The silence that followed Lin Feng and Glob's disappearance down the narrow tunnel was thick and heavy. Left behind were the stench of the Cave Basilisk, the echo of battle, and an exhausted Xiao Lan, her gaze fixed on the point where Lin Feng's chaotic energy had interacted so strangely with her Purifying Fire. The inner disciple, normally a paragon of cold composure, had her brow furrowed in deep, bewildered contemplation.
Lin Feng, meanwhile, had slid down the descending tunnel, which thankfully wasn't too long. It opened into another chamber, smaller and more natural than the previous ones, dimly lit by veins of the same dark crystals he had seen in Glob's cavern. The air here was cleaner, though still permeated with that subtle chaotic energy. He was injured, his ribs protesting with every gasp, and the effort of the last eruption of power had left him trembling.
Glob slid off his arm and began to pulse gently, emitting a sense of calm towards Lin Feng. Then, with curiosity, it started to nibble on one of the smaller crystals, its body glowing a little more intensely.
"At least one of us is having fun," Lin Feng muttered, slumping against a wall. He needed to rest, to evaluate. The interaction with Xiao Lan had been… unexpected. And dangerous.
He didn't have much time to reflect. Light but determined footsteps echoed from the tunnel he had just come through. Lin Feng tensed, as did Glob, who protectively moved in front of him, despite its size.
Xiao Lan emerged from the darkness, her dark blue robes stained with dust and what looked like beast ichor, but her posture remained impeccable, her beautiful face as impassive as a jade mask. Her eyes, however, shone with an analytical light as they scanned him and Glob.
"So this is where you were hiding, outer disciple," she said, her voice inflectionless. "And that… creature?"
Lin Feng pushed himself to his feet with effort, a hand instinctively on Glob. "Senior Sister Xiao Lan. I'm just trying to survive the trial, like everyone else." His voice was respectful but cautious. He didn't know if she had come to finish him off or to interrogate him.
Xiao Lan ignored him for a moment, her eyes fixed on Glob, which was now emitting a faint defensive vibration. "I've never seen a spirit beast like that. It doesn't seem natural. Is it your summoned familiar?"
"It's… complicated, Senior Sister," Lin Feng replied, choosing his words carefully. "It appeared… recently."
One of Xiao Lan's eyebrows rose a fraction of a millimeter. "I see. Complicated." There was a tense silence, broken only by the soft crackling of the chaotic crystals. Lin Feng felt her sizing him up, weighing her options. The power difference between them was abyssal; if she decided to attack him, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Finally, Xiao Lan spoke, her tone as cold and pragmatic as the steel of her sword. "Outer disciple Lin Feng. That burst of your energy in the previous chamber… it interacted with my Purifying Fire. It amplified it in a way I don't understand." She paused, her eyes piercing. "Frankly, your methods seem dangerously unorthodox and emanate an aura of pure chaos. Normally, I would report such an anomaly to the sect elders for investigation."
Lin Feng's heart sank. That would be the end.
"However," Xiao Lan continued, "the current situation is… pressing. The beasts in the depths of this range are more formidable than I anticipated. My primary objective here is the Umbrian Heart Lotus, a seventh-grade spirit herb. It's said to be guarded by a Shadow Chimera, a beast that poses a considerable challenge even for me."
She looked directly at Lin Feng, and for the first time, he saw something more than cold indifference in her eyes: a hint of intense calculation. "Your strange abilities, and that creature of yours… could provide the unorthodox support I need to succeed where brute force alone is insufficient. The way your energy altered my fire, even if it was an accident, was undeniably effective against the Basilisk."
Lin Feng listened, stunned. Was she suggesting…?
"Cooperate with me for the remainder of this trial," Xiao Lan declared, bluntly. "Assist me when I require that… influence of yours. I won't ask you to fight beasts directly that are beyond you; you're merely an outer disciple in the initial stage of Qi Condensation, if you even are one. Your role would be supportive, at critical moments where your strange energy can create an opening or an advantage. In return, you will receive ten percent of any spirit stones or common materials I collect. And if we secure the Umbrian Heart Lotus, I will reward you with three mid-grade Qi Condensation Pills."
