Chapter Twenty-Four: A Series of Extraordinary Objects (Part One)

Back in his own room, Sun Meng communicated directly through his thoughts.

“I already have the Enchantress Talisman and the Fire Demon Core. If possible, I can obtain the Mirror of Sealing Demons from Tripitaka, which means I still need to find at least two more wondrous items.”

The red text scrolled, “A quarter of this month has already passed. Are you confident you can complete the mission in the remaining time?”

“It’s hard to say. Now that I have Shaolin Temple’s backing and the help of Xiaolong and the other two, it’s not like these things are easy to obtain. For example, the precious gems in the imperial mausoleum don’t count as wondrous items. The frog spirit from this time might have been one, but once used, it’s gone. If I stay too long with them without a proper reason, it’ll arouse Tripitaka’s suspicion,” Sun Meng explained.

The red text replied, “So, we should prepare for you to trigger the next main quest.”

Sun Meng nodded. “Yes. At the end of this month, it will be exactly half a year. I don’t think Earth’s development has been slow. As long as I can complete this world’s mission before the final assessment, the rewards will surely raise Earth’s civilization to a new level. So, you’d better lay a solid foundation now.”

He didn’t want to struggle to gain power in the mission world, only to have Earth fail the assessment and die along with it.

“The basics of national martial arts, Qi cultivation, and visualization methods have already been promoted globally. But as you know, our country’s culture only radiates to about a third of the world. Westerners generally get stuck at the Huajin stage in martial arts, and except for those with innate physiques, progress in Qi cultivation is slow. Visualization works more smoothly, but it depends on the person. The advantage, however, is that our country has become the leading nation of the Earth Federation.”

Seeing the red text, Sun Meng smiled. In any world, he wished for his country’s strength. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen the Qi cultivation system—wasn’t it all for this?

“Are there any difficulties now?” asked Sun Meng.

The red text replied, “The main problem is still the lack of a complete system, which can only be improved over time. Another issue is cultivation resources. Except for those with innate physiques, postnatal cultivation requires not just spiritual energy but also various medicinal materials. The naturally grown herbs on Earth are far from sufficient, so resources are focused on the military and the most gifted individuals.”

This wasn’t something they could solve in the short term; only the rewards Sun Meng earned from his missions could be exchanged to help Earth.

Sun Meng frowned. He’d anticipated this possibility when he made his initial choice, but what the officials said at the time was reasonable, so he’d had no other option. Thinking back, even if he’d chosen spiritual veins or spirit rice and earth, it wouldn’t have changed the current predicament.

“Perhaps this is the system’s way of restricting civilization: power structures that are easy to popularize on a large scale but difficult to produce top-tier combat strength, or systems that can produce masses of combatants quickly but are hard to break through in quality,” Sun Meng mused. He recalled meeting people from many tech-based, cultivation-based, and hybrid civilizations during his walks in the city—rarely did he see purely mutated civilizations.

The red text scrolled, “Perhaps. We suspect the first assessment will focus on this. In any case, we hope you can finish your mission here as soon as possible so we’ll have more time to prepare.”

Sun Meng nodded. Truthfully, he thought the mission’s completion was not up to him, but rather Xiaolong and the others. Otherwise, even if he stayed until the end of the year, he might not be able to gather five wondrous items.

He had a hunch that the quality of the five items would determine the final reward.

Because Xiaolong and the other two had made a contribution this time, they were allowed to go down the mountain for experience again. Although it was called training, it was more like a leisurely outing.

Sun Meng was responsible for watching over them, at least to ensure their trip didn’t turn into a picnic.

But fate seemed determined to set the three against the Black Fox Gang. In less than two hours, they stumbled upon General Wang Daosen in a standoff with members of the Black Fox Gang.

“It’s the Black Fox Gang again—they must be up to something!” said Xiaohu. Although his first impression of Wang Daosen wasn’t good, he had to admit the man was a responsible and upright person.

“Let’s go help!” said Xiaolan.

Xiaolong nodded, and the three of them charged out to attack the Black Fox Gang.

