Chapter 27: The Cave
The quiet night quickly passed, and as the first light of dawn appeared, Xiao Yu abruptly opened his eyes. After a night's rest, he had fully restored his peak condition. After a quick tidy-up, Xiao Yu walked out onto the street; today was the day he would enter the Monster Beast Mountains!
At the entrance of the town, Xiao Yu saw many mercenary groups shouting for companions to join them in the mountains. He knew that joining a group would greatly increase safety, but it would also reduce the dangers, which went against his initial purpose of training in the Monster Beast Mountains!
Moreover, joining a mercenary group would complicate things for Xiao Yu. As an eight-star dou practitioner, he would hold a high position in any group, given that only the leaders of the three major mercenary groups in Qing Shan Town were at the Dou Master level.
As Xiao Yu prepared to enter the Monster Beast Mountains directly, he heard an excited call: "Wan Yao Pharmacy is heading into the Monster Beast Mountains to gather herbs, and Xiao Yixian will be joining us! There are fifty spots available, and you need to be a two-star dou practitioner to join. Hurry up!"
The scene grew quiet for a moment before erupting into even more noise. Many mercenaries who had planned to go in groups or alone rushed toward Wan Yao Pharmacy.
Xiao Yu shook his head with a smile, "Does it really have such appeal?" However, he did not follow. With his second-grade alchemist skills and eight-star dou practitioner strength, he could handle things on his own. Even if he encountered the three major group leaders in Qing Shan Town, he was confident he could fight them.
"Are you also heading to the Monster Beast Mountains?" A pleasant voice suddenly came from beside him. Xiao Yu turned to see a woman in a plain white dress, with a veil on her face, revealing a pair of lively eyes. She emitted a refreshing and ethereal aura, with a faint scent of medicine. Standing next to her made one feel relaxed.
Xiao Yu nodded slightly but did not speak. The woman continued, "Wan Yao Pharmacy is recruiting people to go to the Monster Beast Mountains. You can join them for some assurance!"
Xiao Yu shrugged and said with a smile, "As you can see, there are too many people in front of Wan Yao Pharmacy. I can't squeeze in!"
The woman glanced at the crowd outside Wan Yao Pharmacy and sighed, "That's true. However, I have a card from Wan Yao Pharmacy. With this card, you can join their team directly!"
Xiao Yu looked at the card in the woman's hand but did not reach for it. Instead, he looked at her with surprise and asked, "Are you Xiao Yixian?"
Xiao Yixian's expression remained calm. It wasn't hard to recognize her, but she was standing at the back, and many mercenaries had rushed to Wan Yao Pharmacy's entrance, so she had not been noticed.
"Yes, so now I would like to invite you to join Wan Yao Pharmacy's team. Would you be willing?" Xiao Yixian asked with a slight nod.
Xiao Yu asked, puzzled, "Why did you choose me? There should be many two-star dou practitioner here."
Xiao Yixian smiled and said, "The team is mostly older men. I'd be bored alone and thought it would be nice to chat with you on the way!"
Xiao Yu nodded, "That's a good reason!"
"Then, do you agree?" Xiao Yixian asked with a hint of joy.
Xiao Yu slowly shook his head, "No, I refuse!" He then walked past Xiao Yixian and headed straight into the Monster Beast Mountains.
Xiao Yixian's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "Was I just rejected?" She then shook her head with a smile, muttering, "What an interesting person, so aloof!"
Xiao Yixian put away the card and walked in another direction.
Xiao Yu declined Xiao Yixian's offer mainly because he didn't want to run into the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. With his eight-star dou practitioner strength, he wasn't strong enough to act recklessly here. While he could handle a one-on-one fight, being pursued by an entire mercenary group would be overwhelming. Last night's dream training was a good example of this!
Xiao Yu clearly remembered how Xiao Yan in "Dou Po" dealt with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. While Xiao Yan had Yao Lao to protect him, Xiao Yu only had the system, with no other safeguards.
Without further thought, Xiao Yu plunged into the Monster Beast Mountains. The towering trees blocked the sunlight, and as he entered, he felt a chill. Xiao Yu planned to gather some herbs, practice alchemy, and train his skills and techniques to increase his strength. He hadn't forgotten that the system's task was to rescue Yun Yun!
Using his dou qi, Xiao Yu performed the Moon Shadow Step, making his figure blur. In a few leaps, he vanished from sight.
After running for a while, Xiao Yu found himself at the edge of the Monster Beast Mountains, a remote area where first-tier monsters were more common. Sensing his dwindling fighting energy, Xiao Yu gradually came to a halt.
After surveying his surroundings, Xiao Yu decided to find a hidden cave to stay and train. Ahead was a cliff, and Xiao Yu remembered that such cliffs often had many caves. He used Mo Lin to carve into the cliffside, with the sharp sword piercing through the rock as if it were soft tofu. Xiao Yu swung on the cliff, moving upwards.
Sure enough, behind a tree obscuring a cliff, there was a concealed dark cave. Xiao Yu pushed off the cliff with his feet, retracting Mo Lin, and shot towards the horizontal beam in front of the cave. He landed on the tree and then used the momentum to slip into the cave!
The cave was pitch black, and Xiao Yu could not see anything inside. He waved his hand, and a sharp sword qi cut through the branches on the tree outside. He then lightly touched the tree with his finger, and Bone Spirit Cold Fire adhered to it, casting a warm light that illuminated the cave passage significantly!
Just as he was about to enter, Xiao Yu suddenly felt a surge of danger. He moved swiftly, slashing out with Mo Lin, and sent a scorching sword qi wrapped in a gust of wind towards a dark shadow!
Pfft!
A foul smell of blood filled the air, followed by the sound of something hitting the ground. Xiao Yu saw that the creature on the ground, cut in two and bloodied, was a Rock Snake.
Xiao Yu paid it no further attention. Though a first-tier monster, the Rock Snake was fast and tough, it was still no match for Mo Lin. The Rock Snake's body was hard like stone, but it was still weaker than the Blizzard Magic Wolves in the dream, which might have been enhanced!
Walking through the quiet and dark cave for about five or six minutes, Xiao Yu suddenly stopped. Before him was a stone door emitting a faint yellow light, which was more visible under his torchlight!
Xiao Yu was momentarily stunned, then a look of joy appeared on his face. "Could this be the cave where Xiao Yixian and Xiao Yan first went treasure hunting?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone