Chapter 79: Preparing for Battle (Part One)
Li Yan quickly replanted the Ink King Bamboo in its original spot, though this patch now clearly appeared a few shades brighter than the surrounding ones.
In the following days, Li Yan began using the Fractured Poison technique across the entire several dozen mu of bamboo forest, significantly accelerating the maturation of the grove.
He then surveyed other nearby bamboo plots and compared them with those irrigated by others that were either already mature or close to it.
To his delight, he discovered that his thod shortened the usual 81-day ripening cycle to around 63 days, saving him nearly 18 days.
This extra ti could either be used to earn more spirit stones or to devote to cultivation.
At the sa ti, his control over spiritual power and the Fractured Poison Body had beco even more refined. Now, whenever spiritual energy flowed through one of the poison nodes, it carried a subtle heaviness.
When this power left his body, he could even sense thread-like strands of energy weaving through the air like hunters stalking prey. Upon contact, they would instantly converge into an inescapable net. It gave him a sensation as though he was a deity overlooking the mortal realm.
Gazing over the expanse of Ink King Bamboo before him, Li Yan felt a surge of satisfaction. He decided that after submitting this 50 mu harvest, he would take on another task from the Spiritual Plant Garden.
He had tasted the benefits now. Tasks in the Spiritual Plant Garden not only brought in spirit stones, but also served as a form of cultivation. Compared to the singular, arduous ditative training of the past, the gains were balanced and tangible.
Pure cultivation allowed for faster growth of spiritual power but left actual use of immortal spells underdeveloped. These garden tasks, while slowing that power growth, offered practical application and refinent of techniques.
More importantly, though slower, the spiritual power honed this way beca smoother, more responsive, and purer.
Li Yan mounted his spirit artifact and flew toward the familiar yellow mist of the Spiritual Plant Garden. But even from a distance, he noticed the yellow mist had vanished, revealing the courtyard and building openly. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled, why had Sixth Senior Sister withdrawn the usual defenses?
He descended and walked into the yard. Everything looked the sa, except the door to the house was tightly shut. Sitting cross-legged in the courtyard was soone that made Li Yan pause, it wasn’t the cold and beautiful Sixth Senior Sister.
The person evidently heard Li Yan arrive and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Li Yan, a trace of surprise flashed across his face but was quickly replaced by his usual indifference.
Sitting there was Third Senior Brother, Yun Chunque.
Li Yan smiled.
“Greetings, Third Senior Brother. Is Sixth Senior Sister around?”
Yun Chunque had always thought of this junior as a diligent cultivator, progressing quickly despite joining late. But upon learning of Li Yan’s limited aptitude, he was convinced this junior would never reach the Dao in this lifeti.
Being a solitary sort, Yun Chunque had barely exchanged a word with him. Still, upon seeing Li Yan, he could more or less guess the reason for his visit.
“If you're submitting a task, just give it to ,” he said.
“Sixth Senior Sister isn’t here?” Li Yan asked again.
Yun Chunque simply looked at him expressionlessly, as if wondering why he couldn't understand simple instructions.
Li Yan could only smile helplessly and stepped forward with his token…
After finishing at the mission hall, Li Yan hesitated for a mont, then made his way down the mountain toward his bamboo courtyard. He intended to take a day off before returning to the Spiritual Plant Garden.
These past several dozen days, he hadn’t had a proper rest. He had been stuck in a relentless cycle of watering, ditating to recover, then watering again. While ditation could restore stamina, it was no substitute for sleep.
As he made his way downhill, a strange feeling crept into his heart. The mission hall had been much emptier than usual. Even this bamboo forest path, normally filled with passing disciples, was conspicuously quiet.
When he reached the vicinity of his courtyard, he paused, then decided to continue toward the main hall.
More than half an incense stick of ti later, he left the hall after eting Li Wuyi, who greeted him with his usual gentle smile.
It turned out that on Little Bamboo Peak, only Eldest Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, and himself were still present. Had he co even a little later, Eldest Senior Brother would have already departed for the Spirit Beast Garden.
All the other senior brothers and sisters had ford teams and gone out to train, preparing for the upcoming sect selection tournant.
Initially, Third Senior Brother had also planned to join the team with Sixth Senior Sister. But in the end, she said coldly, “If no one is managing the Spiritual Plant Garden, I won’t leave.” Left with no choice, Yun Chunque had stayed behind to take her place.
Far away, tens of thousands of li from the Wraith Sect lay an endless stretch of dense forest, a territory crawling with low- to mid-level spirit beasts. The number first and second rank beasts alone exceeded tens of thousands, with an astonishing variety of species.
At the foothills where the forest t the mountains, four figures were locked in fierce battle with three second-rank Earth-Armored Tigers.
Three n and one woman. The girl had short hair, wore a fitted black battle outfit, and wielded a long, azure halberd, facing one of the beasts alone. The three young n flanked the other two tigers, circling and striking tactically.
The short-haired girl was tall and striking, and her long halberd moved with such elegance and speed that it seed weightless. Each sweeping motion sent arcs of azure light rippling outward, forcing the Earth-Armored Tiger into a roaring frenzy.
Several tis, the tiger had tried to charge through the azure ring using its powerful defense, only to be repelled in head-on collisions. Two deep gashes now marred its back, making it think twice. No longer daring to charge, it resorted to using its innate abilities to counterattack the girl.
On the other side, explosions rang out continuously. Fireball spells, Wind Blade techniques, and Ice Shards erupted in quick succession, stirring the two Earth-Armored Tigers into a ferocious frenzy. They darted left and right, yellow beams of light blasting from their maws as they roared.
