During this Element conversion window, Su Chen had no need to wait around.
He planned to explore the Forest Canyon first, then return to absorb the bizarre purple flower. The thunder bear’s carcass at the cave entrance still had some deterrent effect, so it was unlikely a thief would break in anytime soon.
"This trip has been a huge haul."
After walking out of the Bear Cave, Su Chen couldn’t help but marvel at how much he had gained.
His Flame Burst Rune had advanced to Lv5.
He had also scored a thunder scepter that was good for both offense and defense, for free.
Plus, there was a bizarre purple flower and two clusters of eerie green crystals waiting for him to collect.
The remaining three essences were just a bonus.
And so, still sporting his lightning shield, he headed down the slope, almost swaggering.
When he was still, the electric arcs on the shield’s surface were extremely calm. In its translucent state, it even shimmered with a cold, silvery-white light.
But as soon as it sensed an approaching object, it would instantly break its quiet, restrained nature and release wisps of electricity, striking at the source of the disturbance.
Because of this, Xiaoye kept a distance of more than three meters as it followed closely behind.
Along the way, a few magical beasts lurking in the bushes were so intimidated that they fled after just one look.
And that wasn’t all. By constantly absorbing free-floating electrical charges from the air, and thanks to it being Lv4, the lightning shield had an incredibly long duration. It only began to thin out after more than ten minutes, at which point the barrier disintegrated.
"This feels great and all, but it scared off all the monsters."
Su Chen proceeded safely and comfortably along the sun-facing path.
The terrain sloped downward and was littered with rugged, rocky obstacles, so he simply activated his Wind Element shield. Under the azure Wind Gauze Protection, his body weight was instantly reduced by more than half.
A rock ledge over seven meters high was like an ordinary step to him; he leaped down and landed lightly.
He traversed the treacherous, broken path as if it were level ground.
As he rounded the last rocky ridge, his view suddenly opened up.
"What a massive river!!"
A wide river lay quietly at the bottom of the valley, its surface flowing so gently that you could hardly see a single splash.
The river was astonishingly wide—at least five hundred meters across by his estimation. The cliffs on the opposite bank were as sheer as if carved by a blade, soaring high and unsuitable for climbing.
In the distance, there were some gentler slopes covered in dense forest. Countless ancient vines hung down from the clifftops, twisting and tangling together, which was rather unsettling.
’There are definitely snakes hiding in there.’
"This section isn’t good for crossing the river, or for getting ashore."
The reason Su Chen was so concerned was the high probability of ore on the mountainside across the river.
According to the drone footage, the soil in the exposed areas of the mountain was abnormally colored, showing unnatural, strange patches. This mountain range likely held a considerable group of shallow ore veins.
If he could confirm it and even begin continuous mining, his family’s Jade Pendant would have a steady income.
"I’ll have to find another stretch of the river."
Su Chen continued downward through the rugged piles of rock. Just as he stepped onto a patch of riverbank, a large frog, the size of a basketball, suddenly appeared from among the surrounding water plants.
Its vocal sac swelled rapidly as it condensed a high-pressure water jet in its mouth.
Just as it was about to shoot...
SWISH!
From the shadows, a dark figure appeared without a sound.
A ghostly light erupted from Xiaoye’s right claw. Its ferocious and sharp Soul-Splitting Claw pierced straight through the frog’s body, killing it in a single strike.
No longer concealing its form, it split into two Netherworld War Dog clones and immediately began the hunt, its Perception locking onto their scents.
The grassy marsh instantly erupted into chaos.
Panicked croaks rose and fell as jets of water shot through the air, slicing through reeds and shattering pebbles.
However, the two Netherworld War Dog clones didn’t know the meaning of evasion. They charged forward, slaughtering everything in their path. With their weight advantage, getting close was basically an instant kill. And alongside them, the elusive Xiaoye launched sneak attacks and assassinations.
In less than three minutes, the marsh fell deathly silent, and the thick stench of blood filled the air.
Xiaoye shook the remaining blood from its claws, its movements exuding a cold, majestic air. But in the next second, the scene shifted completely. It expertly brought its Phantom Clones along and deftly fetched the essences, carrying them over in its mouth.
From this one skirmish, Su Chen obtained one Light Element essence, one Gold Element essence, six Water Element essences, and a Lv1 Water Jet Rune.
"Such high efficiency."
As he marveled at this, he also took the opportunity to feed the small orb of light to his Water Mirror Rune.
The upgrade requirement was now fulfilled.
VMM!
[Water Mirror Refraction] successfully advanced from Lv2 → Lv3!
Traits Enhanced: Barrier strength, reflection speed.
[Water Mirror Refraction] (Lv3): Can generate a full-body, all-resistance Water Mirror Screen. Reflects incoming attacks back at the attacker at 130% speed.
Advancement Requirement: Water Mirror Rune 0/4.
’The refraction barrier gained an all-resistance buff and an accelerated reflection effect. If I time it perfectly, it’ll be a big surprise for my opponent.’
Su Chen didn’t have a chance to try it out. He first fed the six Water Element essences he had just collected to the Water Mirror Rune.
The first Rune deep in his consciousness trembled slightly, ravenously devouring and absorbing the energy. Its surface rippled with a watery light, faintly taking on a more solid, mirror-like texture.
After recasting a lightning shield on himself, Su Chen walked directly toward the riverbank.
The river water wasn’t clear; perhaps due to silt washed down from upstream, it was a murky, grayish-brown.
As a slow-flowing area, its surface was covered with floating rotten leaves, dead branches, and other unidentified objects, exuding a strange, oppressive sense of deathly silence.
’This kind of water is dangerous no matter how you look at it. My vision can’t penetrate the surface at all. Compared to a raging, torrential river, it’s much easier for big things to hide underwater here.’

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