Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Somewhere in the Dark

“I’m breaking through again!”

Yun Xi muttered, then, at the fastest speed, took the immortal spirit grass out of the jade plaque space. She did not want to draw too much attention, so she couldn’t let the outpost’s spiritual energy fluctuate too violently. She could only have the immortal spirit grass provide the energy support.

The immortal spirit grass shook its leaves. As it fed Yun Xi spiritual energy, it also sent a message. “That was way too close earlier. I thought you wouldn’t make it. I was already preparing to sacrifice myself…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not dying that easily. I’m about to break through now. Help me supply the spiritual energy I need.”

Yun Xi was already sitting cross-legged on the cushion, guiding the spiritual energy inside her body as it circulated through her meridians. While widening the meridians, she also ran it through a full cycle, compressing the energy and storing the refined spiritual liquid in her dantian.

The immortal spirit grass steadily released spiritual energy at her side. It had absorbed an entire mid-grade spirit vein in the Bao Hua Mountain Range. That was more than enough for Yun Xi to cultivate all the way to the Golden Core stage.

This breakthrough went smoothly. When the final drop of spiritual liquid fell, her cultivation stabilized at the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishment. She was only one opportunity away from breaking through to late-stage Foundation Establishment, but she forced herself to stop.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to break through. It was because she had already broken through twice in a row, yet her corresponding methods and techniques had not kept up. She was all show.

To put it simply, her true combat strength did not match her cultivation. So she was not in a hurry to break through. She planned to fully solidify her cultivation first, then advance to late-stage Foundation Establishment naturally.

After that, she used the flower ornament immortal artifact to adjust her cultivation to the state of someone who had just broken through to early-stage Foundation Establishment, to conceal herself.

Fortunately, because of her breakthrough and the effect of the mental suppressant, she had already passed the crisis of her body falling apart.

After Yun Xi opened her eyes, the first thing she did was put the immortal spirit grass back into the space. The Trail-Seeking Rat had already drooled all over the ground at the sight of the grass.

Yun Xi pinched the Trail-Seeking Rat and asked, “Little one, what did you see just now?”

The Trail-Seeking Rat had a strong desire to survive. It kicked its legs and said, “Master, this little rat didn’t see anything.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

Yun Xi was in a great mood now. She rubbed the Trail-Seeking Rat around for a while to satisfy her urge, and only after the little one’s fur stood up did she speak. “I didn’t mean to contract you. I just thought you were cute and wanted to keep you as a pet. But you took the initiative yourself, found an opening, and became my contracted beast. Tell me – besides tracking, what else can you do?”

The Trail-Seeking Rat used its paws to smooth its fur, then sat carefully in Yun Xi’s palm and replied by divine sense. “Actually, this little rat has a trace of Treasure-Seeking Mouse bloodline. It’s just not pure enough, so I fell into being an ordinary Trail-Seeking Rat. When I track cultivators, it’s actually based on the scent of treasures they carry…”

As it spoke, it even rubbed its paws together, looking very human.

Yun Xi raised an eyebrow. “Then what scent did you smell on me?”

“The scent of a big treasure. And the facts prove my nose wasn’t wrong. Master has a portable space.”

The Trail-Seeking Rat said it without fear.

“Tsk. Are you assuming I won’t dare kill you?”

“I don’t dare! Master, I’m already your contracted beast now. In the future, I’ll definitely help you find more treasures. I won’t let you lose out.”

“With your First Rank strength?”

“This little rat will break through. If you give me two more fruits like that, I can break through to Second Rank.”

The Trail-Seeking Rat said seriously.

Yun Xi actually had a bit of a hidden weakness for fluffy things, and she also knew the Trail-Seeking Rat’s offensive power was very low. In the cultivation world, they were basically kept as pets. So she only scared it a little.

But fortunately, the Trail-Seeking Rat had sense. The contract it formed with her was a master-servant contract. She was the master, and the Trail-Seeking Rat was the servant. If anything happened to her, the Trail-Seeking Rat would also be killed by the contract mark, so she didn’t need to worry about loyalty.

