Leaving that wrecked valley behind, Xuan Wazi still maintained the appearance of an old Daoist. In high spirits, he headed toward the central region where the Kirin Tribe was said to be most active. Along the way, he continued his "shopping spree" mentality. Guided by the senses of his Primordial Dao Body, he found several more decent Innate Spirit Materials. Their grades were not high, but there was a wide variety of them, which was better than nothing.
"I heard the Kirin Tribe is the leader of all beasts, inheriting the essence of the earth. They're said to be guileless and peaceful, unlike the domineering Dragon Clan or the arrogant Phoenix Clan." As Xuan Wazi traveled, he recalled the Primordial World lore he had read in his previous life. "Guileless is good. Guileless means... easy to fool? Ahem, I mean it means we can communicate amicably."
Several days later, an enormous mountain range shrouded in spiritual mist and streaked with auspicious radiance appeared before him. Auspicious clouds drifted through the mountains, Immortal Cranes gathered in flight, and spirit deer ran about, creating a peaceful scene. From deep within the range came a faint yet vast and weighty pressure, carrying the rhythm of the earth. That should be the Kirin Tribe's ancestral land—the Kirin Ancestral Abyss.
Xuan Wazi did not barge straight into the Kirin Ancestral Abyss. That would have been no different from a provocation. He descended at the outskirts of the mountain range, concealed most of his aura, and revealed only cultivation around the True Immortal realm. Like an ordinary wandering rogue immortal, he strolled through the forests and admired scenery utterly unlike that near Mount Buzhou.
The Kirin Tribe truly lived up to its name. The few kirin he saw traveled alone or in groups, most with serene expressions and steady steps, Earth Element Spiritual Energy radiating around them and calming the mind. When they saw Xuan Wazi, this "strange" old Daoist, they merely gave him a few curious looks without showing hostility. One young kirin even trotted over, sniffed his aura, then affectionately rubbed against his Daoist robe.
"Tsk, tsk. They really are Auspicious Beasts—far more adorable than those two temperamental longworms." Xuan Wazi stroked the young kirin's head. It felt warm, and its scales were smooth. He casually took out a spirit herb he had picked along the way, one that gave off a sweet, refreshing fragrance, and handed it over. The young kirin cried out happily, took the herb in its mouth, and ran away.
"In such a peaceful place, if I only wandered around normally, wouldn't that disgrace the name 'Xuan Wazi'?" Xuan Wazi's eyes rolled, and that Not Being a Person impulse surged up again. "I need to think of a way to leave these guileless kirin with a 'deep' impression without actually hurting them, while also testing the limits of this Heavenly Secret Concealment Mask."
His gaze swept around before finally landing on a glittering lake in the distance. The lake was rich in spiritual energy and was clearly a place where the kirin often came to drink and play. Many strange fruit trees grew along its shore, their branches laden with bright red spirit fruits that gave off an enticing aroma.
"Got it!" An idea came to Xuan Wazi.
First, he silently slipped to the lakeshore and found several fruit trees bearing the most fruit. Then he cast a small illusion technique. He did not alter the nature of the spirit fruits, only made subtle adjustments to the molecular structure of the fragrance they emitted. The originally sweet scent was cleverly "grafted" with an extremely faint yet distinctive odor from a certain Primordial Skunk-like Demonic Beast...
The smell itself was neither poisonous nor harmful, and it did not really affect cultivation. It was just... particularly overpowering, and it lingered for a long time.
After finishing his work, Xuan Wazi quickly moved away from the lakeshore and found a mountaintop with a wide view and convenient cover. He prepared some melon seeds, sat down, and waited for the show to begin.
Before long, several adult kirin indeed approached the lake with elegant, steady steps to drink. One of them was especially massive, its body covered in crystalline yellow-brown scales. The single horn atop its head gleamed with heavy radiance, and its aura had clearly reached the early Golden Immortal realm! Even among the Kirin Tribe, it was definitely a core member.
"Oh? A big one has arrived. Looks like his status in the tribe isn't low." Xuan Wazi grew interested.
The Golden Immortal kirin seemed thirsty and walked straight to the lake, lowering his head to drink. But just as his nose was about to touch the water's surface, a breeze blew in from the fruit grove, carrying that strange scent Xuan Wazi had altered—a mixture of sweet freshness and extreme stench.
"Hm?" The Golden Immortal kirin suddenly froze. He raised his massive head and forcefully sniffed, an almost human expression of extreme confusion and discomfort appearing on his face. Suspecting that his senses had deceived him, he sniffed again.
"Urgh—!" In the next instant, this dignified Golden Immortal kirin actually retched uncontrollably. He staggered several steps backward, his eyes full of shock and... disgust?
"Elder Lin Sheng, what's wrong?" the nearby kirin hurriedly asked in concern.
