The Last Requirement

The next day, Lin Ye walked out of the martial arts hall, the scent of lavender shampoo on him dispersing in the breeze.

He checked the time. It was just past ten.

With a thought, the Monument appeared.

[Perform a complete, fluent set of Soul Whale Fist (Completed)]

With Yan Yi as his sparring partner, he had mastered One-Finger Heat Ray much faster than expected.

During their sparring that morning, he had taken the opportunity to perform a complete set of Soul Whale Fist.

"Only the Dieluo Seed remains."

A minibus traveled along a winding mountain road.

Trees densely covered the mountainside along the road, and sunlight filtering through the leaves cast long, shifting beams.

A few elderly men and women sat in the seats by the door, chatting. Their handcarts were loaded with all kinds of vegetables.

Lin Ye sat by the window in the back row.

Outside the road, several lush green mountains surrounded a village in a valley, with a small river running through it.

He opened his phone and checked the location the merchant had sent him the night before. The name of the village was Yamada Village.

It was a mountain village in a county outside Coast City. The surrounding mountains were wild and largely undeveloped.

It was a rather backward place. All the young people in the village had left to make a living elsewhere.

He turned off his phone screen. The vehicle kept moving, rounding several bends as it descended the mountain.

It reached a dirt road and stopped in front of a bus-stop sign a few minutes later.

As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, the driver climbed over the engine compartment at the front and yanked open the door.

"Make sure you've got all your things! Don't leave anything behind! The security cameras are broken! If you lose something, don't come blaming me!"

The elderly passengers crowded noisily off the bus. Lin Ye rose from the back seat and followed them down.

The air was fresh and rich in oxygen, so crisp that even his mind felt much clearer.

Looking along the dirt road, he saw a stone bridge at the far end, with the little river from the valley flowing beneath it.

A stone stele stood beside the bridge, engraved with "Yamada Village."

Lin Ye crossed the bridge. Ahead, the land rose into a gentle slope, crisscrossed by several stone paths, with clusters of houses nestled among them.

He looked around. It felt as though he were standing at the bottom of a huge pit, surrounded by mountains on every side.

They stretched on in rolling succession, merging together into a dark mass that seemed about to come crashing down, filling him with an oppressive urge to flee.

He came back to himself, checked the location on his phone, and headed into the village once he had confirmed the direction.

The village was desolate. Smoke rose from the chimneys of only a few houses; some old homes had collapsed and lay overgrown with weeds, and every so often a few old cats darted past.

More than twenty minutes later, after climbing halfway up the mountain and nearly reaching the other side of the village, he spotted an old house with black bricks and tiled roofing.

The courtyard wall in front was still built from stones and yellow mud. It was only a little over a meter high, making it easy to see inside.

A climbing vine like ivy grew along the wall, bearing small, dark bluish-black berries.

A boy of about ten sat beneath the wall. His jacket had been washed until it had faded white, and he casually plucked a few berries and stuffed them into his mouth.

When the boy saw Lin Ye, he chewed a few times without thinking, then turned and ran into the courtyard.

"Grandpa! He's here! The man's here!"

The boy shouted and hopped about. An elderly man nearing seventy emerged from the tiled house, his hair grizzled and his clothes black.

"Teacher Lin?"

The old man's eyes were cloudy, but he was full of energy, and his movements were still nimble. He looked Lin Ye up and down.

He didn't know whether Lin Ye was a teacher at Coast University, but he called all the people who came to buy things "teacher." They had always seemed pleased to hear it.

Lin Ye stepped into the courtyard and didn't bother to explain. "That's me."

Looking at the old man, he couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

The mountains here weren't scenic spots. They were all wild.

Even an average young person would have trouble hiking around them, let alone collecting mountain produce. The old man's physical fitness was far better than that of most young people.

The old man relaxed and patted his eldest grandson. "Go on, bring Teacher the Dieluo Seeds."

The boy glanced at Lin Ye, rubbed his nose, and hurried toward the earthen house to the east.

"Teacher Lin, have a seat."

The old man led Lin Ye to sit in front of the tiled house, then took a clean purple clay teapot and poured him some tea.

"It's all picked in the mountains. One of your colleagues said last time that he liked this tea, so I set some aside."

Lin Ye took the teacup and had a sip. A fresh fragrance rose through his nose and seemed to reach the top of his head.

"What lovely tea."

He didn't know much about tea, but this tasted very good.

The old man smiled at that. "I'll give you some to take with you later. It's not worth much; there's plenty in the mountains."

Lin Ye set down his teacup. "Sorry for the trouble."

He had just finished speaking when the boy ran out of the east room carrying a burlap sack.

"Mm!"

The boy stopped in front of Lin Ye, held the sack out with both hands, and looked up as he gave an emphatic nod.

Lin Ye took the sack and hefted it. It weighed more than ten pounds, probably around twelve.

He loosened the drawstring, and a nutty fragrance wafted out. The sesame-like Dieluo Seeds were plump.

He picked up two and squeezed them. The fresh seeds weren't hard; they flattened easily, leaving a sheen of oil on his fingertips.

He rubbed his fingers together and held them beneath his nose. A rich pine scent seemed to massage his scalp.

"The goods are in good condition."

Lin Ye smiled with satisfaction. At this yield, the oil he pressed would be enough to coat his entire body from head to toe.

"Then, Teacher Lin, what do you think?"

The old man leaned forward slightly on his stool, looking a little cautious.

"I'll transfer the money to you now."

Lin Ye took out his phone and transferred six hundred yuan.

The old man pulled his phone from his breast pocket. After checking the message, he smiled and gently rested his other hand on the boy's head.

He looked at Lin Ye. "Teacher Lin, why not stay and eat something? We've got pheasant from the mountains. You can't get it in the city."

"No, I still have things to take care of when I get back, so I can't stay."

Lin Ye answered without looking up as he tied the sack shut. He couldn't wait to get back and press the oil.

Once he fulfilled the final requirement, he could unlock [Whale-Kill Hall Newcomer]!

"Ah, all right! You're busy! I'll pack some tea for you!" the old man replied quickly.

Lin Ye finished tying the sack and stood up. The old man rose with him.

Just as he was about to leave, Lin Ye suddenly thought of something and looked at the old man. "Sir, do you have any Black Spiral Grass?"

Confusion showed in the old man's eyes. He thought for a moment, then gently shook his head. "I don't know."

Lin Ye sighed inwardly. Then he suddenly remembered something and took out his phone.

"This is what it looks like."

He opened his photo album and showed the old man a picture of Black Spiral Grass.

The old man nodded repeatedly. "I know it! I know it! Around here, we call it Saw Grass."

Then he looked troubled.

"There's very little of it, and it grows on the shady side of cliffs. There's moss up there, too. You can't get a foothold."

"This... I can't pick it."

The old man sighed and shook his head. If he'd been younger, he might have tried lowering himself down with a rope.

But now, he really was old.

Lin Ye put his phone away helplessly, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Sir, you said it grows on a cliff, right? Could you take me there to have a look?"

The old man looked up slightly and fell silent for a moment. "All right. I'll get you an insect-repellent sachet."

Near noon, at the foot of a shady cliff on the outskirts of the village, two figures stood gazing up at it.

"Teacher Lin, look. It's right there."

The old man pointed up the cliff. It was roughly two or three hundred meters high, covered in dark green vines and moss. The spot he indicated was around the middle.

Lin Ye raised his binoculars and looked. Beneath three old pine trees, several clumps of dark grass swayed in the breeze.

They looked like springs, with slender leaves edged in serrations. It was Black Spiral Grass.

There were at least twenty or thirty plants.