The moment he rushed out of the cave entrance, a refreshing mountain breeze brushed against his face, giving Jiang Xun a dazed feeling as if he were seeing the light of day once again.
Spreading his palm, the Trial Jade Talisman engraved with cloud patterns lay quietly in his hand.
Without hesitation, Jiang Xun tightened his fingers. With a soft "crack," the jade talisman shattered, turning into several dull jade fragments that rustled down through the gaps between his fingers.
He had done everything he needed to do.
The signal had been sent. As for the rest, it depended on whether those three were tough enough to survive and whether the stationed Xue Sheng arrived quickly enough.
He closed his eyes and slowly regulated his breathing.
In his mind, that translucent System panel quietly emerged.
[Task Completed...]
[Reward Settlement: proficiency +300, spirit gathering pill (Elementary) x1.]
Three hundred points! And a spirit gathering pill!
The reward this time was more generous than before.
Jiang Xun felt energized, and much of his previous fatigue and tension dissipated.
He already had some conjectures: as long as someone had specific emotional fluctuations toward him, there was a high probability it would trigger an Option.
Furthermore, the more dangerous the situation, the more generous the reward.
It seemed he would have to keep a low profile from now on.
If he triggered an Option by encountering someone a whole Realm higher than himself, wouldn't that be seeking death!
He clenched his fist, feeling the pitifully small amount of Spiritual Qi in his body.
With something like the spirit devouring flower, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators plus a half-baked one like him had nearly been wiped out.
Strength, it all came down to strength.
He delayed no longer, changed direction, and headed toward the even more desolate valley in the southeast of the mountain range according to his memories.
If his memory was correct, the Blood Prison Nether Spider's nest was right there.
It wasn't a short distance; it would likely take two days to arrive.
The sky gradually darkened, and the light in the forest was swallowed by the twilight, becoming flickering and dim.
Jiang Xun didn't panic; the Original Owner often had experiences spending the night in the wild while gathering herbs with his father.
He found an ancient tree that was thick enough and had many spreading branches.
Untying the rope from his back, he nimbly climbed up, chose a sturdy and hidden fork in the branches, and tied himself securely to the trunk.
Tonight, he would make do with this "aerial bed" several fathoms above the ground.
With his body fixed to the swaying branches, the night wind in the forest wailed past.
Jiang Xun didn't fall asleep immediately; the scenes from the cave during the day replayed in his mind.
He wasn't someone who liked to look for trouble, but his body simply couldn't keep up with his mind.
His heart told him not to care about them.
But his body had entered involuntarily.
Deep in his heart, there seemed to be another faint but stubborn force that gave him a gentle tug.
That was an obsession belonging to the Original Owner, long blurred but never dissipated.
"spirit devouring flower..."
Jiang Xun muttered the name.
Did the Original Owner's father, that taciturn Herb Gatherer, encounter something similar?
When he saw that seductive spirit devouring flower in the cave... the herb basket and wood-chopping knife his father had repeatedly checked before leaving seemed to appear before his eyes.
That throbbing urge that pulled him into the cave might not have been just to save people, but also for the sake of this body's Original Owner—to go to the place where his father might have perished, to take a look, and to confirm a certain long-predestined ending.
Ever since his Transmigration.
There was always a stray thought in his heart that he couldn't quite grasp or explain.
It was a remnant thought left behind by the Original Owner.
He thought it was the Original Owner's resentment toward Jiang Wanxing for poisoning him.
It wasn't until he personally stepped into the cave his father had once entered that he knew.
Was it because of the father who had abandoned him?
He didn't have the courage to confirm it and could only escape.
But now.
That inexplicable, heavy sense of stagnation in the depths of his heart had dissipated.
It was as if only at this moment did the last trace of unwillingness and concern remaining in this body truly settle, completely merging with his Soul from another world.
From then on, he was simply Jiang Xun... He leaned against the rough bark, looking up at the increasingly sparse starlight leaking through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
Just as his mind was gradually becoming peaceful, the night sky to the northeast was suddenly torn apart by a brilliant radiance!
It was a white-blue rainbow light so pure it was almost biting, like a meteor flying backward or Sword Qi unleashed by an Immortal, falling from the horizon and slicing through the thick curtain of night at an incredible speed.
It plunged accurately toward the direction where Sang Linger and the other two were!
Everywhere the light passed, even the fog in the forest was briefly dispersed, illuminating several miles around as if it were daylight for a moment!
Jiang Xun narrowed his eyes, understanding in his heart.
