Chapter 5: Otherworld

Green mountains stretch endlessly, vast and unbroken.

Ancient trees are everywhere; withered old vines cling tightly to their trunks. Beneath the forest canopy, it is deep and dark, barely any sunlight penetrates; birds and beasts flit among the treetops, now visible, now hidden.

Amid a faint white light, a human figure suddenly appeared in the sky, falling straight downward.

At first, the figure was streaked with dark green; as it fell, its light and shadow shifted and transformed.

It became semi-transparent like air, then stripes of green leaves and brown dead branches, finally turning into the brown-yellow of fallen leaves scattered on the ground—so well camouflaged that without close inspection, nothing seemed amiss.

“Warning! Impact detected…”

“Oxygen concentration normal… no harmful gases… low spiritual energy concentration…”

At the moment of impact, Jiang Ding curled into a ball, rolling from treetop to ground; his tactical helmet emitted a stream of data.

The Immortal Sect Library stipulates that each complete, unidentified plant or animal specimen submitted earns 1 point.

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He trusted the Central Array Spirit Computer—such a high moral character score was no joke.

Open his eyes.

“There are plants and animals, air is normal, spiritual energy present…”

Soon, all three drones reached their designated locations with no further discoveries.

Jiang Ding carefully dug around the roots, gently brushing away soil, then gathered the stems and leaves—this was a delicate task; not a single misstep could break a root or leaf.

Boom! Boom! Amid flashes of propellant fire, four drones rose successively to dozens of meters in altitude, wobbled briefly, then unfolded their rotors to hover steadily in a perfect square formation.

In the drone’s view, a narrow, winding mountain path appeared; at its end stood several earthen-walled thatched huts, their roofs breached by large holes revealing tall wild grasses and tangled brush inside, along with a broken clay Buddha head lying on the ground.

This little creature is called the Kingfisher, a messenger between the Central Array Spirit Computer and regional Array Spirit Computers; they normally live on the main host of the Central Array Spirit Computer—the Divine Tree, Canopy Rong —and its offshoots across the land.

!.

Thud. Thud-thud!

Library points have immense utility, primarily divided into two uses.

If this is the territory of an outsider cultivator, it’s over—he must be cautious and never casually expose modern technological items.

Jiang Ding kept one drone hovering in place and directed the other three to spread out in three directions, each spaced roughly five kilometers apart.

Check out.

Jiang Ding opened the window; a kingfisher the size of a palm, invisible until now, flew into the room.

Jiang Ding murmured silently.

Jiang Ding relaxed: “Go back.”

It was said that Lin Wanyu and Jiang Ding’s father, Jiang Chaoyang, were once jokingly called the campus beauty and handsomeness, seen as a perfectly matched pair destined to be together.

His vision blurred—the wild mountains vanished; before him stood the hotel’s white backdrop wall, beside the window the bustling First Hospital of Rongcheng.

After much effort, he collected a complete specimen, securing each one with small wooden forks onto thin wooden boards. “21 minutes, 1 point.”

The tactical helmet’s alarm arrived belatedly.

Jiang Ding ignored her, hugged the cardboard box, and hurried to his room to put things away, then went to the fridge for a drink and sat beside Lin Wanyu.

“Mom! He’s lying!” Jiang Yuan cried, stirring up trouble: “He’s never stayed out past eleven with any classmate before!”

Jiang Ding needed 24-hour intelligence on that area—otherwise, if someone was lying in wait during his next transit, it would be dangerous.

Establish a secure zone of at least ten kilometers in radius.

Jiji!

Drew his sword, slashed through a tree trunk as thick as a thigh, then split it into planks to use as specimen boxes.

If violated, the Central Array Spirit Computer, forged by generations of sages, would make offenders understand what true authority and power truly mean—even a Soul Transformation cultivator cannot alter its programming logic or access anyone’s privacy.

Lack of a container is a problem—he should buy a sturdy specimen box; otherwise, someone might get hurt.

“Forked Grass.”

“Unknown snake species, mundane beast.”

The Immortal Sect’s thirst for knowledge is endless! Nature is a vast treasure trove, and among its most precious riches are the bodily structures and genetic codes of all plants and animals within ecosystems.

It is not arbitrary—it is forbidden. As long as he has broken no law and committed no aggression, no matter the reason or whether public attention has been drawn, a Gao Jie cultivator cannot kill even the weakest mortal.

“Ji!”

“Thank you for your hard work—deeply appreciated!”

Its claws carried a specimen box half a person’s height—grossly disproportionate to its tiny body.

Only a few meters down, protected and cushioned by the camouflage suit—he was unharmed.

Second, if one accumulates ten thousand points, the Central Array Spirit Computer can create a tailored cultivation technique limited to a specific realm for a certain cultivator.

Jiang Ding removed his helmet, exhaled softly, took off his camouflage suit, gloves, and boots, changed into his regular school uniform, then carefully placed each of the three drones back into the cardboard box.

He dug for over four hours; the sun stood high at noon, the air growing increasingly hot.

“Unknown snake species…”

Jiang Ding glanced at the stack of specimen boards in his arms, his expression thoughtful.

Despite this, Jiang Ding did not stop—he found another herb and began digging again.

No carelessness allowed.

Jiang Ding frowned: “It’s civilian gear—low precision. Missed small creatures.” “Unknown lifeform! So many!” Jiang Ding’s hand trembled, his tone filled with delight.

