Xiao Wu was not considered a typical son of destiny by Han Xuhan's system. The quest description of Xiao Wu's role in the storyline was rather vague.

But the quest itself was not easy to sail through. In the three months of knowing each other, Han Xuhan had tried numerous times to dig out the secret that the System was guiding him towards through the Quest.

But the progress bar for the Quest had been stuck at 1% the entire time.

Today, after getting just one glimpse of this secret Mystic Art that Xiao Wu was cultivating in his backyard, the progress had shot up to 16%. The implications were clear.

This Mystic Art was the secret that his system wanted him to explore while interacting with Xiao Wu.

One of the rewards for completing the Quest was the opportunity to enter a fragmented world, probably like the Holy Land of Laws. Just like how one had to learn the language of laws to explore the Holy Land, Xiao Wu's Mystic Art was definitely connected to this fragmented world.

Now all he needed to do was to get his hands on the Mystic Art somehow. This matter couldn't be forced. An organic development opportunity had to be lying in the dark somewhere, waiting to be noticed.

Not really worried about it, Han Xuhan jogged over to Mu Ran's hut, which turned out to be unoccupied. This didn't surprise him.

Mu Ran was rarely available these days, always going out of the sect on small tasks and personal business that he refused to talk about. Han Xuhan also actively avoided bringing up these topics when they met, fearing that he might be dragged into another dangerous subplot.

Next, he visited a few more huts at the fastest possible speed, checking on his fellow disciples and warning them as concisely as he could about the fog. Although he barely recognized their faces, everyone there knew Han Xuhan.

The next batch of huts he visited belonged to the Senior disciples. Most of these huts were empty. Some had been expelled, some had resigned voluntarily, some were out dealing with the big tasks issued by the sect, and some were locked in closed-door cultivation sessions.

Moreover, most of these senior disciples had learned about the recent instability of the fog from Qing Hua's mouth. Having dealt with the initial burst of the fog months ago, they were more than ready to deal with the new wave of troubles.

This made Han Xuhan's job a lot easier. He didn't even have to explain anything to anybody. The experience was the opposite of warning the junior disciples, who had all sorts of suspicious theories and overreacted to the news, not being privy to the truth.

Thinking that he had covered every hut of the outer court disciples of the Salted Fish Mountain, Han Xuhan checked the scroll again.

On the map, the mass of fog tagged with the 'Lungs-Rotting Cough' warning had come very close to their mountain. The first wave would be hitting the air he was breathing in a few minutes.

"I should get back inside my own hut. Can't rely on this mask too much..."

Not wanting to test how effective his protective apparatus was, Han Xuhan ran downhill. But his sprint came to a stop almost immediately.

There was an unusual presence of qi nearby. Gazing in that direction, his brows creased in confusion.

This movement of qi didn't feel similar to what he had sensed outside Xiao Wu's house. In fact, he had never sensed a movement so... streamlined and lively at the same time.

This area was the dividing line between the housing arrangements for the senior and junior generations of outer court disciples. There were no huts nearby.

"Maybe someone came here to cultivate in open space?"

People who didn't fear having their cultivation secrets leaked frequently did this, just like Han Xuhan. Assuming the same, he thoughtfully approached the location where he had sensed the abnormality.

This person could very well be a fellow disciple he wasn't acquainted with. Even if it was a senior disciple, he was duty-bound to alert them. The fog was too close, after all.

But even after arriving at the location, all he saw around him were trees, untouched shrubbery, and tall grass. It was clear that nobody frequented this place for practice. Even walking there was difficult.

Anxiously, he checked the map again. The fog was almost here. When he zoomed closer to the Salted Fish Mountain, he could see several massive tendrils slowly enveloping the bottom of the mountain.

But his senses still caught the lively pulse of qi in this exact spot. It was as if he was standing beside an old Elder of the sect, who was demonstrating how perfectly he could control a mass of qi.

Although the situation was quite creepy. Han Xuhan had no fear of the unnatural in broad daylight. Besides, this was the territory of the Crimson Snow Sect. Who'd dare to act out of the line here?

"Uh, hello? Is anyone practicing here in secret? Please respond! I have an urgent notice!"

Feeling a little foolish, Han Xuhan ran around the area for a minute, yelling the same four lines. Just when he was about to give up and head back home, a faint response was finally heard from some distance away.

"Here..."

Han Xuhan turned in the direction of the voice, only to fall into further confusion. He had just checked that area. It was about as dense as a jungle could get in these mountains.

A little suspicious, he leapfrogged his way across the shrubbery and tall grass, and about a hundred meters deep into the grove, he discovered a very small, shabby hut covered in moss and dirt, hidden by a wall of vines hanging from an ancient tree.

On its patio, a frail-looking girl was sitting on her knees, watching him approach the hut with somewhat dull eyes. The robe she wore didn't resemble any of the uniforms of the sect.

Due to her abnormally pale skin and unwell appearance, Han Xuhan couldn't quite be sure if she was a senior or a junior disciple.

But he was certain of one thing. He had never seen this girl before, be it on this mountain or in any of the lecture halls.

Seeing him come to a stop, a hint of life sparked in the girl's eyes.

"Here... Take shelter... Here," she said, struggling to speak each syllable.

He hadn't noticed it the first time, but her manner of speaking reminded him of his own attempts back when he had transmigrated into this world.

Was she not a native of this continent? As far as he knew, the entire continent shared this language as their common tongue. Or did she not just have the strength in her lungs? She certainly did look weak.

And why was she living in this hut? Hell, it didn't look like the hut was suitable for living. No one had cleaned its exterior in years. Even if he ever saw it in passing, he would have assumed that it was abandoned.

Seeing him still standing in the distance, a sense of urgency crept into her face.

"Danger... Coming.... Shelter.... Here!"

If she was aware of the advent of the fog, she was probably a senior disciple. Perhaps the reason why her hut was in this state was because she rarely stayed here. Connecting the dots in his mind, Han Xuhan didn't hesitate to walk over.

She patted on the floor beside her, gesturing at him to sit. Han Xuhan didn't find that to be a bright idea. Although unsure whether she could understand him, he spoke to her slowly.

"The fog is really dangerous. It's better to stay inside the hut because all the huts of the sect are protected from the fog. We need to go in and close the doors and windows."

Apparently, after the fog had broken out for the first time, all the senior disciples and Elders from the Arraymaking Pavilion had gone from door to door laying down formations to protect the disciples against its effects. Otherwise, the situation could have been a lot more drastic.

However, the girl shook her head and said, "Protection... Enough... Here..."

"Erm..."

Han Xuhan couldn't find a reasonable way to insist, since it was her house and she seemed to be well aware of the danger. Perhaps the protection would really be effective as long they were within the boundaries of a hut?

"Senior. may I know your name?" he asked.

She stared at him for an uncomfortably long time before shaking her head, leaving him flummoxed.

"Today... No... Future...Yes?"

She didn't sound sure that she'd ever tell him her name in the future either. Not really realizing what the problem was, Han Xuhan restrained himself from poking his nose in her business, waiting for the first wave of the fog to hit them.

If it looked like the protective arrays weren't working, he'd probably have to help her go inside the hut. Her sitting posture looked absolutely powerless, barely a push away from falling over. He wasn't sure if she could stand up by herself.

Trying to track the fog's movement, he opened the scroll again, zooming in to his own location on Salted Fish Mountain Peak... Only to freeze.

On the map, where every blade of grass of this sect was recorded, there was no hut visible in this area.