643: The Elf's Nest, a First Test of Strength

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the Lingxu Realm was far denser than Earth's. Mountains and fields were covered with exotic flowers and rare herbs, and the branches of towering ancient trees were as vigorous as coiling dragons. Crystal-clear spiritual dew condensed on the leaves, and the air was filled with the fragrance of vegetation and pure Spiritual Plant aura. Li Fan and Zhao Hu followed the markings on Su Miao's map, passing through a forest of Spiritual Plants that blotted out the sun, finally arriving at the entrance of that low-Rank Spirit Essence lair.

The lair was hidden in a depression in a cliff face, the entrance obscured by dense vines. The vines were covered in sharp barbs and faintly glowed with a pale green spiritual light, clearly a simple defense set up by the Spirit Essences. A faint earthy-yellow Spiritual Qi swirled at the entrance, mixed with a trace of indistinct roaring—the aura of Spirit Essence activity.

"Man, this lair is well-hidden!" Zhao Hu clenched his fists, the Huaxia Battle Qi of his Qi Refining Level Three surging slightly. As the Huaxia Battle Qi Art circulated, a layer of crimson-gold spiritual light appeared on his fists. "There are probably quite a few Spirit Essences inside. Should we just charge in?"

Li Fan pressed down on his arm, his sharp gaze scanning the vines at the entrance. "Don't be in a rush. Spirit Essence lairs often have ambushes. Let's clear the outer defenses first." He activated his newly acquired Light Body Technique, his figure darting to the entrance like a civet cat. Condensing the sharp Battle Qi of the Armor Piercing Cone at his fingertips, he struck hard at the base of the vines.

With a "chi-la" sound, the tough vines snapped, and a pale green sap oozed from the break, emitting a pungent odor. The moment the vines fell, three first-Rank Earth-element Spirit Essences scurried out from the entrance. They were about the size of fists, their bodies composed entirely of rock. They brandished stone claws as they pounced toward Li Fan.

"Leave them to me!" Zhao Hu strode forward, throwing both fists. Crimson-gold Battle Qi whistled down, displaying the fierce power of the Huaxia Battle Qi Art. With three punches, the three Earth-element Spirit Essences were instantly smashed into rubble. A flash of pale gold light flickered, and a Jade Slip recorded with the "Basic Spirit Essence Identification Method" dropped with a "clack."

Li Fan picked up the Jade Slip and scanned it, understanding immediately. This was the lowest-Rank Spirit Essence identification technique, capable of quickly distinguishing the attributes and Rank of Spirit Essences. Just as he tucked the Jade Slip away, a heavy sound of footsteps echoed from deep within the lair. The ground trembled slightly as a massive figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

It was a fifth-Rank Stone-Armored Earth Dragon, its body comparable to a water buffalo, covered entirely in thick, greenish-black stone armor. The armor was covered in menacing patterns, and two curved stone horns on its head glinted coldly. A pair of amber beast pupils revealed a fierce light; it was the lord of this lair. A fifth-Rank Spirit Essence already possessed rudimentary intelligence, and its combat power was comparable to a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator. Its stone armor was indestructible, and ordinary attacks could not damage it in the slightest.

"It's a Stone-Armored Earth Dragon! A fifth-Rank Spirit Essence with extremely strong defense!" Zhao Hu's expression turned solemn as he stepped in front of Li Fan, his Battle Qi surging. "I'll tie it down; you look for an opening to attack!"

Before his voice had even faded, the Stone-Armored Earth Dragon roared and lunged at Zhao Hu. Its speed far exceeded the agility expected of its size, and its stone horns whistled through the air, intending to crush the human before it into pulp. Zhao Hu didn't dare take it head-on; he used his movement technique to sidestep. The Earth Dragon crashed into the cliff wall, shattering rocks and sending dust flying.

Li Fan took the opportunity to circle to the Earth Dragon's side. He condensed the Battle Qi of the Armor Piercing Cone to its limit, his fingertip like a cone as he stabbed hard at the Earth Dragon's stone armor. With a crisp "clang," sparks flew everywhere. The Earth Dragon's stone armor was completely unscathed, and the counter-force made Li Fan's fingertip go numb, nearly disrupting his Battle Qi.

"What hard armor!" Li Fan was startled. The defense of a fifth-Rank Spirit Essence truly lived up to its reputation. His Armor Piercing Cone could tear through the defense of a Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivator, yet it couldn't break this stone armor.

Enraged, the Stone-Armored Earth Dragon turned and swept its tail across with a gust of wind. Li Fan used the Light Body Technique to barely dodge it. An ancient tree behind him was snapped, the break as clean as if it had been sliced. Zhao Hu seized the chance, leaping up and smashing both fists into the top of the Earth Dragon's head. His Battle Qi slammed into the stone horns; the Earth Dragon roared in pain but remained unhurt.

