Spirit Detection Disk

After finishing his Iron Ox Technique practice at dawn, Li Yuan withdrew his stance and rose.

The five forms of the Proficient Realm flowed together more and more smoothly. When vital blood washed through his viscera and limbs, his body almost cooperated on instinct, without any need for deliberate guidance.

Li Yuan straightened his clothes and hung his waist token at his belt. Today, he was going to patrol the outskirts of the market.

Leaving through the market's East Gate, the blue stone road beneath his feet ended after only a few steps.

In its place was a Yellow Earth Road beaten out by countless feet, with wild grass growing thickly on both sides and a few crooked little trees scattered here and there.

The Yuanheng Mountains stretched across the western horizon in the distance. Their gray-blue ridges layered one upon another; they looked close, but were actually nearly a hundred li away.

Inside the market walls was another world entirely.

Li Yuan followed the route marked on the document, heading north before turning east and passing several intersections outside the Spirit Field District.

It was somewhat different from what Li Yuan had expected. There was nothing unusual. The wasteland lay quiet, and now and then a few gray sparrows fluttered up from the grass before dropping back down.

When he circled around to the outskirts of the Spirit Field District, the ears of Green Jade Rice between the distant field ridges swayed gently in the wind, while several spirit farmers bent over their work in the fields.

Everything looked no different from before.

Just as he was about to quicken his pace and head back, a spirit farmer jogged over from a field ridge, still clutching a hoe in his hand.

"Deputy Captain Li!"

This was Farmer He, a spirit farmer from the southern part of the Spirit Field District. He was at Qi Refining, First Layer and rented more than twenty mu of land to grow Green Jade Rice. He was around forty, dark-faced, and his expression was clearly anxious.

"The day before yesterday, I went to my fields and found that something had trampled the several plots on the south side. Several rows of rice had been flattened, and there were claw marks on the ground."

"What kind of claw marks?"

"Three-toed." Farmer He gestured, spreading his palm and then drawing his fingers together to mark out an area the size of a bowl's mouth.

Three-toed claw prints the size of a bowl's mouth could not have been left by the field mice or wild rabbits commonly seen in the Spirit Field District. Most likely, it was a demonic beast.

"Take me over to have a look."

Farmer He led Li Yuan across several field ridges to the plots on the southern outer edge.

He saw them at a glance.

Three or four rows of Green Jade Rice had been trampled flat. Their ears had snapped, while several clear claw prints sank deeply into the wet, soft field soil.

Three toes, webbing between them, and sharp scratches at the claw tips that had gouged shallow furrows into the earth.

Li Yuan crouched down and held his fingers beside a claw print to compare its depth.

It had sunk in quite deeply. Whatever had left these marks was not light.

The spacing was at least over two chi apart, and the intervals between steps were roughly even. It did not look as if it had come running through while being chased by something.

Farmer He crouched beside him and rubbed his hands together. "Deputy Captain Li, how could a demonic beast have made its way here? There's never been a demonic beast in the Spirit Field District."

The Spirit Field District lay east of the market, with the entire market separating it from the Yuanheng Mountains.

For a demonic beast to run here from the western mountains without passing through the market's main gate, it would have to make a huge detour from either the south or north—and there were Guard Squads stationed there as well.

That was why demonic beasts had never appeared in the Spirit Field District.

Li Yuan followed the claw marks south for some distance.

After leaving the edge of the Spirit Field District, the ground changed from wet, soft farmland into dry, hard yellow earth and gravel. The claw prints grew fainter and fainter, obscured by weeds and stones, until after roughly a hundred steps they could no longer be seen at all.

Li Yuan did not continue deeper. He turned back toward the market.

As he passed through the market along North Alley, there were still plenty of people on the streets. The Yuanheng Mountains had remained unsettled lately, and rogue cultivators were still flooding into the market. The stalls on East Street and North Alley were nearly too crowded to fit them all.

Li Yuan went straight to the Patrol Squad's station.

The main hall door was half-open. Wang De sat behind a desk, with a tea bowl resting in the corner.

Li Yuan explained the situation in the Spirit Field District.

After listening, Wang De did not speak immediately. His index finger tapped the tabletop twice.

"The spirit farmers in the Spirit Field District also reported directly to the Management Office."

Wang De pulled a document from the pile of papers, scanned it, and set it aside.

"The Management Office wants the Patrol Squad to send people to investigate for a few days, determine whether it merely passed through or has made a nest there, and preferably kill the thing."

"I'm assigning this matter to you. I'll arrange the manpower. I'll give you a detailed plan tomorrow."

Most spirit farmers did not have high cultivation, nor did they have much combat experience. With the cover provided by the spirit fields, if the demonic beast was even slightly stronger, it could easily cause serious casualties and destroy the fields. It had to be dealt with quickly.

