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Xiulan braced against the bronze collection device strapped to Feng Yu’s back. She pushed qi through her entire body for support as her muscles strained to push upward. The valley path had deteriorated into a treacherous maze of broken stone and jutting rocks.

At least cultivators didn’t sweat easily unless their qi reserves were hard pressed. They hadn’t reached that point yet. The stupid climb was just more of an annoyance.

The two-foot rocky steps earlier hadn’t slowed them down. Feng Yu’s enhanced strength made those look trivial and Xiulan hadn’t needed to help with the balance of the thing at all. But then they’d faced a choice: a thirty-meter cliff drop or a knife-edge ledge that twisted down into fog-filled ravines.

They’d picked the latter and ended up going down the former, anyway.

Now they struggled up chest-high rock faces that demanded constant climbing.

No one in their right mind would call this a road . Only the verified directions Feng Yu had acquired from Fershere’s Treasure Pavilion gave her any confidence they were headed the right way.

They were almost there… just one more hump.

"Come on! Push!" Feng Yu encouraged.

Xiulan planted her feet and shoved hard against the collection device. The sudden force launched Feng Yu forward with an undignified squawk as she tumbled up and over the ledge.

A second later, Xiulan hauled herself over as well. Her palms scraped against the rough stone as she rolled onto solid ground.

"We made it into the wilds." Feng Yu sat cross-legged with the straps to the bronze bell still tugging at her back. She gestured toward the expanse ahead. "There’s the valley."

Xiulan pushed to her feet and stared in awe. A massive trough stretched between the mountains that cupped it like two sheltering hands. A dense evergreen forest rimmed the scarp and surrounded a dominating, pristine blue lake in the center.

Sunlight danced across the crystal-blue water, creating diamond-like sparkles across its surface. Giant birds soared overhead, their wingspans casting fleeting shadows as they dove toward the water.

At the far end of the valley, creatures straight out of Earth’s prehistoric era lumbered between the trees. One beast, tall as a building and built like a mutated elephant, ripped up an entire tree trunk. The monster chomped through the wood and leaves with the casual ease of someone eating a sandwich.

It sparked her memories of Phoenix Kingdom Chronicles . The valley mirrored the perfect location she’d chosen for her sect—spacious enough for defensive walls, element-focused cultivation pagodas, and gathering grounds for inner and outer disciples. The lake would support a proper dock with leisure boats and a spiritual fishery.

Most importantly, the natural isolation would protect from common riffraff while the terrain’s shape would make the invasion-protection arrays much more energy efficient.

"Wow. Is this The Land Before Time or something?" The words slipped out before she could catch them.

"What?" Feng Yu frowned.

"Nothing." Xiulan shook her head. "Just amazed how different it looks from the wastelands outside."

"Well, we’re in the wilds now. The qi changed drastically." Feng Yu stretched, the leather straps pulling against her. "Did you notice?"

Xiulan frowned and extended her qi sense outward, probing the surrounding air. The spiritual energy flowed with the same thickness and consistency she’d grown accustomed to in Fershere. "The density seems identical?"

A bright laugh escaped Feng Yu. "Yeah, but it’s not the same. Can’t you feel the pulse?"

Xiulan closed her eyes, blocking out the prehistoric valley’s distractions. She pushed her awareness deeper into the qi currents, past the surface-level energy. At first, nothing stood out beyond the usual ebb and flow.

Then—there. A subtle vibration threaded through the qi, so rapid she almost missed it. The sensation reminded her of touching a running engine, a nearly imperceptible hum of contained power.

"Maybe?" Xiulan opened her eyes. "I’ve never noticed anything like that before. I’d have to go back to Fershere to compare."

"Every region has a different pulse." Feng Yu adjusted the collection device’s straps and stood up. "That’s how you know you’ve crossed through a barrier. They don’t always announce themselves with dramatic fog or visible boundaries."

"Right." Xiulan absorbed the insight. The concept aligned perfectly with how Phoenix Kingdom Chronicles separated its regions. Different enemies, varied encounters, shifting qi densities, and elemental affinity bonuses—all changed at regional boundaries. She wasn’t sure how well that mirrored reality, but the rest stood to follow if the qi signature did.

Would it kill the universe to give me a status interface? Xiulan sighed.

Feng Yu took a step forward and headed toward the treeline below. The broken platforms they’d crossed gave way to a long gravel slope that stretched down to struggling grass skirting the trees.

"We should gather anything useful along the way," Xiulan said, scanning the ground for resources.

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Feng Yu extended her palm with a knowing smirk. Four fragments of translucent green stone sparkled in the sunlight, catching and refracting the rays like living crystal.

"Spiritual jade fragments?" Xiulan stared at the precious stones. "When did you—"

Feng Yu’s laugh echoed across the slope. "Keep your eyes sharp, martial sister! We’re here for a mission, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an adventure. Treasure lurks everywhere!"

Xiulan caught herself smiling as she scanned the treeline for spirit herbs. Great, now I’m infected with whatever madness drives Ren Chun and Feng Yu .

Still, the excitement sparked through her qi. Purple-stemmed plants dotted the grass near ancient tree trunks, their leaves shimmering with spiritual essence. She’d collect them later.

