Chapter 107: Poison and the Spear
After examining his spear for a while, Li Lang returned to Ruby's artifact space. He then got onto his computer and opened up the CAD software.
One could see a spear pulled up on his screen. He fidgeted around, creating internal compartments in it without affecting its structural integrity too much.
Working with a primitive weapon with no need to care for delicate circuitry meant it was just a quick job for Li Lang. He wasn't even an expert in this department, which showed how simple the design was.
He was essentially creating an oversized needle, but with hidden compartments. The only difficult part was due to him wanting to have multiple compartments for different types of poisons. There was also a mechanism to coat the spear tip with poisons, but those seemed trivial in comparison.
The catch was how to create such a spear in the real world. Li Lang didn't have access to the various metals or precise machinery. He would have to rely on old-school craftsmanship to get his way.
The next day, he got up early and sought Long Yi's help. The man had been taking the artificer trials, so it was a given that he had carried some materials.
"Are you sure just Aqua Night Iron would do? I didn't really have a large selection of materials because my mentor made me work with the same few types of metals all the time."
"It's fine. I just want to know if you can bring this design to life," Li Lang laid out the sketches he had traced down from the CAD software.
"Hm, it should be fine."
With those words, Long Yi disappeared into a room. It was an artificer workshop. Unlike alchemy or brushweaving, the forge artificers used were much too large to carry around. The pocket realm seemed to have taken this under consideration and provided a few rooms equipped with a forge.
Li Lang would rather not get in the way, so he returned and began brewing the various toxins he could create with what he had.
He was a biodefense expert, which meant he was familiar with various exotic poisons, too. However, he was a complete beginner when it came to Qi poisons. He had no idea where to get started. That was why he simply crafted his mundane poison as usual and only added his Qi as an afterthought.
His supplies of materials were limited, so he only produced three small vials, each consisting of different compounds. It didn't help he had limited tools, so he couldn't create anything sophisticated.
All this work only took one day. He was soon left with a spear and bottles of poison. The thought of experimenting with his new toys began to take over Li Lang's mind. Any plans to take the trial had been thrown out the window.
The next morning, he didn't hesitate to exit out into the wilderness once more. This time, he didn't plan to stray too far away. That meant the Qi beasts he would encounter would be far weaker than before. Only those of low level hung around the mountain they had been transported into.
Li Lang confirmed his new spear worked one final time by pushing a hidden button on the hilt. Immediately, a mysterious liquid was secreted from the spear tip.
A giant mouse of some sort descended on Li Lang, and he quickly got to testing. If an uninformed spectator was present, they would have trouble identifying the aggressor. He had no qualms about exerting the full power of a sixth stage Energy Gatherer despite facing up against a lower-stage Qi beast.
He hungrily stabbed his spear into his victim and pressed the button. A wail could be heard from the Qi beast before it swiftly recovered. Li Lang could see it had reflexively defended itself with Qi.
He theorized the moment an external substance comes into contact with the owner's Qi, it would immediately cleanse the harmful substances. It was the holy panacea of cultivators that could defeat all detrimental substances with ease. It was a reason why cultivators were gods among mortal men. There was nothing they could do to go against them.
That was why Li Lang decided to test the second cartridge in his spear next. It contained the poison that was infused with his Qi after the crafting process. It was eerily similar to infusing Qi into an ink stick.
He was currently only equipped with one type of poison in his spear. The other two types could wait. Right now, he needed to test if the quantity of Qi infused mattered, and if so, how much it mattered.
The first attempt contained zero traces of Qi, which understandably, was easily countered by the beast. The second attempt fared better. The weakly infused poison managed to persist in the Qi beast's system for several breaths before it was terminated. The effects were weak, but were indeed present.
The next tests showed a similar result. The more Qi infused, the more effective the poison was and the longer it lasted.
Hmm, I should pay attention to the onset time with the next few tests. I need to see if infusing it with Qi would affect it in other ways other than duration.
The research was tedious. Many things had to be recorded other than their reaction to the poisons. This included the characteristics of the Qi beast, its cultivation, size, and much more.
Li Lang didn't end it with just one day of testing. He went through with it for an entire week. This was due to how absorbed he got into his studies and was supported by the pocket realm for not deducting his trial points over the duration of the tests.
He got to the point of wanting to capture these Qi beasts himself, just like demonic cultivators did for trade. However, the only thing stopping him was the lack of space, cages, and feed.
This meant there was a limit to how accurate his results were. He wasn't able to make observations twenty-four-seven. Despite that, he still polished up his theories from the results.
The results were straightforward. The more Qi infused into the poison, the harder it was for the infected to cleanse it with their Qi. With his cultivation being at the sixth stage, the most powerful poison he had made managed to affect a Qi beast in the third stage for over ten minutes.
The only thing that made him scratch his head was exactly how much weaker the poison was compared to what he knew and why. The aconitine poison he made was supposed to induce rapid paralysis or even death. Its effects against Qi beasts were severely weakened. It only managed to slow down their movements.
Li Lang believed that infusing Qi left the poison with some means to defend itself from the internal Qi of its target. It was like sneaking a bunch of saboteurs with armed guards. The more Qi, the stronger the defensive detail.
The body of whoever was poisoned would have the home ground advantage, enabling them to send wave after wave to eliminate the threat. This resulted in the poison inevitably being neutralized sooner or later.
He logged every detail about his research activities before compiling some detailed notes to help him pick it back up in the future. For now, his resources were limited, and he would rather not trade trial points for more materials.
