A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 372 The Land of Spiritual Conception

"Duan Chen of the Yu Ling Sect? So he's a disciple of Master Han Chan. I've heard of him a few years ago."

Luo Ming's voice rang out, his tone cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if he were merely stating a fact unrelated to himself.

However, these plain words seem to contain a special sonic rhythm that penetrates the heart and shakes the blood.

Duan Chen felt a "buzz" in his ears, and the magic power and blood that were originally running smoothly in his body suddenly stopped slightly out of control, and then surged violently. He felt a tightness in his chest and his vision even went black!

He was horrified and immediately activated his ice-attribute cultivation technique to suppress the discomfort. His gaze towards Luo Ming was filled with even greater awe, and he was secretly alarmed.

"Amazing! Is this the power of a Nascent Soul Body Cultivator? Just the sound waves of energy contained in his words are enough to stir up the magical power and blood within my body! If he were to go all out..."

He dared not think any further, and quickly lowered his head, saying respectfully, "Senior, you are wise. I am indeed a disciple of Master Hanchan. I apologize for my presumption."

Luo Ming gave a faint "hmm" and said nothing more. He simply looked at him calmly, his eyes as deep as an ancient well, without any ripples, and he showed no particular reaction to the name "Duan Chen" or "Luo Ming".

Although he has made some progress in body refining techniques and is no longer afraid of ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivators, the troubles of the Golden Core stage have not yet been resolved, so he will not go to acknowledge the other party to avoid getting involved in unnecessary trouble.

"With the divine sense I left on the teleportation array in that mine, it would be absolutely impossible for any cultivator above the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm who is not a master of array formations to detect it. In addition, the method of refining this Great Teleportation Token has long been lost, so there should be no problem there," Luo Ming thought to himself.

Then came some polite formalities. Duan Chen's cultivation level was too low to represent the Yu Ling Sect in inviting Luo Ming to join.

He was merely trying to make himself known to this newly promoted senior, then bowed again, his voice tinged with barely concealed disappointment and respect, and said:

"Since you are cultivating here in seclusion, senior, I dare not disturb you further. Congratulations on your great achievement in your divine skills. I will now take my leave and return to my sect to report back."

Luo Ming nodded slightly in response, his expression showing no unusual reaction.

Without further hesitation, Duan Chen turned around and rode a white streak of light, speeding towards the direction of the Yu Ling Sect, quickly turning into a small dot on the horizon.

As he vanished into the light, Duan Chen couldn't help but look back again, gazing at the direction of the now-ruined but still spiritually vibrant Qinghu Market. A hint of bewilderment and self-mockery flashed in his eyes as he murmured to himself:

"It seems... I was overthinking it. This 'Senior Luo' looks even younger than Junior Brother Luo back then. He must have cultivated some kind of profound anti-aging secret technique, or it's due to the special nature of his cultivation method."

Moreover, Junior Brother Luo is a proper cultivator, and his spiritual root aptitude is... only average. How could he possibly, in just over a hundred years, dissipate his cultivation and start over with that body-refining technique, which is a hundred times more difficult, and still advance so rapidly to reach the Nascent Soul stage? This is simply a fantasy..."

He forced himself to accept this "reasonable" explanation, completely suppressing the absurd speculation in his mind.

Through their brief conversation, he already knew that this powerful "Senior Luo" intended to use Qinghu Lake as his training ground for long-term seclusion. This matter was of great importance, and he needed to return to the Yuling Sect immediately to report in detail to his master, Master Hanchan.

As for the speculation about "Junior Brother Luo Ming," considering that he had snatched the Thousand Demon Banner from Dongmen Xiao back then, and that the Dongmen family behind him was suppressing their original Spirit Beast Mountain lineage, Duan Chen was unwilling to reveal this matter to the sect's higher-ups for some reason.

……

Over here, Luo Ming watched Duan Chen's escape light completely disappear into the horizon. A faint, complex light flashed in his deep eyes before he regained his composure.

He turned his head and looked at Lu Xuan, who had been standing silently to the side.

"Lu Xuan," Luo Ming said calmly.

