Secret Realm of the Green Mountains.

The wind swept through Burial Honor Mountain, causing the sea of trees to sway.

At the foot of the mountain lay the secluded village of Bi Hu, shrouded in twilight gloom.

Xie Wenyuan, his face slightly pale, dressed as a scholar from ancient times, walked steadily into the village.

He passed by many farmers in hemp clothes.

Logically, in such an ancient setting, a small mountain village with less than a hundred households, extremely isolated, and seldom visited by outsiders, the sudden appearance of such an “out-of-place” character like him should have attracted countless stares.

Yet the villagers didn’t even bother to glance at him, simply carrying their hoes, bending their backs, and dragging their feet towards the outskirts of the village.

Xie Wenyuan savored the numbness in their eyes, reminiscent of the stone statues guarding the imperial tombs in the “Underground Palace Secret Realm.”

The same lifelessness on their faces, the same lack of vitality.

Yet they were clearly still alive.

“Have you arrived?”

Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, an old man in simple clothes gently fanned himself, playing chess alone, occasionally sipping water brewed with tea dregs, content in his own company.

“Teacher.”

Xie Wenyuan sat down opposite the old man with respectful movements, joining the game with the remaining pieces.

“Kyushu is vast, filled with geniuses and handsome talents as numerous as the birds in these woods. You could have chosen someone else.”

The old man’s voice was clear and melodious, his hand delivering a killer move that cornered the newcomer, Xie Wenyuan.

“My time is running short. That Mr. Wang has already set his sights on me, and moreover…”

As Xie Wenyuan spoke, he placed a piece, sparking a glimmer of life: “The child I’ve found is definitely the best.”

“Last time you said the same about Bai Ziliang, but what was the result? A mediocrity.”

The old man was blunt, casually placing a piece that snuffed out the flicker of Xie Wenyuan’s resurgence: “And you let the Bai family’s second son mess things up.”

“That’s his own uncle after all, and I’m an outsider…”

Xie Wenyuan was about to explain when the bright-eyed old man raised his hand to interrupt: “What does being an outsider matter? When I entered any household, wasn’t I an outsider too? In the end, didn’t I have followers like clouds?”

“You, you think too much, always timid in everything you do.” The old man placed another piece, further strangling Xie Wenyuan’s position.

“The Bai family, mere gatekeepers. Bird trainers and papermakers, what great prospects can they have? With the cards in your hand, isn’t it easy to control them?”

“Wang Jingdong is somewhat of a character.”

“But he also, after consecutively slaying the cancerous old Buddha of the Catastrophe Temple and the Green Lion Guardian Deity of the Cloud Summit Gate, was tainted with scenic poison, greatly reducing his strength and lifespan, barely able to live another two years.”

“Even if he still holds some trump cards, as long as you don’t go too far, he won’t easily make a move.”

“Not to mention, you’re looking to benefit that child, not harm him. What reason does he have to refuse on someone else’s behalf?”

“But I still have to remind you, you only get one chance to choose a person. Are you sure you want to use it on Chronicle?”

“Sure.” Xie Wenyuan nodded solemnly: “This child is quick-witted, his card crafting is full of spirit, always able to think of highly compatible stories, creating astonishing cards from ordinary materials.”

“Sometimes I even feel like he has a supercomputer with astonishing computing power in his head, or the accumulated wisdom of countless people. It’s a visible spirit and talent.”

“At least in the Green Mountains, I can’t find a younger person with higher talent than him.”

“Since you think so…” The old man yawned, a “distraction” causing the nearly lost game to be disrupted: “Then give him something first.”

“By the way, I’ve placed some ‘plug-and-play’ skin cards in the wall of the old house number three in the Green Mountains, for both people and cards. Take them and give them to him.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Wenyuan immediately stood up, thanked him, and heard the old man’s faint voice: “I hardly see you once a year, and when you do come, it’s for the child.”

“Not at all, the child is just one aspect, I also miss you very much…”

“Miss me?” The old man raised an eyebrow and smiled: “Did you bring anything? Coming to see your teacher empty-handed?”

“Ah?” Xie Wenyuan was taken aback, then heard the old man say: “Don’t bring that slickness here, I won’t be fooled by you, kid.”

“Since you’re here, sit down and play a few more games of chess with your teacher. Did you buy a standing ticket?”

“Then accompany your teacher for a few more games.” Xie Wenyuan smiled, rubbing his hands together and gladly taking his seat.

The subsequent games, of course, were “hard-fought” by him, yet he couldn’t win a single one.

Each time, he “struggled” for a long time under the opponent’s killer moves, only to “regretfully” lose.

The old man was cheered up, and he himself was exhausted.

…

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Secret Realm of the Green Mountains, in the safe hunting zone designated by the Association.

Chronicle was happily sorting through his material cards.

“Nice.” He chuckled.

With the help of Lin Daiyu, in only half the allotted time for gathering materials, he had already collected materials worth tens of thousands in the market.

After all, this was a “safe” zone that had been cleared multiple times by the Zhenyuan Army.

Leaving some harmless flowers, fish, insects, weak spirits, and three-inch evil spirits for students and recruits to play with was the limit.

