The Endless Promise

32. Stalked

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Back at Xu Haoyuan's camp, Luoyin slipped away without a sound.

The disciples sat around a crackling fire, their muted chatter and laughter rising with the scent of roasting meat- some from dried provisions, and some freshly hunted.

A few others had fallen into a light dose, including Xu Min, so Luoyin moved swiftly and quietly, his figure vanishing into the night like a passing breeze.

The voices faded behind him, and with a light push off the ground, he soared into the trees, the air bending beneath his steps.

He grinned as the wind rushed through his hair, his *qinggong carrying him effortlessly from branch to branch, in swift but silent steps.

(*Qinggong- Lightness skill, for agility. This is often exaggerated to endow users with superhuman leaps, temporary flight, walking in the air, on water, standing on vertical surfaces, et cetera. The more powerful the skill, the more spectacularly it can be used).

He hadn't been able to practice qinggong since he cured this body's poison, and he was almost dizzy from the rush!

After a few moments of sheer delight, he finally landed in a small secluded spot, a few miles east. Then he glanced around, his senses sweeping for any unnatural presence. Satisfied that he was alone, he shut his eyes and held his hands into a series of well-practised seals.

'Yuan Jing!' He thought, and it was as if everything around him slowed down...

(*Far-Seeing Technique)

Soon, he could see the subtlest sights and hear the tiniest sounds for miles around, and could even watch the disciples at the camp fire.

"Heh! My Far-reach technique is back!" He exclaimed in glee and opened his eyes. Around him, a few plants were glowing softly in the dark, some brighter than others.

Yuan Jing was based on a fairly basic immortal technique, called 'Divine Eye' which allowed one to view their surroundings and detect incoming enemies. The technique could reach for miles and miles, depending on the user's own strength, and some mortals could even use variants of it.

But Bailong had 'tweaked' the original technique to suit his inner plant nerd, merging it with an appraisal skill!

The addition made any worthwhile herbs in his technique range to glow and catch his attention, and at present, he appeared here and there, seizing up as many glowing herbs as he could, his excited laughter filling the silent night air.

"Heh! Such treasures in their own backyard..." He sniffed a branch of bell-like blue flowers. "A fortune can be made here!"

For the past two days, he had seen so many prime herbs in the forest... Herbs the disciples passed by without a single glance.

And given the ages and sheer numbers of these plants, it was clear they were considered worthless here.

He couldn't blame them... Even in Sky Realm, no one could match his ability to draw worth out of seemingly worthless herbs, and he happily sniffed a violet velvety plant he had just plucked from the roots of a large redwood tree.

He couldn't sell them, but he could use them to refine and sell the most powerful pills!

"Ehehehe!" He grinned and rubbed his hands together, imagining the chestfuls of gold and spirit stones these would bring him!

Then he placed the plant in an enchanted pouch which would keep them fresh, and sent the pouch into his spatial ring.

He was just about to cancel the Yuan Jing technique, when something caught his attention, a few miles from the camp.