26: Chapter 26: Practicing the Concealing Breath Technique, Exploring the Outer Edge of the Swamp, Encountering a Forest of Rotting Bones

Over the next two days, Ye Qing stayed inside that simple wooden hut.

He understood the principle of "sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutting." Being a newcomer, his knowledge of the Black Water Swamp was limited to that crude atlas. Acting rashly carried too high a risk.

During the day, he stayed indoors, concentrating on studying the "Basic Breath Concealment Method (Fragment)."

Although this technique was a fragment, recording only the first two layers, its content was quite practical. The first layer was "Qi Concealment," which meant suppressing one's own Spiritual Qi fluctuations to disguise oneself as a lower Realm or even a Mortal. The second layer was "Form Concealment," which utilized environmental light, shadows, scents, and even one's own faint Spiritual Qi fluctuations to achieve the effect of hiding one's figure and aura for a short time.

For Ye Qing, the first layer was the top priority. He was already adept at precise control of Spiritual Qi, and with the space assisting his Comprehension Ability, practicing it yielded twice the result with half the effort. In just two days, he could freely and naturally shift his Spiritual Qi fluctuations between "Qi Refining Stage 2 Early Stage" and "a Mortal with no cultivation," making it extremely difficult to detect unless a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator examined him closely at close range.

The second layer, "Form Concealment," focused more on technique and environmental utilization. Combining his sensitivity to Spiritual Qi and light/shadow, along with insights gained from observing Yao Beasts and Cultivators, he repeatedly pondered and practiced. Although he was still far from Minor Achievement, he could already achieve decent concealment effects in specific environments.

During these two days, he was not completely cut off from the world.

Every morning and evening, he would leave the wooden hut for a while and go to an inconspicuous corner of the market to order a bowl of the cheapest, turbid "earth potato wine." He would sip it slowly while his ears collected discussions from all directions.

"Have you heard? The 'Vulture' gang got taken down yesterday at 'Wild Wolf Plain.' It seems they ran into a tough opponent; only two escaped, and both were injured..."

"Serves them right! Those scumbags only target lone individuals; they should have died long ago! But whoever could make 'Vulture' suffer, they probably aren't easy to deal with either..."

"Over at 'Poison Dragon Pool' in the west, the ink jade lotus roots that surfaced a few days ago seem to have attracted quite a few people. 'Poison Lady' seems to have clashed with 'Black Tiger' and his gang; the atmosphere is very tense..."

"Who cares if dogs bite dogs! It's true that the depths of the swamp haven't been peaceful lately. There are more and more strange occurrences over at 'Rotten Bone Forest.' 'Limping Li' and his team went in the day before yesterday, and they haven't come out yet..."

"It's not just 'Rotten Bone Forest,' 'Black Mud Pool' is about the same. I heard someone saw a huge black shadow churning in the pool from a distance and was so scared they ran back with their tail between their legs..."

"The price of Yao Beast Materials is still rising! The purchase price for a Rank 1 Late Stage Yao Beast Core has already reached fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Damn it, I really want to go in and try my luck..."

"Try your luck? You'd be betting your life! Haven't you seen how few of those who come back are in one piece? ..."

The information was chaotic, but the danger of "Rotten Bone Forest" and "Black Mud Pool" was repeatedly mentioned. Ye Qing silently marked them on his mental danger map as "High Risk Recently, Avoid Temporarily."

On the morning of the third day, Ye Qing checked out of the room and left Blackwater Market.

He did not go deep into the swamp but chose to explore the relatively safe areas along the periphery of the swamp.

According to the markings in the atlas, the peripheral areas were mostly territories of Rank 1 Early and Middle Stage Yao Beasts, with occasional distributions of Low Grade Spiritual Plants and Ore. The danger was relatively controllable, and small teams of Loose Cultivators were often active there, making it convenient for observation.

He cast the first layer of Breath Concealment Technique, maintaining his aura at the "Qi Refining Stage 2 Early Stage" level. He lightened his footsteps, kept his Divine Sense within a three-zhang range around him, and proceeded cautiously.

The scenery of the swamp periphery was different from the edge. The water puddles were larger, the reeds were taller, and the humus was thick, feeling soft and spongy underfoot. The air was permeated with a thicker scent of damp decay, mixed with the smells of various aquatic plants and insects.

After traveling for about an hour, Ye Qing stopped at the edge of a wetland growing a large amount of dark green moss.

Scattered among the moss were a few plants with serrated leaves and rice-grain-sized purple flowers blooming at the tips.

"purple thread grass, unranked, has a weak effect of stopping bleeding and dispersing blood stasis, and is one of the auxiliary Materials for refining the lowest-grade golden sore medicine."

Ye Qing recognized it. This item had extremely low value, was troublesome to pick and process, and was generally looked down upon by Loose Cultivators.

But his heart stirred. The night firefly grass in his space was also a low-grade plant that favored damp and shady conditions. Perhaps he could try transplanting this purple thread grass inside to observe the space's compatibility with and influence on plants of different attributes and grades?

