The Journey Back and a Choice

The fire crackled as Mo Chen added more firewood and took a swig of wine.

By the firelight, Lu Yuan examined the few fragments of Soul Marrow. They were the size of rice grains, with a milky white aura flowing around them. He probed them with his Soul Power, and his fingertips went numb—the energy was frighteningly pure and stable.

"Good stuff," he whispered.

Mo Chen snorted, "A scrap of Earth Vein Soul Marrow, how could it be bad?" He paused, "It's just that there's too little of it."

Lu Yuan didn't reply, but picked up the pale green jade fossil. It was about the size of a palm and cool to the touch. When he examined it closely against the light, he could see very faint water ripples inside. He focused his attention on sensing it, his brows furrowing slightly.

"The imprint of the earth's ley line Soul Power." He ran his fingers along the surface of the stone. "Very faint, but with a unique structure. Like a naturally formed stable field."

Mo Chen leaned closer. "Stabilize the field?"

"Try using your Soul Power to stimulate the edges, but don't touch the center."

Mo Chen was skeptical, but he extended a wisp of pale gray Soul Power from his right index finger and touched the edge of the stone.

Buzz--

A very slight tremor. The water ripples inside the stone lit up briefly, faint but clear. Immediately afterward, Mo Chen felt his wisp of Soul Power being gently pushed away by a soft force, not an attack, but a gentle repulsion.

He was stunned.

"Interesting." Mo Chen withdrew his finger, his eyes lighting up. "This thing... can maintain its own environmental stability?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded, "It has been eroded by Soul Marrow for a long time, and has undergone jade-like mutation. It doesn't retain much Soul Power, but it can 'remember' a stable environment, forming a weak field that repels interference."

He spoke faster.

"If we thoroughly understand the principles behind this phenomenon, we might be able to artificially Simulation or even scale it up. At that point, we could create a stable, small-scale Soul Power environment without needing Soul Marrow."

Mo Chen's breathing became heavy, staring at the stone like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey.

"This thing... is even more useful than crystal shards."

"Different directions." Lu Yuan carefully put the stone away. "The crystal fragments are readily available materials, ready to use. This stone is the Key; it can open the door."

The fire burned quietly.

Mo Chen took another swig of wine and wiped his mouth. "What a pity we didn't get the main marrow."

"It might not be a bad thing." Lu Yuan looked at the flames. "The main marrow has caused too much of a stir. Even if we get it, it'll be too hot to handle. The Cloud Mist Sect has lost people, they won't let this go. Other forces will come smelling the scent. The stone pool has collapsed, the traces are obvious, that place will soon become a hotbed of conflict."

He looked up at Mo Chen.

"With our limited strength, we can't even travel a hundred miles with the main marrow."

Mo Chen remained silent for a long while. He cursed under his breath, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in one gulp, then tossed the empty bag aside.

"What's next? Back to Maple Leaf Town?"

Lu Yuan didn't answer immediately. He picked up a twig and drew lines on the ground, creating an crisscrossing pattern.

"Going back to town is only temporary," he said softly but clearly. "What we need is not a place to stay."

Mo Chen looked at him.

"There were too many problems with the Stone Forest incident this time," Lu Yuan continued, tapping the ground with a tree branch. "Going it alone, with lagging intelligence, we almost got surrounded. You were injured, and besides using Blue Silver Grass to stall for time, I had no ability to deal with the situation head-on. We dared not venture deep into the ruins, unsure of how to handle the dangers. Even after obtaining the materials, we had nowhere to study them and could only make do in the wilderness."

With each word he spoke, Mo Chen's expression grew darker.

"And those Soul Tool designs of yours," Lu Yuan said, glancing at the metal parts at Mo Chen's waist, "Require tools, materials, a workbench, and even testing in a specific Soul Power environment. You couldn't even properly polish the parts in the crevices of rocks."

Mo Chen gritted his teeth and didn't refute.

"So," Lu Yuan threw down the branch and looked directly at Mo Chen, "We need a place."

He paused.

"A place where we can safely research, experiment, and store things. A place where we don't have to worry about being discovered and hunted down at any time. A place... where, in the future, if there are other people like us who are unwilling to be fixed by their Martial Soul, we can also explore together."

The only sound in the valley was the crackling of the fire.

Mo Chen stared at the ground, remaining motionless for a long time. The usual dejected and sarcastic expression on his face slowly faded, revealing a deep-seated bewilderment.

"Find a place?" he asked hoarsely, his voice dry with the effects of alcohol. "Easier said than done."

Lu Yuan waited.

"Good places, with abundant Soul Power, safe terrain, and convenient resources, have all been taken over by sects and families long ago. What chance do we have?" Mo Chen scoffed, his voice devoid of laughter. "The wilderness? Near Soul Beast's den? Today we hide from stone scorpions, tomorrow from the Cloud Mist Sect, what kind of research is that?"