The two men and the Spirit Essence fought for dozens of rounds. Although Li Fan and Zhao Hu coordinated perfectly, they were unable to break through the Earth Dragon's stone armor defense. Instead, they were forced back repeatedly by the Earth Dragon's ferocious attacks, sustaining several grazes. Li Fan knew this couldn't continue; he had to find the Earth Dragon's weakness.

"I have to find its flaw!" Li Fan dodged the Earth Dragon's attacks while staring intently at its body, his mind racing. Just as the Earth Dragon lowered its head to charge again, he noticed that the stone armor around its eyes was relatively thin, and there was a patch of pale red soft armor on its belly that wasn't covered by the thick stone layer.

As his intense desire to win intertwined with the thought of finding a weakness, a brilliant golden light suddenly emanated from the Stone-Armored Earth Dragon. A Jade Slip fell at Li Fan's feet with a "clack"—the Yellow Rank Medium Grade Cultivation Technique, "Spirit Essence Weakness Investigation Art"!

Li Fan was overjoyed. With a sweep of his Divine Thought, he instantly grasped the Profound Truth of the Cultivation Technique. This technique allowed one to quickly judge weaknesses through a Spirit Essence's aura and form, and even briefly see through its defensive flaws. He immediately activated the technique, a faint golden spiritual light flashing in his eyes. The Earth Dragon's weaknesses instantly became clear: its eyes were a defensive soft spot, and the red armor on its belly housed the Spirit Core—a fatal weak point!

"Zhao Hu! Attack its eyes! Keep it occupied! I'll hit the soft armor on its belly!" Li Fan shouted loudly.

Zhao Hu understood immediately and fiercely channeled the Huaxia Battle Qi Art. His Battle Qi condensed into a fist, smashing hard toward the Earth Dragon's left eye. The Earth Dragon roared and raised its horns to block, but it was knocked aside by Zhao Hu's fierce punching power, exposing an opening at its eye.

Now! Li Fan seized this fleeting opportunity, pushing the Light Body Technique to its Peak. His figure darted under the Earth Dragon like an arrow. The Battle Qi of the Armor Piercing Cone condensed to its Peak, and with a sharp whistle that tore through the air, his fingertip stabbed hard into the red soft armor on the Earth Dragon's belly!

With a "puchi" sound, the sharp Battle Qi pierced the soft armor and entered the Earth Dragon's Spirit Core. The Stone-Armored Earth Dragon let out a shrill wail, its massive body twitching violently. The stone armor across its body began to shatter inch by inch, and earthy-yellow spiritual blood gushed out.

Zhao Hu took the chance to land a finishing blow, his crimson-gold Battle Qi striking the Earth Dragon's eye. The Earth Dragon's eyeball shattered, and it completely lost its combat ability. Its massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.

The moment the Stone-Armored Earth Dragon was killed, another flash of golden light appeared, and a Jade Slip dropped—the Yellow Rank Medium Grade Cultivation Technique, "Spirit Essence Material Utilization Art"! This technique detailed the uses of Spirit Essence bones, armor, and inner cores, allowing for the maximization of Spirit Essence Materials. Li Fan picked up the Jade Slip and looked at the Earth Dragon's corpse, his eyes full of joy. The Earth Dragon's stone armor was indestructible and could be used to refine low-Rank defensive Magical Artifacts; the Spirit Core contained pure Earth-element spiritual power, which could aid in cultivation; and the bones could be used to craft low-Rank weapons. All were genuine treasures.

The two worked together to skin the Earth Dragon's stone armor and took out the round, full Earth-element Spirit Core from within. Zhao Hu weighed the heavy stone armor and laughed heartily. "This Earth Dragon armor is thick enough. Once we refine a defensive Magical Artifact, our future training will be much safer!"

Li Fan nodded and looked toward the depths of the lair. After the Earth Dragon was killed, the low-Rank Spirit Essences in the lair had all hidden away in fear. The sound of gurgling water came from within. The two followed the sound of water deeper, passing through a narrow passage until the view suddenly opened up.

The depths of the lair turned out to be a natural karst cave. In the center of the cave was a pool of clear spiritual spring water, with Spiritual Qi misting over it. Bubbling spiritual liquid constantly welled up from the spring's source. Beside the spiritual spring grew a completely emerald-green Spiritual Plant with leaves that shimmered with spiritual light. It was the Bone-Cleansing Grass recorded in the "Spiritual Plant Identification Manual"!

Bone-Cleansing Grass was a treasure among low-Rank Spiritual Plants. Consuming it could cleanse the Physical Body of Impurities and broaden the Meridians, providing a huge benefit to the cultivation of Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, and even laying a solid Foundation for future Foundation Establishment.

"It's Bone-Cleansing Grass!" Li Fan and Zhao Hu's eyes lit up simultaneously. Su Miao's manual had specifically marked this Spiritual Plant; they hadn't expected to actually find it here.

Li Fan stepped forward quickly and carefully harvested the Bone-Cleansing Grass. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, emitting a dense Vegetation Spiritual Qi. Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged by the spiritual spring, chewed the Bone-Cleansing Grass, and swallowed it.

