Survival Begins

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

Long Jiuyyao and his group were no exception. For a month-long Mountain Survival, finding shelter was the top priority; only then could they slowly figure out how to handle what came next.

Surviving in these mountains was the simplest part. The hardest challenge was facing the three hundred demon beasts scattered across the range.

If it were merely about surviving alone, it would be easy for them—no pressure at all. But with demon beasts attacking, their living conditions would become extremely difficult.

Because you never knew how many demon beasts lurked around you. Only with a shelter could you develop defensive measures around it.

The three hundred demon beasts had been released into the mountains a full month in advance, all to let them familiarize themselves with every inch of the terrain.

After another ten-plus minutes, the three arrived at this small hillside spot. Long Jiuyyao confirmed it was a suitable place to build a shelter.

So he set down his backpack and began sorting through their current supplies.

Everyone's Universe Bags had been confiscated. Each team only had this simple backpack, carrying nothing more than an ordinary pot—nothing else.

"It's about one in the afternoon now. Let me assign the work."

"Before we came, I think I heard the sound of running water. You two go gather some branches and fetch water. If you spot any wild fruit, collect that too. If you find traces of demon beasts, tell me immediately." Long Jiuyyao instructed.

Lan Xinhuang and Yuan Xin nodded, then looked at Long Jiuyyao. "And what will you do?"

"Me? I'll go cut trees and build a house, of course. Where else would we sleep tonight?" Long Jiuyyao pointed at the ancient trees around them.

Lan Xinhuang and the others nodded with vague understanding—they had no idea how to build a house from scratch. But Long Jiuyyao had already started moving.

Lan Xinhuang and the others didn't slack off either. They quickly took the pot to fetch water and gather firewood.

Though Long Jiuyyao had no tools in hand, that didn't stop him from cutting trees. He leaped up, and as he landed, his arms suddenly exerted force, snapping off a thick branch.

He could have used Yuan Power to chop down the ancient trees, but that would waste too much time and consume a great deal of Yuan Power. It was far easier to just break off branches directly.

Even so, the branches were as thick as a person's waist. The Heaven and Earth Yuan Power in the Dragon Domain was extremely dense, making all the ancient trees robust—each one at least a hundred meters tall.

With Long Jiuyyao's current physical strength, snapping off those ancient tree branches was effortless.

Though he had never built a shelter in his original world, that didn't matter. Making a simple shelter was no problem for him.

Long Jiuyyao quickly snapped off dozens of branches, trimmed away the excess leaves, and stripped off the bark.

With no rope available, the ancient tree bark was tough enough to serve as cordage.

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

Just as Long Jiuyyao started worrying about Lan Xinhuang and the others, they returned—not only with plenty of firewood, but also some fruit and water.

Long Jiuyyao said a few brief words, then began his grand house-building project. Calling it a house was generous; it was really just a simple lean-to.

He grabbed a thick branch, suddenly channeled force into his arm, and drove it diagonally into the ground, punching out deep holes one by one.

Then he inserted sturdy, long branches into the holes, tied their tops together with ancient tree bark, and lashed a thick horizontal branch across the middle for reinforcement. The frame was complete.

Next, he bundled a large number of branches onto the frame, then covered it with a thick layer of leaves—both to add weight and stability, and to block wind and rain.

"There, the house is done. How is it?" Long Jiuyyao clapped his hands.

Lan Xinhuang and the others found it fascinating. Watching something come from nothing made Lan Xinhuang feel a hint of admiration for him. Over these past few days, countless novel things had appeared in her world, and it seemed there was nothing he couldn't do. Now he had even built a "house" out of thin air.

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

The sky gradually darkened. Fortunately, they had eaten a lot this morning, so they weren't hungry yet. Still, there were some wild berries left—three each after dividing them up.

All three were martial artists; they could go seven days without food or water if necessary. But daily meals were still needed. Going without was only for when there was nothing to eat. If food was available, who would choose to starve?

Night fell, and the three gathered around a campfire. Starting a fire with Yuan Power was very simple, but they didn't dare search for food. Without understanding their surroundings and in the darkness, they weren't willing to take risks.

"Alright, let's sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll see what there is to eat." Long Jiuyyao tossed the half-burned stick he was holding into the fire.

"Sl...sleep." Lan Xinhuang yelped like a startled rabbit.

"Yeah. Or are you planning to go hunting tomorrow with dark circles under your eyes?" Long Jiuyyao looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Th...this." Lan Xinhuang stammered, unable to get a word out.

"Aren't you two going to sleep? Do you want to keep watch with me instead?" Long Jiuyyao said again.

"Huh? You're not sleeping too?" Lan Xinhuang asked in surprise.

"Oh? Are you saying you want to sleep with me?" Long Jiuyyao smirked sidelong.

"Pfft! Who would want to sleep with you? Xin'er, let's go to bed." Lan Xinhuang's jade-like cheeks flushed slightly as she hurriedly spoke.

At the entrance of the "house," Lan Xinhuang paused. "I'll take the second half of the night watch."

"No need. You sleep. I'm enough." Long Jiuyyao didn't agree.

As they stepped inside the "house," Long Jiuyyao closed his eyes to rest as well. But a powerful Spiritual Power radiated outward from him, spreading in all directions.

