Chapter 93

This is a dark and deep underground passage.

When Caien and Qi first entered, the passage clearly led underground.

However, after turning several corners and advancing for some distance, the passage began to extend vertically upward, and the end was not in sight.

If it weren't for a flying magical beast like Qi, Caien would have to rely on his apprentice strength to climb.

This passage would be extremely difficult for him.

Fortunately, Qi could still勉强 maintain flight in this two-meter-diameter passage.

Moreover, Qi's night vision far exceeded Caien's, so even if there were protruding rocks in some parts of the passage, they could be avoided in time.

In the darkness, Caien only needed to tightly grip the feathers around Qi's neck.

"Qu, which direction should we go next?" At a crossroads in the passage, Qi asked Caien.

It had been nearly half an hour since Caien and Qi entered the underground passage.

After continuous flight, a crossroads appeared before them.

This crossroads had two different directions. In response to Qi's question, Caien pointed to the right passage and said, "We will go this way."

"Qu qu." Qi spread its wings and continued to carry Caien forward.

At this point, the temperature in the underground passage was clearly higher than when they first entered.

The air was also noticeably stuffy, and Caien could already smell the sulfur from the molten lava.

However, since Caien and Qi had been moving upward for most of the latter part of the passage, even if molten lava was coming from behind, it wouldn't catch up immediately.

On one hand, there was the possibility of molten lava surging from behind, and on the other hand, they wanted to find their mentor and Lina as soon as possible and reach a safe area.

Therefore, both Caien, who was suffocated by the surrounding air and temperature, and the owl Qi, who was severely injured, were gritting their teeth to endure.

It wasn't until half a day later that the long and quiet underground passage finally showed its end.

The owl Qi struggled to carry Caien out of the passage.

What appeared before them was a vast and dark underground space that was unfamiliar to both of them.

This underground space seemed to be quite spacious.

Although it couldn't compare to the areas around Mithral City, Caien could see that the height of the space above was probably twenty to thirty meters.

The distant areas were dark, with some caves and narrow passages scattered throughout the dark space.

It was unclear which path Caien should take.

After flying out of the underground passage, the owl Qi fell and lay on one side.

Caien also fell, and the sharp stones on the ground scratched a bloody mark on his face.

With its slightly long beak slightly open, the owl Qi panted and asked in a low voice, "What should we do next?"

At this moment, Caien couldn't care less about the numb pain on his face and body. He raised the black handle in his hand and looked at it again.

This time, he shook his head in disappointment and said, "I don't know what happened, but I haven't received any signals from my mentor since two hours ago."

"I don't know what the situation around us is, but I think it should be safe for now. Let's rest a bit." Caien suggested.

The owl Qi nodded slightly and closed its yellow eyes.

...

It had been three days since Caien and Qi flew out of the underground passage.

In these three days, the conditions of Caien and Qi had improved somewhat.

Caien used low-level healing potions to treat his external injuries and restored his mental and magical energy through meditation.

Qi, on the other hand, had nibbled on a bit of the second-level energy crystal that Caien had taken out.

However, the energy contained in the second-level energy crystal was too vast, and the amount Qi ate this time was less than one-fifth of what it had eaten three days ago.

Energy crystals are not necessarily better for magical beasts in larger quantities.

If they are forced to eat too much, it can lead to various drawbacks, and even the risk of self-destruction.

"Besides energy crystals and potions, is there anything else that can speed up your recovery?" Caien couldn't help but ask Qi by the campfire one day.

Caien thought that magical beasts might have a recovery technique similar to the meditation of mages, but that wasn't the case.

"If there is enough blood food to supplement, it should speed up my recovery." Qi lifted its eyelids and said.

Blood food... In these few days, Caien hadn't seen any magical beasts or mutated creatures, let alone any living creatures that could jump around.

The environment here was different from the areas around Mithral City, and Caien had only found a few edible underground mosses.

The main food for both him and Qi over these three days was still mushrooms...

While stirring the mushroom soup by the campfire, Caien suddenly remembered something and his body involuntarily trembled.

Then, under Qi's astonished gaze, he took out a white giant egg, about half a meter in diameter, from his spatial ring.

This giant egg was naturally Caien's harvest from the Yellow Sand World, likely the offspring of giant sandworms.

Besides this white giant egg, Caien's spatial ring contained many sandworm eggs, but none were as large as this one.

"The characteristic of sandworms is acidic. I can only eat the dried skin of sandworms and cannot directly consume them."

"This giant egg should have inherited the characteristics of the sandworms. It would be difficult for me to eat it directly, but for you, as a magical beast..." Caien looked at Qi and said.

The owl Qi's throat clearly made a "gulping" sound.

Then it said, "I'll give it a try..."

...

One month later.

Continuing to walk in the dark and unknown underground space, Caien and Qi were walking together.

Qi's recent recovery was good, and most of the injuries on its body had scabbed over.

The only serious injury, the one on its heart, would not heal quickly.

In addition to needing special treatment in the future, it would also require a long period of rest.

Caien's recent condition was also good. The latest data from the crystal ball showed:

Mental Energy: 53

Magic Power: 50

Constitution: 17

Compared to when Caien returned from the Yellow Sand World, his mental energy and constitution had increased by one or two points.

Caien speculated that either the values he gained from the Yellow Sand World were not his limits, and he still had room for improvement, or the dangers and hardships he experienced had stimulated the development of his potential.

Regardless of the reason, the increase in mental energy and constitution was a good thing.

If this trend continues, he has a chance to reach the level of a quasi-mage before the age of forty.

In the past Black Magic Academy, this rate of advancement would have placed him at the forefront of the academy.

"Qu qu, are you sure the direction we are heading is correct?" The owl Qi asked Caien.

"A week ago, I received a faint signal from my mentor."

"Although I don't know why the signal was interrupted, the direction is correct." Caien nodded and said.