The next two days passed quietly within the crevice.
Every morning, I plucked a Stone Vein Herb from the small patch growing inside, slowly chewing its bitter leaves while circulating Beast Qi according to the Qi Veil Skill.The medicinal energy gradually eased the pain in my abdomen while slowly healing the internal injuries caused by crashing into the cliff.
Although the recovery wasn't complete, it was enough.
I flexed my limbs before extending my neck from my shell. The lingering ache had almost disappeared, and the flow of Beast Qi had become much smoother than before. More importantly, I could finally move without feeling as though my insides would split apart.
It had already been ten days since I entered this crevice. During that time, I had only managed to collect three Beast Cores. Considering everything that had happened, surviving was already fortunate enough.
Shaking my head, I harvested several mature Stone Vein Herbs and stored them inside the storage pouch, leaving the younger ones behind to continue growing. Once everything was ready, I turned toward the unexplored depths of the crevice.
The further I ventured, the narrower the passage became. The rough stone walls were damp, with patches of dark green moss spreading across the cracks as they quietly absorbed the surrounding Earth Qi. As my eyes fell on the moss, a familiar panel appeared before me.
Stone Moss
Grade: Low Mortal Herb
Description: A common low-grade herb that grows in mountains.
It was just an ordinary herb.
After giving it one last glance, I continued deeper into the crevice, keeping Earth Sense active as always. The surrounding terrain gradually formed within my perception through the ground beneath me, allowing me to detect any movement hidden beyond my sight.
A few minutes later, a faint Qi fluctuation entered my Earth Sense.
My steps came to an abrupt halt.
It was roughly a hundred meters away.
A beast?
I narrowed my eyes.
Earth Sense could only detect Beast Qi. Whether the owner was stronger or weaker than me... I had no way of knowing.
Remaining motionless, I silently observed the Qi fluctuation.
A few breaths later, my expression changed as the distance between us rapidly shrank.
It was heading straight toward me.
Why?
I had already concealed my Beast Qi before leaving the crevice. How did it know I was here?
Before I could think any further, the remaining distance rapidly closed.
Without hesitation, I withdrew my head and limbs into my shell, concealing my presence as much as possible while waiting for whatever was approaching.
The Qi fluctuation continued to close in.
Fifty meters.
Thirty.
Ten.
In the next instant, a powerful gust swept through the narrow passage.
Through the small gap between my shell and the ground, I caught sight of nothing more than a long purple blur flashing past. It moved so quickly that I couldn't make out its appearance before it had already rushed ahead, disappearing deeper into the tunnel.
"..."
What was that?
I remained inside my shell, not daring to move. Even after the Qi fluctuation gradually grew farther away, I continued waiting for several more breaths.
Only after I could no longer sense its Qi fluctuation did I slowly extend my head.
The passage ahead fell silent once again. I looked in the direction the beast had disappeared before turning toward the tunnel it had come from.
Since I was already exploring the mountain, there was no reason to head toward the direction where that beast had gone. The path it had come from seemed like the better choice.
Besides...
With Earth Sense active, I should be able to detect any nearby beasts before they got too close.
After making up my mind, I cautiously stepped into the passage the mysterious beast had emerged from, carefully observing my surroundings as I moved deeper into the mountain.
The tunnel stretched on for quite some distance. The further I walked, the richer the surrounding Earth Qi became. Before long, more glowing minerals began appearing along the stone walls. Compared to the ones I had seen earlier, these contained noticeably denser Earth Qi.
As my eyes landed on the glowing ore, a familiar panel appeared before me.
Mountain Ore
Grade: Low Mortal Material
Description: A common ore found in mountains that contains traces of Earth Qi.
My gaze shifted toward the patches of moss growing between the cracks. They looked similar to the Stone Moss near the entrance, but the Earth Qi lingering around them was noticeably richer.
As I looked at the moss growing between the cracks, a familiar panel appeared before my eyes.
