"Oh, all right. I'll investigate around the scene. If things go smoothly, we can meet up near the accident site."
After chatting a little longer, everyone split up.
"Master, I think there's something wrong with that doctor." Xu An watched Dr. Lor walk away, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Hmm? Why?" Yixuan looked at her young disciple, unsure why he thought so.
"I don't know either. Just a sort of... feeling?" Xu An said sheepishly.
"Hmm... a sixth sense is often a subconscious response. It's worth trusting," Yixuan said.
Xu An hadn't expected Yixuan to explain it that way.
"Then, Master, I'll keep an eye on him. See you later?" Xu An still asked for his master's permission before taking action.
"Mm... stay safe," Yixuan reminded him.
"Got it!" Xu An suddenly took flight, a sword he had obtained from somewhere beneath his feet.
Mm~ with higher intelligence, my mental power rose along with it. I can finally fly on a sword. Awesome!
As he slowly flew high above, following Lor's movements, he checked his stats panel.
[Name: Xu An Age: 19+ Constitution: 5000+ Spirit: 4000+ Charm: 500+ Ether aptitude: 1000+ Cooking: 500+ Painting: 100+ Singing: 100+ Energy control: 2000+ Ether energy: 1000+ Electric energy: 1000+ Ice energy: 1000+ Physical attribute: 5000+ Five elements: 2000+] Available free attribute points: 36004]
In terms of strength, he could definitely take on a Notorious enemy alone. He would save his attribute points rather than rush to allocate them, then invest them specifically when something relevant came up. That would also help guard against unexpected situations.
But then he thought of Ye Shunguang and the Qingming Sword's side effects again, and unconsciously put some more points into intelligence.
[Name: Xu An Age: 19+ Constitution: 5000+ Spirit: 10000+ Charm: 500+ Ether aptitude: 1000+ Cooking: 500+ Painting: 100+ Singing: 100+ Energy control: 3000+ Ether energy: 1000+ Electric energy: 1000+ Ice energy: 1000+ Physical attribute: 5000+ Five elements: 2000+] Available free attribute points: 30004]
I'm not near any characters now, so my attribute points won't increase. Oh well, there's no rush.
He felt something like an eggshell cracking inside his mind.
Xu An couldn't help closing his eyes to sense what was inside.
Within his sea of consciousness, a figure glowing with golden light appeared.
(My God, what a breathtaking sight.)
It was a pure white world, but images of various sizes surrounded him.
An image of Xu An and Belle watching videotapes together on Sixth Street.
An image of Belle and Wise coming to his restaurant for the first time.
His reaction when he first met Ye Shunguang.
Are these my memories?
After his mental power increased, his memories felt much clearer.
And after he broke through ten thousand, the range of his mental power had reached a radius of one kilometer.
He could now tell what Dr. Lor below him was doing without even opening his eyes.
Even though the two were very far apart.
"Sure enough, breaking through ten thousand had this effect. All my old memories surfaced in my mind.
"And my perception and control have both improved because of it."
Does that mean I can try teaching Ye Shunguang a method to strengthen her mental power, to alleviate the erosion of her memories after using the Qingming Sword?
In fact, as long as her mental power is high enough, completely mastering the Qingming Sword isn't impossible!
At that thought, Xu An couldn't help growing excited! My dear Senior Sister Shunguang~ just wait. I'll definitely cure you.
Speaking of which, should I tell Senior Brother Ye? That should make him happy, right? Probably?
Xu An followed the doctor below as he thought.
But he sensed the doctor acting furtively, with no idea what he was trying to do.
Meanwhile, over on Yixuan's side.
"The sealed-off area is just ahead. Everyone, stay safe while investigating.
"There's much more foul miasma in the Lemnian Hollow than before... I keep feeling that something's wrong.
"I wonder how An is doing." Yixuan's brows lowered slightly, and she was a little worried.
