Chapter Twenty-Six: The Broken Food Chain

Seeking recommendations—watering the plants early in the morning. ^－^
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For seven consecutive days, Xu Wen had not left the Blackwater Mountains. During the day, he hunted in areas where high-tier two-star magical beasts roamed; at night, he wandered with several “skeleton guards,” tirelessly searching for more of those formidable beasts. As time passed, his storage pouch filled with more and more two-star magic cores, while the number of two-star beast skeletons he tossed into his alternate space grew even greater.

Gradually…

The monotonous hunt of high-tier two-star beasts could no longer satisfy Xu Wen’s ambitions. Restlessness stirred within him, and his gaze slowly shifted toward the deeper recesses of the Blackwater Mountains, his thoughts turning to three-star magical beasts.

It was only Xu Wen, with his legion of beast skeletons under control, who could restrain himself for so long. Anyone else, armed with over a hundred two-star beast skeletons, would have already charged in, raising havoc without a second thought!

Three-star magical beasts belonged to the mid-tier category—a daunting challenge for any mage who had only recently set foot upon the path of true magic, carrying with it a significance that was anything but ordinary.

Moreover, the hides of three-star beasts boasted defensive power far exceeding those of lower-tier creatures, making them the preferred material for ordinary armor. Certain body parts—claws, horns, teeth, blood—were frequently sought after by novice and intermediate artificers alike!

In other words, every inch of a three-star beast was valuable and useful, and Xu Wen was no exception. As an alchemist, he knew well that certain mid- and high-level recipes required blood, venom, or powdered teeth from rare magical beasts—the magic core itself being the most common ingredient.

Yet Xu Wen was equally aware that, with his current strength, even with a host of skeleton beasts to assist him, his chances of slaying a three-star beast were slim at best—he might lose many skeleton guards and still gain nothing in return.

Even if he got lucky and managed to kill one, he dared not risk the backlash from necromantic summoning on a high-tier beast’s corpse; his storage pouch could not possibly contain the entire carcass, and he could hardly bear the thought of his precious pills jumbled together with sticky, unsavory things.

For all these reasons, Xu Wen had suppressed his desires—until today!

Only ten days remained since the end of the outer disciple training. He could not linger here much longer. With so many days gone by, Mi Xue and that nosy old master of hers were bound to grow suspicious.

Xu Wen resolved: tonight, even if it meant a loss, he would test himself against a three-star beast, gauge the gap between his high-tier two-star fire magic and a beginner-level three-star beast, and see whether his carefully selected squad of “skeleton guards” had any hope of taking down such a formidable foe!

“Xu—Xu Wen?”

At that moment, an uncertain voice sounded from not far behind, snapping Xu Wen out of his reverie! Then, several familiar girls’ voices rang out in succession:

“Xu Wen?”

“Where? Where is he?”

“He’s really here! On the ground—did you slay this beast by yourself?”

“Kid, we finally found you!”

Xu Wen was stunned. Behind him, aside from the ever-familiar Xie Zhan, stood Xiang Nan, Jin Yu, Shi Ya, his neighbor “Little Lin,” and eight other young men and women he had never met before.

Suddenly faced with such a crowd, Xu Wen was left speechless! In all his days in the Blackwater Mountains, he had encountered others now and then, but he had never run into such an impressive party!

Thirteen people—what were they doing here?

Xu Wen stared at them, too puzzled for words…

Just the three girls—Xie Zhan, Xiang Nan, and Shi Ya—were enough to send any two-star mid-tier beast fleeing in terror! The others were all at least ninth-rank one-star mages; even two-star mid-tier beasts would think twice before approaching!

As Xu Wen gaped at them, they too studied him in astonishment—as well as the magical beast lying dead at his feet…

Apart from Xie Zhan and the girls, the rest gazed in awe at the aftermath of battle.

Xie Zhan strode over first:

“I thought you were in seclusion, training. How come you never called me to join you… Wait, you…” He stopped mid-sentence, his expression freezing as he tilted his head, scrutinizing Xu Wen from head to toe, eyes widening in shock.

Reading the mixture of surprise and doubt in Xie Zhan’s gaze, Xu Wen immediately realized what was happening. He gave a small shrug, tacitly admitting the truth.

Xie Zhan let out a long sigh. As he shook his head, his usual stern demeanor crumbled, replaced by unconcealed resignation and disappointment—he had been surpassed!

