Spirit Elder Must Die

I go.

Lu Yuan put the access token into his inner pocket.

The Deacon who delivered the message nodded.

"Tomorrow afternoon, Outer Courtyard of the Consecration Hall. The specific route and rules, the Young Lord will tell you personally."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Lu Yuan stood in place, not leaving immediately.

Seven days later.

Outside Spirit City.

Qian Renxue was heavily injured.

The Eye of Destiny only gave the result, not the reason.

But since the time happened to collide with this actual combat training, it could not simply be a coincidence.

"What are you dazing off about again?"

Hu Liena walked over from behind, her gaze sweeping across his face and then landing on the access token in his pocket.

"The Young Lord is looking for you?"

"Mm."

"What for?"

"Out of the city in seven days."

Hu Liena waited two breaths.

"And then?"

"That's it."

"What do you mean that's it?"

Lu Yuan glanced at her.

"She only called me."

Hu Liena stopped talking.

Zhou Qi, who had just been about to crowd over, also stopped in his tracks.

"Just you alone?"

"For now."

Zhou Qi couldn't help saying, "Aren't we in the same batch entering the Youth Special Training?"

"Yes."

"Then why—"

"You can go ask the Young Lord."

Zhou Qi swallowed the rest of his words back down forcefully.

Hu Liena was even more direct, turning around and walking away.

"Forget it, I was asking for nothing."

Lu Yuan let out a laugh.

There was no training in the afternoon, so he returned to his quarters to summon the Dark Iron Spear and practiced Piercing Edge a few more times.

When he ran into Yan Tuo yesterday, he relied on containment.

When he forced Wei Cheng back today, he also utilized the arena boundaries.

These methods were all useful within the training ground.

Yet once outside Spirit City, spirit beasts wouldn't play by rules with him; if he truly ran into danger, no one nearby would shout stop.

He practiced until his right arm grew sore before Lu Yuan put the spear away to rest.

The next afternoon, he arrived early at the Outer Courtyard of the Consecration Hall.

Qian Renxue was already waiting.

A map was spread out on a stone table.

Two people were also standing beside her.

The man was in his thirties, not very tall, yet with very broad shoulders and a short axe hanging from his waist.

The other woman carried a long bow on her back, her cuffs tied tightly, her fingers and the web of her hands bearing light calluses left by years of drawing a bow.

The moment Lu Yuan approached, both of their gazes fell upon him at the same time.

Qian Renxue pointed at the stone stool opposite.

"Sit."

Lu Yuan sat down and looked at the map.

"Just the four of us?"

"There are two more."

Qian Renxue pointed at the northern side of the map.

"Seven days later, we will rendezvous directly at the North Gate."

The route headed straight north from Spirit City, passed through a stone bridge and an abandoned hunter camp, and finally entered a long, narrow valley.

Qingshi Valley.

"What is the mission?"

"Patrol."

Qian Renxue said, "Five days ago, the outer Patrol Team found that spirit beast activity near Qingshi Valley was somewhat abnormal."

"How many years at most?"

"Around four hundred years."

Lu Yuan raised his head.

"Four hundred years?"

"Mm."

"Then why bring two Spirit Elders in the team?"

The man beside them twitched an eyebrow.

Qian Renxue didn't seem to feel there was anything wrong with this question.

"It's the first time bringing Youth Special Training members out of the city."

"Not because Qingshi Valley is dangerous?"

"At least the report doesn't say so."

Lu Yuan looked back at the map.

Two Spirit Elders leading the team.

Qian Renxue was also going.

If there were only spirit beasts of four hundred years at most in Qingshi Valley, such a configuration was already steady enough.

Yet seven days later, Qian Renxue would still be heavily injured.

Lu Yuan's finger paused at the valley entrance.

"How deep did the Patrol Team go in?"

This time it was the man who answered.

"About three miles into the outer area."

"And further inside?"

"They didn't go in."

"Why?"

The man laughed.

"Merely four hundred year spirit beasts, they aren't worth drilling deep into the depths just to investigate the bottom of things."

As he spoke, he reached out a hand.

"Han Yue, thirty-seventh-rank Battle Spirit Elder, leading the team this time."

Lu Yuan shook hands with him.

The woman beside them also spoke.

"Bai Li, thirty-fourth-rank Tool Spirit Elder."

Lu Yuan memorized the two names.

"Did anyone in the Patrol Team get injured these past few days?"

"No."

Han Yue looked at him.

"You sure have a lot of questions."

"First time leaving the city."

"Scared?"

"Does being afraid of death count?"

Han Yue was startled for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"It counts."

"Then that's quite good."

"At this age, when actually going out to see spirit beasts, even more people claim with their mouths that they aren't afraid."

Qian Renxue spoke from the side.

"That's why I called him."

Han Yue's laughter stopped.

Lu Yuan also raised his head.

"Because I'm afraid of death?"

"Because you know to change methods when you realize you can't beat them."

Qian Renxue's tone was very ordinary.

"Out of this batch of eight people, I only chose you."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Han Yue re-evaluated Lu Yuan with another look.

Bai Li was even more direct.

"How many days since you entered the special training?"

"Three days."

"Then it's you."

"What?"

