Traces of Demi-humans

Two lines of footprints were imprinted on the muddy ground, all resembling the plum blossom shape of canine tracks.

However, these two lines of footprints were vastly different in size, and the strides they took were also completely distinct.

The line of small footprints clearly belonged to some four-legged beast, like a wolfhound running; while the massive footprints beside it, with their large strides and steady form, exuded an extraordinary aura—more like the imprints left by some tall demi-human that could walk upright.

According to Chen Yu's guess, this type of demi-human was very likely a native creature of Zeyarila.

"The footprints are clear... they must have passed by this morning, heading to investigate the abnormal movements in the forest last night?"

Thinking of this, Chen Yu felt a faint excitement, like a castaway who had been stranded on a deserted island for years suddenly spotting unfamiliar footprints on the beach, his heart surging with the joy of impending contact with civilization.

However, he did not let down his guard because of this.

After all, he was just a slime now. Even if they were real humans, they might not be kind to him, a wiggling, amorphous monster, so how could he expect kindness from demi-humans of unknown identity and unpredictable form?

But since demi-humans existed, the world outside the swamp forest might be even more lively than he imagined.

Dragons and magic, humans and towers... those were worlds of fantasy, completely different from Xuxuantian, a fantastical world.

He really wanted to go out and see.

He wondered what was outside the swamp forest, and if there were any delicious monsters...

Chen Yu let his imagination wander for a while before collecting his thoughts.

He was still too weak now. He couldn't even defeat the Stinger Bees blocking his doorstep, let alone go out.

As for the demi-humans, he didn't need to worry too much. There were plenty of slimes like him in this swamp forest. As long as he didn't rashly expose his intelligence, these foreign demi-humans would have little interest in him.

After all, a weak monster like a slime could be crushed with a single step; no one would care.

He quietly half-submerged himself in the swamp, not even hunting moss worms, waiting for the demi-humans who had ventured deep into the forest to return, preparing to catch a glimpse of these strange neighbors.

Unfortunately, Chen Yu waited until the afternoon, and no one returned. The Stinger Bees overhead, however, were quite annoying. They attacked him as soon as they saw him floating on the water, treating him as an enemy.

He eventually felt a bit bored. After secretly stealing a few stingers from his good neighbors, the Stinger Bees, he snuck back to his nest to rest.

Xuxuantian.

Chen Yu got up from his wooden bed, ate lunch, and satisfied his rumbling stomach.

Threads of warmth, carrying spiritual energy from the grains, flowed into his Dantian, making him squint comfortably.

After Devour and Digest was upgraded to Lv.2, his appetite was larger than before, and his cultivation speed was faster.

He wondered if it was a good thing.

Whatever.

Being able to eat was a blessing.

Actually, it wouldn't be bad to spend some time in the Enforcement Hall's solitary confinement, where they even provided meals...

Chen Yu slung the Rosewood Sword onto his back, pushed open the door of his thatched cottage, patted the bulging pouch on his chest, and walked towards North Peak.

He planned to visit Nanqiao Market to browse the stalls selling Daoist Arts.

The range of his Object Manipulation Technique was too small; it couldn't reach the Stinger Bees at all. He needed a Daoist Art that specifically countered Stinger Bees.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Yu walked past the Nanqiao Market Bridge Gate. Unlike the Green Bamboo Forest, a clamor and liveliness surged from all directions.

He wandered around, picking up items that caught his eye and asking for prices. After browsing for a while, he arrived at the stall where he had previously purchased his Object Manipulation Technique.

"Yo, Junior Brother, looking to exchange some Dao Vouchers?"

Behind the stall, the cultivator with a thin mustache rubbed his hands subconsciously as soon as he saw a potential customer. His face had high cheekbones and narrow eyes, giving him a naturally sharp and calculating appearance.

Though he looked mean-spirited, he was indeed so.

Last time, he haggled for half a day before agreeing to lower the price for the "Object Manipulation Art" scroll he bought. He could talk about the quality of Spirit Stones purchased from the sect, and then go on to recount his tragic past, like losing his mother at three and being chased by wild dogs at five.

He was quite an oddity.

However, the Daoist Arts he sold were all items he'd found elsewhere. Although they were all scraps, they were genuinely cheap.

They were easy to learn, and their power was sufficient, more than enough to deal with Stinger Bees.

"I'll pass on the Dao Vouchers for now. I'm here to see what Daoist Arts you have," he said.

Dao Vouchers, as they were called, were actually contribution points circulated within the Three Origins Sect. They could only be obtained by accepting sect missions and holding sect positions.

Within the sect, they were equivalent to Spirit Stones in value. When trading with fellow disciples, one Spirit Stone could almost be exchanged for one Dao Voucher. They had many uses, such as exchanging for precious Cultivation Methods in the library and expensive Pills in the Pill Tower.

Disciples like Chen Yu, who stayed in the sect to live off the fat of the land and made no effort to improve, naturally had no Dao Vouchers.

