Under the moonlight.
Thousands of glowing fireflies dance around the silver moon’s reflection at the center of the lake, shimmering like stars in the night sky, creating a breathtaking, dreamlike scene.
This is one of the landmarks within the Starfire Mountains—the Moonlight Lake!
Reaching this place means one has already entered deep into the Starfire Mountains, where the danger increases, but so does the likelihood of encountering rare fantasy spirits.
By the lakeside, a simple camp has already been set up, with a campfire burning.
The aroma of delicious food spreads through the air. Dongfang Song and Dongfang Yunhe are devouring crab meat with great enthusiasm. Even Dongfang Hongyan, usually a graceful young lady, is now indulging in the feast without restraint.
They had arrived at the lakeside in the afternoon, but were immediately ordered by Dongfang Ao and Dongfang Yue to set up the camp.
The knowledge involved here is extensive—from the layout of the camp, to digging firebreaks, avoiding dangerous fantasy spirits, and repelling snakes and insects—it is extremely complicated.
Dongfang Ao is strict and impartial; any mistake means starting all over again.
Even Dongfang Yue, who is usually more lenient, wears a stern expression and scolds them constantly.
Dongfang Song and the others worked until it was completely dark before finally setting up a camp that barely met their standards.
In contrast, Wu Ming remains composed and completes every assigned task flawlessly, without needing any rework, making him the most relaxed among them.
“You should all learn from Dongfang Suoming! What I required of you today are all lessons you should have learned in class, yet none of you executed them properly. His solid foundation in this area is worthy of your serious reflection!”
Dongfang Ao raises his black wine gourd, takes a small sip, and then says.
Truly, he now holds this young man in high regard.
Internal family rivalry is one thing, but cultivating some elites to strengthen the family’s power is another matter entirely.
Influenced for years by the pack mentality, he still deeply cares for the family’s interests and wants to nurture Wu Ming as a promising new fighter.
“And also to inject fresh blood into the Punishment Hall!”
“Hehe… don’t rush, there’s more to come!”
Wu Ming holds a crab the size of a basin in his hand, pries open the hard shell, revealing the fragrant, rich crab roe inside. He sprinkles a bit of berry sauce over the crab meat, creating an exquisite combination.
This crab is a specialty of Moonlight Lake—the Yolk Claw Crab. Though merely a harmless fantasy spirit, its roe is rich and flavorful, and its large claws are packed with tender crab meat, making it a famous local delicacy in Stone City. Every year, major restaurants spend vast amounts of spirit coins to acquire it from outside sources.
“The lake water here is unique and cannot be consumed directly…”
Dongfang Yue releases the Drunken Breeze Willow and captures a peculiar spirit plant from the woods.
This spirit plant is colorful, with seven branches, each bearing plump fruits on broad, thick leaves shaped like cups.
“A wild spirit plant—the Seven-colored Linglong Tree?”
Wu Ming steps forward, plucks a translucent leaf, and squeezes the fruit into a cup, immediately filling it with sweet, delicious juice.
“Indeed, the taste is great… no wonder restaurants in the city specifically hire spirit plant apprentices to cultivate the Seven-colored Linglong Tree to attract customers…”
The fruit tree displays seven colors, with each differently colored fruit offering its own unique flavor, and combinations of colors produce infinite variations, creating an amazing array of tastes.
In Dongfang Suoming’s memory, famous chefs take pride in crafting different blends of Seven-colored Linglong juice, having already developed over ten thousand distinct flavors.
Wu Ming, intrigued, rolls up another crystal leaf and collects a layer from each fruit, instantly creating a rainbow-colored cocktail with indescribable deliciousness.
After feasting on the juice and devouring the crab, Dongfang Ao finally announces, “Rest here tonight. Starting tomorrow, you will each choose your own opponents for practical training around this camp, or gather materials, or explore and train on your own. Feel free to ask us if you have questions, but remember… you must go alone!”
Hearing this, Wu Ming’s heart leaps with joy: “Although the Starfire Mountains don’t produce Lotus Dew, there are plenty of Three-star Flowers and One-line Grass here. If I collect some now, I can produce a large quantity of beast feed pills when I return…”
After the campfire dies down, Dongfang Ao first inspects the surroundings, then plants a type of slightly curled grass around the camp.
“This is the Shy Grass. Its roots run deep underground, and at night, it will immediately alert us if it senses significant vibrations…”
Dongfang Yue explains carefully: “Combined with the Bladder Flower, which explodes and makes loud noises when stimulated, the safety of an ordinary camp should be sufficient…”
These are all extremely useful survival skills learned through experience, prompting Dongfang Song and the others to nod in understanding.
This kind of hands-on teaching naturally proves far more effective than rigid classroom education, though it is heavily elite-oriented and resource-intensive, making it difficult for even the Dongfang family to implement widely.
…
Several days later.
At the lakeside of Moonlight Lake, Wu Ming walks over a hillside with a sweet grass stem in his mouth.
This sweet grass stem is not only delicious but also refreshing and effective against miasma, a small trick Dongfang Yue taught him for wilderness travel.
He carries a large woven basket filled with abundant Three-star Flowers, though the One-line Grass is scarce.
