I run a Taoist temple in a bizarre world.

Chapter 111 Searching for the Spirit-Nourishing Vine

"I remember, it's not far from where Haojing needs the materials."

After saying that, Zhang Guanghai, who had already stood up, patted his buttocks and shrugged.

Since falling into this strange world tonight, their team has encountered numerous demons along the way.

After using [Boiling Blood Death] several times in a row, nearly half of his strength was depleted. Feeling the fatigue his body was experiencing, Zhang Guanghai spoke up.

"On the way to the mountainside of Juhu, I need to reduce the number of times I make a move."

"Otherwise, once we reach our destination, I won't be able to play much of a role."

"At that time, you two rookies who haven't even reached the next level will very likely be killed on the spot."

"So, it's up to the two of you now."

Zhang Guanghai's idea was simple.

We've come to Juhu Mountain again, and this is another opportunity for us to hone our combat skills.

Many of the Special Operations Bureau's daytime staff had visited Juhu Mountain. According to the information already gathered by the Special Operations Bureau, Juhu Mountain was an area with a relatively low level of danger.

The demons and evil spirits are mostly not very strong; they are weak creatures that like to appear in groups.

For example, when encountering Qingshan Temple, the wolf pack in the forest is a common but not very powerful group of monsters among the monsters of Juhu Mountain.

As long as they avoid entering the territory of the mountain lord on the other side of Juhu Mountain, with their team consisting of one first-level martial arts practitioner and two non-level spiritual masters, there are almost no dangerous places in the entire vast Juhu Mountain.

He Xiaoxiao and Wang Haojing also understood the meaning behind Zhang Guanghai's words.

They did not object to Zhang Guanghai's request.

"Alright, Brother Zhang, I've been training so hard lately, I'll show you the results!"

He Xiaoxiao puffed out her chest and slapped her hands upwards with a loud thud, showing off her "powerful" pectoral muscles.

Wang Haojing didn't want to give He Xiaoxiao any face at all and directly undermined her on the spot.

"You—uh—"

I felt a tremendous force on the top of my foot, and it was even spinning from side to side.

But Wang Haojing is not a man who gives in easily; he is not afraid at all!

The truth must be revealed to Captain Zhang!

If this woman's training can be called training.

His training was nothing but arduous practice!

"If you do this—"

After receiving a gaze that resembled that of a vengeful spirit, Wang Haojing reluctantly shut his mouth.

"fine----"

Zhang Guanghai didn't pay attention to the two men's little actions, as if he was already used to it. He spoke, emphasizing a certain word.

"In that case, let's set off. Xiaoxiao, you go first, Wang Haojing, you keep watch from behind," so that the monsters don't sneak up on you two.

Zhang Guanghai solemnly explained the departure location and key points to note.

It simply means to remain vigilant at all times, pay attention to any unusual movements around you, and only take other actions after ensuring your own safety.

These are all old news.

Zhang Guanghai's team had entered the Ghost World several times together, and He Xiaoxiao and Wang Haojing had heard this story many times before.

But the two of them still listened attentively to Zhang Guanghai's somewhat rambling explanation.

Having finished explaining, He Xiaoxiao said with a big smile.

"Brother Zhang, don't worry. Haojing is so experienced, he'll definitely be able to keep an eye on things behind him."

Her sweet appearance fits her persona at the Shicheng Special Operations Bureau.

Zhang Guanghai nodded, then began to determine their current location.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, He Xiaoxiao leaned close to Wang Haojing's ear, her smile still on her face, but her voice had clearly turned cold.

She said in a low voice.

"Wang Haojing, shut your stinking mouth and stop spouting nonsense!"

"If you keep babbling, it'll damage my reputation in the bureau, and I'll tear your mouth apart!"

The threat it contained was practically slamming into Wang Haojing's face.

Wang Haojing opened his mouth, trying to regain his former aura.

But the thought that this woman could now skillfully use her mental abilities, and with her current strength, she could hang him up and whip him like a top, since his abilities were geared towards reconnaissance.

Wang Haojing decided to temporarily avoid confrontation.

"----Um!

""

His exaggerated nasal tone was his last act of defiance.

At the same time, he secretly vowed to himself that once he obtained the materials needed for the advancement ceremony, he would...

After completing the advancement ritual and achieving the first rank.

He wanted to make this smiling tiger woman pay the price she deserved!

Wang Haojing responded.

He Xiaoxiao's smile returned to normal, and there was no longer a trace of threat in it.

She gently placed her hand on Wang Haojing's shoulder and said with satisfaction.

"A wise man submits to circumstances, Xiao Hao, I have faith in you."

