txolops Chapter 9 Preparation
Chapter 9 Preparation
Stepping out of his temporary cave, Luo Ming's gaze swept over the figures of the cultivators coming and going, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Compared to his cautious and precarious state of mind a month ago, he now stands tall and feels much more at ease.
After all, in the world of cultivation, resources are the most important source of confidence.
He returned safely to Spirit Beast Mountain without encountering even a single Tribulation Cultivator. This slightly disappointed Luo Ming, who had hoped to test the power of his newly acquired talisman treasure. However, he quickly put this regret aside, thinking that there would be plenty of opportunities to test his strength in the future.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Luo Ming dared not delay and went straight into a quiet room. He planned to set up a simple formation there to activate the wind attribute bloodline of the Azure Fox.
This array is an improved version of a spirit-gathering array. It can gather spiritual power by placing a wind spirit stone at the array's core. He intends to use this to create a rich wind spirit energy environment to stimulate the bloodline power of the Azure Fox.
Although it looks simple, it consumes a lot of resources. After setting up the formation, Luo Ming took a deep breath and slowly activated his dantian magic power, injecting it into the formation's base runes.
As spiritual energy flowed through, the wind spirit stone at the core of the formation suddenly lit up, and wisps of pale blue spiritual energy overflowed from the spirit stone, flowing along the veins of the spiritual patterns, and finally weaving into a fine net of spiritual energy within the formation.
He then slowly placed the blue fox into the formation. At this time, the beast had already been placed under a soul restriction and had eaten a Blood Essence Pill that he had bought from the sect at a high price. It was sleeping soundly.
Gazing at the beast lying quietly within the formation, its body enveloped in a pale blue aura, dense wind spiritual energy flowed in and out with its subtle breathing rhythm, seeping into its body and slowly tempering its flesh.
Luo Ming focused intently on examining the blue fox's condition and nodded slightly: "At this rate, it should be enough to activate the faint trace of the wind fox bloodline within it before the Blood Forbidden Land opens."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, "This whole ordeal cost over a thousand spirit stones; only I could be so reckless. What ordinary disciple would be willing to invest such a huge sum in a spirit beast whose potential is still unknown?"
Although Spirit Beast Mountain is renowned throughout the world for its beast-taming techniques, most of its lower-ranking disciples control ordinary spirit beasts. Occasionally, a lucky individual might find a rare spirit beast, but due to a lack of resources, they are often unable to nurture it properly, and eventually, the spirit beast's potential is exhausted, turning it into an ordinary demon beast.
Luo Ming gazed at the blue fox, his thoughts drifting far away: if he could successfully cultivate it into a wind fox, along with the black tortoise he had already tamed, which was skilled in defense and underwater concealment, and the rock python, he would have a spirit beast team that was beginning to take shape under his command.
"Turtle, snake, cat... this combination is like a simplified version of the Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger."
Thinking of this, Luo Ming couldn't help but smile. "If I can find a Flame Sparrow again in the future, I will have collected all four sacred beasts in the 'beggar' version." He seemed to see the four spirits protecting him, and the scene of him galloping freely and killing all enemies in the cultivation world.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's already a month before the opening of the Crimson Forbidden Land.
To encourage disciples to participate, the sect has offered generous rewards: anyone who registers will receive a common top-tier magic weapon, a mid-grade spirit stone, and can also choose any level one demon beast from the sect.
Such a reward would require ordinary Qi Refining disciples to save and accumulate for several years. However, the infamous reputation of the Crimson Forbidden Land had already spread throughout the cultivation world, and apart from those elderly cultivators whose lifespans were nearing their end and who were willing to risk their lives for a glimmer of hope, very few disciples were willing to put themselves in such danger.
On this day, Luo Ming went to the sect's main hall to register. He saw that the hall was deserted and there were only a dozen or so people registering, including himself.
"Brother Luo?" A soft, slightly surprised voice called from behind. Luo Ming turned around and saw Han Yunzhi standing there gracefully. She had shed much of her girlish naiveté, and her features were now even more refined, but a hint of melancholy lingered in her clear eyes.
"Junior Sister Yunzhi? You're also signing up to enter the Crimson Forbidden Land? As far as I know, your cultivation is currently only at the eleventh level of Qi Refining. Why are you going to take such a risk?"
He knew this woman would go to the Crimson Forbidden Land, but now that he was an uncertain factor, if things didn't turn out the same way as before, she would definitely face a near-death experience inside with her cultivation level. Luo Ming now truly regarded this girl, who was like a girl next door, as a younger sister.
Upon hearing this, Han Yunzhi lowered her head slightly, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her cherry lips pressed tightly together. After a long while, she spoke in a low voice, "My brother... some time ago, while carrying out a sect mission, he was unfortunately infected with a strange and insidious poison, which only the Blazing Sun Flower can cure. I searched all the nearby markets but couldn't find any trace of the Blazing Sun Flower. Later, I heard... I heard that the Blazing Sun Flower grows in the Blood Forbidden Land." Her voice grew softer and softer, filled with undisguised sorrow, "So, I had no other choice."
Luo Ming suddenly realized. He vaguely remembered that Han Yunzhi did have an older brother, but he didn't know that he had encountered such a tragedy. Seeing that she was willing to venture into the perilous place to save her brother, Luo Ming felt a strange and inexplicable jealousy, which was then replaced by admiration for the woman's resilience.
"If I see any Blazing Sunflowers when we enter this forbidden area, I'll keep an eye out for them for you," Luo Ming said calmly, looking at her reddened eyes.
A flash of gratitude crossed Han Yunzhi's eyes, and she bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you so much, Brother Luo!"
At this moment, the long-faced cultivator in charge of registration inside the hall looked rather grim. His gaze swept over the dozen or so people below the platform, and when it lingered on Han Yunzhi, who was at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, his brows furrowed into a knot. Each sect could only send a maximum of twenty-five people into the Crimson Forbidden Land, and now they couldn't even gather half of them. The number of Foundation Establishment Pills they would harvest would certainly be far inferior to that of other sects.
Just as he was becoming anxious, a heavy and majestic aura suddenly descended upon the main hall. In a flash of light, a solemn-faced middle-aged cultivator appeared—the sect leader of Spirit Beast Mountain.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Sect Leader!" Everyone in the hall bowed in unison.
The sect leader's gaze swept across the crowd below the stage, sharp as lightning, and he asked the long-faced cultivator in a deep voice, "Are these the disciples who signed up to participate in this trial?"
"Reporting back to Senior Brother, that's right. Even though the sect has doubled the rewards, there are still very few who will respond. This..." The long-faced cultivator looked worried, his tone full of helplessness.
The sect leader nodded slightly, saying nothing more. With a flick of his sleeve, a storage bag opened out of thin air. In an instant, light shimmered, and dozens of identical jade boxes and a pile of mid-grade spirit stones brimming with spiritual energy appeared before everyone's eyes.
His expression softened slightly as he addressed Luo Ming and the others, saying, "These jade boxes contain top-tier magic artifacts. Each of you may choose one based on your own fortune. Each of you will receive one mid-grade spirit stone. As for spirit beasts, you can choose them later." His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.