With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

The elders stared wide-eyed at Lin Ye, who had just landed, their faces filled with disbelief.

Liang Feiyu frowned slightly and subconsciously turned his head to look at Ning Wuji, only to see the latter shake his head almost imperceptibly.

Liang Feiyu understood immediately, secretly astonished. "Even Junior Brother Ning couldn't achieve such grace and composure, this kid..."

The elders stepped forward, and although they did not speak, their scrutinizing gazes seemed to burn holes through Lin Ye.

Liu Zhenghua circled Lin Ye twice, scrutinizing him from head to toe, before finally confirming that the young man with superb lightness skills was indeed Lin Ye, whom he had spent two years with.

Receiving a confirming look from Liu Zhenghua, Elder Liang Feiyu asked in a deep voice, "Lin Ye, you've been traveling alone. Have you encountered any outsiders? Are you injured?"

Lin Ye took in everyone's reactions and knew perfectly well that his astonishing leap just now was for this moment.

Without a compelling reason, this ghostly lightness skill could easily lead to death.

So he told the whole story.

How did he escape from the jaws of the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros? How did he lose his weapon in his panic? How did he go astray while trying to avoid a bear-shaped monster that appeared to be a second-rate demon?

And how did he discover the floating green grass in that strange depression? After being bitten by a red snake, he desperately swallowed the grass and, by chance, swallowed the snake's gall bladder as well, ultimately curing the poison.

He broke through the bottleneck in one fell swoop, advanced to a first-class martial artist, and also obtained such heaven-defying lightness skill.

Upon hearing this, the elders were initially shaken by the words "Azure Grass," and their faces revealed undisguised envy.

Upon hearing that Lin Ye had even swallowed snake gall and used it to break through to the first-class realm, everyone's eyes turned red with envy.

"A man blessed by heaven," Liang Feiyu sighed, his gaze towards Lin Ye now filled with complex emotions.

"When the people of Xiang County first spread rumors that you were a man blessed by Heaven, I didn't take it seriously. But now it seems that their words are true."

At this point, he had a reasonable explanation for Lin Ye's extraordinary lightness skill, which turned out to be due to the medicinal power of the Sky Green Grass.

This legendary top-tier spiritual treasure was only recorded in ancient books in the Northern Han Dynasty. They never expected that one of their own sect's true disciples would be able to form a connection with it in the Thunder Swamp.

"What does that little red snake look like?" Ning Wuji, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked, his brows furrowed, clearly showing great interest in the venomous snake that Lin Ye had mentioned.

Lin Ye carefully took the stiff red snake out of his pocket and held it in his palm.

"This is the creature, now completely dead. When it was alive, its scales were crimson red like flames, and even its eyes were like burning rubies."

Ning Wuji reached out and took it, a trace of internal energy emanating from his fingertips, and gently manipulated the scales on the snake's head. As the scales unfolded, a pair of tiny, barely visible horns were revealed.

"It's a dragon!" an elder exclaimed in surprise.

"To be precise, it's a Crimson Fire Dragon." Ning Wuji's expression was solemn, and his tone carried a hint of regret.

"A legendary celestial-level spirit beast. In the past, a three-zhang-long adult Crimson Fire Dragon once appeared in Thunder Swamp. It could breathe raging flames, burn rivers and stop their flow, and melt gold and iron."

The warriors who explored the Thunder Swamp suffered heavy casualties, and two Celestial Realm experts even perished. This directly led to a severe decline in the national strength of the dynasty at that time, which never recovered and was eventually lost to the annals of history.

Although the dynasty in which it originated is unknown, the fearsome reputation of the Crimson Fire Dragon has been passed down through generations.

He paused, turned his gaze to Lin Ye, and said with emotion, "What you killed should have been a juvenile Crimson Fire Dragon."

You accidentally killed it, and consumed its blood and snake gall, which are the essence of celestial beings and spiritual beasts.

"You've turned misfortune into blessing, breaking through to become a first-rate martial artist in one fell swoop; you're truly blessed by heaven!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the inconspicuous little snake in Lin Ye's palm, and their expressions completely changed.

They initially thought it was just a strange encounter, but they never expected it to involve such a legendary and terrifying being. Looking at Lin Ye, it was as if they were looking at a walking miracle.

Lin Ye took in everyone's shock and continued, "Actually, I found something else in that depression."

"Oh? What could possibly be qualified to coexist with the Azure Grass and the young Crimson Fire Dragon?" Liang Feiyu's pupils constricted, his tone filled with disbelief.

Lin Ye raised his right arm, and with a slight thought, the mark of the Flaming Lion's lair appeared on his skin. "I've also discovered a second-rate lair."

Upon hearing this, all the elders gasped in shock, their expressions freezing.

In just one day, a sect disciple first found the Azure Grass, then accidentally killed a legendary Crimson Fire Dragon, and now even managed to contract a second-rate nest.

Such a fortuitous opportunity, if it were to be revealed, would likely shake the entire Thunder Swamp.

"I've heard rumors that nests easily conceive near rare and precious treasures of heaven and earth. Could it be true?"

Liang Feiyu stared blankly at the mark on Lin Ye's arm, muttering to himself, as if trying to confirm whether such a coincidence truly existed in the world.

"This matter is of great importance. According to the sect's rules, an on-site investigation and verification are still required." Liang Feiyu quickly regained his composure and said in a deep voice.

"Lin Ye, take Elder Ning and me back to that depression immediately. We'd like to see what kind of auspicious place it is that can simultaneously nurture the Azure Grass and the Dao Soldier's Nest."

Although the other elders were eager to try it, they ultimately had to give up due to the dangers and time costs of the journey.

After all, with their lightness skills being several steps slower than Lin Ye's, going back and forth would be a waste of precious exploration time.

Therefore, everyone agreed to wait where they were, with only Lin Ye leading the two elders, Liang and Ning, to the low-lying area again.

On the way back, Liang Feiyu and Ning Wuji almost exerted all their strength to barely hold onto Lin Ye's clothes so as not to lose him.

This gave Lin Ye a clearer understanding of his own lightness skill. He estimated that no one below the Innate level could catch up with him, since he hadn't even used nine-tenths of his strength along the way.

As expected, the three of them returned to the depression in just half a day.

Liang and Ning looked around and saw a small, barren depression in the dense forest. Although it seemed strange, it was ultimately too ordinary compared to the spiritually rich and radiant place they had imagined.

The two stepped into the center of the depression, squatted down and carefully sensed it. After a long while, Liang Feiyu slowly nodded, confirming that there was indeed a second-rate nest here not long ago, and the residual aura was completely consistent with what Lin Ye had said.

Seeing that the two elders had personally verified that everything was correct, Lin Ye finally felt relieved.

This also means that he can finally openly expose that second-rate hideout without worrying about people questioning its origins.

As for why they didn't report the discovery of the lair to the Sword Sect immediately, but instead chose to make a contract on their own, everyone knew the reason behind it.

After all, before setting off, the sect leader had clearly stated that all the spoils Lin Ye obtained on this trip would belong to him personally.