Cave

The silent night passed quickly. When the first ray of dawn broke across the sky, Xiao Yu abruptly opened his eyes. A night's rest had restored his body to its peak condition. After briefly tidying up, Xiao Yu headed for the street outside. Today was the day he would enter the Monster Mountain Range!

By the time he reached the town gate, Xiao Yu saw many mercenary groups calling out for companions to enter the mountains with them. Naturally, Xiao Yu knew that traveling into the mountain range as a group would greatly improve safety, but it would also greatly reduce the danger. That ran contrary to his original purpose for coming to the Monster Mountain Range to train!

Besides, joining a mercenary group would make things inconvenient for Xiao Yu. With that in mind, he was even less willing to let a mercenary group hold him back. His strength as an Eight-star Dou Zhe was enough to earn him a fairly high position in any mercenary group. After all, only the leaders of Qingshan Town's three major mercenary groups had reached the Dou Master level.

Just as Xiao Yu was preparing to enter the Monster Mountain Range directly, an excited shout reached his ears. "The Myriad Medicine Pavilion is entering the Monster Mountain Range to gather herbs! Xiao Yi Xian will be traveling with us! Fifty spots available, and you must be at least a Two-star Dou Zhe! Anyone interested, hurry up!"

For a moment, the scene fell somewhat quiet before an even greater uproar erupted. Many mercenaries who had originally planned to travel in groups or alone surged toward the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, scrambling to get there first.

Xiao Yu smiled and shook his head. "Is she really that appealing?" Yet he did not follow them. He was a Second-grade Alchemist, and with the formidable strength of an Eight-star Dou Zhe as well, even across all of Qingshan Town, he would have the strength to fight if he encountered any of the three group leaders!

"Are you going to the Monster Mountain Range too?" A pleasant voice suddenly sounded beside him. Xiao Yu turned and saw a woman dressed in a simple white gown, a thin white veil covering her face and revealing only a pair of lively eyes. She exuded a fresh, ethereal aura along with a faint medicinal fragrance. Standing beside her made one's whole body feel relaxed.

Xiao Yu nodded lightly without speaking. The woman continued, "The Myriad Medicine Pavilion is recruiting people to enter the Monster Mountain Range. You can join them. That way, you'll have some protection when entering the mountains!"

Xiao Yu smiled and shrugged. "You saw it too. There are far too many people in front of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion. I can't squeeze in at all!"

The woman looked at the sea of heads surging outside the Myriad Medicine Pavilion and sighed helplessly. "That's true. But I have a Myriad Medicine Pavilion card here. If you take it, you can join the Myriad Medicine Pavilion's party directly!"

Xiao Yu looked at the card in her hand but did not reach out to take it. Instead, he looked at her in surprise and asked, "Could you be Xiao Yi Xian?"

There was no ripple in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes. It was not difficult to recognize her here. It was simply that she was standing toward the back now, while most of the mercenaries had rushed to the entrance of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, so no one had noticed her.

"Yes. So now, I'd like to invite you to join the Myriad Medicine Pavilion's party. Are you willing?" Xiao Yi Xian asked with a slight nod.

Xiao Yu asked somewhat doubtfully, "Why did you choose me? There should be plenty of Two-star Dou Zhes here!"

Xiao Yi Xian smiled. "Everyone in the party is an uncle. I'd be too bored by myself, so I wanted to find someone to chat with along the way!"

Xiao Yu nodded. "That's a pretty good reason!"

"Then you agree?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, a trace of delight appearing on her face.

Xiao Yu slowly shook his head. "No, I refuse!" With that, he walked past Xiao Yi Xian and headed straight into the Monster Mountain Range.

A flicker of astonishment passed through Xiao Yi Xian's eyes. "Did I just get rejected?" Then she shook her head with a smile, muttering, "What an interesting guy. So aloof!"

Xiao Yi Xian put away the card in her hand and walked off in another direction.

Xiao Yu had rejected Xiao Yi Xian's goodwill mainly because he did not want to cross paths with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. The strength of an Eight-star Dou Zhe was not enough for him to roam freely here. A one-on-one fight would be fine, but if the entire mercenary group came after him, his current strength would be far from enough. Last night's dream training was proof enough!

Xiao Yu clearly remembered how Xiao Yan had ended up opposing the Wolf Head Mercenary Group in Battle Through the Heavens. Xiao Yan had Yao Lao protecting him, while he only had the system, with no real safeguard at all!

Without overthinking it, Xiao Yu plunged straight into the Monster Mountain Range. Towering trees blocked out the sunlight, and the moment he entered, he felt a chill in the air. Xiao Yu planned to gather some herbs in the Monster Mountain Range and refine pills, while also practicing Dou Techniques and cultivation methods to improve his strength. He had not forgotten that the system's sign-in mission was to save Yun Yun!

Circulating his Dou Qi, Xiao Yu unleashed the Moon Chase Movement Technique. His figure blurred, and after a few leaps, he vanished into the wilderness.

After sprinting for a long while, Xiao Yu had reached the edge of the Monster Mountain Range's outer region. Human traces were scarce here, but the figures of first-tier magical beasts had become more common. Feeling the little Dou Qi remaining in his body, Xiao Yu gradually came to a stop.

After surveying his surroundings, Xiao Yu decided to find a hidden cave to settle down in. He planned to cultivate here for some time. A sheer cliff lay ahead, and Xiao Yu remembered that such cliffs often contained many caves. Thus, he used the Ink Scale Sword in his hand, driving it into the cliff face. Its sharp blade sank into the rock as easily as cutting into soft tofu, and Xiao Yu's body swung across the cliffside.

Sure enough, on a section of the cliff concealed by horizontal branches, a hidden pitch-black cave lay behind the trees. Xiao Yu fiercely kicked off the cliff wall, withdrew the Ink Scale Sword, and shot toward the branches outside the cave. He landed firmly atop the tree, then borrowed its force to dart directly into the cave!

The cave was completely dark, making it impossible to see what lay inside. With a casual wave of his hand, Xiao Yu's sharp sword Qi severed several branches from the tree. He then lightly tapped a finger against the wood, coating it in Bone Spirit Cold Flame. The warm firelight illuminated the entire cave passage considerably.

Just as he was about to walk farther in, a sudden sense of danger rose in Xiao Yu's heart. His body moved, and the Ink Scale Sword slashed out. Scorching sword Qi, carrying a fierce gust of wind, swept toward a black shadow!

Squelch!

A foul, bloody stench drifted over, followed by the sound of something falling to the ground. Only then did Xiao Yu see the magical beast corpse on the ground, severed into two bloody pieces by his sword Qi. "So it was a Rock Snake!"

Xiao Yu paid it no mind. Although this first-tier magical beast was fast and had a tough body, it was still doomed beneath the Ink Scale Sword. Its body might have been as hard as stone, but it was still inferior to the Blizzard Demon Wolf from the dream. Xiao Yu guessed that the dream had probably enhanced the Blizzard Demon Wolf's strength as well!

Walking through the quiet, dark cave for about five or six minutes, Xiao Yu suddenly stopped. Before him stood a stone door glowing with a faint yellow light, made even more conspicuous by the torch in his hand!

Xiao Yu froze for a moment, then a trace of joy appeared on his face. "Could this be the cave where Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan first came to search for treasure?"