Sun Meng could have stopped them, but instead of holding them back, he followed and joined in.

He had noticed that Wang Daosen had come alone and without a proper weapon—very unusual. It didn’t seem like a chance encounter or a hostile confrontation, more like a covert transaction.

The sudden attack by Xiaolong and the others took both the Black Fox Gang and Wang Daosen by surprise. The gang moved to fight, and a flash of helplessness crossed Wang Daosen’s eyes. He knocked down a Black Fox thug with a punch and grabbed a weapon to defend himself.

Sun Meng fought without much effort, simply driving away any Black Fox members who got too close.

The main force was Xiaolong and the others, brimming with energy as they beat up the Black Fox Gang, using all the new moves they had learned. Soon, the thugs were routed.

“General Wang, are you alright?” Xiaolong asked with a smile. As the son of a current official, he was best suited to interact with Wang Daosen.

“What are you doing here?” Wang Daosen frowned, seemingly preoccupied.

“We stumbled upon this by accident. Do you have a secret mission? Do you need our help?” Xiaolan inquired.

Xiaolong and Xiaohu also looked intrigued.

Wang Daosen waved his hand. “This doesn’t concern you. I have to continue my mission—hurry back so your abbot doesn’t worry.” He turned to leave, but after a few steps, he went pale, clutching his chest and collapsing to the ground.

Sun Meng stepped up to check his pulse. “General Wang suffers from a heart ailment. We must take him to Shaolin for treatment. My inner energy isn’t suitable for healing, so I’ll have to let General Wang rest for now.” As he spoke, Sun Meng pressed an acupoint to put Wang Daosen to sleep, then infused his energy to protect his heart.

Wang Daosen’s hand fell limp, and the bundle he was clutching caught Xiaolan’s eye. While supporting Wang Daosen, she slyly took the package.

Back at Shaolin, Tripitaka treated Wang Daosen in time, but his condition had only stabilized. They would have to wait for him to wake up to learn what had happened.

Meanwhile, Xiaolan and the others opened the bundle to find a piece of invisible gauze.

“Oh my god! There really is such a magical item!” Xiaolan’s eyes sparkled as she cradled the gauze.

“We’ve been through so much—it’s not that rare. But even if such a thing exists, it should be in the palace treasury. How did Wang Daosen get it?” Xiaolong wondered.

“Because he stole it. We interrupted his deal with the Black Fox Gang,” Sun Meng said, pushing open the door. “You three are bold—this counts as taking someone else’s property without permission!”

“Brother Shaotan, how did you know?” Xiaohu asked.

Sun Meng shot him a look. “The moment you saw the Black Fox Gang, you charged in without observing. If you’d paid attention, you’d have noticed Wang Daosen’s odd demeanor. But whatever made him trade this with the Black Fox Gang still needs to be investigated.”

Xiaolan suddenly said, “I have an idea. Using the invisible gauze, we could sneak into the Black Fox Gang’s lair and uncover their secret. If possible, we might even retrieve the Book of Authority!” The fact that the Black Fox King had snatched the Book of Authority from her still stung.

“But this gauze is only just enough for one person. With two, you might fit. Three would be difficult, and I can’t be covered at all. Besides, I don’t think it’s as magical as you imagine.” He flipped the gauze over Xiaolan’s head.

“Try it—talk, walk, move around,” Sun Meng said, watching her.

Xiaolan did as told, and just as Sun Meng expected, the invisible gauze couldn’t hide her body, voice, or scent. Even making loud movements caused noise to leak out. However, if she moved slowly, she wouldn’t attract the attention of ordinary people.

“So, do you still plan to storm the Black Fox Gang’s lair?” Sun Meng pointed out the gauze’s flaws.

“We still have to go. At the very least, we need to know why General Wang Daosen did this. I think we’ll find answers in the Black Fox Gang’s hideout,” Xiaolong said, and Xiaolan and Xiaohu nodded in agreement.

“Alright, alright! I’ll go crazy with you!” Sun Meng said with a laugh.