Otherworld

The mountains were vast and green, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Ancient trees were everywhere, with dead vines clinging tightly to their trunks. The forest floor was deep and dark, barely letting any sunlight through. Birds and beasts moved through the treetops, appearing and disappearing like phantoms.

With a faint white light, a figure suddenly appeared in the sky, falling straight down.

The figure initially had dark green stripes, but as it fell, the light and shadow shifted and changed.

At one moment it was semi-transparent, like air, then it became stripes of green leaves and brown dead branches, finally turning a brown-yellow color like the fallen leaves on the ground. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even notice that something else was hidden here.

"Warning! Impact detected..."

"Oxygen concentration normal... no harmful gases... faint spiritual energy concentration..."

The moment he fell, Jiang Ding curled into a ball, rolling from the treetops to the ground like a sphere. The tactical helmet reported a string of data.

It was only a dozen meters high, and the camouflage suit provided cushioning, so he wasn't injured.

"There are plants and animals, the air is normal, there's spiritual energy..."

Jiang Ding stood up, took a deep breath, and knew his adventure had been a success.

He couldn't afford to be careless.

If this was the territory of an outsider cultivator, it would be over. He had to be cautious and not easily expose modern technological items.

"Return."

Jiang Ding said silently.

His vision blurred, and the vast mountains disappeared. In front of him was the white background wall of a hotel, and by the window was Rongcheng's First Hospital, with people coming and going.

Jiang Ding felt relieved. "Go back again."

Clutching his long sword, he carefully made his way through the dense forest, finally finding a large rock where sunlight could reach. He took out two basketball-sized cylinders from his backpack and placed them on the ground, pulling their fuses one by one.

Bang! Bang!

With the flash of the booster propellant, four drones flew up to dozens of meters in the sky. After a moment of staggering, they deployed their rotors and stabilized in the air, forming a standard square formation.

Jiang Ding took out the control handle. The four drones ascended higher and higher, climbing to over two thousand meters—the spiritual sense limit for most Foundation Establishment Cultivators was less than two thousand meters, and most birds couldn't fly that high. It was roughly safe.

The drone cameras turned on. The left and right views in his panoramic tactical helmet displayed rapid shrinking scenes of the mountains, and at the same time, small blue dots continuously appeared on the screen.

"Unknown primate species, common... ***... black and white striped tiger..."

"Unknown snake species..."

Information about various large creature species, locations, and strengths within a six-square-kilometer radius quickly refreshed.

Jiang Ding had set the markers so that creatures with Inner Qi Realm strength would be marked in red. None had appeared yet, which was consistent with the ecological status of a low-spiritual environment.

"Unknown creatures! So many!" Jiang Ding's hand trembled, his tone filled with surprise.

The Immortal Sect's thirst for knowledge was endless!

Nature was a vast treasure trove, and one of its most precious assets was the body structure and genetic code of various plants and animals in its ecosystems.

From the imitation and research of dragonfly wings and the serrations of gramineous plants in the spiritless era to the research and manufacturing of modern cultivation techniques and magic tools, and the development of new spirit elixirs, all heavily referenced the structures and materials evolved by plants and animals in nature. Every new plant or animal represented a possibility, making them extremely valuable to the Immortal Sect.

The Immortal Sect Library's regulations stated that one point would be awarded for every complete specimen of an unknown plant or animal submitted.

Immortal Sect Library points had immense utility, primarily divided into two uses.

First, library points could be exchanged for guidance and answers from high-level cultivators. This wasn't the kind of casual advice given when they were in a good mood, but a thorough and meticulous session under the supervision of the Array Spirit Computer, with the greatest effort made to ensure understanding.

Second, if one accumulated ten thousand points, they could have the Central Array Spirit Computer create a custom cultivation technique for a specific cultivator, limited to a certain realm.

Talent, talent!

If a cultivation technique perfectly matched someone, even if their aptitude was poor, cultivating that perfectly suited technique would naturally bring their every move to the highest requirements of the technique. How could such a person not be a genius?

"This is the charm of exploring unknown worlds."

Jiang Ding kept one drone hovering, while he manipulated the other three to spread out in different directions, with about five kilometers between each drone.

This delineated a safe zone of at least ten kilometers in diameter.

"Buildings, traces of humans?" Jiang Ding's heart tightened.

In the drone's view, a winding, narrow mountain path appeared. At the end of the path were several mud-brick houses with thatched roofs, several large holes in the roofs revealing overgrown weeds and bushes inside, and a broken clay Buddha head lying on the ground.

Jiang Ding had no intention of interacting with humans for the time being.

The language barrier was a major problem.

Soon, all three drones reached their designated locations, with no further discoveries.

Clang!

The long sword was unsheathed and slashed diagonally at the suddenly appearing bright red snake head, splitting its meter-long body evenly in two.

"Unknown snake species, common beast."

The tactical helmet's alarm came belatedly.

Jiang Ding frowned. "After all, this is civilian equipment; its accuracy isn't high, and it has loopholes in monitoring small creatures."

He then felt a sense of pity, This is an unknown creature not recorded in the Immortal Sect's library. Capturing it would earn me 1 point.

Not having a container is a problem. It's best to buy a sturdy specimen box, otherwise, it would be troublesome if someone got hurt.

Unfortunately, I'm out of money. Not a single cent.

Jiang Ding's gaze was drawn to a small, dark green plant with repeatedly forked leaves beneath the snake carcass. He zoomed in the camera.

"Unknown plant, can be named."

"Forked Grass."

Jiang Ding said casually. Compared to animals, plants are easier and safer to collect, but their roots, leaves, stems, and so on must be kept intact.

He drew his sword, cut down a tree as thick as his thigh, and then split it into planks to serve as specimen boxes.

