Chapter 13: Entering the Mountains Together and Encountering Danger

Yunluo Li 9996, July 5.

Summer vacation for the fourth and fifth grades began simultaneously. Aikesi stood at the academy gate, looking at the few people beside him—Yelu and Leinuo followed him, Qiaozhi prepared to return to the Yulan Empire, and Linlei intended to act alone.

"Really not going with us?" Aikesi asked Linlei.

Linlei shook his head: "I'll wander on my own."

Aikesi nodded.

"Alright, see you at the start of school."

"See you at the start of school."

The two parted simply; Linlei turned and walked in another direction. Beibei poked his head out from his shoulder and waved his small paw at Aikesi.

Aikesi waved back.

"Let's go." He turned to look at Yelu and Leinuo, "Ready?"

"Ready!" Leinuo bounced up excitedly, "Magical Beast Mountain Range! I'm coming!"

Yelu glanced at him: "You're at the peak of Level Three; don't hold us back when we go in."

"What's wrong with me being at the peak of Level Three? Didn't Old Third go in when he was Level Four?"

"Can Old Third be compared to you?"

"You—"

Aikesi raised a hand to interrupt them: "Stop arguing, let's go."

The three shouldered their packs and walked toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

On the first evening, the three arrived at the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Aikesi found a hidden cave to serve as a camp. The cave was not large, just enough to hold three people; vines blocked the entrance, making it hard to discover.

"We'll rest here tonight," he said, "and start moving inward tomorrow."

Leinuo looked around: "Who discovered this cave?"

"Saw it while passing by just now." Aikesi set down his pack, "Did you bring food?"

"Yes." Yelu took out dried rations and jerky from his backpack, "Enough for three days."

Aikesi nodded: "We'll hunt some game on the road tomorrow; supplement if we can."

The three ate something simple and took turns keeping watch.

The night was very quiet; occasionally, roars from Magical Beasts could be heard coming from afar. Leinuo was spending his first night outdoors and felt a bit nervous; while on watch, he kept staring outside.

"Relax," Aikesi said, "Magical Beasts on the outskirts dare not approach the firelight."

"What if some dare?"

"I'm here."

Leinuo looked at him and felt much more at ease.

Nothing happened all night.

The next day, the three continued moving inward.

Most Magical Beasts on the outskirts were Level Two or Level Three; occasionally, a few with no eyes were dealt with casually by Aikesi.

"Old Third, this is too easy for you," Leinuo said enviously, "When can I be like this?"

"Cultivate well; it will be very soon."

Yelu walked beside them, vigilantly observing the surroundings. Although his strength was inferior to Aikesi's, his alertness was very high; after all, he came from the Dawson Chamber of Commerce and had received training in this area since childhood.

After walking most of the day, Aikesi stopped.

"There's movement ahead."

The two immediately stopped and pricked up their ears.

A low roar came from afar, sounding like a pack of wolves. The sound grew closer and denser.

"It's Gale Demon Wolves," Aikesi frowned, "and quite a few."

Gale Demon Wolves, Level Four Magical Beasts, Wind attribute, fast speed, fierce attacks. A single one is not hard to deal with, but when they appear in groups, even Level Six Magical Beasts must take a detour.

"What do we do?" Yelu asked.

"Retreat first," Aikesi decided on the spot, "go around them."

Just as the three turned, roars came from behind.

Another pack of Gale Demon Wolves was flanking them from the rear.

"We're surrounded," Aikesi said in a deep voice.

Leinuo's face turned pale: "How many?"

Aikesi glanced over: "Over a dozen ahead, over a dozen behind. About thirty."

"Thirty..." Yelu gritted his teeth, "Old Third, can we fight?"

Aikesi quickly assessed the situation. Thirty Gale Demon Wolves, with Yelu and Leinuo, both under Level Four; fighting head-on was too dangerous.

"We can't fight," he said, "I'll hold them off; you two withdraw first."

"No!" Yelu immediately objected, "How can you hold them off alone?"

"I have a way." Aikesi raised his right hand; milky-white flames rose from his palm, "You head east; there's an open area over there, making it hard to be flanked. I'll block them, then find you."

"Old Third—"

"Stop talking nonsense." Aikesi cut him off, "If we don't go now, it will be too late."

The wolves' roars grew closer; the figures of the leaders could already be seen. Their green eyes stared this way, drool dripping from their mouths.

Yelu gritted his teeth, grabbed Leinuo, and said, "Go!"

The two turned and ran.

Aikesi stood in place, watching the approaching wolf pack. Only after the two had run several dozen meters did he begin to act.

The Falling Heart Flame, activated at full power.

Milky-white flames surged from his body, forming a fire barrier around him. The Fire Wall stood three meters high and half a meter thick, holding the wolf pack at bay.

