu took the key, turned, and stepped out of the bunker, locking its iron door behind him.

For the time being, this bunker belonged to Bai Pu.

The military did not permit Awakened to damage public facilities, and violators faced severe punishment. Therefore, the iron door could, to some extent, prevent other Awakened from slipping in while he was away.

"Black Mist Valley has quite a lot of monsters gathered here, mostly Level 1 and Level 2. It's perfect for my training."

Bai Pu strode forward with a handful of pebbles clenched in his hand. Whenever he saw the vague silhouette of a monster in the black mist, he tossed a pebble over to lure it in.

After learning Whirling Throw, Bai Pu had gained considerable accuracy even when throwing pebbles without activating the skill. That was the change combat skills brought to Awakened.

Soon, a group of skeletal monsters was following behind Bai Pu. Most were ordinary Skeleton Soldiers, accompanied by two Skeleton Warriors.

Keratinous Skin, activate! Flesh Armor, activate!

Threads of crimson energy peeled away from the surrounding monsters and adhered to Bai Pu's body, forming a blood-red shield.

Two minutes later, all the Skeleton Soldiers were dead, and the two Skeleton Warriors were both at low health.

After killing one Skeleton Warrior, Bai Pu beat the other into a near-death state. It knelt on the ground, bracing itself with its greatsword, waiting for time to pass and restore its Health Points.

Bai Pu extended a finger, and a drop of deep crimson blood seeped from his fingertip.

Pure Blood Guard!

Smack.

The drop of Pure Blood fell onto the Skeleton Warrior's head, swiftly soaking into its cranial bones and spreading throughout its body.

The remaining soul fire in the Skeleton Warrior's eye sockets trembled violently, as though it were struggling against its will.

A few seconds later, it rose to its feet and stood solemnly beside Bai Pu, dragging its greatsword.

Bai Pu received a notification that he had gained 2 Life Source. Including the Skeleton Warrior he had just killed, he had gained a total of 4 Life Source, raising his total to 83/100.

Bai Pu allocated all 7 free attribute points granted by Pure Blood to the Skeleton Warrior's Strength.

Crack!

A burst of bone-cracking sounds rang out. The Skeleton Warrior's bones enlarged and thickened all over, while the soul fire in its eye sockets became even more intense.