Chapter 68: Ink Jade Nether Lotus
Although the water monkey had been slain, once bitten, twice shy. Song Changsheng activated his pupil technique and repeatedly scanned every corner. Only after confirming there was no danger did he slowly approach the lotus pod.
“Its aura is cold and Yin, its form like ink jade, and it produces thirty-six lotus seeds at once. It must be the Ink Jade Nether Lotus.”
Song Changsheng's breathing gradually became heavy. His life-risking battle with the second-rank demonic beast was well worth it!
The Ink Jade Nether Lotus is a rare second-rank spiritual medicine that can only grow on water spiritual veins. Its lotus seeds are its essence, each one brimming with the power of Cold Nether. For special individuals like cultivators of the Ghost Dao or those with Ice Spiritual Roots, it's a great tonic.
Although Song Changsheng wasn't among these special individuals, he similarly needed this Cold Nether Qi because Cold Nether Qi belongs to Yin, and he needed a large amount of Yin and Yang Qi to condense his Dao Foundation.
Although he could acquire a certain amount of Yin and Yang Qi daily, it was only for eight hours, so the speed was still somewhat slow. That's why he was so excited to see the Ink Jade Nether Lotus.
Due to the unique nature of his cultivation method, Yin and Yang Qi could freely transform within his Dantian, meaning Yin could turn into Yang, and Yang could transform into Yin.
Once he refined all thirty-six lotus seeds, it would undoubtedly save him a lot of time.
After carefully plucking the lotus pod, Song Changsheng dived into the bottom of the lake again. Given the rich water spiritual energy here and the presence of treasures like the Ink Jade Nether Lotus, there must be a water spiritual vein beneath the water. He needed to investigate.
Water spiritual veins are similar to ordinary spiritual veins, but ordinary spiritual veins emit pure, unaligned spiritual energy, suitable for the growth of most spiritual plants.
Water spiritual veins are different; they emit pure water spiritual energy, which only water-attribute cultivators can absorb, and only water-attribute spiritual plants can grow there.
Similarly, there are fire spiritual veins, wood spiritual veins, etc. Their chances of appearing are much lower than ordinary spiritual veins, and each possesses unique wonders, making them exceptionally precious.
After diving several dozen zhang, Song Changsheng indeed discovered a water spiritual vein. However, to his regret, this water spiritual vein had not yet fully formed. It was currently just a small section, barely enough to be called first rank, greatly reducing its value.
Song Changsheng began searching along the spiritual vein, looking for other spiritual medicines or treasures. He searched all around but found nothing, though he did find that spiritual fish.
This fellow had hidden itself within the spring eye of the water spiritual vein. If his spiritual sense hadn't been keen, he would have almost missed it.
When the spiritual fish first saw him, it was a bit flustered, but after sensing a familiar aura, it calmed down, happily blowing bubbles.
“Why did you hide here? Hmm, you really did break through to second-rank.” Seeing this fish again, Song Changsheng felt a sense of familiarity.
The spiritual fish already possessed the intelligence of an eight-year-old child. Upon hearing Song Changsheng's words, it immediately transmitted a complaint.
Song Changsheng understood after listening. It turned out the spiritual fish had long discovered the existence of the underground dark river. On the eve of its breakthrough to low-grade second-rank, it entered it and completed its breakthrough.
This was also the direct reason why Song Qingxing and the others hadn't sensed its breakthrough aura.
After breaking through, like Song Changsheng, it also became curious about the dark river and was eventually attracted by the water spiritual energy to this underground lake. At that time, the Ink Jade Nether Lotus was in bloom.
The spiritual fish had originally planned to wait for the lotus seeds to mature and eat a few, but unexpectedly, it accidentally awakened the sleeping water monkey.
Although both were low-grade second-rank, they couldn't be compared. The spiritual fish's combat power was not even a match for one of the water monkey's fingers.
In its panic, it hid in the spring eye of the spiritual vein. Although the water monkey knew where it was, it couldn't do anything to it. After all, if the water spiritual vein was damaged, the Ink Jade Nether Lotus would wither, which was not what it wanted.
“You're lucky. If I hadn't stumbled in here, in a few days, once it devoured the lotus seeds, you wouldn't have been able to escape.”
The spiritual fish nodded fiercely, as if human-like. It was truly terrified.
“Come out with me.” Song Changsheng condensed a water ball to envelop it and brought it along. As soon as it returned to Mirror Lake, it frolicked about, declaring its dominance to the fish in the lake.
Song Changsheng returned to the island. Song Qingxi, who had been worried for a long time, immediately breathed a sigh of relief and pestered Song Changsheng to tell her what had happened at the bottom of the lake.
He omitted the part about fighting the second-rank demonic beast but didn't hide the rest from the little girl, telling her about both the Ink Jade Nether Lotus and the second-rank spiritual fish, which elicited gasps of surprise from the little girl.
After sending the young girl off, Song Changsheng sent a message to the family. Although the water spiritual vein was only a small section, with proper nurturing, advancement was only a matter of time.
The family acted quickly. The next day, they sent Earth Vein Masters to relocate the spiritual vein. Upon seeing the lotus leaves, there were naturally some questions. Song Changsheng reported truthfully, except for the part about the second-rank demonic beast.
This was his personal gain; the family had no right to interfere.
For handing over this section of the water spiritual vein, the family rewarded him with eight hundred contribution points. Song Changsheng exchanged all of them for cultivation resources, then announced his seclusion and began refining the Ink Jade Nether Lotus seeds…
Time flew by like a white steed glimpsed through a crack; worldly affairs were in constant flux, ever-changing and unpredictable. A year quietly slipped away.
During this year, Song Changsheng diligently cultivated in seclusion to condense his Dao Foundation. He refined thirty-five of the thirty-six lotus seeds, keeping the last one as a seed, hoping for a chance to cultivate it in the future.
At this moment, in his Dantian, a black and white Tai Chi diagram slowly rotated. This was the Yin-Yang Dao Foundation he had painstakingly condensed.
In just two years, he had traversed a path that others took ten or even dozens of years to complete, and moreover, it was a rare Grand Dao Foundation. No matter where he was, he could be called a prodigy.
At this moment, Song Changsheng truly felt that he possessed the capital to contend with the prodigies of great sects.
He stretched languidly, and his bones crackled all over his body. Come to think of it, this was his first time in seclusion for such a long period.
“Next, I'll prepare for Foundation Establishment. I should report this news to the family.”
There were many Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivators in the family, but not many who condensed their Dao Foundation within sixty years of age. Therefore, the family stipulated that anyone who successfully condensed their Dao Foundation within sixty years of age must report it to the family. The family would then prioritize them for cultivation resources, and Foundation Establishment Pills would also be preferentially allocated.
However, to Song Changsheng's surprise, shortly after he reported the news, he received a message from the Elder Council, asking him to return to Cangmang Peak immediately.
Song Changsheng was somewhat puzzled, but he returned to Cangmang Peak at the fastest possible speed. Before he even sat down, the Grand Elder informed him to proceed to the Affairs Hall.
When he arrived, four people had already reached it before him. With just a glance, Song Changsheng's brows furrowed. All four present were at the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement.
“What are they planning to do?”
(Chapter End)