Tang Xi halted in the middle of the dense forest, mentally unig with the Lunar Umbrel, feeling the mystical energy pulse in her mind.

  "How does your dete ability work?" — she asked, her violet eyes gleaming with anticipation.

  Stelr Dete: I ect to the stars aheir knowledge. The more precious the resource, the vaguer the feeling. As long as it is not within a formation or spatially isoted, I se and guide you there.

  Maximum Range: 5 kilometers.

  "I see..." — she thought, adjusting the position of the umbrel. "Let's test it then. Take me to the resource."

  With a thought, the Lunar Umbrel opened above her head, and for a brief moment, the opy that usually dispyed fluffy clouds and a bright blue sky shifted. A night sky was revealed, covered in clouds, with stars flickering through the darkness before vanishing as quickly as they appeared. Soon, a vague iion arose in her mind, pointing in a dire.

  Without hesitation, Xi followed, moving cautiously through the vegetation on the

  outskirts of the Clear Water Mountains.

  As she advanced, she noticed something different. The level of spiritual energy in the area had increased, and the usual Level 1 and 2 animals were no longer visible. In their pce, only Level 3 spirit beasts, and occasionally some Level 4 ones, moved betwee trees.

  Keeping a low profile, Xi cloaked herself in a thin yer of stelr wood energy, masking her presence from the most oors. It worked... for a while.

  As she he location indicated by the Lunar Umbrel, warning signs began to appear. The tree leaves were partially burned or withered, some pnts seemed corroded, and the ground bore irregur marks, as if something rge and sinuous had passed through.

  Xi stopped, frowning.

  "These marks... there's something wrong."

  The sounds of the forest seemed more distant, muffled by a heavy atmosphere. Even the animals that should have bee were absent. A disf premonition grew in her chest.

  "You're not leading me somewhere dangerous, are you?" —she asked the Lunar Umbrel mentally.

  Before she could get a response, a bd-red shadow shot out from the undergrowth like a deadly bolt of lightning.

  A snake!

  The reptile was about four meters long, its width akin to an adult's wrist. Its glossy bck skin shimmered with red uones—a clear warning of its extreme toxicity. It shed out like a lethal whip, aiming directly for Xi's ankle.

  By pure instinct, Xi leaped backward, narrowly dodging the attack. The snake missed its mark and struck a nearby tree instead.

  A loud hissing sound echoed as the tree bark began to rot a, releasing a dark, foul-smelling smoke.

  Xi narrowed her eyes.

  "How ing! As I suspected, its skin must be soaked in venom. If it had touched me..." — A chill ran down her spine.

  Without hesitation, she quickly swallowed a Bile Anti-Venom Pill, feeling a protective warmth spread through her body. But even with that, she dared not let the snake make tact with her.

  The serpent, realizing its initial strike had failed, raised its head and bared its venom-dripping fangs. Its cold, calg gaze seemed to mock the prey before it.

  "This thing is more troublesome than the boar, but I'm not without means to deal with it," — Xi thought, a cold smile pying on her lips.

  The snake slithered rapidly across the ground, preparing to strike again.

  Xi activated Phoenix Wing Step. A faint aura of stelr fire enveloped her body, flickering and warm. She leaped back at the st sed, spinning mid-air.

  With the Lunar Umbrel in her hands, its sharp tip gleamed as a metallic stelr aura coated the bde.

  With a swift motion, she hurled the spinning umbrel toward the snake.

  The serpent seemed to scoff at the attack, subtly shifting its body to evade...

  But then, the Lunar Umbrel's speed suddenly doubled.

  — BANG!

  The impact was violent. The snake was smmed into the ground, crag the earth around it.

  Moments before the strike, Xi had whispered mentally:

  "Amplify Weight."

  The result was a devastating blow.The snake writhed, spitting out mouthfuls of bck blood. But something troubled her.

  "The cutting attack had no effect..." — Xi noted. "Its venom acts as a slippery armor, making it resistant to such strikes. But the impact... must have damaged its internal ans."

  She narrowed her eyes.

  "If metal doesn't work, how about fire?"

  The serpent, though injured, had not given up.

  Suddenly, it spewed a burst of liquid venom in a wide arc, restrig Xi's possible escape routes, while lunging straight at her.

  "Damn, this snake is smart!"

  But Xi already had a pn.

  Activating [Bzing Trail], she swiftly moved through the only safe path, leaving a fming trace behind.

  The snake, with no time to react, slithered over the fire and was immediately engulfed in fmes. A deafening hiss echoed through the forest as the reptile thrashed, burning.

  But the battle was far from over.

  In the moment, another shadow moved from a nearby hole.

  "The sed snake finally made its move!"

  It had been a trap.

  The sed snake, hidden underground, emerged and fired a fresh burst of venom straight at Xi.

  Her eyes widened.

  — "The snake in the hole has acted."

  Aug_N7052