That wasn't the only reason he paused his poison research. If it were just resources he was lacking, he could've attempted to trade with other cultivators or ask a favor from his acquaintances. The other reason was that he planned to capture or buy Qi beasts for long-term study and experiment with other poisons.
Being able to observe them long-term was much more conducive to his studies.
That was why he decided to redirect his efforts to other pursuits that produced faster results.
With his matter settled, Li Lang took another tack to hone himself before he headed for the martial trials.
He had passed by the rooms for these trials several times already as he exited the facility. It took him no time at all to arrive in one of these rooms, where a lone sword was embedded into the ground.
He repeated what he had seen others doing and placed a hand on the hilt. Instantly, the familiar lights appeared before him and formed words. There wasn't any fanfare where he got transported somewhere else. The combat trials were straightforward and got to the point.
"Hunt down seven Spiral Stags and collect their horns."
Li Lang was familiar with the QI beast in question. They were one of the many species around the vicinity of the mountain and were low-level Qi beasts. In fact, he had experimented on several of them during his last week of research.
Well, it's time for some exercise. I have been indulging in a little too much desk work recently.
Chapter 108: Martial Trial
The first two rounds of the combat trial ended uneventfully for Li Lang. He had already been doing similar tasks when testing out his poisons on the Qi beasts. The task that came after hunting the Spiral Stags was simply to hunt several Crimson Simians.
With the strength of approximately a third stage Energy Gatherer, they weren't much physically stronger than the Spiral Stags. However, they were definitely more threatening. This was due to their relatively superior intelligence and traveling in larger troops. They employed group tactics that wore down their enemies.
While they were smarter, it also worked against them in this case. Those who relied on wits meant they had duller instincts. Li Lang's current skill set doesn't include any notable skills besides the Veiling Shroud technique.
It was an unusual technique for someone who was so young to practice. It lacked the power and flashiness the younger generation preferred. In return, the utility of the Qi art was unquestionable. The smokescreen it produced effectively neutralized the simians' coordination as they primarily relied on their sight. With their most vital skill in teamwork dealt with, Li Lang could easily dispatch them one by one.
Having completed the first two rounds, Li Lang expected the next one to move up in difficulty, facing Qi beasts comparable to middle-stage Energy Gatherers. His expectations were betrayed in short order.
Li Lang wore a frown as he stared at the lights that formed his new instructions.
"Hunt down the Shock Tortoise and retrieve its shell."
The new task was unexpected due to the sudden increase in the strength of his opponent. He had been warned by his companions before, but it was still unsettling to go from hunting down third stage Qi beasts to fifth stage. Based on the recounting by his friends, it was becoming more and more obvious that something capable of thought monitored everyone during their trials.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to provide such targeted rewards or customize the task at hand.
Li Lang was not too excited about this new round of the martial trial. It wasn't because he expected a hard fight, but instead, the species he hunted.
Shock Tortoises were solitary creatures. This meant he would only attain one shell. He wanted to have Ruby take a sample as he had been doing. Hunting another Shock Tortoise was always an option, but these solitary beasts weren't easy to find. It would affect his evaluation unless he got lucky.
Also, the tortoises were huge. Just their shell were several sizes larger than a king-sized bed. It would prove difficult to carry two shells out of the rugged terrain of the forest due to their bulkiness alone.
Having accepted the new task, Li Lang could only head out. He didn't forget to grumble, but in his mind, he had to come to terms with giving up on the specimen.
The trials confiscated the materials he hunted once he completed his mission. It would disappear the moment he set foot in any of the rooms with a sword in the middle. At first, he panicked for a second, thinking it was Ruby's doing, but it seemed like there were other things out in the world that could replicate a similar feat.
None of the other cultivators had made a fuss about it because it was similar to how space rings worked. It may be on another scale as it managed to store items in such a wide area, but the function was familiar enough to the common cultivator.
With his reward on the line, Li Lang soon dove straight back into the forest.
He hadn't seen a Shock Tortoise in person before, so he had to pay careful attention to his surroundings. The tortoises were known to dig part of its body underground as it sunbathed. It made them increasingly hard to find.
It was at moments like this that Li Lang wished he had a radar scanner or of that sort to do the searching for him.
Hmm, I heard there are radar-like Qi arts starting from the upper stages of Energy Gathering. I just need to be able to manipulate my Qi from range to train in these must-have abilities.
The hunt always put Li Lang on edge, as he couldn't rely on the warding talisman to prevent ambushes anymore. If he did so, all the Qi beasts would run far away from him.
Thankfully, Li Lang managed to find a Shock Tortoise just before the sky began to darken.
The fight was uneventful, as Li Lang never resorted to typical methods. Tortoise-type Qi beasts were often feared for their defensive capabilities. Many cultivators proud of their strength would strive to break apart the shell. The more agile fighters preferred precise strikes in the gaps.
Either way, the Shock Tortoises weren't easy opponents. They may often idle when at rest, but once they got into a confrontation, the beasts moved at surprising speeds. It went without saying that it wasn't easy to land a powerful or precise blow on fast-moving targets.
However, in Li Lang's case, the fight went about the same as his experimental sessions. Li Lang only focused on targeting the flesh of the tortoise, stabbing out his spear whenever he had the chance. His power or precision wasn't anything special, so it only resulted in shallow wounds.
Li Lang did not mind. He knew he wasn't a talented fighter; he preferred to be in his lab more. Nevertheless, he was able to dominate the tortoise throughout the entire encounter due to the poisons he had made.
He used the most potent poison he had made and administered it by using his spear. The tiny cuts added up as more poison seeped in. Consistent with his tests, the effects of the poison depended greatly on the difference in cultivation level between him and the target. As he was only one stage above the Shock Tortoise, it only managed to slow down its movements.