“This area is rich in moisture, making it ideal for the growth of Three-star Flowers. However, One-line Grass prefers geothermal energy, and there is none nearby. I hope there will be some on the other side of the hill…”
Wu Ming climbs over mountains and silently contemplates.
During these days, Dongfang Yunhe and Dongfang Hongyan have been diligently training and seeking suitable opponents to level up, rapidly improving their strength. Even Dongfang Song has invested heavily, borrowing countless spirit coins to recover his Ironclaw Wolf’s injuries and now eagerly chasing after them.
Yet Wu Ming alone remains unhurried, leisurely gathering spirit flowers and herbs, showing no interest in advancing his Gray Wolf.
“At this point, the Gray Wolf is on the verge of evolution… Other combat experience is secondary; what matters most is the right opportunity…”
With his Observation Eye, Wu Ming’s understanding and control over his spirit is something other spirit tamers can’t even begin to match.
“Moreover, the immediate priority is to find suitable attribute-enhancing items for the Gray Wolf, refine them, and elevate its race rank… to escape the fate of being cannon fodder… Unfortunately… the legacy of Jia Kongming…”
In his memory, a legacy from Jia Kongming will soon open in a few months. It includes a “Spirit Compendium” that not only records the most comprehensive spirit data but also provides guidance on spirit refinement and racial evolution.
If he could obtain it, he wouldn’t have to grope in the dark like this.
“Alas, there’s no time for that now…”
Wu Ming sighs. The family’s internal competition is just around the corner, and to truly claim the legacy, one must at least be a Soldier-class spirit tamer. Even with his inherited memories, to ensure success, it would be best to reach General-class.
The Gray Wolf is merely a common breed, with a maximum potential of Soldier-class.
“Therefore… even if it means exhausting the Gray Wolf’s potential, I must advance quickly, pass the family’s competition first, then use resources to elevate it to Soldier-class. After that, I can choose a different race of spirit. Once I reach General-class, I can then pursue Jia Kongming’s legacy. This way, I can meet all my basic needs before reaching Lord-class…”
Wu Ming climbs over the hill and suddenly his eyes light up.
One-line Grass! A full half-hillside of it, growing luxuriantly and abundantly, like a rice field ready for harvest.
Yet he suppresses his excitement and observes carefully: “So much One-line Grass untouched by herbivorous spirits must mean there’s a guardian present!”
Wu Ming crouches behind a large boulder and waits silently.
After several hours, a dark shadow darts from afar, revealing the figure of a large-antlered deer.
This large-antlered deer is clearly a juvenile, but it is quite alert. Its lively eyes are drawn to the field of One-line Grass, and after hesitating at the edge for a while, it finally gives in to temptation and rushes into the grass, greedily devouring the purple, pearl-like seeds.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the grass rustles!
The earth splits open, and a long-hidden shadow lunges forth with thunderous force, its sharp fangs sinking into the deer’s neck.
Spurt! Blood splatters!
The large-antlered deer struggles, convulses twice, and quickly loses all vitality, its eyes dimming as it lies motionless.
“Using this grass field as bait to hunt prey? Quite clever indeed!”
Wu Ming’s eyes gleam as he sees the shadow in full view.
The creature is earth-brown all over, with large, white, sharp fangs, thick and sturdy front claws, and yellowish-brown armor on its shoulders. Its body shape resembles that of the Gray Wolf but flows with fluid lines.
“Drill Mountain Hound?!”
Wu Ming immediately recognizes it, murmuring to himself as data about the Drill Mountain Hound surfaces in his mind:
[Drill Mountain Hound (Living Realm)]
[Racial Rank: Elite (Orange)]
[Racial Bonus: +1]
[Attribute: Earth]
[Stage: Juvenile Mid-tier]
[Abilities: Burrowing, Earth Spikes]
[Enhancements: Intermediate Claws, Basic Hide Defense, Basic Ability Penetration]
[Condition: Healthy]
…
“Both are mid-tier, this could be a bit of a problem!”
Although at the same tier, the Drill Mountain Hound is an Elite species, equivalent to a High-tier Gray Wolf.
Moreover, with its attribute and ability enhancements, even a Juvenile High-tier Gray Wolf might struggle to gain the upper hand. And if it can’t win, given the Drill Mountain Hound’s demonstrated cunning, it would likely burrow underground to escape and then ambush again, causing endless headaches.
“Damn it, the wolf can’t even beat the dog. This Gray Wolf is too weak…”
Wu Ming feels rather speechless.
Canines are also a significant branch in the Living Realm, with the most famous being the multi-headed breeds.
These spirits, in their common form, are merely the most ordinary mangy dogs, not even wanted if given away for free. But among ten thousand mangy dogs, there is a slight chance of racial mutation, producing an Elite-level Spirit Flame Two-headed Dog.
And if a Spirit Tamer is willing to invest heavily, feeding the Spirit Flame Two-headed Dog Nether Crystals and Forked Fruits daily, there is a 1% chance it could evolve into the renowned Outstanding-level Hell Three-headed Dog!
This is the most common example of racial mutation, and it was precisely the emergence of the Hell Three-headed Dog that made spirit tamers realize that racial ranks are not fixed; with enough investment, there is still hope for improvement!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage