Suddenly, a fist-sized, multicolored light orb emerged from the water's surface, tumbling to the ground at his feet as he swung the fishing rod. Li Sheng looked down to see a palm-sized sapling within the light orb, featuring a single blue leaf, surrounded by vibrant, colorful radiance, emanating a rich life force.
"Fishing up a strange sapling?" Li Sheng raised an eyebrow, unsure if this counted as a successful catch. The sapling was jade green, shimmering with a soft glow, its twisted branches looking delicate yet exuding an ancient strength. The blue leaf on top was the size of a thumb, translucent and magical under the multicolored light.
At this moment, the fishing rod returned to its previous state, the miraculous aura dissipating. Li Sheng picked up the sapling to examine it closely. The sapling felt cool to the touch, like a piece of jade. As he touched it, a refreshing stream of energy flowed from his palm into his body, instantly filling his energy reservoir with boundless life force.
Countless thoughts and inspirations crossed his mind, reminiscent of the epiphany experienced when consuming a high-grade elixir, but the effects were even more remarkable. Sensing the changes within, Li Sheng quickly sat cross-legged, seizing the opportunity to comprehend the spiritual form.
During this time, he consumed a high-grade elixir, combining its effects with the sapling's as he began his cultivation. By the spiritual pond, Li Sheng sat cross-legged, the miraculous sapling by his side, its colorful aura enveloping him.
As deep night fell, Li Sheng opened his eyes, feeling the extraordinary energy dissipate, and a sense of shock rose within him. "In just three hours, I comprehended three spiritual forms..." If he practiced regularly with this sapling, he could soon refine six arrays, becoming invincible among masters.
Suppressing his excitement, Li Sheng turned to see Tuantuan had appeared, clinging to the sapling and eagerly sucking on the blue leaf's tip, her cheeks flushed as if intoxicated. Seeing this, Li Sheng couldn't help but chuckle.
He lifted the little one by the back of her collar and tossed her onto his shoulder, then resumed examining the sapling. After a moment, he sighed in relief; the sapling was still extraordinary, radiant, and completely unharmed. "Tuantuan, why are you nibbling on the leaf?"
Startled by his poke, Tuantuan tumbled over but wasn't angry, instead gazing at him dreamily. "Chirp chirp..."
"You don't even know why... just feel it's good for you, so you couldn't help but cling to it and nibble?"
"Chirp!" Li Sheng nodded thoughtfully, then became troubled, unsure where to plant the sapling. Seemingly sensing his thoughts, the sapling glowed with multicolored light, suddenly floating into the air and heading toward the spiritual vein in the back mountain.
"Chirp?!" Tuantuan was startled and chased after the sapling. Li Sheng followed calmly. The palm-sized sapling reached the summit of the spiritual vein, taking root in a spiritual spring, its tender branches stretching as if satisfied with its new location.
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In a daze, he seemed to hear a tinkling laughter... "Chirp?"
"You heard it too?"
"Chirp!" Tuantuan nodded affirmatively, curiously circling the sapling. As she spun around, she nibbled on it again. Li Sheng was about to admonish her to let the sapling acclimate, but he noticed the sapling's delicate branches gently curl around Tuantuan's back, patting her lightly.
Seeing this, Li Sheng swallowed his words. "This sapling seems quite fond of Tuantuan... Could it possibly possess some intelligence?" he pondered. After observing for a while and finding everything normal, he took out a black stone and probed into it with his mind.
In the center of the wall, a top message cleared up his earlier confusion. Two days ago, numerous despair-level monsters had left Lingchuan Prefecture, spreading outwards. The surrounding Mu Prefecture, Shu Prefecture, and Jinchuan Prefecture suffered heavy losses, with countless lives lost, and many grandmasters had pursued them.
After several days of fighting, the number of despair-level monsters had been reduced by more than half, leaving fewer than thirty. Information on each monster had been recorded, and the situation was nearly under control. Complete eradication was just a matter of time.
The record of kills followed. Taisuhua led with fifty-two kills. Yu Jingsheng had forty-one. Mo Tian Shui had thirty-eight. The lord of Qunxing Island had thirteen. The total kills by other grandmasters did not exceed ten.
"Truly impressive for a master of swordsmanship; his kill efficiency consistently outpaced Yu Jingsheng," Li Sheng mused. After understanding the situation, he exited the black stone space.
With the treasure tree in hand, his enthusiasm for cultivation surged. However, he needed to test if the mysterious energy had any limitations.
The following night, Li Sheng studied for a long time before he figured out the sapling's wonders. The mysterious energy originated from the leaf at the top of the sapling. After he and Tuantuan consumed some, the leaf had dimmed significantly. However, as long as they didn't continue to consume, the sapling could absorb spiritual energy and recover fully in just two hours.
After a night of absorption, Tuantuan had plumped up considerably, now sleeping soundly against the sapling's branches, her small body adorably chubby.
As dawn broke, many disciples had advanced to the fourth rank, except for a few still practicing the spiritual form. Given that Li Sheng had previously instructed them to focus on ordinary martial arts to quickly boost their strength against the threat, and with the recent monster attacks preventing them from intervening, the disciples had grown bored and flocked to the Hundred Battles Arena to vent their energy.
"Now that the monster threat has subsided, it's time for the disciples to resume their training..." Li Sheng thought, stroking his chin while considering the empty spirit gathering room. "Starting today, we will refine Nirvana Pills for three days."
Following his instincts, he sent a message to his clone and headed toward the black tower. Moments later, at the entrance of the Hundred Battles Secret Realm, Li Sheng instructed the disciples to gather. Seeing their admiring gazes, he smiled warmly.
"Previously, to deal with the monster disaster, I had you all focus on ordinary martial arts to quickly enhance your abilities for self-defense. Now that the threat has dissipated, are you willing to return to your former training?"
Hearing Li Sheng's inquiry, the disciples did not hesitate, replying in unison that they were willing. They had some understanding of the masters' affairs, especially with the tales shared by Chen Laotou, who roamed far and wide, thanks to Chen Xixi's revelations.
Seeing this scene, Li Sheng was slightly surprised, expecting to have to persuade them at length about the benefits before they agreed, but it was far easier than he anticipated.