Chapter 203

Chapter 203: Picking Mushrooms, Digging Stones
Yu Zhao had walked inside the vortex passage for less than the time of one incense stick when a large stretch of white light appeared in front of her.

She had reached the end of the passage.

Passing through the white light, Yu Zhao stepped into a lush green mountain forest.

A light breeze blew by, and the scent of grass and trees brushed across her face.

She felt her whole body become lighter, her body lighter than ever before.

She looked around and thought: [The Spirit Power here is so dense.]

Yu Zhao’s eyes were full of amazement.

Rumor said that the Floating Island was the place where a Grand Adept had passed away ten thousand years ago. That was why the Spiritual Energy here was rich, treasures filled the land, and there were many Spirit Creatures that had long gone extinct in the cultivation world.

The Longevity Tree was one of them.

Yu Zhao’s goals on this trip, besides searching for a Longevity Tree, were also to gather as many heavenly and earthly treasures as she could, so she could prepare for her future breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.

She spread out her Divine Sense to try to tell directions, but soon found that the range of her Divine Sense had become much smaller. On top of that, in every direction she saw tall trees that reached into the clouds.

So she simply gave up using Divine Sense to scout. Instead she chose a direction by instinct and walked forward, while constantly watching her surroundings.

Not long after, she found her first Spirit Herb at the roots of a huge tree, a patch of King Tree Mushrooms.

King Tree Mushrooms were round in shape, and their outer skin was rough like tree bark. Eaten raw they were highly poisonous, but if roasted at high heat, eating them could increase one’s Spirit Power.

For Yu Zhao, the bit of Spirit Power she could gain from eating one King Tree Mushroom was very small.

But she understood very well that many little bits added up to a lot.

Looking at the dense patch of King Tree Mushrooms growing in thick clusters, she could not help grinning. She rolled up her sleeves and started working.

She thought: [So many King Tree Mushrooms, I am rich.]

At the Endless Sea, several Sect Masters watched Yu Zhao picking mushrooms in the Water Mirror and could no longer sit still.

One Sect Master sighed and said: “Yu Zhao is really lucky. These King Tree Mushrooms are almost extinct in the cultivation world.”

Another Sect Master laughed and called out: “Ji Yuan, when Yu Zhao comes out, you must help me build a connection. Let her trade a few King Tree Mushrooms to me. Do not worry, I will not let her suffer any loss.”

King Tree Mushrooms tasted delicious and could increase one’s cultivation level, so they were very popular among cultivators. Hundreds of years ago, they had already become a rare species in the cultivation world.

Now, a single King Tree Mushroom was worth a Mid-grade Spirit Stone.

Just by reselling King Tree Mushrooms, Yu Zhao could earn a large fortune.

Sect Master Ji Yuan smiled from ear to ear and said: “Yu Zhao’s fate is indeed good.”

As he spoke, he took the chance to glare at Master Qing Yan again.

It was just Yu Zhao’s bad luck that she had met a blind master.

Master Qing Yan stayed still like a rock in the wind.

He was not in a hurry.

This was only the beginning.

An hour later, Yu Zhao brushed the dust from her hands and continued on her way.

This mountain forest was not as wide as she had imagined. After she walked for a whole day and night, the trees around her grew more and more sparse, and the ground under her feet became softer and softer.

Slowly, bright golden yellow replaced the green. Burning hot waves of air lifted up fine grains of sand, and a vast desert appeared in front of Yu Zhao.

Yu Zhao narrowed her eyes.

She could smell danger in the air.

And danger always came together with opportunity.

Yu Zhao not only did not retreat, she even sped up her steps.

After she crossed a sand dune, the sand ahead of her began to tremble even though there was no wind, as if a huge creature under the surface was about to burst out.

Yu Zhao stopped and thought to herself: [It finally came.]

As if to prove her guess right, a loud boom sounded ahead.

Yellow sand flew into the sky.

A huge black shadow shot up and rushed toward Yu Zhao at great speed.

Outside the Water Mirror, the Sect Masters all leaned forward.

Valley Master Flying Leaf of Hundred Flowers Valley looked at the Demonic Beast and said: “It is a Sand Devil Lizard.”

Sect Master Bai Lian frowned and said: “The Sand Devil Lizard is smaller in size than other Demonic Beasts of the same kind, but this one is almost as large as a Nascent Soul Stage Sand Devil Lizard.”

