Volume Three: Rising Fame Chapter Seventy-Six: Speculations of Crisis

“Have none of you noticed anything unusual?” Li Yu looked at the flustered group before him, speaking each word deliberately.

“Unusual? No, everything seems normal,” one replied.

“Yes, apart from the fog, nothing strange at all. Look, I even collected this many Snow Spirit Crystals!” others chimed in.

Voices overlapped, yet not a single person sensed anything amiss.

Li Yu took a deep breath and pointed to his head. “I suspect there’s something strange about this mountain affecting our minds.”

He pressed down with both hands and said solemnly, “Don’t object just yet. Hear me out first.”

He released his fifth-rank spiritual domain, which quieted the group somewhat, though their eyes still showed panic.

It was understandable. They had been summoned here, only to find the life-threatening fog had returned, naturally unsettling anyone.

“I suspect the terrain and layout of this mountain have something peculiar, creating an effect like a formation,” Li Yu said, scanning the group with as calm a voice as he could muster. “So, after entering, we overlooked many abnormalities right under our noses.”

What he didn’t say was that if it weren’t for this influence—if a Blue Star cultivator had acted—he feared the team would have fallen apart. Li Yu dared not voice this suspicion and instead said,

“I only just realized it myself. From the start, I felt something was off, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. I even asked Wen Xiangxuan, but she didn’t notice anything strange.”

“You asked me, sir. I said then that maybe you just have a keen spiritual sense and could detect something unusual,” Wen Xiangxuan nodded, glancing at the others.

Though she openly acknowledged the mountain’s peculiarity, once she spoke, everyone seemed to find a solid anchor, their eyes turning to Li Yu with hope.

After all, if someone could sense danger and possibly resolve the crisis, the group wouldn’t lose heart.

‘He really does have something special,’ Li Yu thought, looking at Wen Xiangxuan with some admiration.

Her words quelled much of the panic, replacing it with hope as everyone’s gaze settled on him.

“Most of the beasts outside are sixth-rank, but inside the mountain, the beasts are mostly seventh or eighth-rank, and their numbers are few. We’ve all seen this but no one mentioned it!” Li Yu reminded them. “Look at this mountain—raise your head and see how tall it is!”

His words stirred a commotion.

“What? The mountain is this tall?” Wen Yongsi muttered, staring up, unable to see the summit.

Xing Chengping’s face darkened. “How did we not notice before?”

It was natural—when treasures lie beneath your feet, who would bother looking up? Besides, looking up might mean missing a few Snow Spirit Crystals.

“It’s obvious—we’ve all been affected,” Li Yu waved his hand. “The beasts guard the outside, probably for the crystals, but why don’t they come inside?”

“Maybe they covet the crystals but know it’s dangerous and are reluctant to risk it, so they linger nearby?” Wen Xiangxuan whispered.

“Exactly!” Li Yu agreed. “But now that we’ve uncovered the truth, this mountain no longer affects us. That’s why I gathered you here—to prepare for any other anomalies and to wait until tomorrow to see if the fog rises again.”

“And to guard against... the Blue Star cultivators.”

That last thought remained unspoken, lodged deep in Li Yu’s mind.

If the beasts knew to stay outside, he was almost certain the Blue Star cultivators were behind this.

From his encounter with the dark-robed youth, it was evident that Blue Star cultivation was more advanced.

The beasts’ awareness of the danger suggested this was no recent development, ruling out a sudden setup by Blue Star cultivators.

Yet, if this was a natural formation, who was manipulating it behind the scenes? Who was covertly guiding the clan members into danger?

He kept this question to himself.

Li Yu called out and selected a spot with a good vantage point as a temporary base, rather than waiting idly.

“This is incredible. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed!” Xiong Xiuer said in surprise, sitting in the makeshift cave and gazing toward the fog-shrouded area a few hundred meters away.

“Such craftsmanship—it’s said formations originally derive from these kinds of natural wonders,” Li Yu smiled, though a shadow of worry flickered in his eyes, hidden from others.

“Sir, these Snow Spirit Crystals...” Wen Xiangxuan approached.

Li Yu understood her meaning. He looked over the crystals each person had collected and pondered. “Let’s split them six to four. I’ll take forty percent.”

Since no one was keen to gather more, it was only fair to allocate what they had. The six-to-four split wasn’t exploitative—without him, none of them could have entered, and other teams had come in too. He still had to contend with other fifth-rank cultivators; forty percent wasn’t unfair.

“Thank you, sir!” Wen Xiangxuan said happily.