"This junior is here!" Lu Xuan was startled and quickly bowed in response.

"This place spans tens of thousands of miles. I, Luo, have reached a preliminary agreement with the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Demon Flame Sect to use it as my place of seclusion for cultivation. Since you are familiar with this place, all worldly affairs, such as rebuilding the market, maintaining order, and communicating with the three sects, will be handled by you."

Luo Ming instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument, "I will give you some of the spirit stones and resources you need later. Remember, the market can be rebuilt, but the rules must be established, and no one should disturb the peace of this place. If there are any matters that cannot be handled, or if any Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the three sects come, you can crush this jade talisman."

As he spoke, he flicked his finger and shot out a stream of light, which landed in Lu Xuan's hand and transformed into a warm white jade talisman with a simple character "Luo" engraved on it.

Lu Xuan was filled with excitement. This was undoubtedly a sign that he was being treated as a trusted confidant, and that he would have considerable power. If he could handle things well, his status in front of Senior Luo would surely rise in the future.

"Yes! This junior will do his utmost to live up to your expectations!" Lu Xuan accepted the jade talisman with both hands, carefully put it away, and solemnly promised.

"Hmm." Luo Ming nodded, then added, "I have some business to attend to and will be away for several months, or even a year or two. I'll leave this place to you."

After saying that, without waiting for Lu Xuan's response, Luo Ming's figure swayed slightly, and his whole body seemed to merge into the surrounding light. His aura instantly became ethereal and blurry. In the next instant, he disappeared from Lu Xuan's sight as if he had evaporated into thin air!

Without a flash of light, without a sound of air being torn apart, and without even causing much fluctuation of spiritual energy, it simply "disappeared" without a sound.

Lu Xuan was startled and immediately released his divine sense to search his surroundings, but there was no trace of Luo Ming's presence. It was as if the other party had never appeared there at all. He felt even greater awe for Luo Ming's supernatural abilities and dared not be negligent in the slightest. He immediately began to deal with the complicated matters of rebuilding the market.

……

Luo Ming naturally did not actually leave Qinghu.

He had merely used a sophisticated concealment and illusion technique from the "Azure Nether Scripture," combined with the Yuan Magnetic Divine Power's control over the Five Elements, to instantly conceal all his aura, distort the light, and shield Lu Xuan, a Core Formation cultivator, from perception, creating the illusion of "teleporting away."

In reality, his true body had already silently sunk into the ground below, using the Earth Escape Technique to rapidly stealthily move towards the special area deep underground that triggered the Xuanwu True Blood within his body.

One hundred feet underground, five hundred feet, one thousand feet, two thousand feet...

The surrounding area consisted of thick, cold rock layers and soil, and the pressure was increasing, but for Luo Ming, whose physical body was now comparable to that of a transformed demon beast and who was proficient in earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of escape technique), it was not a great obstacle.

Following the increasingly clear, faint connection he felt with the Xuan Turtle, he kept adjusting his direction, downwards and downwards.

A moment later, the rock strata ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a strange area wrapped in an invisible membrane.

This area was not completely dark; instead, it emitted a soft, hazy, and strange glow that seemed to be a mixture of earthy yellow and aquamarine.

The air was filled with a rich, almost viscous, and incredibly pure spiritual energy of both water and earth! Within this spiritual energy, there was also a special aura that was ancient, profound, and as heavy and gentle as the earth itself.

The enormous, mountain-like body of the Xuan Turtle was now quietly lying in the center of this area, its eyes slightly closed, its breath long and calm, and its body shrouded in a faint earthy yellow halo.

Its aura seemed to be completely integrated with the surrounding earth, rocks, and even the flowing spiritual energy. If it weren't for the close spiritual and bloodline connection between Luo Ming and it, it would be extremely difficult to detect its existence in this complex and special environment by relying solely on divine sense.

Luo Ming flashed and appeared beside the Xuan Turtle. He first carefully surveyed the surroundings with his divine sense.

"The spiritual energy here is far richer and purer than that of Qinghu Lake on the ground, and the water and soil properties are so well balanced and harmonious, which is truly rare."

