"Hehehe, so you've figured it out," a deep, gravelly voice echoed back, resonating from the very rocks around them. Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled, and several large boulders began to shift and move.
With a loud rumble, seven enormous toads emerged from the rocks, their skin camouflaged perfectly with the rocky terrain.
Each toad was covered in earthy, rugged scales, and their eyes glowed with an eerie, intelligent light. These were not ordinary spirit beasts; they each released varying degrees of aura, with the one that just spoke releasing aura at the middle stage of Rank 4.
The toad, slightly larger than the others, stepped forward, its voice deep and graveling. "Intruders in our territory," it croaked with malice, "shall all be killed"
With a sudden, swift motion, it opened its massive mouth and unleashed a powerful wave of Elemental Qi, the rocky terrain around them turning into a barrage of rocky projectiles hurtling towards the group at blinding speed.
Meng Lin's eyes widened as the barrage of rocky projectiles came hurtling towards them, surprised by the Elemental Qi manipulation being displayed by the opponent.
"Defensive formations!" Luo Mei shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
The other disciples, including Chen Wei, immediately responded, their auras flaring as they formed a protective barrier around themselves.
Luo Mei stepped forward, her own aura surging with intensity as she prepared to intercept the attack.
With a swift motion, Meng Lin raised her hands, her qi forming a shimmering gold shield over the group. The rocky projectiles smashed against the barrier, shattering into less powerful rock pieces that were intercepted by the other disciples.
"We need to take down the others first," Meng Lin called out. "Without them, the leader will be easier to handle."
Luo Mei, understanding the situation, nodded. "Chen Wei and I will distract the leader. Meng Lin, you and the others quickly dispatch the others before coming to help us," she said, her aura flaring as she charged toward the larger toad.
Chen Wei also didn't hesitate, his expression serious as he followed Luo Mei, his body blazing with aura. The two of them engaged the leader toad, their combined energies creating a fierce clash of energies that sent the toad stumbling backward.
Meng Lin turned to the other disciples. "You heard her! Let's move. I'll take care of the two early-stage Rank 4 beasts; you guys can take the rest."
The group split into smaller units, each disciple focusing on their assigned targets. Meng Lin, with her eyes set on the two early-stage Rank 4 toads, moved swiftly, her movements precise and deadly.
The first toad let out a guttural croak, releasing a wave of Earth Elemental Qi that made the ground beneath Meng Lin's feet tremble.
Sensing an attack, Meng Lin didn't stop her movement as large spikes emerged from the ground, all hurtling toward her. Her energy output increased, and her form became even more obscured as she turned to pure mist, going through the attack with ease.
She closed the distance, her fists glowing with a multicolored Qi as she circulated the Elemental Convergence Method with slight difficulty.
Boom!
Crack.
Meng Lin felt a recoil as her fist came into contact with the toad's head, causing a loud sound to emerge, sending the toad flying with cracks all over its rocky body.
Meng Lin, having weakened the first toad, turned her attention to the second. This one was more cautious as a layer of armor began to appear on its already armored body. Its eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence as it lunged at her, its massive mouth snapping shut just inches away from her head.
Meng Lin dodged the attack, countering with a powerful kick, her Elemental Qi-infused strike sending the toad sprawling towards the first toad as a huge dent appeared on its armor.
As the two toads struggled to regain their footing, Meng Lin didn't waste time. She gathered her Elemental Qi of water, channeling it into a technique as she called out, "Surge."
A powerful wave of Elemental Water Qi surged from her outstretched hand, turning into a mini tsunami, crashing into the two toads with the force of a raging river. The water's impact was amplified by her qi, creating a powerful torrent that battered the toads, quickly eroding their already weakened defenses.
With anguished cries, the two beasts died without even being able to do anything against Meng Lin.
"Oh," Meng Lin looked over the rest of the battlefield, her eyebrows raising.
The other disciples didn't seem to have any difficulty with the other rank 3 beasts; four of them were already dead, and the rest were being weakened by the grouped effort of the other disciples.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Meanwhile, Luo Mei and Chen Wei faced the leader toad, their powerful attacks creating shockwaves that echoed through the rocky landscape.
