Deeper into the Blackwind Forest, the mist grew thicker. The branches of towering ancient trees twisted and tangled, blocking out the sky, allowing only scattered flecks of sunlight to filter through. Alongside the stench of demonic beasts, the air carried a faint, fresh fragrance of grass and wood — the breath of growing spirit herbs, the very thing Lin Yan urgently sought.
After slaying the Blackwind Wolf, Lin Yan rested in place for roughly an hour. Most of his spiritual energy had recovered, and the pain in his arm had gradually eased under the nourishment of his Chaos spiritual energy. He took out the Blackwind Wolf's demonic core and held it in his palm, clearly sensing the dense spiritual energy within.
Following the methods of the Chaos Art, he calmed his mind and slowly guided the energy from the core into his body. The spiritual energy in his Dantian became full once more, and his cultivation at the Late-stage of Qi Condensation grew even more stable.
"The Chaos Art is truly domineering," Lin Yan marveled inwardly. "Not only is its cultivation speed far greater than ordinary techniques, but its efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy is also several times stronger than the Art of Drawing Qi."
Yet his current cultivation was only late-stage Qi Condensation, and the subsequent chapters of the Chaos Art remained blurry. To unlock more of its methods, he would need to raise his cultivation continuously — and likely rely on more cultivation resources.
Though dangerous, the Blackwind Forest was rich in spirit herbs and demonic cores, making it excellent for low-rank cultivators to temper themselves — albeit too perilous for ordinary cultivators to venture deep into. Now homeless, with the Lin Clan's hunters never far behind, Lin Yan decided to stay in the forest for a few more days. He would cultivate to grow stronger, search for spirit herbs and opportunities, and evade the Lin Clan's pursuit all at once.
Following rumors he had accidentally heard before, he headed toward Spirit Grass Valley deep in the forest. It was said to be brimming with spiritual energy, home to many low-rank spirit herbs and even rare mid-rank ones. But the valley was teeming with demonic beasts, and cultivators fought over the herbs constantly, making it extremely dangerous.
Lin Yan had no choice. He needed spirit herbs to aid his cultivation, and to try unlocking more of the Chaos Art.
Deeper he went, and demonic beasts grew more numerous and powerful: mid-stage Qi Condensation Green-Patterned Snakes, late-stage Qi Condensation Ironback Bears, and many packs of low-rank beasts. Relying on the might of his Chaos spiritual energy and the agility of the Chaos Art, Lin Yan carefully avoided beasts far stronger than him. Those equal or weaker he slew outright — honing his combat skills and collecting demonic cores, killing two birds with one stone.
Before he knew it, Lin Yan had ventured over a hundred miles into the Blackwind Forest. The surrounding mist thinned, and a stretch of open land came into view ahead. The fragrance of grass and wood grew stronger — Spirit Grass Valley was clearly near. His heart lifted, and he picked up his pace, stepping cautiously toward the open area.
Emerging from the trees, a lush green valley unfolded before him. Small though it was, the valley was covered in all kinds of spirit herbs. Some had emerald leaves, glowing with a faint aura of spiritual energy; others bore bright, translucent fruits brimming with power; a few resembled lingzhi mushrooms, glowing red all over — clearly no ordinary herbs. This was Spirit Grass Valley, and it lived up to its reputation.
Lin Yan crouched low and entered quietly, fearing he might alert any beasts or other cultivators. Scanning the valley, he soon spotted several desirable herbs: three Condensation Qi Grasses and one Green-Patterned Lingzhi.
Condensation Qi Grass was a low-rank spirit herb that helped Qi Condensation cultivators stabilize their cultivation and speed up spiritual energy circulation. Green-Patterned Lingzhi, a mid-rank herb, could rapidly replenish spiritual energy, nourish meridians, and greatly assist in breaking through realms.
Just as Lin Yan prepared to pick the Condensation Qi Grasses, faint sounds of fighting came from the other side of the valley — a girl's sharp cry mixed with the roar of a demonic beast. His heart tightened, and he ducked behind a large tree to peek.
