288: Heaven and earth nurture treasures

"What exactly is hidden atop this stone platform?" Feng Ming asked in confusion.

Hua Dieer didn't have time to explain in detail. With a flicker of her body, she flew toward the Lotus Stone Platform like a wisp of light smoke.

Seeing this, Feng Ming didn't dare hesitate for a second. Spiritual power surged beneath his feet, and he immediately followed closely behind.

As soon as the two stepped onto the stone platform, they saw that its surface was densely covered with thumb-sized grooves. Each groove held a drop of translucent, jade-white water. In the dim light, they shimmered with a faint aura, as if stars had fallen onto the platform.

In the very center of the stone platform was a fist-sized hollow. The clear water accumulated inside was several times more concentrated than that in the small grooves, faintly exuding a mysterious aura.

Hua Dieer gazed at the scene before her, her beautiful eyes suddenly widening. Her voice carried an irrepressible excitement and trembling: "It... it really is moon gazing tears! The legendary supreme treasure bred by heaven and earth!"

Before her voice had even faded, she pulled out several thumb-thick transparent vials from her Storage Pouch. She tossed one to Feng Ming and said urgently, "Quick! Collect all these moon gazing tears! The Opportunity of this Secret Realm must be these things!"

Feng Ming reached out and caught the vial. Although he didn't yet know the details of the moon gazing tears, seeing Hua Dieer lose her composure like this, he knew this item was definitely extraordinary. He immediately knelt down and carefully collected the water droplets into the vial one by one.

While busy, he couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is the origin of these moon gazing tears? Why are you so excited?"

Hua Dieer didn't stop her movements. As she deftly bottled the water droplets, she explained, "The opportunities and creations between heaven and earth are born of nature. Whether it's the Spirit Stone veins buried deep underground, the spiritual springs and sacred lands that nourish all things, or those exotic plants and rare treasures, they are all gifts from this world."

"We Cultivators have always believed that this heaven and earth are sentient. It has its own joys, anger, sorrows, and happiness. When it's happy, the weather is fine and all things grow; when it's angry, mountains crumble, the earth splits, and tsunamis roar."

"More importantly, the emotions of heaven and earth often foreshadow its own destiny. If disasters occur frequently year after year, the world is likely heading toward destruction. But if it remains peaceful and prosperous, Mortals and Cultivators alike can live and Cultivate in peace."

Feng Ming nodded; he could understand this reasoning.

Hua Dieer pointed at the translucent water droplets again and continued, "It's said that this Lotus Stone Platform is where the eyes of this world are located! This heaven and earth gazes at the stars on nights of the full moon, and the tears it sheds accumulate in these grooves. These are the moon gazing tears!"

Feng Ming had no interest in these ethereal legends and interrupted her bluntly, "Stop with the useless talk. What exactly is the use of this stuff?"

Hua Dieer rolled her eyes at him, but her tone was full of excitement. "The use is immense! When a Cultivator consumes moon gazing tears, it can drastically increase their Mental Energy!"

"First, for Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm, if they have enough Opportunity, they might even directly condense the power of Divine Sense. Even for experts above the Nascent Soul Realm who already possess Divine Sense, consuming it can not only strengthen their Divine Sense but also deepen their comprehension of the Way of Divine Sense!"

"Hiss—" Feng Ming gasped, his heart jolting.

He had long ago touched the threshold of the Way of Divine Sense thanks to Hua Dieer, and had only just reached the Mastery Realm. If these moon gazing tears could truly enhance his comprehension of Divine Sense, wouldn't he be able to take this Opportunity to charge toward a higher Realm?

Suppressing the thumping in his heart, he quickly followed up, "And what's the second benefit?"

Hua Dieer shrugged, her tone cooling slightly. "The second benefit is actually useless to us. Only those old fogies standing at the peak of the cultivation world would care about it."

"After consuming moon gazing tears, one can briefly establish a mysterious connection with this heaven and earth, allowing the Cultivator to truly experience the emotions of the world itself."

Fearing Feng Ming wouldn't understand, she gave a simple example. "For instance, if I were this world and you were the Cultivator. Normally, you wouldn't be able to sense my joys or sorrows at all. But once you take the moon gazing tears, you could clearly feel my emotional changes. That's the principle."

Feng Ming frowned, looking puzzled. "Sensing the emotions of heaven and earth? What's the point of that? Why would those top experts care about this?"

Hua Dieer glanced at him with a half-smile. "Think about it. This world nurtured us, but isn't the ultimate goal of a Cultivator to become stronger, break through the Shackles of Heaven and Earth, and see the wider world outside?"

"And the emotions of heaven and earth can provide some subtle hints." Her voice deepened. "If one senses heaven and earth wailing, and the world is filled with natural and man-made disasters, then one can infer that this world is likely nearing its end."

"But if the aura of heaven and earth is flourishing, it means the world is still in its prime. That's what it means."

Hearing this, Feng Ming suddenly understood.

It's just that these matters were far too distant for him right now. He wasn't some top expert, nor had he thought about breaking the Shackles of Heaven and Earth. The most important thing at the moment was still to focus on improving his own strength.

In the time it took for them to speak, they had completely scavenged the moon gazing tears from the Lotus Stone Platform.

The vials Hua Dieer brought out weren't large to begin with, and with the limited amount of moon gazing tears on the stone platform, they only filled six vials in total.

Don't underestimate these six small vials of water droplets. If taken to the outside world, each one would be worth a fortune!

This stuff might not have much appeal to experts above the Mahayana Stage, but for Cultivators at or below the Mahayana Realm, it was definitely a supreme treasure people would fight tooth and nail for!

Hua Dieer took one vial from the six and handed the remaining five to Feng Ming, saying seriously, "I was able to get this Opportunity thanks to you. So, I'll take one, and the rest are yours."

She didn't forget to remind him, her tone solemn, "Also, you can't consume too much moon gazing tears at once. Otherwise, if your Realm in the Way of Divine Sense improves too quickly and exceeds the limit of what your body can handle, you'll suffer Qi Deviation and go completely insane!"

Feng Ming nodded, having his own plans. He also only kept one vial and put the remaining four into his Storage Pouch.

According to Hua Dieer, one vial should be enough for him. With his current strength, the Way of Divine Sense could at most be raised to the Selflessness Realm.

As for the rest, he could save them for Shuwan, Lu Qianqian, and his elder brother.

After thinking, Feng Ming said to Hua Dieer, "Then let's each find a place to Cultivate, and we'll leave here tomorrow morning."

"Alright!" Hua Dieer agreed readily, but then suddenly remembered something and emphasized, "I have one request: you must help me break through my Heart Demon before we leave."