145: Chapter 145 Second-Tier Spirit Tree

The tree was not tall, at most five feet.

The trunk was only as thick as an arm, with dark brown bark covered in fine, scale-like patterns that felt like touching a layer of cracked mud.

The leaves were oval-shaped with pale golden veins; each leaf looked as if it had been outlined with gold thread, shimmering with fine light under the sun.

A few fruits hung on the tree.

They were the size of a thumb, with greenish-blue skin, and faint golden halos flowing across their surfaces.

The halos were very faint and almost invisible unless looked at closely, but they definitely existed—like a thin layer of mist wrapping around the fruit, flowing as the fruit swayed gently.

Lin Xuan crouched in front of the tree, staring at the fruits for quite a while.

A golden-veined fruit tree.

A Low Grade Second-Rank spirit tree.

He had seen records of this tree in the Sect's "Illustrated Guide to Spirit Plants"—once the fruit matured, it could be refined into "Golden-Veined Pills," which had miraculous effects for Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators breaking through small Bottlenecks.

A single batch of Golden-Veined Pills could save a few years of bitter cultivation at the very least, or lead directly to a Breakthrough of a Bottleneck.

A single mature golden-veined fruit was worth at least a thousand Spirit Stones at an auction.

This tree was clearly still in its juvenile stage.

The golden patterns on the fruit were only a shallow layer, and it would need at least another dozen years before it matured.

The scale patterns on the trunk were not deep enough either, and it did not feel prickly to the touch.

But even as a sapling, its value far exceeded all the Spirit Medicine he had gathered over the past few days.

A Second-Rank spirit tree, even just a sapling, could fetch an astronomical price outside.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

He first released the Pangolin, letting it burrow under the tree roots to investigate the extent of the root system.

The Pangolin burrowed into the soil and only emerged after about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, gesturing to him—the main root had penetrated nearly a zhang deep into the ground, and the lateral roots had extended several feet in all directions, with the longest ones already growing over three feet out.

Lin Xuan frowned.

With such a large root system, it would not be easy to dig it out intact.

But he did not hesitate.

For a spirit tree of this level, if he did not transplant it into his Spirit-Taming Tower Space, he would not be able to sleep soundly at night.

He took out a jade shovel and began to dig.

He started by digging three feet outside the perimeter of the roots, creating a circular trench and cutting the lateral roots one by one.

The lateral roots were as thick as a little finger and extremely tough; the jade shovel felt like it was cutting through cowhide, requiring several sawing motions to sever them.

The Pangolin assisted from underground.

Whenever it encountered thick main roots, the Pangolin would burrow over, using its claws to loosen the surrounding soil and its teeth to bite through the fine rootlets. It was very skilled at this, as if it were digging its own nest.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse crouched to the side on guard, its ears pricked straight up and its nose twitching incessantly.

Lin Xuan spent an entire hour before he finally dug out the whole tree intact.

When the last main root detached from the soil, the trunk swayed gently, and the leaves rustled, as if sighing.

Lin Xuan immediately stored the tree into the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

He sank his consciousness into the space and found a spot in the very center of the spirit field—that was the location with the densest Spiritual Qi in the space, and although it was dominated by Thunder Spiritual Energy, the Five Elements Spiritual Qi was also relatively balanced.

He dug a large hole, planted the golden-veined fruit tree, filled it with soil, packed it down, and watered it.

The leaves of the golden-veined fruit tree trembled slightly, and the golden patterns on the veins brightened, as if adapting to the new environment.

Lin Xuan then buried a few fragments of Medium Grade Spirit Stones around the roots, poured half a bucket of spirit spring water, and then had the Pangolin keep watch before withdrawing from the space.

He stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and let out a long breath.

There was nothing left to search in the valley.

He took another turn around, confirmed there were no omissions, and then turned to leave.

The moment he walked out of the valley entrance, the sunlight shone right on his face.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky—the sun had already tilted westward, probably around the Shen hour. He had stayed in the valley for nearly two hours.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse jumped onto his shoulder, yawned, and curled into a ball.

Lin Xuan patted its head and continued walking north.

Not long after walking out, he suddenly stopped.

His Divine Sense captured an aura.

It came from the southeast direction, very far away, but that pressure already made the thunder seed in his Dantian tremble slightly.

A Second-Rank Yao Beast.

At least a Medium Grade Second-Rank.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, pushed his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit, and slowly retreated.

That aura showed no intention of approaching; it lingered in the southeast for a while and then gradually moved away.

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickened his pace to leave.

This was not the first time he had sensed a powerful Yao Beast on the grassland.

On the first night, he had heard a beast roar in the distance—low, deep, and accompanied by the crackling of electricity; just the sound alone had made his thunder seed tremble several times.

That was the mark of a High Grade Second-Rank Yao Beast, at least equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Late Stage human Cultivator.

On the afternoon of the second day, he had seen a trail of giant footprints near a water source.

The footprints were as large as a washbasin, deeply embedded in the soil, with charred edges. The Pangolin sniffed the footprints, its scales stood up, and it shrank to his feet, refusing to leave.

On the third day, which was today, he sensed the aura of a Second-Rank Yao Beast again.

The danger level of this Secret Realm was higher than he had anticipated.

But Lin Xuan was not panicked.

He possessed the [Extreme Speed] talent; it would not be easy for a Second-Rank Yao Beast to catch up to him.

Moreover, his Storage Pouch was stocked with Second-Rank Talismans—Vajra Talisman, God-Speed Talisman, earth-escaping talisman—any one of which could save his life at a critical moment.

As long as he did not provoke them, he should have no problem leaving this grassland alive.

The sky gradually darkened.

Lin Xuan found a hill with an open view, set up a warning Restriction in the rock crevices on the hilltop, and sat cross-legged to Cultivate.

The night in the Secret Realm remained pale purple.

The moon rose, and the moonlight spilled onto the grassland; the purple light spots on the tips of the grass leaves swayed gently with the wind, like countless fireflies dancing.

On the distant horizon, that pillar of pale purple light still stood, exceptionally striking in the night.

Lin Xuan gazed at that starry sky, calculating his upcoming itinerary in his mind.

At his current speed, it would take about another dozen days to reach the center of the Secret Realm. During these dozen days, he had to continue searching for spirit items while avoiding those dangerous Yao Beasts.

The spirit field in the Spirit-Taming Tower Space was becoming increasingly well-stocked.

thunder-pattern grass, thunder spirit flower, shocking thunder flower, thunder essence fruit tree, thunder-attracting vine, plus the Blue Gold Orchid and golden-veined fruit tree transplanted today.

Once these spirit plants grew up, even if he did nothing in the Secret Realm, the output from these spirit plants alone would be enough for him to Cultivate to the Peak of Qi Refining.

But Lin Xuan was not satisfied with this.

The Legacy of the Nine-Story Stone Tower was his greatest goal.

The mantle left behind by an Ascended Cultivator, even if he only obtained a fraction of it, would be enough to let him go further on his path of cultivation.

Lin Xuan closed his eyes and circulated the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art.

Thunder Spiritual Energy surged in his Meridians, and the thunder seed in his Dantian became brighter and brighter.

On the distant grassland, a low beast roar echoed.

It was very far away, very faint, as if it came from another world.

Lin Xuan did not open his eyes.

He continued to Cultivate.