Chapter 203: Picking Mushrooms and Digging Stones
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Yu Zhao walked through the vortex passage for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before a burst of white light appeared ahead. She had reached the end of the passage.
Passing through the white light, Yu Zhao found herself in a lush forest. A gentle breeze carried the fragrant scent of grass and trees, brushing softly against her face. She felt an unprecedented lightness in her body.
“So much concentrated spiritual energy,” Yu Zhao marveled, her eyes alight with wonder.
Rumors had it that the Floating Island was the resting place of a great cultivator from ten thousand years ago. Because of this, it was abundant in spiritual energy and treasures, and home to many creatures long extinct in the cultivation world. Among them was the Longevity Tree, the main objective of Yu Zhao’s journey.
Aside from searching for the Longevity Tree, Yu Zhao also planned to gather as many rare spiritual treasures as possible to prepare for her eventual attempt at reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
She released her Divine Sense to navigate but found its range significantly limited. Towering trees stretched endlessly in all directions, making it impossible to discern her bearings. Resigned, Yu Zhao decided to trust her intuition, picking a direction and moving forward while scanning her surroundings.
It wasn’t long before she stumbled upon her first spiritual herb: the Tree King Mushroom.
The Tree King Mushroom was round with a rough, bark-like exterior. While it was highly poisonous when eaten raw, it could increase spiritual energy when cooked at high temperatures. For Yu Zhao, the spiritual energy gained from consuming one was negligible, but she understood the importance of small increments building up over time.
Seeing the mushrooms growing in dense clusters at the base of a giant tree, Yu Zhao couldn’t help but grin. Rolling up her sleeves, she got to work.
“So many Tree King Mushrooms—this is a fortune!” she exclaimed.
In the Endless Sea, several sect masters observing Yu Zhao’s actions through the Water Mirror grew restless.
“The Tree King Mushroom is practically extinct in the cultivation world. Yu Zhao is truly fortunate,” one remarked.
Another leaned forward eagerly. “Sect Master Ji Yuan, when Yu Zhao returns, you must introduce me to her. I’d like to trade for some of those mushrooms. Don’t worry; I won’t let her suffer a loss.”
The Tree King Mushroom was prized for its delicious flavor and ability to enhance cultivation. Hundreds of years ago, it had become a rarity. Nowadays, a single mushroom was worth a medium-grade Spirit Stone.
Just by selling these mushrooms, Yu Zhao could amass a small fortune.
Sect Master Ji Yuan smiled broadly. “It seems luck is on Yu Zhao’s side,” he said, sneaking a glare at Master Qing Yan, whose indifferent expression betrayed no reaction.
Qing Yan remained calm. There was no need to hurry—this was just the beginning.
An hour later, Yu Zhao dusted off her hands and resumed her journey. Contrary to her expectations, the forest wasn’t as vast as it seemed. After a full day and night of walking, the towering trees gave way to sparse vegetation, and the ground beneath her feet grew softer.
Soon, golden hues replaced the greenery. Scorching waves of heat stirred up fine sand particles as a sprawling desert stretched before her.
Yu Zhao narrowed her eyes. She could sense danger lurking in the air, but she also knew that danger often came hand-in-hand with opportunity. Instead of retreating, she quickened her pace.
Crossing over a dune, she noticed the sand trembling slightly as if a massive creature were stirring beneath the surface.
Yu Zhao halted, her heart racing with anticipation. “Finally,” she thought.
A deafening roar erupted, sending sand flying into the air. A massive shadow burst forth, hurtling toward Yu Zhao at an alarming speed.
Outside the Water Mirror, a voice exclaimed, “It’s a Sand Demon Lizard!”
The Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley, Fei Ye, identified the origin of the demonic beast with precision.
Sect Master Bai Lian frowned slightly. “This Sand Demon Lizard is unusually small compared to others of its kind, yet this one is nearly at the Nascent Soul stage.”
“Indeed, Yu Zhao might be in trouble.”
The other sect masters exchanged their thoughts, while Sect Master Ji Yuan remained silent, his gaze glued to the water mirror, his brows almost knotted together.
Master Qing Yan let out a cold sneer, his disdain for the unfolding events becoming more evident.
The Sand Demon Lizard, despite its stubby limbs, moved with surprising agility. Its scales-covered tail swept up a cloud of sand as it charged forward.
Before it even got close, Yu Zhao already felt the overwhelming ferocity emanating from it.
Smack!
The Sand Demon Lizard’s massive tail tore through the air, hurling gritty sand in its wake. Yu Zhao quickly sidestepped, the forceful winds stinging her skin as they passed.
Bang!
The tail struck the ground with a resounding crash, causing the earth to shake and Yu Zhao to stumble.
The beast twisted its upper body and lunged to bite her. Yu Zhao’s eyes glinted with icy determination as she swiftly summoned the Fleeting Life Mirror.
The black surface of the artifact faced the lizard as she poured spiritual energy into it.
For a fleeting moment, the Sand Demon Lizard’s vicious eyes showed confusion. But then it let out an enraged screech, its thick tail thrashing wildly in all directions.
Yu Zhao narrowly avoided being struck, breaking into a cold sweat.
Before she could catch her breath, a pale green glow shimmered across the lizard’s body. A violent sandstorm erupted, filling the air with rolling yellow smoke.
Caught within the storm, Yu Zhao felt as if her body might be torn apart by the sheer force of the winds. She hurriedly summoned the Heart-Protecting Mirror, surveyed her surroundings, and gritted her teeth. Channeling her spiritual energy, she sank into the sand below.
With the raging Sand Demon Lizard and the sandstorm above, she reasoned the ground was the safest place to be.
Remaining utterly still, she imagined herself as a motionless stone until the storm subsided and silence returned. Only then did she emerge from the sand.
In the distance, the Sand Demon Lizard lay motionless on a dune, its scales dulled and its body riddled with injuries—a clear sign it had been dead for some time.
Yu Zhao’s gaze shifted quickly from the corpse to a glimmering object buried in the sand ahead. Using her spiritual energy, she pulled it toward her.
A closer inspection revealed it to be Sand Soil Gold, a material prized in artifact crafting, worth approximately one mid-grade spirit stone.
She paused momentarily, lifting her gaze.
Because of the recent sandstorm, much of the surface sand had blown away, exposing more patches of Sand Soil Gold, gleaming enticingly under the sun.
Yu Zhao had once doubted tales of Floating Island being rich with treasures, dismissing them as exaggerations. But now, seeing it firsthand, she couldn’t help but believe.
After her mushroom-gathering escapades, she now embarked on a desert stone-picking journey.
While Yu Zhao was engrossed in collecting stones, the sect masters of the Seven Great Sects were left speechless by her outrageous luck.
Even Master Qing Yan, along with the rest, had all visited Floating Island before. Although resources were abundant there, they were not so plentiful that every step yielded treasures.
For instance, in the same desert where the Sand Demon Lizard resided, Tai Bai Academy’s Inkheart Institute Head had once been chased wildly by the beast and had never noticed the trove of Sand Soil Gold beneath him.
They had anticipated Yu Zhao might struggle against the Sand Demon Lizard. Instead, she dispatched it with a simple tactic and effortlessly stumbled upon a treasure trove, leaving them no choice but to marvel at her fortune.
The sect masters even began questioning whether Master Qing Yan had cast some sort of water mirror technique not to monitor Yu Zhao out of concern but as a sly way to humiliate them.
If it were the latter, Qing Yan’s cunning would rival the shamelessness of Sect Master Ji Yuan, whose grinning face reflected his mirthful satisfaction.