Cultivation Online

The senior examined the glistening Unknown Ore in her hands. Had her junior not pointed out the anomaly, she would never have realized that it contained no energy.

”How many Unknown Ores are like this?” she asked after a moment of silence.

”Sixty-one... so far.”

”That many?” The senior’s eyes widened at the number.

Since this was the first time they had encountered such an issue, she had expected only a handful of ores to be affected. However, the actual number far exceeded her expectations.

”Do we know where these ores came from?” she asked a few seconds later.

”We know they were collected by the military, but that’s about it. We only record the basic details, so we don’t keep track of their exact origins.”

”Well, starting now, that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We need to trace their origins and rule out any possibility of foul play.”

”Foul play...?” The junior looked surprised. ”You think someone is responsible for this? It should be impossible for anyone outside this facility to extract Limitless from Unknown Ores.”

”As I said, we need to rule out every possibility, even those that seem impossible. I also find it difficult to believe that anyone outside this facility can extract Limitless from Unknown Ores. However, if someone truly has discovered a way, we must find them as soon as possible. It would be catastrophic if the other cities learned of their existence and got their hands on them.”

”Yes, Senior!”

”Also, I shouldn’t have to say this, but this information doesn’t leave this facility.”

”What about the Generals?”

”No... at least, not right now. We’ll do so once we gather more information and evidence.”

”I understand.”

Two days later, Yuan arrived at the Eastern Gate for his mission.

Before he arrived, Yuan expected to see a large group of soldiers just like his previous gathering mission. However, he was surprised to find only five other soldiers present.

”Is this everyone?” Yuan asked.

”No, there should be one more.”

”Why are there so few participants? Is it because there aren’t many soldiers permitted to enter the Red Zone?” Yuan asked. ”As you can probably tell, this is my first time joining this kind of mission.”

”Your first time, huh? Well, it has nothing to do with a shortage of qualified soldiers. Plenty of them are permitted to enter the Red Zone. However, we aren’t searching for Unknown Ores—we’re looking for Unknown Crystals. They’re rarely found outside the tunnels, and the limited space inside means we can only bring seven or eight people at most.”

”Tunnels...?” Yuan raised an eyebrow at this new information.

”Is this your first time entering the Red Zone, too?”

He nodded.

”No wonder. Tunnels only exist in the Red Zone and beyond. As its name suggests, it’s a tunnel that goes underground.”

”Are there Void Specters inside these tunnels?”

”Of course. And unlike gathering Unknown Ores, we cannot ignore them, so we’ll have to get rid of them in order to reach the Unknown Crystals.”

’Cleaning Void Specters while gathering resources at the same time? This mission offers the best of both worlds!’ Yuan exclaimed inwardly, already feeling impatient to go out there and start absorbing more Eternal Essence.

A few minutes later, the seventh member of the squad showed up.

”Oh?” Yuan muttered in a somewhat surprised voice after seeing Shi Fa’s face.

”Why do you look so surprised? Don’t you take a look at who’s in your squad before the mission?” Shi Fa asked as he approached the group.

”No,” Yuan said as he shook his head. ”I don’t really care who is in the squad, either.”

”Is that so? I won’t get into the details here, but you really should start looking,” Shi Fa said. ”You want to make sure there aren’t any bad apples in your squad, after all.”

Some time later, once they confirmed everyone was present, Shi Fa said, ”The system has appointed me as the squad leader. If there are any objections, speak up.”

”...”

When no one voiced any objections, Shi Fa nodded and said, ”Alright. Then let’s go.”

They teleported to the city walls shortly after, before traversing straight toward the Red Zone, ignoring every Void Specter they encountered along the way.

Of course, they also picked up every Unknown Ore they discovered.

”So this is the Red Zone, huh?” Yuan muttered as he entered it for the first time.

Beyond the barren landscape, a thin veil of crimson mist blanketed the sky, casting the entire region in an ominous red hue.

”If you’re wondering about the red particles, you don’t have to worry. It’s not harmful,” Shi Fa said to Yuan just in case he was concerned.

”What is it?” Yuan asked.

”We don’t know, but we’re fairly certain it doesn’t affect us, as nobody has ever gotten sick from entering the Red Zone.”

”I see...”

However, Yuan quietly examined the red mist with his divine sense.

’T-This is—!’

His eyes widened when he recognized it.

’This is Chaotic Essence!”

At least that was his first impression.

’No, something isn’t right...’

He quickly realized something was different.

”Now that we’re in the Red Zone, stay alert, especially you, Corporal Yuan, considering this is your first time here. The Void Specters behave differently in the Red Zone, and they are much more aggressive. However, if one attacks you, do not fight back and keep moving forward.”

”I understand.”

As they continued forward, Yuan kept half of his attention focused on the crimson mist and the other half on the Void Specters.

’This is definitely Chaotic Essence, but it feels incomplete—like it had just formed. Could this be what Chaotic Essence is like before it develops its chaotic attribute and becomes the energy I’m familiar with?’ he speculated.

As Yuan spent more time examining the mist, he became more confident in his own theory.

He tried absorbing some of the red mist, but it had no effect on his Chaotic Essence. However, he could feel his energy being restored.

’It’s not strong enough to benefit me even in the slightest...’ he sighed inwardly, and he started to wonder if it was any different in the Purple Zone.