The Survival Begins

At noon, the Yellow Haze had gradually dissipated, and all the contestants were searching for shelter.

Long Jiuyyao and the others were no exception. In this month-long Mountain Survival challenge, finding shelter was the most urgent task. Only then could they slowly figure out what to do next.

Surviving in these mountains was the simplest part. The hardest challenge was facing the three hundred demon beasts living there.

If they only had to survive on their own, it would be easy for them, without even the slightest pressure. But with demon beasts attacking them, their living conditions would become extremely difficult.

They had no way of knowing how many demon beasts were nearby. With shelter, they could develop defensive measures around it.

The three hundred demon beasts had been released into the mountains a month in advance, so they could familiarize themselves with the terrain.

Another ten minutes passed before the three of them reached the hillside. Long Jiuyyao decided it was a suitable place to build a shelter.

He took the backpack off his shoulders and began sorting through their supplies.

Everyone's Universe Bags had been confiscated. Each group had only this one simple backpack, which contained nothing but an ordinary cooking pot.

"It's about one in the afternoon. I'll assign our tasks."

"Before we came, I think I heard running water. Go gather some branches and fetch water. If you spot any wild fruit, bring some back, too. Let me know right away if you find any sign of demon beasts," Long Jiuyyao instructed.

Lan Xinhuang and Yuan Xin nodded, then looked at Long Jiuyyao. "What are you going to do?"

"Me? Obviously, I'm going to cut down trees and build a house. Otherwise, where would we sleep tonight?" Long Jiuyyao gestured at the ancient trees around them.

Lan Xinhuang and Yuan Xin nodded as if they understood. Neither of them knew how to build a house from scratch, but Long Jiuyyao had already set to work.

The two of them didn't slack off, either. They hurried off with the pot to fetch water and gather firewood.

Long Jiuyyao had no tools, but that didn't stop him from cutting down trees. He leaped into the air, then brought both arms down with a burst of force as he landed. A thick branch snapped off.

He could have used Yuan Power to cut through the ancient trees, but that would take too long and consume a great deal of Yuan Power. It was far easier to snap off the branches by hand.

Though they were only branches, they were as thick as a person's waist. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Power in the Dragon Domain was so abundant that all the ancient trees grew to enormous sizes, each at least a hundred meters tall.

With Long Jiuyyao's current physical strength, snapping off their branches was effortless.

He'd never built a shelter in his old world, but that didn't matter. He could still put together a simple one.

Long Jiuyyao soon snapped off dozens of branches and stripped away the excess leaves. He also peeled off the bark.

They had no rope, but the bark of the ancient trees was tough enough to serve as one.

By the time he finished, it was three in the afternoon. The Yellow Haze had begun to reappear, though visibility was still slightly better than before.

While Long Jiuyyao was worrying about Lan Xinhuang and Yuan Xin, they returned with a large amount of firewood, along with some fruit and water.

Long Jiuyyao gave them a few simple instructions, then got started on his great construction project. Calling it a house was a stretch; it was really just a simple shelter.

He took a thick branch and drove it diagonally into the soil with a sudden burst of strength, making several deep holes.

Then he stuck long, sturdy branches into the holes and tied their tops together with bark from the ancient trees. He secured another thick branch horizontally across the middle for support, and the frame was complete.

Next, he needed to lash a large number of branches onto the frame, then cover it with a thick layer of leaves. That would add weight and stability, while also keeping out the wind and rain.

"All done. The house is finished. What do you think?" Long Jiuyyao clapped his hands.

Lan Xinhuang and Yuan Xin were amazed. Watching him build something from nothing made Lan Xinhuang admire him. Over the past few days, so many novel things had appeared in her world that she felt there was nothing he couldn't do. Now he'd practically built a "house" out of thin air.

The "house" was spacious enough that even three people could sleep inside without feeling cramped.

Dusk gradually fell. Fortunately, they'd eaten plenty that morning, so they weren't hungry yet. They still had some wild berries, too, and each of them got three.

All three were martial artists. They could go seven days without food or water and be fine, but they still needed their regular meals. Going hungry was only necessary when there was no food. If food was available, who would choose to starve?

Night fell, and the three sat around the campfire. Starting a fire with Yuan Power was simple, but they didn't dare go looking for food. They hadn't scoped out the surroundings, and it was dark, so they weren't willing to take the risk.

"That's enough. Let's go to sleep. We'll look for something to eat first thing tomorrow," Long Jiuyyao said, tossing the stick he'd been holding into the fire. It was already half burned.

"G-go to sleep?" Lan Xinhuang cried out like a startled rabbit.

"Yeah! Unless you plan to go hunting tomorrow with dark circles under your eyes?" Long Jiuyyao looked at her as if she were an idiot.

"I... I..." Lan Xinhuang stammered, unable to finish a sentence.

"You two still aren't going to bed? Planning to keep watch with me?" Long Jiuyyao asked again.

"Huh? Aren't you sleeping too?" Lan Xinhuang asked in surprise.

"Oh? You want to sleep with me?" Long Jiuyyao gave her a sidelong grin.

"Pah! Who wants to sleep with you? Xin'er, come on. Let's go to bed," Lan Xinhuang said hurriedly, her cheeks turning pink.

At the entrance to the "house," Lan Xinhuang turned back. "I'll take the second half of the night."

"No need. You get some sleep. I can handle it," Long Jiuyyao replied, declining her offer.

Once the two of them had gone inside the "house," Long Jiuyyao also closed his eyes to rest. But a powerful force of Spiritual Energy spread out from him in every direction.

