The valley
Looking around, there was no sign of life.
The surface rock was frozen white and cracked, with hard chunks sticking out of the ground. All the trees had long since frozen through and died, their branches charred and twisted, standing bare and bare in the wasteland, without even the sound of snow falling on the Withered Branch. The entire land was stiff and withered, with only an unchanging gray-white color.
At the edge of the wilderness, a ring of upright, hard rock walls cuts off the flat land, creating a narrow valley hidden within the landscape.
The valley entrance is very narrow, like a natural barrier. The cold winds blowing wildly from the open fields outside can't get in. Even standing outside the valley, you can clearly feel that the temperature in this recessed area is much higher than the surrounding area.
Lu Heng stopped in his tracks, not in a hurry to go inside.
He stood steadily at the edge of the valley entrance, his gaze lowered, scanning the rocks and ground inch by inch.
Several huge claw marks are embedded in the rock face, the claw marks are frighteningly wide and deeply dug into the rock layers. Years of low-temperature weathering have worn the edges of the claw marks into a blurry and white color, but the depth into the rock cannot lie. The force is brutal and heavy, and the marks could not have been made by small predators such as Wolf Pack or foxes.
The thin snow couldn't cover the frozen ground, and the ground was piled with dense animal bones, layer upon layer.
All the bones were gnawed clean, not a single piece of meat remained, and a layer of hard frost covered the surface, which felt icy and hard to the touch.
Lu Heng instantly concluded – this is the old lair of the Forest Rock Tiger.
But that's precisely where the problem lies.
When wild animals build nests, their instinct is to burrow into the deepest part of the valley, relying on the depth and rock walls to hide themselves, ensuring safety and seclusion.
However, this Beast Nest was chosen to be located in a cave in the rock wall on the side of the valley entrance, in a forward position with no cover, which meant that the dwelling was directly exposed on the side of the wilderness passage.
There must be a reason for anything unusual.
Lu Heng tightened his grip on the Bronze Hunting Blade, the coldness of the metal seeping into his flesh through the hilt. He pressed himself against the rock wall, avoiding the open space in front of him, and slowly moved into the cave.
The cave sheltered it from the wind and snow. The frozen ground was dry and hardened, and stepping on the thick stacks of animal bones produced a dull, hollow sound. The air was stagnant, filled with a musty, old, bloody stench—the smell of large predators who had lingered there for a long time; faint, but pungent.
My gaze swept across the corner of the cave floor.
In the very center of a pile of animal bones sat a Black Iron Chest. The chest was covered with a thin layer of rust, but the outer shell was intact, showing no signs of being damaged by wind and snow or cracked by freezing.
Lu Heng bent down and reached out to put the item into the Storage Slot his Wristband.
He didn't leave immediately. He carefully searched the cave, pressing his fingertips against the rock walls, crevices in the bones, and depressions in the ground, confirming that there were no other supplies to loot besides the treasure chest, before retreating to the cave entrance.
The doubts in my heart still haven't disappeared.
Despite the valley's more stable, warmer, and safer terrain, the Forest Rock Tiger guarded the valley entrance and refused to venture into the Inner Region of the valley, completely defying their wild animal instincts.
With this question in mind, he stepped onto the edge of the valley.
The Wristband instantly lit up with a light white glow, without any notification sound or extra fancy effects, directly updating the terrain data for this area.
[Landform Name: Geothermal Ore Vein Creek Valley]
[Geomorphology Level: Special Small Geomorphology]
[Description: Interwoven Geothermal fissures beneath the earth form a closed, miniature valley, creating a self-contained, constant-temperature environment. Underground springs at the valley floor continuously supply fresh water, and a layer of Frost-Patterned Iron Ore lies deep underground, constantly emanating low-frequency geomagnetic fields. These magnetic fields continuously disturb the senses of living beings, causing dizziness, irritability, and perceptual confusion; most wild creatures cannot linger there for long. The valley is rich in resources, and unique treasure chests spawn regularly within its terrain.]
With those few lines of text, all doubts were resolved.
The valley is warm, has water, and is windless, making it a rare and high-quality habitat in this extremely cold wilderness.
However, the geomagnetic field of underground mineral veins is a natural forbidden zone, and even a high-level predator like the Forest Rock Tiger cannot withstand the torment of long-term sensory disorder.
Staying at the valley entrance is the optimal solution.
The warmth of the valley, the escape from the bitter cold of the wilderness, and the perfect avoidance of the strongest geomagnetic interference in the Inner Region —it's purely a survival instinct forced out of wild beasts.
Go a step further in, and the difference in sensation becomes extremely obvious.
The biting cold wind from the open wilderness outside was completely blocked out by the rock walls, and the air inside the valley was stable, quiet, and warm. The valley floor was flat, and a spring in the center kept gushing out clear water. The water flowed along the low-lying terrain to form a stream that meandered through the entire valley.
There is almost no snow accumulation here.