The gravel crunched beneath their boots as they picked their way down the slope. Feng Yu angled toward the crystalline lake.

"Should we really head toward the water?" Xiulan studied the shoreline for movement.

"Don’t know." Feng Yu adjusted the bronze collection device. "But serpents probably need to drink, right?"

"Makes sense." Xiulan kept her qi sense extended, trying to practice her ability to monitor their surroundings.

Life teemed around them everywhere—birds swooped through branches while insects buzzed in complex harmonies. The wilderness pulsed with natural energy, so very different from Blackmere’s tainted swamps. A six-winged creature soared overhead, casting prismatic shadows through translucent feathers.

"Last time I ventured into wild territory, the beasts attacked almost immediately," Xiulan said.

"In Blackmere?" Feng Yu glanced back.

"The swamp, yeah." Xiulan remembered the black scaled creatures lurking beneath the murky waters.

"Places like that fill up with beasts over time." Feng Yu swept her arm toward the valley. "This is more usual. Someone probably came through here in the last decade and cleared out the most hostile creatures. But Blackmere isn’t exactly prime real estate for cultivators. Probably no one strong enough passed by to deal with them in a long time."

Xiulan studied her companion’s profile. "Was the bounty really why you came? A thousand spirit stones sort of feels inadequate."

A flicker crossed the other woman’s face—so brief Xiulan almost missed it.

"No." Feng Yu picked up the pace slightly. "The bounty provided a convenient excuse. I needed to lay low, avoid some... complications. Nothing that should cause you trouble, though."

"Huh. Okay." Xiulan absorbed this revelation while scanning the treeline. Everyone had secrets, and Feng Yu had already proven herself reliable. For the setting, anyway.

It wasn’t like she didn’t have a bunch of secrets she was holding herself.

Keeping those close seemed like the safest bet, but… Damn it. The longer they worked together, the more and more she wanted to lay everything out and get advice on things.

But… that also felt like shaking a tree, and without knowing if the fruits would be hard or soft as they landed on her head. Xiulan let out a sigh as the trees and water came closer.

The tree trunks grew larger, the distance no longer making a mirage of their size. Ancient branches formed a thick natural canopy while a fence of leafy underbrush ran along the perimeter.

Xiulan gestured toward it. "Should we set up the trap in the trees?"

Feng Yu glanced between the trees and the lake. There was a natural runway down to the water at the two ends of the valley, but they were still a bit high up on the slope. "Let’s keep going down until it’s level."

"Sounds like a plan," Xiulan replied. They continued down without issue until they put the water on their left and the forest on their right.

Feng Yu turned and nodded toward the trees. "This should be good."

It didn’t turn out to be good.

Xiulan hacked at the dense undergrowth with qi-enhanced strikes using her spear. Thick vines and branches moved out of the way grudgingly. Feng Yu followed behind, using her qi in heavy pulses that ran through the air to break through any snags.

It was worse than climbing the mountain!

Eventually, the forest floor transformed from a jungle-like thicket into a relatively thin open space between the thick tree trunks. Light fell down in weak dappled patterns as the wind sieved through the branches.

A thunderous crack split the air and Xiulan jumped. A giant squirrel—easily the size of a compact car—slammed into a nearby tree trunk. The impact shook leaves loose as the creature scrambled away, its bushy tail leaving destruction in its wake.

"There is one!" Feng Yu pointed toward a clearing ahead.

Xiulan followed her gesture and froze. A dawn serpent coiled around a fallen log, its eight-meter length rippling with self-luminescent white scales. The ethereal glow pulsed in gentle waves along its body.

Xiulan studied the creature’s display. "How do they sneak up on anything glowing like that?"

"They probably just eat qi most of the time," Feng Yu said. "And sleeping things, maybe?"

Impatience thrummed through Xiulan. "Let’s set the trap and then grab it and throw it in."

Feng Yu chuckled. "Doesn’t that defeat the point of a trap?"

"Hmm." Xiulan tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Either way, we’ll get scales. One method is faster than waiting for it to come after the bait..."

She helped Feng Yu lower the bronze collection device to the ground. The bell shape settled onto four heavy feet that prevented the interior from being flush with the ground. The outer surface was etched with intricate patterns that reminded her of circuit boards.

Dropping to her hands and knees, Xiulan crawled beneath the bell’s rim. She positioned a small block at the center, creating a small platform for a spirit stone to sit on. The stone’s faint light blue glow cast dancing shadows across the bronze interior.

She backed out and brushed the dirt from her robes. An elaborate control panel housed a second stone slot, and a weathered copper dial. She inserted a second spirit stone and turned on the mechanism. Qi channels lit up across the bell’s surface, following geometric grooves that pulsed with stored power.

"Finally!" Feng Yu stretched dramatically, rolling her shoulders. "That thing weighs more than ten people."

"Maybe I could carry it back?" Xiulan suggested.

Feng Yu hummed thoughtfully. "Not sure little sister is ready for that level of weight training!"

"Hey, I’m not weak!" Heat rose to Xiulan’s cheeks.

"I know." Feng Yu smiled warmly. "Should we find a suitable spot to watch from? The serpent will come investigate soon."

Xiulan grinned and spun toward where they’d spotted the dawn serpent. "Ha!"

She’d go wrestle the creature into the trap personally.