Chapter 4 : Windless Cliff
Chapter 4: Windless Cliff
Afterward, the two of them continued up the mountain together.
Nan Yuchen’s attitude was quite courteous; he even took the initiative to help Long Tao clear trash from the path.
The two walked and chatted like this, from the daily routines of menial disciples all the way to the famous beauties of each peak, gradually becoming more familiar with each other.
“Rare to meet a fellow disciple like Senior Brother Long,” Nan Yuchen suddenly sighed softly.
“It feels like it’s been a long time since I really talked properly with someone.”
“Ah?” Long Tao raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Don’t you have several pretty senior sisters?”
“It’s precisely because they’re all senior sisters. I’ve got a baby face, so I always give people the impression of being a kid, but I’m already sixteen, you know. I’m a... normal man now. Some topics really... sigh... can’t be discussed with them.”
“Oh... I get it, I get it. Those fairy-like senior sisters—yeah, it’s definitely hard to talk dirty jokes or things like sect beauty rankings in front of them. I bet you don’t even dare to swear on a normal day, right? You can only talk about cultivation, and the more you bottle it up, the worse it gets, until you can’t even chat normally anymore.”
Hearing this, Nan Yuchen immediately looked at Long Tao with the expression of someone who had found a kindred spirit.
The way he lifted his head even carried a hint of grievance.
“Senior Brother truly understands!”
“But you should still be able to associate with those inner sect male disciples of similar realm, right? They don’t pay you any mind either?”
“It’s not exactly that, but the inner sect senior brothers... probably don’t like me very much. Most of them just exchange polite greetings and leave.”
Looking at this genius who was fawned over by the masses, Long Tao could more or less guess how much targeting he had to face from his peers on a daily basis.
Let alone those people—wasn’t he himself, this mediocre Qi-Refining Fifth Layer cultivator, also always displeased with him?
“That’s not strange. You’re too much of a genius and are valued by the entire sect. Plenty of people are bound to see you as a thorn in their side. Jealousy is only human.”
“I actually know that too, but...... forget it. I’ve only just met Senior Brother today, yet it’s always me complaining. Oh right... there’s a big rock ahead. If Senior Brother isn’t going back tonight, you can rest there. It’s still some distance from the trial area and very safe. I’ve rambled on for too long, so I’ll head on first.”
Before Long Tao could respond, Nan Yuchen had already used a lightness technique to quickly walk away.
That retreating figure even looked a little flustered.
Long Tao could clearly feel that the kid was somewhat embarrassed and had found an excuse to leave first.
It seemed it really was an environmental issue—he had been isolated to the point that even his basic social skills had declined.
But as Nan Yuchen’s back disappeared, Long Tao couldn’t help thinking again: if the system on his body hadn’t bound the wrong person and had successfully bound to the other party instead, what would it have become like?
Would that humble, shy boy become like in all those novels—turning into a stupid, lustful, unruly bastard who relied on so-called destiny luck and protagonist halo to level up all the way, kill people, seize treasures, and collect a harem?
He shook his head, unable to get any answer at all.
By this time, the sky was gradually darkening, and he needed to start making his final preparations to sign in for entering the trial area.
Windless Cliff had no wind at its summit, so no birds were willing to approach.
This also led to the mountain being not only full of insects, but also having quite a few insect-type demon beasts.
Normally, coming here would definitely require bringing some insect-repelling liquids or powders, but something like Nine-Leaf Ganoderma was certainly deep inside.
According to what he had heard before, there were other types of demon beasts or wild beasts there, especially wolf- and hound-type ones.
So unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t cover himself in anything too pungent.
He only brought a newly bought cloak to block insects.
Just as the sky was about to completely darken, and he could already see the boundary stele of the summit trial area with the naked eye, the system, which hadn’t spoken for a long time, suddenly reacted again.
“Detected that the Host has arrived at Windless Cliff. The location guidance for Nine-Leaf Ganoderma will now be activated. Please arrive at the target location at the Zi hour and ensure that the Child of Destiny Nan Yuchen obtains the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma.”
As that panel appeared again, there was this time an additional arrow with a clear meaning.
Long Tao immediately understood—the direction of the arrow was the location of that Nine-Leaf Ganoderma.
Finally!! This damn system finally played a bit of a positive role! At the very least, he now had a direction and a goal at night, instead of wandering around blindly on a pitch-black cliff full of demon beasts.
And with this arrow guiding him, there was no need to light a fire, increasing his chances of survival quite a bit.
There was just one point he still hadn’t figured out—why did it have to be the Zi hour? What would happen if it were a bit earlier or later? But facing this neurotic system, he didn’t plan to get any answers anyway.
With the system guiding the way, coming at night was actually more advantageous.
Wrapping the cloak tightly around his body, Long Tao steeled himself and stepped over the boundary stele.