Still, that made all the difference. That was because it allowed Li Lang to land more blows. More blows meant more poison, creating a positive feedback loop for the tortoise. It was whittled down and there wasn't anything it could do about it.
It allowed Li Lang to focus on observing its reaction and measure the results of his poisons. It was the first time he used it against a relatively more powerful subject. He even had the leeway to try other types of poisons, but the effects were the same. It only slowed down the victim, without any other effects he had expected.
The consistency of the results allowed him to let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to prolong the fight any longer to observe any new phenomenon.
Now, to get the shell off…
The harvesting task was not a pretty sight. It was wet, smelly, and mushy.
After spending a whole hour, Li Lang finally managed to separate its shell from the rest of the body.
Staring down at the body, he watched as it faded out of existence. Ruby had taken in the rest of the remains. The corpse had a lot of useful information to analyze pertaining to the poison. It was only when Li Lang understood what it did that he could work to improve it.
Qi added too many variables to the equation, so he wanted every sample he could get.
The tortoise soon joined the backlog for the auto-analyzer, and Li Lang swiftly returned once more.
When he heard what the next task was, he swiftly decided to give up for now. He didn't believe he should put himself in mortal danger just to pass another round. He preferred a steady pace. The next task directly went against that.
It asked him to hunt down a pair of Steel Sparrows, that were peak middle-stage of Energy Gathering Qi beasts.
Li Lang's skill set didn't match well against their fast-flying targets, and the fight would be filled with danger. The risk was just not worth it, as he considered the implications of being injured. The pocket realm didn't care for the wounded. Those who were recovering simply lost trial points as they idled each day.
He believed it was a purposefully enacted system to discourage reckless behavior. That was why Li Lang decided he wouldn't push his limits when he still had a decent leeway.
"I will give up here," Li Lang muttered.
A moment later, the familiar bright light overtook the room before presenting Li Lang with his next prize.
He had set his goals before even starting the trial. For combat, he wasn't too worried about it, as he was lacking too much in that department. However, there were two techniques he preferred. One was anything relating to poison. He believed it wasn't likely to get a manual specializing in that. It simply wasn't compatible with a combat trial.
The other was a type of specialized martial art. With the newly customized spear that he got Long Yi to make, it wouldn't do if he didn't have any techniques to properly wield it.
The only current offensive martial art he knew was a kick. It was about time to expand that arsenal, and what better way than to secure a spear technique?
It only took a moment for Li Lang to skim the new cultivation manual in hand to know he had gotten precisely what he wanted. The Gliding Coil Spear Art was a comprehensive manual that didn't include just one move. It had various stances and movements on how to wield a spear.
Interesting. I never got the chance to encounter such comprehensive martial arts before. This could give me some ideas on how to get started on creating my own techniques.
As a biodefense expert, Li Lang had ample knowledge of the human body and its limits. That didn't mean he could compile a martial art from it, though. He needed to peruse many techniques and explore their mechanics before he was ready for that. Even then, it would be a lot of trial and error.
In the meantime, Li Lang was happy enough to focus on learning his new Spear Art.
If I do well, I wonder if I can get a martial intent like that Liang Po guy did. He did say he attained his intent by simply mastering the sword…No, I'm getting ahead of myself. Don't get distracted, Li Lang. Copy the manual over into Ruby first!
Chapter 109: Pressure
Having earned a new technique to practice, Li Lang was eager to get started right away. Before that, he would have to record its contents in Ruby first. While the cultivation manual for the Gliding Coil Spear Art only lasted for a day, that didn't matter to Li Lang, as he recorded everything on his lab computer within Ruby.
Day after day, he would practice a new chapter of the comprehensive manual. There was a lot to digest, but many parts of it were simple. However, just because it was simple didn't mean it was easy. It required many hours of training to get to the starting line.
These techniques were so extensive because they contained not only the fancy moves, but how to respond to various situations. It also contained numerous basic moves, such as how to thrust out a spear, or basic footwork, and how they chained together.
The main crux of it was how to flexibly maneuver a spear around, changing direction mid-trajectory. The coiling snake-like movements were its main characteristic. However, the unpredictable movements weakened its penetrating power.
Unlike the previous techniques Li Lang had received, the new spear art wasn't just a minor technique. That meant it required drastically more time for Li Lang to get the hang of it. He had allotted a permanent time slot every day to practice it while he rotated out his other techniques.
Training in crafting techniques may have the side benefits of improving one's Qi control, but it couldn't compare to a proper martial art. While the spear art didn't include any Qi arts that produced ranged attacks, the manipulation of Qi within the body amply trained its practitioners to wield Qi in an explosive manner.
All of Li Lang's companions had been doing the same over this time, practicing the various martial arts or Qi arts they received.
It caused their daily get-togethers to become shorter and shorter as they had less to discuss. Instead, they allocated it more to training. Everyone knew the longer the pocket realm went, the harder it became.
All the low-hanging fruits would already be plucked. To earn more trial points, one had to pass increasingly difficult trials. As time passed, the pressure grew. The entire atmosphere gradually changed as people talked with their peers less and less.
Li Lang himself was oblivious to all this for months, busying himself with his spear art. He had only noticed because of an inadvertent event he witnessed on his way to the mess hall.
"Senior, please! Spare me some of your time today. I really need your guidance!" a young man yelled out, drawing everyone's attention.
The volume of his shouting even drew Li Lang away from his thoughts. He turned to find the young boy grasping his supposed senior's sleeve.