Seeing Yun Xi stay silent, the Trail-Seeking Rat weakened and said, “Master, even one fruit is fine. I’ll work hard to cultivate.”

Yun Xi lifted a hand and flicked the little thing on the forehead, then said, “Fine. I’ll grant your wish. I’ll also give you a new name. You’re so small, so I’ll call you Dian Dian. You’ll take my surname. Your name is Wei Dian Dian.”

The Trail-Seeking Rat’s black-bean eyes lit up instantly. It put its front paws together in a salute and said, “Thank you, Master, for granting me a name. From now on, this little rat is called Dian Dian.”

“Go cultivate first. After I deal with the remaining matters, I have questions for you.”

“Yes, Master.”

Dian Dian curled up obediently beside the cushion and began refining the power contained in the milk fruit it had eaten earlier.

Yun Xi waved a hand and put away the bathing tub, then sat cross-legged again. This time, she still chose to send only her divine sense into the space.

In truth, it had already been risky for her to enter the space with her real body earlier. Fortunately, all the big shots in Bao Hua City had their attention on the heavenly phenomenon. Otherwise, her space could have been exposed. Now that her personal crisis was resolved, she naturally had to be more cautious.

After her divine sense entered the chat group, she immediately reported to everyone that the danger was over.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face: Little Clouds and Smoke, remember to cultivate a Soul-Refining Art. It can help you stabilize your overly powerful soul strength to a certain extent.

Survival Is The Only Hard Truth: Don’t be that reckless when you go out training again.

Ethereal Aura: If you need methods, tell me.

Tribal Warrior: If you don’t have enough milk fruit, you can trade with me.

Passing Clouds and Smoke: Thank you all for your concern. Yun Yan will be more careful in the future.

After that, she switched to private chat with ????. She was not about to use someone else’s things for free.

At this moment, in the Hao Ran Sect’s spiritual herb field where Foundation Establishment grass was being nurtured, Wei Yun Qing’s wood-element spiritual power suddenly became unstable. She was startled, quickly formed hand seals to withdraw her power, then frowned and pressed a hand to her chest.

That stifling feeling came again. She knew clearly this feeling was because of Wei Yun Xi, but she couldn’t explain why she would feel like this.

Wei Yun Qing clenched her fist. She had always believed that Yun Xi had stolen her opportunities. In the family, it had been that hairpin. After entering the sect, it had been methods and pills that raised spirit root value. Even though those things had never appeared from start to finish, she still felt they had all ended up in Yun Xi’s hands.

That belief had sunk deep into her bones. At one point, she even suspected she had gone crazy. But after she calmed down, she became even more certain of her judgment.

“Hmph. You’d better die out there!”

Wei Yun Qing said through gritted teeth.

“Junior Sister Yun Qing, did you save the spirit herb?”

Ye Shao Tian’s voice came from behind her, making Wei Yun Qing snap back to herself.

She turned and smiled. “Senior Brother Ye, this Foundation Establishment grass has been saved. Now it just needs daily spiritual power to nurture it, so it can mature soon and be used in medicine.”

After hearing that, Ye Shao Tian said “Good” three times in a row. He praised Wei Yun Qing’s skill at nurturing spiritual plants, checked that the Foundation Establishment grass truly had survived, told Wei Yun Qing to put in more effort, and then left the spiritual herb field with a smile.

At this moment, Zong Hao, who was consolidating his cultivation in another herb field, still didn’t know that Yun Xi had narrowly survived and almost died.

At the Hao Ran Sect outpost in Bao Hua City, Sheng Yu Hong, who had been in meditation in his room, suddenly jerked. He opened his eyes instantly, and his sharp gaze swept the room once before he slowly calmed the pounding in his chest.

In that instant just now, he had felt as if he had come extremely close to death.

And that moment happened to be when Yun Xi swallowed the soul that tried to seize her body.