171: Chapter 171 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (119)

Time flew by in silent Cultivate.

Within the Secret Realm, there were no sun, moon, or stars, only the soft white light emitted by the Formation, which slowly transitioned from the brightness of midday to the warm yellow of dusk.

The four-colored Temporal mist drifted within the warm light, appearing as if tinged with a golden edge, beautiful and dreamlike.

Chu Shi slowly ended his Cultivate, exhaling a breath of turbid Qi tinged with a faint golden glow.

He inspected his body internally and saw that one-fifth of the ordinary bone in his right arm, which he had just started refining, had already been dyed a warm, reddish-copper color.

The markings on the bone had become more intricate, faintly revealing a metallic luster.

Chu Shi nodded inwardly.

It truly lived up to its reputation.

In the outside world, it would take him a full twenty days to refine one ordinary bone.

Yet here, merely with the basic 4.9 times acceleration, the time had been compressed to about four days.

If he could find those Heaven And Earth Treasure that amplified the effects of the Temporal Platform, his Cultivate speed could reach an even higher level.

He opened his eyes and stretched his somewhat stiff neck and shoulders, his joints emitting a crisp "crackling" sound.

Looking around, the originally bustling Temporal Platform now had only a dozen or so people left.

Most people had already left the safe zone.

Either they had absolute confidence in their own strength and were searching alone.

Or they were in groups of three or five, forming small teams to explore together.

The dozen or so people remaining either had truly shallow Foundation and dared not go out to take risks, or, like Chu Shi, intended to first stabilize their Cultivate and build up their strength before making a move.

Chen Lingxi and the two princesses were still Cultivate not far away.

Xiao Weizhao sat cross-legged, her expression serene, the golden Qi around her flowing extremely steadily.

Princess Xiao Yunyao, on the other hand, appeared somewhat impatient; her brows were slightly furrowed, and she would open her eyes from time to time to look around.

Chen Lingxi was the most diligent; her small face was tight, and fine beads of sweat had seeped onto her forehead, clearly showing she was giving it her all.

Chu Shi did not disturb them; he stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and prepared to go outside to pluck some green grass to replenish his consumed blood and Qi.

He had only taken two steps when he heard a string of cursing coming from the distance.

"Despicable! Absolutely despicable! There isn't a shred of public morality!"

Chu Shi followed the sound and saw Ling Chen limping back from the direction of the grassland.

He was carrying a large bundle of fresh, succulent green grass in his arms, and his mouth was stuffed with a full handful. His cheeks were puffed out like a hamster hoarding food, and he was chewing hard while cursing incoherently.

Several blades of grass were stuck to his black hair tips, his collar was torn, and his pant legs were covered in mud spots, making him look quite disheveled.

As he drew closer, Chu Shi could finally hear what he was muttering: "Plucking grass is one thing, but why pluck it so clean? It's like they haven't eaten a Spiritual Plant in eight hundred years! Half an acre! A whole half an acre! They didn't even leave a single stalk! Animals!"

Chu Shi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, suppressing a smile as he walked up: "What happened to you? Didn't you say you were going to explore the Secret Realm and find some 'Heaven And Earth Treasure that can double the acceleration'? Why are you back carrying a bundle of grass?"

Hearing his voice, Ling Chen immediately swallowed the grass in his mouth with force, his face instantly filled with an expression of grief and indignation.

"Don't even mention it! I'm so pissed off!" He threw the bundle of grass in his arms onto the ground with a "thud" and began to vent, hands on his hips.

"I had just left the protective barrier when I saw a patch of Spiritual Plant to the front left that looked exceptionally good—greener and tenderer than the ones nearby, and the Spiritual Qi was much denser. I thought I'd go and pluck some of the good stuff to get a taste, but just as I ran over, a guy in gray clothes rushed out!"

"That guy looked only in his twenties, yet he was actually at the Middle Stage of the Copper Bone Realm!" Ling Chen grew angrier the more he spoke, gesturing wildly.

"Without a word, he pulled out a cloth bag and waved it, and that entire patch of Spiritual Plant was collected by him! Collecting them is one thing, but he actually pulled them up by the roots! Not a single bit left! He didn't even leave me a sprout!"

Chu Shi's mouth twitched: "And then you reasoned with him?"

"How would I dare!" Ling Chen rolled his eyes dramatically.

"That guy's eyes were like knives, his hands were covered in calluses, and his knuckles were deformed; he looked like someone who had spent years risking his life outside. If I had started a fight with him, forget about snatching the grass—I would have likely been slapped away by him and ended my Secret Realm journey early."

He pointed to the bundle of grass on the ground, which looked clearly uneven, his face full of grievance: "And this was after I ran a full three miles to a desolate gully where no one else wanted to go. You have no idea—within a ten-mile radius of the protective barrier, all the decent Spiritual Plant have been plucked clean! I just saw several guys fighting over a small patch of grass, fighting until their heads were bleeding. It was terrifying."

Chu Shi shook his head with a smile, bent down to pull out the tenderest one from his bundle, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

The clear, sweet juice burst in his mouth, and a gentle and pure force of blood and Qi slowly surged into his limbs and bones, instantly dispelling the fatigue brought on by his Cultivate.

It was indeed much more effective than those crudely made Medicinal Pill from the outside.

"Alright, stop complaining." Chu Shi patted his shoulder and comforted him. "It's good enough that you have grass to eat. Once we Cultivate for a while longer and make a Breakthrough to the Middle Stage of the Copper Bone Realm, it won't be too late to go out and settle the score with them."

"That's a must!" Ling Chen snorted, picking up a blade of grass himself and stuffing it fiercely into his mouth, as if he were chewing on the guy who snatched his grass.

"When that time comes, I'll definitely find that guy, replant that patch of land he plucked, and then, right in front of his face, pluck every single one clean! I'll make him taste what it's like to have absolutely nothing left!"

Chu Shi: "..."

As expected of you, Ling the Husky!

He could see it now; this guy's vengefulness only amounted to this much.

Chu Shi couldn't be bothered to argue about this pathetic revenge plan, shook his head, bent over, grabbed the bundle of Spiritual Plant on the ground, and turned to walk toward the center of the Temporal Platform.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!"

Ling Chen instantly bristled, let out a howl, and chased after him, reaching out to grab the other end of the bundle.

"That's my grass! I worked so hard to run three miles to pluck it!"

"I was just preparing to go out to pluck some grass to replenish my blood and Qi."

Chu Shi didn't stop, walking forward with the grass, his tone flat but with a hint of taking it for granted.

"You said it yourself, all the decent Spiritual Plant within a ten-mile radius have been plucked clean. Since you have some ready-made here, I won't make a wasted trip."

"But you can't take it all!" Ling Chen was so anxious he was dancing with rage, using all his might to pull it back.

The two of them each pulled on one end of the bundle, almost tearing the fresh grass leaves to shreds.

After tugging for a long time, Ling Chen saw he couldn't out-compete Chu Shi and had to grit his teeth and let go.

He quickly snatched away the thickest and tenderest half of the bundle, hugging it tightly to his chest as if protecting some rare treasure.

"It's a deal then, I'm only splitting half the bundle with you, you have to pay me back later!"