The Gale Demon Wolves excel in speed but have a natural fear of fire. The lead wolf stopped, hesitating to advance.

But the wolves behind did not stop; they circled around from both sides, attempting to break through the Fire Wall.

Aikesi raised both hands; two fire snakes darted from his palms, striking the wolf packs on both sides. The flames exploded, and several Gale Demon Wolves howled in pain as they were blasted backward.

More wolves lunged forward.

The fire barrier shook violently under their assault. Aikesi gritted his teeth, holding on as his Magic within his body was rapidly consumed.

"Hold on," he told himself. "Just a little longer."

Thirty breaths.

Sixty breaths.

Ninety breaths.

The glow of the fire barrier began to dim. Aikesi's Magic was nearing exhaustion, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Just then—

【Ding—Host detected in peril. Emergency check-in triggered.】

【Check in now?】

Aikesi shouted in his mind: Check in!

【Check-in successful.】

【Reward obtained: Protective Jade Pendant (from a certain cultivation world). Automatically erects a defensive shield to block one fatal attack. Duration: thirty breaths.】

A cyan jade pendant materialized in Aikesi's palm. He had no time to examine it closely and crushed it immediately.

A warm light surged from the fragments, forming a translucent defensive shield around him. The shield was far sturdier than the fire barrier; the wolves' assault could not shake it in the slightest.

Aikesi breathed a sigh of relief and turned to run.

Thirty breaths were enough for him to get far away.

Half an hour later, Aikesi found Yelu and Leinuo in an open area.

The two were hiding behind a large rock; upon seeing him, they stood up simultaneously.

"Third Brother!" Leinuo rushed over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Aikesi waved his hand. "The wolf pack didn't pursue."

Yelu sized him up. "Really fine? Your complexion isn't good."

"Just consumed a bit too much Magic. A little rest will do." Aikesi sat on a rock. "What about you two?"

"We're fine," Yelu said. "We ran fast enough."

Leinuo sat down beside him, patting his chest and saying, "Following Third Brother, my life is tough!"

Yelu rolled his eyes at him. "Your life is tough; we almost got dragged down by you."

"How did I drag you down?"

"If it weren't for waiting for you, Third Brother would have run long ago."

"You—"

Aikesi raised a hand to cut them off. "Enough, stop arguing. Rest first; we'll move deeper tomorrow."

The two exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Night fell. The three found a hidden spot to camp. Aikesi sat cross-legged, beginning to meditate to restore his Magic. Yelu and Leinuo took turns standing guard.

The next day, the three continued moving deeper.

Having learned their lesson from yesterday, they were more cautious. Aikesi led the way, constantly alert to any movement around them. Yelu and Leinuo followed behind, daring not to stray far.

Over the next few days, they hunted some Level Four and Level Five magical beasts on the outskirts. Aikesi handled the main damage output, while Yelu and Leinuo provided support on the sides. Though they couldn't contribute much, both tried very hard.

On the tenth day, Aikesi decided to return.

Their packs were filled with Magic Crystal Cores: over a dozen Level Four cores and five Level Five cores. Leinuo excitedly calculated how many gold coins they could exchange for along the way.

"One Level Four is two hundred gold coins, one Level Five is five hundred gold coins, adding them up..."

"Stop calculating; count when we get back," Yelu cut him off.

"I'm just calculating."

Three days later, the three returned to Fenlai Cheng.

Qiaozhi had already returned to the academy, while Linlei had not yet come back. Aikesi sold the Magic Crystal Cores, exchanging them for over two thousand gold coins, and split half between Yelu and Leinuo.

"Why give this to us?" Yelu protested. "You did all the fighting."

"You contributed too," Aikesi said. "Take it."

Unable to refuse further, the two accepted it.

That evening, the three had a good meal at Huadeli. Leinuo, his face flushed from drinking, put his arm around Aikesi's neck and said, "Third Brother, take me again in the future!"

"Alright."

"It's settled!"

"It's settled."

Yelu laughed from the side. "Break through to Level Four first before you say that."

"Almost, almost!"

Back in the dormitory, Aikesi lay on his bed, recalling the events of these ten days.

The siege of thirty Gale Demon Wolves, the life-saving grace of the Protective Jade Pendant, and the progress of his two brothers. Though thrilling, the gains were significant.

【Ding—This month's check-in opportunity has refreshed.】

【Check in now?】

Aikesi silently intoned in his heart: Check-in.

【Check-in successful.】

【Reward obtained: Gate of Eternal Life · Rejuvenation Pill ×3 — can rapidly restore injuries, effective for both internal and external wounds.】

Three pale green pills appeared out of thin air; Aikesi glanced at them and tucked them into his robes.