OBS Chapter 138 Departure Instructions
Chapter 138 Departure Instructions
Rest for three days.
Despite the ostensible claim of rest, no one truly had a moment's rest. Lin Chen spent those three days meticulously stabilizing his early-stage Transformation Realm cultivation, again and again, until he could freely control the silvery-white star-like energy. With a thought, it would surge from his dantian throughout his body; with another thought, it would recede like the tide, leaving no trace. His cultivation technique flowed smoothly and without hindrance; his twelve meridians were like meticulously maintained riverbeds, the energy surging within them as smoothly as naturally formed waterways.
The five of them went to the Academic Affairs Office together to submit their applications for off-campus training. The clerk in the Academic Affairs Office was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He flipped through their application forms, glanced at them, said nothing, stamped them, and handed them a pass. Lin Chen took the pass and turned to leave when the door to the inner office suddenly opened, and Chen Feng walked out.
He wasn't wearing a military uniform, but rather the regular uniform of a field officer, dark blue, with the Xingwu University emblem pinned to his collar. However, his posture was still that of a soldier: straight back, level shoulders, and a steady gaze. He beckoned to Lin Chen and his group of five, gesturing for them to come inside to talk.
The office wasn't large, containing a desk, a row of bookshelves, and a few chairs. Chen Feng didn't sit behind the desk; instead, he pulled up a chair and sat in the middle of the five people. He took a token and a stack of files from a drawer, placed them on the desk, and pushed them in front of Lin Chen.
The token is made of copper, about the size of a palm, with the Martial Arts Alliance's scale emblem engraved on the front and the words "Field Service" on the back. The edges are worn smooth, clearly indicating that it has been used by many people and passed through many hands.
"The alliance has completed the reporting process." Chen Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear. "With this token, you can retrieve supplies and contact the stationed martial artists at the various martial arts outposts along the border. The people at the outposts will fully cooperate once they see the token."
He pointed to the stack of files.
"The dossier contains detailed information about Qing Shi Border City, the hardest-hit area. The source of the Gu plague is there—not one of the sources, but the very origin. Qin Kun, a member of a collateral branch of the Qin family, is secretly overseeing things in the city. He coordinates the evil followers and spreads the soul-controlling Gu. The Gu plague that has spread throughout the border originated from him."
He tapped his fingers on the file, his knuckles slightly bent, but the pressure was not light.
"Qin Kun is at the late stage of the Transformation Realm. He is always accompanied by several veteran evil cultivators, all of whom are at least at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm. He also has a large number of martial arts henchmen controlled by Gu worms, numbering no less than a hundred. These people have no sense of pain, no fear, and are not afraid of death, making them ten times more difficult to deal with than living people."
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping from Lin Chen's face to Su Muyue, from Su Muyue to Leng Feng, from Leng Feng to Chu Fan, and from Chu Fan to Su Ling'er. Finally, his gaze returned to Lin Chen.
"Remember not to be reckless. Although the five of you work well together, the enemy outnumbers you by dozens of times, and their cultivation is no less than yours. Once you reach the border town, first ascertain the situation and don't rush into action. I will keep an eye on Xingwu University. If there is any danger, immediately send a message for reinforcements. The alliance reinforcements can arrive at the border town in as little as one day."
Lin Chen put away the token and the dossier and nodded.
Su Muyue took the file, opened the first page, quickly glanced through the contents, closed it, and put it in her backpack. Her movements were swift and efficient, without unnecessary flipping through it, as if she had already memorized the entire file's contents.
"Don't worry, Director Chen. The five of us work together seamlessly, with a complete setup including formations, pills, melee combat, and crowd control. We will proceed step by step, first figuring out the enemy's stronghold before deciding how to act. We won't be reckless."
Chen Feng looked at Su Muyue, then at Lin Chen, his lips twitching slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded.
After leaving the administration office, the five returned to the training room and began to check their belongings.
Su Ling'er placed the three medicine chests side by side on the stone table and opened them one by one. She had reorganized every compartment, hidden drawer, and categorized section of the chests, nearly doubling the space utilization. She packed the categorized pills into five portable storage pouches, one for each person, arranging them neatly. The storage pouches were made of deerskin, palm-sized, with drawstring closures, lightweight and durable. She wrote her name on the outside of each pouch with charcoal—"Chen" for Lin Chen, "Mu" for Su Muyue, "Feng" for Leng Feng, "Fan" for Chu Fan, and "Ling" for herself. The characters were crooked, but each stroke was written with care, making them unmistakable.
Detoxification pills, healing pills, anti-Gu pills, Gu-expelling powder, and Qi-strengthening pills—everything from detoxification to healing to suppressing Gu worms was available. After she finished counting, she lined up the five storage pouches in a row, checked them twice from left to right to make sure nothing was missing, and then tied them to each person's belt.
Chu Fan squatted on the ground, three leather bags spread out in front of him, their openings revealing array plates inside. He selected the high-level demon-trapping array plates, a set of three, stacked them together, tied them tightly with a cloth strap, and stuffed them into the innermost layer of his backpack. He chose seven concealment array runes, retracing each one with spirit ink to ensure the runes were clear and the spiritual energy was sufficient. He also took out several spare array materials from his storage ring—copper coins, spirit ink, and unfinished array flags—and neatly arranged them in the side pocket of his backpack, ready to use at any time.
Leng Feng drew his battle sword from his back and placed it on the stone platform in front of him. The tempered blade was heavier and wider than before, and the dark red patterns on the surface gleamed eerily in the light. He reached out and touched the blade, his fingertips hovering above the edge, sensing its sharpness without actually touching it. Confirming there were no problems, he slowly slid the sword into its sheath. The sheath and blade fit together perfectly, making a low, smooth click as it entered the sheath. He then took out a row of five armor-piercing throwing knives from his waist, lined them up, secured them one by one with leather buckles on his wrists, and tucked them inside his belt.
Su Muyue took out the complete set of twelve exorcism array flags from her backpack and inspected them one by one. The flags were undamaged, the flagpoles were not cracked, and the runes had not faded. After confirming that everything was in order, she put the flags back into the side pocket of her backpack one by one, each one securely in place, without wobbling or colliding with each other. The exorcism talismans she carried with her were folded into a stack, wrapped in yellow silk, and placed close to her chest, inside her clothing.
Lin Chen sealed the remaining Star Essence Liquid. The jade bottle was small, about the thickness of a thumb, and its mouth was sealed with wax, with a star-shaped mark pressed onto the wax surface. He placed the jade bottle in the innermost compartment of his backpack, zipped it up, and pressed it to make sure it wouldn't fall out. The Star Sword was carried close to his body, its scabbard resting between his shoulder blades, the hilt extending from his right shoulder, within easy reach. Star Qi flowed slowly within his dantian, unhurried and gentle, like a quiet river, ready to erupt or recede at any moment.