Eternal Heavenly Emperor-Chapter 307 - 297 Obtaining the Exotic Heart Lotus
"What is the Exotic Heart Lotus?" Chu Hao asked Ke Ruoshan, although he had read some ancient texts and knew about many ancient beasts and Spiritual Medicines, his knowledge was not all-encompassing, especially about some rare Spiritual Medicines.
Suppressing the shock in her heart, Ke Ruoshan answered, "The Exotic Heart Lotus can nourish the soul!"
"What!" Chu Hao was startled and then overcome with ecstasy.
According to Xiaocao, as the realm of a Star Force Cultivator advanced, so did the strengthening of the soul, with both processes complementing each other. If one merely focused on enhancing physical strength and neglected the soul, then one would gradually become incapable of controlling the power within, leading to disaster.
In recent times, his realm had advanced too rapidly, and since it was mostly propelled by external forces, his soul had not achieved the necessary growth, which was extremely disadvantageous.
Chu Hao had planned that once he reached the Ten Meridians, he would not rush to break through to Warrior, but instead take the time to consolidate his progress. On one hand, he would temper his Star Force to become more solid, and on the other hand, he would re-cultivate his soul so it could keep up with the advancement of his physical strength.
This would consume a lot of time, but there was no alternative. Blindly pursuing advancement in realm would sooner or later exact a huge cost.
However, there was a faster solution—to consume Spiritual Medicines that could strengthen the soul. But such items were incredibly rare; if a plant did exist, even War Emperors and War Gods would be tempted. How could he possibly get his hands on one?
But now, a tremendous opportunity had presented itself right before him.
Here, the powerful could not enter!
Chu Hao’s gaze immediately heated up as he said, "That’s fantastic, let’s go right away."
If that Fat Cat hadn’t lied, it had truly done him a huge favor and presented a tremendous gift. But could the words of that Fat Cat really be trusted?
"If there really is an Exotic Heart Lotus, why didn’t the Cat Demon take it for itself?" the three ran towards the city center, Ke Ruoshan couldn’t help but express her doubts.
Indeed, the value of the Exotic Heart Lotus was immense; even War Gods were enticed by it. Why didn’t that Fat Cat consume it itself? Didn’t the creature claim it could control the entire Black Iron City?
"Perhaps it’s not the master of this city, just a spokesperson. While it possesses immense power, it’s also subject to certain rules of this city," Chu Hao speculated.
"Maybe the little cat just doesn’t like to eat it!" the Barbaric Girl interjected.
"That reason..." Chu Hao couldn’t help but laugh. If there was a Spiritual Medicine in front of you, even if you knew it tasted as bitter as coptis, you would still grit your teeth and eat it, right?
The bitter taste compared to the benefits the Spiritual Medicine brought was something that could be entirely ignored.
"I won’t eat it!" the Barbaric Girl said stubbornly.
Chu Hao laughed heartily, "Let’s hope the Exotic Heart Lotus tastes good, otherwise you’ll just have to watch from the side."
"Actually, the essence of the Exotic Heart Lotus lies in its seeds," Ke Ruoshan said.
"Does this Spiritual Medicine really need to grow for tens of thousands of years?" Chu Hao was astonished at the thought.
"According to legend, the Exotic Heart Lotus needs to grow for thirty thousand years before it can blossom and bear seeds. The seeds then take another thirty thousand years to mature. After that, it takes another thirty thousand years for them to fall and the cycle of blossoming and bearing seeds repeats. After doing this nine times, the Exotic Heart Lotus reaches the end of its lifespan, and only the ninth set of seeds can be planted to grow a new Exotic Heart Lotus," Ke Ruoshan explained.
That is to say, it would take almost 810,000 years for a new Exotic Heart Lotus to come into existence.
My goodness.
Forget about cultivating it for generations; even seeing the Exotic Heart Lotus blossom was beyond any person alive, as no one could live long enough to see its seeds mature.
Even a War God could only live for up to a thousand years.
The trio quickly arrived at the city center, only to see that there indeed was a fountain, but the basin was empty, and where was there any sign of a green lotus?
"That Cat Demon is definitely deceiving us!" Ke Ruoshan said indignantly, full of humiliation and anger.
The dignity of humans had been compromised by a mere cat. How embarrassing.
Chu Hao, however, was staring fixedly at the fountain. The water pressure wasn’t very strong, just continuously bubbling, and the water was crystal clear. There was none of the expected fragrance assailing his nostrils; it seemed to be an utterly ordinary fountain.
"Damn Cat Demon, if it dares to show up again, I’ll smash its mouth!" Ke Ruoshan said bitterly.
Chu Hao circled the fountain a few steps, stopped to observe, then walked a few more steps and stopped again to look more closely.
"Junior Brother, let’s go!" Ke Ruoshan urged.
"Wait a moment!" Chu Hao gestured with his hand.
If it weren’t for the Fat Cat’s words about the Exotic Heart Lotus in this place, he would never have paid any particular attention to this ordinary fountain. But after a careful inspection, he noticed something peculiar.
From different angles, the light refracted by the fountain appeared distinctly different.
He stepped into the fountain basin.
"Junior Brother!" Ke Ruoshan called, not wanting Chu Hao to waste any more time here.
Chu Hao’s face was full of astonishment because as soon as he stepped into the fountain, a green lotus suddenly appeared in the water!
He stepped back out of the fountain, and the green lotus immediately disappeared.
