As Kent and Elder Jill passed through the golden archway, the terrain sloped upward along a winding path carved through the mountain stone. After a few dozen steps, the narrow road opened suddenly onto a wide observation cliff, high above the valley below.
The sight that unfolded before them made even Kent—a boy who had seen divine spells, ancient spirits, and the wrath of gods—go silent.
The Divine Herb Forest stretched out like a vast emerald sea, swaying and shimmering under the soft morning light. Massive ancient trees, their leaves glowing with faint elemental auras, stood tall over endless groves of spirit grass, herb fields, and flower meadows. Vines that pulsed like veins wrapped around glowing trees, and patches of land breathed mist into the air as if the entire forest were alive and exhaling.
Above this mystical realm, the Seven Elemental Mountains stood like divine sentinels around the valley, their peaks piercing the clouds.
Elder Jill stepped forward and extended her hand toward the grand vista, her voice low and reverent.
“This is the heart of the continent… a divine land shaped by heaven and tempered by elemental-chaos. These seven-peaks are not just mountains. They are fragments of the primordial world that birthed mana itself.”
Kent took a deep breath. The air was thick—rich with raw, undiluted mana of different natures, swirling subtly in the atmosphere.
Elder Jill began to point, one by one.
“To the east, the red-crimson peak—that is Blazing Inferno Mountain. Fire-type herbs thrive there, but so do flame spirits. Be careful around its lava grooves.”
She shifted her hand.
“The blue peak just behind it, that’s Azure Flow Mountain—water-element. Blessed with rain vines and frost lotus ponds.”
Next came the jade-green slope of Wind Echo Peak, where trees leaned as though whispering secrets.
“Then comes the golden slope—Earthroot Ridge. Quiet but full of life. Stoneheart herbs and soul mushrooms grow there.”
“The pale silver mountain is Ironshade Crest—metal-based. Its inner caves are filled with ore-eating vines and metallic-shelled beasts.”
She hesitated a moment before pointing at the last two.
“Thunder Veil Summit,” she said, pointing to a dark purple mountain with faint arcs of lightning dancing across its slope. “That’s the one we’re after. Third from here, north side.”
Kent’s eyes locked on it immediately.
“We’re here for the Lightning Red Grass, aren’t we?” he asked.
Elder Jill nodded. “Yes. It only grows on Thunder Veil Summit… and only during the Silver Moon cycle. It’s an extremely rare herb used to temper lightning physiques and enhance electric elemental affinity. But—” she narrowed her eyes, “—it moves underground. It rarely appears above the surface. Once it senses footsteps, it vanishes beneath the soil and reappears somewhere else, sometimes even after a week.”
Kent sighed. “So we’re hunting a herb that runs away?”
She chuckled. “Exactly. But if we catch even one… it’ll be worth more than ten top-grade pills.”
Kent’s gaze sharpened. “Then we must act fast. Others will surely be aiming for it too.”
Without another word, he walked a few steps down into the valley and stood at the forest’s edge.
Then, with a subtle flick of his hand and a glowing pulse from his beast ring, he summoned his thirty spirit beasts—his loyal companions, each with unique powers and sharp instincts.
With swirls of light, one after another emerged onto the cliff behind him—winged lions, shadow panthers, burrowing wyrms, flame hounds, twin-headed wolves, and a massive spirit hawk that soared into the skies.
They knelt before him, forming a circle around his position, their eyes glowing with understanding.
Kent’s voice echoed with calm authority. “You know the mission. We are searching for the Lightning Red Grass—but not just that. Anything rare, anything divine, bring it to me. But remain in contact through the mental link. If any of you sense powerful presences—beasts, cultivators, or traps—retreat immediately.”
He looked around at the vast forest and added, “This place is not just sacred. It’s dangerous. Spirit lords roam freely here. Do not provoke. Avoid conflict unless cornered.”
The beasts roared lightly in acknowledgment, then scattered—some flying into the skies, others diving into the woods below, weaving between trees and vanishing into the mist.
Elder Jill watched with quiet amazement. “I’ve seen beast tamers. I’ve seen generals. But I’ve never seen someone command thirty high-ranked beasts without a single whip or seal.”
Kent smiled. “They’re not servants. They’re friends. Comrades. I trust them as much as they trust me.”
As the last of the beasts vanished into the living forest, Kent pulled up the hood of his travel robe and stepped onto the descending trail, his boots crunching softly against the moss-covered stone steps.
Behind him, Elder Jill followed, her expression unreadable. She never expected the casual disciple she selected would bring her so many surprises.
The Divine Herb Forest awaited them below—lush, alive, and full of both opportunity and dangers.
But Kent walked without fear.
–
The sight of sparkling white streaks across all plants appeared before them as they stepped onto the slope of the Third Mountain—Thunder Veil Summit.
Unlike the lush serenity of the main valley, this place crackled with life and threat. Each breath Kent took buzzed with raw lightning mana. Faint arcs of static danced between the jagged black rocks, and strange trees with metallic bark shivered occasionally, discharging harmless sparks.
It was wild. Beautiful. Untamed.
Kent’s eyes flickered with excitement as they stepped beneath the boughs of an ancient tree, its wide canopy stretched like a net of thunderwood branches, each one pulsating with faint electric veins. The air around the tree was heavier, yet intoxicating.
“This tree… It’s too fascinating!” Kent whispered, voice almost dazed.
Elder Jill turned. “Hmm? Don’t get distracted. The Lightning Red Grass tends to hide near such trees but—”
Before she could finish, Kent had already dropped to the ground beneath it and assumed the lotus position. His robe fluttered slightly as a subtle vortex of energy began to form around him.
“What are you doing?” Jill asked sharply.
But Kent did not reply.
Instead, his body began to radiate a soft azure-white glow, threads of lightning wrapping around him like sentient snakes. His hair slowly lifted, strand by strand, as if the very air rejected stillness around him. His breath became long and deep—completely immersed in the storm of mana.
“…He’s absorbing it,” Jill realized, frowning. “Reckless boy. You’ll burn yourself if you lose control.”
Still, she sighed and let him be. Perhaps he just needed a few minutes to calm the energy within. She turned and began searching the rocky ground nearby, brushing aside glowing moss and peering beneath metallic-leafed shrubs.
An hour passed.
Still no Lightning Red Grass.
Still no sign of Kent waking.
And then—the sky growled.
A low, unnatural rumble echoed through the air.
Elder Jill turned toward the horizon and froze.
Dark clouds—thick, churning, and filled with violet lightning—began forming above the Third Mountain. Like angry spirits, they spiraled in a vortex directly above the ancient tree where Kent sat.