The elder disciple simply flicked his sleeve to get the boy off of him.
"Bi An, there is nothing I can do for you. You have barely improved even after I have tried to help you several times. It seems I don't have the ability to guide you. Please search for someone else."
Just as the senior disciple tried to walk away, the junior called Bi An lunged down, holding onto his senior's knee.
"Please! Don't abandon me, Senior. You're my only hope."
The senior looked down at the desperate pleas of his fellow disciple and sighed. He then peeled each finger off of him.
"I'm sorry. I can barely keep up handling myself. I don't have time to spare for others. You should've listened to Elder Ke and surrendered the quota you received due to your connections. I'm afraid you won't be able to stay here for much longer."
As the senior walked away this time, the junior didn't persist any longer. He simply lay there on the ground and slammed a fist onto the floor.
With the spectacle over, the spectators quickly resumed what they were doing, as if nothing happened at all. Li Lang did the same.
He retold the story to his companions at the mess hall to get their opinion on the matter.
"What do you guys think? Why are they being so dramatic all of a sudden?"
"Li Lang you…" Huang Si didn't finish his sentence and sighed.
Everyone else showed a troubled expression and kept their silence. That was except for Wei Ping.
"B-boss. Did y-you forget? The trial points are limited. P-people are getting a-anxious as their points d-dwindles."
"Are they dwindling already? That fast?"
Li Lang's naive statements caused everyone to shake their heads.
"Not everyone dabbles in multiple crafts like you," Huang Si commented. "For many, the martial trial is their only trial. After almost half a year, it's no wonder there are a few who are having issues making progress. As valuable as those techniques we receive are, we normally have at least a year to master them. Asking us to make progress without any roadblocks is too cruel."
His comments made Li Lang reflect on his experience so far. It was true that he occasionally struggled to make any progress in either his brushweaving, alchemy, or martial techniques on some days. When that happened, he fell into old habits and focused on other things. If he was having trouble making headways in alchemy, he could retreat to brushweaving or martial techniques.
That had led him to rarely ever lose a single trial point. In fact, he only lost points near the beginning when he spent too much time inside the artifact space.
"Then why don't they just practice other techniques when they're stuck? It's what I do."
"Really?" Huang Si groaned. "If that were the case, then people wouldn't be feeling the pressure already. The pocket realm doesn't recognize the efforts you put into techniques it hasn't provided you with. That's why everyone is focusing so hard on the technique they received."
"Yeah, and when they hit a roadblock, they only get more desperate and reckless. They reach beyond what they're capable of, injuring or overworking themselves. It becomes a downward spiral that devolves into a heart demon," Sima Xue interjected. "I've been having to deal with fellow disciples to prevent them from having the same issue. I'm tired."
Li Lang glanced over at the girl, who was resting her head on the table. He tried to ignore her so far, thinking not to bother her when she was down, but her words had explained the reason for her fatigue. He couldn't help but think back to the newcomers and interns at the labs.
Moving by reflex, he closed the distance and placed a hand on her shoulder and consoled her.
"Keep up the good work and remember to take breaks. Things will get better."
Sima Xue glanced back at him blankly before responding with a delayed nod.
There was an awkward moment where no one else said anything upon seeing the scene until Tang Yulian cleared her throat.
"Well, it's time for me to go. I have to watch over my fellow disciples, and I can't slack off myself either."
One left, causing the dam to be broken. Sima Xue took the cue and left immediately after, and then Huang Si. This left the trio by themselves.
"So…" Li Lang exchanged looks with the remaining two. "How are you guys doing? Have you been losing trial points as well?"
"I'm fine," Long Yi said with a puffed-up chest. "I have Artificer techniques to fall back on."
"Oh, you're actually making progress with that?"
"What do you mean by that?!"
"I mean, weren't you always complaining about it? I thought you'd lose interest in it eventually."
"Just because I whine doesn't mean I don't like it. I'll have you know that I'm making good progress in learning how to craft an actual artifact, you know."
"Then does that mean you're able to create an artifact?"
"No," Long Yi sighed as the sail was taken out of him. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. It requires a beast core, and I'd rather not go up against any peak Energy Gathering Qi beasts. Thankfully, my trials don't require me to create an artifact yet."
Li Lang shrugged and turned to Wei Ping.
"If Long Yi is doing well, you must be too, right?"
"It's…c-complicated. Woodsmithing is very t-time intensive. The time acceleration c-chambers they have here cost trial p-points to use, so I can't say my b-balance is healthy."
The three spent more time going over their experiences before Li Lang discreetly took a sample of each of them. He couldn't take a break from monitoring the effects of the Cleansing Drug.
He noticed the gains had fallen slightly, but the spiritual roots did seem to still be improving. He believed it had gotten used to the level of strain he subjected them to, but they couldn't easily increase the workload because of the daily limit of Cleansing Drugs. One could only use six doses a day.
Poison was in its quantity. One could even get water poisoning with sufficient dosage. The body simply needed some time to filter out the residual contents of the pill.
After obtaining the sample, the three also proceeded to disband, but not without a bomb of an announcement. Long Yi casually dropped some news for his two friends when they were just about to part ways.
"So guys. I think I'm already ready to break through soon. I just need to have a few fights to pressure myself, and I think I can do it. With that said, could you two accompany me on a trip outside tomorrow?"
Chapter 110: Seeking a Fight
"Sure, I don't mind, but if it's pressure to hone yourself is what you need, wouldn't it be more effective for you to go alone? " Li Lang replied.
"B-boss, it's—"
Before Wei Ping could explain, Long Yi held up a hand to silence Wei Ping.