Another Sect Master added: “Yes, Yu Zhao is in trouble.”

The other Sect Masters all gave their own views. Sect Master Ji Yuan did not say a word. His eyes were locked on the Water Mirror, and his brows were almost knotted together.

Master Qing Yan let out a cold snort. His dislike grew even stronger.

Inside the desert, the Sand Devil Lizard was rushing closer.

The Sand Devil Lizard had short, thick limbs, but it did not look clumsy at all when it moved. Its long tail, covered in scales, swept up clouds of sand as it ran.

Before it even got close, Yu Zhao already felt the fierce killing intent that hit her in the face.

There was a sharp cracking sound.

The Sand Devil Lizard’s long tail tore through the air toward her, wrapped in rough sand and stones.

Yu Zhao dodged to the side. The violent gust of wind brushed past her, bringing with it a sharp, stinging pain on her skin.

There was a heavy boom.

The Sand Devil Lizard’s long tail smashed down hard, making the sand collapse. Yu Zhao’s body shook along with the ground.

At that moment, the Sand Devil Lizard twisted its upper body and swung back, trying to bite Yu Zhao.

A cold light flashed in Yu Zhao’s eyes. She turned her hand and summoned the Mirror of Fleeting Lives.

She raised the black mirror to face the Sand Devil Lizard and poured Spirit Power into it.

The brutal eyes of the Sand Devil Lizard showed a brief moment of blankness.

Then it let out an angry roar. Its thick tail swung wildly and slapped all around it.

Yu Zhao almost got hit by the tail. Cold sweat broke out all over her back.

Before she could relax, a faint blue light suddenly flashed around the Sand Devil Lizard’s body, and then a fierce wind rose. Yellow dust rolled in all directions.

Standing in the middle of the storm, Yu Zhao felt as if the powerful wind was about to tear her whole body into countless pieces.

She quickly summoned the Heart-Guard Mirror. After glancing around, she gritted her teeth, wrapped her body with Spirit Power, and sank straight down into the sand.

With the crazed Sand Devil Lizard and the sandstorm raging above, the underground was the safest place.

She imagined herself as a stone and stayed completely still, not moving at all. Only when she felt that the sandstorm had ended and the wind and sand were calm again did she climb back up through the sand.

In the distance, a badly wounded Sand Devil Lizard was lying on a sand dune. Its scales were dull and gray. It was clear that it had been dead for quite some time already.

Yu Zhao only gave it one glance before she looked away. Something shiny buried in the sand ahead had caught her eye.

She used her Spirit Power to pull it out of the sand and held it up to take a close look.

It was a piece of Sand-Gold Metal, a material that could be used in Artifact Forging.

Its value was about the same as a Mid-grade Spirit Stone.

Yu Zhao paused for a second, then lifted her head and looked around.

Maybe because a sandstorm had just swept through not long ago, the top layer of sand had been blown away. Pieces of Sand-Gold Metal were now half buried in the sand, their shining surfaces very eye catching.

Yu Zhao had once thought the saying that the Floating Island was covered in treasures was a bit exaggerated. But seeing it with her own eyes now, she had no choice but to believe it.

After picking mushrooms, she now started a new journey of picking up stones in the desert.

While Yu Zhao was happily collecting stones, the Sect Masters of the Seven Great Sects had already been shocked speechless by her heaven defying luck.

Including Master Qing Yan, every one of them had entered the Floating Island before.

The resources inside the Floating Island were indeed plentiful, but not so plentiful that you could find a pile of treasures with every step.

Take this very desert where the Sand Devil Lizard appeared. Dean Mo Xin of Tai Bai Academy had once gone into it, but at that time he had been chased all over the desert by a Sand Devil Lizard and never even noticed that there was a large amount of Sand-Gold Metal hidden under the sand.

They had thought Yu Zhao would suffer a bit of hardship in front of the Sand Devil Lizard. Instead, she used a small trick to kill the Sand Devil Lizard, then easily picked up a great pile of Sand-Gold Metal. It was hard not to be convinced.

The Sect Masters from the other sects even began to wonder whether the Water Mirror Art that Master Qing Yan had placed on Yu Zhao was truly because he did not trust Yu Zhao, or if he just wanted to use this chance to show them all up.

If it was the second case, then Master Qing Yan was really too crafty. His shamelessness was almost on the same level as Sect Master Ji Yuan, who was now smiling so widely that his whole face was shining.