Because it had been obscured from sunlight for so many years, this place felt exceptionally gloomy and cold. In the night, the air would be filled with fog, making people feel like they were in a sea of it. It was as though if anyone made a careless mistake, they would be trapped there for eternity without any way out.

Ye Hui rubbed his arms and muttered, "Lu Jiu Que… are you sure that the streamer Lingzhi mushroom is really here? This place is… gloomy and eerie. There's nothing here at all…"

Lu Jiu Que continued to walk as she followed the flow of water and headed for the place where the fog was thickest. She said, "Streamer, streamer, why streamer? It has to be a place surrounded by fog where the air is moist. Have you never thought about why the streamer Lingzhi was given that name?"

"You mean to say that the streamer Lingzhi grows here?"

"Or not. On such a big mountain, where else could we find this so-called Lingzhi? The sect test is only meant to weed out the worthless ones, not wipe out everyone with a single hit of the rod. So, this must be the hint!"

"I see…" Realization dawned upon Ye Hui. After all, everyone knew that the Lingzhi, a spiritual thing in their world, had to grow in a blessed land that was filled with a spiritual aura.

But places that were gloomy and dark, humid and wet, were usually overcrowded with weeds that grew in a disorderly manner. The other people would never have imagined that the streamer Lingzhi would grow in such a place.

But even so, the s.p.a.ce there was too large…

If they were just a little unlucky, they might not even be able to chance upon a streamer Lingzhi even if they spent as long as a full year just circling this mountain.

Just as Ye Hui was letting his thoughts run wild, he suddenly crashed into the person in front of him and almost pulled her into his arms in a full embrace.

The softness that rubbed Ye Hui in the face caused his face to flush deeply. His beautiful and handsome face was, at that moment, as red as a ripe tomato.

"I, I, I… This, this, this…"

"Shus.h.!.+" Lu Jiu Que ordered. Then, she bent down and gently inched forward.

Ye Hui's expression reflected his apprehension. He immediately held his breath in an attempt to reduce his presence and integrate himself as one with his surroundings.

But even though he tried to control himself, his heart paid no heed to this command and was still beating wildly.

What on earth was up ahead?

A demonic beast?

Or was it the streamer Lingzhi?

Just as the two of them had completely blended into the woods, a huge black boar appeared in front of them. It approached them while snorting wildly.

The sharp fangs, the cruel look in its eyes, and the inverted black spikes on its back were all evidence that the wild boar in front of them wasn't something they should provoke.

Lu Jiu Que was unable to put a name to this wild boar, but Ye Hui, on the other hand, was so scared that he had gone ghastly pale.

After making sure that the wild boar was far away, Lu Jiu Que blinked and asked, "What exactly was that? Why were you so scared?"

Ye Hui was unable to laugh or cry at that moment. At such times, ignorance was bliss.

"Didn't you see? That was a one-star demonic beast!"

A one-star demonic beast!?

Lu Jiu Que's heart gently skipped a beat.

In other words, that had been a frightening devil whose strength was comparable to a grade-two Star Soul Master?!

On this continent, the number of demonic beasts was so high that it far exceeded the number of humans. Most of them had settled down in regions that were free of gases that humans produced, so they wouldn't come into contact with the human race easily.

And there was another essential difference between an ordinary demonic beast and a star-grade demon beast. It was just like how, even within the human race, there was a difference between an ordinary human and a Star Soul Master.

A demonic beast had a strong physique and was gifted with talent and skills. In terms of offensive power, defensive power, vitality, agility, or even soul power, they surpa.s.sed the human race.