On the other side of the valley, a young girl in a light green dress was battling a nimble demonic beast. Around fifteen or sixteen, she had a delicate, beautiful face with a cold, composed air. A faint aura of the Late-stage of Qi Condensation swirled around her, and she held a slender jade sword, her moves elegant yet sharp.
The beast she fought resembled a fox, with snow-white fur, ice-blue eyes, and nine trailing tails. A Peak of Qi Condensation aura radiated from it — the rare Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox of the Blackwind Forest.
Extremely fast and skilled in ice-element spells, the fox had gradually gained the upper hand. The girl already bore several wounds, her dress torn, her breathing unsteady.
"Beast, cease this at once!" the girl shouted crisply. She swung her jade sword, sending a pale green stream of spiritual energy slicing toward the fox.
The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox darted aside easily, then raised a paw and launched a bolt of ice-blue spiritual energy at her.
The girl's face paled. She tried to dodge but was too late, forcing her to raise her arm and block. A dull thud echoed as the ice energy struck her arm. She grunted and stumbled back, a thin layer of ice instantly forming on her limb, her face growing pale.
Savagery flashed in the fox's eyes. It lunged forward, its sharp claws aimed straight at her chest, clearly intending to kill her in one strike. Despair crossed the girl's face, and she closed her eyes, waiting for death.
"Stop!"
A loud shout rang out. Lin Yan burst from behind the tree like a released arrow. Chaos spiritual energy surged within him, gathering in his right palm. A black stream of energy slammed toward the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox.
Sensing the attack from behind, the fox spun and raised a paw to block. The black energy collided with its claw, sending a domineering jolt through its body. The fox let out a miserable shriek and stumbled back three steps, fear flashing in its eyes — intimidated by the sheer power of the Chaos energy.
Lin Yan stood firmly before the girl, staring coldly at the fox. His late-stage Qi Condensation aura erupted without restraint, amplified by the tyranny of his Chaos energy, deterring the fox from advancing.
The girl slowly opened her eyes. Surprise and gratitude flickered in her gaze as she looked at the young man shielding her. He wore faded, coarse cloth clothes, his body marked with wounds, yet his face was handsome and his gaze unyielding. Though his cultivation was late-stage Qi Condensation, his spiritual energy was far more domineering and pure than that of ordinary cultivators at the same level.
"Thank you for saving me, young sir," she bowed slightly, her voice cold yet sincere. "I am Su Qingyao, a disciple of the Su Clan of Qingyang City. I came to Spirit Grass Valley to gather herbs and encountered this Nine-Tailed Spirit Wolf by chance. Without your help, I would have lost my life."
Lin Yan nodded slightly, his eyes still fixed on the fox. "It was nothing. This Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox is at the Peak of Qi Condensation — you are no match for it. Leave here quickly."
Su Qingyao nodded but did not turn away. Gripping her jade sword, she stood beside Lin Yan and said softly: "You are skilled, sir, but this fox is extremely fast and excels at ice magic. Facing it alone could be dangerous. I wish to fight alongside you."
Lin Yan's heart stirred, and he glanced at her. He could sense that while her spiritual energy was not as domineering as his, it was pure, and her swordsmanship agile. With her help, the fight would be much easier.
Furthermore, Su Qingyao was a disciple of the Su Clan, a prominent family in Qingyang City. From her, he might learn something about his parents' deaths, as well as more about the cultivation world of Qingyang City.
"Very well," Lin Yan agreed calmly. "You distract it with your speed. I will be the main attacker."
"Alright!"
Su Qingyao channeled her spiritual energy and swung her jade sword, sending a pale green energy stream toward the fox. The fox roared, dodged, and fired a bolt of ice energy back at her.
Su Qingyao nimbly evaded, her sword dancing in continuous strikes, weaving streams of energy that held the fox in place and slowed it down.
Lin Yan's gaze hardened. He unleashed all his Chaos spiritual energy, forming a sword of energy in his right palm using the Chaos Art. He darted forward, stabbing the energy sword toward the fox's chest with a powerful gust of wind.
