The Misty Forest

Xilutaiya stepped forward alongside the others and drew a wooden tally. Following the number inscribed upon it, she boarded a carriage draped in black cloth to head toward her starting location. Today she wore a beige-gray robe cinched at the waist with a simple sash, outlining her slender figure. Beneath the folds of the robe, suspended at her hips, hung a lantern and two swords. The other students were dressed in diverse attire as well, each equipped with their own prepared weapons and creations. Under the assessment rules, while weapons and certain pieces of armor could be purchased or forged by others, all other combat-related consumables had to be crafted by one's own hands. Constrained by personal rank and family wealth, the vast majority had prepared weapons and equipment that did not exceed first-order; creations of higher tiers were currently difficult for the students to control and bring into full play anyway. "This is the place," the rider's voice called from outside the carriage as the drape was drawn back, allowing Xilutaiya to step down. The black-haired girl lifted the curtain, stepped down lightly from the carriage, and thanked the rider who had brought her. "Thank you." The rider glanced at her with slight surprise before spurring his horse away. "Stay safe after dark." Just as Xilutaiya thought he had ridden off, a shout drifted back from the direction he had taken, making her turn her head. "I will," she said, bowing once more in gratitude. Would it be very dangerous here at night? Xilutaiya looked up at the mist-shrouded mountains ahead, then stepped into the trees. *** The forest was quiet. Likely because rain had fallen recently, the fallen leaves covering the ground were damp, muffling her footsteps so they made scarcely a sound. Not long after setting out, Xilutaiya found a branch in the woods to probe the way ahead, using it to push aside the thick, sodden undergrowth. This mountain forest was vast, and the instructors had provided no clues regarding the Sweetwater Spring, leaving the students to find it on their own. The only detail she remembered was the instructor mentioning that the spring possessed a faint Mist Shadow attribute. After walking some distance, Xilutaiya halted and drew a small vial of potion from a pocket at the waist of her robe. This was the Emerald Pupil Potion she had brewed herself—and the only potion she currently knew how to make. Perhaps due to the connection between her Emerald Honey attribute and her Dew Prayer and Branch Trimming ability, brewing it had come easily without requiring much effort to learn. Letting a single drop fall into one eye, her light blue pupil—originally like a cornflower—gradually took on an emerald hue, and the world before her instantly turned bizarre and kaleidoscopic. Because Emerald Pupil Potion was designed specifically for observing flora, standing in the forest flooded her vision with the luminous spectra radiated by various plants. This overwhelming influx of information caused a faint ache in Xilutaiya's eyes. She had to close her eyes to let the strain ease before slowly reopening them. By then, her heterochromatic eyes—one blue, one emerald—swirled with luminous luster, lending the young girl an uncanny, mesmerizing charm in the depths of the forest. "Blue Torrent Grass... Blackwater Mushroom... Fiery Redcurrant Fruit... Perilla Moon Grass..." She murmured softly, taking inventory of the rare and unusual plants she spotted. Unfortunately, she found no trace of a spring bearing the Mist Shadow attribute. It probably isn't around here. The girl closed her eyes once more to rest them after the overexertion. As she did, the emerald green slowly faded, returning to a gentle, soft light blue. Time to keep moving. She replanned her route, intending to harvest the rare plants she had just discovered before making her way deeper into the mountains step by step. *** On another path, Kemiya carried a basket as she skipped cautiously through the dappled shade, glancing around. The bell at her waist chimed with a clear, crisp ring from time to time. "Did Miantuan come or not? If it managed to follow along, this assessment would be so much easier," Kemiya whispered to herself. Back when she learned the assessment location, she had pointed out the direction to that white Ti Wolf, telling it to go ahead and wait for her there. Still, she had no idea whether Miantuan had actually understood; it would be wonderful if it had. *** Suolin walked through the mountains holding a peculiar bronze pendant shaped like a rooster, its parts joined by a mechanism capable of spinning on its own. The Mist Shadow attribute... This Wind-Seeking Rooster from Dad should be able to detect it. But it could get thrown off by