If they brought in low-tier top players like the Yellow Goat Daoist or the Mutated Meat Mountain Fiend, there might be another “Ziliang” incident.

A long-established genius “crashing” on the spot.

Such scenes aside, if they happened too often, other provinces might think the Green Mountains had no talent.

Someone idle might even pop up with a saying like “In times without talent, Ziliang becomes famous,” making the Land of Peach in the Green Mountains a laughingstock.

But this was a secret realm, and you couldn’t expect it to be completely free of trouble just because you fenced it off.

From Daiyu’s somewhat blurry memories, it was clear that this “safe” area had at least two not-so-safe sections.

One of them was the valley where the Blood Tear Grass Spirit resided.

As a special material with excellent skill characteristics and directly modifiable, she naturally dominated that valley.

But this didn’t mean she was the only powerful creature there.

The “Flower-Sucking Black Wolf Demon,” the “Dazed Wood Yellow Flower Aunt,” the “Blood Thorn Rose Spirit”… they also frequented the valley.

They just weren’t as formidable as her and didn’t dare to move recklessly, only occasionally appearing.

And now, the Blood Tear Grass Spirit had been captured by the cunning and evil Card Craftsman.

Naturally, the valley with the most abundant spiritual energy was for the virtuous to inhabit.

“I am the virtuous one.” Chronicle chuckled lightly.

By his estimation, those wolf demons, flower spirits, little ghosts, and wind spirits were probably fighting each other by now.

Sure enough, when he arrived there, an ugly grey wolf with matted fur was snarling as it charged towards a tall and delicate yellow flower spirit.

When the little flower spirit saw Daiyu, she was initially stunned, then, as if seeing a savior, hurriedly hid behind the young girl.

Her tall figure trembled with fear.

Daiyu looked at the little flower spirit with some confusion, feeling vaguely familiar, but pitifully weak and unsure of its value.

Indeed, the young lady with the 【Talent】 trait had learned about the concept of “money” through Chronicle’s tablet the night before.

Although she still couldn’t understand more complex matters, she knew it was a “medium of exchange” and very important to Chronicle.

So, she decisively took out a blank card from Chronicle’s pocket, pressed it against the little flower demon’s forehead.

This scene was strangely familiar.

But Daiyu didn’t think too much about it, directly converting the spiritual energy of plants and trees into psychic power, capturing a material card for Chronicle.

Then she exchanged a glance with Seven Brothers, who was chuckling nearby, and lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her foot.

Instantly, the ground around her, centered on the red fragrant sheepskin boots she wore, cracked like a spider web.

Dust billowed.

The delicate and frail lady turned into a “cannonball,” falling from Chronicle’s side onto the back of the wolf demon.

With a “crack,” the wolf demon’s spine broke.

“Ow-woo, ow-woo~”

The hideous creature tried to pretend to be a scruffy little dog, hoping to deceive the lady.

But Daiyu was unfazed, simply picking up a piece of thin, incredibly sturdy ripple stone unique to the secret realm from the ground.

With three fingers together, she pierced a hole in it.

She then broke off a piece of the essential branch from a passing tree spirit and inserted it into the hole.

The result was a rough but solid stone hoe.

Daiyu was quite pleased with herself, holding the hoe with both delicate hands, swinging it with a fierce wind.

Then, under the horrified gaze of the wolf demon, she raised it high and slammed it down.

In just a few moments, the wolf demon went from one to a puddle.

Daiyu then took out a sack from somewhere and shoveled the wolf demon into it, ensuring nothing was left behind.

Once it was nearly full, she took out a blank card from her small pocket.

Killing the wolf and sealing it, her actions were smooth and done in one go, as if she had rehearsed it thousands of times before.

Chronicle, watching from not too far away, was somewhat stunned, unable to tell who the real Card Craftsman was.

But considering that it was good for the child to know about supplementing the household income, he took out a strawberry-flavored lollipop from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Here.”

Daiyu, who was walking back with the stone hoe on her shoulder, couldn’t figure out what Chronicle was up to.

She took the candy from his hand, unwrapped it with one hand, and popped it into her mouth, her eyes lighting up instantly.

Her expression remained calm, but her subsequent actions were vigorous.

Whether they were “enemies” or “best friends,” she was determined to flatten them with her stone hoe.

Her main approach was to seek revenge and eliminate kin for justice.

Chronicle collected the materials, naturally happy, and kept feeding her small snacks one after another.

—These were all previously given by Youyou, and they would expire if not eaten soon.

Now they were being put to good use.

Afterward, they arrived at the second “unsafe” area—the “Spotted Bamboo Demon Monk Temple.”

Encouraged by the snacks, Daiyu was even more enthusiastic.

With her 【Blossoming】 skill at full strength, she kicked open the temple doors and dragged out the demon monk, whose true form was bamboo.

The demon monk’s strength was not inferior to that of the Blood Tear Grass Spirit, but he was no match for her, Lin Daiyu.

A few punches and kicks, and he was beaten back to his original form.

Then, with a knee, she split him in two and tossed him at Chronicle’s feet.

She then went back to pick flowers, catch birds, and pluck bamboo, not missing any valuable items.

In the end, she didn’t forget to remind Chronicle to collect the temple too—it was valuable!

One chapter for now, another big chapter coming later.