Attraction

Ji Yun had been on the Australian continent for seven or eight days.

After dealing with that kangaroo clan, Ji Yun took a short rest in the small town, preparing to head to his next target.

Ji Yun's goal was naturally High-Level Lord monsters, but High-Level Lords weren't something you found on every street corner. Their territorial awareness was extremely strong. Only around King Rank monsters would there be large numbers of High-Level Lords, but Ji Yun absolutely wouldn't provoke a King Rank monster.

Inside a villa in the small town.

Ji Yun was making adjustments in the basement.

Upstairs, while the air circulation was good, there were monsters with keen senses that could pick up his scent. Although Ji Yun wasn't afraid, dealing with waves of trouble one after another was still a nuisance.

"Beep, beep," Ji Yun dialed the home phone.

"Hello?"

On the other end came Ji Shan's voice.

"A-Yun, what's the matter?" Ji Shan knew Ji Yun was on a life-or-death adventure, but he also knew Ji Yun was ranked first, so he wasn't too worried about his safety.

"Nothing, Dad. Just checking in to say I'm safe." A smile appeared on Ji Yun's face.

Indeed, home had always been Ji Yun's strongest support and a harbor from the storm.

"Nothing's happening at home, don't worry." Ji Shan also laughed. "When you come back, in about two years you should be able to graduate. That little girl Luo Yue did well on her college entrance exams, but I don't get why she insists on going to Jiangnan University. Ah, right, that Jiangnan University in Jiangnan Base City. I just don't understand—she could have gone to Kyoto University, but no, she has to go down south..."

Ji Shan rambled on for a long time, completely unlike his usual concise and refined speech.

"Mm-hmm," Ji Yun listened patiently. Maybe this was what a father was like in front of his children. No matter how he usually acted, once separated for a long time, he became much more talkative.

After chatting with his father, Ji Yun dialed Luo Yue's number.

"Hello, Xiao Yue."

"Ah, is that Ji Yun!" A surprised voice came from the other end.

"Yun-ge, why are you calling me?" Luo Yue was a bit excited. Since Ji Yun went to the Elite Training Camp, they had talked less often, to the point where Ji Yun felt he had been neglecting this little girl.

"Xiao Yue, I heard from Dad that you went to Jiangnan University. What, tired of staying in Kyoto Base City?" A hint of a smile tugged at Ji Yun's lips. With his strength, he was confident he could protect Luo Yue for a lifetime, no matter where he was.

"Mm, how should I put it." A playful voice came through the phone. "I guess I've had enough of Kyoto Base City. Not many fun places. I've made a lot of friends at Jiangnan Base City. More importantly, a lot of people in Kyoto know me, and some even harass me... Anyway, it's just not fun."

"But Jiangnan Base City is different. Basically no one knows me here. I asked Uncle Ji to buy a house from Jiangnan University in advance, so I'm already settled in."

"I also met a senior, her surname is Xu. Her temperament is really amazing. I heard she has a boyfriend, but I don't know what he looks like..."

Luo Yue talked a lot, and Ji Yun listened quietly. Life wasn't just about slaughter, cultivation, and improvement; there was also peace, family, and living.

"Xiao Yue, it's fine that you're at Jiangnan Base City, but I'm worried someone might bully you."

Ji Yun thought for a moment and said, "I'll contact a good friend of mine, who's also from Jiangnan Base City. His girlfriend is at Jiangnan University too. I can ask her to look after you."

"Mm-hmm!" Luo Yue nodded happily.

"I'll hang up now. The Australian continent is a bit dangerous." Ji Yun ended the call and dialed another number.

"Luo Feng."

"It's me." The voice on the other end was concise and forceful.

"How are you? Any trouble?" Ji Yun asked.

"That Li Yao has confirmed my general location, but he doesn't know I know he's here. If he dares to come, he's dead." Luo Feng's voice was full of confidence.

