Mo Liangye didn't rush back to the perilous Back Mountains immediately. His body, though healing rapidly thanks to the Green Jade Salve and the replenishment from the Tier 2 core, still needed stabilization. More importantly, his mind needed data. Charging blindly into danger based on assumptions was foolish, something his past life – or rather, the harsh lessons learned since his parents' deaths – had taught him well.
For the next two days, he became a ghost drifting through the outer sect's common areas. He spent hours on the edge of the bustling training grounds, seemingly absorbed in practicing the basic 'Flowing Cloud' footwork, his movements deliberately average, even slightly clumsy. But his eyes and ears missed nothing.
He watched Wang Hu, the burly disciple, train with ferocious intensity. Each punch and kick carried explosive force, shattering practice dummies with raw power. "Pure strength, minimal finesse," Mo Liangye noted internally. "Relies on overwhelming opponents quickly. Stamina might be an issue in a prolonged fight. Vulnerable to agile counters."
Then his gaze shifted to Li Mei. She moved like a whisper, her practice sword a blur, striking targets from impossible angles before vanishing again. "Speed is her greatest asset. Difficult to track, hard to pin down. Needs containment, perhaps a confined space or techniques that disrupt footing."
Zhao Feng was also there, naturally, though 'training' was a generous term. He mostly barked orders at his two lackeys, occasionally demonstrating a technique with a flashy, Qi-infused strike that looked powerful but lacked refinement. He seemed more interested in showing off than improving. "Arrogant, sloppy, relies on resources over skill. But those resources… pills, perhaps defensive talismans… cannot be underestimated. His lackeys are also a factor."
In the noisy dining hall, amidst the clatter of bowls and low chatter, Mo Liangye sat alone in a corner, nursing a bowl of thin congee. He wasn't focused on the bland food, but on the conversations drifting around him.
"...heard the sect patrols near the western ridge are offering five points now? But three disciples didn't come back last week..."
"...cleaning Elder Fei's Wind Spirit Beast pens again? Disgusting work, but someone said they found a half-eaten Spirit Condensing Fruit in the leftover feed..."
"...competition format is brutal. Single elimination. One loss and you're out..."
Snippets of information, fragments of gossip, threads of desperation and ambition woven into the fabric of daily life in the outer sect. Mo Liangye absorbed it all, filtering the noise, storing potentially useful data points. The patrol mission was dangerous but offered points. The beast pen cleaning was demeaning but held a sliver of a chance for a resource windfall. Single elimination meant no room for error in the competition.
He also visited the dilapidated Outer Sect Records Pavilion again. The sleepy disciple guarding it barely stirred as Mo Liangye entered. This time, he didn't spend points but browsed the sections accessible to all outer disciples – primarily basic beast and herb identification scrolls, and crude maps.
He focused on the maps again, particularly the oldest, most worn scroll depicting the Back Mountains. He traced the faded ink lines, comparing them to his memory of the terrain. His eyes caught the small, almost illegible annotation he'd noticed before: "Cold Mist Valley". Nearby, another faded note mentioned sightings of "Venomous Frost Spiders" in areas with "yin condensation".
He cross-referenced this with the beast scrolls. The entry for the Venomous Frost Spider confirmed its habitat in cold, damp areas, often deep within mountain valleys. It described the Tier 2 Peak creature's speed, its icy carapace, its deadly neurotoxin that caused paralysis and frostbite, and its primary weakness – a vulnerability to intense heat or fire. It also noted its venom sacs were highly valued by the sect's alchemists.
Cold Mist Valley. Frost Spiders. Valuable venom sacs. The pieces clicked together in Mo Liangye's mind. A dangerous location, a dangerous beast, but a potentially high reward. Was the legendary Frozen Moon Dew also rumored to grow in such yin-condensed places? The possibility lingered, a tantalizing prospect.
Driven by this thread, he made one more stop: the main mission board outside the Contribution Hall. His eyes scanned the numerous postings – requests for common herbs, patrols, manual labor... Then he saw it. A new notice, posted just that morning, written with urgent strokes.
URGENT MISSION: Frost Spider Venom Collection.
Objective: Collect minimum THREE intact venom sacs from Tier 2 Venomous Frost Spiders.
Reason: Urgently required for Elder Liu's alchemy research.
