With the Dragon's Vein Token secured in a small, spatial pouch at his waist, Jian Feng did not immediately pursue the next. Predictability was a vulnerability, and a straight line between high-value targets was a path any competent hunter would eventually scrutinize. His strategy was one of absolute efficiency, and that meant gathering all available resources in a given area before moving on.
He consulted the detailed, three-dimensional map stored in his mind. The clearing where he'd found the token was situated at the base of a small, nondescript cliff. According to the ancient records in the clan library, the unique mineral composition of this cliff, combined with the ambient humidity, created the perfect conditions for a rare herb to grow: the Nine-Petal Spirit Lily. It was a 300-point herb prized for its ability to soothe and nourish one's Spiritual Sense.
The most direct route to the cliff's summit was a straight climb, but his Spiritual Sense detected the faint, dormant aura of a 9th-Layer Stoneback Ape—a beast far too powerful for any Qi Gathering disciple to face. While other disciples would either miss the herb entirely or blunder into the ape's territory, Jian Feng's mental map showed another way. A winding, narrow game trail, hidden behind a thick curtain of vines, that circumvented the ape's lair completely.
He moved through the overgrown path with practiced ease. Twenty minutes later, he stood on the breezy, sun-drenched clifftop. Before him was a patch of lush grass, and at its center, a dozen ethereal lilies bloomed, their nine petals shimmering with a soft, silvery light.
However, the prize was protected by a different kind of guardian. The air around the patch of lilies was distorted, shimmering with an almost invisible haze. His Star-Chart identified it instantly: a natural illusion formation, created by the pollen of the lilies themselves. Any creature that stepped into the haze would become hopelessly lost, wandering in circles until they died of exhaustion, their bodies becoming fertilizer for the beautiful flowers.
Jian Feng observed the haze, noting the gentle, circular drift of the pollen on the wind. It was a simple, repeating pattern. The solution was equally simple. He took a wide, circular path around the patch until he was upwind. From his sleeve, he produced a small, empty pouch. He held it open, allowing the breeze to carry the nearly invisible pollen into it. Once it was half-full, he sealed it tight. This was a useful reagent he could perhaps use later.
Then, with the source of the illusion identified, he held his breath and, using his Origin Qi to create a small, temporary pocket of pure, pollen-free air around his head, he calmly walked into the haze. He moved directly to the lilies, harvested them with the care of a master herbalist, and walked out, his breathing even and his robes unstained. Another 300 points were secured.
In just a few hours, with minimal effort, he had accumulated over 800 points. It was a score that most disciples wouldn't reach by the end of the entire seven-day trial.
Far to the south, a disheveled Jian Qiao finally found her way back to the main Azure Dragon Clan group. She found them resting in a small clearing, the bloody carcass of a Crimson-Eyed Tiger at their feet. The mood was a mixture of pride and exhaustion. Several disciples were tending to gashes and bruises.
Jian Liwei stood over the beast, cleaning his saber. "A 7th-Layer beast! A good first haul, worth seventy points. Let this be a lesson to you all—courage and strength are all that matter in these mountains."
He spotted Jian Qiao emerging from the trees. "Disciple Qiao! Where have you been? Wandering off is a good way to get killed."
Qiao flinched under his harsh gaze. "My apologies, Senior Brother Liwei. I was separated from the group."
She didn't mention the wolves, nor did she mention Jian Feng. How could she explain it? How could she describe the absolute calm he possessed, or the way he'd predicted the outcome of a battle between two beasts he wasn't even watching? They would think she was crazy or, worse, that she was making excuses for her own incompetence.
She looked at the proud, swaggering Jian Liwei, then at the exhausted disciples around him. They had fought hard for their seventy points. A seed of doubt, which had been planted during her rescue, now began to sprout in the fertile ground of her mind. The clan whispered that Jian Feng's foundation was unstable, that he was a cripple. But the boy she had seen was more stable and in control than anyone on this clearing. His power wasn't in his Qi, she realized. It was in his stillness.
She quietly sat down, deciding to keep her encounter a secret. But she would be watching. The story the clan told and the reality she had witnessed were two very different things.
Jian Feng, meanwhile, had found his sanctuary. Behind a waterfall he had noted on his maps was a dry, shallow cave, perfectly concealed from the outside world. It was an ideal base of operations.
He sat down, not to rest, but to consolidate his gains and plan his next move. The first phase was complete. He had proven his methods were effective and had secured a massive early lead. Now, the game would evolve.
The other disciples, having engaged in their initial chaotic skirmishes, would now start to move more cautiously. They would begin to hunt for the tokens in earnest. They would become more predictable.
He pulled one of his blank jade disks from his sleeve. Using his hyper-acute Spiritual Sense as a carving tool and a strand of Origin Qi as ink, he began to etch a new, complex formation onto its surface. This one was different from the others. It wasn't for detection or illusion.
It was a tracking formation, designed to faintly resonate with the unique energy signatures of the Raging Tiger and Black Tortoise clans' core cultivation arts.
He was no longer just tracking the resources on the map. He was now tracking the players on the board. He would let them fight each other, exhaust themselves over beasts and minor herbs, and lead him to the general locations of the tokens. He would simply arrive afterwards, analyze the situation, and take the prize with the least possible effort. The hunt was entering its second, more elegant phase.