Earth Qi Moss
Grade: Low Mortal Herb
Description: A common low-grade herb with Earth Qi attributes that grows in places rich in Earth Qi.
The Earth Qi continued growing denser. It seemed the source wasn't much farther ahead.
A few minutes later, another Qi fluctuation entered my Earth Sense, causing my footsteps to come to an abrupt halt. This one was much stronger than the beast from earlier, yet it hadn't moved since I sensed it.
Was it sleeping?
Or had something happened to it?
I quietly stared ahead for a few moments. Should I leave?
If it woke up, I could simply retreat. But if it was another fast beast like the one from earlier, escaping might not even be an option. After hesitating for a moment, my curiosity got the better of me. Keeping Earth Sense locked onto the motionless Qi fluctuation, I slowly continued forward, making sure every step was as light as possible.
The surrounding Earth Qi grew denser with every step.
I couldn't see it with my eyes, yet I could clearly feel the difference. Compared to the outside of the mountain and the tunnels I had passed through, the Earth Qi here felt much heavier.
The tunnel gradually widened until it opened into a natural cavern. At its center rested a shallow spring no larger than a small pond, releasing strands of yellow-brown Earth Qi that quietly spread throughout the cavern.
The moment my eyes landed on the spring, a familiar panel appeared before me.
Low Earth Vein Spring
Grade: Low Natural Treasure
Description: A naturally formed Earth Vein Spring containing impure Earth Qi that continuously nourishes its surroundings.
No wonder the Earth Qi had grown richer the deeper I ventured.
Looking around the cavern, my gaze suddenly stopped on a massive beast sleeping beside the Earth Vein Spring. Its stone-gray body blended almost perfectly with the surrounding rocks.
The moment my eyes landed on it, a familiar panel appeared before me.
Mountain Stone Centipede
Attribute: Earth
Realm: Early Spirit Beast Realm
Slowly backing away one step at a time, I never took my eyes off the sleeping beast. Every movement was as light as possible, afraid that even the slightest sound would wake it.
Barely a few dozen meters later, another Qi fluctuation entered my Earth Sense. It wasn't coming from behind.
Barely a few dozen meters later, another Qi fluctuation entered my Earth Sense.
It was rushing toward me from the front.
Fast...
The same beast that had rushed past me earlier.
It's coming back...
Damn it. Of all the times.
My gaze swept across the tunnel, but there wasn't a single place to hide. The nearest bend was still too far away. At its speed, it would reach me before I even got close.
Without another choice, I immediately withdrew into my shell.
Hopefully...
It would mistake me for a stone.
Silence.
The vibration beneath me grew stronger with every passing breath.
Closer...
Closer...
Then—
Bang!
A violent impact slammed into my shell, shaking my entire body. A dull pain spread through my limbs as Black Carapace Guard instinctively activated, sending the charging beast flying backward.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
A childish voice echoed through the tunnel.
My heart skipped a beat.
It could talk?
Before I could recover from the surprise—
Bang!
Another violent impact slammed into my shell. This charge was even stronger than the first, pushing my shell several inches across the rocky ground. At the same time, the familiar rebounding force erupted from my shell, sending the charging beast flying backward.
Crash!
It slammed heavily into the tunnel wall before sliding to the ground.
Even though the rebounding force had protected me, the impact still rattled my entire body, leaving a dull ache beneath my shell.
"Ack! Why is this thing so hard?"
Muttering to itself, the beast slowly climbed back to its feet and stared at me in confusion.
Now that I could finally see it clearly, it looked remarkably similar to the massive beast sleeping beside the Earth Vein Spring, only much smaller.
It wasn't attacking anymore...
Was it actually fooled?
"You weren't here before..."
It cautiously circled around my shell once.
"...No..."
It circled again.
"I'm sure you weren't here..."
It finally stopped in front of my shell before lowering its head until it was only a short distance away.
"...What are you?"
I remained perfectly still, hoping it would continue believing I was nothing more than an unusual stone.