Walker Of The Worlds

"This seems like a promising option," Lin Mu thought. "The Emerald Canopy Forest has everything I need to practice the Litany of Verdant Forests. The environment is serene, the resources are abundant, and it's conveniently on the way."

He made a mental note to visit the Emerald Canopy Forest during his journey to the next city. Meanwhile, he continued to study the jade slip, absorbing as much information as possible about other forests in the Shanxi Continent. Preparation was key, and Lin Mu knew that the more he understood the terrain and its dangers, the better prepared he would be to face any challenges.

Hours passed as Lin Mu delved deeper into the jade slip's contents. He learned about the diverse flora, the behaviors of immortal beasts, and the intricacies of navigating treacherous terrain. Some forests were flagged as particularly perilous, teeming with powerful beasts and hazardous landscapes. These were areas to be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, these warnings were primarily meant for average cultivators. For Lin Mu, the dangers seemed manageable as long as he avoided obvious death traps.

One such treacherous area was the Swamps of Goose Burrow, a grim marshland located within the Chalice Top Forest.

This swamp, situated just beyond the Emerald Canopy Forest, stood out for its peculiar ecosystem. Dominated by Chalice Top Immortal Mahogany Trees, the forest derived its name from these unique trees, whose crowns formed upright cups instead of the usual inverted shape.

Though the Chalice Top Forest was relatively small—spanning only six hundred kilometers—its monotony was broken by the Swamps of Goose Burrow. This murky region was rife with swamp gas potent enough to choke even immortal cultivators.
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Stronger cultivators could resist the gas temporarily, but the swamp's lack of pure immortal qi posed a serious challenge. Prolonged exposure would force them to deplete their own reserves of qi or rely heavily on immortal stones to sustain themselves.

But the swamp's dangers extended far beyond its toxic air.

The Swamp Gulper Gooses, grotesque beasts with catfish-like heads and goose-like bodies, inhabited the marshes. Each creature's head was as large as an elephant, while its body was only half that size. Despite their absurd proportions, they were vicious and bloodthirsty predators.

Swamp Gulper Gooses hunted by burying themselves in the swamp with their mouths agape and filled with mud. When an unfortunate creature wandered too close, the beast would swallow it whole.

Their physical limitations—awkward proportions and slow movement—made them seem less threatening at first glance. However, underestimating them would be a grave mistake. These creatures could leap to incredible heights, up to four hundred meters, making even aerial routes unsafe.

Flying over the Swamps of Goose Burrow might seem like a viable strategy, but the Gulper Gooses' extraordinary jumping ability rendered that option dangerous.

The safest course of action? Simply avoid the swamp entirely.

Lin Mu noted these details carefully, committing them to memory.

"Daoist Chu and Monk Hushu should already be aware of these hazards," he mused.

After thoroughly studying the forests, Lin Mu turned his attention to the other jade slips. These contained valuable information about beasts, rare materials, prominent cultivators, and legendary tales. He saved the jade slips on cultivation techniques and skills for last—a personal treat.

As Lin Mu browsed through the techniques, most of which were unfamiliar, he recorded notes on insights that could be useful for his own practices. Although he didn't require new cultivation techniques, the knowledge they offered was invaluable.

While the skills seemed useful, they didn't align well with his fighting style. Just as he was about to finish, something caught his attention—a dusty jade slip lying forgotten in a corner of the floor.

"Huh, seems like no one's touched this in a while," Lin Mu muttered as he picked it up.

His eyes widened as he began reading.

"Coiling Wind, Pressing Air Palm," he murmured. "Made by… Storm King Shirong?!"

This was a technique attributed to the legendary Storm King Shirong. However, it wasn't part of the Storm King Immortal Arts, his renowned legacy.

"Is this a derivative skill?" Lin Mu wondered aloud, inspecting the jade slip further.

The creator's name revealed that the technique had been recorded by someone else, based on their own understanding. Unfortunately, Lin Mu soon discovered a glaring issue—the technique was incomplete.

"Where's the beginning?" he muttered in frustration.

The jade slip began abruptly: "Having obtained the first skill's mastery, begin with the initial stance."

The rest of the technique provided detailed instructions, but without the starting point, it was like being told how to get from Point B to Point C without knowing where Point A was.

"Looks like this was meant to be part of a set," Lin Mu mused, scanning the area for related jade slips.

Finding none, he realized why the technique had been left to gather dust—it was practically useless without its initial section.

However, as Lin Mu examined the instructions further, something stood out.

"These postures… they resemble the Bending Will Fists. Was this derived from that?" he speculated, intrigued.

It wasn't uncommon for cultivators to modify certain skills according to their understanding. While this needed great proficiency and some level of talent, over time such skills became quite widespread.

And while Storm King Immortal Arts were well known and considered quite perfect, there would still be people that felt like their own understanding it was better.

This wasn't necessarily bad and even brought about new innovations.

Lin Mu had obtained the Storm King Immortal Arts from Crown Prince Feng Shun and knew what the continuation of the Bending Will Fists was from it.

It was the 'Shaking Gale Technique' and was quite complex.

'Perhaps the person didn't manage to learn it and created this variation?' Lin Mu wondered. 'Though now that I think of it… for someone that doesn't have a particular affinity with the wind element, this skill does seem quite viable.' He thought.

He went over Bending Will Fists as well as the Coiling Wind, Pressing Air palm and soon figured out that they were indeed linked. Though there was a small part that was still missing between the two.