Luo Ming secretly praised it, but at the same time he was a little puzzled. "Although the Xuan Turtle's 'Turtle Breathing Technique' is wonderful and can greatly conceal its aura and simulate mountains and rocks, it can never hide from the deliberate probing of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator."

Just now, before I came down, I scanned it with my powerful divine sense, comparable to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. If it weren't for my bloodline connection, I would have almost missed it... It seems that the greatest credit for the Xuan Turtle's perfect concealment lies not in its supernatural abilities, but in the natural masking and assimilation of its aura by this special environment itself.

The world of cultivation is vast and boundless, filled with countless wondrous and perilous places.

Many of these places were not created by human hands, but rather by the workings of nature, a masterpiece of nature, formed over long periods of time through various coincidences, resulting in unique natural formations or environments. These naturally formed special areas often possess a variety of incredible uses, whether they are extremely dangerous or blessed places.

This underground area in front of us is clearly a rare and nascent "blessed land".

Luo Ming walked slowly through the cave, carefully exploring. He discovered that this special environment was about a thousand feet in circumference, not particularly large, but the spiritual energy contained within it was frighteningly pure, and the elements were intertwined and endlessly regenerating.

Being there, he could clearly feel that the "Black Tortoise True Blood" in his body had become unusually active, as if he had returned to the womb and felt comfortable, creating a faint and pleasant resonance with the surrounding environment.

"What exactly is this place?" Luo Ming frowned slightly. Even with his knowledge, he couldn't immediately determine the specific origin and name of this place.

He instinctively felt that this place would be of immeasurable benefit to him in refining the Xuanwu True Blood and cultivating water and earth attribute supernatural powers.

With a sudden thought, he flipped his wrist and took out the shrunken "Ten Thousand Souls Banner".

A flash of light appeared on the banner, and a small, silvery wolf phantom leaped out and landed on Luo Ming's shoulder. It was Silver Moon.

"Congratulations, Brother Luo, on achieving the Golden Body and making great progress in your cultivation!" As soon as Yin Yue appeared, she sensed the immense blood and powerful aura emanating from Luo Ming, which was completely different from before. It was like a primordial beast, and her eyes flashed with a strange light. She quickly offered her congratulations.

But before she could finish her congratulatory remarks, her gaze was drawn to the strange sight around her.

"Huh? This is..." Yin Yue's silver eyes suddenly lit up, her small nose twitched slightly, as if she was sniffing the special scent in the air, and then a clear look of surprise appeared on her face.

"Brother Luo, how did you find this 'Spirit Nurturing Land'? And... judging from its spiritual energy attributes, it's an extremely rare Spirit Nurturing Land with a perfect balance of water and earth!"

"A place for nurturing spirits?" Luo Ming's heart stirred, and he looked at Silver Moon.

He could indeed vaguely sense that in the center of this area, where the most concentrated spiritual energy converged, a faint yet real and nascent "spirituality" seemed to have been conceived.

This spirituality is like that of a newborn infant, pure and fragile. If it weren't for his powerful divine sense and resonance with the Xuanwu True Blood, it would be almost impossible to detect.

Silver Moon leaped off Luo Ming's shoulder and began to dart and explore the vast, thousand-foot-wide cavern. She would lightly touch the rock walls with her claws, then take deep breaths, her eyes gleaming with silver light, as if sensing the place in some special way.

A moment later, she returned to Luo Ming and said with certainty, "That's right, Brother Luo, this is indeed a 'spirit-nurturing land' that is currently being nurtured, and it shouldn't have been formed for too long."

The naturally formed water-soil balance here gathers and purifies the spiritual energy of earth and water between heaven and earth. Over the years, this spiritual energy has been continuously refined and nurtured... If left undisturbed and allowed to develop naturally, after ten thousand years, the core of this area's spiritual energy will very likely give birth to a complete 'Earth Spirit'! No, to be precise, a 'Ground Spirit' with both water and earth attributes!

"Earth spirit? Earth spirit?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly thought of the "Wood Spirit" that he had unexpectedly obtained deep in the underground mine of "Azure Spirit Island" in the Chaotic Star Sea, which was not yet fully formed!