"I'll explain. Rumors are spreading that some people have been targeting others outside. Those who are frustrated with their bottlenecks are lashing out. They may not be able to kill under the pocket realm's watch, but injuring others could cause them to lose trial points as they spend time on recovery."
"Targeting others, but what benefits does that give them?"
"That, I don't know. Probably just venting their jealousy? Happens a lot back in my village even for minor things. That's why I've gotten into my fair share of fights," Long Yi grinned.
"I see. Anyway, what does it feel like to almost be at the next stage? I assume the jump from the sixth stage to the seventh stage isn't the same as the one from third to fourth?"
"To be honest, I don't feel anything different. It's just that I have noticed myself retaining control of my Qi even when it loses contact with me. It may be for a split second, but I can feel it every time."
The trio only talked a little while longer before they separated. They had set a time to meet up tomorrow and returned to their training.
It had been months since Li Lang had set foot outside of the mountain. He had been busy training his new spear art. This made him change up his plans and focus on preparing for the outing. It would be his first time testing out the Gliding Coil Spear Art in a real fight. He needed to make ample preparation.
That involved preparing the poisons. He felt it had a high affinity with his spear art, as it compensated for its lack of damage potential. It reinforced the notion that the artifact spirit operating the realm was watching. If he wanted to receive a technique relating to poisons, he would have to make liberal use of it.
The next morning, the trio set off without any issues. The verdant green forest greeted them along with the purple sky and yellow clouds.
The nearby cultivators wore guarded looks as they went about their business. Everyone was careful not to be followed, so Li Lang's group lost sight of anyone else the moment they left the vicinity of the mountain.
"Did you have a destination in mind?" Li Lang asked.
"Yes, I found a strange forest a distance away in that direction," Long Yi pointed toward the opposite direction of the desert Li Lang once visited. "There are quite a few powerful Qi beasts there around my level."
"Strange? How strange?"
"Just weird-looking trees."
With a guide at the lead, the trio silently made their way across the forest. They didn't use the warding talisman as they were together. Even if Long Yi was alone, he rarely used it anyway. As the more martial of the three, he preferred to hone his skills on any opponent he could find.
There was a gap in mentality between the combat-oriented Long Yi and his companions.
Li Lang attributed it to the continual success of fights Long Yi had experienced. The dopamine from victories was addictive. Since he had the skills to acquire said victories, it became an addictive loop. In Li Lang's opinion, fighting wasn't something fun or enjoyable, but a last resort. He preferred peacefully researching to the adrenaline-filled excitement.
However, this world wasn't a peaceful one. Those who were too weak were prone to get things taken from them. Li Lang only knew that too well. That was why he had dedicated so much of his time to his combat techniques.
The foes closest to the mountain were weak, growing stronger as they headed further out. With Long Yi making short work of any nearby Qi beasts, the three managed to cut through the forest with no problems.
The first thing they saw upon exiting the forest was the rocky landscape before them. The sedimentary rock formations were just flat enough for one to cross.
It also provided an ample view of their surroundings, preventing ambushes.
That was why they were caught off-guard when the ground trembled, followed by an ear-piercing explosion a short distance away. It was followed by a wail from some large beast.
The sound didn't die down after that, with short clashes being heard. It soon became clear that there was a fight going on near the trio.
"It's c-coming from over there."
"Pick up our pace?" Long Yi suggested.
"No. W-we should c-check it out first s-since it's so close."
"He's right," Li Lang added. "If it's something dangerous, it would easily spot us if we continue on. We need to see what is causing that first before deciding to proceed or retreat into the forest."
While they conversed, the sound of fighting continued. The three cautiously approached the scene. The sound indicated they were close, but they couldn't catch sight of anything yet. They soon discovered the reason for that.
The fight was located in a quarry; a pit of sorts. The vantage point they had from looking down on the fight below gave them a lot of information.
First, there was a fight going on between an elemental golem and a cultivator.
The stone golem was easily three times the height of the boy and moved with surprising agility. One could easily surmise that it had comparable strength to someone at the peak of Energy Gathering.
Its opponent was also someone the trio was familiar with. Even at a distance, it was hard not to notice the signature white hair of the talented cultivator they had once met. Not once had they seen anyone inside the pocket realm with hair of a similar color. Once they focused their Qi into their eyes, they confirmed it was indeed the genius from the Myriad Bones Pavilion, Liang Po!
He was currently engaged in combat, darting around the quarry, dodging the blows from the golem. He occasionally sent out Qi art attacks, but the golem received his blows with no issue.
Still, Liang Po showed a relaxed expression. In fact, he was even smiling slightly, as if he was having a good time.
"This is the first time we've seen that guy actually fighting," Long Yi commented.
"Does that mean his martial intent doesn't work on that thing?" Li Lang wondered.
"Either way. I d-don't think he w-would lose to that golem. He's a-already in the eighth stage!"
The trio took a few moments to marvel at the genius' strength. He had grown a lot since their last meeting. Not only that, he was also fighting against an opponent with a higher cultivation on relatively equal ground. While the fight wasn't decisive, it was hard for anyone to doubt his victory from how relaxed he was.
This caused the group to quickly decide to proceed. Owing to the loud clash that scared away any nearby creatures, the three of them crossed the stony area peacefully, albeit with some background noise.
They soon rested their eyes upon a forest full of dried, leafless trees that were as wide as a house. However, the sight wasn't dreary at all. The trees varied in color, with some red, blue, yellow, green, and various others. It almost looked like a children's playground to Li Lang.
