Chapter 29: Spiritual Land
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
A thick fog covered the vast green mountains.
In the forest, Fang Yuan and the Flower Fox Ferret were traversing at a speed which could not be seen by the naked eye.
He came to the forest to look for the spiritual fertilizer, which was essential for the development of his skills. Thus, he was rushing to find it.
They reached the Clear Spirit Mountain by noon.
"Come, let's eat!"
Fang Yuan looked at the sky and only saw a faint light from the scorching sun as they were covered by the surrounding trees.
The spiritual Vermillion Jade Rice had run out. Hence, he naturally had to make his rice balls with the Vermillion Jade Rice. This was rather tormenting for him as he was picky about his food.
Similarly, the Flower Fox Ferret was in disdain when it realised the rice balls were not made from the Vermillion Jade Rice. It dived into a nearby bush and dragged a chicken out not long after.
"You are indeed picky!"
Fang Yuan mocked the Flower Fox Ferret and then removed the intestines of the chicken. He went to a river to wash the blood off the chicken and seasoned it with some salt that he brought. He then wrapped the chicken with leaves and started roasting it over the fire.
Not long after, a freshly roasted chicken was made.
As he removed the wrapping leaves, he could smell a strong aroma.
"Oohh…..It melts in the mouth and is not greasy at all. It tastes so fresh…."
This dish also appeared in his dreams. Fang Yuan randomly made this dish on the spot and the Flower Fox Ferret really liked it. This made the Flower Fox Ferret tempted to get another chicken.
"Dreams do come true….."
Fang Yuan had realised that what he dreamt did come true in real life. His life in the dream world was very similar to his in real life.
"Or…...in the slang of the other world, this is a form of ''breakthrough', the only difference is that the current me is the combination of both memories/sides, with equal parts of both worlds…...
He became clear and understood the situation. "Currently, I am Fang Yuan!"
...….
"Let's go!"
Fang Yuan continued on with the Flower Fox Ferret after finishing their lunch.
The Clear Spirit Mountain was indeed deep. There were many rare birds and beasts, with leopards, tigers, wolves and jackals forming the majority. Not many old huntsmen and herb collectors dared to come this deep.
"Roar!"
A very loud roar was coming from the front. A giant tiger with a white forehead jumped out from the trees.
"There are indeed many beasts in this forest!"
Without blinking his eye, Fang Yuan attacked the tiger effortlessly with his right palm. "Black Sand Palm!"
[Black Sand Palm (5th Grade)] gave an ultimate effect from the power it produced. However, both arms and palms did not have any changes, except for a black circle which would appear on the palm when executed.
"Bang!"
Fang Yuan hit the tiger's skull with much force, causing it to roll onto the ground.
This giant tiger had a thick skin. It rolled on the ground and was able to get behind Fang Yuan. It then used its tail like an iron whip and whipped his back.
"Piak!"
Fang Yuan's clothing was torn into pieces.
"Hmm? This tiger is definitely not normal. Even though it is not a spiritual beast, it is not much different from the mutated Pearl Tail Snake previously….."
Fang Yuan was surprised that it was able to survive his Black Sand Palm even though he knew that its skull was the strongest part of the body.
What about the tail?
Fang Yuan had Iron Skin for defence and this tiger had gotten weaker. It was no match for him.
He touched his back and couldn't feel any pain. From the perspective of the Flower Fox Ferret, a fading red print could be seen on his back.
"Roar!"
The giant tiger realised that Fang Yuan was too powerful and decided to run away.
However, not long after it escaped, it became like a drunkard and fell onto the ground, with a dark coloured blood flowing out.
"The combination of the Pearl Tail Snake's poison and Black Sand Palm is a perfect one indeed!"
He then sighed. "Even though I executed the Black Sand Palm, it is actually the poison encapsulated in the Black Sand Palm that killed the tiger. Should I just call it Poison Sand Palm instead?"
"Unfortunately the tiger's bones….."
At that moment, the tiger was poisoned to death and its body was badly destroyed. Fang Yuan regretted a little after seeing the state of the tiger.
"Keke!"
The Flower Fox Ferret passed by proudly but was disdained by the corpse of the tiger.
To it, with the exception of the spiritual tea and spiritual rice, how could a piece of meat be called meat if it was not edible?
"However…..there is definitely something different in this mountain!"
Fang Yuan continued on with a serious look.
From the Flower Fox Ferret, to the Pearl Tail Snake and then the giant tiger. This showed one thing.
This Clear Spirit Mountain is definitely something!
Or maybe, it was due to the influence of something mysterious present here.
The place where the Flower Fox Ferret was bringing Fang Yuan to might be connected to that influence. There could be a chance for them to meet the owner!
