Chapter 406 - 219: The River God Has Manifested
Chapter 406: Chapter 219: The River God Has Manifested
Earth Listening Technique—an Advanced Magic!
When cast, it greatly enhances one’s hearing and can briefly connect one’s sense of hearing to the pulse of the earth. This allows the user to perceive subtle vibrations from the ground within a certain range, which can be used for tracking, reconnaissance, or early warning.
The range and clarity increase with the user’s Cultivation.
’Enhanced hearing?’
’Earth-pulse perception?’
Yang Qi’s eyes lit up.
’This is a divine skill for tracking, reconnaissance, and early warning!’
Although it was incomplete, its value was far greater than the previous rewards.
He immediately comprehended the Magic and circulated his Magical Power to cast it.
In an instant, Yang Qi found that his hearing had become multi-layered and incredibly clear.
Outside the window, the rustling of leaves in the autumn wind; in the distance, the faint sound of animals breathing from their enclosures; even the muffled sound of a TV from the next dorm room and the light footsteps of someone walking about...
Sounds he once had to strain to hear now flowed into his ears naturally.
With a thought, Yang Qi tried to connect this enhanced hearing to the earth beneath his feet.
In that moment, a strange perception spread out.
With Yang Qi at the center, for dozens of meters in every direction, the subtle vibrations from the ground were clearly captured and analyzed.
The jump of a cricket in the corner, the squirming of an earthworm in the backyard soil, and even further away, the vibration caused by Bai Wan turning over on its mat...
He could even faintly "hear" the extremely weak yet constant pulse deep underground—the pulse of the earth itself.
"Earth listening..."
A satisfied smile appeared on Yang Qi’s face.
’With this Magic, combined with the "Every Blade of Grass a Soldier" Divine Abilities, I’ll have near-omnidirectional combat capabilities within a certain range.’
’It’s a shame it’s the incomplete version, though.’
The flaw was that when locking onto a range, it couldn’t capture everything. At greater distances, the connection was intermittent.
But it was still enough for tracking and early warning.
The remaining two prize draws reverted to conventional rewards, but Yang Qi was already completely satisfied.
...
That evening, at the Zoo dorms.
The chirping of insects outside the window was sparse, and only a single desk lamp was on inside.
Yang Qi had just finished a round of cultivating the Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique. The vortex of qi in his Dantian was full, and his entire body felt refreshed.
His phone, on silent mode, began to vibrate. The screen lit up, displaying "Deng Lei."
He answered.
"Advisor Yang, you’re not asleep yet, are you?" Deng Lei’s voice came through, tinged with exhaustion, but mostly serious.
"No, I just finished reading. Captain Deng, has there been a breakthrough?" Yang Qi walked to the window and looked out at the quiet night.
"Yes. The man in the duck-billed cap, and that Xiaoxu from Cangshan last time—we got them to talk."
Deng Lei’s tone was solemn. "They both belong to a poaching organization called Jiulian Mountain. They’re members of the ’Scouting Team,’ responsible for finding high-value targets and mapping out the terrain and routes in and around Cangshan."
"According to them, they’ve been watching Cangshan for over a year."
Yang Qi listened quietly without interrupting.
"But that’s about all they know."
Deng Lei’s voice dropped. "As for the organization’s higher-ups, specific sales channels, or financial transactions, they’re not high enough to have access to that information. Their contacts are all one-way, and they use encrypted communication tools and codenames. They’re very slippery."
He paused, his tone growing grave. "However, there is one thing you must take very seriously. According to their confession, because of your performance at Cangshan—especially your ’suspected ability to communicate with animals unconventionally’—you have been listed as a ’person of interest’ by the Jiulian Mountain leadership."
"Their specific intentions are unclear. They might want to recruit you, or they might just see you as a nuisance... In any case, Advisor Yang, you must be extremely careful!"
"Be extra vigilant when you’re commuting or out and about. I’ll keep digging on my end and let you know as soon as I have any news."
"Jiulian Mountain..." Yang Qi repeated the name. "I understand, Captain Deng. Thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful."
"You must be careful."
Deng Lei said again, "If anything seems off on your end, call me immediately."
"Alright."
Yang Qi thanked him.
They talked for a few more moments before hanging up. Yang Qi placed his phone on the desk and walked back to the sofa to sit down.
The halo of light from the desk lamp enveloped him. His face showed no surprise at all.
’The Jiulian Mountain organization...’
’Things are finally starting to come into focus.’
The words that Teacher Song Chunfang had Senior Brother Wei Zongting pass on to him still rang in his ears: "The business at Cangshan isn’t over. You need to be prepared."
’It’s coming true.’
’The mastermind behind the scenes—or at least, one of their tentacles—has indeed reached out again.’
But Yang Qi felt no fear, not even a trace of nervousness.
’On the contrary, was that a faint sense of anticipation?’
With his current strength, and the Magic, Magical Artifacts, and Talismans he possessed, forget a few members of a poaching organization—even if a small, well-trained, and fully-equipped modern special forces unit came for him, Yang Qi was confident he could defeat them in a direct confrontation!
In the worst-case scenario, he could use an Earth Escape Talisman, a Divine Movement Talisman, or a Teleportation Talisman to make a clean getaway.
’Tail me?’
The corner of Yang Qi’s mouth curved into a nearly invisible arc.
’We’ll see who’s tailing whom.’
...
「Sunday, early morning.」
The sunlight dispersed the late autumn mist, leaving the sky a brilliant, washed-out blue.
For a change, Yang Qi slept in, not getting out of bed until after seven.
Today was his scheduled day off, and also the day he had long planned to meet up with his old classmates, Ye Haibing and Gao Zhenyue.
Their destination was the Vortex Bay Wetland Park, north of Lantian District.
The park was built around a natural bend and mudflats of the Vortex River. With its wide, gentle channel, reed-lined banks, and abundance of water birds, it was a popular spot for citizens to relax on the weekend.
The Vortex River itself was a major, water-rich tributary of the Yangtze River.