"Don't worry, Master. With you here, nothing will go wrong. As for Junior Brother Xu, he'll definitely be fine too. After all, he probably wouldn't do anything he wasn't confident about, right?" Remembering his somewhat rash nature, Ju Fufu couldn't help faltering, her tone becoming uncertain.
"It's all right, Master, Senior Sister. I know Senior Brother Xu. He looks impulsive, but sometimes he's actually pretty smart," Belle said.
"Oh? Such as?" Yixuan asked.
"When he schemes with my brother to sneak some of my pudding!" Belle blurted out. Clearly, the incident had left a deep impression.
"Hahaha..." Yixuan, Fufu, and the others couldn't help laughing.
Belle really was quite cute.
"Speaking of which, what about the observation data devices inside the Hollow?"
"Don't worry, Junior Sister Belle. Leave that to me. Let's split up," Pan Yinhu said, patting his chest.
"You go help Dr. Lor investigate, and I'll check the data devices nearby. That'll be more efficient and get twice the results with half the effort."
"Okay! Then I'll leave it to you, Senior Brother Pan (*＾ー＾). I'll copy the Carrot data for you. It marks the locations of the observation devices we need to investigate.
"All you need to do is bring back a copy of the data from those data posts.
"But the terrain throughout the Lemnian Hollow is quite complicated, and there's plenty of foul miasma. Be sure to stay safe, Senior Brother, and don't stray too far from us.
"I added a positioning system to the data analysis device. If anything happens, we can check each other's locations."
"You're so thoughtful, Junior Sister! Don't worry, I won't go too far from you," Pan Yinhu said.
They immediately began investigating.
"The view over there is good. We can get a clear look at the surrounding area. Why don't we head there first?" Yixuan suggested.
"Okay, Master!" Belle said.
"No problem, Master!" Ju Fufu answered as well. (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤~
The three quickly cleared out the Ethereals along the way as they investigated.
"Although this area has been abandoned, traces from when the corruption outbreak occurred should still remain.
"After all... ether residue doesn't vanish into thin air."
Yixuan spoke softly.
"Master, watch out! Ethereals are coming!" Belle cried out in warning.
Yixuan didn't even look up. With just a wave of her hand, inky-black ether enveloped the Ethereals. Then their cores shattered, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air.
"Wowahaha, that's our master! So amazing." Though Belle knew Yixuan was strong, seeing it firsthand again still made her exclaim in admiration.
"Master's the best! (✿^‿^)" Fufu said, hopping beside her.
But inwardly, she was thinking, Since Master's here, I don't have to do anything, right? Hehe, I can slack off~
"Fufu~ come help me deal with these. I need to conserve my strength in case something unexpected happens~" Yixuan's voice drifted over.
Fufu, who had just been about to slack off, looked utterly miserable.
"Junior Sister Belle, hurry up and learn some techniques so you can help share my burden sooner." She could only pat Belle's shoulder as she spoke.
"Uh, haha~ you can do it, Senior Sister. I'll take my time~ after all, fighting isn't really suitable for a Proxy like me~" Ehehe~ (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤~ Belle looked as though she wanted to help but couldn't.
The battle soon ended.
"Fufu~ well done," Yixuan said, stroking her tiger head.
"Mm~" Fufu narrowed her eyes in enjoyment.
"Then let's keep moving!" Belle said.
They continued onward.
"I didn't expect so much foul miasma nearby. Is it because of the earlier accident?"
"Most likely. Belle, I'll take this opportunity to teach you a Mount Yunkui technique called the Sense Perception Technique."
Yixuan spoke.
After an explanation, Belle gave it a try. Unexpectedly, she succeeded on her first attempt.
Before long, they found the place with the heaviest residue of foul miasma.
A mark resembling the mathematical symbol for infinity lay quietly on the ground.
"I keep feeling there's something strange about these traces." Belle frowned at the symbol.
"Anyway, let's take a picture first and study it when we get back." As she spoke, she took out her phone and snapped a photo.
They followed the traces in search of their source.
But they ran into Pan Yinhu along the way.
And he had brought the doctor's Bangboo with him.