Fortunately, he had bathed at the hotel—no dirt or sweat remained. “Went to the park with a classmate.”

“Building? Human traces?” Jiang Ding’s heart tightened.

Inheriting the legacy of the previous civilization and enduring multiple civil wars, today’s Immortal Sect has made considerable efforts toward equality.

First, library points can be exchanged for guidance and answers from Gao Jie cultivators—not casual, offhand advice meant for self-realization, but meticulous, thorough explanations under the supervision of the Array Spirit Computer, designed to ensure full understanding.

He felt regret—this was an unknown lifeform not recorded in the Immortal Sect Library; if captured, it would earn 1 point.

Gripping his sword, he moved cautiously through the dense forest until he found a large sunlit rock. From his backpack, he took two basketball-sized cylinders, placed them on the ground, and pulled each fuse.

Even Gao Jie cultivators who can burn mountains and boil seas cannot take a mortal’s life.

Compared to the hopeless cultivation of the past, this slow progress toward a goal felt good—he did not find it tedious.

Jiang Ding’s gaze was drawn to a dark green plant beneath the snake’s corpse—a small grass with repeatedly forked leaves—he zoomed the camera in.

Lin Wanyu frowned: “Dingding, where were you? Why are you back so late?”

“Unknown plant, nameable.”

Within a six-square-kilometer radius, information on all large biological species, locations, and strengths rapidly refreshed.

Jiang Ding pulled out the controller; the four drones rose higher and higher, ascending to over two thousand meters—beyond the spiritual sense limit of most Foundation Establishment cultivators, and higher than most birds could fly—safely beyond detection.

Minutes later, a soft tapping sound came from the window—bird beak against glass.

It drew no attention; the hotel was constantly full of people, all kinds of types—if every odd one sparked curiosity, the front desk staff would have gone mad long ago.

Talent! Talent! If a cultivation technique perfectly matched a person, even if his talent was abysmal, every movement would naturally meet the technique’s highest demands—how could he not be a genius?

“Submit black-and-white striped tiger…”

Of course, given Jiang Ding’s refined appearance, Lin Wanyu herself must be gentle and beautiful.

Whether studying dragonfly wings and grass serrations from the non-spirit era, or developing modern techniques, magic treasures, and new elixirs, all draw heavily from the structural and material adaptations evolved by plants and animals in nature—each new plant or animal holds potential, invaluable to the Immortal Sect.

Unfortunately, he had no money left—not a single silver tael.

Clang! His sword flashed out, slicing diagonally through the sudden crimson snakehead, cleanly dividing its meter-long body into two halves.

Jiang Ding said casually—plants were easier and safer to collect than animals, but their roots, leaves, and stems must remain entirely intact.

As for what happened later, one could only sigh—the fairy tale of princess and prince exists only in books.

Civilian drone detection precision was barely usable; a layer of mud over the body might easily hide one.

Lin Wanyu was a technician at the Rongcheng Steel Plant, with full Qi Circulation cultivation base; her salary was decent, but the work was grueling, often requiring overtime until eight or nine at night.

Jiang Ding glanced at his helmet’s clock and calculated silently: “Even if I never slept and didn’t have to travel far, it would take at least half a year to accumulate ten thousand points!”

Jiang Ding stood up, took a deep breath—he knew his expedition had succeeded.

One drone still floated in the sky of the other world.

“Unknown monkey species, mundane beast…”

Jiang Ding could endure it, but back home it was already past ten at night—if he didn’t return, his mother might call the police.

Unless it is destroyed.

…

“This is the allure of exploring the unknown world.”

Jiang Ding sensed its displeasure—it felt like it had already clocked out and was being forcibly dragged back to overtime. He quickly opened the specimen box and placed the fourteen specimen boards inside one by one.

The drone’s camera activated; the panoramic tactical helmet displayed rapid-shrinking forest scenes on left and right, while blue dots continuously appeared across the view.

Back home, his mother had already returned and was watching TV with Jiang Yuan.

“Dingding, it’s late—danger might be outside…”

The little kingfisher urged.

Jiang Ding had set his system to mark biological entities at Qi Circulation level with red dots—none appeared, consistent with the micro-spirit environment’s ecological state.

Jiang Ding had no intention of contacting humans yet—the language barrier was a major issue.

He laid the fourteen specimen boards on the floor, pulled out his phone, entered the Immortal Sect Library, submitted an application to upload the new plant specimen, requested anonymity, then sat on the bed to rest.

The little kingfisher glanced at him, gripped the specimen box, and both its body and the box turned transparent, vanishing through the window.

“Not to mention many plants have far more complex roots and stems than grasses—21 minutes is nowhere near enough. Altogether, it might take over four and a half years.”

Jiang Ding relaxed.

“Go back.”

“Chirp!”

Outside the window, night had fallen; neon lights flickered, and the entrance of City No. 1 Hospital remained bustling.

Lin Wanqiu looked at Jiang Ding with concern, opening her mouth but holding back her words.

“Mom, don’t worry—Rongcheng’s security is still very good,” Jiang Ding assured her. “Next time if others stay out too late, I’ll come back earlier.”

The family chatted for a while, then got up and returned to their rooms.

In the past, Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Yuan had already been asleep by eleven at night; now they were staying up specifically for Jiang Ding, utterly exhausted from fatigue.

(End of Chapter)