The offer was as unexpected as it was tempting. Three mid-grade pills were a treasure for an outer disciple, something that could accelerate his cultivation by months, perhaps even a year. And the implicit protection of being with such a powerful inner disciple during the trial… was invaluable. But the risk… what if she discovered the true nature of his power?
"Senior Sister," Lin Feng began cautiously, "what about… Glob?" He gestured to the slime, which was still eyeing her warily. "I don't know what it is, but it's important to me."
Xiao Lan glanced at Glob with a mixture of disdain and a spark of scientific curiosity. "Your… familiar. As long as it doesn't interfere and proves useful, as it did against the Basilisk, it can accompany you. Its ability to absorb impact was… noteworthy for a creature of its apparent insignificance."
It was a concession, in her own way. Lin Feng took a deep breath. "I accept the proposition, Senior Sister Xiao Lan. I will do what I can to support you."
"Good," she nodded, with an air of finality. "Don't expect preferential treatment. This is a transaction. Fulfill your part, and I'll fulfill mine. Fail, or become a burden, and I will abandon you to your fate without hesitation." Her coldness was absolute, but there was a brutal honesty to it that Lin Feng, strangely, found less threatening than the false camaraderie of his sect "brothers."
Thus began the strangest alliance in the Umbrian Range.
They followed Xiao Lan, who seemed to have a mental map of these tunnels or an impeccable sense of direction. Their conversations were minimal and strictly functional. She would point out dangerous rock formations, types of poisonous moss to avoid, or the tracks of certain beasts. Lin Feng listened, absorbing every scrap of knowledge. He observed her movements, the economy of her actions, the way her Qi flowed in a controlled and potent manner. It was a constant lesson.
Glob slithered beside him, sometimes darting ahead a little, other times sticking close to Lin Feng's leg. Xiao Lan ignored it most of the time, though Lin Feng caught her several times observing the slime with an unreadable expression when it consumed some strange luminous larva or a fallen piece of crystal.
"What exactly is that technique of yours?" she asked suddenly, breaking a long silence as they traversed a cavern filled with stalactites dripping phosphorescent water.
Lin Feng tensed. "It's not a formal technique, Senior Sister. More like… a desperate life-saving measure, learned from an ancient, tattered, and incomplete scroll I found by chance. It's unstable, and I barely understand it." It was the truth, in a way.
Xiao Lan glanced at him sideways. "Uncontrolled chaotic power is more of a danger to the user than to the enemy. You should be careful." There was no warmth in her warning, just a factual statement.
After some time, the tunnel they were traveling through began to emanate an energy familiar to Lin Feng and Glob. It was the same primordial, whispering sensation from the cavern where Glob had feasted. Indeed, Glob grew agitated, tugging Lin Feng insistently towards a side branch of the tunnel.
"This place..." Xiao Lan murmured, stopping. She wrinkled her nose delicately. "It reeks of primordial chaos. Extremely volatile and dangerous for any sane cultivator. Only a fool or someone desperate would venture further." She was about to continue down the main tunnel.
Lin Feng, however, felt a strong pull towards that branch, and Glob was practically vibrating with excitement. He recalled the obscure texts he had devoured in the dilapidated library of the outer disciples, those that spoke of the fundamental energies of the universe.
"Senior Sister," he said, his voice surprisingly firm. Glob, sensing his decision, pulled harder. "This chaotic energy, while certainly volatile, seems to have unique properties. Some ancient, fragmented texts suggest that in its purest form, it is the precursor to all other energies. Perhaps it's not just dangerous, but also holds… unexpected opportunities for those who can discern them." He was improvising, drawing on his own recent experience and the faint whispers he had sensed in the other cavern.
Xiao Lan turned slowly, an expression of genuine surprise crossing her usually impassive features for the first time. "You… an outer disciple… recognize primordial chaotic energy and speak of its theoretical properties?" Her gaze sharpened. "Who taught you that?"
"My meager aptitude forced me to read every obscure and forgotten text I could find in our sect's library, Senior Sister," Lin Feng replied calmly, maintaining his story. "When one lacks innate talent, one clings to any shred of knowledge in hopes of a breakthrough, however unorthodox. Most of those texts were useless junk, but some… some contained strange ideas."