Only a few specks of thin snow clung to the shady spots of the rocks; most of the permafrost and rock strata were directly exposed, pristine and clean. The entire valley was eerily silent, devoid of insect chirps, animal tracks, or the rustling of wind—geomagnetic interference had driven all living things away.
Lu Heng walked slowly deeper into the stream, his gaze falling on the various wild resources along the way, and he raised his hand to identify them one by one.
[Bone-Warming Snow Fungus - Black Iron Tier Herb]
[Description: A unique medicinal plant found Geothermal Creek Valley, growing in warm, damp rock crevices, with thick, fleshy petals. It can relieve frostbite on muscles and bones, dispel accumulated cold from the body, repair hidden injuries, and long-term consumption can slightly increase the body's cold tolerance threshold.]
Clumps of snow-white snowflakes grow vigorously, clinging to the rocks in the crevices.
Lu Heng knew that these herbs were stable and not violent, which was suitable for his current frostbite and battle wounds. He could collect a batch and use it to prepare a cold-resistant medicine to cope with the ultimate cold wave on the seventh day.
[Tough Water Moss - Common Survival Material]
[Description: Born near water, its fibers are strong, durable, and soft. It can be used for emergency bandaging, securing instruments and arrows, and is a basic, frequently used survival item.]
[Cold-Resistant Dry Grass - Common Survival Material]
[Description: A drought-resistant polar herb, highly flammable after dehydration, making it an excellent fuel. Laying it on the ground can insulate against the cold of frozen soil and provide temporary shelter from the cold.]
Large areas of mineral layers are exposed on both sides of the rock face, with interlacing deep and shallow veins.
[Frost-Patterned Iron Ore - Black Iron Tier Ore]
[Description: Forged through alternating periods of Geothermal and extreme cold, it possesses a dense and hard texture, remaining crack-free and brittle even at low temperatures. Suitable for forging armor linings, reinforcing weapons, and manufacturing high-precision arrows in low-temperature warfare environments.]
[Ordinary Black Iron Ore - Common Smelting Material]
Suddenly remembering something, Lu Heng stopped collecting the materials piecemeal and headed straight for the deepest part of the valley along the stream.
Sure enough, at the end of the stream, a stone platform jutted out from the water, and in a sheltered corner beneath the platform, a delicate treasure chest sat quietly.
Its texture, weight, and workmanship completely surpass that ordinary Black Iron at the valley entrance.
The special treasure chests in the previous spring-like terrain have already yielded high-quality resources; this even higher-level terrain treasure chest will only be more valuable.
Lu Heng did not open the treasure chest on the spot. The wilderness was unprotected, and any unusual movement could attract unknown risks. He carefully put the treasure chest away and stored it in his Storage Space, planning to open and take inventory when he returned to the Stone Cave Shelter.
Standing in the center of the valley, I looked around.
It boasts an absolutely safe environment characterized by no wind, constant temperature, a constant flow of fresh water, abundant resources, and natural geomagnetic repellency against predators.
In a world fraught with danger and peril, this is almost the perfect stronghold in theory.
Lu Heng silently memorized the terrain, entrances and exits, and resource locations of the entire valley.
However, the trial rules prevented him from relocating his Shelter, so he could only stay in the cave for the time being. But he had already made up his mind—as soon as the rules loosened and conditions allowed, he would move here and settle down as soon as possible.
After determining the terrain, he began systematically scavenging for supplies.
He tore off moss with his fingertips, plucked snowflakes with the blade, harvested handfuls of withered grass, and then bent down to mine.
The Frost-Patterned Iron Ore is hard, and each chisel stroke makes the tiger's mouth numb, with stone chips and debris falling off in a flurry. Lu Heng remained calm and steady, steadily chiseling away and collecting all the exposed high-quality ore layers.
He was perfectly clear-headed, without a trace of wishful thinking.
This valley is now quiet and safe, not because it is safe, but because the Earth's magnetic field has kept all wild animals away.
This sense of security is false and passive.
Once a high-level mutated creature unaffected by the Earth's magnetic field appears, this valley, with no shelter or cover, will instantly transform from a safe haven into a death trap.
No terrain or rule can protect survivors; the only true source of confidence is one's own strength.
After looting the last exposed mineral layer, all visible resources within the valley have been completely wiped out.
As darkness fell, light slanted down the rock face and into the valley floor. The residual heat from the Geothermal quickly dissipated, and a chill crept back up along the ground.
Lu Heng scanned the entire valley one last time, confirming that nothing was missed and there were no hidden dangers, before turning around and steadily retreating from the valley.
The cold wind from the wilderness outside immediately hit my face, hard, cold, and piercing, instantly dispelling the warmth that had accumulated inside the valley.
He retraced his steps back to the Stone Cave Shelter.
His baggage was fully loaded, with ores, herbs, materials, and two treasure chests all in place, enough for him to complete the final round of resource preparation and steadily prepare for the seventh day.