Testing and Discovery

"We need to go to the outer perimeter of the Stone Forest for field measurements; we'll have to wait for Lin Xiao to return," Lu Yuan said.

Mo Chen and Shen Moxin exchanged a glance and remained silent. The array plate stopped shining, leaving only the steady, faint light of the Soul Power lamp in the rock cavity.

Lu Yuan returned to the small stone chamber and pulled out a simple map of the outer perimeter of the Thousand Needle Stone Forest. He marked several possible "relatively safe points" with charcoal. He moved his finger across the map, his mind racing with calculations.

We can only move after dark. Routes, timing, and evacuation plans all need to be planned in advance.

The risk was huge. He knew it.

As evening fell, Lin Xiao slipped into the rock cavity like a shadow, carrying the scent of the night breeze.

"We've figured it out." He spoke quickly. "The Cloud Mist Sect is camped at the foot of the cliff in the northeast corner. During the day, they split into three teams, using those wooden staff Soul Tool to probe, covering one-third of the outer perimeter. At night, they retreat, leaving two sentries on patrol, with patrols every half hour."

Lu Yuan pointed to the map. "The area most frequently detected?"

"The stalagmite forest in the southeast corner." Lin Xiao said without hesitation, "We'll be making four round trips today. The one leading the team is that old Soul Emperor."

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Can the hidden sentries be avoided?"

Lin Xiao licked his canine teeth. "The rocky slope to the west can be bypassed, the road is difficult, but it's away from the key area, so there shouldn't be anyone there at night."

"Let's go there." Lu Yuan decided. "We'll depart at midnight. I'll take the array, you'll lead the way and keep watch. We'll only measure for one hour."

"OK."

At midnight, the night outside the mine was as dark as ink. The stars were sparse, and the wind howled and whistled through the cracks in the rocks.

Lin Xiao led the way, his figure almost blending into the darkness. Lu Yuan followed closely, his Soul Power restrained to the extreme. The outline of the array plate in his arms pressed against his chest.

The rocky slope was difficult to traverse, with loose stones rustling softly. The two slowed their pace to the minimum, moving close to the ground. Lin Xiao's Beast Martial Soul intuition always allowed him to avoid loose rocks in advance. Lu Yuan relied entirely on precise muscle control, taking each step with care.

It took nearly 15 minutes to walk just over a mile. My inner shirt was soaked with sweat, and the night wind made it feel cold.

He circled around to the western edge of the stone forest. The stone pillars were sparse, and the ground was flat. Lin Xiao crouched down and listened intently. He heard the wind, the chirping of insects, and the rustling of Soul Beast in the distance. There were no human voices.

"Behind the boulder in front," Lin Xiao whispered, pointing to a black rock half-buried in the ground a dozen meters away. "There's a depression on its back; it can block the wind."

The two crouched down. The pit wasn't big, just big enough for them to crouch. Lu Yuan took out the array plate and pressed his palm against the Soul Marrow shards. He slowly poured his Soul Power into it.

A pale white halo appeared, spreading out to a diameter of one meter, enveloping the two people.

In an instant, the feeling changed.

The pervasive chaos of Soul Power and the restless sensation of needles pricking the skin around the stone forest were gently separated and soothed by the halo of light. Within this one-meter radius, the Soul Power was gentle and stable.

Lu Yuan immediately closed his eyes and focused his mind on his senses.

With the aid of the array, the "veins" of the surrounding chaotic Soul Power became clear. Under the influence of the macroscopic earth vein structure, the chaotic Soul Power flow formed tiny, constantly creating and disappearing vortices, colliding, annihilating, and regenerating.

Some theoretical models were validated. He quickly memorized the sensory data and constructed dynamic images in his mind.

At the same time, he spared a bit of attention to perceive the edge of the halo. The array's anti-interference capability was better than expected, and its boundaries were stable. This meant that as long as it was not exposed to a strong impact, this stable environment was reliable.

Time passed. Lu Yuan was immersed in the data.

Lin Xiao remained on high alert. He crouched to the side, his body slightly leaning forward, like a cheetah poised to pounce. His vertical pupils scanned the darkness beyond the halo of light, and his ears caught every sound.

Suddenly, he froze and raised his hand in a shushing gesture.

Lu Yuan interrupted his senses and opened his eyes to look around.

In the distance to the southeast, a few faint lights were moving. They were Soul Power lamps, or similar Soul Tool. Faint voices drifted on the wind; there was more than one person.

The light moved in the direction of the stalagmite forest in the southeast corner. The few points of light lingered at the edge for a while, but did not go deeper. They quickly turned back along the path they came from and disappeared behind the stone pillars.