It looked like the rescue had arrived.
As expected of Disciples from a great Sect, they were still looked after even while out on a trial.
Perhaps it was also because they themselves held extraordinary status.
Judging by the momentum and speed, it was by no means comparable to the likes of Xue Sheng. It was likely a true expert within the Xuanxiao Sect who had been alerted by the emergency signal of the shattered jade talisman.
That was fine too.
From now on, they were even, and each would go their own way.
Jiang Xun thought that after his Realm improved, perhaps he should also join a Sect.
Learn a few Immortal techniques, practice a few sword-controlling moves, and become a carefree Immortal.
That road rainbow light came quickly and left just as fast.
It seemed to have completed its mission.
It soared into the sky again with the same astonishing speed, returning along the path it came, once more like a stunning comet tail streaking across the night sky above Jiang Xun's head.
The crisis was averted, and the expert was returning.
Jiang Xun breathed a slight sigh of relief. For a split second, looking at that Escaping Light that traveled thousands of miles in an instant, a vague yearning crossed his heart.
When would he also possess such means, to roam the world freely without fearing any obstacles?
He was just thinking this, his gaze still following that trail of light about to disappear over the horizon.
That rainbow light, which had already gone far and was almost merging into the starry sky, suddenly came to a halt without any warning!
???
Then, it actually braked hard in mid-air as if pulled by an invisible hand, and began to... circle in place?
One circle, two circles... The light flickered uncertainly, as if in confusion, as if searching.
Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat, and an extremely bad premonition instantly seized him.
In the next second, the rainbow light suddenly changed direction and dived straight down toward the mountain forest where he was!
The speed was faster than when it came, and the light was even more brilliant, carrying an unquestionable, locked-on sharpness!
"Crap!"
Jiang Xun's scalp tingled, and he almost instinctively began to frantically untie the knots bound around him.
His fingers trembled slightly with urgency, and the rough rope rubbed against his skin, making an agonizing rustling sound.
Leave here! Now!
*Snap!* The last knot finally came loose.
Jiang Xun scrambled to grab a branch to steady himself, but the invisible pressure from the diving rainbow light caused his movements to falter, and his foot suddenly slipped on the slick bark.
"Aah!"
He cried out in alarm, lost his balance, and tumbled backward directly from the branch several fathoms high!
The wind whistled in his ears as his back slammed heavily against the horizontal branches below. A wave of sharp pain hit him, slowing his fall but also making his tumble even more pathetic.
Finally, with a muffled "thump," he landed on a thick layer of decaying leaves. The fall made him see stars, and his internal organs felt as if they had shifted out of place.
He endured the dizziness and pain, propping himself up with his elbows, struggling to get up.
Just then, that white-blue rainbow light had already come to a halt in the void less than a fathom in front of him.
The light slowly withdrew and condensed, no longer dazzling but turning into a warm, restrained, shimmering halo that illuminated a small patch of the surrounding forest.
In the center of the halo, a sword floated quietly.
The sword was over three feet long, its blade seemingly cast from ice crystals or flowing moonlight, its entire body a pure and flawless white-blue.
At the hilt-guard, an ice-shard-shaped gemstone was embedded, emitting a faint chill.
The blade was smooth and sharp, possessing a natural Concept that could sever anything.
"Frost Radiance!!!"
Jiang Xun's eyes suddenly widened to their limit.
This sword... he recognized it!
More than just recognized it!
It was fundamentally his... or rather, it was one of the equipment of his previous game character, 'Dao Xun'.
Forged by his own hands! It had accompanied him through the most difficult early stages of the game!
Although he later obtained better equipment and "Frost Radiance" was replaced, he had never been able to bring himself to dismantle or sell it, so it had sat gathering dust in his warehouse.
Until... in order to win over that stunningly talented Sword Immortal, "Yan Qingning," he had specifically taken out "Frost Radiance," re-refined it, adjusted its attributes, and then... "reluctantly parted with it," "sincerely" gifting it to her.
At this moment, it hung before him so realistically, carrying the warm luster of a thousand years and a faint, vast Sword Intent.
Yan Qingning was particularly fond of this precious sword and never let it leave her side.
Then, the sword's owner... A chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
Jiang Xun's hands and feet went cold, and he even forgot to get up, remaining half-propped on the ground, staring fixedly at the quietly floating "Frost Radiance."
Then, he heard an out-of-tune low cry squeezed out from his dry, tight throat:
"You... don't you come over here!"