Li Dao crouched down, forcing himself to endure the foul stench wafting from the corpse as he looked intently inside.
Besides the insects that hadn’t yet managed to fly out, the inside was riddled with holes of all sizes that looked like festering sores.
Pupae were still squirming within.
Bi Ming bounded over in a few strides and asked urgently, "How is it?"
Li Dao stood up and shrugged helplessly. "You can forget about the hide."
Bi Ming froze for a mont, wringing his hands in frustration.
Then he turned and said, "Brother Liu, it looks like you won’t be getting that Geng tal Sword after all."
Liu Tong just smiled, showing no sign of disappointnt.
"To look at you two, one would think you were more concerned about it than I was."
He paid the two of them no mind and was about to step forward when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body.
"HISS!"
Bai Mo imdiately looked over. "Are you hurt, Brother Liu?" he asked with concern.
Liu Tong shook his head.
"I’m fine. My body just isn’t used to performing the Sword’s Cry. It takes a heavy toll."
He had been so focused on preserving the Golden Bear’s beautiful hide that he’d forgotten about that.
Liu Tong pulled out a sharp dagger.
"The few of you, hurry up and butcher this Golden Bear. The hide might not be intact, but the fur itself is still top quality."
It’s an excellent material, whether for weaving or for spinning into things like rope.
Bi Ming looked at Li Dao.
"I’m usually stationed within the sect handling internal affairs. I’m not skilled in this kind of work. How about you do it, Brother Li?"
Li Dao shook his head.
"I may be out in the field a lot, but my work is hunting down rogue cultivators and fighting other Cultivators. I’m even less skilled at this than you are."
Seeing their eyes turn to him, Bai Mo was even more astonished.
"My dear brothers, surely you don’t think I know how to do this? Just skinning a Golden Bear would be a challenge for !"
Bi Ming and Li Dao looked chagrined.
"He does have a point..."
Having reached this point, the two of them could no longer refuse.
Li Dao took the dagger, and with Bi Ming assisting, they set to work on the Golden Bear with a flash of the blade.
The two were unfamiliar with the creature’s anatomy and were instantly splattered with foul blood, making for a truly wretched sight.
anwhile, Liu Tong took out a snow-white Pill and tossed it into his mouth.
After a few deep breaths, the bloodshot look in his eyes faded, and he quietly watched his junior brothers work.
He made no move to help.
After the better part of an hour, Li Dao and Bi Ming finally straightened up.
"Done!"
The Golden Bear had been carved up by the pair.
All the fur was collected, and the more presentable cuts of at were taken as well.
"Brother Li, you traveled light for this trip. You did most of the work, so you take more."
Bi Ming said with a smile.
Li Dao snorted but still collected the at from the ground with a flick of his wrist.
Watching the huge pile of at disappear, Bai Mo felt very envious of such storage thods.
Liu Tong clapped him on the shoulder and said softly,
"Don’t be envious, Brother Bai. Once you reach the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, you can try to get one from the sect, too."
"Spirit Beasts can be picky, but the worst that can happen is you’ll have to spend a bit of money."
After sharing a few laughs, the group set out once more.
The rest of the journey was uneventful.
Along the way, they occasionally saw marks left by weapons, presumably from other sect disciples.
After the better part of a day, Bai Mo spotted other disciples from the Xuandao Sect.
They were a few well-fed, clean-cut youths who looked rather refined.
"Ah! It’s Senior Brother Liu Tong!"
One of them exclaid in delight upon seeing Liu Tong.
Li Dao, who was carrying a black brocade pouch, sneered.
"What, you only have eyes for Brother Liu? Are the two of us invisible to you?"
The well-fed youths quickly put on apologetic smiles.
"Brother Li, Brother Bi, you’re here too! Of course we see you!"
"Greetings to you both, Brothers!"
They noticed the bundle on Li Dao’s back; it seed to contain sothing alive, squirming within.
The surface of the bundle bulged and rippled, which was a rather unsettling sight.
The youths looked sowhat frightened.
"What? It’s just you few?"
Liu Tong asked.