Respect, or at least a form of it, flickered briefly in Xiao Lan's jade eyes. She no longer saw him merely as a walking stroke of luck. A weak outer disciple resorting to deep study out of sheer desperation was something she could understand, even grudgingly admire. It was a tenacity she herself possessed.
"Interesting," she conceded. "Most disciples only focus on the combat techniques in their manuals. Perhaps your… forced erudition… has some merit." She looked towards the tunnel branch Glob was pulling at. "If this energy is as fundamental as you say, and if your strange affinity with it is real, there might be something here that could help us face the Chimera."
She gestured with her chin. "Lead the way, disciple Lin Feng. But if this turns out to be a waste of time or a deathtrap, I will hold you personally responsible."
Lin Feng nodded, a new sense of confidence, fragile but real, dawning within him. Glob, sensing the shift, emitted a chirp of pure joy and darted into the side tunnel, its body leaving a momentarily brighter trail of purple light.
The side tunnel was narrower and spiraled downwards. The sensation of chaotic energy intensified with each step, the primordial whispers becoming more audible to Lin Feng. Xiao Lan followed closely, her Purifying Fire burning softly around her like a protective shield against the oppressive energy.
Finally, they reached a vast cavern, even larger than the first. The sight that greeted them took their breath away.
In the center, instead of a pond, grew an enormous black crystal tree, its gnarled branches reaching like claws towards the vaulted ceiling. From its branches hung not leaves, but flowers. Flowers made of pure, solidified chaotic light, each pulsing with hues of deep purple, crimson, and a black that seemed to devour light. They were beautiful and terrifying at once: the "Chaos-Fed Night Flowers" of legend, Lin Feng realized with a start. Glob was already slithering towards the nearest one, its body trembling with anticipation.
But they were not alone.
Around the base of the crystal tree, several reptilian creatures, like lizards made of shadow and crackling energy, guarded the flowers. They were Chaos Leeches, beasts known for absorbing all forms of spiritual energy, rendering it useless. Xiao Lan's Purifying Fire, though potent, would be severely diminished against them.
"These beasts," Xiao Lan hissed, her sword already in hand. "They're immune to many direct elemental attacks. They absorb energy and return it corrupted."
Lin Feng looked at Glob, who had stopped, watching the Leeches with an intensity Lin Feng had never seen. Then, he looked at the Night Flowers. He felt a strange connection to them, a resonance in his Chaotic Heart.
"Senior Sister," Lin Feng said, "I think Glob… may have a particular affinity with these creatures and this energy."
Glob, as if understanding, darted towards the nearest Chaos Leech. The beast, normally aggressive, seemed to hesitate, confused by Glob's nature. The slime didn't attack head-on. Instead, it adhered to one of the Leech's shadowy legs. The Leech tried to absorb Glob's energy, but something strange happened. Glob's body began to pulse more strongly, and instead of being drained, it seemed to be draining the Leech. The beast's shadowy form flickered, and it let out a sharp, weakened screech.
Xiao Lan watched, astounded. "It's… devouring its chaotic energy?"
"It seems so," Lin Feng replied, an idea forming in his mind. "Senior Sister, if you can distract the others, I think Glob and I can handle this one."
This wasn't a damsel-in-distress plan. It was a strategy, a way to use their unique abilities in concert. Xiao Lan looked at him, then at the weakened Leech, and nodded sharply. "Make it quick."
With that, she lunged towards the other Leeches, her Purifying Fire erupting with deadly beauty, forcing them back and focusing their attention on her.
Lin Feng focused on the Leech Glob was attached to. He poured a small amount of his own chaotic energy, not as an attack, but as a… catalyst, directing it towards Glob. The slime seemed to absorb it and then, with a stronger pulse, the Chaos Leech convulsed, and its shadowy form dissipated, leaving only a small, dark, opaque core that Glob greedily consumed.
A surge of pure energy, though tinged with chaos, flowed from Glob to Lin Feng through their bond. He felt his meridians strengthen slightly, a sense of power far cleaner and more stable than what he got from his own chaotic eruptions.
They had found a treasure. And a new kind of cooperation. Lin Feng's heart pounded with an excitement that wasn't just about survival, but the promise of true, shared power. The Umbrian Range still held many secrets, and he was just beginning to unravel them.