Qin Zhaoming, who had entered Mount Zeyang, gauged the time by looking at the night sky.
'It's about 4 AM, I think.'
The sun hadn't risen yet. Though the mountain path was dark, he didn't stop walking.
Instead, he hurried even more.
Crack!
He advanced forward, cutting down the thickly grown underbrush with his machete.
'Whew. Even though I come here every day, it grows this much.'
This was a path Qin Zhaoming frequently traveled. Despite that, there was no trace of human passage.
It was due to Mount Zeyang's vigorous vitality.
Even ordinary weeds grew continuously. They often grew taller than a person in no time.
Mount Zeyang, being a spirit mountain, didn't allow human traces to remain.
As sweat droplets flowed down during the arduous hike...
Rustle.
He got goosebumps from the faint sound of leaves brushing. His vigilance rose to the extreme at the alien noise.
Gulp...
He focused all his senses, remaining on high alert.
He kept sniffing constantly, wary of any beast's stench.
How much time had passed? His shoulder muscles grew stiff, but the surroundings remained silent.
Clench!
He gripped his machete tightly and lowered his posture. He prepared to respond at any moment.
'Hmm...?'
But no matter how much time passed, the mountain path remained quiet. As if the chilling sensation he had felt earlier was just an illusion.
After being vigilant for a long time, Qin Zhaoming frowned.
Focus was a limited resource. There was no benefit in wasting time like this.
Just as he hesitantly took a careful step forward.
Swish!
Along with an eerie sound cutting through the air, a blurry afterimage flew in like an arrow.
"Huh?!"
Something struck the machete he instinctively swung.
Thud! With a heavy sound, the thing fell to the ground, making hissing animal noises.
Qin Zhaoming's gaze turned serious.
He had clearly cut with his sharp machete, but not a single drop of blood splattered. Instead, he felt only a heavy resistance as if hitting a stone.
It meant the opponent's skin was incredibly tough.
'Twin-horned Snake!'
Under the moonlight, a triangular snake head appeared with a blurry shape. It was a venomous snake called a Twin-horned Snake.
His heart pounded with tension.
If he hadn't been lucky enough to react just now, he would have at least been grazed by venomous fangs, and that would have been the end.
'I almost died.'
The Twin-horned Snake was no ordinary beast. If affected by its venom, even a beast as large as an ox couldn't last three breaths.
Slither!
Glistening fangs dripping with venom appeared alongside a tongue that licked the air.
"Hmph!"
He glared murderously at the creature that circled around like it was eyeing its prey.
He couldn't retreat even a step.
If he yielded in presence, it would be over. If he didn't want to die, he had to fight!
How long had he confronted it, tightly gripping his machete?
Slither.
The tension suddenly released. The Twin-horned Snake, which had been watching for an opportunity, gave up and disappeared into the darkness.
Massaging his tired shoulder muscles, he marveled anew.
'It's my body, but it's amazing.'
The Twin-horned Snake was as fast as an arrow. It was remarkable that he could react to that speed.
Despite having an ordinary person's body with no martial arts training, he was sturdy and quick. His senses were also keen, allowing him to detect numerous dangers.
'Well, if I couldn't even do this much, I would have died long ago.'
Without such a physique, he wouldn't have survived three years on Mount Zeyang.
He stretched and took deep breaths to relax his tense muscles. He was skilled at it. This was natural since he had experienced such situations countless times over the past three years.
Just as he was about to leave after resting enough...
'...What's this mound of dirt?'
He spotted traces of something having dug up the ground. Cautiously approaching to examine it, his eyes widened.
"Huh?"
He glimpsed colorful grass fragments between the soil.
With widened eyes, Qin Zhaoming used his machete to dig into the ground. After rummaging for a while, he exclaimed in delight.
'Three-Colored Grass!'
Deep in the hole, he found two bunches of Three-Colored Grass with their roots half cut off.
It seemed someone had discovered a Three-Colored Grass colony, harvested it, and dropped a few bunches.
It was a great stroke of luck for Qin Zhaoming.
