At best, he had fought off scrawny, basement-dwelling rats in the storerooms of Ming Manyu’s rice shop—hardly a worthy training ground for facing venomous spiritual serpents. He was a cultivator, yes, but an untested one.
"I shouldn't go in unprepared," he reasoned, his strategic mind overriding his initial burst of ambition.
"Why waste precious time and risk my life discovering the viper's weaknesses when that knowledge already exists within the sect?"
He turned on his heel, his new destination clear: the Jaded Knowledge Library.
This library was the quieter, more scholarly sibling to the bustling Library of Techniques. It held no scrolls promising earth-shattering power, but rather the accumulated wisdom of the sect: detailed bestiaries, chronicles of its long history, and whispered legends of its Grand Ancestor, a figure rumored to have ascended beyond even the Golden Core Realm.
As Bi Kan stepped across the threshold, the air changed, becoming thick with the smell of old bamboo, dried ink, and a hushed reverence for the past. Dust motes danced in the slanted sunbeams, illuminating rows of neatly stacked scrolls and leather-bound tomes.
A Core Disciple, diligently polishing a jade reading slip, looked up as he entered. His aura was calm and deep, a stark contrast to the arrogant swagger of the Direct Disciples Bi Kan had encountered. He offered a warm, welcoming smile.
"Senior Brother Wei Zing greets Junior Brother!"
Bi Kan quickly cupped his fists. "Junior Brother greets Senior Brother!"
Wei Zing’s eyes crinkled with good humor. "It appears this is your first time gracing our humble sanctuary, Junior Brother. I wager you've been drawn, like a moth to a flame, to the much more famous Library of Techniques!"
He shook his head, but there was no condescension in the gesture.
"But no matter! The fact that you have come here now proves your wisdom. Most only seek to strengthen their fists, forgetting that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon of all. This is the first step on the path to true enlightenment!"
It was clear this Senior Brother was a fanatic for his work. "S-senior Brother flatters me," Bi Kan stammered, slightly overwhelmed by the fervent praise.
"I have only come for a specific book."
"Oh?" Wei Zing’s interest was piqued. "This humble one knows every scroll and shadow within these walls. If Junior Brother were to name his query, I am certain I could point the way!"
Bi Kan nodded, a wave of relief washing over him. "Many thanks! I am looking for a bestiary containing information on the Jade-Eyed Viper."
"Hm, an excellent and specific request!" Wei Zing mused, his scholarly enthusiasm rekindled.
"They would be in the serpent volumes, of course, but I wouldn't want Junior Brother to waste his time skimming through countless pages of irrelevant lore!"
He strode confidently down an aisle and, without a moment's hesitation, pulled a thick, dark green book from a shelf. "This! 'A Comprehensive Bestiary of the Spirit-Wood Grove.' It contains detailed entries on every creature and beast that lurks within its borders.
I assume Brother has a mission there?" He handed the book to Bi Kan with a knowing smile. "Be sure to read it thoroughly. Gain information on other creatures as well. On the path of cultivation, there is no such thing as being too safe!"
"This Junior thanks his Senior for his invaluable guidance!"
Bi Kan bowed deeply and made his way to a reading table. As he sat, he reflected that for every arrogant Yao Zhen or cruel Li Ren who let power rot their character, there were good people like Wei Zing who balanced the scales.
Still, a grim certainty settled in his heart; in a place like this, the sinister would always outnumber the sincere.
He opened the heavy tome, the crisp pages whispering as he turned them. He found the entry on the Jade-Eyed Viper, his fingers tracing the elegant, yet menacing, illustration. He read with absolute focus, absorbing every detail:
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Venom: A potent neurotoxin. Not instantly lethal, but a fast-acting paralytic agent that freezes a cultivator's Qi flow within moments of a bite. Victims are rendered helpless, conscious but unable to move or circulate energy.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
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Strengths: Incredible speed over short distances. Their jade-green scales provide near-perfect camouflage amidst the grove's foliage. They often hunt in packs of three to five.
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Weakness: As a cold-blooded spiritual beast, they possess a severe aversion to sudden drops in temperature. Their reaction time slows dramatically when exposed to frost or ice-attribute Qi.
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Nests: A nest of this size implies the presence of a Viper Queen—larger, faster, and far more venomous than the others. Her venom sac is the most potent and thus the most valuable.
Then, at the bottom of the page, a small, handwritten annotation caught his eye, added by a previous reader.
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Note: Where the Queen nests, one can often find a single, rare herb: the Venom-Quenched Frostpetal. It thrives on the residual venomous Qi in the soil, transmuting it into a unique, chilling essence. It is a key ingredient for high-grade Body Tempering pills.