Trapped by Su Qingyao, the fox could not dodge in time and could only raise its paw to block. The energy sword pierced its claw, and black Chaos energy flooded into its body, rampaging through its meridians.
The fox screamed in agony, its body convulsing violently. Savagery faded from its eyes, replaced by despair.
Lin Yan pressed forward, thrusting the energy sword deep into the fox's chest. With one final cry, the beast collapsed to the ground, dead.
Lin Yan slowly dissipated the energy sword and let out a long breath. Much of his spiritual energy had been consumed. He walked to the corpse and retrieved its demonic core: ice-blue, round as a sapphire, brimming with dense ice-element spiritual energy — far purer than the Blackwind Wolf's core, a precious cultivation resource.
Su Qingyao approached, relief washing over her as she looked at the corpse. Her gratitude deepened. "Thank you again, sir. I would surely have died here without you. May I ask your name, so I may repay this life debt in the future?"
Lin Yan put away the core and turned to her. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke truthfully: "My name is Lin Yan."
He did not mention being a collateral member of the Lin Clan, nor that he was being hunted by them. In his dangerous situation, the less said, the better.
Su Qingyao nodded, committing the name to memory. "Young Master Lin, Spirit Grass Valley is far too dangerous. There are powerful demonic beasts and many cultivators fighting over herbs. We should travel together for safety. Besides, I know of a place deeper in the valley where a Millennium Spirit Ginseng grows. If we obtain it, it will greatly help us break through to the Foundation Establishment realm."
Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat.
Millennium Spirit Ginseng was a high-rank spirit herb, containing extremely dense spiritual energy. It could rapidly raise his cultivation, nourish his Primal Chaos Spirit Vein, unlock more of the Chaos Art, and even help him break through to Foundation Establishment.
And alone in the depths of the forest, he faced great danger. Traveling with Su Qingyao would mean an extra layer of security.
"Alright," Lin Yan agreed. "Let us first gather some spirit herbs to replenish our energy, then head to the location you mentioned."
Su Qingyao nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face — the first time Lin Yan had seen her smile. Her cold features softened instantly, like ice melting into water, breathtaking to behold.
The two split the work. Su Qingyao was skilled at identifying spirit herbs and took charge of gathering them, while Lin Yan stood guard against sudden attacks from beasts or other cultivators. Before long, they had collected plenty of herbs: Condensation Qi Grass, Green-Patterned Lingzhi, Purple River Grass, and other valuable low and mid-rank spirit herbs.
After gathering the herbs, they found a hidden cave to rest. Su Qingyao handed several stalks of Condensation Qi Grass to Lin Yan. "Young Master Lin, take these. They will help you recover your spiritual energy and stabilize your cultivation."
Lin Yan accepted them with a nod and a quiet "Thank you." Without hesitation, he calmed his mind and circulated the Chaos Art, absorbing the energy from the herbs to replenish what he had spent.
Su Qingyao also cultivated nearby. In the quiet cave, their auras steadied as spiritual energy gently flowed around them.
As he absorbed the herbs' energy, Lin Yan thought to himself. Su Qingyao was from the Su Clan, a prominent family alongside the Lin Clan in Qingyang City. She might know something about the secret realm expedition where his parents had died.
The secrets of the mysterious black jade pendant and the Chaos Art still weighed heavily on his mind.
He did not know how meeting Su Qingyao would change his path of escape, nor whether greater opportunities or dangers lurked behind the Millennium Spirit Ginseng. But he knew his road of defying fate remained full of hardships. Only by growing constantly stronger could he uncover the truth, avenge his wrongs, and live his own life.
After resting for a while, both had fully recovered their spiritual energy. Lin Yan stood and looked at Su Qingyao, his voice calm. "Let's go. To find the Millennium Spirit Ginseng."
Su Qingyao nodded, gripped her jade sword, and walked out of the cave with Lin Yan, heading deeper into Spirit Grass Valley.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the two of them, stretching their slender figures. In the treacherous Blackwind Forest, they stepped forward toward the unknown opportunities that lay ahead.