'No wonder. I was wondering why the Twin-horned Snake was here.'
He habitually surveyed the surroundings and hurriedly harvested.
The leaves were torn and the roots damaged, so they wouldn't fetch full price, but they were still Three-Colored Grass.
They were worth at least 8 spirit stone fragments.
He carefully stored them in the bundle he had brought along and nodded in satisfaction.
He couldn't help but feel good, having taken another step toward his goal.
'If I sell these Three-Colored Grass for 8 spirit stone fragments, I'll have a total of 108. Just two more to collect!'
He calmed his racing heart and left the spot. With the sun not yet risen, he had much to do.
As time passed and the sun was about to rise faintly...
'Found it!'
Qin Zhaoming's eyes lit up as he discovered a massive tree.
A thick giant tree over 20 meters tall. It was so large that it hurt his neck to look up at its top.
This tree, which he called the 'Dew Tree,' was Qin Zhaoming's small treasure.
He had luckily found it half a year ago, and it had been a major source of income he relied on.
If there was anything special about this tree, it was that its leaves were larger than five palms combined.
The leaves were so soft and thick that they could be used as cushions.
"Inhale."
He approached quietly, taking measured breaths. He didn't forget to remain vigilant of his surroundings.
Three branches bent downward were conveniently at eye level. He examined the blue-green leaves at the ends of the branches carefully.
'Indeed! It's here today too!'
He saw a transparent dew as large as an adult's fist formed in the center of the leaf.
As the size indicated, this was no ordinary dew. It was a miraculous water that contained abundant spirit qi and had special properties.
A subtle fragrance wafted from the droplets that sparkled as they reflected the moonlight.
It was a refreshing scent that seemed to clear even the depths of one's chest.
A feeling of wanting to be intoxicated by it without thinking!
This dew had many uses. It could be used for making elixirs or for cultivation.
Being valuable to practitioners, it could naturally be sold to obtain spirit stone fragments.
He took out a gourd bottle he had brought and placed it against the dew.
Drip drip.
He carefully filled it, making sure not to spill. He collected a total of three transparent water droplets.
'This should be worth one spirit stone fragment.'
Slosh!
He happily shook the gourd bottle before sealing it.
Nodding in satisfaction, he glanced upward.
The Dew Tree was enormous. Naturally, there were far more than three leaves. The leaves became more abundant toward the top.
'...There must be dew formed up there too.'
But it was out of reach. Even the lowest ones were at least 5 meters high, making it impossible to collect the dew.
Half a year ago, when he first discovered the Dew Tree, he had nearly died trying to climb the trunk.
'I almost died from being bitten by a tiny poisonous insect. I was bedridden for three days.'
He retreated quietly, not being greedy.
He left to search for other trees with dew or spirit herbs.
He had to hurry because the dew containing spirit qi would all dry up when the sun rose.
'If I can find just one more spirit stone fragment's worth...!'
※※※
In Zeyang City.
A boy of about 15 years walked along the road with a worn-out bundle on his back.
Though he seemed to be walking leisurely, a closer look revealed otherwise. His brightly shining eyes never stopped moving.
He moved slowly, vigilant of all directions. Whenever someone approached, he naturally distanced himself.
His hand, placed on the hilt of the machete at his waist, never left it. He was prepared to draw it at any moment.
Thud thud.
After walking for some time...
The boy, Qin Zhaoming, arrived at a shop with the sign "Spirit Elixir Pavilion."
"Welcome... Hmm?"
The cheerful voice was abruptly cut off.
A young girl who appeared to be around Qin Zhaoming's age pouted her lips.
"Why is an ordinary person here? Leave before you get in trouble. Our Spirit Elixir Pavilion does business with Qi Refinement practitioners."
Just as Qin Zhaoming was about to respond to her blunt tone...
"Hoho. Xiao'er. That child is my customer, so let him come up."
A calm voice resonated from the second floor of the Spirit Elixir Pavilion.
"M-Master?"
The surprised girl's eyes widened. She, who had been blocking the way proudly, hastily stepped aside.