“Ice Crystals ground into powder, and mixed with some other things, might work even better.”Yu Chenjin had a few [Ice Crystals] in his backpack—not many, but if ground into powder, it should be enough.Yun Luohe thought of the skill Yúntūn had just gained.It could emit [Frost Mist Breath] that drastically lowered the surrounding temperature and caused the moisture in the air to condense into ice.Then, paired with the method they’d just come up with, it was sure to have an incredible effect.She hadn’t brought Yúntūn out earlier because it was too hot out, and there hadn’t been a need for its help.But now was the right time to release it.Yúntūn opened its eyes and immediately dove into Yun Luohe’s arms when it saw her. The next second, it spotted Yu Chenjin. It still remembered him—Yu Chenjin had helped save Yun Luohe in the beginning, so Yúntūn had a favorable impression of him and hissed softly in greeting.Yu Chenjin gave it a nod and said to Yun Luohe, “It’s grown a bit again. Its color’s changed too.”Yu Chenjin handed the [Ice Crystals] to a friend to grind into powder. It didn’t take /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ long before the ground [Ice Crystal Powder] was traded back to them.Yun Luohe carefully mixed the [Ice Crystal Powder] with [Seaweed Powder] and moss, creating a special heat-insulating compound.She applied a bit of it onto a lava rock. This time, it didn’t burn up immediately—instead, only after about thirty seconds did heat start to rise from the surface.With this, as long as they combined it with Yúntūn’s skill, they could step on the rocks to cross the river.“Yúntūn, every time I step on a rock, hit it with [Frost Mist Breath]. There are fifteen rocks total—do you have enough frost for that?” Yun Luohe stroked Yúntūn’s head.“I should be able to.”Just in case, Yun Luohe fed it another [Ice Crystal]. She only had one left, and now she brought it out.Even with full preparation, they had only one shot.And if they failed to cross in one go, Yun Luohe could only guarantee her own safety.Because once they reached the middle of the lava river, if anything went wrong, she could have Yúntūn shoot out silk to wrap around a rock on the opposite bank and pull her across.But that move could only save one person in a crisis.If Yu Chenjin didn’t have his own survival measure, he’d be at serious risk.Yun Luohe told Yu Chenjin her thoughts plainly.After all, the risk factor had significantly increased, and Yun Luohe didn’t want him thinking she had full control. She could only ensure her own safety.Yu Chenjin said, “Don’t worry. Even if I had eighty percent certainty, I still wouldn’t agree.”Eighty percent…That still meant a twenty percent risk. Yun Luohe hesitated, glancing at Yu Chenjin.But he said, “Obsidian is the foundation for the next stage of development. I have to get it. If I’m not willing to take even this much risk, I might as well stay on the reef and never come out.”Since he put it like that, Yun Luohe started preparing.——In Yun Luohe’s arms, Yúntūn let out a burst of bone-chilling frost mist.The previously scorching air cooled instantly, and the moss-covered lava stone turned white, forming a thin layer of ice across its surface.Taking advantage of the frosty mist, Yu Chenjin swiftly spread the heat-insulating material onto the black boulders exposed above the magma.Under the effect of the [Frost Mist Breath], the material cooled quickly and clung tightly to the stone.Yun Luohe carefully stepped onto the first stone. Every step she took was extremely cautious.The moment her foot landed, she heard the cracking of ice beneath her.She quickly placed insulation compound on the next rock, and the moment she stepped onto it, Yúntūn sprayed it with mist.Only one person could stand on each rock, so Yu Chenjin had to follow closely behind.Yun Luohe moved faster, so the first half went relatively smoothly.They were halfway through—about seven or eight meters to go—and Yun Luohe didn’t dare relax.Yúntūn was in sync with her, sensing her tension and watching her closely, ready to spray [Frost Mist Breath] at any moment to keep the stones cool.Yu Chenjin gripped his monk staff tightly, keeping his balance and slowly inching forward step by step.He followed right behind Yun Luohe, constantly scanning their surroundings.They were nearly at the end of the treacherous path when Yun Luohe’s [Perception] kicked in with a strong warning.She immediately stopped.Right in front of them, a massive steam pillar erupted without any warning.The powerful gust pushed hot air and sulfur fumes violently toward them. The stone beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.“Watch out!” Yu Chenjin shouted, grabbing Yun Luohe. The two of them clung to each other and steadied themselves after a jolt.Yun Luohe quickly had Yúntūn spray more frost mist to counteract the rising heat.The [Frost Mist Breath] collided with the steam in the air, triggering a loud crackling burst as massive amounts of water vapor exploded into white fog.In an instant, everything in front of them turned to blinding white mist.They were standing on a single rock. The delay from the unexpected eruption had weakened the ice layer underfoot, and the moss was slowly burning away—they could feel the searing heat rising through the stone.The situation was urgent. Yun Luohe immediately ordered Yúntūn to keep spraying ice mist onto their feet, bringing down the temperature of the stone.At least their soles weren’t burned through.She grabbed the next nearest rock and leapt.Worried that another steam pillar might erupt, she sped up.After finally making it safely across, she jumped down.Once they crossed the river, Yun Luohe noticed red plants growing along the riverbank.The whole plant was a brilliant orange-red, like it was on fire.Its leaves were long and narrow, with irregular serrated edges and fine fuzz covering the surface, sparkling under the sunlight.It was growing right next to the lava river, with magma bubbling nearby—and yet, it was still thriving.There was no way this was an ordinary plant.Yun Luohe crouched down to inspect it.