The first day of the journey was uneventful. By nightfall they reached their first pit stop right outside the forest.
The orange hue of the dusk sky painted the tired faces of the crew. Crule and Ming were well rested but the other three had a very bumpy first day. Turf was also tired from driving the entire time.
Turf applied the brakes to the wagon and jumped off. He looked in the back at the goods, checking for any damages. After a while, he took a relieved sigh.
[Turf]: Looks like the goods this time are packaged well…Last time it ended in disaster.He shuttered thinking about his last shipment and a drip of tear fell out of the corner of his eye as he remembered the sheer amount of money he lost out on.
The three other adventurers were setting up tents. The nearby river provided a decent supply of fresh water although one has to watch out for waterborne monsters.
Crule gathered firewood and Ming lit the campfire.
Soon they were ready for dinner just as the tip of the twin suns dipped below the horizon. The darkness of the wilderness was mitigated by the faint lamp hanging from the wagon and the campfire besides it.
The dim flickering orange light shined on the tired adventurer’s face. Their meal consisted of a harder stale bread with a warm vegetable soup. Meat was very limited due to the lack of hunt today but they had some dried preserves they added to the soup.
It was soul warming, having such a good soup that Crule cooked. Turf was amazed at his cooking and wanted thirds. The other three adventurer seemed like the outgoing shameless types and asked for more too. Crule only smiled and kept on pour out bowls by bowls. Ming watched with a gleeful satisfaction.
The night went on with minimal chatter. Crule took this chance to cultivate. He sat on top the wagon keeping watch for the night. With one eye open, he circulated his energy into his newly established eighth gate.
Compared to his other seven gates, the eighth one looked far more regal. The other gates looked like they were made from black obsidian. This new one was significantly bigger and was made from a white gold. When Crule circulated his energy through it, he could feel it filling every nook and cranny of the gate. The veins on the front of the door flowed with energy and reached the center. A click sound was heard and the gate was opened. The sheer mount of flowing energy that followed nearly knocked Crule off the wagon. It was just a huge amount, but he wasn’t that shocked. His capacity was huge, the eighth gate just allow him to access a fourth of his energy all at once.
A fourth of Crule’s energy is an insane amount of energy. If he were to expose it to the outside, it would create ripples in space. The energy refreshed every tired cell within Crule’s body. He felt like he got a wonderful night’s rest.
Anticipating the wonders of the ninth’s gate, Crule opened his other eye and went back on watch duty. He still constantly circulated his energy through the eighth gate. The energy was becoming more pure each time it circulate through. The energy Crule absorbed over the years were polluted by the atmosphere of Noxia and the moons he stayed on.
Polluted by what you say? Cosmic energies of different variety. With the conservation of energy, things that seem to dissipate into nothingness usually just become the invisible energy. These invisible energy can be changed according to one’s will based on their attribute.
Crule right now have a huge mixing pot of various energies, whether it’s the fiery heat energy from the moon Wrath, or the cold energy from Mt. Tai, they all exist in his giant pool of energy.
When he let the energy make it way through the eighth gate, it slowly becomes more and more pure.
Pure energy is the best kind of energy because they can be converted into the user’s attribute to allow stronger usage. After Crule purify the excess energy, he can turn it all into famine energy.
The entire night passed in a flash as Crule was focused on cultivating.
The next morning, everyone else woke up to the smell of coffee. Crule was brewing up a pot of it. The aromatic roasted beans perked up everyone’s morning. The fatigue from yesterday’s journey cleared up immediately.
[Turf]: We will delve into the Division forest today. I expect we will start seeing monsters. [Crule]: Don’t worry about it. We aren’t bronze adventurers for nothing.The other three adventurers was slightly shocked.
[Dante]: You two are bronze adventurers? [Shallot]: Wow, they are the same rank as you mistress! [Gumb]: Hmm. [Dante]: Hahahaha, good, good, I want to spar with you sometime! It’s hard to find people around my rank! [Crule]: Gladly. [Ming]: Anytime.The two are as bloodthirsty as ever. Never shying from a fight after gaining insight was sadly one downside for cultivators. Sometimes it leads to injury and death, but that’s the way it goes.
[Dante]: *smiles* Good! [Turf]: *cough* Fight on your own time, we got a journey to finish.The wagon slowly crept into the woods. The giant trees loom along the edges of the makeshift roads the pioneers paved. Shrubs grew rampant on the road due to the lack of trees allowing sunlight in but the wagon crushed them with ease as it moved along steadily.
However, this doesn’t mean the ride was anymore smooth than yesterday. It was far bumpier and Shallot and Gumb began to look green.
[Shallot]: Uhg. I don’t feel so good. [Gump]: Mhm. [Dante]: Stop being so whiny, it’s just motion sickness!Crule and Ming didn’t feel any sympathy for the two but Turf did. The wagon sped up a bit to reduce the bumpiness but the fuel supply was being burned at a faster rate.
[Turf]: We may need to stop early to resupply on charcoal. [Crule]: We might as well take a lunch break and restock on our water. [Dante]: Agreed.The wagon slowed down to a crawl and stopped by the side of the road. The sound of running water could be heard nearby.
Everyone left to gather wood to be turned to charcoal while Gumb and Turf watched over the wagon.
Crule and Ming dashed through the trees like a pair of shadows. Soon, they reached the source of the sound of flowing water. It was a small river that flowed slowly through the dense forest like a swamp. The water had already become green from all the algae. Crule looked at the water and sighed.
[Crule]: Looks like we need to filter it.Ming nodded. Since Crule’s energy cannot become completely solid, Ming created a fine mesh using her blood. It was solidify to the point where it does not contaminate the water. Crule put a bucket under the mesh and poured the green water through it. Soon the bucket was filled with clear fresh water.
To be able to make such a fine mesh shows how skilled Ming was at controlling her energy.
Pouring the bucket of fresh water into the large container, Crule and Ming started to head back to the wagon.
Suddenly, a low growl could be heard. Crule and Ming stopped suddenly and hid in the shadows.
From behind a large tree, a single creature walked out. It looked like a large bronze lizard and its scales blended with the color of the bark on the trees.
Crule silently pointed at the lizard and nodded to Ming. Ming nodded back and they both attacked the lizard. Although the lizard could not stand a chance against either Ming or Crule, since the two wanted to remain silent and hidden, they both attacked at the same time. The lizard was bisected immediately with very little blood. Ming collected the blood form the corpse and Crule stored it.
They started making their way back to the wagon again, but another sound made them worry. A louder growl came from where the wagon was and it seems there was more than one.
[Crule]: Let’s hope they are still OK. [Ming]: Mhm, we need witnesses to our greatness!They two quickly rushed back.
