Chapter 46: Ether Sensitivity

Chapter 46: Ether Sensitivity

Over the next two days, Ji Xinghuo and his team encountered several groups of Shilian Monsters, the largest of which numbered over a hundred. However, they hadn't come across any Shilian Giants.

By now, they had ventured over a hundred kilometers deep into the Juefeng Valley.

The frequency of attacks was increasing, some from monsters, but mostly from various poisonous snakes and insects, which were becoming a constant nuisance.

Slap!

Chi Zhonglin slapped the back of his neck, revealing a bright red palm with a thumb-sized mosquito corpse.

If he had been half a second slower, his neck would have swollen into a huge bump.

"What a venomous mosquito..." Chi Zhonglin grimaced, turning to look at his teammates.

Ren Mian and Jiang Nan Caiyi tore up a piece of clothing and used the strips of cloth to wrap their faces and necks tightly. They also sprayed themselves with insect repellent.

Ji Xinghuo was similarly dressed, with only his eyes exposed.

However, their efforts had limited effect. Most of the insects in Juefeng Valley were unaffected by insect repellent, and ordinary cloth couldn't withstand their thirst for fresh blood.

The valley was humid and hot, like a giant steamer. The more they covered themselves, the hotter they felt.

Ji Xinghuo and his two teammates were sticky and uncomfortable.

Chi Zhonglin, relying on his thick skin, wanted to stay a little cooler, so he didn't wrap himself up. Over the past two days, he had been bitten hundreds of times. Although his Giant Fungal Man physique allowed him to recover quickly, he couldn't avoid the marks left behind, which also took a toll on him mentally.

But he was too proud to complain.

Just as he was reaching his limit, he was about to say something when Ji Xinghuo signaled him to stop.

"Someone's here."

Ji Xinghuo pointed in a certain direction.

His teammates looked but their view was blocked by the trees. Ji Xinghuo continued, "Six people, about three hundred meters away. They're probably another hunting team."

"Yeah, and they've spotted us too."

"They're coming this way."

As Ji Xinghuo spoke, the four of them slightly adjusted their formation, keeping a relatively close distance to each other. Chi Zhonglin stood at the forefront, Ren Mian rested her hand on her waist, and Jiang Nan Caiyi drew her katana.

None of them looked particularly tense.

They had encountered another hunting team the day before and simply greeted each other from a distance before going their separate ways.

When both sides were aware of each other's presence and unable to launch a surprise attack, and there were no conflicting interests, conflicts rarely occurred.

"They don't seem hostile. They're probably just coming over to confirm our presence," Ji Xinghuo said.

Soon, six figures emerged from the trees and stopped about a hundred meters away.

Both sides sized each other up.

This hunting team, like theirs, was also wrapped up tightly, with only their eyes visible. From their figures, they could tell it was a group of five men and one woman, and they all had black irises, most likely mutants from the Asia-Pacific Commonwealth.

The only one with his face uncovered, Chi Zhonglin, became the center of attention.

"Chi Zhonglin?"

Suddenly, a man from the other team called out his name.

Ji Xinghuo had already noticed this man. He held a traditional hunting bow and was accompanied by a sleek, tall, pure black leopard. He was obviously a tracker, with keen vision, hearing, and sense of smell, which was how he had detected their team. He was also the leader of the other hunting team.

"Who are you?" Chi Zhonglin asked, puzzled, as he couldn't quite place the voice.

"You little brat, how dare you forget me so soon?"

The tracker pulled down the cloth covering his face, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He cursed, "Just last month, we were fighting over a woman at the club. I saw you were a decent guy, so I didn't bother competing with you. We even called each other brothers! If I'd known, I would've taught you a lesson then and there!"

"Ahahaha..." Chi Zhonglin's face turned awkward, "Brother Xue, you had your face covered, and you were standing so far away. My eyesight isn't that great, so I didn't recognize you immediately. My bad."

Seeing that Xue Yi still looked displeased, he quickly added, "Next time we're back, I'll treat you to drinks at the Misty Window Number Nine. The whole night is on me."

"Now that's what I call sincerity."

Xue Yi's expression softened, and he finally turned his attention to Ji Xinghuo and the other two, "Are they your teammates?"

"Yes," Chi Zhonglin nodded, but he didn't seem inclined to introduce them further.

Both teams kept their faces covered, concealing their true identities.

Xue Yi didn't attempt to introduce his teammates either. Instead, he suddenly asked, "Chi Zhonglin, you're not here to hunt the Shilian Giant, are you?"

"Also?" Chi Zhonglin caught the key word.

Both men's faces changed, and they fell silent.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at Ren Mian beside him. His Thought Necklace had been activated, and he silently said, "Sis Ren, your information channels don't seem very secure..."

"Mhm." Ren Mian nodded slightly, "Little Chi, ask them where they got their information from."

