Xiao Jie continually adjusted his perspective. With the refraction of the sunset’s light, it indeed wasn’t a hallucination; the sky was actually filled with strands of transparent silk thread, so fine and invisible to the naked eye that, without the other’s reminder and the sunlight’s reflection on those strands, Xiao Jie almost overlooked them.
It was then that he discovered that the seemingly vast and boundless sky was filled with such strands.
These threads couldn’t possibly have appeared out of thin air.
Qi Observation Skill!
Xiao Jie’s vision suddenly turned black and white, and he saw many white floating objects appear in the originally empty sky.
Clusters and balls floating in the sky, from the outline of those white floating objects—spiders!
Xiao Jie was startled; not only were these spiders invisible, but they could also fly, surely of a high level.
If he got tangled up in them, it would spell disaster.
He hurriedly lowered his altitude to avoid colliding.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shou ahead of him suddenly said, "Don’t fly too low."
Xiao Jie looked down and saw that as he lowered his altitude, the branches of the giant trees in the valley below began to twist and twitch, subtly poised to attack. On closer inspection, many of those giant trees had health bars.
He immediately realized.
Damn! Turns out below wasn’t safe either; this ghost map is indeed dangerously treacherous. Luckily, beneath the spider silk and above the giant trees, there remained a narrow airspace to safely pass through.
As long as one adjusts their altitude properly, not flying too high or too low, they’d avoid colliding.
Xiao Jie simply followed Qin Shou closely, eventually reaching the steep cliff face of the perilous peak.
Just as they were about to crash, Qin Shou suddenly transformed into a mountain cat mid-air. His four cat paws instantly latched onto the mountain’s edges, hanging there.
Xiao Jie also quickly reverted to human form, landing on a sloped section of the cliff. However, the slope was so steep it offered no grip, causing his body to involuntarily slide downward.
Mountain Climbing Skill!
Xiao Jie abruptly stamped down, transforming his feet into goat hooves, wedging them between the rocks, forcibly halting his downward slide.
"Good lad, you’ve got some skills, follow me."
Following the mountain wall, Qin Shou climbed upwards, and Xiao Jie used his Mountain Climbing Skill to follow.
A cat and a person climbed along the steep mountain body upwards; not long after, a crack appeared, hidden in the shadow of the mountain wall, completely invisible from a distance.
The two entered, and Qin Shou quickly reverted to his original form, leaping along the high platforms on either side of the steep crack.
"Be careful, there’s a watchdog I keep below; make sure not to get bitten."
As he said this, he casually took out bear meat from a leather pouch and tossed it into the darkness below. Talon-studded shells in the darkness boiled and leaped, snapping the bear meat mid-air and dragging it into the shadows; immediately, a chewing and gnawing sound rang out from below, seemingly emitted by some giant insect.
Xiao Jie hurriedly followed, passing through the crack and finally entering a vast cave within the mountain.
This cave was rather spacious, with stalactites like pillars of a dwelling scattered all around.
The cave environment was quite complex, with deep pools where giant shadows silently moved, tree vines hung full of unknown fruits, and the branches slowly wriggled with an eerie touch.
In the center of the cave, however, there was a heavenly pit, allowing a view of a sky spanning about a hundred meters.
And within the heavenly pit grew a dense jungle of trees and plants.
What a wondrous paradise away from the world.
Xiao Jie stood at the edge of the cave, marveling at the surroundings. Looking up at the massive pit, hints of shimmering light were faintly visible above, no doubt there were similar bizarre spiders up there.
Undeniably, this cave felt far more dangerous compared to the previous two Qi Refiners’ dwellings Xiao Jie had seen, making it completely unsuitable for habitation.
"Indeed, how’s it? Not too shabby."
"This place is overly treacherous." Xiao Jie spoke uneasily, observing the rustle from the forest.
"Hahaha, a beast’s nature and abilities are fixed; once you grasp their habits and skills, there’s no worry for safety.
It is human nature that’s unpredictable; living with others is truly perilous. The longer I stay in the wilderness, the more I feel mankind is the frightening entity."
These words carried a hint of reflection, making Xiao Jie sense there was surely a story behind them.
But he didn’t really care about that; the urgent matter was to quickly learn the profession skill.
"I’ve completed all the points requested by the senior, and I’m here to learn the [Demon Beast Evolution Technique]."
"Words are cheap; let me see your skill first."
Xiao Jie then demonstrated.
To learn the Demon Beast Evolution Technique, three conditions had to be met.
1, Obtain the "Wild Beast Atlas: Demon Beast Chapter," and collect ten or more demon beast illustrated entries.
2, Tame a demon beast.
3, Learn at least three innate demon techniques of demon beasts.
Xiao Jie showed Qin Shou the Beast Atlas, skipping the tamed beast part—since he’s already seen Big Orange.
The primary focus now was demonstrating these three innate demon techniques.
Horse Poisoning Stake!
Earth Tunneling Technique!
Lying Tiger Stone Form!
Watching Xiao Jie demonstrate the three innate demon techniques one by one, Qin Shou nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad, not bad, you indeed have talent, and you’ve got what it takes to learn this Mystical Skill. However, before teaching you the Demon Beast Evolution Technique, I need to ask you a question.