Chapter 376: Named Autumn Dew!
Jiang Chen left his personal space and returned to the stone house. Just as he pulled the door open to head out, the rhythmic *pitter-patter* of rain greeted him. A chill breeze swept in, carrying the rich, decaying scent of damp earth and withered leaves.
“It’s raining?”
“The first rain of autumn, at that.”
“I’ll head out a bit later.”
Jiang Chen stood at the doorway, watching the downpour with keen interest. Silvery threads of fine rain slanted down from the dark, overcast sky, drumming a steady, rustling rhythm against the roof. Out in the Spirit Farm, the crops were already drenched. Heavy droplets clung to the tips of the leaves, shivering in the wind before plummeting to the soil and shattering into fine mist.
A thin veil of mist shrouded the distant landscape, blurring the jagged silhouettes of the undulating mountain ranges and the bare, skeletal trunks of leafless trees. The air held a crisp, refreshing chill—not biting, but carrying the unmistakable, melancholic cold of autumn.
As he watched, a spark of insight flashed through Jiang Chen’s mind. Subconsciously, he circulated his cultivation technique, drawing upon the metal and water spiritual power within his dantian. He reached out a hand, exerting a subtle pull on the endless autumn drizzle.
Instantly, dozens of water threads, fine as spun silk, spiraled into the palm of his right hand. They coalesced into a single, translucent dewdrop, perfectly round and crystal clear.
In that fleeting moment, an epiphany struck him. The dewdrop trembled. Out of thin air, a microscopic layer of white frost condensed over its surface, only to melt away a blink later, leaving behind a bone-deep, piercing chill. He repeated the process, cycling the energy again and again until he grew Proficient in the delicate manipulation.
Soon, as the frost coated the dewdrop once more, its very structure shifted. The perfect sphere elongated, sharpening into a deadly needle. With a casual flick of his wrist, it shot forward like a bullet.*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*
It tore through the curtain of rain. Driven by its “cold condensation” property, it violently influenced the surrounding moisture. Every raindrop in its path warped, freezing into identical icy projectiles.
The gentle rain had vanished, replaced by a torrential downpour of ice needles. They were as fine as ox hair, yet carried a freezing lethality that pierced straight to the bone. They possessed both the crisp, fluid chill of autumn rain and the razor-sharp edge of metal.
*Autumn belongs to metal, metal generates water, and metal energy merges seamlessly with water!* Jiang Chen realized.
This technique retained water’s fluid adaptability while injecting it with a resilient, condensing sharpness. It mirrored the autumn dew—seemingly fragile, yet stubbornly clinging to life in the freezing night without dissipating.
Though he still couldn’t cast the Major Rain Spell, his mastery over water had ascended to an entirely new realm.
*I’ll call this move Autumn Dew,* Jiang Chen decided.
The rain continued to fall, but he finally stepped outside.
Puddles littered the ground, yet he made no effort to disperse the water or avoid it. Instead, he seamlessly integrated his presence into the environment, moving as if he were an extension of the rain itself. A miraculous scene unfolded: the falling water naturally slid off his form, leaving his clothes completely dry. Not a single drop left a mark.
…
…
Inspiration Platform, vendor stall area.
The rain had drastically thinned the crowds heading into the Return to Ruins Secret Realm. Jin Fugui, Mo Yu, and Lin An were still seeing some business at their stall, but it was a far cry from the usual clear-weather rush. The three of them were idly shooting the breeze, swapping mundane stories about yesterday’s meals and recent purchases.
When Jiang Chen approached on foot, Mo Yu looked the most surprised. “You didn’t fly over on Shattered Moon Flowing Frost this time?”
Jiang Chen offered a faint smile. “I find walking in the rain quite comfortable.”
Mo Yu couldn’t help but look him up and down. “Weird. Didn’t you just awaken your Water Spirit Root a few days ago?”
Jiang Chen blinked. “What about it?”
Mo Yu opened his mouth, then shook his head. “Never mind… it’s nothing.”
Jin Fugui nudged him, teasing, “Old Jiang, I think you’ve just got too much pent-up fire and nowhere to vent it!”