[Volcanic Flame Fern: Primarily grows at the edges of lava riverbeds. It absorbs the riverbed’s heat and rare minerals to grow. The leaves contain a unique fire-resistant enzyme. When juiced, it becomes a key ingredient in crafting [Heat Resistance Potions], which raise fire resistance by 15% for one hour.]This was a valuable resource—no way she was letting it go.Yun Luohe immediately pulled out her sickle and began harvesting, intending to collect every [Volcanic Flame Fern] she could find.Once she was done, she noticed Yu Chenjin had been standing nearby watching her.Feeling a bit awkward, Yun Luohe said, “Do you want some?”She had gotten carried away and forgotten he was there.Yu Chenjin replied, “It’s fine. You can take them.”Still, Yun Luohe took a few out of her backpack and handed them to him.“We came together, so you should get some too. This stuff’s really good.”Yu Chenjin accepted them gladly.Yun Luohe checked her backpack—she had picked a total of twelve, and giving Yu Chenjin four wasn’t much.In front of them was a steep obsidian cliff, jutting into the earth like a massive black blade.The slope was nearly vertical, a sharp visual contrast against the landscape.The top formed a flat surface, and the stone near the base wasn’t entirely black—only the middle portion was pure obsidian, meaning they had to climb up to harvest in large amounts.After a short break, the two began preparing for the climb.Yu Chenjin pulled out specially made climbing tools from his backpack—crafted from several rare materials and designed to withstand both high temperatures and heavy pressure.He had prepared them specifically for this Volcano Island expedition.“I’ll go first and anchor the rope at the top. Then you follow up,” he said calmly.Yun Luohe nodded. “Alright. Be careful.”Yu Chenjin nodded back, then began anchoring the tools into the cliff and climbing upward step by step.The obsidian surface was slick and sharp, with few footholds.If he hadn’t been a skilled climber even before the game began, with excellent physical conditioning, it would’ve been nearly impossible to scale something like this.Yun Luohe stared intently from below, watching him steadily ascend.When he was about ten meters up, Yu Chenjin shouted, “Come on up.”Just as Yun Luohe was about to respond, a loose piece of obsidian broke off. His foot slipped, and he nearly fell—but he reacted instantly, jamming his fingers into the notch left by the climbing tool and barely regaining his balance.Yun Luohe’s heart leapt into her throat. She didn’t even dare to call out, afraid of distracting him.Yu Chenjin quickly found a new foothold.Only then did Yun Luohe begin climbing after him.At about ten meters up, they reached the zone where they could start mining obsidian.But both of them were almost out of [Stamina].The intense heat, combined with the exertion, had already given them early signs of heatstroke.Even though they applied [Petroleum First-Aid Salve], their faces were flushed, breathing labored, and sweat pouring down.The two had to help stabilize each other to prevent slipping, then pulled out drinks and food to replenish energy and hydration.Yu Chenjin held onto the climbing rope with one hand and grabbed the strap at Yun Luohe’s waist with the other so she could eat safely.Yun Luohe drank a glass of [Cool Seaweed Ice Mint], then downed a cup of [Ice Bean Paste Drink].Both had strong cooling effects, and she felt significantly better afterward.Yu Chenjin pulled out a chilled [Strawberry Sparkling Drink] and a [Lemon Electrolyte Water].They didn’t just help with heatstroke—they also replenished water and stamina.“Let’s hurry,” Yu Chenjin said. “It’s only going to get hotter from here.”It was already past noon—every second was torture.They took out their [Steel Pickaxes] and began mining the obsidian along the cliff.Yu Chenjin wedged the pickaxe into a crack, then hammered it with a metal mallet, gradually prying obsidian off the cliff and collecting it in a pouch at his waist.Yun Luohe had a magnetic ring, so the obsidian flew straight into her backpack when dislodged.Her mining speed was faster.While climbing, Yun Luohe noticed several heat-resistant plants growing on the cliff.Their roots were like iron wire, gripping tightly into crevices. The leaves were small and thick, coated in a waxy layer.Most were useless, but one type of cactus was collectible.There weren’t many of them.Covered in sharp spines, their plump leaves were gray-green or bluish-green, filled with moisture.But harvesting them would be tricky.Their main goal was still obsidian, so they only picked a few while passing by—no time for detours.After three hours, they had each collected over 200 pieces of obsidian.It had taken this long because they had to keep stopping to drink and recover.Yun Luohe had enough now to build two greenhouses—and even had some extra.But she still didn’t think it was enough. She wanted to climb to the summit.Her [Mining] skill had just leveled up to 3.Obsidian was a high-grade ore, so every piece mined gave significant experience.Her mining efficiency would increase even more.After a brief rest, they resumed climbing.As they ascended, a powerful wind suddenly blew from the summit.It swept across the scorching cliff face, kicking up hot dust and debris.The previously smooth surface was now full of pits and flying particles from their mining, blurring their vision.“Careful,” Yu Chenjin warned.They raised their arms to shield their eyes from the sand.But the wind showed no sign of stopping.Yu Chenjin said, “We need to reach the summit fast. We can’t stay like this.”Yun Luohe agreed. “Alright.”She squinted, carefully searching for the next handhold.At that moment, a massive fissure suddenly cracked open in the mountain.Scalding steam gushed from within—and the wind died instantly.A narrow opening glowed with eerie red light, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through.The two of them stared at it, their expressions solemn.

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