[Mission objective: Establish contact with the Silver Dragon King and obtain a strand of her hair. Mission reward: Two Origin Fruits (can be claimed in advance)]
[Origin Fruit – capable of repairing any creature's origin-level injuries, regardless of cultivation level!]
Li Chang'an: "…"
What the—!
The system was actually urging him to approach the Silver Dragon King… and not just that, it wanted him to get a strand of her hair? Wasn't that just asking for death?
Sure, the reward could be claimed in advance, and the Origin Fruit—though vaguely described—was clearly something heaven-defying!
Every living being possessed origin energy. Origin energy had always been considered one of the most precious forms of power. The most valuable origin energy he possessed was the soul power stored in his soul core.
Back when the Silver Dragon King escaped from the Divine Realm, her greatest injury had been to her origin. So this reward the system offered was definitely generous.
But now the real question was—how was he supposed to meet the Silver Dragon King? And even if he did, how would he convince her to eat his fruit? And after she ate it… how could he just casually ask her, "Could I have a strand of your hair?"
Sigh. The system really had a knack for giving him impossible missions. But still, two Origin Fruits! Even if he gave one to the Silver Dragon King, he'd still have one left for himself, right?
Who wouldn't want an Origin Fruit?
So despite how troublesome this mission seemed, Li Chang'an had no choice but to accept it.
---
While Li Chang'an was deep in thought, Zhao Wuji finished briefing the group. To put it simply: safety came first.
Once they entered the Star Dou Great Forest, the most excited person was undoubtedly Xiao Wu. She didn't seem to regard this place as dangerous at all. Instead, she bounced along happily, her joy written all over her face—so much so that Zhao Wuji frowned. But since she stayed within the boundaries he had set, he didn't say much.
Li Chang'an understood Xiao Wu's feelings well—it was like a child returning home after a long time. She was familiar with every tree and blade of grass in the Star Dou Great Forest, so her happiness was understandable.
The terrain inside the forest was extremely complex, with no roads at all. So naturally, the job of clearing a path fell to Dai Mubai. Activating his Martial Soul, his tiger claws extended, and with a few swift slashes, he cut down all the obstructing thorn bushes ahead. Their advance wasn't slowed in the slightest.
The Star Dou Great Forest was absurdly dense. "Blotting out the sky" was no exaggeration here—sunlight rarely managed to penetrate the canopy.
After walking for about an hour, it was already midday. In that time, they had encountered several soul beasts, mostly ten-year or hundred-year varieties.
They avoided most confrontations. Occasionally, a few blind beasts would charge at them, only to be swiftly dealt with by Dai Mubai's tiger claws. Of course, he followed Li Chang'an's advice and didn't kill them outright.
"Alright, let's take a short break," Zhao Wuji said, his voice breaking the tense silence and helping everyone relax.
Dai Mubai cleared the surrounding thorn bushes, opening up an area nearly a hundred square meters wide. Everyone sat down under the trees for a short rest.
Just as Oscar was about to make some sausages to serve as food, Li Chang'an spoke up:
"No need for that. I've got something for everyone—let's share."
As he spoke, Li Chang'an pulled out a massive jar of braised meat, a stack of freshly baked flatbreads, along with some fruit juice, chicken drumsticks, and more—all still hot and steaming—from his Nullspace.
'Wait… what?'
'Why was Teacher Li's storage soul tool filled with so much fresh, delicious food?'
'Storage soul tools had limited space. Shouldn't Teacher Li be using it more sparingly?'
These questions popped into the minds of Tang San and the others. However, someone like Ning Rongrong, who came from a noble background, quickly deduced the unique traits of Li Chang'an's soul tool. Zhao Wuji also caught on quickly.
'This Li Changsheng really was full of hidden depths. Just the storage tool alone was incredibly valuable. Looks like Flender was right—this kid did have some secrets.'
Zhao Wuji watched as Li Chang'an kept pulling food out like it cost nothing, and silently mused to himself.
Truthfully, if not for appearances, Li Chang'an wouldn't have shared so much. But since he wanted Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing to eat well, he had no choice.
Fortunately, his Storage Tool had a shockingly large capacity. He often stocked it with supplies whenever he had free time. Even now, a good half of its space was still unused.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Teacher Li, just how big is your storage soul tool? And why is all the food still hot?!" Fatty Ma Hongjun exclaimed loudly from the side.
"Enough, Fatty. Can't you shut your mouth even while eating?" Dai Mubai scolded him. After all, this was technically a personal secret—Ma Hongjun's blunt questions were a little out of line.
Naturally, Li Chang'an didn't respond to the chubby boy's curiosity. He simply sat down, gnawed on a fragrant drumstick, and sipped a cup of mango juice.
As he drank, he casually observed everyone's reactions. Xiao Wu, unsurprisingly, didn't find it strange at all. She snuggled up next to him and began eating.
Zhu Zhuqing quietly picked up a hard-boiled egg, gave Li Chang'an a quick, seemingly casual glance, and took a mango juice over to the side to enjoy on her own.
Ning Rongrong, the pampered princess, was delighted. Being able to eat such a luxurious meal in this environment was true happiness. After grabbing her portion, she even gave Li Chang'an a sweet smile.
Even Zhao Wuji helped himself to some food. Since they were both teachers, it didn't count as breaking any rules.
After eating and drinking their fill, Xiao Wu rested her head on Li Chang'an's lap and quickly drifted off into a light sleep. Meanwhile, Li Chang'an absentmindedly stroked her soft hair, deep in thought about his mission.
Right now, the Silver Dragon King and Di Tian's group of soul beasts were probably still recovering deep in the Lake of Life, absorbing the Skydream Iceworm. How was he supposed to awaken them from their slumber…?
As his thoughts spiraled, his eyes suddenly locked onto a distant point. Zhao Wuji and Tang San did the same.
Something was coming.
Zhao Wuji shouted, "Everyone get up! Something's heading our way!"
Tang San and Dai Mubai instinctively stepped in front of Oscar and Ning Rongrong, while Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Fatty formed a protective perimeter. Li Chang'an simply smiled and stood at the very front, right in the center.
The rustling sound grew from faint to loud. Even Oscar and Ning Rongrong—both auxiliary-type Spirit Masters—could clearly feel how fast the unknown creature was approaching!
"Zhu Zhuqing, check what it is," Zhao Wuji ordered in a low voice.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't respond, simply leaping silently into the air. With claws extended, she climbed the nearby tree with feline agility, moving toward the sound's source.
Cats have exceptional night vision, and even more so during the day—especially with her evolved Martial Soul.
Soon, Zhu Zhuqing's cool voice drifted down from the treetops:
"It looks like a flying snake, but it can't fly high—only about three meters off the ground. There's a fleshy crest on its head that's even bigger than the head itself. It's bright red, like blood. Its tail is rather unique—it's shaped like a fan."
Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "It's a Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent! That kind of spirit beast is extremely rare. The fleshy crest on its head has a lot of fascinating uses. Oscar, you're in luck! Too bad we don't know how old it is. Zhu Zhuqing, keep an eye on it. Report immediately if it changes direction."
But just then, Li Chang'an spoke calmly to Zhu Zhuqing:
"No need. That Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent is between 1,300 and 1,800 years old—perfect for Oscar. You can come down."
__
T/N:
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