Chapter 107

The night was as dark as ink, deep in the Man Yun Mountain Range, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

"Cough… cough cough…"

Wang Shan hunched over, each step sending a tearing pain through his chest. When he broke through the ninth layer of Body Refining, the potency of the Third Tier Breakthrough Pill was overwhelming, almost reforging his entire meridians, and adding to the injuries from previous battles, he now felt his internal organs displaced.

Spiritual Power? It was long gone. The trickle of true qi that had just condensed in his dantian after the breakthrough was completely drained by the consumption of the Earth Escape Talisman and his frantic flight.

"Elder Wang, are you… you alright?" Li Hu's voice thick with worry; he himself was in a sorry state, the wound on his arm still throbbing faintly.

Zhang Mei supported Wang Shan on his other side, her small face deathly pale, lips pressed tight, not daring to breathe.

Wang Shan waved a hand, his voice hoarse like a cracked gong: "I won't die… ahead, find a place to hide."

In his mind, that damned system panel showed the Spirit Plant Points column with a glaring red '3', as if mercilessly mocking him.

Three points! Damn it, after fighting tooth and nail and even losing the camp, this is all he has left! He can't even afford a single lowest-tier First Order Return Spring Pill!

It's like a tiger fallen to the plains being bullied by dogs—no, like a dragon in shallow waters played by shrimp—no matter, it's just miserable!

"Brother, look over there!" Zhang Mei's sharp eyes spotted a depression concealed by vines ahead, "There seems to be a cave there!"

Li Hu's spirits lifted: "I'll go check!"

Wang Shan didn't stop him; speaking even a sentence was hard now. He forced himself and told Li Hu: "Be careful, it might be a demon beast's den. Look around for fresh droppings or signs of activity."

"Understood!" Li Hu replied, drawing the short knife at his waist and carefully parting the vines.

A moment later, Li Hu poked his head out, lowering his voice: "Elder Wang, it's quite deep inside; no danger detected so far, seems like a natural cave."

"Go in." Wang Shan said succinctly.

The cave was filled with a damp earthy smell, mixed with a hint of rotting leaves. Using the faint glow of the last Moonlight Stone he pulled from his storage bag, Wang Shan surveyed the surroundings.

The cave wasn't large, only about seven or eight zhang deep, ending in a stone wall.

"Hah…" Wang Shan exhaled, leaning against the stone wall and slowly sitting down, every part of his body protesting.

He closed his eyes and tried to activate the system.

"System, recycle."

His mental sweep passed over the low-tier saber-toothed rabbit corpse he'd picked up during the day's escape—bitten to death by other demon beasts—and a few herbs of no grade. Previously he wouldn't have bothered to glance at such things.

【Ding! Recycling a low-tier First Order saber-toothed rabbit corpse (damaged), gained Spirit Plant Points: 1 point.】

【Ding! Recycling three stalks of mundane staunching grass, gained Spirit Plant Points: 0.3 point.】

【Ding! Recycling two mundane Condense Spirit Flowers, gained Spirit Plant Points: 0.2 point.】

Wang Shan nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.

"Is… is that all?" he asked weakly.

The system remained unmoved.

Altogether 1.5 points, added to the original 3 points, now totaling 4.5 points.

Better than nothing.

"Elder Wang, your complexion looks awful." Zhang Mei's voice trembled as she pulled a dry, hard biscuit from her bosom, "Have something to eat."

Wang Shan shook his head; for these injuries, eating mundane food would be useless.

He opened the system mall, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of high-grade pills; once he thought they were easily obtainable, now they seemed astronomically priced.

Finally, his eyes landed on the two cheapest pills.

【First Order Return Spring Pill: quickly heals minor injuries, replenishes qi and blood. Price: 5 Spirit Plant Points.】

【First Order Nourishing Spirit Pill: slightly restores spiritual power. Price: 3 Spirit Plant Points.】

"Damn, truly pitiful." Wang Shan muttered self‑derisively.

He now has a total of 4.5 points, not enough to buy even a single First Order Return Spring Pill.