Jiang Chen’s mouth twitched. “So I’m using the rain to cool off? Is that it?”
Jin Fugui grinned shamelessly. “I heard they’re hosting another matchmaking event over at the Flower Sea. You guys planning to go?”
Mo Yu scoffed. “Sounds like *you’re* the one with pent-up fire and nowhere to vent.”
“And what if I am?” Jin Fugui shot back, utterly unashamed.
Watching the two bicker, Jiang Chen’s thoughts drifted to Zhao Ying. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. *That guy is the real winner in life.*
When Zhao Ying had first become a formal disciple, he had been reduced to Wang Hu’s tenant farmer, ruthlessly exploited. But after Wang Hu’s death, not only did Zhao Ying inherit a portion of the Spirit Farm, but he also got married, had kids, and was now living incredibly comfortably.
“Mo Sha?”
“What the hell happened to him?”
“Holy crap, his arm is gone!”
A sudden commotion erupted near the teleportation array, shattering the relaxed atmosphere.
Jiang Chen and the others turned toward the noise. They immediately spotted several familiar faces. Mo Sha and Shui Wuhen had returned. But they weren’t alone. They had brought back a corpse.
Whose?
Zhao Qianyuan!
The gruesome sight left the surrounding crowd dumbfounded.
Mo Sha wasn’t just the runner-up of the formal disciple competition; he was a core disciple of Profound Abyss Peak, boasting terrifying combat prowess. Shui Wuhen, despite his recent mediocrity, was still a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator with a Water Spirit Root and wielded the growable Autumn Water Spirit Sword. He was no pushover.
As for Zhao Qianyuan, while relatively unknown to the masses, he had been the undisputed number one core disciple of the Nine Curves Sect. No one expected him to drop dead just days after joining the Cloud Sea Sect.
Jiang Chen’s eyes widened in shock. *What the hell happened in the secret realm?*
Ignoring the gawking crowd, Mo Sha immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, desperately circulating his energy to stabilize his horrific injuries.
Faced with the barrage of questions, a battered Shui Wuhen offered a bitter, helpless explanation. “We thought we were the only ones in the secret realm. We didn’t expect a group of mysterious experts to be hiding in the shadows. Mo Sha, Zhao Qianyuan, and I stumbled into them while exploring the deeper zones. We barely made it back alive.”
“What?!”
“There are other people in there?!”
“Does the secret realm have more than one entrance?”
The revelation sent a shockwave of panic through the crowd. Everyone had assumed the Return to Ruins Secret Realm was an exclusive hunting ground for the Cloud Sea Sect. Shui Wuhen’s words shattered that illusion. If there were unknown hostile forces inside, the casualties wouldn’t stop at these three. Many more were likely in grave danger.
Moments later, Ruo Qunshuang rushed to the scene, having caught wind of Zhao Qianyuan’s death. Staring down at the lifeless, familiar face, she collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. “Senior Brother… didn’t you promise to protect me for the rest of my life?”
The tragic sight tugged at the heartstrings of many onlookers. Ruo Qunshuang’s family and friends had all perished; she had no one left to rely on in the Cloud Sea Sect. Now, Zhao Qianyuan—the only person willing to shelter her—was dead too.
Jin Fugui’s face paled with worry. “Do you think Senior Brother Chen Tian and Senior Brother Long Ao are in trouble?”
Before Jiang Chen could weigh in, Mo Yu rolled his eyes. “Fatty, use your brain. The Return to Ruins Secret Realm restricts entry to the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages. That means monsters like Chen Tian and Qin Hao are the absolute apex predators in there.”
If powerhouses of their caliber had fallen, the sect’s upper echelon would have already reacted. Therefore, they were undoubtedly still alive.
Still, the fact that these mysterious assailants could kill Zhao Qianyuan and sever Mo Sha’s arm proved their strength was outrageously high.
Watching the weeping Ruo Qunshuang and the maimed Mo Sha, Jiang Chen’s hyper-logical mind immediately calculated the risks. He felt a profound wave of relief wash over him.
*Thank goodness I didn’t go!*