Just as dawn broke, Jiang Xun crawled out from a crevice in a cliff wall.
He had curled up inside for the whole night.
His back pressed against the cold, hard stone, and his ears listened to the sound of the wind outside; it wasn't until the latter half of the night that he finally managed to fall asleep.
Yan Qingning probably didn't know of his existence yet.
Otherwise, with the means of a Void Penetration Realm expert, hiding would be useless no matter where he went.
"It's best if she's already forgotten about me."
Jiang Xun hoped so in his heart.
He leaned against the rock wall and let out a long breath.
Now was not the time for relief.
If he were to be this oppressed every time, it wouldn't do.
He had to hurry to the Blood Prison Nether Spider's lair; it was currently the only top-tier ethereal immortal destiny he could reach.
As long as he had strength and left the Yunqi Mountain Range, he was confident he could keep living a low-profile life.
ethereal immortal destiny didn't just have a main world, but also various dungeon immortal destinies; as long as he found a few, he could live comfortably in this world.
Relying on the knowledge accumulated in the game, he didn't believe he would always be fleeing in panic like today.
He took out the spirit gathering pill from his robe.
The Medicinal Pill was brown with fine patterns on its surface; a refreshing fragrance could be smelled when held close.
This was at least a Grade Two Medicinal Pill, very useful for breaking through minor Realms during the Qi Refinement Stage.
Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged and put the Medicinal Pill into his mouth.
The medicinal power dissolved, and a warm current settled in the center of his lower abdomen.
At the same time, he circulated the pitiful amount of Spiritual Qi within his body.
The Spiritual Qi in the depths of the Yunqi Mountain Range was denser than outside; at this moment, it was drawn in, gathering around him in wisps.
The process was very smooth. Half an hour later, the Spiritual Qi stopped gathering.
Second level of Qi Refining, achieved.
Jiang Xun opened his eyes.
His Spiritual Qi had increased by thirty percent; when circulated, it was no longer intermittent threads but had become a steady, circulating stream.
His body felt lighter, and his five senses were sharper.
However, having only a Realm without a Cultivation Technique or Spell was like holding a good blade but not knowing how to strike.
The methods he used to utilize spiritual power so far were all very superficial.
They lacked any System.
"I need to get a Cultivation Technique as soon as possible!"
Jiang Xun pulled up the System panel and looked at the three hundred proficiency.
After thinking for a moment, he distributed them:
[Basic Skill 'Running': Proficient (100/100)]
[Can be upgraded to Mastery.]
[Basic Skill 'Jumping': Proficient (100/100)]
[Can be upgraded to Mastery.]
The moment the points were added, his bodily sensations changed immediately.
His legs and feet gained new memories of how to exert force, and his whole body coordinated as if he had practiced Jumping thousands of times.
With these two improvements, plus the enhancement of spiritual power, he should be able to reach the Nether Spider's lair before sunset.
He really didn't want to delay for even a single day.
On Yan Qingning's territory, even eating didn't taste good.
Jiang Xun stuffed a few ration cakes into his mouth.
He stood up and gave a light jump; his body floated upwards, and he landed silently with a bend of his knees.
He delayed no further.
The morning light was thin, and there was still mist in the forest.
He identified the direction, took a breath, and shot out like an arrow!
He shuttled through the forest, sometimes leaping off tree trunks for momentum, sometimes sprinting close to the ground.
His movements were fast and steady, like an old monkey familiar with every inch of the mountain forest. Trees, rocks, and ravines were all quickly left behind.
The sun rose high and then gradually began to sink in the west.
When red clouds appeared on the horizon, Jiang Xun stopped.
He was panting heavily and dripping with sweat.
He hadn't stopped for a moment all day, just to push his body to its limits; even the Spiritual Qi inside him had grown a bit thicker.
Before him was a vast lake that stretched beyond the horizon. The lake's surface shimmered with golden light under the setting sun, quiet and open.
Jiang Xun narrowed his eyes.
The appearance had changed.
In the game, this was a churning blood pool with a stench that reached the heavens. Now, it was clear lake water.
A thousand years could truly change many things.