Luo Mei unleashed her *Blossoming Lotus Sword Art*, her sword strikes leaving trails of pink energy that sliced through the toad's defenses. Chen Wei's *Soul Shattering Palm* crackled with dark energy, each strike causing visible damage to the toad's rocky exterior.
"Damn it" The Toad leader, sensing the unfavorable situation, cursed out as it gathered a large amount of Elemental Qi.
Armor began to appear on its body as its aura surged even more, "What" Both Luo Mei and Chen Wei were shocked as the toad donned a full armor of pure Earth Elemental Qi.
Its aura surged as it prepared a devastating attack; it reared back, Its mouth opening wide as a massive sphere of earth elemental qi began to form as the air vibrated with the sheer power being concentrated at that single point.
Luo Mei and Chen Wei exchanged a quick glance, their faces grim. Luo Mei said "Attack with your strongest technique, otherwise we'll be in serious trouble"
Chen Wei nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I need a few seconds of charging my technique, you hold it off for as long as possible".
Luo Mei grimaced but didn't say anything as she channeled all her remaining Qi into her sword, her blade growing brighter than ever. With a fierce cry, she unleashed her intimate technique, "Blossoming Final Lotus." The sword's energy burst forth, creating a vortex of pink petals that spiraled towards the toad, disrupting its gathering of Earth Elemental Qi.
The toad leader bellowed, its voice reverberating through the terrain as it dashed towards Luo Mei, allowing the pink petals of her Blossoming Final Lotus technique to strike its body as it rammed onto Luo Mei.
Boom!!
"Uge" Luo Mei, utilizing her Armor at the last second was sent flying back, her attack breaking through the toad's armored body, each petal cutting through layers of Earth Elemental Qi.
Landing with a cough. Luo Mei's face was strained, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead as she took out pills to consume.
Meng Lin, looking afar worried a little, she wondered if she should intervene when she suddenly felt a spike in the energy within the battlefield.
"Done," Chen Wei, a short distance away, spoke up, his palms glowing with a sinister, dark energy and his technique fully charged.
With a powerful thrust of his palm, he released the *Soul Shattering Palm*, the move completely different from when it was used against Meng Lin.
A devastating black palm appeared before the toad, the palm dwarfing over the toad's body as it crackled with dark energy.
The toad's eyes widened in shock as the attack struck, the dark energy tearing through its armor and piercing its core. With a final, anguished cry, the toad leader's form shattered, its body, soul and essence dispersing into the wind.
The air around them seemed to still as the remnants of the toad aura vanish. The disciples stood amidst the rocky terrain, some with their breaths heavy.
Meng Lin and the other disciples regrouped with Luo Mei and Chen Wei, most of their expressions a mix of relief and exhaustion.
"Is everyone alright?" Meng Lin asked, her voice low.
Luo Mei, still recovering from the toad's last brutal attack, gave a weak smile. "I've had worse," she said, swallowing the last of her healing pills. "But we need to move. Something else could be attracted by the fight we had"
Chen Wei nodded, his dark energy slowly dissipating as he retracted his aura with an exhausted expression. "That leader was powerful. If there are more like it, we need to be ready."
Meng Lin turned to the rest of the group, her expression serious. "Then let's move out. We need to find a safer location first"
The disciples nodded, and they began to make their way through the rocky landscape, their senses were heightened and Meng Lin had her spiritual consciousness spread out at all times.
After traveling for an hour with nothing noteworthy, the group eventually found a secluded area surrounded by tall, jagged rocks that provided some cover.
More importantly, there was a small pond of several meters that strangely glowed with a golden aura.
"Is this an Ancient Spirit Pool?" Luo Mei muttered in astonishment. Her eyes sparkled as she approached the pond, the golden aura reflecting off her face.
Meng Lin nodded. "It seems so. The spiritual energy here is incredibly concentrated. This could be a perfect place to cultivate."
Chen Wei, despite his usual arrogance, showed a rare hint of admiration. "Moreover, I sense a more powerful gold qi, this should be the Elemental Qi of Gold, a pond with this much is a bit rare"
The disciples eagerly agreed, all of them setting up a place where they sat down and meditated over the water, the golden aura coming alive to wrap around them.
Meng Lin finished circulating the Elemental Convergence Method and looked over her panel, noticing a small difference within.