"I've hunted quite a few Lords these past two days, but most escaped. How about you?"

"Not bad. Killed a High-Level Kangaroo Lord," Ji Yun said casually.

"High-Level Lord? Damn, nice one." Luo Feng let out a curse. He had doubted Ji Yun's words before, but hearing this, he had no more doubts. Being able to solo a High-Level Lord meant his strength was definitely at the High-Level War God level.

"By the way, Luo Feng, I remember you said your girlfriend is at Jiangnan University. My family member is also there. Have her look after her." Ji Yun then sent Luo Yue's basic info to Luo Feng, asking him to forward it to his girlfriend.

"Oh? Ji Yun, you into younger girls?" Luo Feng teased.

"I call this love at first sight. Better than your childhood crush," Ji Yun tilted his head, rolled his eyes, and shot back bluntly.

"Haha."

Ji Yun spent some time calling his family and friends, packed up his spoils, and was about to set off.

After organizing his backpack, Ji Yun came out of the basement, leaped up, and landed on the second-floor balcony of the house. The area nearby had already been cleared by Ji Yun, and the town was small, so there wouldn't be any high-level monsters.

Opening his electronic map, Ji Yun studied it carefully.

"Hm? To the north, there's a river?"

Places with water usually had more monsters, and correspondingly more powerful ones.

"This river flows north, all the way to a mountain range in the north." Ji Yun examined the map closely, thinking continuously.

"I'll follow this river until I reach the mountains. That mountain range should have plenty of High-Level Lords." Having made up his mind, Ji Yun didn't delay. He set off immediately, heading for the river a few kilometers away, and advanced along its course.

***

On a foggy island north along the river.

If you can't find the book by searching the title, try searching the author's name—maybe it was just renamed!

In response to readers' requests, we are now launching a VIP membership ad-free feature.

Click to view

At the bottom of a massive lake inside the island, one hundred fifty thousand meters underground, within a triangular blood-red spacecraft hundreds of meters in diameter.

A figure suddenly appeared inside the spacecraft. He wore black robes, and on his head grew blood-red horns. In appearance, he closely resembled a demon from European religious iconography.

Though he had lost his physical body in that fierce battle fifty thousand years ago and now existed only as a virtual, bodiless entity, he still instinctively liked to project his image within this blood-red spacecraft. Even if no one was there to see it, it gave him a sense of returning to the past, to when people still filled the ship.

"An interesting kid has come to the Australian Continent. Not yet broken through to Planetary Level, yet already extremely close to comprehending a domain. His brain domain width is also outstanding—actually reached 34. With that kind of brain domain width, how could he not be a Psychic Master?"

The figure muttered to himself. "What a pity. He's not a Psychic Master. Still, with such a high brain domain width and excellent comprehension, he's fully qualified to inherit the legacy of my master's subordinate—the strong one known as Marquis Wind Walker."

"I need to lure him here."

The figure suddenly dissipated.

******

Ji Yun advanced along the river, though his speed had slowed somewhat. His direction shifted with the river's course, but if someone with a discerning eye looked down from a satellite, they would see that Ji Yun's path of advance was a perfectly straight line.

In other words, under the correction of an unseen guiding force, no matter how Ji Yun randomly changed direction, he still moved along a single heading.

Along the way, after several battles large and small, Ji Yun had slain a high-ranking Lightning Eel Lord and several mid-ranking Lord monsters, greatly filling his pack. He planned that once he returned from the Australian Continent, he would directly certify his strength as a High-Level War God, graduate from the training camp, and spend some good time with his father and Luo Yue.

After following the river for roughly three hundred kilometers, Ji Yun couldn't help but slow his pace. He noticed that the monsters nearby were acting somewhat strange.

The number of monsters had grown sparse, and those that remained were different from usual. Even within the same species, there were noticeable variations. But one thing was the same: all these monsters were Lords, and all were powerful.

