The night in the crevice passed peacefully, spent between cultivation and vigilance. When the first light of dawn once again shone through the gap between the rocks, Lin Xuan slowly ended his cultivation and exhaled a breath of turbid air carrying faint impurities.
After a full night of arduous cultivation, the swelling on his arm from the Demonic Vine's lashes had mostly gone down, leaving only a faint bruise. More importantly, he could clearly feel that his physical strength had grown a little, and he seemed to have grown slightly more accustomed to the omnipresent pressure of Pangu. If he had been carrying a hundred-pound burden when he first arrived, now it might have weighed only ninety-nine. The progress was minuscule, but it was real.
"Although cultivating the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique is excruciating, the results are undeniable." Lin Xuan stretched his muscles and bones. Faint crackling sounds came from within him, and he felt full of strength. He took out his stored water and drank a few mouthfuls, ate some roasted beast meat, then began to consider what to do that day.
His top priority was, naturally, the system's [Climb Buzhou Mountain] mission. But how high did he actually need to climb? The mission description was vague. And the higher he went, the more dangerous it would become. That was certain.
[Beep! Host detected in an active state. Daily missions updated.] The system's voice sounded right on time, still as unenthusiastic as ever.
[Daily Mission: Survival Practice.]
[Task 1: Successfully hunt a demonic beast in your current elevation zone (Evaluation: Stop catching those little things that are only good at acting cute).]
[Task 2: Gather a spirit plant (Evaluation: Keep your eyes peeled. Don't mistake weeds for treasures).]
[Reward: A small amount of spiritual energy or basic supplies, depending on the quality of completion.]
[Failure Penalty: None (But if the host can't even do this, this system suggests finding a hole to bury yourself in. It'll save everyone some trouble).]
Lin Xuan had grown used to the system's way of speaking and automatically filtered out the snark. The daily missions weren't difficult. They were a good chance to get familiar with the surroundings and gather resources along the way.
He carefully moved aside the rocks blocking the entrance and slipped out of the crevice. Then he activated the Breath Concealment Technique again, reducing his presence to a minimum. In the morning mist around Buzhou Mountain, spiritual energy was more active, but it also concealed even more dangers.
His luck seemed to be good that day. He hadn't gone far when he spotted a small patch of mushrooms behind some bushes, giving off a faint glow. They were only as big as fingernails, pure white, and their spiritual energy, though weak, was exceptionally pure.
"These should be good." Lin Xuan cautiously observed his surroundings. Only after confirming there were no guardian beasts did he hurry over and carefully gather the most mature ones, storing them in the Chaos Bead's space. [Task 2] was completed with ease.
Next came the hunt. He needed to find a real "demonic beast," not another ordinary beast that acted only on instinct. That would take patience and luck.
He followed the mountain slope upward, climbing as he kept an eye on his surroundings. The pressure of Pangu increased slowly with altitude, like a weight that kept growing heavier, testing his stamina and willpower. He had to devote some of his attention to circulating the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to resist the pressure, which kept him from moving very quickly.
Along the way, he came across several more strange plants. Some were red as flames, others black as ink, but he remembered his earlier lesson and didn't dare touch them lightly. He also sensed several powerful auras from a distance and took detours well in advance, never going near them.
Just as he climbed onto a relatively open stone terrace and prepared to take a short break, a low, threatening growl came from behind a pile of rocks diagonally ahead.
Lin Xuan's heart tightened. He immediately crouched low and peered through a gap in the rocks.
A creature resembling a leopard, but much larger and covered in dark golden scales, slowly emerged from behind the rocks. A single eye sat in the middle of its forehead. It seemed to have just finished eating, and blood still stained the corners of its mouth. Its sole vertical pupil coldly swept over the surroundings, radiating a far more vicious aura than the Rock Boar or the Demonic Vine.
"That's the one!" Lin Xuan judged that this One-eyed Golden Scale Leopard was definitely a ranked demonic beast! Its strength was probably close to the threshold of Refining Essence into Qi.
