What the Cloud Mist Sect Sought

After Mo Chen asked that question, Lu Yuan did not answer immediately.

He remained silent, breaking the remaining half of the dry ration into pieces and feeding it to his mouth little by little. He chewed slowly, as if he were processing fragmented pieces of information. Only after swallowing did he speak.

"We should go take a look," Lu Yuan said.

Mo Chen raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at? Their camp?"

"Hmm." Lu Yuan stood up, brushing the crumbs off his hands. "Guessing won't help. We need to see for ourselves what they're looking for, how many of them there are, and their strength."

"Are you crazy?" Mo Chen lowered his voice. "That's the Cloud Mist Sect! They specialize in reconnaissance. What's the difference between you going over there and Haozi jumping in front of a cat?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him. "So we have to go tonight."

Mo Chen fell silent. He stared at Lu Yuan for a long while, then let out a scoff.

"Okay." He leaned back. "You're clear-headed, you decide. Anyway, my arm is useless now, it would only be a burden. Be careful."

Lu Yuan nodded. He didn't say much and started packing his things.

There wasn't much to pack. Just a few things: a small packet of insect repellent powder, a few spare thorn vine seeds, and the Lin Clan I kept close to my body. The keepsake was still warm to the touch, but the heat hadn't increased or decreased, like a stubborn reminder.

He gave the Blue Silver Grass one last check. The thin vines stretched out from the cracks in the rock, like a sparse net whose color almost blended into the stone wall. They were his eyes and ears, but now he needed to get closer.

After it got completely dark, Lu Yuan made his move.

He didn't walk on the ground. The wind was strong in the stone forest at night, and the swirling sand and stones could mask a lot of noise, but they could also easily leave traces. He chose to climb between the stone pillars.

The movements are very slow.

With each step, he would first press his palm against the stone wall to sense it for a moment. In this chaotic environment of Soul Power, even the slightest fluctuation could be detected. Blue Silver Grass seeped from between his fingers, like countless extremely fine roots, embedding themselves in the cracks of the stone to help stabilize his body and also to help him "listen."

The wind howled through the stone forest, the rustling of nocturnal Soul Beast echoed in the distance, and further still, a faint surge of Soul Power, like the breath of the earth, seemed to rise.

He was like a moving stone, inching forward inch by inch in the shadows.

The Northwest Canyon is not close. Based on daytime estimates, the straight-line distance is about five miles. However, there are no straight lines in the Stone Forest, so you have to go around.

Two hours later, Lu Yuan stopped at the top of a crooked, huge stone pillar. He lowered his body, almost becoming one with the stone surface.

Ahead, the outline of the canyon appeared as a dark shadow in the thin moonlight. A faint light flickered at the mouth of the canyon—not an open flame, but the cold light emitted by some kind of Soul Tool or special ore, covered by a cloth, only revealing a hazy glimpse.

Several moving shadows could be vaguely seen around the ball of light.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and raised his Soul Power perception to its limit. He didn't probe directly at the camp, as that would be too obvious. He controlled the Blue Silver Grass, letting it grow quietly from the base of the stone pillar, close to the ground, like the most inconspicuous moss vines, gradually spreading towards the perimeter of the camp.

The distance was reduced to thirty meters.

The sound drifted over intermittently.

"... It's been three days, and I haven't even touched a hair." A young male voice, filled with frustration, said, "The Soul Power in this godforsaken place is a complete mess, and the Soul Tool keep malfunctioning."

"Stop complaining." Another voice was more composed. "The sect leader gave the order personally. If you can't find it, you'll all be in trouble when you go back."

"I know! But how do I find it? The ancient texts only say 'the intersection of extreme disorder and balance of the earth's ley line Soul Power,' which sounds so simple! In this stone forest, where is the Soul Power not disordered? Where is the balance point?"

Earth Vein Soul Power... Node?

Lu Yuan's ears perked up.

A third voice joined in, a woman's voice, sounding slightly tired. "Senior Brother Wang detected three faint pulses of earth vein Soul Power today, all from different directions. The last one was in the northeast, slightly stronger than the previous two, but the duration was too short to pinpoint its location."

"The Northeast?" The steady voice pondered. "Yesterday, Junior Brother Li said there was a sensation in the Southwest... Could this thing move?"

"Ancient texts record that during the formation of the ' Earth Vein Soul Marrow,' its location could indeed shift slightly with the subtle adjustments of the underground soul veins," the female voice said. "But the range of movement wouldn't be too large; it should be somewhere within the core area of the Stone Forest. The key is, it's almost mature."

Earth Vein Soul Marrow.

Lu Yuan's breath hitched.

He remembered this word from his past life. It wasn't recorded in detail, but only mentioned briefly in a few obscure notes. Legend has it that it is the essence condensed by the earth's soul veins over a long period of time, with an irregular form, resembling both crystal and marrow. Its greatest effect is to stabilize and purify Soul Power.

