Chapter 51
As Su Jing's fingertips traced the last shelf in the "People's Livelihood Section" of the space, the sensation she felt changed from vacuum-packed Giant cereal to a cold egg carton in the refrigerated section—
Two thousand eggs were neatly arranged in transparent food storage containers, each labeled with the date of laying. The newest container was collected just this morning.
In the adjacent frozen section, 500 kilograms of braised beef and 300 vacuum-packed roast ducks were piled up like a small mountain, and the packaging bags for pre-made barbecue skewers were still covered with a thin layer of white frost, emitting a faint aroma of meat.
She then turned to the "Energy Zone": 10 modified flying cars were parked on metal supports, with energy indicator lights on the roofs emitting a steady blue light, and 9,000 energy crystals were packed in sealed boxes, with the words "85% energy density" prominently displayed on the labels.
The 40 laser guns in the "weapons area" (leftovers from previous transactions) were neatly arranged, each with 10 boxes of ordinary energy bullets and 2 boxes of enhanced energy bullets next to it. The metallic luster of the guns was cold and dazzling in the dim light of the space.
"How are the lambs in the breeding area?" Su Jing asked softly into the air. The agricultural robot's electronic voice immediately replied: "The five castrated rams have reached a weight of 25 kilograms. They are fed a mixture of giant wheat bran and soybean meal daily and are growing normally."
The remaining 15 ewes showed no abnormalities and are expected to begin lactation in one month; the 100 chicks are laying 55 eggs per day and have been stored in the cold storage without damage.
After confirming that all supplies were in optimal condition, Su Jing exited the spatial dimension and walked into the villa's courtyard.
A digital clock displaying the doomsday countdown hung under the eaves, its red numbers clearly showing "25 days, 00:03".
There are only 3 minutes left before the Immortal Cultivation Dungeon opens.
She looked up at the sky, and the once clear morning sky suddenly glowed with a faint white light. The system notification sounded in her mind precisely on time: [The third instance, "Cultivation World (Beginner)," is about to open. Forced teleportation will occur in 30 seconds. Please prepare!]
As the white light intensified and enveloped Su Jing, she instinctively closed her eyes—there was no mechanical roar like during the cyberpunk dungeon teleportation; instead, she felt a gentle breeze brushing past her ears, and the rich fragrance of herbs lingered around her nose, mixed with a faint medicinal scent.
When the white light faded and she opened her eyes, she was no longer standing on the cement ground of the villa's courtyard, but on a mountain forest dirt road covered with pine needles. The soft humus soil was up to her ankles, and she could feel the moisture in the soil with every step she took.
Looking up, the distant mountains were shrouded in pale white mist, their dark blue-green outlines appearing and disappearing in the clouds, with the faint shadows of upturned eaves visible at their highest points.
That was the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect. The wooden plaque was mostly obscured by clouds and mist, revealing only the two powerful ink characters "Qingyun".
The surrounding trees were thicker than those of the villa deep in the mountains, with emerald green vines twining around their trunks and unknown red wild fruits hanging from their branches. Occasionally, colorful birds would fly by, chirping crisply. There was no smell of engine oil in the air, only the unique freshness of the mountain forest after the rain, with a hint of coolness that made one feel clear-headed.
[The dungeon quest has been issued, please check!] The system notification interrupted Su Jing's observation. A blue panel unfolded before her eyes, with the quest details clearly stated:
- Core mission: Obtain 10 low-level pills within 72 hours (including healing pills, qi-gathering pills, and body-strengthening pills; any combination is acceptable).
- Hidden requirement: Avoid Qingyun Sect elders (whose cultivation level is Foundation Establishment; they can identify outsiders through "Aura Detection," and it is recommended to retreat immediately upon encountering them).
- Ranking Rewards: At the end of the dungeon, the top 10 players with the highest core quest completion will receive additional rewards exclusive to the cultivation world, such as "Basic Cultivation Techniques" and "Low-Tier Magic Weapon Fragments".
- Failure Penalty: Failure to complete the core task within 72 hours will result in a deduction of 50% of your current system points.
Just as Su Jing finished writing down the task, she suddenly heard a slight rustling sound behind her—not the sound of wind blowing through leaves, but more like someone walking closer on the humus.
She turned around instantly and reached for the laser gun at her waist (she had brought one with her specifically for dealing with dungeons).
But then a little boy wearing a coarse blue cotton jacket emerged from the bushes, carrying a bamboo medicine basket filled with herbs such as Bupleurum and Angelica. His dark face was covered with a few specks of dirt, but his eyes shone like stars in the mountains. He also clutched a plant with small white flowers in his hand.