The Spirit Field District was simply too vast, though, and overgrown with weeds. A demonic beast would not be easy to find.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yuan added, "The Spirit Field District is east of the market. If the demonic beast came from the mountains, it could only have gone around from the south or north. The southern route is within the Guard Squad's patrol range. Logically, nothing should have been able to sneak through."

"There was a problem with the South Line patrol for a period last month."

Wang De's tone was flat.

"I'll investigate the specific circumstances. You handle the Spirit Field District first."

Li Yuan nodded in acknowledgment and withdrew.

Early the next morning, Li Yuan went to the Patrol Squad's station.

Wang De was already seated behind the desk, with a completed document spread out before him.

"I've gathered the manpower for the Spirit Field District matter we discussed yesterday."

"The mission starts this afternoon. Gather at the East Gate after noon."

Wang De pushed the document over. The mission arrangements were brief—investigation of demonic beast traces in the Spirit Field District, with Patrol Squad Deputy Captain Li Yuan assigned to lead the team and three people temporarily transferred to assist.

"You're at Qi Refining, Fourth Layer. Even if there truly is a demonic beast in the Spirit Field District, it's most likely only Low-grade First-Order. You can handle it."

Wang De flipped through the roster and read out three names—Zhou Dazhuang, Xu Mao, and Lin Xiaowu.

Zhou Dazhuang's Guard Squad rotation had just ended, and before he could officially report back to the Patrol Squad, he was intercepted and stuffed into the mission. Xu Mao and Lin Xiaowu were respectively an old hand and a newcomer in the Patrol Squad, at Qi Refining Third Level and the second level.

"There's one more thing."

Wang De took out a palm-sized wooden box from beneath the desk, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"The Dharma Artifact issued to Deputy Captains should have been given to you long ago, but you became Deputy Captain as soon as you broke through. There simply wasn't enough time to prepare it."

Li Yuan opened the wooden box.

A bronze-yellow disk lay on its lining, roughly two fingers wide and one finger thick. Its surface was covered in dense patterns, its edges polished smooth, with a grain-sized green crystal embedded in the center.

"Spirit Detection Disk."

Wang De spoke.

"Every Deputy Captain and above has one. It's a Standardized Magical Artifact of the Lineage. After infusing it with spiritual power, it can detect spiritual energy fluctuations within several dozen zhang. Demonic beasts, cultivators, spirit mines—anything with spiritual energy can be sensed. The range isn't large and the precision is average, but it's enough for tracking traces."

Li Yuan took the Spirit Detection Disk from the wooden box. The bronze disk felt slightly heavy in his hand, cool to the touch.

The moment his fingers touched it, translucent text appeared before his eyes.

[Detected equippable item: Spirit Detection Disk (Intact)]

[Affix preview: Spirit Sense Expansion (Green)—passively senses aura fluctuations within thirty zhang; can sense the intensity and direction of most spiritual energy fluctuations within range; can stack with other effects; possesses a certain degree of penetration against concealment-type spells and masking methods]

[Permanentization condition preview: Possess divine sense]

[Current Equipment Slot is full (2/2). Replace current equipment?]

Green.

Gray, white, green, blue, purple, red, gold—all the Affixes he currently possessed were white and gray. This was his first Green Trait.

The Spirit Detection Disk itself had a detection range of several dozen zhang, and required actively infusing spiritual power.

The Green Trait directly set the range at thirty zhang. It took effect passively and required no spiritual power infusion, meaning it was active at all times. It could even penetrate concealment methods to a certain extent.

But the Equipment Slot was full. The Circulation Acceleration of the Vein-Clearing Pill was indispensable to daily cultivation, while the Viscera Strengthening of the Iron Ox Technique also accelerated the cultivation of mundane techniques. Neither could be casually removed.

And the condition for Permanentization truly was not simple.

Generally speaking, only cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm could possess divine sense. If he were in the Foundation Establishment Realm, then obtaining this equipment would allow him to permanently affix the trait.

But for his current self, only at Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, that Permanentization condition was far too distant.

Li Yuan put the Spirit Detection Disk into his sleeve and closed the wooden box.

Wang De handed him another notice—an adjustment to his monthly salary.

A Deputy Captain's monthly salary had been reduced from six Spirit Stones to three, while Contribution Points had risen from ten to fifteen.

The Spirit Stones had been cut in half, while Contribution Points increased by five. Spirit Stones and contributions were roughly equivalent at a one-to-one ratio. It looked like he had gained two, but in truth, he had gained very little.

Contribution Points could only be exchanged within the Wang Family and were not as convenient as Spirit Stones.

Furthermore, physical items were priced higher. Contributions were only cheaper when exchanged for things such as cultivation techniques.

Although enough Contribution Points could be exchanged for items unavailable outside, that had nothing to do with an outer member like him.

Li Yuan put away the notice without asking further questions, then turned and left the station.