Companion Recognition

Initially, everyone paid little attention to Lin Yan's strange actions. Most of the patrol team members, including Elder Xuan Yue who was secretly following them, believed it was just a unique "quirk" or cultivation method of this cultivator from the Earth Dragon clan.

After all, Primordial Creatures were incredibly diverse. Some liked collecting shiny stones, others ate poisonous things. So, someone who liked repairing Earth Veins after a battle didn't seem too out of the ordinary.

However, the rapid changes in the surrounding environment left them dumbfounded.

When the residual malevolent energy in the valley was completely absorbed and the underground Earth Veins were fully repaired, Black Wind Valley, which had been filled with dispersed spiritual energy and deathly stillness after the battle, surprisingly regained its vitality at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Spiritual springs surged again, spiritual energy was reborn, and even some spirit grasses and spirit beasts that were on the verge of death revitalized.

"Huh? The spiritual energy in this place... seems purer than before?" Jin Yu, who was responsible for vigilance, was the first to notice the anomaly. He flapped his wings, feeling the pure spiritual energy flowing in the air, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah, it feels like breathing has become much smoother," Shui Ling nodded honestly, agreeing.

As a member of the Spirit Wood clan, Qing Luo was most sensitive to life force. She walked to a newly sprouted "Cold Jade Moss," crouched down, and lightly touched the tender green leaf tip with her fingertip, sensing the faint life force within. An expression of disbelief appeared on her face: "Bursting with life... this is practically like using a high-level 'Spring Revival Secret Technique' of my clan."

The team members began to discuss, their gazes involuntarily turning towards Lin Yan, who was meditating by the spring, recovering his magic power. At this moment, a faint earthy yellow halo surrounded him, connecting with the aura of the earth beneath his feet, as if he himself was a part of the valley.

Shi Yue walked up to Lin Yan, a hint of curiosity and admiration on his rugged face: "Fellow Daoist Lin Yan, your skill in managing Earth Veins and purifying malevolent energy has truly opened my eyes. In the past, when we wiped out fierce beasts, although it was satisfying, the area would take at least tens of thousands of years to slowly recover after the battle. How could it be like you, almost instantaneous?"

Lin Yan opened his eyes and smiled slightly: "Captain Shi Yue flatters me. It's just following the instinct of our Earth Dragon clan; I can't stand to see such a desolate scene. I stimulated some earth power, allowing the environment to recover a bit faster. It's not any profound skill."

"How can you say it's not a profound skill? Lin Yan, don't be so humble. When it comes to improving the environment, you are the strongest person I've ever met," Mo Xuan said upon hearing this. He wished Lin Yan would show even more astonishing abilities, so it would highlight his own discerning eye.

"Exactly, exactly! Let me tell you all, Lin Yan's abilities are immense. Improving the environment of a fierce beast territory is just a casual thing for him, not a big deal. Wait until you see him slay fierce beasts; he's an expert at that too," Ao Ye chimed in from the side. He was a bit worried that these patrol members might look down on Lin Yan's origins, so he wanted to take this opportunity to praise him.

Perhaps it was because everyone was genuinely surprised by Lin Yan's special abilities, or perhaps influenced by Mo Xuan and Ao Ye's words, but the members of the patrol team did indeed look at Lin Yan with more respect afterward. At least in their simple understanding, anyone who could do what they couldn't was worthy of respect.

In the subsequent journey, Lin Yan completely won the trust and recognition of all the patrol team members with a series of outstanding performances.

The southwestern region of the Myriad Ravine Ancient Plain was vast and boundless, with countless hidden fierce beast lairs. Some fierce beasts were very good at camouflage and could even use illusions to confuse their opponents.

Lin Yan possessed the Mini Ecology Simulator, which was like having a detection radar installed. No matter how perfectly a fierce beast was hidden, or how advanced its illusions were, it could not escape the simulator's scan.

Wherever they went, Lin Yan could accurately locate the fierce beasts' hiding places for everyone, saving them a lot of effort and avoiding many unnecessary losses.

Even Elder Xuan Yue felt inferior to his detection ability, which far surpassed that of a True Immortal and could even rival a Mysterious Immortal. Many times, before he could detect any enemy activity, Lin Yan had already issued a warning. This made Elder Xuan Yue even more curious about this little Earth Dragon, Lin Yan.

In addition to his detection abilities, Lin Yan's earth-element spells were also used with masterful skill. Simple spells like Earth Trap Technique and Earth Wall Technique, under his clever application, often achieved surprising effects. Several team members easily slew spirit beasts of the same level with his help. Since then, everyone particularly enjoyed fighting alongside Lin Yan, as it saved time and effort.

Furthermore, Lin Yan's combat prowess was greatly amplified by the Earth Spirit Seal and the Primal Chaos Plate. Generally, Heavenly Immortal level fierce beasts could not last long under his attacks. Even some True Immortal Level fierce beasts that Shi Yue found difficult to deal with could be held off by Lin Yan for a long time without defeat.

But what surprised everyone the most was Lin Yan's strong tactical planning and on-the-spot command abilities. On several occasions when facing tough battles, he could quickly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, the terrain features, and propose feasible plans for dividing forces, luring the enemy, and breaking through the situation, allowing them to achieve the greatest results with the least cost.

Through repeated battles fought side-by-side and numerous times of turning danger into safety, Lin Yan, with his abilities, gradually became an indispensable core member of this patrol team in combat. His warnings, crowd control abilities, and his post-battle "ecological restoration" method, which could turn decay into magic, not only earned him the respect of his teammates but also quietly changed the team's behavior patterns.

The patrol members no longer treated him politely merely because he was Young Master Mo Xuan's friend, but truly regarded him as a comrade they could trust with their backs.

Even, through subtle influence, Lin Yan's "habit" of always working to restore the environment after battles began to affect others.

Initially, it was just Qing Luo, Shui Ling, and a few other support warriors who helped Lin Yan regulate the earth veins and promote the growth of spirit plants. Gradually, even main force warriors like Shi Yue and Yan Feng began to help clear the malevolent energy and repair the earth veins.

Watching the changes in the patrol team under his command, Elder Xuan Yue couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Mo Xuan had truly made an extraordinary friend.

The patrol mission in the Myriad Ravine Ancient Plain was far longer than Lin Yan had anticipated. Thirty years had passed since the three of them joined this Kirin Clan patrol team. In these thirty years, they had surveyed a distance of tens of millions of miles. And this was less than one ten-thousandth of the Kirin Clan's territory.

This vast and broken land was like a microcosm of the barbaric era, with every gorge and every wasteland potentially hiding deadly fierce beasts and dangers.

The role of the patrol team was to compress the sphere of influence of fierce beasts here as much as possible, eradicate the constantly expanding fierce beast tribes, and carve out a relatively safe living space for the weaker spirit beast races.

However, the quantity of fierce beasts was simply too great. A single patrol team could certainly not eliminate all the fierce beasts. Therefore, the targets for the patrol team's clearance were those fierce beasts with destructive power. As for some smaller fierce beasts, they could only be left unchecked for now.

One day, the patrol team reached the edge of a place called the "Weeping Blood Wasteland." Even before approaching, the air was filled with a dense scent of blood and an aura of despair. From afar, the sounds of spells booming, fierce beasts roaring, and screams mixed in could be heard.

"There's a situation ahead! Accelerate!" Shi Yue's face darkened, and he was the first to transform into a stream of light and charge forward.

Everyone followed closely, crossing a low mountain ridge, and the scene before them made everyone's heart tighten.