Gazing with Longing

No Bottle lowered his head in deep thought, but when he suddenly caught sight of an ox head beside him, he shuddered in terror.

Upon realizing it was just his own ox, he let out a sigh of relief.

I thought the Enforcer had come again...

The Enforcer was Black and White Impermanence, not Ox-Head and Horse-Face. He warned himself several times, finally suppressing the fear deep in his heart.

Seven days ago, in the Secret Realm Instance, he had been lucky enough to survive.

Just as he returned to the survival path, he saw an old man accompanied by a pair of Black and White Impermanence waiting for him there.

He had thought it was another Path Seeker who disapproved of his actions in the Secret Realm and had come to kill him via a Dao Discussion Card, nearly scaring him to death.

Only then did he realize those three were not Path Seekers, but Enforcers of the Journey Survival!

There was actually an official organization for the Journey Survival!

The Enforcer had come personally to assign him a mission!

The mission was simple: District 33 and District 66 were about to merge, and he was to deal with the Master of Cloud Stack Cave from District 66.

No Bottle had been stunned at the time.

The Master of Cloud Stack Cave was someone who had appeared in the Myriad World Announcement multiple times!

Moreover, why would the officials target a Path Seeker? If beings like them wanted to deal with a Path Seeker, couldn't they just kill him? Why seek out a small fry like him?

He wanted to ask, but he didn't dare.

The iron chains dancing around Black and White Impermanence showed they were clearly not mortals. The old man leading them, though showing nothing unusual, seemed all the more unfathomable.

He had no choice but to accept the mission.

Trying to deal with the Master of Cloud Stack Cave head-on was impossible. He could only resort to conspiracy and treachery, inciting enough enemies against the Master of Cloud Stack Cave.

Many ants can kill an elephant!

According to his plan, dragging the entire District 33 into hostility against the Master of Cloud Stack Cave was not out of the question.

But District 33 had an Ox Nose pressing down on them. That guy was too righteous and possessed quite a few tricks; from the very first day, he had saved many people through various analyses.

By the third or fourth day, he was even saving people directly using Dao Discussion Cards.

Before the novice period had even ended, he already held immense prestige in District 33.

After entering the Secret Realm, he had exhausted himself to save many people, vaguely becoming the leader of District 33.

That old Daoist was upright and incorruptible; he would never maliciously target the Master of Cloud Stack Cave and would even try his best to stop it!

The existence of the Ox Nose had become a stumbling block in his plan.

Therefore, he first incited Cloud Traveler and the others to conspire to get rid of the Ox Nose.

Then, during their arguments and debates, he subtly guided them, planting the seed in their hearts that the Master of Cloud Stack Cave was their inevitable enemy.

Things like: "The Daoist is kind-hearted, yet you people killed him!"

"You treacherous scoundrels, once the districts merge, the next top-ranked player will never tolerate you!"

"No one can tolerate a group of people who betrayed their own leader!"

"Did you see the Scroll prompt? We are merging with District 66! That is the territory of the Master of Cloud Stack Cave; you are all doomed!"

Two or three days of verbal abuse made these people instinctively believe that the Master of Cloud Stack Cave would treat them as enemies.

Just as he said, no leader could accept a group of turncoats.

With his prior guidance and the preconceived notions he planted, the scene at the start of today's district merger came to be.

He just hadn't expected those idiots to be so useless. Instead of taking the time while arguing with him to charge straight at the Master of Cloud Stack Cave, they went to kill some Monkey!

They deserved to die!

They had completely disrupted his plan, forcing him to resort to a desperate measure. By now, the Master of Cloud Stack Cave should have regarded Cloud Traveler and his group as mortal enemies.

He had also taken the opportunity to smuggle in his own agenda, hiding someone with a close relationship to the Ox Nose on the list.

Now, there were still many people in District 33 who remembered the Ox Nose's kindness. As long as that pig made a move, he only needed to guide them from the shadows, and the entire District 33 would become the pig's enemy.

With such results, he would be able to answer to the Enforcer.

Not only would he get his own exclusive Secret Realm Instance, but he would also obtain special cultivation techniques. More importantly, by getting on the good side of the Enforcer, wouldn't he be able to walk sideways in the Journey Survival?

