Chapter 88
High above, mountains and rivers swiftly passed beneath Lu Xuan's feet.
He was seated atop a colossal black eagle at that moment.
The eagle's body spanned around thirty to forty feet, with wings extending beyond ten yards, its feathers akin to sword blades, dark and swift.
A second-grade demonic beast, the Iron Feathered Eagle, bred by the Wang family. Lu Xuan had once seen a third-grade variant in the market, easily twice the size of this one.
The eagle was surrounded by a spiritual shield, warding off the gale-like winds in the high sky.
It flew smoothly, without a hint of turbulence on its back.
Nearly twenty individuals, including two high-level Qi cultivators from the Wang family, sat on its back.
"Lu Daoist, didn't expect to meet you here," a fellow cultivator with a genial face slowly moved closer to Lu Xuan.
"Hello, Daoist He," Lu Xuan smiled in response.
The cultivator was He Ping, a spirit plant expert. Lu Xuan had met him once at the Hundred Herbs Hall. He was said to have ties with a foundational pill master, managing a medicinal garden for the Hall.
Among the fifteen spirit plant experts accompanying the Wang family on this trip to the secret realm, three were closely associated with the Hundred Herbs Hall, including Lu Xuan.
Observing them briefly, Lu Xuan noted that most of the fifteen experts were at the mid-level of Qi cultivation. Only one elder seemed to possess high-level cultivation.
At least, that was the surface impression.
"I noticed you observing others earlier. Perhaps you're not familiar with the spirit plant experts here. Would you like me to introduce them?" He Ping offered with a smile.
"I'd appreciate that, Daoist He," Lu Xuan welcomed the offer.
"These fifteen are quite adept at cultivating spirit plants, which is why the Wang family invited them," He Ping introduced them one by one. As Wang Ruhai had mentioned earlier, most of the spirit plant experts seemed extraordinary, easing Lu Xuan's concerns.
"Could you brief me about the secrets of this realm?" Lu Xuan asked casually.
"Friend, haven't you ventured into the realm yet?" He Ping's eyes carried a hint of surprise as he asked in disbelief.
"Frankly, I haven't," Lu Xuan admitted.
"Given my average cultivation and aversion to combat, I've never aspired to explore the opportunities here. My focus has always been on nurturing spirit plants."
"You must have forsaken those to possess such remarkable cultivation skills at such a young age," He Ping admired.
"The secrets mainly come from two sources: ancient remnants and fortuitous discoveries, forming isolated domains. The former might yield immense opportunities but conceal considerable risks."
"The latter are artificially created realms with abundant resources but also harbor monstrous beasts and dangers, alongside the opportunities."
"We're heading into the latter kind this time," He Ping explained at length.
After a while, the Iron Feathered Eagle descended slowly into a mountain valley.
Several Wang family cultivators were already waiting, and as the eagle folded its wings, one of them approached, carrying a large chunk of demonic beast meat.
"We're at the edge of the secret realm. From here on, Li Jianfeng and I will guide you to the destination," the refined scholar Wang Ruhai said with a smile.
Lu Xuan curiously surveyed the surroundings. Towering mountains, dense forests, and his spiritual senses detected an unknown force concealing something.
This valley was the Wang family's base, and other cultivators would need different methods to enter the secret realm.
At Wang Ruhai's signal, a mid-level Qi cultivator stepped forward, using a magic mirror to deactivate the barrier outside the secret realm. A door, allowing two people to pass through, appeared before them.
Lu Xuan and the other spirit plant experts followed the two Wang family members and entered in succession.
In a trance, Lu Xuan found himself in an unusual space. The sight was desolate, sparse strange plants grew on black-red soil, the sky gloomy and overcast.
"This is the outer periphery of the secret realm. Let's hasten our journey directly to the destination," Li Jianfeng, who had been silent until now, spoke gravely and darted towards the distance like an arrow released from a bow.
The spirit plant experts either employed their body techniques or activated artifacts, closely trailing behind.
Lu Xuan had affixed two rapid-speed talismans to his legs and positioned himself in the middle of the group.
As they progressed, the desolate land gradually came to life. With deeper entry into the realm, Lu Xuan began to notice the traces of other cultivators.
However, upon seeing their sizable group, led by high-level Qi cultivators, the lone cultivators within the realm fled hastily, like startled birds.
After half an hour, Lu Xuan's group arrived at a rugged mountain.
After maneuvering through the peculiar rocks, they finally reached their destination.
"This is it," Wang Ruhai pointed to a spot on the mountain slope.
On the mountainside, several black-red peculiar stones sprouted inconspicuous, slender, red vines.
Around two feet long, they sprawled across the rocky surface, twisting and turning, tapering at the ends, closely entangled, resembling peculiar tentacles.
"Dragonvine, a second-grade spirit plant. However, these dragonvines here have undergone some mutations due to the special conditions in the realm. Many of these dark red tendrils possess a certain degree of aggression, attacking cultivators when picked or after being harvested."
"Their attack isn't severe, akin to a cultivator at the second or third Qi cultivation level. But their interference during harvesting often damages normal spirit plants, causing significant trouble."
"Moreover, the normal dragonvines also contain some peculiar elements entwined within, making it challenging to discern and separate them. Consequently, these second-grade spirit plants fail to hold their appropriate value."
"Hence, we need your expertise, fellow spirit plant experts, to identify the mutated dragonvines and separate the contents of the normal ones while harvesting them for us."
"Here's a hundred spirit stones as a prepayment, and once we're out of the realm, there will be a substantial amount of spirit stones and elixirs to express our gratitude."
"The spirit plant expert who handles the most dragonvines will receive additional generous rewards."
Wang Ruhai retrieved numerous spirit stones from his storage bag, dividing them into fifteen piles, floating towards Lu Xuan and the others.
"A hundred spirit stones, valued between a first and second-grade artifact. Not bad," Lu Xuan accepted the hundred spirit stones with a smile, stowing them in his storage bag.
"But it's not worth risking my life. Following behind other spirit plant experts and loafing around would do."
Lu Xuan mused quietly.
Several mid-level Qi cultivators from the Wang family began setting up camp. Meanwhile, among the spirit plant experts, some had approached the dragonvines, scrutinizing them with shield-like artifacts.
A few others huddled together, whispering about how to discern the normal dragonvines.
Lu Xuan followed these individuals, occasionally nodding in agreement. Watching several spirit plant experts advancing deep into the dragonvine territory, Lu Xuan smirked.
"A hundred spirit stones, what a gamble!"
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