Although the water monkey had already been slain, once bitten, twice shy Song Changsheng remained cautious. He activated his Eye Technique, meticulously scanning every corner. Only after confirming there was no danger did he slowly approach the lotus pod.
"A chilling aura… shaped like black jade… thirty-six seeds in a single bloom this must be the Black Jade Ghost Lotus, without a doubt."
Song Changsheng's breath grew heavy. Risking his life to battle a second-rank beast had not been in vain. It was all worth it!
The Black Jade Ghost Lotus was a rare second-rank spiritual herb that could only grow on a Water Spiritual Vein. Its seeds were the essence of the plant each one brimming with Cold Nether Qi, making them a tremendous boon for ghost cultivators or those with ice spiritual roots.
Though Song Changsheng didn't belong to those special groups, he needed the Cold Nether Qi all the same. Because Cold Nether Qi was of the yin element, and he required a large quantity of both yin and yang energies to condense his Dao Foundation.
While he could harvest a certain amount of yin-yang energy each day, he was limited to four hours, which made the process rather slow. That was why he had been so excited upon seeing the Black Jade Ghost Lotus.
Thanks to his unique cultivation method, the yin and yang energies in his dantian could be freely transformed yin into yang, and vice versa.
Once he refined all thirty-six lotus seeds, it would save him an immense amount of time.
Carefully harvesting the lotus pod, Song Changsheng dove back beneath the lake. The spiritual energy in the water here was incredibly dense, and with a treasure like the Black Jade Ghost Lotus growing nearby, there had to be a Water Spiritual Vein. He had to investigate.
A Water Spiritual Vein was similar to a normal spiritual vein, except that the latter released pure, attribute-less spiritual energy suitable for most spiritual plants.
In contrast, a Water Spiritual Vein emitted pure water-attribute spiritual energy, which could only be absorbed by water-type cultivators and nurtured water-type spiritual plants.
There were similar elemental veins like Fire Spiritual Veins, Wood Spiritual Veins, etc., but these were far rarer than ordinary veins and each carried unique properties, making them incredibly valuable.
After diving several dozen zhang deeper, Song Changsheng indeed discovered a Water Spiritual Vein. Unfortunately, it was still in its early stages barely formed, and hardly qualified as even a first-rank vein. Its value was significantly diminished.
Following the vein to see if there were any other spiritual herbs or treasures nearby, he found nothing except for one surprise: the spirit fish.
The little creature had hidden itself right at the spring source of the vein. If not for his keen divine sense, Song Changsheng might have missed it entirely.
The spirit fish initially panicked upon seeing him but quickly calmed once it sensed a familiar aura, happily blowing bubbles in his direction.
"So this is where you've been hiding… Huh, you've advanced to the second rank." Seeing the fish again filled Song Changsheng with warmth.
The spirit fish, now possessing the intelligence of an eight-year-old child, immediately sent him a telepathic message to pour out its grievances.
Only then did Song Changsheng realize what had happened. The fish had discovered the underground river long ago. Just before breaking through to the second rank, it had entered the river and completed its advancement there.
That explained why Song Qingxing and the others hadn't sensed its breakthrough.
After its advancement, curiosity led it further into the underground river, eventually drawing it to this subterranean lake, attracted by the rich water's spiritual energy just as the Black Jade Ghost Lotus was blooming.
The fish had originally planned to wait until the lotus seeds matured and then feast on a few, but it accidentally woke the slumbering water monkey.
Although both were second-rank, they were worlds apart in combat strength the spirit fish couldn't even compare to a single finger of the water monkey.
In a panic, it had fled into the spring of the spiritual vein. The water monkey knew where it was hiding but couldn't touch it, as damaging the Water Spiritual Vein would cause the Black Jade Ghost Lotus to wither something it didn't want.
"You got lucky. If I hadn't stumbled in here by accident, once it ate those lotus seeds, you'd have been done for."
The spirit fish nodded fervently like a person it had truly been terrified.
"Come out with me," Song Changsheng said, enveloping it in a water sphere and bringing it back with him. As soon as they returned to Mirror Lake, the spirit fish splashed about joyfully, asserting its dominance over the local fish population.
When Song Changsheng returned to the island, a worried Song Qingxi finally let out a sigh of relief and pestered him to tell her what had happened underwater.
He glossed over the fight with the second-rank beast but shared everything else, including the Black Jade Ghost Lotus and the second-rank spirit fish, prompting gasps of amazement from the little girl.
After sending her off, Song Changsheng informed the clan of the Water Spiritual Vein's discovery. Though it was still immature, with proper nurturing, it could eventually advance.
The clan acted quickly. By the next day, a geomancer had arrived to relocate the spiritual vein. Upon seeing the lotus leaves, he couldn't help but ask some questions. Aside from the part about the second-rank beast, Song Changsheng answered truthfully.
The rest was his gain, and the clan had no right to interfere.
In exchange for the Water Spiritual Vein, the clan awarded him 800 contribution points, which he used entirely on cultivation resources. Soon after, he announced his seclusion to begin refining the Black Jade Ghost Lotus seeds…
Time flew like a white steed glimpsed through a crack; the world changed like fleeting clouds and shifting dogs. Before he knew it, a whole year had quietly passed.
Throughout that year, Song Changsheng remained in seclusion, wholeheartedly focused on condensing his Dao Foundation. Of the thirty-six lotus seeds, he refined thirty-five, keeping the last one as a seed in hopes of cultivating it in the future.
At this moment, within his dantian, a distinct black-and-white Taiji diagram slowly rotated this was the Yin-Yang Dao Foundation he had painstakingly formed.
In less than two years, he had traversed a path that took others ten or even several decades and what he formed was a rare and exceptional Great Dao Foundation. No matter where he was placed, the title "heaven-blessed genius" would not be an exaggeration.
It was only now that Song Changsheng truly felt he had the qualifications to compete with the prodigies of the great sects.
He stretched lazily, his joints cracking with satisfying "pops." This was, after all, the longest seclusion he had ever undergone.
"Next up is Foundation Establishment. I should report this to the clan."
Though there were many cultivators at the peak of Qi Refinement in the clan, few managed to condense a Dao Foundation before the age of sixty. As such, the clan had a policy: anyone who achieved it within that age had to report it. In return, the clan would prioritize them for cultivation resources, especially with Foundation Establishment Pills.
But to Song Changsheng's surprise, shortly after submitting his report, he received a summons from the Elders' Council, requesting his immediate return to Cangmang Peak.
Puzzled, Song Changsheng still made haste and returned at full speed. He had barely set foot when the Grand Elder instructed him to head to the Administrative Hall.
When he arrived, four others were already there. A single glance made his brows furrow all four were cultivators at the peak of Qi Refinement.
"What's going on here?"
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 105+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader