Chapter 68: Enlightenment

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Enlightenment

As Li Heng stepped into the Desolate Moon Islands Secret Realm, he was greeted by gusts of sea breeze tinged with the scent of the ocean.

Beneath his feet was fine sand. Not far away lay a forest, and deep within it, a tall mountain.

The terrain wasn’t bad.

But the climate wasn’t so welcoming.

Li Heng looked at the sky, thick with dark clouds that threatened rain. Shaking his head in resignation, he began walking toward the forest.

He immediately took out all his Soul Energy Equipment. Compared to the Cyan Blade Longsword, the Empty Cicada Longsword felt more natural in his hand; there was even a faint sense of being perfectly in tune with it.

The air on the island was fresh—that was Li Heng’s first impression after entering the secret realm. It even felt a little better than the air on Wolf King Mountain.

If this wasn’t an exam, and if the sky wasn’t overcast but clear and blue, he figured the sun and sand would make this a great vacation spot.

There were over a hundred thousand islands, and he had no idea which one he was on. There was no point in dwelling on it.

After a moment of thought, Li Heng decided his top priority was to find a place to shelter from the rain and gather some firewood along the way.

Shelter from the rain, a temporary resting place.

Watch out for soul beasts.

Keep an eye on food and water consumption.

’This whole thing... it’s a bit like island survival, isn’t it?’

With no settlement around, Li Heng didn’t want to spend the night on edge. He needed to find a way to rest properly.

But the thought was fleeting. Li Heng felt less like he was here for an exam and more like he was filming an episode of "Man vs. Wild."

But complaints were just complaints. Li Heng focused his attention, raised his Empty Cicada Longsword, and slowly approached the forest.

If it really did start raining soon, staying on the wide-open beach would guarantee he’d be soaked to the bone.

The island was large; Li Heng couldn’t see the end of the coastline. In a way, this was a good thing, as it meant the island was a decent size.

An island of this size should have a fair amount of resources. This meant Li Heng wouldn’t have to think about traveling to other islands to find herbs or soul beasts after just a day or two.

Therefore, for the time being, Li Heng felt his luck in being assigned to this island wasn’t too bad.

He walked into the island’s forest. The trees weren’t very tall, nor was their foliage particularly dense. Despite the overcast sky, the light was decent enough to ensure good visibility.

A brand-new secret realm, an unknown situation. Li Heng completely reined in the reckless attitude he had in Dungeons. He walked cautiously, holding his Empty Cicada Longsword and remaining vigilant of his surroundings.

Name: Withered Vine Flower

Category: Soul Energy Items

Value: Common

Effects:

1. Main ingredient for crafting the Withered Heart Pill.

2. For non-poison-type cultivators, consumption or refinement has a very high probability of causing poisoning, and a very low probability of slightly increasing resistance to wood-attribute poison.

Walking slowly deeper into the forest, Li Heng gathered some dead branches and dry grass along the way, tossing them into his Space Stone.

His luck was also pretty good. While picking up a dry branch, he discovered a "withered" flower. If not for the system’s information display, Li Heng would never have guessed that this nearly dead-looking flower was actually a Soul Energy Herb.

’Value: Common... that makes it a Tier One herb. Ten points in the bag.’

’A good start, my luck is holding up! Still, I need to hurry and find a place to shelter from the rain.’

After storing the Withered Vine Flower in his Space Stone, Li Heng heard the sound of thunder. The clouds above were growing darker as well.

After walking for maybe a few minutes, Li Heng found the forest to be fairly normal. He could at least hear the chirping of insects and birds, and now and then, the howl of some unknown animal.

This suggested the forest had a relatively normal food chain. It was certainly more reassuring than a forest that was so silent it was frightening.

Whenever he encountered animals like wild rabbits, pheasants, or snakes of unknown species, Li Heng would strike with his sword without hesitation.

For the rabbits and chickens, Li Heng would chop off their legs and put them in his Space Stone. It was food, and it was always right to store some first.

As for snakes, Li Heng had no desire to eat them for now. But they were dangerous. Even though the system didn’t display any information, he couldn’t be sure if they were venomous.

Li Heng wasn’t sure if the venom of an ordinary snake could knock out or even kill a Soul Apprentice, and he had no intention of finding out. It was best to eliminate such dangers beforehand.

DRIP... DROP...

DRIP... DROP...

...

Li Heng still hadn’t found a suitable place to take shelter when the rain began to fall.

So, after a moment’s thought, Li Heng decided to head for the mountain deep in the forest. A mountainside should offer some place to shelter from the rain.

Ever since raising his Wolf Walk Technique to Level 10, Li Heng’s walking speed had increased considerably. But since he didn’t know if there was shelter ahead, he didn’t break into a run.

His walking speed wasn’t slow, anyway.

’Hm? This feeling... could it be...’

Li Heng didn’t run, letting the raindrops fall on him. With the Snow-Binding Ring and the constitution of a Soul Apprentice, he didn’t feel cold.

But the Empty Cicada Longsword in his right hand began to emit a sound like a cicada’s song as the rain fell.

Listening to the waves of chirping, Li Heng suddenly sensed something, but it was a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

It was different from before, when he had used the Cyan Blade Longsword and felt his basic Swordsmanship was insufficient, creating a state of intense "urgency" in his heart.

Compared to that "desire" from last time, Li Heng now only felt his heart was completely calm. The thought of seeking shelter or even collecting points had vanished.

He just closed his eyes, standing quietly on the spot, listening to the waves of cicada song from the Longsword in his hand and the sound of the falling rain.

The rain was falling now.

It dripped onto the leaves, and from the leaves, it dripped onto the Empty Cicada Longsword.

Li Heng’s hearing had always been good, and it had improved even more after he became a Soul Apprentice. But now, the "drip-drop" sound he heard was growing fainter and less frequent.

Along with it, the cicada’s song also began to fade, until finally, Li Heng’s world fell completely silent!

But the rain on the island was actually growing heavier, and more and more of it was falling on Li Heng.

Suddenly, Li Heng stopped walking forward. As if under an Immobilization Technique, he stood ramrod straight in the rain, his right hand unconsciously rising until it was parallel with his shoulder.

At the moment Li Heng could no longer hear the rain or the cicada song, the Empty Cicada Longsword suddenly began to tremble on its own!

And in the instant those two sounds completely vanished, a shock went through Li Heng’s mind, and he instinctively snapped his eyes open!

SWOOSH—

Li Heng put sudden force into his right hand. The Empty Cicada Longsword, trailing threads of rainwater, sliced through the air, leaving a streak of cold light.

There was clearly nothing before his eyes, yet Li Heng felt as if he had just cut through something. Otherwise, he never would have swung his sword!

At first, Li Heng thought he might be on the verge of comprehending Sword Intent again, but the system gave no notification, and that feeling from just a moment ago vanished without a trace.

Li Heng was completely baffled by his state. He subconsciously glanced at the Empty Cicada Longsword in his hand and muttered to himself, "What... what just... happened to me?"