“It hasn’t even been a month…”

Xie Zhan clearly remembered—the last time he’d seen Xu Wen was the day the latter sparred with Xiang Nan and Shi Ya, barely twenty days ago. Back then, Xu Wen was only a third-rank two-star mage, but now he had reached the threshold of true mastery. By comparison, Xie Zhan himself had only advanced to sixth-rank two-star in the same period—the gap was glaring!

By now, Xiang Nan and the others had gathered around as well. Several of them were clearly fascinated by the corpse on the ground, peering this way and that—their first time laying eyes on a two-star beast, no doubt.

“Xu Wen, you still haven’t answered our question.”

“Hm?”

Xu Wen finally noticed Xiang Nan, who stood beside Xie Zhan, chest puffed out, glaring at him fiercely.

“So it’s you.” Xu Wen recalled the time he had been tricked, a mischievous curve lifting his lips as he shot a glance at the guilty-looking Shi Ya behind Xiang Nan, and at Jin Yu, whose shocked eyes never left him. He chuckled, “Do you all still remember the bet from last time?”

“Last time? Oh, since Senior Sister Mi Xue interrupted our match, let’s just call it a draw and forget about it. I’m asking you—did you kill this beast alone?” True to her name, Xiang Nan possessed the boldness of a boy combined with a girl’s playful charm, making it impossible for anyone to truly be angry with her.

Xu Wen had no intention of holding a grudge over such trivial matters; he shook his head helplessly, answered the girls’ questions, then turned to the group’s leader:

“Seriously, what’s going on here? Why bring so many people—planning a camping trip?”

“Sigh, don’t mention it. Who could think of camping at a time like this?” Xie Zhan cast a resigned look at the girls. “I didn’t plan on coming out at all, but they insisted on fighting magical beasts for real-world experience.”

“But you didn’t need to bring such a large group, did you? Even if the others don’t know, you should! With a lineup like this, what kind of foolhardy beast would dare charge at you?” Xu Wen rolled his eyes in mock disdain.

“Exactly! We haven’t seen a single magical beast on the way,” Shi Ya piped up, relieved that Xu Wen wasn’t pursuing their earlier mischief.

“That’s why I’ve decided—we’re going deeper, to hunt high-tier two-star magical beasts!” Xiang Nan declared triumphantly, clapping Xie Zhan and Jin Yu on the shoulders.

“…”

Xu Wen was taken aback. After a moment, he turned a questioning gaze on Xie Zhan: “You all came here just for high-tier two-star beasts?”

“Uh, yeah—well, not exactly!” Xie Zhan nodded reflexively, then shook his head so vigorously that it left Xu Wen bewildered.

“Seems you’ve been so focused on training you haven’t heard what’s been happening outside. Let me explain.” The clear, bell-like voice immediately caught Xie Zhan’s attention.

It was Jin Yu who spoke—the very same female outer disciple Senior Sister Mi Xue had mentioned, whose strength had reached third-rank two-star a month ago, reputed to be the strongest woman among outer disciples at the Seventh Alchemy Peak. Compared with the tomboyish Xiang Nan and the delicate, princess-like Shi Ya, Jin Yu exuded an air of gentle refinement and a sweet, approachable charm.

As Jin Yu began her account, Xu Wen’s expression grew increasingly grim.

“…Fortunately, six senior brothers were on duty at the Blackwater Mountains’ entrance and quickly fired a signal flare for help, or the consequences would have been unthinkable… The clan elders don’t know why this happened. In the past, beast tides only broke out when magical beasts were slaughtered excessively, but the elders have already decreed that, after sunset today, the Blackwater Mountains will be sealed and closed to outer disciples! That’s why we gathered everyone who wanted to come for one last real battle before the mountains are off-limits.”

“…”

Xu Wen drew a sharp breath after hearing Jin Yu’s story.

He truly hadn’t realized that so much had happened outside—a group of three-star magical beasts had actually attacked the rescue team’s campsite at the entrance…

Could it be because he himself had hunted too many high-tier two-star beasts lately, upsetting the food chain and driving some three-star beasts out of the mountains?

Thank goodness no one on their side was hurt!

Thank goodness the three-star beasts hadn’t rioted in this area—or else…

The thought of three- and four-star magical beasts suddenly surging out of the dark forest sent a cold sweat down Xu Wen’s back. Any notion of seeking out three-star beasts vanished without a trace.

After such an incident, the Hortonklin family was sure to investigate thoroughly, sealing and monitoring the mountain’s periphery. If he stayed any longer in the Blackwater Mountains, it would truly be courting disaster!