Another strange thing about them was how they were all rooted in the stone beneath them. The terrain of the area was still stony, with no soil in sight. The density of trees made it hard to peer into it as well.
Li Lang didn't have to wonder what type of Qi beast resided here for long. The second they stepped passed the treeline, a chameleon the size of a large bike leaped down from a tree. It had camouflaged itself while holding onto the trunk.
Thankfully, Long Yi expected it. He easily intercepted the Qi beast and began fighting it.
Li Lang and Wei Ping quickly took cover, as their role was simply to observe unless it was an emergency.
Li Lang was excited to observe the new Qi beast at first, but the fight quickly became a stalemate. The chameleon was too flexible, leaping from tree to tree, preventing Long Yi from pinning it down.
"B-boss, pay attention to t-the surrounding trees. We c-can't have another of t-those things ambush us."
"Sure."
Li Lang immediately agreed, as his curiosity had shifted over to the new mutant trees. He planned to take the chance to have Ruby absorb a few branches.
Just as he began to distance himself from Wei Ping, the chameleon Long Yi was fighting let out a screech. When Li Lang turned to the sound, his eyes widened upon seeing the scene. It appeared their friend successfully landed a blow with his Qi art. However, the thing that drew Li Lang's attention was neither the Qi beast nor Long Yi himself.
Instead, his attention lay on the tree behind the beast. Long Yi's attack had broken the bark, and the tree was leaking out sap. The sap had a high viscosity and was slowly dripping out. The thing that piqued Li Lang's interest was its color. It was the same color as the blue tree behind it, except it was a shade lighter.
I need to get a sample of each of these trees!
Chapter 111: Tree Sap
Sap could tell you a lot about a tree. While the sap of different species of trees differed in appearance, it could still give hints about their physiological state or health conditions.
Upon seeing the blue sap, various thoughts raced across Li Lang's mind. The blue color could be due to the presence of pigments like anthocyanins or other plant-based compounds. However, Li Lang knew better than to blindly analyze using the methods devised in his world when he was no longer there.
Qi added a perplexing variable to everything. Nevertheless, he wanted to study this new material.
This was because of the knowledge he had learned from his brushweaving trial rewards. After completing the third round with overlapping runes, he received the text, The History of Brushweaving.
Within it told a story of how the art of brushweaving evolved over time. It started off with using the blood of Qi beasts as ink and then transitioned into more accessible and sustainable forms. Their predecessors experimented with various other alternatives, including plant-based ink that the modern version was based on.
In the current age, woodsmiths cultivated special kinds of trees to be used as the base material for brushweaving ink. It could hold a perfect copy of a person's Qi, with all its properties, and free from any contamination. Before they had reached that development, they had experimented with tree saps as well, which got Li Lang curious.
While the modern ink was all-encompassing and had little room for improvement, at the end of the day, it was still an all-rounder type of product. Specialized items usually produced better results in certain situations, which was exactly what Li Lang wanted to investigate.
He had currently given up on the fourth round of the brushweaving trial because it was too difficult to accomplish with the materials at hand. Talismans that contained three runes normally required Earth-grade materials which only Foundation Establishment cultivators could properly wield. It did so by increasing the capacity of Qi the talisman could hold.
In theory, it wasn't impossible for an Energy Gatherer to inscribe a three-rune talisman. They would have to use other less efficient methods to surmount the requirements. That meant using rare materials that were at the peak of the mortal grade. Rare materials like these had better uses elsewhere and were normally too expensive to be worthwhile for brushweavers to create consumables like talismans.
That was why Li Lang began to have ideas when he read about the history of brushweaving. He wanted to experiment with various plant-based materials. However, that wasn't something he had on hand, so he had relegated it for later.
Now that he had spotted an interesting material, he was dying to investigate it.
Blood differed from beast to beast. Plant-based materials are a much better alternative for my experiments because of their consistency. While they won't be able to hold the full properties of my Qi, it should also work to my advantage by omitting the properties irrelevant to my inscription.
While Long Yi continued his fight with the chameleon Qi beast, Li Lang inched closer to the nearby trees. He thrust out his spear and began to draw sap from them.
The surrounding forest had a colorful selection of trees, and Li Lang wanted to go through all of them. Li Lang's eyes widened when he realized the sap from each tree was always a shade lighter than the color of the bark.
He immediately ordered Ruby to absorb some, to be placed into the auto-analyzer.
As much as he wanted to watch over the process in the artifact space right away, it wouldn't be wise for him to do so when he was right next to an active battlefield.
He made his time productive and continued to collect various samples while steering clear of the clash. He didn't forget to break off some branches and the soil underneath.
By the time he was done, he found Long Yi still whittling away at his opponent. The chameleon had surprising regenerative abilities. Marks of its freshly closed wounds could be seen all over as it leaped all over the place.
It would futilely try to counterattack after receiving Long Yi's attack. Unfortunately for it, Long Yi was well prepared and could dodge its attempts with ease.
The battle wouldn't last forever, as both sides would tire eventually. With the chameleon constantly taking damage from Long Yi's attack, it proved to be the first one to run out of steam. With it came the end of its life.
Seeing the fight was over, Li Lang and Wei Ping approached their friend.
"A-are you okay?"
"Yeah. It was more annoying than challenging, but I'm sure an adult Fearful Wyrm would be able to put me to the test."
Li Lang took a moment to glance over at the corpse of the chameleon. It was already quite large, almost the same size as them. He could only imagine the size of an adult.
"How big do they grow?"
"The ones I've seen were almost two times larger than this one. This should just be an adolescent."