other things with the Mist Shadow attribute, so I need to hurry and check different spots several times. Having steeled his resolve, Suolin picked up his pace. *** The young noble Baron was also walking through the hills, carrying a small cage. Looking at the white songbird inside, he muttered intermittently: "If you catch the scent of a Mist Shadow spring, chirp a few times, understood?" This bird had cost his father a fortune, purchased from a specialist bird trainer to detect manifested attributes. Pity that he wasn't a practitioner skilled in bird training; otherwise, he could have simply released it to search on its own. *** The other students were similarly employing all kinds of strange methods to search. Those worst off simply trudged through the mountains on foot, relying purely on luck. Throughout the morning, everything proceeded normally. But past midday, as many students penetrated deeper into the forest, strange occurrences began to crop up. "Strange... this tree looks like it has a human face." Walking past a massive tree, a student felt his skin crawl at the sight of its twisted trunk and bark. "This one too..." Before long, he came upon another tree like it. Looking deeper into the woods, twisted branches seemed to be everywhere, some blackened and rotting, their leaves withered and falling. Around two in the afternoon, the first battle of the assessment broke out in the forest. "Grrr..." A black-and-red Ti Wolf wrinkled the fur over its snout, baring sharp fangs as its front paws scratched anxiously at the dirt. Before it stood an intensely nervous student. "Stay back! I know the Breathing Method—push me and one of us is going down!" Gripping his sword with both hands, the student stared fixedly at the Ti Wolf, babbling in disjointed bursts. He had participated in plenty of training in the past, but facing an enemy alone in the wild still left him timid and unnerved. The Ti Wolf had little patience, however. It lunged forward at blinding speed, darting straight for the student's legs. In a sudden panic, he swung his sword and struck empty air. Then pain flared in his left leg. Looking down, he saw the Ti Wolf clamping down on his trouser leg, its teeth sinking into his flesh. Spurred by agonizing pain and terror, he drove his sword furiously into the Ti Wolf, drawing a sharp spray of blood. "Aaaagh!" As if shouting to bolster his own courage, he thrust and slashed relentlessly at the Ti Wolf until it was dead beyond all doubt, only then slowly calming down. Fierce though a Ti Wolf was, for a student who had trained for months and mastered the second-stage Breathing Method, the sheer physical attributes on his status panel were enough to overpower it. He was simply too green, throwing himself into disarray at the very start. After this fight, the student grew far more mature and decisive, gaining a flicker of confidence. He bandaged his calf and continued pressing into the depths of the forest. *** Naturally, not all students were so inexperienced. In another corner of the forest, the blonde Iona advanced swiftly. Any beast or monster encountered along her path was cleanly cleaved by the twin swords in her hands, spilling blood onto the forest floor while she remained neat and immaculate, without a single drop on her. With a general for a father, Iona had accompanied adults on hunts from an early age and witnessed plenty of bloody clashes. Seasoned by experience, she was hardly timid or hesitant like ordinary girls. Although she did not know the precise direction of the spring, she was familiar with the assessment's patterns. Such a spring would inevitably be situated in the forest's depths rather than near the starting points, and distinctive beasts would certainly be prowling nearby as guardians. Therefore, all she needed to do was find where beasts gathered in large numbers within this region, and clues to the spring would present themselves. *** At the starting point closest to the main road, Mick pressed forward at a brisk pace along the trail marks, unease stirring in his heart. These were marks left behind by Brother Jieluo's adventuring party. Could they have entered this area as well? This was by no means a safe place. Many of their members had not even condensed a first-order attribute; against the powerful monsters placed here for the assessment, they would be in grave danger. Naturally, his thoughts turned to the giant boar they had run into while hunting earlier, deepening his anxiety. I have to move faster. I hope Brother Jieluo and the others are all right. Right—Brother Jieluo was stronger, braver, and far more experienced than he was. Nothing bad would happen to him. With that silent assurance, the boy plunged into the depths of the forest marked by the trail signs.