A direct fight was out of the question. Lin Xuan's mind raced as he surveyed the surroundings. One side of the terrace was a steep cliff, while the other was a gentler slope overgrown with dense bushes.
A plan quickly formed in his mind.
He took a deep breath, quietly circled around to the top of the slope, and picked up a few suitably sized rocks. Then he deactivated the Breath Concealment Technique and deliberately made some noise.
The One-eyed Golden Scale Leopard's keen ear immediately turned toward the sound, and its vertical pupil locked onto Lin Xuan! Provoked by such a weak creature, it let out a low growl, pushed off with all four limbs, and shot toward him like a dark golden arrow! It was incredibly fast!
Lin Xuan was ready. The instant the leopard sprang forward, he hurled a rock with all his strength at a loose boulder near the top of the slope!
Bang! The rock struck the boulder, which was already on the verge of toppling. The impact sent it rumbling down the slope! At that moment, the One-eyed Golden Scale Leopard was charging right through that spot!
As a demonic beast, it reacted quickly and leaped sideways to dodge. But the rockslide covered a wide area, and a boulder the size of a washbasin still grazed its hind leg!
"Roar!" The One-eyed Golden Scale Leopard cried out in pain and fury, its movement faltering.
Now! Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Xuan turned and sprinted toward the narrow crevice in the cliff face he'd picked out earlier. It was the hiding place he had noticed while resting!
Enraged, the One-eyed Golden Scale Leopard chased after him without regard for its injured hind leg. But Lin Xuan had a head start and slipped like a loach into the crevice, which was barely wide enough for one person!
The leopard's massive body slammed into the cliff with a heavy thud. Loose stones showered down, but it couldn't squeeze into the crevice. It roared and clawed at the entrance in frustration, helpless to do anything.
With his back against the cold stone wall, Lin Xuan's heart still pounded. His plan had worked, but it had been a close call. If he'd been half a second slower, or if the leopard had been any faster, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
[Beep! Daily missions completed.]
[Hunting Evaluation: C+ (A crafty approach, but you made up for it with quick thinking).]
[Gathering Evaluation: B (Luminous mushrooms, decent quality).]
[Overall Reward: One wisp of pure spiritual energy, which can be used to accelerate cultivation.]
A gentle yet pure wisp of spiritual energy suddenly flowed into Lin Xuan's body. He immediately guided it into the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique he was already circulating. The stinging pain of cultivation seemed to ease a little, and his efficiency improved considerably.
"Not bad, not bad. This reward is worthwhile." Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction. The process had been dangerous, but the gains were worth it.
He waited patiently in the crevice until the leopard's roars gradually faded into the distance. After confirming it was safe, he carefully climbed out.
After that close call, he was now some distance from the crevice where he'd started, at a noticeably higher elevation. He looked up. Buzhou Mountain's main peak was still impossibly far away, but he had a much wider view now, with distant, vast mountain ranges and seas of clouds stretching before him.
[Progress update for the phased mission [Climb Buzhou Mountain]: The host has reached the initial safe-altitude threshold. Continue climbing to the recommended check-in point?] The system's prompt sounded again.
"Recommended check-in point?" Lin Xuan's heart stirred. "Where is it?"
[Three li ahead is a natural stone terrace at the relative high point of the current area. The pressure of Pangu and the concentration of spiritual energy there have reached a specific balance, making it suitable for the first in-depth regional check-in. The expected reward quality will exceed that of the check-in at the foot of the mountain.]
Three li was no easy distance in an environment like Buzhou Mountain. But those words "check-in at the foot of the mountain" held far too much appeal for Lin Xuan!
"Let's go!" Lin Xuan said without a moment's hesitation. He understood that risk and opportunity went hand in hand.
He ate a wild fruit to replenish his strength, once again circulated his cultivation technique to resist the pressure, activated Breath Concealment Technique, and set off toward the direction the system had indicated.
Higher peaks meant heavier pressure and more dangerous surroundings, but they might also mean richer rewards. To survive in this primordial world, he had to keep climbing—higher and higher!
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