While Li Lang wouldn't mind studying these Qi beasts as well, he already had a full plate. There wasn't anything pressing he could gain from studying these beasts. That was why he didn't bother asking any more questions and followed Long Yi's lead. He was the only one among the three who had been there, and also their most capable fighter. The only drawback was that he had to refrain from taking the corpses into Ruby, as he didn't want to reveal his secret yet.
As Long Yi had suspected, his fights against the larger chameleons proved to be more challenging. It made his companions struggle to judge when they should intervene. The action was fast. Decisions had to be made quickly.
The two did believe in Long Yi's capabilities, so in the end, they didn't have to intervene even once.
That didn't mean Long Yi had won every fight. Sometimes, the reptiles would flee after a short exchange, and Long Yi failed to catch up. Still, Long Yi was able to complete his objective of gaining valuable combat experience.
It didn't magically help him with his breakthroughs or anything, but the stimulation it gave was the most popular method among cultivators wanting to take that next step. Perhaps after some time to digest this experience, it may loosen his bottleneck.
Before the artificial skies began to darken, the trio decided to call it a day and make their return.
Long Yi was tired from the physical exertion, and Li Lang was busy in his head, thinking up ways to set his brushweaving ink experiment. That was why Wei Ping was the first one to notice the approaching threat.
"There's s-someone over there c-coming toward us!"
The three glanced over slightly left of where they were walking toward and found the figure of a person.
It didn't take long for them to spot the silver hair, informing them exactly who it was.
Instantly, memories of their time in The Orchid Covenant's competition arose. During the first round of that competition, the man before them had effortlessly defeated multiple fellow competitors. It left a lasting impression of how strong the young man was, and that he wasn't shy about using force.
"What should we do?" Long Yi asked with a tinge of panic. "You don't think he's going to fight us, is he?"
"I d-did hear rumors of p-people fighting each other o-out here."
"It's hard to say. I want to say he means no harm if he's openly walking toward us like that, but in Liang Po's case, it's impossible to read his intentions. Get ready to use our trump card."
"Shouldn't we just run?"
"You think we can outrun someone that can fight against a Qi beast equal to a peak Energy Gathering expert?"
Long Yi was speechless at Li Lang's retort. The three could only tug on the talismans within their robes. They knew about the martial intent ability Liang Po had, so each of them was ready to deploy their talisman at any sight of danger.
"Relax, boys. Why are you all so tense? You were way more relaxed when you were spectating my battle, right?" the silver-haired boy shouted as he briskly made his way toward the trio.
As the one with the most contact with the young powerhouse, Li Lang stepped forward.
"We didn't mean to intrude on your fight."
"Oh, I didn't mean to place any blame on you guys. I don't mind. I just got curious about you guys."
"Curious about us? We aren't doing anything interesting. Just fighting Qi beasts in the forest."
"No, not about what you're doing, but you guys, in general. I heard you guys are on good terms with the people over at the Nightmoon Valley. You never mentioned that during our last chat. I'm a big fan of them."
Li Lang briefly exchanged looks with his companions.
"We are just in debt to a senior within their ranks. We don't have any special relationship with them. If you want to speak with someone from Nightmoon Valley, you can come to the mess hall in the evenings."
While Li Lang would've been more hesitant to direct this man to his friend before, he felt a lot more comfortable doing so now that he knew of Tang Yulian's breakthrough. Despite the strength Liang Po had showcased, it wasn't realistic for him to best someone in the Foundation Establishment realm. Especially one who was hailed as one of the top geniuses of the same generation as him.
"So that's how you see it. Well, whatever. It seems like this place doesn't let me take it easy. I'm being hurried along with my cultivation, so I'll catch you all later."
The three watched as Liang Po proceeded to walk deeper into the forest they had just exited from. There wasn't long until nighttime, so he would likely be spending the night there. None of them bothered to give him any advice and only resumed their journey once his figure disappeared from view.
"Well, that went well," Long Yi muttered.
Wei Ping nodded, while Li Lang didn't even bother to respond as he got on his way.
Now that he had filled up on a promising material, he was eager to look into their properties. The instant Liang Po left, he had swiftly forgotten about him. He felt perhaps the tree saps he harvested would be suitable for brushweaving. His gut feeling told him it would be the key to allowing him to make further progress.
Chapter 112: Playing with Ink
As they had planned, the trio were able to return to the mountain before night fell.
While they were scheduled to meet up with their peers in the mess hall, Li Lang headed straight for his chambers instead.
Long Yi and Wei Ping could only shake their heads at their friend's antics, as they gathered their thoughts on how they would explain to their other acquaintances.
It didn't take long for Li Lang to return to his chambers, where he immediately delved into Ruby's artifact space.
"How much longer until the analysis of the sap is done?"
"The first batch is already done, master!"
"If it's that fast, then the Qi must not be that strong. Well, that's fine as well."
Li Lang nodded to himself before heading over to the auto-analyzer to throw in the next batch of ink. The first one analyzed was the light blue one, and there were several other colors waiting to be examined as well.
He then headed over to his computer and began going over the results. A frown slowly formed on his face. Once he had read through everything, he materialized a sample into his hands, so he could inspect it visually.
"Strange. It doesn't have anything that should make it take on this color. Is it the effects of the Qi?"
That question was answered once the second batch of sap was analyzed. It revealed almost identical makeup to the first. This caused Li Lang to view the material with even more scrutiny.
However, there was only so much he could glean from eyeballing it, so he soon began to use the sap in a round of inscribing. As he had done with the ink sticks, Li Lang began to infuse his Qi into it. It was likely he had to mix it with several other ingredients to form a proper ink, but a quick test with just the sap was enough for now.