He knew... from this moment on, his life was as good as handed over.
After walking a few dozen steps past the boundary stele, he slowly entered the woodland.
Long Tao also wrapped three layers of cloth strips around the soles of his boots—an old folk method he had learned back in the menial courtyard, which could minimize footstep sounds.
In a cultivation world, yet playing it like an outdoor survival novel—he felt he was really quite pathetic.
However, the environment here at Windless Cliff was actually much more favorable than he had expected.
Especially after carefully thinking it through on the way, he realized that this task wasn’t entirely without a way out.
First, because there were no birds, the insects here were exceptionally numerous, and the insect chirping at night was quite loud, making his footsteps not too piercing.
Moreover, with no wind, the scent on his body wouldn’t drift too far, and those wolf- and hound-type demon beasts wouldn’t, as previously imagined, smell him from afar and come over to eat him alive.
Even so, he remained extremely cautious, always moving forward slowly with his body bent.
Although Qi-Refining Fifth Layer cultivation was nothing worth mentioning within the sect, it already granted fairly good night vision.
With moonlight assistance, his vision at this moment wasn’t too obstructed, allowing him to experience a bit of the benefits cultivation brought.
After spending about half a shichen passing through the outer forest, he began to enter deeper into the dense woods.
Following the arrow’s guidance, he arrived at a slope, where several pairs of crimson points of light suddenly lit up below.
Five giant rats the size of wild dogs were gnawing on tree roots, their oily fur covering well-developed muscles.
Long Tao halted his steps, his right hand already pressing on the handle of his firewood knife.
These things didn’t count as demon beasts; they were just rats mutated in places rich in spiritual energy or miasma.
He felt that with his strength...
a head-on fight wasn’t impossible.
After all, during his time as a menial disciple, he had followed along on many missions dealing with small demon beasts and wasn’t unfamiliar with blood.
But tonight was a matter of life and death.
Making too much noise might draw in other things.
Out of caution, he didn’t rush over.
Instead, while the two sides stared at each other, he felt at his bag, wondering whether to use that not-so-reliable beast-repelling powder inside.
However, just as his hand reached toward the bag, he felt several hard objects in another small pouch at his waist.
Remembering that they were the spirit fruit pits he had picked up from demon beast droppings while clearing the mountain road, he suddenly thought...
something that could eat spirit fruits must be at the top of the food chain in this area.
So he took out one fruit pit that still carried a foul smell and threw it toward the giant rats.
Sure enough... the moment they caught the scent, the giant rats immediately scattered and fled, without the slightest hesitation.
This made Long Tao sigh in relief, but also worry faintly.
Something that could make giant rats this afraid—the owner of that pile of dung was clearly a rather powerful demon beast.
After rubbing the filth off his hands with moss from the ground, Long Tao walked forward a short distance.
Then, following the arrow given by the system, he discovered that ahead was an open area bathed in moonlight.
The ground was covered with moss of somewhat bizarre shapes, densely crawling with centipedes, scorpions, and unnamed poisonous insects.
A sweet, cloying stench of decay permeated the air.
Miasma! But Long Tao didn’t panic at all.
He immediately took out a bottle of ointment from his chest and smeared some under his nose.
Within the sect, there were quite a few places rife with miasma that required disciples—especially menial disciples—to clean regularly.
This kind of anti-poison ointment was considered a daily essential.
After calming down, he examined the area more carefully.
Most of this place was filled with ordinary poisonous insects.
The only real threats were the three Bone-Corrosion Scorpions farther away.
If he went all out and rushed through, there wouldn’t be much problem.
And compared to detouring through the complex forest environment, this open area full of insects was actually safer.
So he no longer hesitated.
Casting a lightness technique on himself, spiritual energy instantly surged through his meridians, his leg muscles tensed, and his figure shot out like an arrow leaving the bow.
After entering the open area, the cracking sounds of crushing insect shells under his boots rang out incessantly, viscous fluids splashing onto his pant legs.
But his attention remained focused on those three Bone-Corrosion Scorpions the size of household dogs.
Yet he was not a child of destiny after all.
He was discovered halfway through.
The three Bone-Corrosion Scorpions raised their scythe-like tail hooks and were already crawling toward him.
The toxicity of these scorpions lived up to their name.
Once stung, the pain was bone-corroding.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators with body refinement found it hard to endure.
Qi Refining cultivators and mortals, once poisoned, would almost immediately be in pain to the point of fainting.
Without companions to respond, death was inevitable.
The good news, however, was that these scorpions’ combat strength wasn’t high.
Aside from that outrageous poison, they were the lowest-grade demon beasts.
With thorough preparation, even a team of mortals could hunt them.
But at this moment, facing three alone, he dared not take risks.
This wasn’t playing a game in a past life, where one could use lives to keep trial-and-erroring an optimal solution.
In reality, staying alive was the optimal solution.