Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

—

The Rift Valley in Tianshan Mountain had appeared less than half a month ago, yet Mages from all over the world had already gathered at the foot of the mountain. The Town of Hope was bustling like never before. Some of the opposing factions were even cursing at one another on the streets when most people were asleep at night. They were deciding places and times to settle their disputes.

Lingling began analyzing the information she had bought from the vendors on the streets.

Lingling established a dataset to link all her information every time she was on a new mission, so that she could filter the facts out of the pieces of information she had gained from a variety of sources.

Not every piece of costly information was accurate. There were usually discrepancies between the information from different sources, so she needed more sources to verify the validity of the clues.

Lingling did not have a lot of information on the Night Amethyst. If it weren’t for Asha’ruiya’s help, they would be trying to find a needle in a haystack.

There was a lot of information and rumors related to the Totem Beasts. Many Mages had no idea Totem Beasts existed, but there were a lot of tidbits related to the Snow Tiger, the White Tiger, and the Sacred Tiger of the Scar.

China had many powerful species of demon creatures, and the demon tigers had always been at the top. Some of the infamous tribes were the Dunhuang Demon Tigers, the Tianshan Demon Tigers, and the Kunlun Demon Tigers.

The Tianshan Demon Tigers and Kunlun Demon Tigers were both strong species. The Tianshan Demon Tigers were able to use Ice Magic and were mostly white as snow. Their white fur gave them an aloof and imperious demeanor.

The Sacred Tiger of the Scar was the King of the Tianshan Demon Tigers!

Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to spot the Sacred Tiger of the Scar. Even finding its trail was an extravagant hope, let alone meeting it in person.

“Rumors say the Sacred Tiger of the Scar is friendly to humans. It would stroll through the Scar of Tianshan Mountain around the end of autumn every year. It would gift the first person who saw it. Some people grew a lot stronger because of the gift from the Sacred Tiger of the Scar!” Lingling said.

“Friendly to humans? Does that mean the Sacred Tiger might be a Totem Beast?” Mo Fan asked.

“Mm, it’s rare for a powerful demon creature to be friendly to humans. This Sacred Tiger of the Scar might be closely related to the Totem Beasts. It might even be a Sacred Totem Beast itself,” Jiang Shaoxu said.

“Lingling, are you sure the gift from the Sacred Tiger of the Scar is real? I heard people mentioning it at the bars in Lhasa. It’s a ridiculous idea,” Zhao Manyan spoke up.

“It’s real,” Nanyu declared.

“How do you know it’s real if no one has ever seen the Sacred Tiger of the Scar before? How can you be so sure that it’s the Sacred Tiger’s doing? I doubt the Sacred Tiger is like a random NPC in the Rookies’ Village who gives players a luxurious gift after they talk to it,” Zhao Manyan protested.

“Someone has received the gift before, someone whom we are familiar with. His current status and achievements are closely related to the Sacred Tiger of the Scar,” Nanyu stated firmly.

“Who is it?” Jiang Shaoxu asked.

“Chairman Shao Zheng!” Nanyu declared.

Everyone was startled, especially Mo Fan, whose eyes flew open.

Shao Zheng!

“Are you serious? Chairman Shao Zheng is someone who received a gift from the Sacred Tiger of the Scar?”

“Why have I never heard it from him?”

“Now that you mention it, I did read in his biography that he spent three years on Tianshan Mountain. He didn’t get much attention before the age of twenty-five. However, after he left Tianshan Mountain, he had made incredible progress and became one of the highest authorities in our country,” Jiang Yu mentioned.

“Chairman Shao Zheng did mention the changes that Tianshan Mountain brought him many times when he was younger. He also mentioned the Sacred Tiger of the Scar often over the past twenty years. Many people strongly believe the Sacred Tiger of the Scar and its gift are real because of him,” Nanyu said.

“No wonder Shao Zheng asked us to do our best to look for the Totem Beasts. It’s because he was also blessed by one!” Mo Fan realized.

“However, many people died after coming to Tianshan Mountain because of that legend over the last twenty years, so he stopped mentioning his past here,” Nanyu finished.

“I see. It’s currently around the end of autumn, too. Tianshan Mountain will soon be entering its coldest season,” Mo Fan noticed.

“It’s exactly when the Sacred Tiger of the Scar might show up. No wonder the top organizations across the world are here!” Zhao Manyan nodded.

“I believe the Blazing Song Hunter Group the Zhao Family hired is after the Sacred Tiger of the Scar too,” Guan Yu said.

“Why would they bother chasing rumors around instead of focusing on making money?” Zhao Manyan shook his head, like he had no interest in learning the state of his family.

Guan Yu knew Zhao Manyan had faked his death. He could easily guess it was because of his family, so he did not continue the topic.

Guan Yu used to hang around with Zu Jiming, Nanrong Ni, and Mu Tingying, but he was no longer on friendly terms with them after something happened. He had drawn closer to Jiang Yu, Ai Jiangtu, and Nanyu instead, since he was at the capital most of the time.

He had basically given up on his wrong way of life and turned to a better one. The others were not worried that he would leak the secrets about the Totem Beasts and Zhao Manyan still being alive.

Shao Zheng’s personal experiences had further increased the credibility of the rumors about the Sacred Tiger of the Scar. Mo Fan had been through similar situations where he was gifted. The Fruit of the Vow was a gift that possessed similar effects to the Blessing of the God’s Seal. These things were even more appealing than valuable resources to Mages. Mo Fan’s strength was outstanding mainly because of the unique effects of the Blessing of the God’s Seal on his Lightning Element. Otherwise, he would have to struggle to beat people with a higher cultivation than he had.

Speaking of which, Mo Fan still had not consumed the Fruit of the Vow. He initially planned to give it to Xinxia, but since he was the only person that could consume it, he had to find a time to enjoy it. Zhang Xiaohou, Jiang Shaoxu, Bai Hongfei, and Zhao Manyan had all received their benefits. He wondered what special blessing he would receive from it.

“You said you are looking for the Night Amethyst. Why are you interested in such an ancient and evil thing?” Nanyu asked.

“You know about the Night Amethyst?” Mo Fan’s eyes widened.

Not even one person in a group of ten thousand would have heard of the Night Amethyst before, let alone know its traits, yet Nanyu was right on point!

Nanyu explained with a smile, “The Night Amethyst is the God of Darkness’ favorite, like how dragons love shiny jewelry, gold, and agates. You came to the right place if you’re looking for the Night Amethyst. If there’s still a place where the Night Amethyst can be found in the world, it will only be the Valley of Glaciers that has existed for millions of years!”