Feeling the weight on his shoulders, Wang Haojing forced a smile and nodded as if enduring humiliation.

"Um!!"

Meanwhile, not far away, Zhang Guanghai deliberately kept a distance from the two men.

After witnessing the interaction between the two, he could hardly conceal the amusement in his eyes.

"It turns out what the people in the bureau said was true."

"These two are really hooking up—"

Zhang Guanghai did not react much to this.

He's just a bit older, not old-fashioned. On the contrary, he's inexplicably looking forward to seeing Wang Haojing and He Xiaoxiao's "harmonious matchmaking" scene.

"A cheerful, sweet girl and a cunning, gloomy guy... That's interesting."

"Hmm? Brother Zhang, what are you muttering about?"

Having finished her conversation with Wang Haojing and preparing to depart, He Xiaoxiao approached Zhang Guanghai.

Seeing the strange smile on Zhang Guanghai's face, He Xiaoxiao asked in confusion.

"Cough cough, it's alright, let's go!"

"To our left front, about 100 meters away, there are three demonic creatures. They haven't reached the next level and will collide with our path. I suggest He Xiaoxiao eliminate them immediately!"

:

"To our right rear, about 100 to 90 meters away, there's an unusual monster, a first-tier one! It's rapidly approaching us. Brother Zhang, are you going to make a move?"

"He Xiaoxiao, don't go there! There's a faint abnormal reaction from a monster within 50 meters to our right. It's probably a monster that uses lurking and waiting as its hunting method. Let's go around it."

"No unusual behavior detected within 100 meters ahead, you can proceed!"

Throughout the journey, Wang Haojing acted like a human radar, constantly scanning their surroundings for any monsters.

After assessing the monster's strength, he ultimately decided whether to fight it directly, go around it, or run away.

If we could see the movement of Zhang Guanghai's small team.

You'll notice that their route isn't straight, but full of curves, bends, and even several turns.

But none of this stopped them from continuing to approach a certain place on the mountainside of Giant Lake.

It must be said that with Wang Haojing around, they were able to avoid a lot of pointless battles in advance and conserve their stamina as much as possible.

This has at least restored a significant portion of Zhang Guanghai's previously depleted stamina, making it possible for him to use [Boiling Blood Death] a couple more times.

Moreover, Wang Haojing's continuous exploration along the way allowed He Xiaoxiao to always find suitable monsters whose strength was not far beyond hers, so that she could hone her combat skills.

Moreover, constantly probing the surroundings was also a way for Wang Haojing to hone his extraordinary abilities.

This can only be described as killing three birds with one stone.

"stop."

Zhang Guanghai raised a hand, signaling the two to stop.

"What's wrong, Brother Zhang?"

He Xiaoxiao immediately stopped and asked in a low voice.

"We've arrived. It's just ahead."

Zhang Guanghai stretched out a finger and pointed in a direction in front of him.

Following the direction Zhang Guanghai pointed, He Xiaoxiao and Wang Haojing looked over together.

Through the mist and through the gaps in the trees, they could see about fifty meters in front of them.

The dense forest has receded considerably, revealing a shimmering area ahead.

"Haojing, use your mental energy to scan."

Zhang Guanghai began to speak.

Because the strange world was shrouded in a layer of eerie mist, and it was nighttime, visibility was poor.

Apart from Wang Haojing, whose abilities lean towards reconnaissance, who can use his powers to explore the entire area ahead, both he and He Xiaoxiao can only vaguely see the calm shimmering water.

Although he could roughly determine that this was their destination based on the nearby features and the unusually dense water-based fog mixed in the air.

But there's a spiritualist who can sense the environment beside us. Wouldn't it be a waste not to let him confirm the situation?

Wang Hao nodded in agreement, then closed his eyes and extended his spiritual energy forward.

About half a minute later, Wang Haojing wiped the sweat from his forehead, which had been dripping with sweat from exerting all his mental energy, and said excitedly.

"Brother Zhang, that's right! It's Crystal Lake!"

Wang Haojing withdrew his released spiritual power, and now he had a general idea of ​​what this area looked like in his mind.

A wide lake with a calm surface.

Since Wang Haojing is currently only an unranked individual, with his current strength, his mental power can only be fixed in one direction, extending to a distance of about 100 meters.

During his exploration, his mental energy extended fifty meters before reaching the lakeshore.

His mental energy extended another fifty meters, reaching the current limit of his mental energy probing, but the water surface still did not reach the end!

There are several lakes in the mountains.

But apart from the crystal lake, the rest are very small, the widest of which is no more than thirty meters in size.

It is nowhere near as wide as the lake in front of me now.

Upon receiving confirmation from Wang Haojing, Zhang Guanghai immediately spoke.

