At that moment, Chen Ming stood at the edge of a massive sinkhole.
It was just like standing at the edge of a cliff.
He glanced at the map.
"The Comprehensive Dungeon is at the bottom of this sinkhole."
Chen Ming leaned over and looked down.
The fog was so thick it shrouded almost the entire bottom. He couldn't tell how deep it was.
"Is this really just a wild dungeon, and not the lair of some terrifying Fierce Beast?"
There was no need to guess. In the Exotic Beast Forest, a place like this meant mysterious danger.
Anyone else would have had no choice but to give up.
But Chen Ming was different.
At level 5, his Constitution had already reached 3,800.
With his current combat strength, he had no reason to fear any exotic beast below level 10.
As for exotic beasts at level 10 or higher, the gap in their strength could be considerable.
Like Class Changers, exotic beasts gained new abilities every 10 levels.
Still, even if Chen Ming couldn't defeat an exotic beast above level 10 by himself, escaping wouldn't be a problem.
Without further hesitation, Chen Ming moved.
He was already here. How could he not go down and see what was there?
He leaped from the edge of the sinkhole, choosing the fastest way down.
He plunged.
The cold wind howled through the mist, like waves of eerie wailing.
Chen Ming didn't know how long he'd been falling before he finally reached the bottom.
He slammed into the ground.
[-1!]
He got up and surveyed his surroundings.
Before him stretched an enormous valley.
Scattered rocks littered the area.
The entire valley was dimly lit, swathed in pale blue mist.
In the distance, he could just make out several mountain peaks jutting upward.
Holding the Dungeon Rune Stone, Chen Ming quickly reached his destination.
A region surrounded by boulders lay beneath a thin veil of light, its ripples flowing across the surface.
[Cloud Hidden Ravine Dungeon]
[Type: Comprehensive (Treasure Hunt + Challenge)]
[Entry requires a designated Dungeon Rune Stone!]
The rune stone in Chen Ming's hand glowed faintly, quickly enveloping his body.
In an instant, the scene before him shifted rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, he had entered the dungeon.
Before him stretched a colorful meadow, filled with all kinds of exotic plants whose fragrance soothed the spirit.
Sheer cliffs rose on either side.
He was in a canyon.
[Cloud Hidden Ravine Dungeon]
[Clear Conditions]
[1. Treasure Hunt: Collect at least 10 energy-attribute materials!]
[2. Challenge: Kill at least 5 Treasure-Guarding Exotic Beasts!]
[Time Limit: 24 hours!]
"A Treasure Hunt dungeon?"
Chen Ming's eyes lit up.
And it was a Treasure Hunt dungeon with rare resources!
His excitement mounted, and he hurriedly used his spiritual power to investigate.
The next moment, his eyes widened.
[Green Wood Sprout]: Recovery attribute type
[Vermilion Fruit]: Fire-element power attribute type
[Thick Earth Flower]: Constitution attribute type
"Holy crap, there are so many?!"
Within a radius of just ten meters around him, Chen Ming had found three rare resources!
Using his spiritual power to examine them, he could clearly sense the pure attribute energy contained in these exotic plants.
They were definitely rare resources.
And the canyon was huge.
There was a vast stretch ahead for him to explore.
He was going to strike it rich!
The value of rare resources went without saying.
"Coming down here to look was definitely the right call."
He hadn't expected the Dungeon Rune Stone he'd gotten as a random drop from killing an exotic beast to lead to a dungeon full of rare resources.
Chen Ming immediately collected the three rare "exotic plants" he'd found.
[Treasure Hunt: Collect at least 10 energy-attribute materials]
[Progress: 3/10]
"This is way too easy."
He could meet the clear conditions without breaking a sweat.
But Chen Ming knew that meeting the clear conditions was only the bare minimum.
The more progress he made, the better his final clear rewards would be.
Looking at the three rare resources in his hand, Chen Ming didn't hesitate.
He chose to refine them right there.
In his palm, the [Green Wood Sprout] quickly withered, turning into a wisp of pale, pure energy that Chen Ming absorbed.
[Recovery attribute +5]
"Hm? It increased my attributes too?"
Looks like its quality wasn't low.
What a lucky find!
He continued with the [Thick Earth Flower].
[Constitution attribute +50!]
"Nice, nice."
Chen Ming's face lit up with delight.
But when he looked at the last item in his hand, the [Vermilion Fruit], he hesitated.
"A rare fire-element resource."
Chen Ming was only a Shield Guard. His class didn't have an elemental affinity.
Or, to put it another way, a C-rank class wasn't worthy of wielding elemental power.
Qin Zhixue's Holy Radiance Angel, for instance, wielded light-element power.
Even Sun Yang, the B-rank Shadow-Hiding Blade, wielded dark-element power.
Class Changers with a clearly defined elemental affinity didn't need to agonize over it. Naturally, absorbing rare resources of their corresponding element was best.
That didn't mean Chen Ming couldn't absorb rare elemental resources, though.
It was just that absorbing one now would effectively determine the direction of the skill he awakened at level 10.
For example, if Chen Ming wanted to awaken a fire-element skill at level 10, he could absorb this [Vermilion Fruit] now.
"No need to rush. I'll decide later."
Chen Ming put the [Vermilion Fruit] into his spiritual space.
Even if he couldn't use it, he could sell the rare resource.
This stuff was worth a fortune.
He had to admit, awakening a spiritual space was incredibly convenient.
If he kept rare resources like these on him, he'd surely attract covetous eyes sooner or later.
Chen Ming continued onward, searching for more rare resources.
He focused mainly on the exotic plants.
It was clear that the rare resources in this dungeon were all plants.
Soon, he found another plant infused with attribute energy.
[Heart-Connecting Grass]: Recovery attribute type
"Another recovery-type resource, and its quality seems really high?"
Chen Ming sensed even more attribute energy in this plant.
[Treasure Hunt: Collect at least 10 energy-attribute materials]
[Progress: 4/10]
He had just picked it when he suddenly paused.
"Huh? Something seems off."
Chen Ming bent down and stared at the pale purple grass.
Faint streams of light flowed through its translucent leaves, visible to the naked eye.
Even an ordinary person could tell there was something unusual about it.
But Chen Ming sensed another, "impure" energy within it.
"Poison."
The Heart-Connecting Grass was poisonous.
And it was the highly toxic kind.
Chen Ming understood. He immediately put the grass in his mouth.
"Let's see how poisonous it is."
[Recovery attribute +10!]
After savoring it briefly,
Chen Ming continued on.
The canyon was a one-way passage, so he didn't need to figure out which direction to go.
He only had to keep moving forward.
Soon, Chen Ming found another one.
[Wind-Breath Orchid]: Wind-element agility attribute type
Just as he was about to pick it, a sudden change occurred.
A strange gust of wind swept past, sending a chill through him.
A blurry shadow rushed toward Chen Ming through the swirling mist.
Chen Ming sensed something was wrong almost instantly and reacted swiftly.
His blade flashed!
He had trained himself to react instinctively.
Whatever demon or monster he ran into, he'd slash it first and ask questions later.
Before you continue