"What a pity, such a fine Wan Ling Flower..." Qin Yang said, his face pained as if he'd lost something precious. The Treasure Rat in his hand seemed to be sleeping, its tiny paws crossed over its chest as it worked to digest the medicinal power.
"Wan Ling Flowers must be eaten fresh," Jin Wanshan said, wiping saliva from the corner of his mouth. "Even with the best preservation methods, its medicinal power will continuously decline after being picked."
Qin Yang nodded. "Then let's divide it now!"
"One petal for you... one for me... one for Lou Mengyu..."
Soon, all the petals had been divided.
After the division, Qin Yang immediately gave his portion to Lou Mengyu.
On the side, Jin Wanshan was already crying, like a wronged young bride. "Why?! Why did I get only the petals bitten by the rat?!"
"This isn't just any rat, it's a Treasure Rat!" Qin Yang explained. "Think about it - Treasure Rats specifically seek out treasures. Even on the same flower, each petal has different medicinal power. The petals it chose to bite must be better than the others..."
Lou Mengyu stood to the side, momentarily stunned. Is that actually a valid explanation?
Jin Wanshan looked half-convinced. That actually sounds reasonable...
Lou Mengyu felt even more speechless. There are people who actually believe that...
"This Treasure Rat seems to need some time to digest its meal," Qin Yang said. "You two should use this chance to cultivate."
"Why aren't you cultivating?" Lou Mengyu asked curiously.
"Cultivate? Heh..." Qin Yang chuckled. "Does a genius like me really need to cultivate?"
Lou Mengyu looked down at the two portions of Wan Ling Flower petals in his hands, feeling a bit embarrassed. He wanted to say more, but Qin Yang stopped him.
"Come back and ask me about cultivation when your cultivation level surpasses mine," Qin Yang said with authority.
With that, he began scanning the area for threats.
Lou Mengyu looked at Qin Yang, feeling a warm sensation in his heart. Jin Wanshan nearby was also touched, thinking Qin Yang wasn't cultivating to act as their guardian...
"Strange. There really aren't any demonic beasts here," Qin Yang said, frowning as he looked around vigilantly. There wasn't even a single trace of a demonic beast.
The trees soared to the heavens, their branches filled with the songs of birds and the sweet fragrance of flowers. If not for the demonic beasts, this place would truly be paradise.
The two humans and one rat began their cultivation. Qin Yang, finding himself bored, decided to explore the surroundings.
He hadn't walked far when he spotted a peculiar giant stone. The boulder stood as tall as two men and as wide as a room, shaped like a turtle. The patterns on its carapace were so clear they seemed to have been carved by a divine craftsman!
An unknown vine wound around the stone, even blooming with small flowers.
Qin Yang leaped onto the boulder in a single bound. From this vantage point, he was once again struck by the breathtaking beauty of the secret realm.
In the distance, he could see Lou Mengyu and Jin Wanshan. Not wanting to stray too far, Qin Yang settled into a cross-legged position on the stone, focusing on organizing his strength.
He summoned the system interface: 4/10 cultivation techniques copied, 5/10 martial arts copied.
Among the martial arts were the Profound Rank Racing Thunder Fist, Earth Rank Ground-Shaking Fist, and Profound Rank Dragon Flow Step. There was also the Ten Arrows of Wonder, whose power increased with his cultivation, along with the Qin Family's secret art, the Shocking Sword Finger.
This assessment to advance to the Zongshi Realm won't be easy. There are far too few Qi Sea Realm cultivators participating...
"After reaching the Zongshi Realm, true qi can be projected outward. That's when the Shocking Sword Finger and Ground-Shaking Fist will truly unleash their power..."
To Qin Yang, the Ten Arrows of Wonder were merely tools for hunting mythical beasts. What truly consumed his thoughts was the Shocking Sword Finger.
True qi condensed into a sword, guided by will alone. With further mastery of other martial arts, Qin Yang was confident he could refine the Shocking Sword Finger into an invincible technique.
"Alas, the current Shocking Sword Finger is but slightly sharper than ordinary weapons, barely comparable to magical artifacts." Qin Yang formed his fingers into a sword-like gesture and thrust them at the massive stone beneath him.