Jiang Ding carefully dug around the root system, bit by bit scraping away the soil, then gathered the stems and leaves. This was delicate work, requiring absolute precision throughout the process, without breaking any roots, stems, or leaves.

After a long while, he collected a complete specimen and fixed each one onto a thin wooden board with a small wooden fork.

"21 minutes, 1 point."

Jiang Ding glanced at the clock on his tactical helmet and calculated silently, "Even if I don't sleep or rest, and don't have to travel everywhere to collect, it would still take at least half a year to save up ten thousand points!"

"Not to mention that many plants have much more developed root systems and stems/leaves than this small grass. 21 minutes is not enough for collection at all. Adding up all the time, it might not even be enough in 4.5 years."

Despite this, Jiang Ding didn't stop. He went on to find another grassy plant and began digging.

Compared to the complete lack of hope in cultivation before, this feeling of inching closer to his goal was wonderful. He didn't feel bored.

He dug for a full four hours. The sun was high in the sky, and the weather was gradually becoming scorching hot.

Jiang Ding could still endure it, but it was already past 10 PM back home. If he didn't go back soon, his mother would probably call the police.

He opened his eyes.

Night had fallen outside. Neon lights flickered, and the entrance to the City's First Hospital was still bustling.

Jiang Ding glanced at the stack of specimen boards he was holding in his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Inheriting the legacy of the previous civilization and having gone through numerous civil wars, the Immortal Sect had made many efforts towards equality.

Even high-level cultivators, capable of moving mountains and boiling seas, could not take the life of a mortal.

Not arbitrarily, but they could not take it. As long as he did not break the law or exhibit aggressive behavior, no matter the reason, regardless of whether public attention was drawn, high-level cultivators could not kill the weakest mortal.

If they violated this, the Central Array Spirit Computer, created by generations of wise predecessors, would teach the offenders what true power and might were!

Even Spirit Transmutation cultivators could not influence the Central Array Spirit Computer's program logic or view anyone's privacy.

Unless it was destroyed.

He placed the fourteen specimen boards on the ground, took out his phone, entered the Immortal Sect Library, clicked to apply for the submission of new plant specimens, requested anonymity and confidentiality, and then sat on the bed to rest.

He trusted the Central Array Spirit Computer; its high moral score was not a joke.

Knock, knock, knock!

Chirp chirp!

A few minutes later, the sound of a bird's beak lightly pecking at the window came from outside.

Jiang Ding opened the window. A palm-sized green bird phased out of invisibility and flew into the room.

A specimen box, half a person's height, was hooked onto its claws, a stark contrast to its small body.

Jiang Ding felt relieved.

This little guy was called a Little Green Bird. It was a messenger for the Central Array Spirit Computer and the local Array Spirit Computers. They lived near the Central Array Spirit Computer's main host, the Sacred Tree Covering the Sky Banyan, and its various branches.

"Chirp chirp!"

The Little Green Bird urged him on.

Jiang Ding felt it was a bit unhappy, like it had finished its shift and was forcibly dragged back to work overtime. He quickly opened the specimen box and carefully placed the fourteen specimen boards inside.

"You've worked hard, thank you very much!"

"Chirp!"

The Little Green Bird glanced at him, grabbed the specimen box, and its body, along with the box, became transparent before disappearing out the window.

Jiang Ding took off his helmet, let out a soft breath, removed his camouflage uniform, gloves, and shoes, changed into his usual school uniform, and then put the three drones back into their cardboard boxes one by one.

One drone was still floating in the sky of the other world.

Jiang Ding needed 24-hour intelligence from that area. It would be dangerous if someone was ambushing him when he transmigrated again.

The detection accuracy of civilian drones could only be described as usable. A bit of mud smeared on it could probably allow it to evade detection.

He checked out of the hotel.

It didn't attract any attention. The hotel was bustling with people all day, all sorts of individuals. If every special case was met with curiosity, the front desk staff's brains would have long since overloaded.

Returning home, his mother had indeed returned and was watching TV with Jiang Yuan.

Lin Wanqiu had a stern face. "Ding Ding, where did you go? Why are you back so late?"

Fortunately, I had taken a shower at the hotel earlier, so I wasn't covered in dirt and sweat.

"I went to the park with some classmates."

"Mom! He's lying!" Jiang Yuan shouted, as if she wanted to stir up trouble. "He's never played with any classmates until past eleven at night before."

Jiang Ding ignored her. Holding the cardboard box, he quickly walked to his room to put his things away. He then went to the refrigerator to get a drink and sat down next to Lin Wanqiu.

Lin Wanqiu was a technician at Rongcheng Steel Plant. She had reached the peak of the Inner Qi Realm. Her salary was quite good, but her job was very demanding, often requiring her to work overtime until eight or nine o'clock.

Of course, having a handsome son like Jiang Ding, Lin Wanqiu was naturally gentle and beautiful.

It was rumored that Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Ding's father, Jiang Chaoyang, were even jokingly called the "campus belle" and "campus heartthrob" when they were in school, considered a match made in heaven. Lovers eventually ended up together.

As for what happened later, it could only be sighed about. Fairy tales of princesses and princes truly only existed in books.

"Ding Ding, it's too late, it might be dangerous outside..."

Lin Wanqiu looked at Jiang Ding worriedly, wanting to say more but stopping herself.

"Mom, don't worry. Rongcheng's public security is still very good," Jiang Ding assured her. "Next time, if others play too late, I'll come back early."

After the family talked for a while, they got up and went back to their rooms.

Normally, Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Yuan would have been asleep by eleven o'clock at night. This time, they had intentionally waited for Jiang Ding and were already half-asleep from exhaustion.