Cultivation : I'm an Ancient Giant Bear-Chapter 399 - 378: Hidden Origin Bell

"Bang bang bang!"

"The weather is dry, be careful of fire!"

Under the night sky, Wang Wu’s Hao Mao Monarch was on duty, and he could handle most things by just sending a sliver of his Divine Thought.

It’s simply an unrivaled tool essential for taking it easy!

Besides, being a night watchman is also a decent job.

Just don’t know if I’ll encounter any supernatural events.

Due to the curfew, the entire Dragon Head City was eerily quiet, except for pairs of eyes hidden in the dark, which belonged to some sleepless cultivators, and there were quite a few of them.

Wang Wu attempted to search for the Five Poison, Yue Mountain, as well as Xiong Shiliu, Yuan Bupu, General Xuelang, and others. Didn’t the Five Poison say they were bringing over a thousand people? I should be able to see some of them.

As a result, he wandered for half the night, not only failing to see a familiar face, but also not seeing the Five Poison or Yue Mountain.

Could it be that they were on a mission?

Wang Wu didn’t think much of it.

He now felt quite familiar with the rules of the Hidden Origin Association; he liked this Qi Fortune Guardian mode, let alone others.

Just don’t know how the Hidden Origin Association profits.

The night was unexpectedly peaceful, with nothing happening, let alone any supernatural events. The cultivators crying out in Dragon Head City weren’t joking.

On the way back to the night watchman’s hut, he discovered free breakfast, even if it was just a bowl of clear soup and a cornbread, it was quite nice.

Wang Wu and five other night watchmen ate with delight.

After eating, he lay down on a wooden plank pretending to sleep, while the other night watchmen soon began to snore rhythmically.

At that moment, one night watchman suddenly sat up slowly and looked at Wang Wu.

"Fellow Daoist, you’re quite lucky, new here?"

Wang Wu silently sat up and cupped his hands, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist, is there something you wish to instruct me on?"

The night watchman hurriedly said, "Don’t dare to. I’ve been in Dragon Head City for a hundred years, now I’m a Sixth-Grade Steward of the Hidden Origin Association. With the Association’s protection, I can barely cultivate normally. I wanted to ask, Fellow Daoist, are you planning to stay in Dragon Head City long-term?"

Wang Wu nodded, "That’s right, I’ve heard much about the Hidden Origin Association and have longed for it. I came to Dragon Head City this time to join the Association. Fellow Daoist, do you have any connections?"

The night watchman laughed, "Can’t say connections. Actually, by getting the night watchman’s job, you’ve already got a place in Dragon Head City, which is a very good start. But it’s not enough. The Qi Fortune Guardian from the night watchman’s job is very little. If you do nothing and don’t cultivate, you can live like a mortal, but as soon as you cultivate, the Qi Fortune Guardian will deplete significantly."

"Therefore, you need to find extra things to do. Do you know, we can actually receive the Five Qi of the Human World from the Hidden Origin Association? But first, you must become a steward of the Association. There are usually two methods: one, you can sense the Five Qi of the Human World yourself, sense the Hidden Origin Bell, and naturally, it will register your identity and issue a Ninth-Grade Steward’s badge, allowing you to take on tasks."

"The other is through an introduction by another steward of the Hidden Origin Association."

"The former is a bit troublesome and may take a few days, while the latter is much simpler and can be done in a moment. If Fellow Daoist is interested, I’m willing to recommend you."

"That would be wonderful. Please help me with the introduction. Thank you very much." Wang Wu was overjoyed, as he wasn’t planning to leave Dragon Head City and felt joining the Hidden Origin Association was a promising opportunity.

He really liked the rules and model of the Hidden Origin Association, especially after learning that the big boss of the Association is an Immortal.

Who doesn’t like to hold onto a strong backer?

"No need to be polite, Fellow Daoist. It’s just a small effort."

The night watchman then took out a Jade Talisman, and with a gentle tap, a streak of Spiritual Light penetrated the house and rose straight up. At that moment, Wang Wu was stunned as he sensed the presence of the Spirit Net. Instantly, his Level 18 Spirit Essence was activated, and he saw the upper structure of the Spirit Net.

Goodness, this Spirit Net is of such a high level, with excellent concealment. Without using this night watchman’s Jade Talisman to activate it, even his Level 18 Spirit Essence would hardly discover it.

However, he didn’t see anyone in the upper Spirit Net, only a mysterious and eerie massive structure resembling a clock tower, with countless mechanisms operating within it, pushing and transforming the abundant Five Qi of the Human World.

Is this the Hidden Origin Bell?

It seems it’s not as simple as he thought.

Wang Wu didn’t dare to continue exploring and sensing, and immediately withdrew his Level 18 Spirit Essence. After waiting for a moment, he saw another streak of Spiritual Light bringing down a Jade Talisman.

"It’s done, the Ninth-Grade Steward Jade Talisman. Please take it, Fellow Daoist."

The night watchman pushed the Jade Talisman in front of Wang Wu.

"That simple? No need to register a name or cultivation level?"

Wang Wu was very surprised.

"Of course not necessary, the Five Qi of the Human World on us is the best identity marker. With this Five Qi of the Human World, it naturally restrains your actions. When you wish to leave the Hidden Origin Association, just disperse the Five Qi of the Human World. If you want to join the Association, having the Five Qi of the Human World also works."