Lin Xiao lowered his voice. "Mobile patrols. One patrol every 15 minutes or so. Fixed direction: southeast corner."

Lu Yuan's heart sank. The increased patrol frequency and fixed direction confirmed that there was an important target in the southeast corner. The Cloud Mist Sect's search was intensifying.

He glanced at the array plate; the light from the shattered crystals was stable, but more than half an hour had passed. It was time to retreat.

Just as he was about to signal, Lin Xiao's nose suddenly twitched, and his vertical pupils abruptly turned to the right—towards the core area of the stone forest, in the shadowy area of jagged, strange rocks.

"It has a scent." Lin Xiao's voice was extremely low, tinged with doubt. "It's very faint... the scent of Soul Power. But not the chaotic scent found in the stone forest; it's very pure. And a little warm."

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

"The exact location?"

Lin Xiao squinted, trying to discern the wind direction and the faint aura. "Over there, about thirty paces, beneath a crack between two boulders. It's seeping from the ground."

Thirty steps further, beyond the array's range, into the deeper stone forest. The risks increase dramatically.

Lu Yuan hesitated for only a moment. "Go check it out. Be careful."

Lin Xiao nodded and was the first to extinguish the array plate. The halo disappeared, and the chaotic Soul Power enveloped them again. Using the shadow of the boulder, the two moved silently.

The crevice was well hidden, partially obscured by several clumps of withered vines. Upon closer inspection, even Lu Yuan could vaguely sense a difference—the chaotic Soul Power around him had a very subtle "indentation" here, as if it had been gently pushed aside by something more stable and restrained.

Lin Xiao pushed aside the withered vines; the crevice in the rock was only a finger's width wide and bottomless. He bent down, his nose almost touching the rock wall, and took a deep breath.

"That's right. Very pure, somewhat like your Soul Marrow Fragment, but not as domineering, more gentle." He straightened up. "What should we do?"

Lu Yuan took out a small object. It was a "Soul Power sensing crystal" made by Mo Chen from scraps of crystal. It had a single function: it could only react to and emit light when there was a high concentration of high-purity Soul Power. It was originally a toy for Su Yan and the others to use for sensory training.

He carefully inserted the crystal tip into the crevice in the stone.

There was no burst of intense light. Inside the crystal, a soft, milky-white halo slowly lit up, as warm and steady as a luminous pearl. It was completely different from the dazzling white light that appeared when the Earth Vein Soul Marrow was activated.

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

Fragments of records about the products of ley line energy from my past life flashed through my mind. The Earth Vein Soul Marrow is the solid essence of the extremely condensed and precipitated Soul Power, with violent energy. During the formation of the Soul Marrow, or near special ley line structures, sometimes a milder and purer "Soul Marrow Essence," or "Earth Vein Spirit Milk," is produced. Its energy is not as vast and domineering as the Soul Marrow, but it is mild in nature, easily absorbed, and has miraculous effects on nourishing meridians, repairing hidden injuries, and warming the Martial Soul Origin.

What's seeping from the crack in the rock is most likely the latter!

My heart skipped a beat. This thing might be more valuable to the team than a shard of Soul Marrow. Mo Chen's hidden injuries, Bai Zhi's brother's lingering poison, and his damaged Martial Soul Origin... all might need this kind of gentle nourishment to slowly heal.

However...

Lu Yuan looked up, his gaze passing over the jagged rocks and landing on the stalagmite forest in the southeast corner, which was the focus of the Cloud Mist Sect Sect's attention. The straight-line distance was no more than two hundred feet. The location of this crevice was too tricky, almost at the edge of the opponent's detection area. Obtaining it meant staying and digging for a long time under the Cloud Mist Sect Sect's nose.

The risks are frighteningly high.

"Note the location." Lu Yuan retrieved the crystal, and the milky-white light faded. His voice returned to its usual calm, "Time to go. The patrol team will be back soon."

Lin Xiao glanced deeply at the crevice in the rock and nodded. The two of them left without lingering and quietly retreated along the way they had come.

As we returned to the cavern, the sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Mo Chen and Shen Moxin hadn't slept; they were guarding the Soul Power Lamp. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the two return safely.

Lu Yuan didn't explain much. He unfolded the map and solemnly drew a small circle on the western edge of the stone forest with a charcoal pencil. Next to it, he marked a triangle representing the stone pillar forest in the southeast corner.

The two markers are very close together.

He stared at the map for a long time. The newly drawn circle, in the dim light, looked like a poisoned apple hanging on the most dangerous branch.

Knowing its existence, every subsequent step must take into account both this "temptation" and the accompanying "poison."