Clang!
A peculiar metallic sound rang out. Qin Yang's fingers nearly twisted, while the stone merely shed a layer of dust!
"What an incredibly hard stone! Could this be some kind of precious material?"
Qin Yang's eyes lit up. The secret realm was truly filled with treasures everywhere!
Activating the Shocking Sword Finger, he vigorously scraped at the stone. Though he found nothing else, the turtle shell's intricate patterns became more clearly visible...
From an angle where Qin Yang couldn't see, a head suddenly emerged from one side of the boulder. It twisted slowly toward him, its face-basin-sized red eyes locking onto the unwelcome guest on its back.
Qin Yang shivered involuntarily, muttering under his breath, "Strange... Why do I feel like something's watching me?"
He turned slowly to meet those blood-red eyes.
In that instant, every hair on Qin Yang's body stood up, his scalp prickling with unease.
"A demonic beast..."
The realization struck him just as another wave of danger washed over him. He forced his legs down, flipping backward in a desperate leap.
Where he'd stood moments before, countless earth spikes erupted from the turtle's carapace. Had he remained a moment longer, they would have pierced him like a sieve.
"Thornstone Turtle..."
Qin Yang recognized the creature, though he couldn't gauge its level. Yet its massive size suggested this was no ordinary high-level beast.
Could it be... Qin Yang's heart skipped a beat.
Two rows of earth spikes suddenly rose before the Thornstone Turtle, shooting forward with lightning speed.
Qin Yang executed the Dragon Flow Step, sliding to one side as the spikes narrowly missed him.
Now he was certain—the Thornstone Turtle was a Zongshi-level demonic beast! Only such a creature could unleash such devastating skills!
"Watch your feet!" the Dragon Jade suddenly warned.
Without hesitation, Qin Yang rolled away.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Sharp spikes erupted from the ground like a thorny forest.
I'm only at the peak of the Qi Sea Realm, my spiritual sense hasn't transformed into divine sense yet, so I can't detect external threats!
Qin Yang's heart sank—this battle was hopeless!
The Thornstone Turtle hadn't moved an inch throughout the fight, yet Qin Yang stood drenched in sweat, constantly on the brink of death.
Dragon Might! That's it, use Dragon Might!
Qin Yang's eyes lit up as he silently chanted the command.
The Thornstone Turtle's blood-red eyes locked onto Qin Yang, but through his own gaze, it saw something terrifying.
The massive creature trembled violently, its mountain-like body shaking off clouds of dust. The earth itself quaked as if in an earthquake.
It's ineffective? Qin Yang felt a sharp pain in his head, overwhelmed by sudden exhaustion.
Fortunately, the Thornstone Turtle ceased its attacks. Its eyes slowly closed, leaving only a narrow slit through which infinite terror still shone.
Qin Yang exhaled deeply, his legs suddenly giving way. The exertion of unleashing Dragon Might had drained his spiritual energy. If he encountered another such demonic beast, he might not be able to summon it again.
Forcing the use of Dragon Might would overdraw his spiritual energy, likely making him collapse before the beast even did!
"To subdue a Zongshi-level demonic beast with your current strength, you've already overdrawn your spiritual energy," the Dragon Jade said calmly.
Chirp, chirp, chirp! The Treasure Rat had recovered, its aura now more condensed than before. It had actually advanced from a low-level to a mid-level demonic beast.
The excited rat circled Qin Yang's feet, clearly eager to resume treasure hunting.
Meanwhile, Lou Mengyu and Jin Wanshan also awoke, their faces filled with delight.
"Fantastic! My cultivation has directly broken through to the mid-stage of the Qi Sea Realm!" Jin Wanshan exclaimed loudly.
"Me too!" Lou Mengyu was equally excited. Due to receiving more petals of the Wan Ling Flower, she was on the verge of breaking through to the late-stage of the Qi Sea Realm.
They turned to Qin Yang, noticing his weakened state.
"What's wrong?" Lou Mengyu asked, concerned as she approached.
Qin Yang forced a smile, the deep exhaustion from his mind making his consciousness fade. "Run... quickly!"
With those words, he collapsed into Lou Mengyu's arms.