Location: Suspected habitat in deeper, colder regions of the Back Mountains (e.g., Cold Mist Valley).
Reward: 100 Contribution Points + 5 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Warning: Extreme Danger. Recommended for teams of peak Qi Refining disciples or those guided by Inner Disciples. Sect assumes no liability for injury or death.
Mo Liangye stared at the notice, his heart suddenly beating faster, a cold excitement gripping him. One hundred points and five spirit stones. An astronomical reward for an outer sect mission. Enough points to potentially trade for thirty spirit stones, plus five more directly. Thirty-five spirit stones in total.
"Enough," he thought, the calculation running instantly through his mind. "Enough to attempt the breakthrough to Late Stage Qi Refining. Enough to significantly nourish the God Seed's sprout. Enough to change everything before the competition."
But the risk… Tier 2 Peak spiders. In the notoriously treacherous Cold Mist Valley. Alone. It was practically a suicide mission. The warning wasn't an exaggeration.
Yet, the reward… And the location… It aligned perfectly with the faint rumors and map fragments. The mission provided the perfect cover, a legitimate reason to venture into such a dangerous area. If he could survive the spiders, perhaps he could also find the Frozen Moon Dew.
He weighed the odds. His current strength was peak Mid-stage Qi Refining. The Green Jade Salve was helping his wounds heal, but he wasn't fully recovered. The God Seed offered subtle resilience, but it wasn't a miracle cure or an impenetrable shield. Failure likely meant a gruesome death, becoming food for spiders or freezing in the mist.
But success? Success meant a chance. A real chance to contend in the competition, to seize more resources, to finally start climbing out of this pit.
There was no real choice. For someone like him, who started with nothing, risks like these were the only stepping stones available.
His decision made, Mo Liangye walked purposefully towards the mission acceptance counter inside the Contribution Hall. The same stout, bored deacon from before was on duty.
"I accept the Frost Spider venom collection mission," Mo Liangye stated, his voice calm and steady as he presented his disciple token.
The deacon looked up, recognized him, and then read the mission Mo Liangye pointed to. His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in disbelief and derision. "You? This mission? Alone?" He chuckled humorlessly. "Are you tired of living, boy? That's Cold Mist Valley we're talking about, filled with Tier 2 Peak venom-spitters."
"I understand the risks," Mo Liangye repeated, his expression unreadable.
The deacon stared at him for a long moment, perhaps searching for signs of insanity or hidden backing. Finding none, he just shrugged, a flicker of morbid curiosity in his eyes. "Your funeral. Don't come crying to the sect if a spider eats you." He brusquely recorded Mo Liangye's acceptance, stamped the mission slip, and handed him a small, specially treated leather pouch for storing the venom sacs along with a worn slip of parchment detailing the spider and safe extraction methods. "Don't puncture the sacs, idiot."
Mission accepted. Mo Liangye felt a surge of adrenaline mixed with icy calm. Now, preparation. He had almost no resources left. The Tier 2 core was absorbed. His points were spent on the salve. He had only the partially used Green Jade Salve, his dagger, basic rations, and his wits.
He couldn't afford more supplies. This meant relying entirely on skill, planning, and perhaps exploiting the environment itself.
He returned to his room, not to rest, but to prepare. He spent hours meticulously sharpening his dagger on a smooth stone until its edge gleamed wickedly. He studied the parchment describing the Frost Spider, memorizing its anatomy, its attack patterns, its mentioned weakness to heat – useless information for him, as he had no fire-based techniques or tools. He focused instead on potential weak spots in its carapace, the description of its venom's effects.
He examined the old map fragment again, trying to pinpoint the most likely entrance to the Cold Mist Valley and potential landmarks within, planning his route. He practiced basic trapping knots with the sturdy hemp rope he'd bought earlier, hoping he might be able to rig a simple snare or tripwire.
Every moment was spent planning, visualizing, preparing his mind for the lethal challenge ahead. He knew he was walking into the spider's lair vastly under-equipped, relying on little more than desperation and the hidden edge granted by his nascent Ancient God Path.
As dusk began to settle, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, Mo Liangye slipped out of his room one last time. He didn't look back. Clad in his worn robes, armed only with a cheap dagger and an iron will, he moved towards the deepening shadows of the Back Mountains, a lone figure embarking on a gamble where the stakes were everything. The Cold Mist Valley awaited.