Chapter 159: Chapter 137: Lu Wuqiang: Hand over the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords, and I’ll spare your life

"You... want to take a look? Come on in and see."

"Okay!"

At his words, Su Wanqing excitedly ran into the courtyard to inspect the seedlings.

"Wow, Junior Martial Master Xiao, you’re so rich! You’re actually using Magical Artifacts to plant flowers!"

"These pots cost about the same as that flower basket of yours. I just don’t usually have time to look after them, which is why I bought them."

"Junior Martial Master Xiao, do these pots use up a lot of Spirit Stones?"

"They’re not too bad. One Spirit Stone lasts for three months."

Su Wanqing counted the number of flowerpots. "So that’s four Spirit Stones a month."

"Aww, my monthly cultivation allowance is only five Spirit Stones right now."

"Junior Martial Master Xiao, can I help you look after the Spirit Flowers? I’ll do it for just three Spirit Stones a month."

Xiao Chen didn’t believe her for a second.

For one, while Su Wanqing might not have a ton of Spirit Stones, she should still have a few dozen per month.

For another, he’d be lucky if she could even take care of herself. He didn’t want her killing all his Spirit Flowers.

So he refused without hesitation. "No."

But Su Wanqing simply flipped her hand over, conjuring a bead of water. "Junior Martial Master Xiao, I have a Water Spirit Root. I’m very skilled, you know."

She guided the stream of water into the pot, nourishing the freshly sprouted seedlings.

Xiao Chen immediately sensed the seedlings become more vibrant.

’Wait, she’s actually good at this!’

.

After some discussion, Xiao Chen learned something.

By using the right Magic and complementary fertilizers, the growth rate of the Spirit Flowers could be increased severalfold.

He wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the concept, as his Spirit-Nurturing Technique also involved cultivating a flower within his Dantian.

Similarly, it used Spiritual Liquid to accelerate his cultivation speed.

Su Wanqing was currently at Bishui Peak, where she had learned many related skills from Elder Qi.

They also had ready-made fertilizer there.

Since that was the case, Xiao Chen no longer refused. He agreed to let Su Wanqing take care of the Spirit Flowers, having her come over to tend to them every three to six days.

「In the blink of an eye, it was the tenth day of the third month.」

Lin Ping’an finally came to his door again on his own initiative. "Xiao, I’m ready."

Xiao Chen studied him curiously. "Junior Brother Lin, you’re a little late. It’s already the third month."

Lin Ping’an gave an apologetic smile.

Then he explained, "Xiao, you can’t entirely blame me. The hexagrams indicated that today is the most auspicious time for our departure."

’Hexagrams?’

Xiao Chen asked curiously, "Don’t tell me you’ve already performed a divination, Junior Brother?"

"In that case, did you figure out what kind of treasures are inside the Secret Realm?"

Lin Ping’an waved his hands dismissively. "You must be joking, Xiao. How could I dare to scry for such specific details? I’d like to live a few more years, thank you."

"I could only make a rough guess. There’s a chance we might encounter an opportunity related to Core Formation in this Secret Realm."

He anticipated Xiao Chen’s follow-up questions. "Xiao, that’s all I can tell you."

"If I speak about the rest in too much detail, the divination will lose its efficacy."

Hearing about an opportunity related to Core Formation piqued Xiao Chen’s curiosity even more.

And he had his doubts. ’Is it that Lin Ping’an doesn’t want to say, or that he truly can’t?’

’Could something that exists in the Secret Realm really just disappear if you talk about it?’

’Is it really that mystical?’

Still, Xiao Chen thought for a moment and decided not to press the issue. You could never be sure with these things. What if he was right?

’He’d find out what was in the Secret Realm once he got there.’ "Since today is the auspicious time, let’s get going."

The two set off at once.

Following the directions on the Treasure Map, they rode their swords West, speeding toward a chain of volcanoes.

Further West of Li State, the entire sky took on a pale, orange-yellow hue.

Towering volcanoes stood majestically, plumes of thick smoke constantly erupting from their craters.

Vast amounts of volcanic ash drifted on the wind, blanketing the ground and creating a hazy, gray landscape.

In this harsh environment, only a few tenacious types of Spirit Grass managed to grow.

They added dots of yellow and orange to a surface pockmarked with craters of all sizes.

As they ventured deeper, waves of heat mixed with the smell of sulfur washed over them, the stench particularly acrid.

Xiao Chen even felt that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here was turbulent and volatile.

"Junior Brother Lin, how much longer until we reach the Secret Realm?"

"According to the map, we’re only halfway. We still have to go west for about another two thousand li."

"That deep in?"

Xiao Chen glanced around.

Though the scenery remained largely unchanged, he could feel that the Spiritual Qi here was actually a little bit denser.

The change was minuscule, but to a Cultivator, it was still quite distinct.

It was common knowledge in the cultivation world that Spiritual Qi was everywhere.

Generally, however, Spiritual Qi was denser near a Spirit Vein and grew thinner the farther one traveled from it.

It was hard to say whether this abnormal increase was a good or bad omen.

Factoring in the time spent searching, it wasn’t until the sixth day of their journey that they finally arrived atop a long-cooled volcanic crater.

Lin Ping’an consulted the Sheepskin Scroll in his hand. "According to the map, this should be the place."

Xiao Chen leaped into the crater and quickly spotted a fractured stone platform. "Junior Brother Lin, it looks like we’re too late. Are you sure about that divination of yours?"

It looked as though there had once been an entrance here, similar to the one for the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

But it had long since collapsed, either due to the passage of time or some disaster.

Lin Ping’an inspected it carefully. "It’s not a major problem. It looks like the original restriction was just damaged."

"I’m pretty good with this sort of thing. Leave it to me."

Xiao Chen asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"The restriction itself isn’t a problem, but a damaged one like this is best repaired in a single, uninterrupted session. If I stop midway, it could cause even more damage."

Lin Ping’an made a rough estimate. "From the looks of it, this will take at least four hours. I’ll have to trouble you to be my Protector, Xiao."