"Li Hu, do you still have any of the demon beast materials we brought from the camp… or any low‑grade talismans you can't use?" Wang Shan asked.

Li Hu blinked, then realized, and hurriedly rummaged through his shabby storage bag.

"Elder Wang, I still have a few unused First Order Metal‑edge Talismans, plus some low‑grade demon beast pelts left from the hunt…"

"Give them all to me."

Moments later, a few slightly creased talismans and some assorted materials appeared before Wang Shan.

【Ding! Recycling three damaged First Order low‑grade Metal‑edge Talismans (30% spiritual power remaining), gained Spirit Plant Points: 0.9 point.】

【Ding! Recycling a damaged low‑grade First Order wind‑wolf pelt, gained Spirit Plant Points: 0.5 point.】

……

After a thorough search, he finally managed to gather 8 Spirit Plant Points.

Wang Shan hesitated not, immediately exchanging for one First Order Return Spring Pill and one First Order Nourishing Spirit Pill.

The pills appeared in his hand, only the size of a soybean, emitting a faint medicinal aroma; compared to the pills he used to refine, they were practically street‑vendor goods.

But at this moment he treasured them like a priceless gem, and tossed them straight into his mouth.

The pills entered his belly, turning into a weak warm current that moistened his dried meridians and injured organs. Though the effect was a drop in the bucket, it at least rekindled a tiny spark in his nearly extinguished life‑force. Finally, a trickle of spiritual power, finer than a hair, began to flow in his dantian.

"Hah…" Wang Shan exhaled a long breath of foul air; his complexion improved a little, at least he no longer looked like a corpse.

"Elder Wang, are you feeling better?" Zhang Mei asked delightedly.

"Mm, I've stabilized for now." Wang Shan nodded, looking at the brother and sister before him, their eyes full of worry and a hint of bewilderment.

He cleared his throat; his voice remained hoarse but gained some strength: 'Li Hu, Zhang Mei, from now on we have several hurdles to overcome.'

The brother and sister immediately sat up straight, listening attentively.

"First, stay alive. That's the most important." Wang Shan enunciated each word, "The Wan family will certainly not let this go; they'll surely pursue us into the Man Yun Mountain Range, so we must stay constantly vigilant."

Li Hu nodded heavily: 'Elder Wang, rest assured; as long as I, Li Hu, have a breath left, I won't let them harm you and Zhang Mei!'

Zhang Mei also nodded firmly, her small fists clenched tight.

"Second," Wang Shan continued, "we need to find a way to shake off the Wan family's pursuit, but that requires time and strength. What we lack most right now is exactly that."

He paused, his eyes growing deeper: "I still have clansmen scattered out there; I must find them."

This is his deepest obsession.

"Finally, and also my original intention for entering the Man Yun Mountain Range this time—Foundation Establishment!" Wang Shan's voice was not loud, but each word conveyed an unquestionable resolve: "I am determined to obtain the Purple Monkey Flower on Ghost Sorrow Cliff!"

Li Hu and Zhang Mei were shaken to the core. Foundation Establishment! That's a realm they dare not even imagine.

"Wang Elder, we……" Li Hu felt somewhat excited, yet also at a loss.

"I know this is difficult, even to say it's a nine-deaths-one-life chance." Wang Shan looked at them: "Deep in the Man Yun Mountain Range, the environment is harsh, demon beasts run rampant, danger lurks everywhere. But from another angle, within danger also lies opportunity."

He pointed at the dark forest outside: "Those demon beasts are dangerous, but killing them, their flesh can fill our stomachs, their pelts can keep us warm, their demon pellets and materials can be exchanged for the resources we need. Those poisonous grasses and insects are threats, but some special spirit medicines grow beside them."

"We need to change the way we thought back at the camp. There, Xiong Ba and the others protected us; we only needed to follow routine. But now, we can only rely on ourselves." Wang Shan's voice sank: "If we don't want to die, we must turn these dangers into the capital for our survival and growth!"

Li Hu and Zhang Mei somewhat understood, but looking at Wang Shan, seeing this young man who, even in dire straits, showed no dejection, instead calmly analyzing the situation and planning the future, their admiration and conviction deepened a bit.