It has a remarkable effect on breaking through bottlenecks.

More importantly... its inherent "stability" characteristic, if used properly, might be able to create a more controllable Soul Power environment, and even assist in the positive guidance of Martial Soul!

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He forced himself to calm down and continued listening.

"What about signs of maturity?" the steady voice asked.

"Recently, the turbulent flow of Soul Power in the Stone Forest has shown a significant intensification trend," the female voice replied. "Especially after nightfall. Martial Uncle Sun judged that this might be due to the ' Soul Marrow ' about to mature, absorbing the surrounding Soul Power and causing a localized peak of disorder. But the exact location... still can't be pinpointed. The area is too large."

"Keep searching." The steady voice was resolute. "The sect leader said this is crucial to the sect's future. The Cloud Mist Sect excels at detection and concealment; if even we can't find it, few forces on this continent can succeed. Everyone, stay alert. Tomorrow, expand the search area, focusing on the northeast and southwest regions."

"Yes."

A brief silence followed, broken only by the crackling of the campfire.

Lu Yuan slowly refocused his attention. He had enough information.

The Cloud Mist Sect is searching for Earth Vein Soul Marrow. This substance is nearing completion and is located in the core area of the Stone Forest, but it can move. They currently do not have a precise location, and their search is focused on the northeast and southwest.

The crevice where he and Mo Chen were hiding was in the southeast.

It's safe for now.

But this is only temporary. If the other side expands its search area, they will eventually find their way here. Moreover, the Earth Vein Soul Marrow... that thing is extremely valuable.

Lu Yuan's mind raced. The stable purification properties of the Earth Vein Soul Marrow could solve several key problems in his current research: the stability of Mo Chen's Soul Tool's energy circuit, the base material for further optimizing Lin Xiao's Soul Power system, and even the environmental construction of the core training room when the "Academy" is built in the future...

It's not just a rare and precious treasure; it's more like a Key that can open several doors that are currently closed.

I must get my hands on it.

When the idea popped into his head, he was taken aback. It wasn't hesitation, but rather an awareness of the difficulty involved.

The Cloud Mist Sect was determined to win. Their leader was Soul King, and their disciples were at least Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor. On their side, there was a half-grown child with low Soul Power and a disabled researcher still recovering from poisoning.

Forcibly seizing it is suicidal.

It requires strategy, or rather, a gamble—gambling that you can find the exact location before them, gambling that you'll have a chance to strike when the Soul Marrow matures, and gambling that you can escape unscathed after obtaining it.

The stakes are high.

But it's worth it.

Lu Yuan let out a soft breath, preparing to retreat. He had achieved his goal for tonight and could not linger any longer.

Just as his muscles tensed slightly, about to exert force to slide down from the top of the stone pillar—

In the center of the camp, the Soul King, who had been sitting cross-legged and meditating, and was called "Martial Uncle Sun," suddenly opened his eyes.

Two sharp, lightning-fast gazes swept without warning towards the shadow of the stone pillar where Lu Yuan was hiding!

Lu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. He'd been discovered? Impossible! He hadn't revealed any Soul Power fluctuations at all, and the extension of his Blue Silver Grass was extremely careful...

wrong.

The Soul King's gaze was not fixed on him.

About twenty meters behind the stone pillar, there was another, even darker shadow.

"Who's there?" the Soul King barked coldly, his voice not loud, but it resonated with Soul Power, echoing through the silent canyon. "Come out!"

Almost simultaneously, a short, low gasp came from the shadows.

Immediately following was a muffled thud of colliding Soul Power, and a jumbled sound of something tripping over something.

Lu Yuan's heart sank.

That voice... he knew it all too well.

It's Mo Chen!

Wasn't this guy supposed to be recuperating in the crevice? How did he end up here?!

The camp instantly erupted in commotion. Several Cloud Mist Sect disciples jumped to their feet, their Soul Ring flashing in succession.

The Soul King's figure flickered, and he pounced on the shadows like Gui Mei.

Lu Yuan's mind went blank. Without time to think, he dug his fingers into the crack in the stone, and the Blue Silver Grass grew wildly, pulling him sharply to the other side of the stone pillar.

Run!

He had to leave immediately. Mo Chen had been exposed, and the camp's alert level would be raised to the highest. If he stayed any longer, he would surely die.

But what about Mo Chen?

That guy's left arm was still poisoned, and his Soul Power was not flowing smoothly. Facing Soul King and a group of the Cloud Mist Sect disciples...

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth, using the pull of the Blue Silver Grass to swing rapidly between the stone pillars. The wind whistled in his ears, and the shouts from the camp below and the sound of pursuers cutting through the air blended together.

He cannot turn back.

Not at least not now.