The well-fed youths nodded.
"The few of us arrived early. We haven’t seen any of the other brothers..."
Liu Tong sighed.
"I wonder if we’ll make it in ti."
At that mont, Bai Mo understood why Shui Ziming had regarded him so highly.
’In such a short amount of ti, there was simply no way to gather everyone else.’
He scanned his surroundings, noting that the vegetation to his left was distinctly taller and denser.
The thicket of shrubs and weeds made it almost impossible to see what lay beyond.
Liu Tong looked at Bai Mo and said softly,
"The rest is up to you lot. We can’t interfere."
"Brother Bai, have you mastered the technique?"
Bai Mo nodded.
"I studied it on the way here. I’m confident it won’t be a problem."
"Good."
Liu Tong listened intently for a mont, then led Bai Mo off by himself, pushing aside the tall shrubs before them to enter an area walled off by dense vegetation.
Here, even the wild grasses on the ground were thicker and broader than those outside.
After just a few steps, Bai Mo’s trouser legs were already snagged and frayed.
After a mont of thought, Bai Mo asked,
"Is this the effect of the Azure Giant Flower?"
Without looking back, Liu Tong continued to push aside the tangled branches and leaves in their path.
"It should be."
Bai Mo also learned from him the identity of the well-fed youths.
They weren’t Pill Masters, but rather disciples who managed the sect’s dicinal herbs year-round.
That was why Bai Mo hadn’t detected any Pill Qi on them.
"But for several brothers to have all mastered this one technique shows that it’s no simple matter."
"I don’t know if it’s because their master is exceptionally skilled, or if they themselves are truly blessed with talent and fortune..."
As Liu Tong spoke, he stepped into a flat, open clearing.
Freed from the tangle of branches and leaves, Liu Tong let out a genuine sigh of relief.
But Bai Mo, who was right behind him, gasped in astonishnt.
In the center of the clearing before them stood a colossal plant.
Its leaves grew from the ground and stretched toward the sky. Bai Mo estimated that the lowest leaves alone were at least ten feet long!
’This must be the Azure Giant Flower!’
Bai Mo was certain.
Liu Tong turned and nodded to several other black-clad sect mbers not far away.
They were the ones who had brought the well-fed youths here.
"Brother Bai, you’re on your own from here."
Bai Mo acknowledged the instruction, his expression turning solemn as he began to circle the Azure Giant Flower, examining it closely.
Dozens of pointed leaves stretched out, their edges lined with fine serrations. The tips of these serrations were faintly, vividly red. The entire exotic plant stood tall, as if reaching for the sky.
Bai Mo reached out and ran his hand along the back of a leaf.
It felt incredibly hard. Tapping it lightly a few tis was like knocking on tough leather.
Liu Tong was still waiting where he stood.
So Bai Mo asked, "It seems like sothing is nestled in the center of the leaves. Do you know what it is, Brother Liu?"
Liu Tong replied, "I’ve heard it’s a flower. At the center of the pistil is a fleshy embryo, sothing between human and beast."
A look of regret crossed his face.
"The embryo is still transforming, but the sect has expressly forbidden us from climbing up to look. They say it would trigger a reaction from the Azure Giant Flower."
"A reaction?"
Liu Tong nodded gravely.
"Precisely. According to the elders, the fleshy embryo within the flower is a manifestation of this place’s Mountain God. Prying rashly could lead to unforeseen disaster!"
Bai Mo looked up. He couldn’t even see the central flower bud, let alone the fleshy embryo.
The densely packed leaves hid it completely from view.
Looking at the vibrant, thriving plant, he could see no signs of it withering whatsoever.
Bai Mo collected his thoughts, recalled the technique described on the bamboo slips, and prepared to begin.
Seeing this, Liu Tong quietly departed. He had matters to discuss with the other brothers.
At this mont, Bai Mo had already placed his hand on one of the leaves, and his Spiritual Qi began to seep inside.
A map of a dense, intricate network of channels gradually ford in his mind.
"Urgh!"
Its sheer scale sent a sharp, throbbing pain through his mind!
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