"This Five Qi of the Human World is like a currency, similar to the Spirit Stones circulating in the Cultivation Realm. As time goes by, you will understand how valuable it is to have a stable and safe cultivation environment."

"I see, thank you, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Wu expressed gratitude once again.

"No need to thank me. Actually, I have my reasons. Just yesterday, I accepted a task at the Hidden Origin Association that requires two people to complete. Originally, a fellow Cultivator agreed to accompany me, but he had something come up last minute. When I saw you, I decided to ask if you’re interested."

As he spoke, the night watchman tapped the jade talisman in his hand, causing the one in Wang Wu’s hand to light up simultaneously. Instantly, several lines of text and images appeared on it, truly vivid and detailed.

It was the task requirements and whether to confirm them.

Quite advanced.

But the content of this task—

"The Profound Iron Mine, 2,800 miles to the west, has been flooded and is suspected to be the work of a Water Demon. Please eliminate it and be rewarded with three hundred strands of Five Qi of the Human World."

The task isn’t very difficult and is quite ordinary. The reward is considered generous since a strand of Five Qi of the Human World is roughly equivalent to a copper plate.

But now the problem is, Gui Taizhen is guarding outside Dragon Head City. The mischief-making Water Demon might just be brought by Gui Taizhen, causing trouble for the Hidden Origin Association. If you don’t agree, he won’t confront you openly, but all sorts of difficulties and disruptions are inevitable.

This is forcing the Hidden Origin Association to retreat.

Wang Wu pondered for a moment. To be honest, he could leave Dragon Head City at any time with his Level 24 Passive Concealment, but that’s not the way to look at the problem. He’s already indebted to the mortals of Dragon Head City, and if he left, the calamity might eventually fall upon all mortals in the city.

He couldn’t just repay that one man’s family and call it enough. That would be wrong because the environment they live in is one cohesive societal structure.

Moreover, after sensing that mysterious Hidden Origin Bell, he had a vague idea.

"Alright! When shall we set out?"

Wang Wu agreed.

"Naturally, we’ll depart immediately. Don’t worry about here; nothing significant happens for watchmen during the day. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should be back before sunset."

The night watchman smiled, took out a spirit talisman, and casually activated it, transforming it into another version of himself, snoring on the bed.

This is convenient. Wang Wu was just thinking of how to cover up.

Right away, he imitatively took out a strand of fur and transformed it into a similar spirit talisman. After activation, swish, his real self appeared.

In an instant, he synchronized with Hao Mao Monarch and they both left the night watchman’s small house, heading straight for the west city gate.

Today’s Dragon Head City seemed no different from the past. The crowd coming and going at the city gate and the bustling merchant caravans were continuous. However, Wang Wu distinctly noticed a faintly shimmering glow over the city gate, confirming that the Hidden Origin Association had indeed strengthened its vigilance.

Just don’t know what method Gui Taizhen uses to discern?

And whether that top-grade fur he previously planted has been discovered?

All these thoughts flashed through Wang Wu’s mind as they naturally walked on.

In the immense, deep gate passage, Wang Wu quickened his pace slightly, positioning himself in the corner of the other’s vision, meanwhile activating Level 24 Passive Concealment.

At that moment, unless someone was staring directly at Wang Wu, no creature could sense him.

Once through the gate passage and outside the city, no verification was needed. Wang Wu was almost certain that Gui Taizhen couldn’t detect him.

"Comrade, we need to speed up."

The night watchman said at this point, pulling out a spirit talisman and slapping it onto himself.

Wang Wu performed similarly, staying within the man’s line of sight and even a step ahead.

They appeared to be slowly moving within the crowd, but in reality, they were already several miles away in a flash due to their swift movements.

In this quickly thinning populace, the night watchman began to speed up, but Wang Wu was always a step ahead.

"Impressive skills, comrade!"

The night watchman praised him, tapped his waistband storage pouch, and a Third-Grade Lifebound Sword flew out. He leapt onto it effortlessly, but Wang Wu was still faster, also possessing a Third-Grade Lifebound Sword with a similar style.

Heh, this young comrade indeed is brimming with youthful fervor.

The night watchman chuckled inwardly. But he didn’t actually desire a contest; in truth, he never intended one. It was this young fellow being too competitive, which wasn’t good.

Wang Wu didn’t need directions, only needed the fur-transformed Lifebound Sword to dash forward, with slightly faster speed than the night watchman’s.

In reality, he was traveling with Demon-Controlling Wind; outsiders would only see the night watchman alone.

Whether Gui Taizhen was observing, Wang Wu didn’t know, but there was no doubt Gui Taizhen wouldn’t dare to openly turn hostile, only secretly cause trouble.

Thus, with Sword Control Flight at near a thousand kilometers per hour, the 2,800-mile journey would take just over an hour to complete.

But here lay a small town with thousands of mortals that obviously was under the protection of the Hidden Origin Association, yet the location of the Profound Iron Mine couldn’t be seen, for this place was under dark clouds, lightning, torrential rain, and flood waters everywhere!

Forget about protecting the Profound Iron Mine; whether this town could be safeguarded was itself a question.

Just then, an idea struck Wang Wu as the Hidden Origin Association’s jade talisman updated with a new task.

"Protect Tieshan Town? Comrade, don’t accept it! With our combined strength, we can’t manage it. Besides, there are Hidden Origin Association members in Tieshan Town, and they won’t be in imminent danger. Let’s head for the Profound Iron Mine first!"

The night watchman shouted, seemingly experienced.