She had expected an even split. She’d heard other teams’ shares were seven to three, with the fifth-rank cultivators, who did nothing, taking seventy percent!

“Thanks, sir!”

“Here you go, Yu-ge!” Everyone smiled as they handed over forty percent of their crystals to Li Yu, even Xiong Xiuer. Wen Xiangxuan shot her a glance and, seeing Li Yu accept without objection, understood the nature of their relationship.

Gathering all the Snow Spirit Crystals, Li Yu counted sixty-four under his name, mainly because Can Yi Shuang was extremely sensitive to their presence, picking them up here and there, contributing significantly.

“Sir, could you step outside for a moment?” After the division, Wen Xiangxuan asked quietly. Li Yu looked at her curiously but nodded and followed her out.

Once outside, Wen Xiangxuan moved several dozen steps away from the cave.

So cautious?

Li Yu was surprised. What was she up to?

Wen Xiangxuan spoke apologetically, “Sir, you still have other concerns, don’t you?”

“Concerns?” Li Yu’s eyes gleamed sharply as he looked at her, unsure what she meant.

“I noticed the worry in your brow isn’t just because of the innate formation,” Wen Xiangxuan said softly, observing his face. “There were too many people earlier to ask, but I feel uneasy. If it’s convenient, could you tell me? If not, that’s fine.”

She dared to ask because Li Yu’s character seemed decent so far. If it were someone like Ning Ankang, she wouldn’t dare question, even if life and death were at stake.

Otherwise, the unknown danger might have already claimed her.

“Your observation is keen.” Li Yu hesitated but finally said, “Do you remember the dark-robed man I told you to watch out for when we first began searching?”

He needed a clever mind to consult with; as the saying goes, three cobblers with their wits combined surpass Zhuge Liang.

From many signs, Wen Xiangxuan was extremely intelligent.

“Sir suspects the dark-robed man set this trap?” Wen Xiangxuan was startled, unable to understand why a fifth-rank cultivator needed such caution. She spoke frankly, “Which clan does the dark-robed man belong to? You seem... cautious regarding him.”

Before entering the mountain, there was Ying Feiguang, a prince of the Great Ming, yet Li Yu didn’t seem overly concerned about such a heavy figure. What clan could be more threatening than the Great Ming royal family?

“He’s not from any clan. He’s a demon,” Li Yu said slowly and deliberately.

When Can Yi Shuang was captured, she saw more than one demon, so Li Yu had been on edge all along. One dark-robed youth was already formidable; what if there were more?

“A demon!” Wen Xiangxuan exclaimed, then looked toward the cave, fearing others might overhear.

She wanted to question this but thought Li Yu had no reason to lie and invent demons just to scare her.

“How many?” she asked, steadying her nerves.

“A group, I think...” Li Yu shrugged. Since he’d mentioned it, he decided to share everything he knew, though omitting some details. “Before meeting you, I encountered one demon. From him, I learned there’s more than one in this secret realm.”

“Sir understands their language?” Wen Xiangxuan was surprised.

Li Yu realized his slip and quickly said, “No, are you stupid? How could I understand them!?”

Of course, he did—what exquisite Chinese! He’d said plenty like that while gaming on Blue Star.

But now was not the time to reveal that.

Wen Xiangxuan didn’t doubt him. After some thought, she said, “Sir suspects the mastermind behind this is the demons? They know about the mountain’s anomalies and want to use it to drain the fifth-rank cultivators?”

“They’re stronger than any fifth-rank cultivator,” Li Yu said, suddenly realizing he’d been assuming too much. Just because the dark-robed youth he met was formidable didn’t mean all Blue Star cultivators were equal.

Fifth-rank cultivators vary in strength; why should that one represent a unified standard?

If they needed this strange mountain to drain clan forces, then the remaining demons might not be as threatening.

Having realized this, Li Yu smiled. “That makes sense. It should be like that.”

He looked at Wen Xiangxuan, privately grateful for having another brain to think with. If she hadn’t asked him out, he might have remained anxious and fearful.

“Three cobblers with their wits combined really do surpass Zhuge Liang!” he thought.

Squinting toward the summit, he said, “If that’s the case, since the fog area is surrounded, other dangers should appear. I wonder if the other teams have encountered anything?”

Unbeknownst to him, at that very moment, Xiang Yadan and others seeking trouble were facing a thorny problem.

“Hold hands and circle around me; this way you won’t disappear suddenly!” Xiang Yadan said, looking at the terrified youths beside her, swallowing hard as she shouted.