This is truly the bearing of a strong one!

"Wang Elder, we'll follow you!" Li Hu said in a low voice, "You say how to do it, we'll do it that way!"

Zhang Mei also nodded firmly: "Mm! I'm not afraid of hardship!"

Wang Shan nodded with relief. Having these two helpers is better than him fighting alone.

"Good. Starting now, Li Hu, you're in charge of outer perimeter watch, stay hidden, and give an immediate warning at any sign of movement. Zhang Mei, you're responsible for finding clean water sources and some edible wild fruits and vegetables, but remember, don't touch anything you don't recognize or that feels off."

"Yes!" the siblings replied in unison.

After arranging these, Wang Shan closed his eyes again and silently circulated his faint spiritual power to heal his wounds.

At the same time, he diverted a thread of his mind into the system.

"System, scan the current environment."

【Ding! Scan started……scan completed. The current cave is a natural limestone cave, structure stable, no direct danger. About three zhang behind the stone wall deep in the cave, there is a faint gathering of spiritual aura, concentration roughly 1.3 times the outside world average, suitable for temporary breath adjustment.】

"Oh?" Wang Shan's heart stirred.

A faint spiritual aura gathering point? Although only 1.3 times, for him now it's like sending charcoal in the snow! In this godforsaken place, having a spot where the spiritual aura is a bit denser will let his recovery be a bit faster.

Looks like this cave is a bit better than he imagined.

"Looks like we can temporarily settle here." Wang Shan opened his eyes and said to Li Hu and Zhang Mei.

He saw Li Hu and Zhang Mei reveal a hint of relief at his words, but his mind was calculating deeper problems.

Relying on the system to recycle these scraps, when will he be able to accumulate enough Spirit Plant Points to exchange for healing and cultivation pills?

With his current meager cultivation, let alone going to Ghost Sorrow Cliff to fetch the Purple Monkey Flower, even a random early-stage second-tier demon beast could tear him apart.

No!

He must quickly restore his strength, and even become stronger!

"Looks like just scavenging won't cut it." Wang Shan muttered to himself, a flash of harshness in his eyes: "To quickly accumulate Spirit Plant Points, heal his injuries, and boost his strength, there's only one way—take the initiative!"

He recalled the introduction of certain special demon beasts he had glimpsed in the system mall earlier.

Mutant demon beasts!

These demon beasts often mutate due to certain special causes, making them stronger than same-rank demon beasts and harder to deal with, but their materials, especially the demon pellets, contain purer energy; when recycled to the system, they yield far more Spirit Plant Points than ordinary demon beasts!

This is the shortcut to quickly accumulating Spirit Plant Points!

Of course, the risk is also greater.

"Damn it, fortune favors the bold!" Wang Shan cursed under his breath.

Back at the camp, with Xiong Ba and the others covering for him, he could peacefully concoct pills and draw talismans, and even when he occasionally went on missions, it was with a large group. But now he's a lone commander; everything depends on himself.

For the first time, he keenly felt the immense pressure brought by the system's scarcity of Spirit Plant Points.

This golden finger is indeed powerful, able to bring him various miraculous pills, talismans, techniques, and even let him escape death and break through in battle.

But it doesn't conjure things out of thin air; it needs "fuel"—Spirit Plant Points!

And Spirit Plant Points won't just fall from the sky; he must actively obtain, strive for, and fight for them!

"Looks like before, he still relied too much on the system's convenience." Wang Shan gave a wry smile.

This great defeat, this pursuit, though it left him in a sorry state, also made him completely sober.

To survive in this cruel cultivation world, to find his clansmen, to achieve Foundation Establishment, to become stronger, relying on petty development isn't enough; he must have the courage to face danger head-on and the ruthlessness to take the initiative!

"Wan Clan…… you wait for me!" Wang Shan clenched his fists, nails digging deep into his palms, a trace of bloody smell spreading, yet it made him feel extraordinarily clear-headed.

The new pursuit has already begun, and his counterattack must also be launched as soon as possible!