Priest Qian Que stepped forward to examine the white plant Li Ban had brought out.
"It looks like a mutated dandelion. It doesn't seem to hold any special energy. Did it display any peculiar traits?"
Finding nothing unusual, Priest Qian Que could only turn the question back to Li Ban.
In truth, Li Ban had not detected any spiritual rhinoceros or other energy in this white dandelion either. He had only brought it back because of its fluffy white appearance.
More importantly, he had found it in a unique place like the Nihility State.
And just beyond the Nihility State lay the Mist Zone.
Both the edge of the Wizard World and the edge of the Recycling Station were shrouded in fog.
It was hard not to draw a connection between the two regions.
"It doesn't show any anomalies on its own," Li Ban said. "But the fact that it can appear in the Nihility State is, in my eyes, the biggest anomaly of all."
Now, only mutated monsters existed in the Nihility State.
Naturally, any plant capable of growing in the soil of the Nihility State would not be ordinary.
Priest Qian Que took a small sample of the Fluffy Dandelion. "I'll take this to Priest Hunyou for a closer inspection."
Li Ban nodded.
He kept the rest of it on him.
Besides, he still had another matter on his mind.
Near where he found the Fluffy Dandelion, he had also spotted several writhing figures.
Their silhouettes looked somewhat human.
But they were far more likely to be humanoid monsters.
He planned to go investigate them the next time he visited the Nihility State.
Since the hall master ostensibly needed to scrape together five hundred liang of silver within ten days, and Qiao Zhen'er wanted to get her hands on the money as quickly as possible to defect to another organization, their goals perfectly aligned.
The two parties quickly reached an agreement, setting the time for their second expedition into the Nihility State for three days later.
Three days later, the martial hall disciples who had accompanied them the last time were swapped out for two Level 2 Spirit Cultivators.
Spirit Cultivator Shen and Spirit Cultivator Chen still joined the operation.
However, the hall master also temporarily assigned Jia Tao, a vice-master of the martial hall who had just returned from a mission out of town.
Vice-master Jia was actually another beneficiary of Qiao Zhen'er's expeditions into the Nihility State.
He had originally been stuck at Level 3. Although the hall master appreciated him, Jia Tao had never dared to advance because he lacked the funds to buy better elements.
It was not until the past two years, when he finally saved enough money to exchange for a fine-grade element, that he truly qualified to become a vice-master.
Originally, he should have been grateful to Qiao Zhen'er. Unfortunately, the hall master had elevated him specifically to keep her in check; both men mostly just used her.
Qiao Zhen'er knew that the resources they brought back from their last trip to the Nihility State were worth nearly three hundred liang. Combined with the hall master's own private stash, it should have been enough to meet the five hundred liang of silver.
But the hall master still felt it was not secure enough, especially since a portion of the silver would need to be distributed to his subordinates. Thus, he ordered her to take Jia Tao along this time.
He claimed Jia Tao was highly skilled and could help smooth over Qiao Zhen'er's relationship with her two friends.
She agreed noncommittally.
Naturally, she still brought along her trusted aides, Lu Jiu and Zhao De.
They set off from the same river crossing as last time.
However, while surveying the surroundings from an abandoned building, Qiao Zhen'er noticed something strange.
The ground here was somewhat damp.
She observed meticulously, even checking the soil on both sides of the road.
The tall Spirit Cultivator Chen took the initiative to chime in. "With fog this thick, isn't it normal for the ground to be a bit damp?"
His tone was amiable; he seemed eager to further mend the relationship between the two parties.
Jia Tao stepped up beside Qiao Zhen'er and took a look. "It's different. The fog here is peculiar—it doesn't dampen clothes easily."
Standing behind the group, Li Ban peered through the gaps between them to see the spot Qiao Zhen'er had pointed out.
He recognized it at a glance—it was indeed an unusual, wet trail.
It looked as if some dripping wet thing had crawled across the ground.
Li Ban traced the wet trail to look for its source.
But the trail originated from a patch of broken stone paving, and the water marks there had long since evaporated.
Past the stone path was a small pier, and beyond that, the rushing waters of the River of Helplessness.
"Did something crawl out of the water?"
The other end of the wet trail vanished into the fog, making it impossible to tell how deep it went.
Li Ban stepped forward and asked Qiao Zhen'er, "Master, should I go take a look?"
He was genuinely curious about the tracks. Being the only one in the group truly unafraid of acting alone, he volunteered.
But Qiao Zhen'er shook her head cautiously. "Our objective remains the same. The trail vanishes into the distance, so whatever left it is definitely gone by now. Let's not complicate matters."
"Alright." Li Ban did not insist. At worst, he could just come back on his own after the others returned.
The rest of the group clearly had no desire to investigate what had left the wet trail behind either.
Waiting for Qiao Zhen'er's nod of approval, they immediately hurried toward the merchant guild warehouse they had visited last time.
Halfway there, however, Qiao Zhen'er decided to change course.
"We thoroughly searched the warehouse last time. We might as well check a different spot this time."
Since the team now had three Level 4 Spirit Cultivators, she wanted to visit a riskier location that promised far greater rewards.
Yet she was met with immediate refusal from everyone—including Li Ban.
Jia Tao, whose words carried the most weight, stepped up to persuade her.
"Vice-master Qiao, our main priority for this operation is stability. The hall master is only short a little over a hundred liang of silver. We just need to gather enough resources to fulfill the quota. If we head somewhere else and encounter danger, failing to secure the resources... things will become very difficult for the hall master."
Qiao Zhen'er pursed her lips, deeply reluctant.
At that new location, there was an item she had coveted for a long time.
Previously, as the only Level 4 Spirit Cultivator on the team, she had lacked the strength to get it.
And Spirit Cultivator Shen, who had joined later, was not very obedient.
Now that she finally had Jia Tao to help, she wanted to seize the opportunity to acquire it.
After all, once she defected to a new organization, her status definitely would not be as high as it was now. Even if she could bring her new partners to that location, she might not win the distribution rights for the loot.
Thinking this, Qiao Zhen'er could not help but glance at Li Ban.
This young disciple was clever and eloquent; maybe he could help her persuade the others.
However, Li Ban was about to disappoint her.
Li Ban's targets were the swamp vines and the Fluffy Dandelions.
If they changed their destination, would he not lose the chance to go check on them?
For this reason, Li Ban also tried to persuade her. "Master, since everyone feels this way, we should just head to the previous location."
Qiao Zhen'er was somewhat displeased.
But the presence of three Level 4 Spirit Cultivators, while greatly boosting the team's strength, also meant she had lost the final say. She could only submit to the majority.
"Let's go then. Ah De, you continue to lead the way."
Saying this, she shot Li Ban an indignant glare, which he simply pretended not to see.
The group continued deeper into the Mist Zone.
Just as Li Ban debated whether he should repeat his old trick and lead them toward the swamp vines, or simply tell Qiao Zhen'er outright that he wanted to check the area out...
After all, they were vines that could potentially form an element. It would be completely normal for a spirit practitioner like Zhao De to take an interest in them.
Before he could make a decision, however, another wet trail appeared on the path ahead. Judging by the water droplets clinging to the soil and stones, this track had been made very recently.
"What do we do? Should we take a detour?" one of the Level 2 Spirit Cultivators asked timidly.
Li Ban looked up and peered into the distance. Relying on his exceptional eyesight, he spotted a figure crawling along the ground far ahead.