But the silhouette of the surrounding mountains, those treacherous peaks, and the direction of the canyon were exactly the same as the map in his memory. The terrain wouldn't lie.
This was the place.
He looked toward the lake's surface.
Who would have thought that beneath this clean-looking lake water lay the entrance to the lair of a former Void-Piercing Great Demon?
If nobody led the way, it would be impossible to find.
Jiang Xun might be the only person who knew about this place.
Oh! And Yan Qingning.
Back then, her Sword Qi had evaporated the entire blood pool.
And then she fainted.
Even if she knew of the lair's existence, she wouldn't be able to find its location.
Furthermore, that lair had a Formation that isolated Divine Sense probes.
This made finding it even harder.
So Jiang Xun believed that most of the great demon's lair should still be intact, except for the few items he had taken in the game.
The sun was setting quickly, and the gold on the horizon was being swallowed by deep blue.
There was no time left.
Jiang Xun loosened his limbs; he had to find the entrance before the sun completely set and the bottom of the lake became pitch black.
He walked to the lakeside and found a spot where the aquatic plants were sparse and the shore was steep.
Taking a breath, he covered his body with a thin layer of Spiritual Qi to repel water and maintain warmth; that was all he could manage for now.
Then he dove forward.
"Splash."
Water splashed. The lake water was ice-cold, and his vision became blurred and distorted. The deeper he went, the darker the light and the more obvious the water pressure.
Jiang Xun held his breath and dove toward the location on the lakebed from his memory.
Aquatic plants swayed, jagged rocks stood like a forest, and small fish scattered in fright.
[Ding! Ding! Ding!]
[Basic Skill 'Diving' can be unlocked.]
[Basic Skill 'Swimming' can be unlocked.]
[Basic Skill 'Breath Holding' can be unlocked.]
Having unlocked several more skills, Jiang Xun was speechless; since transmigrating, except for a defecation skill, he had acquired almost every ability that required a bit of technique.
Things like Gaze, Throwing, Deep Sleep, Climbing, Grasping, Waving, and so on.
It just depended on his will whether he wanted to unlock them or not.
He thought that if he had enough proficiency, he might even be able to achieve sainthood through the physical body.
To find the lair more quickly, Jiang Xun assigned the last hundred points to the 'Diving' skill.
[Ding! Basic Skill 'Diving': Proficient (100/100)]
[Can be upgraded to Mastery.]
His gaze swept over every rock wall, looking for that special mark or crack. As time passed, his chest began to feel tight, and the light grew even dimmer.
Just as he was preparing to surface for air, he caught a glimpse of what looked like the shadow of a straight crack on the rock wall behind a large lake stone to his lower left.
His spirits lifted, and he immediately swam over.
Looking closer, it wasn't a natural crack, but a downward-sloping cave entrance half-hidden by aquatic plants and silt! The edges of the entrance were smooth, and the size was just enough for one person to pass through.
Found it.
Jiang Xun didn't hesitate, pushed aside the aquatic plants, and dove in headfirst.
The passage first went down, then turned upward. After Swimming for a dozen or so breaths, a faint light suddenly shone ahead, and the pressure on his head lightened.
"Splash."
He broke through the surface.
Wiping his face, Jiang Xun opened his eyes.
He was in a small pool connected to the passage he had just come through. And outside the pool... was an underground space so large it took his breath away.
The dome hung high above, with faintly glowing minerals embedded in it, casting a dim blue and pale green light.
The space was vast, with jagged rocks forming a forest like natural pillars and platforms.
Even though a thousand years should have passed, the air was very fresh.
Quiet. A deathly silence.
Only the water droplets dripping from his body made a soft "patter" sound.
This was the Blood Prison Nether Spider's lair. After an unknown number of years, he had arrived.
Jiang Xun climbed out of the pool and stood on the ice-cold rock.
He was soaked to the bone, but he didn't care.
He looked around this silent, massive hollow; there were several small doors that looked like secret chambers.
Time to find some things.
Jiang Xun first stripped off all his clothes, leaving only his underwear.
There was no one else anyway; otherwise, being soaking wet would be very uncomfortable.