Bi Kan’s heart gave a powerful thud. This was more than just a mission now. It was an opportunity. A chance to not only earn his contribution points but to acquire an ingredient that could propel his alchemy—and his cultivation—to an entirely new level. He closed the book, his mind already formulating a plan. He was no longer just a disciple on a task. He was a hunter, armed with knowledge, heading into enemy territory with his eyes wide open.
Bi Kan blinked, the dusty scent of the library rushing back into his awareness. He glanced at the water clock near the entrance; three hours had evaporated like morning mist. He finally understood the allure, the seductive pull of the unknown.
A cultivator could spend a lifetime lost in these scrolls, chasing whispers of ancient power, and never once raise a fist. It was a different kind of cultivation, a path of the mind, and he now respected its dangerous, intoxicating appeal.
With a final, grateful bow towards the still-diligently-working Senior Brother Wei Zing, Bi Kan took his leave, the weight of newfound knowledge both a comfort and a burden.
He couldn't afford to be just a scholar. The mission required a more practical approach. "A lunge," he muttered to himself as he sorted through the meager equipment available for purchase with his few remaining spirit stones. "I need distance."
His gaze fell upon a rack of cheap, mass-produced weapons. He selected a long, straight sword made of dense ironwood. It was unadorned, slightly warped, and felt more like a clumsy club than a blade, but its length was what mattered.
He gave it an experimental swing, the movement awkward and unbalanced.
"So this is swordsmanship,"
he thought, a wry smile touching his lips. He had always admired the Inner Disciples, their blades moving in an elegant dance of light and steel. To them, the sword was an extension of their will.
To him, it was a necessary evil, a tool to keep fangs at bay. "For now, this stick will have to do," he resolved, securing it to his back. "But soon… soon, my fists will be all the weapon I need."
Finally prepared, he set out for the Spirit-Wood Grove. The deeper he ventured, the more the forest transformed from a familiar training ground into a wild, untamed wilderness. The air grew thick and humid, and the symphony of unseen life became a constant, unnerving hum.
As dusk bled into a moonless night, he found a sturdy, thick-branched tree and clambered up into its canopy, settling onto a perch that offered both concealment and a vantage point. The ambient Qi here was purer, richer, and he quickly fell into a meditative state, absorbing the essence of the night.
CRACK.
The sharp snap of a twig below shattered his concentration. His eyes flew open, his senses instantly on high alert. He peered down through the dense foliage, his Stage 5 perception cutting through the gloom. What he saw defied all logic.
A creature that could only be described as a wolf, yet was unlike any wolf from the bestiary, was fleeing for its life. Its pelt was not fur, but seemed woven from spun moonlight, shimmering with an ethereal, silvery light. It moved with a silent, liquid grace, its paws barely seeming to touch the forest floor.
Its eyes, glimpsed in a fleeting moment, were not the yellow of a predator, but shone like fractured amethysts. It was a creature torn from a celestial tapestry, a being of profound beauty and otherworldly power.
And it was being hunted by a tide of snorting, trampling fury.
Three massive boars, their bristly hides caked with mud and their red-rimmed eyes glowing with mindless aggression, crashed through the undergrowth in hot pursuit. They were common beasts, powerful but unintelligent.
The scene was a complete inversion of the natural order. A creature that radiated a palpable, ancient power was being run to the ground by base, furious animals. Something is wrong, Bi Kan thought, his heart pounding. Those boars… they aren't just hunting. They're maddened.
He watched, frozen, as the chase reached his tree. The wolf, its breath coming in silvery puffs, was cornered against the thick trunk. The boars closed in, forming a semi-circle, their tusks gleaming. Just as they were about to charge, the otherworldly wolf did something strange. It didn't snarl or attack. It simply lifted its head and let out a soft, soundless puff of air.
For a single, heart-stopping moment, the world seemed to… dim. The chirping of crickets ceased. The rustle of leaves fell silent. A ripple of profound silence washed over the clearing, a tangible wave of pure nothingness that made the boars skitter to a halt, confused and disoriented.
In that brief instant of absolute stillness, the wolf gracefully leaped over the stunned beasts and vanished into the shadows.
As sound and life rushed back into the clearing, the boars shook their massive heads, snorting in frustration. Their prey was gone. With a few angry grunts, they lumbered off in the opposite direction, the strange madness in their eyes slowly receding.
Bi Kan remained perfectly still, his mind reeling from what he had witnessed. He waited until he was certain he was alone before cautiously descending from his perch. He approached the spot where the wolf had been cornered, his eyes scanning the ground.
There, nestled in the damp earth, lay a single black feather. It was darker than any shadow, absorbing the faint starlight rather than reflecting it. As he reached down to touch it, a faint, cold whisper of an energy entirely alien to this world brushed against his senses, sending a shiver down his spine. This mission, he realized with dawning certainty, had just become more complicated.