A cool and pure medicinal power instantly surged into his body, sliding down his throat into his Dantian, and then spreading from the Dantian to every part of his body. Wherever the medicinal power passed, Impurities in his body were quickly stripped away, and his Meridians were slowly broadened. His originally condensed Battle Qi became even purer. Li Fan immediately circulated the remnant chapter of the War Immortal Dao Unification Art and the "Basic Cultivation Guidance Art," guiding the medicinal power to nourish his Physical Body and Battle Qi.

The Battle Qi within his body circulated wildly. The Bottleneck of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer was easily shattered like thin paper, soaring all the way to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining. Under the continuous nourishment of the medicinal power, it steadily broke through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer! The spiritual light around him surged, forming a pale gold cocoon. When the cocoon dissipated, Li Fan's aura had become increasingly solid and heavy, and his physical strength had also been greatly enhanced by the medicinal power of the Bone-Cleansing Grass.

The moment he broke through, a golden light condensed above the spiritual spring, and a Jade Slip dropped with a "clack"—the Yellow Rank High Grade Cultivation Technique, "Spiritual Plant Bone-Cleansing Art"! This technique could maximize the medicinal effects of bone-cleansing Spiritual Plants and allow one to Cultivate in coordination with the medicinal power to quickly solidify their cultivation Foundation. For Li Fan, it was like a charcoal fire in the snow.

"Congratulations, Li Fan! You've broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer!" Zhao Hu walked forward with a face full of joy, genuinely happy for him.

Just as Li Fan stood up to thank him, a light sound of footsteps came from outside the cave. Su Miao's figure quickly walked in, carrying a medicine basket. Seeing Li Fan and Zhao Hu safe and sound, and having killed the Stone-Armored Earth Dragon, a relieved smile appeared on her face. "I sensed the aura of a fifth-Rank Spirit Essence over here. I was worried something might have happened to you, so I rushed over."

She saw the Earth Dragon's corpse on the ground and the traces of the Bone-Cleansing Grass by the spiritual spring, and quickly understood the situation. She teased with a smile, "It seems you've had quite a harvest, even finding Bone-Cleansing Grass. Li Fan even broke through in his cultivation; that's wonderful."

Saying this, Su Miao took out several healing Spiritual Plants from her medicine basket. After crushing them into an ointment, she handed it to Li Fan and Zhao Hu. "You both have grazes. This is a special Healing Ointment I made using Spiritual Plants from the Lingxu Realm. It heals very quickly."

The two took the ointment and applied it to their wounds. A cool sensation followed, and the pain was instantly relieved as the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Seeing Su Miao's attentive manner, Li Fan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. She had previously given them a map and a manual, and now she had specifically come to meet them and provide healing. This friendship made him very grateful.

After Su Miao finished treating their wounds, her gaze fell on the source of the spiritual spring, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes. "The spiritual qi of this spring is so pure. It seems to be mixed with a trace of special spiritual qi..."

Li Fan looked where she was pointing and saw a very faint wisp of milky-white aura slowly dissipating in the spiritual liquid at the spring's source. That aura was pure and vast, faintly echoing the aura of the hongmeng fragment in his Storage Pouch. He instinctively took out the hongmeng fragment. As soon as the fragment touched that wisp of milky-white aura, it began to vibrate slightly, the patterns on its surface lighting up with a faint white glow and emitting a warm aura.

This wisp of milky-white aura actually felt like it shared the same origin as the spiritual qi of the Transcendence Realm! Li Fan was shocked. He hadn't expected that the spiritual spring in this low-Rank Spirit Essence lair would have spiritual qi from the Transcendence Realm leaking out. He gripped the hongmeng fragment tightly, clearly feeling the resonance between the fragment and the spring's spiritual qi growing stronger. However, his current cultivation was still shallow, and he was not yet able to investigate its mysteries.

Zhao Hu looked at the vibrating hongmeng fragment with curiosity. "What's with this stone? Could it have something to do with this spiritual spring?"

Li Fan put away the fragment and shook his head. "I'm not sure for now, but this spiritual spring is quite extraordinary. Let's rest here for a while, absorb the spiritual spring's Spiritual Qi to stabilize our cultivation, and then clear out the remaining Spirit Essences in the lair and collect resources."

Su Miao and Zhao Hu both nodded. The three sat cross-legged by the spiritual spring, absorbing the pure spiritual spring Spiritual Qi. Li Fan circulated the "Spiritual Plant Bone-Cleansing Art" to completely refine the remaining medicinal power in his body, making his Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation increasingly stable. Zhao Hu and Su Miao also made small gains in their cultivation with the help of the spiritual spring's Spiritual Qi.

Spiritual Qi misted within the karst cave, and the auras of the three steadily rose. Meanwhile, the Transcendence Realm spiritual qi at the spring's source continued to slowly dissipate, maintaining its resonance with Li Fan's hongmeng fragment, laying deep foreshadowing for his future cultivation. This seemingly ordinary low-Rank Spirit Essence lair clearly hid an unknown secret.