Fortunately, the dense fog didn't block Spiritual Energy. Everything within a twenty-meter radius was clearly visible to Long Jiuyyao's Spiritual Energy. At least, he couldn't detect any demon beasts, which was good news for them.

Even during Mountain Survival, Long Jiuyyao continued cultivating his Spiritual Diagram Record at the usual time. The Seven Original Sins wasn't with him, but that wasn't much of a problem now that he'd already condensed one diagram. Without its help, the results were slightly worse, but still better than nothing.

Of course, that was only because he had already condensed a Spiritual Diagram. If he wanted to condense a second one, or even more, the Seven Original Sins would be indispensable.

As his Spiritual Energy grew stronger, his mental state gradually recovered. That was exactly why he didn't need Lan Xinhuang to take over for him.

As the fire dwindled, his Spiritual Energy controlled the branches, tossing them into the flames to keep the fire burning at its original strength. It was the first time Long Jiuyyao had realized how useful Spiritual Energy could be.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Long Jiuyyao opened his eyes and looked back at the two sleeping women. They were sprawled out like octopuses, each with both arms draped over the other. He was speechless.

Long Jiuyyao didn't wake them. Instead, he went alone to the Spirit Spring a hundred meters from their shelter.

Where there was water, there was food. That principle held true everywhere.

As soon as Long Jiuyyao arrived, he saw a huge Dragon Fish leap out of the water. In a place as blessed as the Dragon Domain, all living creatures looked very much like dragons.

The Dragon Fish had two whiskers, which meant it carried a trace of dragon blood. But it was weak, only at the Heaven Origin Realm, and was usually eaten by members of the Dragon Clan.

He didn't usually have to prepare his own meals, but Long Jiuyyao had made plenty of preparations for this Mountain Survival challenge. That included learning how to catch Dragon Fish.

Long Jiuyyao looked around and finally spotted the Dragon Fish's favorite food nearby: Dragon Pearl Fruit, small red fruits about the size of marbles. People could eat them, too, but Long Jiuyyao wanted a proper meal, so he scattered all the Dragon Pearl Fruit into the Spirit Spring.

The Dragon Pearl Fruit didn't sink. It floated on the surface. Long Jiuyyao quietly hid in a clump of grass nearby and waited for the Dragon Fish to feed.

Minute by minute, time passed. Long Jiuyyao was starting to grow impatient in the grass when a fish's back finally broke the surface of the Spirit Spring.

"Pretty cautious. Made me wait all this time. Still, it won't be long now," Long Jiuyyao thought.

Long Jiuyyao hadn't tossed all the Dragon Pearl Fruit into the same spot. Instead, he had gradually placed them closer and closer to himself.

Closer, closer. But Long Jiuyyao didn't rush. He became even more still.

The Dragon Fish was only one step away from the spot where Long Jiuyyao was certain he could catch it. But it suddenly stopped moving, making Long Jiuyyao's heart leap into his throat.

A minute passed like that before the Dragon Fish finally moved. It swallowed all the Dragon Pearl Fruit in front of it, bringing itself into Long Jiuyyao's ideal hunting range.

In an instant, Long Jiuyyao struck with Black Obsidian Sacred Dragon Finger. The Dragon Fish had no time to react before the attack pierced its head, killing it on the spot. Blood stained the clear Spirit Spring red, but Long Jiuyyao wasn't worried about contaminating it.

Only after lifting the Dragon Fish did Long Jiuyyao realize how big it was. It was at least a meter long. He quickly gutted it and cleaned it up.

He carried the Dragon Fish back to their shelter. When he arrived, he found that the campfire had gone out. Something felt wrong.

He'd been away from camp for at least two hours, but Lan Xinhuang and Yuan Xin were there. They couldn't have let the fire go out. Could it be...

Long Jiuyyao's heart sank. Still holding the Dragon Fish, he rushed into the "house." But what he saw disproved his suspicion.

The two women were lying quietly on the ground, fast asleep, just as they had been when he left. They showed no sign of waking.

Long Jiuyyao was furious. He'd gone through all that trouble to catch a fish, while they slept like babies, leaving him worried for nothing. He walked over and gave each of them a sharp smack.

"Smack! Smack!" The crisp sound rang out in the quiet mountain forest.

Feeling a burning pain in their bottoms, the two women reluctantly opened their eyes and looked sleepily at Long Jiuyyao. "Hi. Good morning!"

"It's not morning anymore. The sun's already up," Long Jiuyyao said, carrying the Dragon Fish outside.

He could still feel the sensation in his hand, but he walked out of the "house" without even blushing.

"Sister Lan, doesn't your butt hurt?" Yuan Xin asked.

"A little. Maybe it's because I slept on the ground for the first time," Lan Xinhuang explained.

Yuan Xin nodded, still unsure.

"You lazy cats, come out and eat. After that, we'll check out the surroundings," Long Jiuyyao called to the two inside.

Before long, the two of them finally came out at an unhurried pace. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the grilled fish, which was over a meter long.

Yuan Xin didn't think much of it, but Lan Xinhuang felt embarrassed. The three of them were supposed to be surviving together, yet Long Jiuyyao was always the one looking after her. As someone who'd usually been strong-willed, she found it hard to face him.

Long Jiuyyao seemed to understand what was bothering her. "Eat up, or Xin'er will finish it all. You'll have plenty to keep you busy later."

He handed her a large piece of fish and dug in himself. Before long, they'd devoured the entire Dragon Fish.