"Yesterday someone asked Yan Tuo how the new batch of children were doing."

Bai Li said, "He said there was a One-Ring Spirit Master who finished training first two days in a row."

She looked at Lu Yuan.

"I thought he'd be older."

Han Yue amusedly gloated.

"Six years old, one ring, first place two days in a row?"

Lu Yuan didn't take up the conversation.

Qian Renxue had already picked up a black wooden token from the edge of the table and pushed it in front of him.

"For your first trip out, you may go to the Armory to pick one Ordinary Implement."

Han Yue immediately added a sentence.

"Ordinary Implement."

"Guidance Tools and medicine don't count."

Lu Yuan picked up the wooden token.

"Can I go now?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

Han Yue clearly hadn't expected him to be so straightforward.

"You really don't stand on ceremony."

"Why stand on ceremony when it's free?"

Bai Li tilted her face away, still failing to hold back a smile.

The Armory was just two long corridors away.

After going inside, Lu Yuan didn't dawdle either.

The soft armor was too heavy, short blades were of no use, and bracers could be bought in the city too.

He looked all the way to the innermost part before stopping in a corner.

Several strip-shaped leather bags hung there.

Lu Yuan took one down.

Rolled up inside was a thin rope nearly two zhang long, one end fitted with a metal clasp, and the other connected to a leather ring that could be fixed onto the spear shaft.

"What is this?"

"Safety Rope."

Han Yue said, "It used to be prepared for instrument martial souls like spears and halberds, in case the weapon slipped from the hand."

"Nobody uses it anymore. If an instrument martial soul drops, you just summon it again; tying a rope to it just gets in the way instead."

Lu Yuan tested the weight.

Very light.

"I want this."

Han Yue paused for a moment.

"You don't want the soft armor outside, and you're taking a thing like this?"

"Wearing soft armor affects movement."

"What about the bracers?"

"I'll buy my own later."

Han Yue glanced at him.

"This gadget isn't worth much."

Lu Yuan coiled the fine rope back up again.

"There's no rule saying you have to pick the expensive ones."

After finishing the registration, the two returned to the outer courtyard.

Seeing the spear rope at Lu Yuan's waist, Qian Renxue looked somewhat surprised as well.

"You chose this?"

"Yeah."

"How do you plan to use it?"

"I haven't thought about it yet."

Just as Han Yue was about to laugh, Lu Yuan already chimed in.

"Taking it back to test is better than taking a piece of equipment I can't use."

Qian Renxue glanced at the spear rope and said nothing more.

"Seven days from now, assemble at the north gate before dawn."

"What if we're late?"

"We won't wait."

"Understood."

Lu Yuan stood up, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

A deacon walked in quickly.

"Captain Han!"

Han Yue turned around.

"What is it?"

The deacon handed over an urgent report that had just been delivered.

"Sent back by the Qingshi Valley Patrol Team."

The smile on Han Yue's face quickly vanished.

Unfolding the report and reading only a few lines, he frowned.

Bai Li also walked closer.

"Something happened?"

"A person is missing."

Qian Renxue raised her head.

Han Yue continued reading downward.

"Yesterday afternoon, a level 28 Great Spirit Master from the patrol team went missing."

"This morning, they found a pool of blood in the south of the valley."

"And his saber."

Bai Li asked, "Where's the body?"

"None."

"Are there any traces left by spirit beasts?"

Han Yue turned to the last page.

"None either."

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

A Great Spirit Master.

Missing for an entire night.

Leaving behind only blood and a weapon.

Yet not even spirit beast footprints could be found nearby.

Qian Renxue stood up.

"Does the mission still continue?"

"I'll go ask the patrol team myself tonight."

Han Yue folded the report and stuffed it into his chest.

"If there's truly danger exceeding expectations, the higher-ups will naturally cancel it."

With that, he turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Lu Yuan had originally been prepared to leave as well.

However, just as Han Yue reached the courtyard gate, a familiar gray suddenly rippled across the edge of his vision.

Lu Yuan's steps stopped.

It wasn't Qian Renxue.

Gray text hovered above Han Yue's head.

[Han Yue]

The second line appeared right after.

[Seven days later, Qingshi Valley]

Lu Yuan's gaze changed bit by bit.

The same day.

The same place.

Qian Renxue's node was severe injuries.

What about Han Yue, then?

The final line slowly became clear.

[Destiny Node: Death]

Lu Yuan stared at Han Yue, who had already walked out of the courtyard gate.

A level 37 Battle Spirit Elder.

Seven days later.

Death.

He looked back toward the map on the stone table.

A level 28 Great Spirit Master had already vanished without a sound.

Seven days later, Han Yue, who was responsible for leading the team, would die.

Qian Renxue would be severely injured.

If there were truly only a few four-hundred-year spirit beasts in Qingshi Valley, none of these things should happen.

"Lu Yuan."

Qian Renxue's voice came from beside him.

"What is it?"

Lu Yuan raised his head.

"The mission seven days from now."

"Hmm?"

"You'd better not treat it as practical combat training."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"Why?"

Lu Yuan did not explain.

He couldn't produce any evidence right now.

But one point no longer needed to be guessed.

That patrol report—

Was absurdly wrong.