"Brother Xue, how did you know about the Shilian Giant in Juefeng Valley?" Chi Zhonglin asked immediately.

"When I set out, I'd guess half the hunting teams in the East Xia District already knew about it." Xue Yi didn't hide the fact, "I don't know where the news originated, but on our way here, we've already come across three or four teams, all of them after the Shilian Giant.

Xue Yi didn't seem suspicious.

Without any conflict, the two teams were simply competitors, and after a brief exchange, they prepared to part ways. "Then, may the best team win."

"Good luck, Brother Xue."

Chi Zhonglin waved his hand and watched as Xue Yi led his team away.

Ji Xinghuo and his three teammates headed in the opposite direction, and once they were sure they were out of magnetic sensing range, Ji Xinghuo signaled the all-clear.

"I think we're out of luck this time," he said.

"Usually, when information like this spreads so widely, it's because someone with an agenda is deliberately leaking it," Ren Mian said. "Their purpose is either to borrow a knife to kill, using other teams to weaken the Shilian Giant while they reap the benefits, or there might not even be a Shilian Giant at all, and the spreader of this information is trying to lure enemies out of Olympia, ambushing them in secret."

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but wonder if Ren Mian was the target, as she had received the information earlier than anyone else.

Ren Mian seemed to guess his thoughts and shook her head. "If it's the second possibility, we're not the target."

"Why?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"My enemies wouldn't use such a roundabout method. They would just make their move in Olympia," Ren Mian said calmly.

Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat.

Holy crap!

What kind of place is Olympia? Just in the Asia-Pacific Commonwealth, there are at least thirty resident legendary mutants, not to mention General Hawk Ji, the guardian of Olympia, who is a Titan-level mutant with the title 'Champion Marquis'!

Those who dare to make a move in Olympia are probably legendary mutants too, right?

And it's not just one of them! "

Chi Zhonglin and Jiang Nan Caiyi were also startled by Ren Mian's revelation, exchanging glances. Chi Zhonglin's voice was dry as he asked, "Sis Ren, who are your enemies?"

"I'll keep that to myself for now," Ren Mian said casually, full of confidence. "Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you guys."

Ji Xinghuo felt relieved, both because he trusted Ren Mian and because he believed in his own abilities. With his magnetic field sensing always active, he hadn't detected anyone tracking or spying on them.

"Sis Ren, should we continue looking for the Shilian Giant?" Chi Zhonglin asked.

"Of course," Ren Mian analyzed. "The first possibility is more likely—someone wants to reap the benefits. If we're lucky, we might even get there first. But if things don't go as planned, we'll retreat immediately and return to Olympia."

The team continued to search through Juefeng Valley over the next few days.

However, aside from capturing a few exotic beasts, they didn't find the Shilian Giant. Instead, they encountered several other hunting teams, some from the Asia-Pacific Commonwealth and others from foreign nations.

More and more people were getting wind of the news.

Ren Mian decided to call off the search after a few more days to avoid wasting any more time.

On the tenth day, Ji Xinghuo suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky.

Floating in the air was a massive rock, irregularly shaped like a sharply lined potato—wide and flat, with the widest part exceeding a hundred meters. Trees and grass grew on its surface, and vines dangled from its edges as it gently drifted with the wind, casting a shadow below.

It was a small floating island.

There were countless floating islands in the Thousand Peaks and Forests, with the largest reaching several kilometers in size and the medium-sized ones measuring over a thousand meters across. These were occupied by the Sky Feather King Court, which had built cities upon them, totaling over a thousand.

The remaining floating islands were smaller and scattered throughout the area.

There were many in Juefeng Valley as well, but they were all small. Some were anchored to the ground by thick vines, serving as lairs for the Shilian Beasts, who climbed up and claimed them as their territory.

However, the one before them was unoccupied.

It drifted freely, unattached to the ground, and its position kept changing.

"Xinghuo, what are you looking at?" Chi Zhonglin asked, following his gaze.

This floating island didn't seem particularly special, and they had encountered several larger ones in the past few days without any notable findings.

"There's something up there," Ji Xinghuo said, pointing. "But I don't know what it is..."

His magnetic field sensing had detected a natural cave on the side of the floating island's cliff, hidden by dense vegetation and vines.

The magnetic field within the cave was peculiar, with magnetic force lines forming a very regular vortex. It didn't resemble a biological magnetic field but seemed to have a life of its own.

Ji Xinghuo had never seen anything like it and was momentarily puzzled.

Chi Zhonglin's eyes lit up at his words, as he now trusted Ji Xinghuo's senses implicitly. If Ji Xinghuo said there was something good up there, it was likely true.

"Let's go take a look!"

Ren Mian nodded in agreement.

However, as they gazed up at the floating island, which was over three hundred meters above the ground, they were at a loss for how to get up there. None of them could fly.

"I'll give it a try," Ji Xinghuo said, already thinking of a solution.