Of course, he didn't need overly expensive Cultivation Methods or Daoist Arts either.

"Hiss... what a familiar voice."

Upon hearing Chen Yu's voice, the mustache cultivator felt a sense of familiarity. He leaned closer, squinted, and his expression immediately changed. He waved his hand as if to shoo him away.

"What, it's you again, kid? Last time you haggled over the Object Manipulation Technique that cost two Spirit Stones. Go on, get out, I'm not selling to you."

Chen Yu took out the pouch on his chest and jiggled it. "That would be a shame. I was actually thinking of not haggling this time."

"Huh?" The mustache cultivator showed a look of surprise. "You're not trying to trick me with stones, are you?"

"Senior Brother, disciples of the Three Origins Sect do not deceive disciples of the Three Origins Sect."

"Tsk."

The Rat Whiskers cultivator shook his head dismissively. He scoffed at Chen Yu's words, but the Spirit Stones in the pouch made his heart flutter.

"Go on, what do you want to buy this time?"

"To be frank, there's a bee nest in my backyard, and I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of them, but it's too high, and I can't reach it."

The Rat Whiskers cultivator tutted in surprise, reminiscing with a sigh, "Cultivators these days are so pampered, they don't even know how to climb trees. When I was three, I could climb trees to get bird eggs, and at four, I walked over ten kilometers to learn from the Master in the mountains..."

Seeing that he was about to launch into another endless story, Chen Yu interrupted, "Senior Brother, you're a vendor, not a storyteller at the Delicacy Tower. Be professional."

He grunted, "I was just speaking my mind. If you don't want to listen, I don't want to talk either."

The man bent down and rummaged through the bamboo basket for a while before finally handing out a tattered book.

Chen Yu picked it up and saw, "Water Arrow Technique?"

"Isn't that a Daoist Art for later-stage cultivators?"

The Rat Whiskers cultivator coughed lightly, "That's right, so this is Water Arrow Technique's son, Lesser Arrow Technique."

"Daoist Arts can reproduce?"

"Not exactly, it's just that this Lesser Arrow Technique was accidentally developed by an early-stage cultivator who then secretly sold it to me for eight Spirit Stones."

"Although its power is reduced by ninety percent compared to Water Arrow Technique, its attack range remains the same. If cultivated to great mastery, it can pick out every single earthworm in the ground, let alone a beehive in a tree."

"Since you're a familiar face, Junior Brother, I'll sell it to you for nine Spirit Stones."

Chen Yu naturally didn't believe his nonsense, but honestly, nine Spirit Stones wasn't a high price for a Daoist Art.

"Here, take it."

He cheerfully poured out nine Spirit Stones. This time, he didn't haggle.

The Rat Whiskers cultivator took the Spirit Stones and counted them. His gaze became suspicious. Chen Yu's quick agreement made him uneasy.

"Did the sun rise in the west today?"

"Junior Brother, are you alright?"

Chen Yu pointed at his bamboo Hundred Treasures Basket.

"I haven't finished speaking."

"Remember the Maze Formation Diagram and Sound Transmission Technique you mentioned last time? Buy one, get two free for me."

"Maze Formation Diagram? Sound Transmission Technique?"

"No problem, no problem."

The Rat Whiskers cultivator was so happy he couldn't close his mouth. Those two useless items were worth at most two or three Spirit Stones, and even giving them away as a bonus meant he'd still profit.

First, the Maze Formation Diagram was an amateur formation that any cultivator with a basic understanding of formation principles could easily break.

The so-called Sound Transmission Technique only worked with physical contact and could be useful in certain situations, but it was also a common item in the cultivation world.

The man, afraid Chen Yu would change his mind, quickly bent down and took out the formation diagram and the book, brushed off the dust, and handed them to him.

He still couldn't help but mutter, "What are you doing with a Maze Formation Diagram, kid? Are you guarding against wild boars?"

"What if I happen to encounter a cultivator who doesn't understand formation principles?"

The Rat Whiskers cultivator sat down on his chair and leisurely fanned himself.

"A cultivator who doesn't understand formation principles? That's probably rarer than a Hundred Treasures Scorpion in the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave. It's too competitive these days; even rogue cultivators from the countryside have some understanding of formations."

"Tsk tsk tsk... If they don't understand formation principles, you'll have a hard time finding them."

Chen Yu placed the formation diagram and the book inside his chest, close to his body. He had intended to ask some questions about cultivating Daoist Arts, but he suddenly sensed something and decisively turned and hurried away.

"I have something to attend to, I'm leaving now."

With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

Wait.

This kid ran off so fast, could he have given me fake Spirit Stones?

The Rat Whiskers cultivator suddenly came to his senses and quickly put a Spirit Stone in his mouth to bite it. Feeling the trace of pure spiritual energy, he confirmed it was real and finally breathed a sigh of relief.