The first night in the Winteredge Mountains passed with us taking turns on watch. Nothing happened. When I woke up, everyone else was already up. We had a quick breakfast of leftover grilled fish from last night, then set off for today’s journey.

“Everyone packed? First task today: cross the river. Move it!”

Rui Feng scooped up Rui Xin in one arm. His leg muscles coiled tight, then he leaped—clearing the wide river in a single bound. He landed heavily on the other side and shouted back, “Cross on your own if you can. If not, follow Lin Bing. No delays!”

Everyone showed off their skills. Mo Xiaohong bent like a rubber band and launched herself across. Zhang Tianluo manipulated his gravity, floating over like a ghost. Li Cha was even wilder—he soared into the air, carrying two others with him. His Anomaly Power was flight.

As for me? I considered making a blood bridge, but it’d drain too much blood and feel unsafe. I still couldn’t levitate by controlling my own blood. So I decided to stick with Lin Bing.

Lin Bing was the youngest in the squad—a girl of about fifteen. Pale-skinned, with waist-length hair, she looked like a delicate Japanese doll. She’d barely spoken the whole trip, so I’d almost forgotten she existed. How could she ferry the rest of us across? Was her Anomaly Power spatial teleportation or something?

“Gather close.”

Her voice was barely a whisper. We huddled around her in a circle. I stood nearest, almost pressed against her slender frame—but no impure thoughts crossed my mind. She radiated cold like a block of ice.

Once we were set, Lin Bing slowly raised her hands. Pale blue, glass-like hexagons materialized from thin air. They snapped together into a dome-shaped barrier enclosing us. It reminded me of an AT Field from Evangelion. Under its glow, we walked straight onto the river. Where the water touched the barrier, it froze instantly into thick, walkable ice. We crossed the river on foot.

But halfway across, chaos erupted. Over thirty blood-toothed fish burst from the water, jaws gaping wide as they lunged at us!

“Watch out!” I started to summon a blood shield, but Lin Bing tugged my sleeve—signaling not to worry. The moment the fish hit the barrier, they froze into icy statues. Their snarling mouths locked open, looking utterly ridiculous.

What a broken ability… I thought. Fighting her would mean you couldn’t even get close. She’s only fifteen. If she keeps growing like this… just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.

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Only after crossing the Blood-Tooth River did we truly enter the Winteredge Mountains. The squad’s mood shifted instantly. Lazy attitudes vanished; everyone turned serious and alert. The Rui siblings led the way. Rui Xin scanned the surroundings with sound waves, while Rui Feng cleared the path and guarded our flanks. He now wore metallic arm guards edged with sharp saw-teeth—a remarkable spirit artifact. Lin Bing and I walked in the middle. Her freezing barrier and my blood shield could protect the group if danger struck. Beside us was a man in his thirties named Sinan Long. Unlike the Ruis, he carried true Sinan Family blood. His Anomaly Power specialized in detection. In the Sinan Family, only two kinds of people bore the Sinan name: blood relatives, or those from minor allied clans who’d earned great merit. Bringing up the rear were two burly men—Shi Tao and Lu Xiong—both as strong as Rui Feng. One controlled rock; the other shot lightning. Both were fierce warriors. Li Cha was our strongest. He mostly flew overhead, acting as our lookout.

Our route followed a dried-up riverbed toward the eastern slope of the main peak, where we’d meet other teams. According to the map, three spots along the way were ideal for scanning. Our plan was to visit each in order. Sinan Long would deploy a large-scale detection field at every point. After all three, we’d cover our assigned zone.

Our first stop was Salt Crystal Lake.

I frowned, trudging through thick grassland. Though called a dried riverbed, this river had vanished centuries ago. The old channels were now choked with lush grass and shrubs. Damp weeds and vines snagged my boots. Branches scraped against my pants. My hair was already tangled with leaves. This was awful. Wasn’t this supposed to be the north? Why so humid? And that first location—Salt Crystal Lake? Shouldn’t that be a seasonal salt lake like those in China’s northwestern deserts? Could such a thing even exist here?

Rustle, rustle, rustle, crunch.

“…!”

That sound didn’t match our footsteps. Something strange had mixed in.

I glanced sideways from the corners of my eyes. Thick forest blocked my view, but I was certain something was following us.

I was about to alert the others when Sinan Long tapped my shoulder. He whispered, “Everyone’s noticed. Don’t move yet. Wait for open ground ahead!”

I swallowed my tension and pretended nothing was wrong. We were almost out of the grassland when—

With a splash and crack, a gust of wind shot from the forest. A foul stench hit us! “Watch out!” Lu Xiong roared from behind. A blinding bolt of lightning struck empty air. Something crashed to the ground, filling the air with a sharp, burnt smell. I looked closer—a giant lizard over two meters long, its skin camouflaged in grassy green. Could it change colors?

“Hunter lizards! Defend yourselves!”

Before the words faded, over a dozen more hunter lizards burst from the bushes. Like chameleons, they blended into the forest—nearly invisible to the naked eye. They didn’t attack immediately. Instead, they split into two groups, neatly avoiding Lin Bing’s freezing barrier. One group sliced through the front of our squad; the other cut off the rear. In seconds, our tight formation shattered into three isolated segments. Only then did I realize their plan: divide and conquer.

Just lizards… with brains this sharp!

One hunter lizard snarled and lunged at me. I flicked my wrist—a crimson crescent flew out, slicing it cleanly in half. I couldn’t see them clearly, but that didn’t stop me. I stopped aiming. Blood dripping from my hands transformed into shotgun-like pellets the moment it left my skin. They sprayed in all directions. Every few seconds, blood bloomed mid-air as invisible lizards materialized and fell. Without armor, they couldn’t withstand the blood bullets. Beside me, Lin Bing never moved. Every lizard that charged her slammed into the freezing barrier, turned to ice, and shattered on impact. Sinan Long, useless in direct combat, used his detection power to dodge every attack and slipped safely inside Lin Bing’s barrier.

Up ahead, Rui Feng fought purely on instinct. His deep-blue-glowing arm guards swung wildly, crushing lizard after lizard into pulp. Rui Xin unleashed strange sound waves, scrambling their senses. The lizards writhed on the ground, forced out of camouflage. She followed up with focused sonic blasts—some rupturing organs, others causing instant internal explosions. Zhang Tianluo manipulated gravity like a falling anvil, slamming lizards flat. Mo Xiaohong fought like a female Luffy, her whip-like punches and kicks flowing effortlessly. Shi Tao summoned stone spikes from the earth, impaling attackers. Lu Xiong unleashed torrents of lightning, blasting everything in sight. The dozens of hunter lizards stood no chance. In moments, they were wiped out.

“Ha!” Rui Feng crushed the last lizard’s skull, wiping blood from his face as he checked on everyone. Seeing no injuries, he let out a relieved breath.

“Lucky it was only hunter lizards. Quick rest, then move on!”