He took out a nano-rope and selected the heaviest arrow, tying one end securely to the arrow's tail.

Ji Xinghuo didn't shoot directly below the floating island. Instead, he moved back about two hundred meters to reduce the impact of gravity and increase the distance of his shot. He aimed diagonally upward, his eyes flashing with the activation of Myriad Phenomenon.

His arrow moved back and forth as if searching for the perfect spot to land.

Suddenly, he released the arrow.

The arrow soared into the sky, the long nanoropes trailing behind like a tail. As it climbed higher, its speed gradually slowed.

"It's going to fail, but we can try a few more times," Chi Zhonglin said, watching the arrow's trajectory. It was clear that it wouldn't reach the floating island and was already descending.

The next second, he was stunned.

The arrow had entangled itself with a vine hanging from the mountain.

Ji Xinghuo skillfully grasped the nanoropes and shook them, causing them to intertwine with the vine. He tugged a few times to ensure a secure hold.

"That works?" Chi Zhonglin asked, his eyes wide in amazement.

"I'll go up first," Ji Xinghuo said, returning to the spot directly below the floating island with the nanoropes in hand.

The nanoropes were very thin, with a diameter of only three millimeters, yet they could support several tons of weight. However, they could cut the user's hands if not handled carefully, so Ji Xinghuo wore gloves to protect himself.

He coiled the rope around his palms a couple of times, exerting force to lift his body higher, then switched hands and repeated the process to ascend further.

When he was halfway up, his entire body was suspended in mid-air, swaying gently with the breeze.

His teammates below watched with bated breath, nervous for their companion.

Fortunately, Ji Xinghuo quickly reached the top and grasped the vines to continue climbing until he reached the summit of the floating island. From there, it was easier. Ji Xinghuo had his teammates tie the rope around their waists, and he pulled them up one by one before retrieving the rope to avoid any accidents.

"Where's the thing you mentioned?" Chi Zhonglin asked eagerly.

"Follow me," Ji Xinghuo replied.

He led his teammates through the island, and they found that the forest here was no different from the one on the ground, except for the presence of birds and no other animals.

Ji Xinghuo brought them to the other side of the floating island and climbed down about ten meters along a vine before pushing aside the grass to reveal a cave entrance.

Chi Zhonglin and the others followed him inside.

It was a natural cave with an area of several dozen square meters and a height of three to four meters. The cave was dimly lit, and their arrival disturbed a group of bats that flew out in a flurry.

Ji Xinghuo stood in the center of the cave.

Before him was a stalactite hanging from the ceiling, with a corresponding stalagmite rising from the ground directly below it. The two were almost touching, with only a gap of about ten centimeters between their tips.

Within this gap, there was a faint light.

The light was weak, like a firefly's glow, but it was pure.

At the center of the light source was a tiny crystal, irregularly shaped like an oval, no larger than a mung bean. It hovered motionlessly, gently flickering every few seconds.

Chi Zhonglin's eyes widened as he stared at it for several seconds, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Is this a treasure?"

He voiced the question that was on everyone's mind.

In the Star Realm, there existed numerous treasures, some born naturally and others nurtured by life. The Expanding Treasure was one such example, and there were many other wondrous artifacts with unique abilities.

Ji Xinghuo noticed a hint of a smile in Ren Mian's eyes and asked, "Sis Ren, do you recognize this thing?"

Ren Mian nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a naturally born exotic species known as Ether Sensitivity."

"Huh?" Chi Zhonglin couldn't hide his disappointment.

He had expected it to be some priceless treasure, but it turned out to be just an exotic species with an ether sensitivity ability.

Ether Sensitivity was a high-quality ability, but among high-quality abilities, it was the most expensive, even surpassing exceptional abilities in value.

It could increase an individual's star power limit and enhance their star power recovery rate, essentially improving their cultivation efficiency. Additionally, it made one highly sensitive to the distribution and flow of etheric energy.

Many profession templates included Ether Sensitivity, making it highly sought-after.

Ether Sensitivity had various sources, but naturally born ones were extremely rare, which was why Chi Zhonglin hadn't recognized it immediately.

However, no matter how rare it was, it was still just a high-quality ability.

The moment they had first seen the exotic species, their expectations had soared, only to be deflated upon realizing it was just an ability. The huge letdown left everyone feeling disappointed.

"It's still worth more than two million star dollars. It's like finding money on the ground," Ji Xinghuo said with a laugh as he reached out and gently picked up the crystal at the center of the light source.

As soon as it was moved, the light dimmed, and the crystal became an unremarkable, white quartz-like stone.

Immediately, an information panel appeared before them.

[Exotic Species: Ether Sensitivity]



[Grade: High-Quality]



[Fusion Success Rate: 100%]



[Upgradable: Yes]



Ji Xinghuo's eyes widened slightly at the 100% fusion success rate.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end