Ji Yun had to be cautious. This didn't look like a good sign. A large gathering of Lord monsters usually indicated the presence of a King Rank monster nearby. But a King Rank monster would also attract numerous Beast Generals and Beast Soldiers seeking its protection. That didn't match the situation here.

Slowly, following the river, Ji Yun entered an island.

This island was perpetually shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see clearly. Ji Yun chose to enter during the day, but even with his eyesight, he could only see a few hundred meters.

For a War God expert, seeing several kilometers at a glance was trivial—this showed just how dense the fog was.

The fog was thick, and within the island.

"How strange." After entering the island, Ji Yun had already drawn Wind Lifter. He advanced cautiously through the island's mountain forests, looking at the surrounding trees and vegetation, growing more puzzled. "I've already gone two or three li deep into the island, and I still haven't seen a single trace of monsters. Could it be that this island has no monsters?"

"And what's even stranger is..."

"Here on the Australian Continent, it's the end of winter. But the temperature on this island is quite high, and the trees and flowers are as lush as if it were spring or summer." Ji Yun was deeply confused.

"Hm? What's that smell?"

Holding Wind Lifter, Ji Yun remained on alert.

"It couldn't be some kind of plant trap, could it?" Ji Yun had heard that some plants release fragrances to lure animals in, then capture and devour them for sustenance.

"Is this... the smell of rice?" Ji Yun was taken aback.

"A plant can give off a rice scent?" Ji Yun wondered if something was deliberately trying to lure him.

Following the scent, Ji Yun advanced slowly. Finally, he reached the entrance of an underground river.

Ji Yun sniffed the air and confirmed that the rice fragrance was coming from here, but he hesitated. The underground world—who knew what the situation was down there? Entering rashly might bring unforeseen danger.

While Ji Yun hesitated, deep underground.

Sixteen thousand meters beneath the earth, inside a damaged spacecraft, a figure no more than one meter forty-five tall, with two sharp horns on his forehead, blood-red eyes, and wearing black robes, was observing Ji Yun's movements.

"Stupid Earthling, too scared to even enter?" The child-like figure couldn't help but curse loudly. But there was nothing he could do. He had lost his body and couldn't leave the spacecraft's range unless someone carried him out.

"The fragrance is getting stronger!" Ji Yun keenly sensed that the scent had grown richer, its pull immense. After scanning the area and finding no danger, he made up his mind.

"I'm going in!" Ji Yun gritted his teeth.

Having made his decision, Ji Yun leaped into the underground river. He moved through the dark water like a fish, occasionally surfacing to sniff the air and confirm the direction of the fragrance.

"Is it here?"

Ji Yun stopped and carefully climbed ashore.

This was a natural cave. There were no monsters inside.

Ji Yun cautiously entered the cave, turning on his watch's light to carefully explore. He had relaxed a little—he sensed no King Rank monster aura, and even if there were high-ranking Lords, he wasn't afraid. The white translucent crystal emitted wave after wave of rice fragrance, making one instinctively want to drool.

"What is this!"

Ji Yun had already spotted the white semi-transparent crystal. His heart shook violently.

"Is this a treasure? Some kind of treasure?" Ji Yun asked himself, but he already felt certain.

"A treasure similar to a Vegetation Spirit?"

Ji Yun's breathing quickened. This could be another chance to greatly increase his strength. The energy from the Blood Ginseng he had taken before, stored within his body, had been nearly exhausted during his three months of training in the Gravity Room.

And clearly, this crystal's energy aura was far greater than the Blood Ginseng's.

Should he take it or not?

Ji Yun looked around. The cave was deep and winding. He had already traveled a considerable distance inside, and the path was twisted enough that even ordinary people or monsters would get lost.

"I'll eat it, then." After a moment's hesitation, Ji Yun made up his mind. Even if taking it didn't boost his power, leaving it alone meant the rice fragrance would eventually attract something. And the smell couldn't be masked—even if he carried it away, someone would find out.

Better to just consume it now.