But why hadn't that pig made a move yet?

The three Enforcers had promised to come and help him after the district merger.

For the past few days, he had dared to provoke these people recklessly because the Enforcer had shielded his information, and no one could use a Dao Discussion Card to kill him.

But the Enforcer had said that once the districts merged, this shielding would expire, and they would come to help him shield it again. Why hadn't they come yet?

No Bottle waited with bated breath.

Zhu Jiusi slept lightly, feeling the massage in his mind.

Today's massage wasn't just on his brain; those little hands were also gripping his eyeballs, wiping them with a squelching, squelching sound.

After a night of tossing and turning without a good sleep, Zhu Jiusi woke up as soon as the sky turned bright.

The Scroll manifested.

Nature +2

Zhu Jiusi was overjoyed, then paused in surprise.

The Scroll was much clearer than it had been yesterday. He looked out toward the exterior of his lair; his visual range had expanded by more than double.

He could clearly see the scenery forty or fifty meters away!

The little hands... phew! It was the Snake Gall!

Snake Gall had the effect of brightening the eyes and clearing internal heat. The little hands he had sensed last night, which seemed to be wiping his eyeballs, were the result of the Snake Gall taking effect.

His mood was excellent, and he felt refreshed and invigorated!

The Pig Trough had not finished merging yet, so Zhu Jiusi still had to gnaw on the muddy ground.

After eating his fill, he retracted his lair. With the sun at his back, he trotted westward.

His travel speed in the morning was not fast, as he still needed to inhale and exhale spiritual energy.

While breathing, he subconsciously circulated the spiritual power within his body.

Then, a surge of spiritual power followed his intent, flowing into his limbs and settling into his hooves.

All four pig hooves immediately glowed with a faint light.

With a single leap, Zhu Jiusi's speed more than doubled.

Wonderful!

With his Nature exceeding 10, he had surpassed the category of an ordinary being, and he could now control the spiritual power within his body.

According to the classification methods of his past life, the First Realm was divided into ten layers. Successfully condensing spiritual power through breathing was reaching the first layer.

Being able to freely control the spiritual power within one's body was the second layer.

Reaching the third layer allowed one to learn the simplest combat techniques and spells.

If using blades or swords, reaching the third layer meant one could emit sword or blade energy, and could also draw simple talismans.

A happy event brings a spirited mood.

He did not know if it was his higher spirit and energy boosting his luck, or if the 10% drop rate increase after the server merge had finally arrived.

Zhu Jiusi obtained 8 Gourds today, though only two were bronze; he hadn't even seen a leaf of silver.

He spent the morning practicing and trotting, and the afternoon sprinting at full speed to consume resources.

He didn't stop until it was nearly nightfall.

By circulating his spiritual power from time to time, his pig hooves felt no discomfort after running all day. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't travel at night, Zhu Jiusi could have run until dawn.

He found a sheltered spot and deployed his lair.

While waiting for the Pig Trough and the lair to finish merging, he opened Gourds and killed monsters.

His luck was decent, and he opened a Dao Discussion Card.

After about an hour, a heavy thud echoed from the lair.

He saw a moderately sized Pig Trough appear on the side of the lair, perfectly integrated with it.

He felt a sense of familiarity just looking at it.

How was this thing used?

Zhu Jiusi took out some roots and stems, carrying them into the lair.

The Scroll unfolded beside the lair, revealing information.

[Peanut 30%, Polygonum multiflorum 7%, Taro 23%, Potato 39%, Insect 1%.

Recommendation: Supplement with nuts, fruits, and small vertebrates]

<strong>[Detoxifying and removing bitterness, 29:57]</strong>

In truth, everything had toxins; the only thing to consider was the dosage.

Just like table salt, which living beings required—Zhu Jiusi had even licked stones during the day.

But if one were to eat a full belly of it, it would surely be fatal.

He wondered what the principle behind this trough's detoxification was.

Zhu Jiusi waited.

At the same time, he took out the unknown skeleton and began to merge it with the lair.

<strong>[Constructing lair skeleton, requires 24 hours. The lair cannot be moved during this period.]</strong>