The Golden Immortal kirin named Lin Sheng pointed toward the fruit grove, a low rumble coming from his throat. "Those... those fruits smell wrong!"
Hearing this, the other kirin also curiously walked over and sniffed.
"Pfft—!"
"Cough, cough! What is that horrible smell?"
"It's like... like a skunk demon rolled around on the spirit fruits?"
The kirin immediately fell into an uproar. Some could not help retching as well, while others retreated from the fruit grove in disgust. They could not understand how such bright, enticing spirit fruits could release such a suffocating smell.
Elder Lin Sheng was a Golden Immortal after all. He quickly steadied himself, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings as his divine sense spread out like spilled mercury, carefully probing every inch of land and every fluctuation of spiritual energy.
"Something is wrong! Some petty villain must be causing trouble here!" Lin Sheng said in a deep voice, anger coloring his tone. The Kirin Tribe might be guileless, but that did not mean they were foolish, nor did it mean they had no temper.
Xuan Wazi watched with great relish from the mountaintop and nearly burst out laughing. He was very satisfied with the precision of his illusion technique. He had ensured that the source of the smell was the spirit fruits themselves rather than something externally applied, leaving the kirin unable to find any trace of wrongdoing.
Sure enough, after investigating for a long while, Elder Lin Sheng's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He discovered that the strange odor truly came naturally from the spirit fruits, as though that had always been their "flavor." But how was that possible? They had eaten these Dragon Scale Fruits for countless years. They had always been sweet and delicious, so why had they suddenly changed today?
"Could the earth vein have mutated? Or have they been contaminated by some unknown foul energy?" Lin Sheng could not make sense of it. He tried using his magic power to purify one spirit fruit, but the stench seemed to have fused with the flesh itself. After purification, the fruit had withered, yet the odor remained just as stubborn.
Just as the kirin stood helpless before the fruit grove, discussing the matter anxiously, Xuan Wazi decided the timing was right. He changed his voice again, this time imitating an ethereal, distant voice that seemed to come from above the Nine Heavens, tinged with a hint of teasing:
"Heaven and earth give birth to all things; yin and yang nurture each other. Fragrance and stench coexist. You kirin inherit the earth's profound virtue—do you understand that 'stench' is also part of the Great Dao? Today's fruits are a trial of cultivation for you. When you can calmly face this 'scent,' your Dao hearts will rise to a higher level. Wonderful, wonderful!"
The voice drifted unpredictably from east to west, impossible for the kirin to trace.
Upon hearing it, Elder Lin Sheng was first stunned, then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He carefully considered those words... Fragrance and stench coexist? Part of the Great Dao? Cultivation? Dao heart?
The other kirin were completely bewildered. Some felt that this senior's words seemed to make a little sense, yet also felt something was off. Others thought it was complete nonsense. Who cultivated by smelling foul things?
After pondering for a long time, Elder Lin Sheng actually nodded slightly toward the empty air, his tone becoming more respectful. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. Might you reveal yourself so that Lin Sheng may ask for instruction in person?"
Xuan Wazi nearly failed to hold back his laughter. The descendants of First Kirin were far too sincere, weren't they? They actually believed that? Suppressing his amusement, he continued in that ethereal voice:
"When fate arrives, we gather. When fate departs, we scatter. Today's fate has ended. Take care of yourselves."
With that, he completely concealed his aura. With the mask's power, he vanished from where he stood like a drop of water melting into the ocean, leaving behind a group of kirin staring at one another as they contemplated the "Great Dao" before those stinking fruits.
Once he was far from the Kirin Tribe's territory, Xuan Wazi returned to his original appearance and finally burst into hearty laughter.
"Guileless—truly too guileless! If anyone calls the Kirin Tribe big fools again, I'll fight them! They're clearly simple and adorable!" He laughed so hard that tears nearly came out. Just imagining Elder Lin Sheng possibly leading his clansmen to contemplate the Dao before stinking fruits in the future filled him with a sense of accomplishment.
[ Ding! Detected that the host successfully pranked an elder-level member of the Kirin Tribe, causing him to fall into philosophical contemplation and self-doubt. This deeply conforms to Not Being a Person behavior. Reward: divine ability 'Earth Traveling Technique' (advanced earth escape version), Innate Spirit Materials 'Essence of Wutu' ×1. ]
"Ha ha ha, good! Good! System Bro really comes through!" Xuan Wazi was in a splendid mood. This path of Not Being a Person truly grew broader the farther he went, and the rewards were becoming more and more generous.
"I've now seen two of the dragon, phoenix, and kirin. Next, it's time to head to the Immortal Volcano in the south and see what 'surprises' those proud birds have waiting for this Daoist."
His figure flashed, turning into an inconspicuous streak of escaping light as he headed toward the scorching southern lands. In the grand play of the Primordial World, his "mischievous" role was becoming more and more immersed in the act.
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