This reminded him of an ancient medicine field he had once entered; what one saw was not necessarily real. And here, the deception was not about something extra being present, but something being absent.
The Exotic Heart Lotus was in the fountain, protected by a strange method. Unless one stepped into the basin, it was impossible to see it.
He stepped into the fountain again, and there was the green lotus, vivid and real, with a pod on top. The exposed tips of the seeds were golden-yellow, and he could even smell a fragrance that made him feel as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit, with every pore in his body feeling refreshed and comfortable.
It was truly magical; if he had not stepped into the water, he would not even have caught a whiff of the scent.
It fooled not just the eyes, but also the nose.
"Junior Brother, what are you doing?" Ke Ruoshan asked Chu Hao, who kept going in and out of the pool, with a hint of impatience in her voice.
"Senior Sister, girl, come here," Chu Hao beckoned.
The Barbaric Girl, who trusted him deeply, immediately came over as instructed, while Ke Ruoshan seemed rather displeased as she asked, "Why go there?" Isn’t this just a clear waste of time?
"Senior Sister, you’ll regret it if you don’t come!" Chu Hao said with a smile.
Ke Ruoshan’s heart stirred, recalling the Exotic Heart Lotus that Fat Cat had mentioned. Even though she was convinced the Cat Demon was playing tricks, she still harbored a slim hope and couldn’t help but walk towards the pool.
After all, there’s no harm in looking.
As she stepped into the pool, she couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed, her mouth opening in shock as she exclaimed, "Exo, Exotic Heart Lotus!"
"Didn’t lie to you, did I, Senior Sister?" Chu Hao said with a laugh.
"Is this real, or an illusion?" Ke Ruoshan asked, wondering if what they were seeing now was actually just a mirage.
"We’ll know once we pick it," Chu Hao said as he reached out to pick the lotus, gently snapping off a lotus pod as big as a human face from the plant.
"It’s real!" Ke Ruoshan was immediately filled with immense joy.
The Exotic Heart Lotus, such fine nourishment for the soul.
To them at this point, the soul was intangible, yet crucially important. The stronger the soul, the easier it was to comprehend the mysteries of martial arts, and a strong soul could also break the constraints of one’s lifespan.
Normally, when a Martial Artist’s life reach its limit, it’s often because the soul has grown old and frail, though the body remains robust. As long as the soul can keep up, one can live many more years.
——Divine Medicines that extend life actually nourish the soul.
Just like this Exotic Heart Lotus.
Chu Hao stored the lotus pod in the Mustard Seed Ring, it was obviously not appropriate to share it here. He then used another empty Mustard Seed Ring to collect the water from the pool.
"Junior Brother, what are you doing?" Ke Ruoshan asked, puzzled.
With a mischievous grin, Chu Hao responded, "Senior Sister, how often does the Exotic Heart Lotus bloom and bear fruit?"
"It blooms every thirty thousand years, fruits every thirty thousand years, and withers every thirty thousand years," Ke Ruoshan replied without a second thought.
"Then that adds up to ninety thousand years, but it has been over a hundred thousand years since the Black Heaven Sect was destroyed," Chu Hao said leisurely.
Ke Ruoshan immediately realized, saying, "That means, at least one cycle of seeds have gone unharvested and dissolved into this pool."
"Exactly!" Chu Hao nodded. "So, this pool water can’t go to waste either."
"Right!" Ke Ruoshan quickly nodded, feeling a bit ashamed, thinking to herself that despite being an old hand, how come she hadn’t thought as thoroughly as Chu Hao, her junior brother?
This wasn’t an active spring with an endless supply of water. It was limited, moved by some contraption to keep the water flowing. Hence, they were able to collect ninety percent of the pool water rather quickly, but they didn’t take it all.
The Exotic Heart Lotus still remained there.
In sixty thousand years, another lotus pod would mature, an opportunity belonging to the next generation.
As they left with the water, someone happened to pass by and saw them emerge from the pool, prompting curiosity. After looking around the pool and discovering nothing unusual, that person also went in.
"Exotic Heart Lotus!" The person exclaimed in surprise.
This shout drew the attention of several others passing by, who rushed over.
But the lotus pod had already been picked.
Waiting for the next one would take at least sixty thousand years.
How could such significant news stay hidden? Word spread quickly from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and soon every person in the city knew that the Exotic Heart Lotus had fallen into the hands of Chu Hao and his two companions. Moreover, once their appearances were described, the identities of the trio could no longer be concealed.
Everyone in the city began frantically searching for the three of them.
Of course, this was all half a day later.
Chu Hao decided to immediately find a place to assimilate their gains. He spoke to the air, "Fat Cat, find us a quiet place that we won’t be discovered."
"Meow, why should I bother helping you?" A while later, Fat Cat’s languid voice responded.
"Carry through a good deed to its end," Chu Hao said with a smile.
"I’m the Cat Emperor, not a human!"
"All right, Sky Cat Your Highness," Chu Hao said, his smile growing even broader as he thought of the Sky Cat from Earth.
"Heh heh, at least you know what’s what, kid," Fat Cat sounded quite pleased and said, "Turn left."
Turn left?
They all turned to look left, but there was just a wall. How could they turn?
As they stood there puzzled, sounds of clicking echoed, and the wall split open with a crack just wide enough for a person to pass through.
This Fat Cat could indeed control the City of Steel.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