He looked left and right; there was no one nearby. So he squatted down, carefully dug up three well-growing purple thread grass plants with soil and roots, and quickly stowed them into the hidden pocket in his bosom—in reality, he took the opportunity to send them into the space and directly "planted" them in the damp, shady area next to the night firefly grass.

The black soil sent out waves of acceptance, and the space energy automatically wrapped around the roots of the purple thread grass, helping them stabilize.

"It worked. One more test subject."

Ye Qing continued forward.

On the way, he saw several teams of Loose Cultivators from a distance. Some were working together to kill several millstone-sized "Iron-Armored Crocodiles," some were collecting "Water Spirit Algae" growing in a body of water, and others seemed to be arguing over a small patch of exposed Ore that shimmered with a metallic luster.

He avoided them all from afar, not wishing to get involved in any trouble.

At noon, he found a dry mound, ate a few bites of dry rations with clean water, and simultaneously submerged his consciousness into the space to observe.

The purple thread grass was in a stable state, and its leaves seemed a bit brighter. The moonlight flower had nearly half-bloomed, glistening with silver light. The iron wire vine was not growing fast, but its vine body was tougher. The night firefly grass and purple thread grass got along harmoniously, and the Spiritual Qi in the damp, shady area seemed more active due to the increase in plants.

"It seems the space has good compatibility with plants of different attributes and grades, and can even form a simple, mutually beneficial micro-ecosystem."

Ye Qing was very satisfied with this.

After resting for a moment, he got up, intending to change direction and continue exploring.

Just as he walked down the mound, a patch of unusually dense, dark red-to-black withered forest ahead caught his attention.

This withered forest was completely out of place with the surrounding environment. The trees were not completely dead; their branches were twisted, and the bark peeled off, revealing the dark red wood inside like dried blood. There were almost no green plants in the forest, only a thick layer of dark red, rust-like moss covering the ground.

A faint but instinctively unsettling sweet, fishy smell drifted through the air, mixed with the odor of rust and decay.

Ye Qing paused, his brows slightly furrowed.

This forest... it seemed to be the periphery of the "Rotten Bone Forest" marked in the atlas?

The atlas's notation regarding the "Rotten Bone Forest" was vague, only stating it was a "dangerous place, growing many exotic poisonous things, where Cultivators occasionally disappear inexplicably, enter with caution."

The forest before his eyes truly exuded an evil nature.

He instinctively felt danger and was about to detour.

Just then, his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something at the edge of the dark red moss, near the roots of the thickest dark red withered tree: a faint, silvery-white light, completely different from the surrounding environment, flashed and vanished.

That light... it was actually six or seven parts similar to the silver glow of the moonlight flower blooming in his space! But it seemed more condensed, more... ancient?

"Could it be... some kind of high-grade, shade-loving Spirit Medicine related to moonlight? Or perhaps some kind of special Ore?"

Ye Qing's heart stirred.

High-grade Spirit Medicine or special Materials meant more abundant energy, which could promote the space's growth faster.

But the danger was also obvious.

He stopped in his tracks, his gaze scanning the edge of the Rotten Bone Forest sharply. He dared not easily probe with his Divine Sense; that sweet, fishy smell made him feel vaguely uneasy.

After observing for a moment, that silver-white light did not appear again, as if it were just an illusion.

The forest was terrifyingly silent; not even the chirping of insects could be heard.

"Something is wrong, it's too quiet. And this area is clearly close to Blackwater Market; logically, there should be traces of Loose Cultivator activity, but nearby..."

Ye Qing carefully examined the ground. On the dark red moss, apart from his own footprints, he couldn't see any fresh footprints of humans or common Yao Beasts. It was as if this area had been "cleared" by something, or "marked" as a forbidden zone.

Reason told him he should leave immediately.

But deep down, the desire for that possible "high-energy item," along with his confidence in his current strength, space, and Breath Concealment Technique, gave him a faint thought of taking a risk.

"Just the edge, don't go deep. If anything is wrong, retreat immediately."

Ye Qing took a deep breath, pushing his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit, his aura suppressed as still as a stone. At the same time, the Spiritual Qi within his body surged quietly, the runes of the "Pseudo-Fireball Technique" circulating at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed at any moment. On the outside of his left arm, the activation method for the Triangular Spirit Shield was also in a state of readiness.

He lightened his footsteps, like the most cautious hunter, slowly approaching that thickest dark red withered tree.

Ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang...

The distance grew closer and closer, and the sweet, fishy smell became increasingly obvious, carrying a strange, dizzying allure.

Just when he was less than two zhang away from the roots of the withered tree, and could clearly see the fine veins on that dark red moss—

A sudden change occurred!

The seemingly solid patch of dark red moss under his feet suddenly collapsed downward, like a greedy, gigantic mouth!

At the same time, the sweet, fishy smell in the surrounding air suddenly intensified tenfold, transforming into an invisible, viscous mental shock that slammed fiercely toward Ye Qing's Sea of Consciousness!

It was a trap! And a trap specifically targeting Divine Sense!