"Sister, you're not a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, are you?" The little boy wasn't afraid of her actions. Instead, he quickly walked up to her, looked up at her, and asked. The herbs in his medicine basket swayed gently with his movements. "My name is Qinghe. I'm the child of a herb farmer from the foot of the mountain. I come up the mountain to collect herbs every day."
"I just saw you emerge from the white light, just like those other 'glowing people' (referring to other instance participants). Were you all looking for 'round medicine' (referring to elixirs)?"
Su Jing lowered her hand and breathed a sigh of relief—they were friendly natives again, just like Martin and the little boy in the cyber world, who could provide crucial information.
She crouched down to be at eye level with Qinghe, took out a piece of dried candied fruit from her pocket (she had specially taken it out of her spatial storage for later use), and handed it to him: "My name is Su Jing, and I am indeed looking for medicinal pills. Do you know where I can find any?"
Qinghe took the dried fruit and immediately popped it into his mouth. The sweet taste made his eyes crinkle into crescents: "I know! The blue wolves in the Monster Valley have 'Qi Gathering Pills'! Last time I went to gather herbs with my father, I saw several in a blue wolf's den. They were round and plump, with a pale green glow, just like the ones the Qingyun Sect disciples had!"
"Where is the Monster Valley? Are the Azure Wolves powerful?" Su Jing asked, quickly noting down the keywords "Monster Valley, Azure Wolves, Qi Gathering Pill" on the panel.
"The Monster Valley is on the west side of the mountain. It's about a 3-mile walk from here. There are many pine trees and a large blue stone there, so it's easy to spot."
Qinghe stretched out her little hand and pointed to the west where the fog was thicker. "The blue wolves are quite fierce. They can use their claws to catch their prey, but they are afraid of fire! Last time Daddy used a torch, the blue wolves didn't dare to come near!"
Su Jing's heart skipped a beat—there were lighters, Molotov cocktails, and laser guns in the space (high temperatures could also simulate flame effects), so dealing with the fire-fearing Blue Wolf shouldn't be difficult.
Just as she was about to ask for more details, a notification popped up on the system panel: "New Message from Global Channel," with a striking dark gray chat box.
It was a message from Chen Yang, nicknamed "Sharp Blade (China)," filled with obvious anger and helplessness: "Who knows where the Qingyun Sect's elixirs are hidden? Our team searched for three hours at the foot of the mountain and didn't even see a trace of one! We even encountered Qingyun Sect disciples who stole the energy crystals we were carrying, saying, 'Outsiders are not allowed to look for things on sect territory!'"
Immediately after, Zhao Yue, nicknamed "Flying Swallow (from the Flower Country)," followed up with a message accompanied by a crying emoji: "We found the Monster Valley, but the monsters inside are too ferocious! They're wild boars with tusks. They knocked two teammates away in one go, and now we can only hide in the cave. We're too scared to go out. We've already lost two people!"
The channel instantly erupted into chaos, with participants from other countries also beginning to complain:
"I encountered an elder from the Qingyun Sect! His aura was terrifying; he almost discovered me, and now I'm hiding in a tree hollow, too scared to move!"
"What exactly do pills look like? Are they like herbs? We collected a bunch of herbs, but they're not!"
"Has anyone found a clue? I'm willing to pay 100 points for it!"
Su Jing quickly scrolled through the messages without replying—she knew that revealing information now would only cause trouble, and Qinghe's hints were enough to put her ahead of the others.
She patted Qinghe's head: "Thank you, Qinghe. Do you know the shortcut to the Monster Valley?"
"I know! I'll take you there! The shortcut will save us half a mile and we can avoid the patrolling disciples of the Qingyun Sect!"
Qinghe took her hand, her small hand warm and carrying the scent of earth. "Before we go, let me help you activate the 'Cultivation Map.' Father said it will show you the way and prevent you from getting lost."
He took a palm-sized wooden plaque from his medicine basket, its surface faintly engraved with mountain and river patterns, and handed it to Su Jing. Su Jing took the plaque, and the moment her fingertips touched it, a system notification sounded: [Detected the cultivation world exclusive item "Simplified Cultivation Map," activated! Currently displaying the route "Qingyun Sect Foothills - Demon Beast Valley," with marked danger areas (demonic beast activity areas, sect disciple patrol areas)]
A semi-transparent map immediately popped up on the panel. The green route extended from the current location to the "Monster Valley" to the west, the red dots marked the "Azure Wolf Activity Area", and the yellow dotted line was the "Azure Cloud Sect Patrol Route", which was clear and easy to understand.
Su Jing put away the map and smiled at Qing He: "Then let's set off. Thank you for your help."
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