He looked up at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"You're smart, but this... brains alone aren't enough. You need money, connections, and strength to stand firm. What do we have? You, level 17, Blue Silver Grass. Me, a cripple, and my reputation Soul Engineer is ruined. Together, we're not even enough to fill a mountain's teeth."

That's harsh, but it's true.

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He waited until Mo Chen finished speaking before slowly opening his mouth.

"Not necessarily."

Mo Chen frowned.

Lu Yuan traced lines on the ground with his finger, making them clearer—the terrain surrounding Maple Leaf Town.

"On the west side of the town, near the tail end of a branch of the Black Stone Mountain Range, there's an old mining area." He pointed to a spot. "It was hollowed out decades ago, the mine shafts are abandoned, and most of the miners' houses have collapsed. The terrain is in a depression in the hills, surrounded by low mountains on three sides, and there's only one small path leading in; it's very hidden."

Mo Chen recalled, "' Old West Gully '? I heard people mention it when I was a child. They said it was haunted, but no one went there after that."

"It's not haunted, it's just that the Soul Power is too thin," Lu Yuan corrected. "The mines have been depleted, the earth's veins have been damaged, and the remaining Soul Power is even less than in ordinary places. For Soul Master, cultivating in such a place is twice as difficult and half as effective, so naturally no one wants to go there."

"Then what are we going to do? Starve?"

Lu Yuan drew a circle around the mining area with his finger.

"The scarcity of Soul Power is actually an advantage for us."

Mo Chen was stunned.

"First, it's deserted and safe. Second, the place is big enough to be used quickly with a little tidying up. Third, there's a not-completely-dried-up underground water vein, so there's no shortage of water."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"Fourth, and most importantly, is the scarcity of Soul Power and the minimal environmental interference. When we conduct Soul Tool tests, verify Soul Power models, and even set up isolation formations in the future, the 'cleaner' the external Soul Power environment, the less interference there will be, and the more accurate the results will be."

Mo Chen's eyes slowly widened.

He had never thought about it from this perspective before. It was only natural for Soul Master to pursue high levels of Soul Power, but Lu Yuan's words were like a hammer striking an ironclad rule, producing a different kind of echo.

"But..." Mo Chen still hesitated, "Our Soul Power is so weak, how will we cultivate on our own? We can't keep relying on pill fragments, can we? Those things won't last long."

"Cultivation relies on methods to compensate," Lu Yuan said. "My improved meditation method will be less efficient in environments with low Soul Power, but the reduction is limited. Moreover, our future research focus is not simply on accumulating levels."

He looked at Mo Chen with intense gaze.

"It's about understanding the essence of Soul Power, optimizing its efficiency, and creating new tools and pathways. These studies require a relatively 'quiet' environment. Once we have results, there will naturally be ways to improve the local environment—for example, by using the principles of that jade fossil."

Mo Chen fell silent. He looked down at the circle on the ground, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts.

Abandoned mines, sparse Soul Power, and deserted... These are definitely flaws, yet Lu Yuan pieced together a completely different picture in his words.

A hidden, safe, and minimally disturbed base where one can act as one pleases.

His heart was beating a little fast.

"What do you want to do?" Mo Chen finally asked, his voice hoarse.

"Let's go back to town first, settle in, and replenish our supplies," Lu Yuan said. "Then we'll go to Old West Gully to take a look. If the terrain, water sources, and concealment are suitable, we'll begin the cleanup and renovation."

He looked up toward Maple Leaf Town. The night was dark, and he couldn't see any lights, but he knew what lay there—home, temporary peace, and potential surveillance trouble.

"This can't be made public." Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "Initially, it'll just be the two of us. Let's take it slow, little by little."

Mo Chen remained silent for a long time. So long that the fire was almost extinguished, he finally let out a long breath, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

"Madman," he muttered, a faint, almost distorted smile curving his lips. "Following you will get you killed sooner or later."

Lu Yuan didn't laugh; he poked at the fire to let the embers glow.

"Scared?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Mo Chen opened his eyes, the dejection completely gone, replaced by a ruthless, "What's the use of dying?"

He paused, then looked at Lu Yuan.

"But you need to think this through. If you really take over that place and make a commotion, you'll be discovered sooner or later. And when that happens, it might not just be the Cloud Mist Sect looking for something coming."

Lu Yuan nodded. Of course he knew.

What does an uncontrolled stronghold researching "heretical" methods mean to powerful forces that monopolize the power of knowledge?

It is heresy, a hidden danger, a stain that must be erased.

"So," Lu Yuan said softly, "We need to become useful enough, or... tough enough, before we're discovered."

The last glimmer of light from the fire reflected in his calm eyes.

A bold, even audacious, idea quietly took shape. It was more than just a hiding place; it was like a seed planted in barren soil.

It requires time, patience, and countless failures to cultivate.

But what if it sprouts?