[Meng Lin]
[Soul Wondering Stage (Early)]
[Experience points:45>46%]
System coin: 1080
Immortal Jade: 3
Taoist Gacha wheel: unavailable
Spiritual Roots: [Water>Fire>Gold>Wood>Earth]
Variant Elemental Qi: [Mud] [Erosion] [Water] [Darkness]
>[Gold Comprehension 0.5%]
[ Heavenly Dao ]
[Death]
Comprehension 0.02%
Main Cultivation Method: [Elemental Qi Convergence Method]
Side Cultivation Methods: [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation Method] [Brute Vortex Cultivation Method] [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 5th Layer] [Imperial Water Art]
Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Hundred Unity Techniques] [Wrath of Thunder] [Physique Cleansing Sutra] [Vital Essence Exchange]
Secret Techniques: [Stellar Soul Shield]
Skills: [Immortal Flesh]
Ancient Spirit Seals: Black Tortoises, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.
[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy] [Daily Mission]
Meng Lin surveyed her panel with a slight chuckle. The increase in her experience and the new comprehension of Gold Elemental Qi were encouraging enough.
She took a deep breath, feeling the dense spiritual energy of the Ancient Spirit Pond filling her lungs and invigorating her spirit.
It was only now that she was glad that she was able to create the spirit rejuvenation pills before coming to this Secret Realm.
Although her spiritual veins are still not completely healed, she didn't have any major troubles circulating her qi through her spiritual veins.
She looked around and noticed the other disciples who were similarly absorbed in their cultivation. The golden aura of the pond enveloped them, enhancing their cultivation and accelerating their understanding a little.
Luo Mei opened her eyes and looked at Meng Lin. "We should take turns keeping watch. Even in a place like this, we can't afford to be careless."
Meng Lin nodded. "Agreed. I'll take the first watch. Everyone else, focus on your cultivation."
As the group settled into a routine, the atmosphere around the pond became increasingly harmonious, after five hours of the group taking turns every 30 minutes, the golden aura within the pond began to dwindle, slowly decreasing in aura and concentration.
It was Meng Lin's turn to lookout once more and she scanned the surroundings with her spiritual consciousness, ensuring no hidden dangers were lurking nearby. The rocky landscape remained silent, with only the occasional rustle of wind and distant animal calls breaking the stillness.
"System"
[Meng Lin]
[Soul Wondering Stage (Early)]
[Experience points: 46>49%]
System coin: 1080
Immortal Jade: 3
Taoist Gacha wheel: unavailable
Spiritual Roots: [Water > Fire > Gold > Wood > Earth]
Variant Elemental Qi: [Mud] [Erosion] [Water] [Darkness]
[Gold Comprehension 0.5 > 13.8%]
[Heavenly Dao]
[Death]
Comprehension 0.02%
Main Cultivation Method: [Elemental Qi Convergence Method]
Side Cultivation Methods: [Basic Qi Gathering] [Formless Cultivation Method] [Brute Vortex Cultivation Method] [Black Tortoise Essence Art, 5th Layer] [Imperial Water Art]
Techniques: [Celestial Moonlit Sword Art] [Hundred Unity Techniques] [Wrath of Thunder] [Physique Cleansing Sutra] [Vital Essence Exchange]
Secret Techniques: [Stellar Soul Shield]
Skills: [Immortal Flesh]
Ancient Spirit Seals: Black Tortoises, Gong Fu - Golden Lizard.
[Market] [Blacksmith] [Alchemy] [Daily Mission]
Meng Lin took a moment to reflect on the panel before her. After just two hours of cultivation within the Spirit Pool, she had gained more experience than from the battle she had fought a few hours earlier.
Furthermore, her Gold Comprehension had increased to 13.8%. Although it was far from complete mastery, the progress was significant.
Meng Lin continued to keep watch, her spiritual consciousness attuned to any disturbances. The night passed uneventfully, and as dawn broke, the golden aura of the pond had completely faded after 7 more hours of cultivation.
The disciples gradually awakened from their meditation, each one looking refreshed and energized. Luo Mei stretched a satisfied smile on her face. "That was quite the boost. We should move on since the energy here is completely depleted."