Lost, Broken Cliff

In the canyon, tigers roared and apes shrieked. Lu Xiaotian rode on the back of a leopard, carrying a bulging pack. Inside, as usual, were salt and, this time, a small iron pot. There were also large bundles of rope. A month ago, he had vaguely spotted a Spiritual Grass on a distant mountain peak. Although it was too far to reach, after the recent incident, Lu Xiaotian had used the scattered strands he collected to weave a long rope, which he now carried with him whenever he went out.

The Black Bear was the Black Robe Old Man's Spirit Beast and did not allow Lu Xiaotian to ride it. The leopard was much smaller than the Black Bear, but it could still trot along at a good speed, carrying Lu Xiaotian, an eleven-year-old boy.

It seemed that trading that Qi Gathering Pill for the Gray Wolf spirit beast was entirely worth it.

After passing the area they had previously searched, Lu Xiaotian considered for a moment and then dismounted from the leopard to search on foot, so as not to miss any needed Spiritual Grass.

The Black Robe Old Man was truly stingy, not even teaching him how to identify Spiritual Grass. Apart from the White Fluorescent Grass used to refine Beast Spirit Pills, he said nothing else. He searched through the grass and bushes along the way for nearly two hours, finding nothing. Moreover, searching like this was very troublesome, and Lu Xiaotian couldn't help but feel some dissatisfaction with the Black Robe Old Man. "Sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood." If the Black Robe Old Man weren't so stingy, he could cultivate faster, and the higher his cultivation, the more he could do for the Black Robe Old Man.

However, despite his thoughts, Lu Xiaotian also understood a truth: nothing comes for free. When he first arrived at the canyon, Lu Xiaotian had seen the Black Robe Old Man as his reliance. But the days spent living in the canyon had made Lu Xiaotian realize that he could only rely on himself. The Black Robe Old Man had saved him merely to have him handle some trivial matters in the cave dwelling, not with any real intention of teaching him.

Having figured this out, during the Black Robe Old Man's absence, Lu Xiaotian would come out to search for spiritual items whenever circumstances permitted. Although this method of searching for a needle in a haystack was difficult, it was still better than staying cooped up in the cave dwelling.

The deeper into the canyon they went, the thicker the mist became. If not for cultivating the Primordial Scripture, which had improved his eyesight several times over, Lu Xiaotian would probably only be able to see a distance of two to three zhang right now. Going another ten-plus li deeper into the canyon, the visibility might be reduced to only about two zhang. Lu Xiaotian frowned. If this continued, the search efficiency would be too low. It was a pity that although he had cultivated the Primordial Scripture and refined Origin Energy to become a Qi Refining cultivator, apart from having greater strength and better eyesight, there seemed to be no other significant changes.

Did Origin Energy have no other uses? Although the Black Robe Old Man hadn't said, he should try it. Thinking this, Lu Xiaotian took a breath and secretly circulated the Origin Energy in his Dantian to his eyes. With a trace of Origin Energy flowing, he suddenly felt a white haze in his eyes, as if they were covered by something. It was even worse than using his normal eyesight. Could Origin Energy not be used like this? Lu Xiaotian was startled and was about to withdraw the Origin Energy he was circulating, but at that moment, his eyes suddenly felt a cool sensation, and his vision cleared again. Everything within nearly a hundred zhang was incredibly clear. The fine hairs on the Black Bear and Gray Wolf were clearly visible; it was truly miraculous.

So, Origin Energy could indeed be used like this. Lu Xiaotian was immediately delighted, not just because he could see farther, but because the success of his experiment made him feel that even without anyone teaching him, he could slowly figure out some uses for Origin Energy in the future.

Lu Xiaotian was somewhat engrossed in his first successful use of Origin Energy. His search speed was more than ten times faster than before. After an hour, he had ventured even deeper into the canyon, completely unaware that his surroundings were quietly changing.

It wasn't until the Black Bear dropped a killed yellow goat at Lu Xiaotian's feet that Lu Xiaotian shook his head and smiled. If he didn't keep the Black Bear happy, it might throw a tantrum, and he really couldn't handle it when it acted up.

However, while picking up firewood, Lu Xiaotian saw a small patch of woods before him, and his expression immediately changed. He had been searching from this direction just now, and there was no such patch of woods.

Perhaps he remembered incorrectly, Lu Xiaotian thought with a sliver of hope. He summoned the leopard, rode on its back, and galloped in another direction for a while. His face immediately turned grim. Since becoming a Qi Refining cultivator, Lu Xiaotian's memory had improved significantly. He clearly remembered passing a small hill just now, and on the east side of the hill, there was a clear stream less than five feet wide. Now, the hill and the stream had disappeared, replaced by a dense forest.

"Go back, find the Black Bear." Lu Xiaotian patted the leopard's neck. Suddenly finding himself in an unfamiliar environment, Lu Xiaotian's first thought was to reunite with the Black Bear to avoid encountering other Yao Beasts later. With just him and the leopard, his ability to protect himself in the complex terrain of the canyon was quite insufficient.

But when Lu Xiaotian turned back, after walking for a mile or two, the place he had just passed had turned into a sea of white and blue flowers. There was no sign of the Black Bear anywhere.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Lu Xiaotian would never have believed that things growing from the ground could move, but what he was witnessing made him feel utterly incredulous.

"Awooo."

A familiar howl sounded, followed by the echoing responses of wild wolves. Lu Xiaotian's heart tightened. It was a wolf pack again, and their numbers were significantly greater than the ones he had encountered before.

"Go!" Lu Xiaotian quickly urged the leopard to move in small steps in another direction. One reason was to conserve energy, and the other was that the terrain he was in was surrounded on all sides, making it disadvantageous for defense. With the Black Bear gone, if he were surrounded by the wolf pack, he would be in serious trouble.

The leopard seemed somewhat anxious, carrying Lu Xiaotian towards the deeper mist.

After trotting for about five or six li, Lu Xiaotian looked back. Behind him was a cliff whose bottom he couldn't see, and before him, more than ten wild wolves were howling and closing in on him.

Judging from the Sha Qi fluctuations on these wolves, most of them were ordinary beasts, with only a few parts emitting a heart-palpitating Sha Qi. However, their aura was not as strong as that of the leopard Lu Xiaotian was riding, and their size was nearly a third smaller than his Spirit Beast leopard. The problem was the sheer number of these wolves, and they were continuously calling for more of their kind to gather.

Lu Xiaotian dismounted from the leopard and rushed to the edge of the cliff. Even with his Origin Energy circulating, allowing him to see about a hundred zhang, the area below a hundred zhang was still shrouded in mist, and he couldn't see the bottom. However, about twenty zhang down, Lu Xiaotian spotted another small platform made of protruding rocks, about a zhang wide, with a few Green Vines growing on it.

A glimmer of hope in a desperate situation, Lu Xiaotian's heart leaped with joy. Taking advantage of the fact that the wild wolves were hesitant due to the leopard's Power, Lu Xiaotian quickly opened his pack, took out the rope, and tied one end to a thick tree trunk at the edge of the cliff.