Chapter 361

Ghosts of the Mine (XI)

... this is it, right? The place Long Tao mentioned when we departed for this place, no? He explicitly mentioned that there was a Spirit Mine here once, but that a fight between cultivators buried it somewhere in the mountains. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

But... why do I have a tingling sensation that the entire story of the place isn't quite so simple? That last reward, Yin Qi Pills, it... worries me. Even if I know little of the culture of this world, I know well enough that Yin is often associated with the spirits and the dead. And seeing as even the number of pills is undisclosed, it tells me that 'harvesting' those pills will yield a variable.

Ah, whatever.

We're going there, anyway. May as well gain as much information as possible.

[--spent 5,000 CP]

[Quest, Ghosts of the Mine, has been purchased]

[Time Limit: None]

[Hint: Due to the abundance of Qi within the mine, surviving spirits of both beasts and cultivators concentrated towards it. It is recommended that Host create a Yin-Repelling Martial Art and have all his Disciples learn it before entering the mine]

... alright, for once, my assumption turned out to be dead on. I'm kind of proud of it, to be honest.

It does beg the question, however: does Long Tao know about it? It's unlikely that he does, as he probably 'remembers' the place just being a Spirit Mine. And only he and the gods know just how far back that actually was.

Yin-Repelling Art... I guess I should create it as quickly as possible so that the kids can gain at least some mastery in it before we reach the mine.

--forget that. I didn't even have to create it myself. The system added a simple 'button' as soon as I opened the Creator's Window, and after clicking it, everything was set up, with the total cost being 375 points.

[--Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Heartless Yin-Repelling' Special Art]

[...]

[Heartless Yin-Repelling Art]

[Type: Special Art]

[Rank: peak-Jade tier]

[Host Comprehension: Minor]

[...]

[A rather simple art made for the express purpose of temporarily isolating Yin influence within Yin-dense spaces; though Yin, in and of itself, is neither harmful nor beneficial, in great doses it can overwhelm the balance of elements and even cause long-term harmful effects for those with lacking mental fortitude. It is especially beneficial if traversing battlefields, tombs, or graveyards, as it can help resist the negative effects of overwhelming Yin. Note, however, that any Greater Spirit and above will be able to easily dissolve the art's passive effect, unless the mastery of it reaches '???']

[...]

[Creation Points Value: 375/400]

[Comprehension Difficulty: Intermediate]

[...]

[Creation Bonus: x1 Yin-Absorbing Pill (Legendary)]

[...]

[Yin-Absorbing Pill (Legendary) -- can instantly absorb massive amounts of Yin within a confined space. If too much Yin is absorbed, it can become volatile and lead to Spirit Explosion. Use with caution]

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Huh.

I guess that's sort of the 'last resort' option? Well, whatever.

I quickly procured one manual per person, walking back into the tent and just leaving them in front of where everyone was stationed. At this point, making up stories was pointless; nobody believed me, and they stopped even bothering to entertain believing me. It's best to just have them pretend nothing untoward is happening...

Besides, with that woman here, I can't exactly be super open with it, which I'm pretty sure the kids understand, too.

I also went back to my little spot and meditated through the roaring night; there was no way I'd make any major progress in the method, but I decided to go through it just to confirm what was 'shoved' into my brain when I made it.

Before long, the dawn arrived, and with it, the strange quiet.

It was pretty abrupt--it felt like in the span of a single minute, most of the roars and howls disappeared. I'm pretty sure that's not natural, but I'm also not that interested in finding out why.

As everyone came out of their little corners, they shot me a sideways glance before leaving the tent, with Long Tao's being the most poignant (I have a feeling he put two and two together).

"Wait a moment." I stopped Lao Shun from leaving. "I need to ask you something."

"... it's not going to be whether I can concoct yet another pill that hasn't been seen in literal hundreds of thousands of years, is it?"

"For an alchemist," I said. "You have a strange aversion to learning new things."

"Oh, no. I love learning new things. Your things aren't new; that's the problem. They're old. Very, very, very old. So old, in fact--"

"--okay, I get it, I get it. You're ageist."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Haah, nothing. That's not why I stopped you," I said. "Do you know much about this place? Specifically, the Demonic Beasts."

"Ah. Yes. I've traversed it once or twice. Though there are many, so long as we stick to the main path, it shouldn't be too difficult."

"No, I mean, how reasonable is it to think of using this place for kids to train up a bit?"

"Oh, really reasonable."

"Really?"

"Yes. If the kids are escorted by about a dozen Elders from the Holy Lands."

"..."

"In fairness," he added. "Your kids would probably be okay, so long as they stuck to the outer regions just adjacent to the path. But even there, most of the Demonic Beasts are tier four or five, roughly equivalent to Revolving Core or Void Transformation realms."

"Ouch."

"Hm. Besides, if you insist, they won't be able to pretend to be run-of-the-mill ruffians anymore. And I'm not sure it's a particularly smart thing to reveal the depths of our little group to that woman. She... she gives off a peculiar aura."

"... what do you mean?" The way he worded it is a bit strange.

"Her scent."

"Pervert."

"The scent of medicinal herbs on her," he said, sighing. "It's distinct. Even though, individually, they may not be the rarest of scents, in combination with one another, it is unlikely there are more than three or four places in the known world where she could be from. And considering that she's likely hiding her strength, it narrows it down to just the two: Samsara Valley or Nirvana Frontier Island. And, regardless of which of the two she's from, you do not want to be anything but passing acquaintances with her."

It's my first time hearing about the Samsara Valley, but the Nirvana Frontier Island is a name I've heard before; in fact, the first time it came up was a while back, when I got that weird pill restoration quest.

"Right. A slightly strange follow-up question: Is there somebody called Alchemist Yuan within the Alchemy Pavilion on the island?"

"..." Lao Shun's eyebrows rose as he looked at me deeply for a moment. "I'm a bit surprised you know about him. But yes, he should be there."

"Who is he? I mean, I only know of the name..."

"The only known World-Gathering-rank Alchemist," he replied. "And the only known Emperor in this part of the world."