Fortunately, the thick fog didn't block Spiritual Power. Everything within a twenty-meter radius was exposed under his Spiritual Power—and he detected no trace of any demon beasts. That was good news for them.

Even while surviving in the mountains, Long Jiuyyao still cultivated the Spiritual Diagram Record at the same time. Though the Seven Original Sins weren't with him now, it wasn't a big problem for someone who had already condensed one diagram. Without the Seven Original Sins' help, the refinement was merely slightly less effective—but something was better than nothing.

Of course, that applied only to the diagram he had already formed. If he wanted to condense a second, or even multiple diagrams, the Seven Original Sins were indispensable.

As his Spiritual Power improved, his own mental state gradually recovered. That was exactly why he didn't need Lan Xinhuang to take over.

As the fire shrank, he used his Spiritual Power to toss branches into the flames, maintaining the original blaze. This was the first time Long Jiuyyao found Spiritual Power so convenient.

No words passed that night. At dawn the next day, Long Jiuyyao opened his eyes early and turned back to see the two women sleeping like octopuses, each with their hands resting on the other—speechless.

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

Where there's water, there's food—this rule holds true anywhere.

As soon as Long Jiuyyao arrived, he saw a massive Dragon Fish leap out of the water. In the Dragon Domain's uniquely blessed environment, all creatures bore a resemblance to dragons.

That Dragon Fish had two Dragon Whiskers, indicating a trace of dragon bloodline, but its strength was weak—only the Heaven Origin Realm—and it was typically food for the dragon clan.

Though he didn't usually need to prepare his own meals, Long Jiuyyao had made many preparations for this Mountain Survival journey, including how to catch Dragon Fish.

Long Jiuyyao looked around and finally spotted the Dragon Fish's favorite food not far away: Dragon Pearl Fruit, a red fruit the size of a marble that humans could also eat. But for the sake of a good meal, he scattered all the Dragon Pearl Fruit into the Spirit Spring.

The Dragon Pearl Fruit didn't sink but floated on the surface. Long Jiuyyao quietly hid in the grass at the corner, waiting for the Dragon Fish to feed.

Time passed minute by minute. Even Long Jiuyyao in the grass grew a bit impatient. Finally, a fish spine appeared on the surface of the Spirit Spring.

"Pretty clever, making me wait this long. But not much longer," Long Jiuyyao thought.

Long Jiuyyao hadn't thrown all the Dragon Pearl Fruit in one spot but gradually moved them closer to his own position.

Closer, closer—but Long Jiuyyao didn't rush. Instead, he grew even quieter.

The Dragon Fish was just one step away from the spot where Long Jiuyyao's hunt would be a hundred percent successful, but suddenly it stopped moving, making his heart leap into his throat.

After a full minute like this, the Dragon Fish finally moved, swallowing all the Dragon Pearl Fruit in front of it and entering Long Jiuyyao's optimal hunting position.

In an instant, Long Jiuyyao struck with the Black Obsidian Sacred Dragon Finger. Before the Dragon Fish could react, its head was pierced through, and it died in his hands. The clear Spirit Spring was stained red with blood, but Long Jiuyyao wasn't worried about polluting it.

After lifting the Dragon Fish, Long Jiuyyao realized just how big it was—at least a meter long. He quickly gutted and cleaned it.

Carrying the Dragon Fish, he returned to the shelter. When he arrived, he found the campfire had gone out, which struck him as wrong.

He'd been away from camp for at least two hours, but Lan Xinhuang and the others were there—they wouldn't let the fire die. Could it be...

Long Jiuyyao felt a surge of alarm and rushed into the "house" with the Dragon Fish in hand. But what he saw shattered his speculation.

The two women were lying there quietly, just as when he'd left, sleeping soundly without any sign of waking.

Long Jiuyyao was furious. I worked my ass off catching fish, and you two sleep like logs, making me worry for nothing. He walked over and smacked each of them once.

"Smack! Smack!" The crisp sound echoed loudly through the silent Mountain Forest.

Feeling the burning pain on their backsides, the two women reluctantly opened their eyes, looking at Long Jiuyyao with sleepy gazes. "Hey. Morning!"

"Morning? The sun's already roasting your butts." Long Jiuyyao carried the Dragon Fish and walked out.

Feeling the texture in his hand, Long Jiuyyao left the "house" without a blush or a racing heart.

"Sister Lan, don't you feel your butt hurts?" Yuan Xin asked.

"A little. Maybe it's because it's my first time sleeping on the ground," Lan Xinhuang explained.

Yuan Xin nodded, half-convinced.

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

Before long, the two women slowly came out. Seeing the meter-long grilled fish on the rack, their eyes lit up.

Yuan Xin didn't think much of it, but Lan Xinhuang felt embarrassed. They were supposed to be surviving together, yet Long Jiuyyao was always taking care of her, which made the usually strong-willed woman a bit awkward.

Long Jiuyyao seemed to notice her hesitation. "Eat up. If you don't hurry, Xin'er will finish it all. There'll be plenty for you to do later."

He handed over a large piece of fish and dug in himself. Soon, the entire Dragon Fish was devoured.