"Now that we're here, let's go! Let's finish this quickly."

"We need to find the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine] first. We were delayed on the way here, and we don't have much time left in this strange world!"

"You all remember the characteristics of the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine], right? I won't go into details. The only requirement is to be careful and avoid making any sudden movements that might disturb the nearby demons and evil spirits!"

"yes!"

"receive!"

He Xiaoxiao and Wang Haojing responded almost simultaneously.

According to the Special Affairs Bureau's records, this lake was called Crystal Lake.

The lake is rich in various aquatic [mysterious creations], while some purely spiritual [mysterious creations] also grow on the lakeshore, including Wang Haojing's target this time—the [Spirit Nourishing Vine].

【The Creatures of the Unusual】are like wild ginseng that has been around for a long time; they are not so easy to find.

During the search, He Xiaoxiao unusually asked Wang Haojing in a low voice.

"Have you almost finished collecting the materials for your advancement ritual?"

The sudden inquiry caught Wang Haojing off guard, but he quickly responded.

"If we can find the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine] tonight, all we're missing is a malevolent [Mysterious Creature]."

"I was prepared for this. The Special Affairs Bureau has these [mysterious products] in its warehouse. I can just exchange them for them with Special Affairs Points when I get back."

He Xiaoxiao nodded slowly, seemingly lost in thought.

"oh----"

"So, what direction have you chosen?"

"Investigation direction, or something else?"

"After you gained your ability, the additional information in your mind should also include the materials needed for your subsequent advancement rituals, as well as the different materials required for the effects of different new abilities, right?"

Each day-returner who contains the [Awakening Mist] gains extraordinary abilities.

After gaining the ability, a bunch of information will appear in their minds.

In addition to the introduction of abilities, it will also explain what materials are needed for the advancement ceremony to the next rank.

And what abilities and effects will be gained after using different materials and completing the advancement ritual.

"Generally speaking, there are three options to choose from, right?"

"Anyway, I have three of them. They further enhance my mental strength, split off an extra mental power hand, and allow me to project my mental power outwards, enabling me to perceive my surroundings."

"When I reach the limit of this pre-advancement stage and need to prepare the materials for the advancement ritual, I plan to collect advancement ritual materials that will grant me the ability to either increase my mental strength or create an additional mental hand."

"The ability to project mental energy outwards for reconnaissance is redundant if you're in the team, making it seem rather useless."

So, which one did you choose?

Upon hearing this, Wang Haojing's eyes darted around.

What is He Xiaoxiao doing? Why is she suddenly talking like this?

Is this—she wants to know my information in advance so that she can choose the ability that can suppress me?

Sure enough, she was not only good at pretending and had a sharp tongue, but her mind was also venomous.

Hao Jing replied, feeling that he had figured out the key points.

"I'll tell you once the advancement is complete; there's no need to rush, you'll know now."

Wang Haojing did not intend to tell He Xiaoxiao right now which new ability effect he had chosen to obtain.

If I let her know now, how can I catch her off guard and teach her a lesson?

Seeing that Wang Haojing didn't intend to talk to her, He Xiaoxiao turned her head away and snorted.

"Hmph, fine, don't tell me then."

At that moment, Zhang Guanghai's voice rang out from not far away.

"Wang Haojing, come and take a look. Is that the [Spirit Nourishing Vine] you need?"

"They're here!"

Zhang Guanghai's words made Wang Haojing lower his guard against He Xiaoxiao's current expression, which he suspected meant she was planning something.

He immediately ran off to where Zhang Guanghai was.

Zhang Guanghai was not far from the two of them, and Wang Haojing soon came to his side.

"That's the one."

Zhang Guanghai pointed again at the vines that were glowing with a faint blue light in the mist.

Wang Haojing closed his eyes and extended his spiritual power.

"The vines are slender and long, with single, lateral leaves, and the entire vine is covered in blue light."

He checked the characteristics of the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine] recorded in the Special Affairs Bureau's documents one by one, as well as the excitement he felt when his spiritual power touched the vine.

Wang Haojing affirmed.

"That's right, this is the [Spirit Nourishing Vine], the material I need for my advancement ritual!"

A smile appeared on Zhang Guanghai's lips.

"That's good. I thought we might not be able to find one tonight and would have to come back several more times. It turns out we're quite lucky."

"I'm lucky when it comes to finding things, but not so lucky when it comes to taking them."

Zhang Guanghai pointed to the pairs of red dots that would occasionally light up near the [Spirit Nourishing Vine] and sighed.

"It seems that obtaining the [Spirit-Nourishing Vine] will inevitably involve a major struggle."