His mentor, Yi Lin, had warned him of the increased difficulty of infusing Qi into liquid compared to solids. He experienced firsthand how true those words were. It was like the ink was slipping through his hands every time he tried to grasp it. It was much more straightforward when it was with something solid. With liquids, he had to worry if he had evenly infused it as well.
It took some time, but he eventually completed the task of preparing the ink. Next came the usual. He materialized some talisman paper and his brushweaving tools and got to it.
He started off with the simplest talismans, one that only emitted light.
When he began channeling his brushweaving techniques to transform his Qi into the runes, he surprisingly found that it had become a lot more arduous all of a sudden. It felt like he was trying to inscribe in mud. His movements were dull, and the flow of Qi was murky.
It made the entire inscription process last twice as long as usual. Even when he was done, Li Lang didn't hide his displeasure upon seeing the finished product. As a brushweaver with some experience now, he could intuitively tell the quality of his own work.
His gut feeling told him that the new talisman he produced was subpar compared to his usual light talismans. He didn't hesitate and actuated it to confirm his suspicions.
A soft, blue glow began to radiate from the talisman. The luminosity was noticeably dimmer. It also abruptly went out after only two seconds.
"Ruby, do you have any idea as to what went wrong? I don't think I screwed up in any part of the process."
"Master, I'm not sure either, but I think it's just because of the material you used. It didn't conduct the Qi that well."
Li Lang was just gathering different perspectives from a third party. Now that he was in another world, he no longer had other experts to consult with. It was a huge drawback for any researcher to lose access to the greater scientific community. Humans strived in numbers. One mind was sure to miss a few things and could only specialize in a limited range.
So it should be as I suspected. Let me do a few more tests and then try again with different talismans.
Like this, Li Lang inadvertently worked late into the night. He created new talismans with the blue ink and kept comparing the results. It was only when he performed dozens of attempts that he observed something irregular.
So far, all his tests have shown that the efficiency of this new ink was much worse compared to the usual ink. Li Lang believed it had something to do with the lack of preparation, using just the sap alone, but a different underlying cause should be present as well.
Those suspicions were confirmed when he attempted to inscribe a basic talisman of the water element.
As soon as his Moon Brush touched the talisman paper, he suddenly felt the flow of Qi break out like a dam. Everything had become smooth all of a sudden. Even the delicate part of the runes could be completed with ease, at record speed.
It was no surprise to Li Lang when he examined the effect of the completed product itself. The water talisman he had freshly inscribed produced over sixty percent more water than usual.
It seems like the blue tree sap is more conducive to the water element. No wonder, since my Vein Flow Calculation Method told me it's rich in water Qi. While my auto-analyzer can't make much out of the Qi aspect, thankfully I gained another avenue of analysis.
With the discovery, Li Lang was eager to see if those results were consistent with the saps of other colors. He examined them and found that the only difference was the element of Qi it contained.
Just like with the water talisman, he discovered that tree sap-turned-ink declined in performance when used for runes that were not affiliated with their elemental affinity. In turn, that meant it prospered when the conditions were right.
"This is just what I needed! If I am right, this shows that usual inks can carry all elementals, which makes it the most flexible all-rounder. These tree saps become ink that can mostly carry only their respective elemental Qi, refusing to hold other types. In theory, that should mean it contains less overall Qi as well!"
This discovery was very relevant to the issue Li Lang faced. To clear the next brushweaving trial, he needed to inscribe a three-rune talisman. The main challenge of that was the need for Earth-grade talisman paper to be able to hold all the Qi that the task entailed.
With the discovery of how the mechanics of Qi ink worked, Li Lang began getting several ideas. The most obvious one was that these elemental-locked ink took up less 'bandwidth' than their all-rounder counterpart. It shed the extra baggage of all other types of Qi, except one. This meant he could make do with Mortal-grade talisman paper that had a lower capacity.
Nevertheless, Li Lang wasn't foolish enough to jump straight to attempting the three rune talismans. He wanted to document the various properties of this new ink, and then experiment with combining other materials to make a more refined version of it.
After all, the viscosity of tree sap made it clunky to handle, and he wasn't sure how long it would adhere to the talisman paper, either.
Like this, Li Lang became obsessed with his new research for the next month. Each day he holed in the artifact space meant a trial point lost.
It was only when he ran out of materials to combine with the tree sap that he stopped. Following his theory, he mainly combined the tree sap with materials of similar elements. When he tried combining opposing elements, he found that they would refuse to mix together, like oil and water.
There's a lot more potential to be explored, but I've used up enough of my trial points. It's time to let up on it a little.
Just because he finally took a break from the artifact space didn't mean he stopped with his research. Back in reality, he completed his usual training and satisfied pocket realm before beginning his attempts at a three-rune talisman for real.
He had to make use of Ruby for that because he didn't have unlimited materials, nor would he want to risk inscribing such powerful talismans in reality. The more Qi a talisman contained, the more dangerous it was when the inscription failed.
The amount of Qi that bordered on the maximum a Mortal-grade material could hold would prove to be deadly to someone only in the sixth stage of Energy Gathering.
More time passed, and two months passed after he had attained the tree saps. After countless hours of experimenting and practicing, Li Lang successfully used the tree sap to create a new type of ink. Using this ink, he managed to inscribe a three-rune talisman within his lab.
It's about time I earn some trial points back. I should check out the other before I jump into the trials. I also need to procure the materials I've used here and test them out in reality first.
With those thoughts, Li Lang exited his room.