Chapter 360

Ghosts of the Mine (VI)

One thing that immediately jumped out about this place was that the night... was freakin' loud. Like, seriously, even though I could finally power up the tent's sound-isolating arrays, they couldn't block off even half--no, not even a quarter--of sounds.

Howls of countless beasts, sounds of the winds snapping branches and sighing, and occasional rampages that caused an earthquake, likely by some beasts fighting someplace up.

Honestly, even if I tried to cultivate, it would not have worked; besides, I don't technically need to cultivate any longer. It's not as though there are no gains, as each manual cycle of all revolutions does increase the quality of Qi, but I have a feeling only absolute lunatics or perfectionists would chase that incessantly. I'm neither, so I'll either just laze around or meditate on the martial arts.

I am a bit curious, though. I don't think I've ever seen a Demonic Beast in this world. I might have, but not, like, a proper one--one so twisted that it'd leave me shaking in my boots.

As such, I carefully left the tent, tiptoeing, and found myself absolutely swallowed by the dark. I keep forgetting, because I'm the champion of stupid, just how dark this world is at night. Especially on nights like these, when the clouds have completely cloaked the moon.

[--one of your Disciples, Long Tao, has achieved Minor Comprehension of the Harmonized Heart Sutra]

[Reward: 100 CP]

I do, on occasion, gain these minor amounts of points from the kids achieving a higher degree of understanding; it is especially true with Enduring Eternity, as it has already netted me around 300 points.

As I stood by the edge of the tent, not really daring to venture out any further, as even with Divine Sense, for some reason I couldn't 'see' past just forty or so feet, I pondered something I wasn't quite sure how to approach: 'linked' cultivation methods. Enduring Eternity was the first foundation, but it wasn't really that good of a method. Its strengths lay in the fact that it could be built on top of without needing to retool your existing cultivation. On its own, it's a relatively mediocre method.

Because of that, I've been mulling about how to approach the next step. The few times I experimented, I came upon an unfortunate conclusion: 400 points... just isn't enough. I can create fairly creative things, sure, but the investment required to learn them likely wouldn't be worth it for any of the kids.

The more I interact with the system, the more I'm beginning to realize it's really not geared toward having just a few Disciples. It's also too tied in to my own realm. I mean, the only way to increase the point cap is to break through to the next level--but just how many months, nay, years even, am I from doing that?

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from novelbuddy. Support the author by reading it there.

By then, the kids themselves will have reached this point, too.

It has to have a solution... though, what it is, I can't even begin to fathom.

"ROAAAARR!!" As yet another deep roar bellowed out from somewhere far above, I sighed and pulled up a window that I had the habit of checking out every once in a while: Monthly Quests.

I haven't accepted any since leaving Moonlake City, as all offered quests required us to deviate significantly from our path, and though we may be able to afford it time-wise, I didn't want to risk it. As such, I waited for a potential refresh of quests and hoped that one or two would appear that would be within our vicinity.

--and, as it goes, ask, and ye shall receive. Four quests, suddenly, seemed to be tightly connected to this range. That wasn't saying much, though, as the range itself is literally thousands of miles long. But hey, it's a start.

[Demonic Shattering]

[Difficulty: Epic]

[Context: countless Demonic Beasts roam the mountains of the Heavenly Void Range. Though most of the world considers it a plight, it is the perfect training ground for those brave enough. Hunt down 500 Demonic Beasts within the Heavenly Void Range. The kill count will grow whether it is you who fells the beast or your disciples]

[Cost: 2,000 CP]

[Rewards]

[Reward 1: 3,000 CP]

[Reward 2: 7th-tier Demonic Core (equivalent to Demigod Realm)]

[Reward 3: a follow-up quest, Demonic Annihilation (Legendary)]

[Hint: There is no hint for this specific quest]

I frowned, thinking about it for a moment; I'm not actually sure how doable this quest was. 500 beasts was neither a large number nor was it a small one--it all depended on whether the beasts 'hung out' around the main path. If not, it was likely not doable; if yes, I'll accept it in a heartbeat. I'll leave the decision for tomorrow, when I can ask Lao Shun or maybe the woman about it.

[Wailing Caverns]

[Difficulty: ???]

[Context: endless, banshee-like cries bellow out throughout the endless set of caverns within the range. Every year, expeditions are held to attempt to locate the source of the cries, but all have failed; perhaps your luck might be better?]

[Cost: 8,000 CP]

[Rewards]

[Reward 1: 15,000 CP]

[Reward 2: ???]

[Reward 3: ???]

[Hint: purchase the quest to reveal the hint]

[System note: Though it is technically possible for Host to complete the quest within existing parameters, Host is warned that attempting it will likely result in quite a few sacrifices]

Huh.

Alright.

So, let's just ignore that one.

[Peak From Which the World Lessens]

[Difficulty: ???]

[Context: climb the tallest peak of the Heavenly Void Range, the Heavenly Summit]

[Cost: 10 CP]

[Rewards]

[Reward 1: 10 CP]

[Reward 2: ???]

[Reward 3: ???] 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

[Hint: Heavenly Summit is located approximately 4,983 miles north of your current location and approximately 43,219 feet up]

Hmm.

... 40 thousand feet up? Yeah. I think I'll pass.

And, lastly, there is one that immediately triggered something in my memory.

[Ghosts of the Mine]

[Difficulty: Legendary]

[Context: Buried somewhere in the mountains is a Spirit Vein that allows for the existence of such rich Qi within the entire range. As a byproduct, it has occasionally resulted in Spirit Stone Mines being discovered; however, the last time a mine was discovered, two sects went to war with one another over who would own it, resulting in major damages to the entire mountain range, cleaving dozens of individual mountains in half, and destroying hundreds upon hundreds of caves and passages, in the process burying the mine itself somewhere beyond a map. Though attempts have been made to rediscover it, all have failed, and with the increased presence of stronger and stronger Demonic Beasts, the legend of the Spirit Mines has long since become just that--a legend]

[Cost: 5,000 CP]

[Rewards]

[Reward 1: 5,000 CP]

[Reward 2: Contents of the Spirit Mine]

[Reward 3: x??? Yin Qi Pills (Myth-tier)]

[Hint: purchase the quest to reveal the hint]