Despite facing a barrage of tightly woven spells from the three cultivators, the tigers seed to gain the upper hand, forcing the trio into a rather disheveled and awkward retreat.
Earth-Armored Tigers, earth-type ferocious beasts. Once fully matured, they could ascend to second-rank demon beasts, their bodies stretching two to three zhang long. Comparable in power to human Foundation Establishnt cultivators, their natural defenses were formidable, capable of withstanding a full-force strike from high-grade spiritual artifacts. Their innate attacks included Mountain-Splitting Gust, Heavy Peak Pounce, and Golden Armor Ring.
The short-haired girl on the side, seeing her companions in peril, furrowed her brows. With a slap to her waist, a flash of red light flared out, and in the next mont, a golden axe shot forth. Simultaneously, her halberd flared with bright blue light.
In the dazzling green-blue glow, the golden light moved silently.
At that mont, one Earth-Armored Tiger failed in its Heavy Peak Pounce, landing clumsily mid-step. It turned its head and, with jaws wide open, released a thick yellow energy beam twice as wide as the others, roaring through the air. It was none other than its innate technique: Mountain-Splitting Gust.
It intended to pierce through the blue light and slay the cultivator behind it.
But just as the enormous yellow beam left its mouth, the golden axe shot from the blue glow and struck the beam directly at the tiger’s maw.
A deafening explosion followed. Blinding golden light burst forth right in front of the Earth-Armored Tiger’s face, stunning the massive beast into a daze. Its innate Mountain-Splitting Gust instantly crumbled.
The golden axe, still brimming with force, sliced into the tiger’s neck, drawing a massive roar of pain from the creature. Its ferocity now fully awakened, it unleashed all of its demonic power in a desperate lunge at the girl, executing its defensive technique, Golden Armor Ring.
Normally used to block attacks, the Golden Armor Ring could withstand a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishnt cultivator. If it crashed into a mountain, even one a hundred zhang tall, it could easily reduce it to rubble.
The short-haired girl snorted coldly. One hand spun her halberd in a sweeping arc of azure light as she sidestepped, dodging the tiger’s direct charge. Then her long leg whipped out like a whip.
The force of the strike was so imnse that it produced a sharp sonic boom.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, her leg slamd into the tiger’s neck, slamming its massive body hard into the ground.
Dust flew in all directions as a huge crater ford in the earth. Within the pit, the Earth-Armored Tiger struggled to rise, limbs trembling, only to collapse back into the pit, unmoving.
Her powerful leg had struck the golden axe embedded in its neck, driving it fully into the beast’s throat.
The golden axe, seemingly imbued with a will of its own, began to spin rapidly upon contact with blood. What started as a sluggish turn quickly beca a whirling frenzy, like a windmill shredding through flesh, nearly severing the tiger’s massive head.
Seeing that this side’s battle was now decided, the remaining two Earth-Armored Tigers grew fearful. Their earlier dominance quickly faded.
Within a few breaths, one of the beasts was bound in place by a cultivator’s Wind Binding Technique. The next mont, a sharp icicle pierced through its eye, stabbing deep into its brain. Blood sprayed wildly, it was clearly beyond saving.
The short-haired girl retrieved her golden axe and didn’t join the remaining battle. She simply stood calmly to the side, true growth in cultivation only ca after facing blood and storm.
A dozen heartbeats later, the final Earth-Armored Tiger fell to the ground with a final wail amidst flashes of light and thunderous blasts.
Three disheveled young n walked over. The tall, skinny one laughed, flashing a bright smile.
“Sixth Senior Sister, good thing you killed the alpha tiger. Without him, these two females lost their edge. Otherwise, we would’ve been in real trouble!”
“Yes, yes! Senior Sister Gong, you’re amazing. We’re honestly a bit ashad,” the other two echoed, rubbing the backs of their heads in embarrassnt.
Both wore deep green robes, one had an embroidered beast spitting a cauldron on his sleeve, while the other bore a golden compass.
“Daqiao, you lost your rhythm several tis during the battle. You wasted spiritual energy and lost initiative by casting spells haphazardly,” the short-haired girl said coldly, fixing her eyes on the tall youth.
This icy beauty was none other than Gong Chenying of Little Bamboo Peak.
“Y-Yes, Sixth Senior Sister,” stamred Lin Daqiao, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I only just entered Foundation Establishnt and this is my first ti fighting beasts of this level. Got a bit flustered under the pressure.”
Soone like him who was still new usually wouldn’t be brought to such dangerous places. Only Second Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Brother, and Sixth Senior Sister were willing to lead him.
But Second Senior Brother was busy overseeing Fourth Senior Sister’s training. As for Fifth Senior Brother… Lin Daqiao had no desire to travel with him. Though he would surely save him in danger, he’d also make sure Lin suffered the most.
So following Sixth Senior Sister had been the best choice. When Fifth Senior Brother left, he gave Lin Daqiao a long, aningful look that still gave him chills.
“Alright, let’s gather the cores and flesh of these three demon beasts and move on. The spiritual energy fluctuations from just now will likely attract other creatures.”
“Even though we’re still 100,000 li from the core area, a third-rank beast might still pass by.
“Also from now on, we can begin using our poison cultivation techniques. After this period of tempering, it’s ti to make use of our true specialties.”
Gong Chenying brushed a strand of black hair behind her ear, then strode toward the fallen Earth-Armored Tiger, her long legs moving with effortless grace.
The three others looked at the tall and fierce beauty, exchanged bitter smiles, and followed her to the tiger.
But thinking about how they no longer had to suppress their poison skills for training, their eyes lit up.
After all, they were from Wraith Sect, poison was their true craft.
(Chapter End)
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