"Keke!"
As they go in deeper into the mountain, the Flower Fox Ferret became even more excited. It was also alert and used its claws to gesture to Fang Yuan.
"We are almost reaching our destination?"
Fang Yuan bucked up and looked at the sky. The sun was setting and the place was going to be dark soon.
"We have a little bit of time left. Let's go and have a quick look!"
Fang Yuan bit his teeth and went into the bushes with the Flower Fox Ferret.
"Hooo"
The surroundings suddenly started to fog up, causing the visibility to be poor.
"This fog…..something is wrong!"
It was normal for the top of the mountain to be fogged up all year round but this white fog was way too strong.
If he were to go a few steps deeper, he would not be able to see his fingers. Fang Yuan felt a huge feeling of weariness. His eyelids became heavy and he started to close his eyes unconsciously. He then went into a deep sleep.
"Sleep…..sleep….."
He could hear a voice whispering into his ears and he became in a trance.
"Hold on a second….I shouldn't sleep. If I do sleep, everything will be over…."
Fang Yuan had the magical energy that was beyond a normal human being and it proved its effectiveness. However, it only allowed Fang Yuan to stay alert.
Even though he was aware of his surroundings, he was unable to move his limbs, which made it impossible for him to retreat.
"The hell with it, how does the Flower Fox Ferret make it through here previously if I am like that now?"
Fang Yuan was confused. He then heard noises made by the Flower Fox Ferret and it was getting further away from him.
"Sleep! Sleep….Once you sleep, everything will be alright…."
The weariness got even stronger. Fang Yuan closed and opened his eyes. He shook his head and bit his teeth, "Damn it…..There is something wrong with the fog!"
He forced himself to sit cross-legged and summon forth his inner power to counter the fog.
Normally, his power from his Dantian was able to defend against any threats. This time, it seemed that his power was useless when dealing with such great power from the fog.
"Go to sleep….go to sleep….."
The whisper beside his ear became blurred.
Fang Yuan shuddered and a scene appeared in front of his eyes.
A white-haired elder who was dressed in white was sitting beside the spring water and tasting tea. "My Meditative Tea Ceremony is based on the foundation of trust and respect, breaking away from fate, curbing evil intentions and simplifying matters. Only with these would you have a genuine outlook, peace, and be set on the path to pursue dao."
"A man of heart is a master of his own body and the lord of the gods. He sits still to achieve wisdom, and the slightest movement would bring upon his downfall. In the land of fantasy, the only truth is: Who would be able to comprehend the falsehood within the sweet promises? They dreamt big and underwent multiple events before they realised that there was more to life and that their hearts had changed. Who would have been aware that it was just a big dream..."
...….
"Master!"
A series of his memories appeared. Fang Yuan then realised he was not drowsy anymore. In fact, he was way more alert than before.
He now could confirm that Master Wenxin was not an ordinary person!
Master Wenxin didn't really pass down anything to him.
The Meditative Tea Ceremony was the only precious gift from him.
"Keke!"
"Keke!"
At that moment, when Fang Yuan looked at the white fog, it was no different from any other mountain fog. The Flower Fox Ferret beside him was getting impatient while waiting. It even dragged a very long banana leaf over and the leaf contained cool spring water.
"Are you alright?"
Fang Yuan suddenly understood what happened. "Does the mysterious magical power here target only humans? Or is it because the minds of the wild beasts are pure and that's why they are not affected?"
Obviously, the Flower Fox Ferret had been through here quite a few times already but it did not have the same experience as Fang Yuan. If not, it wouldn't have brought Fang Yuan to this place.
"It's been hard on you!"
After understanding this point, Fang Yuan didn't make things difficult for the Flower Fox Ferret and drank the spring water straight from the banana leaf.
"This water…."
The spring water was clear and sweet. The water cooled his body.
Fang Yuan only drank one sip and he felt way better than before.
"Good spring water!"
He started praising the water.
Fang Yuan had drank before many types of spring water but this spring water with such quality was rare.
"Nope, this is not normal spring water. It is definitely spiritual water!"
Fang Yuan's eyes glittered and asked the Flower Fox Ferret, "Where does this spring water come from?"
"Keke!"
The Flower Fox Ferret stood upright and pointed forward with its claws.
"There again!"
He gave a serious look.
He guessed that the place deep in this fog was probably the source of the mutations that were happening throughout the whole Clear Spirit Mountain. Things like the spiritual fertiliser, spiritual beasts and spiritual water were formed because of that place!
"It seems like I have to go and visit this place…."
Fang Yuan got up and looked determined. "Spiritual land?"
The spiritual land was formed by heaven's will and created by the gathering of earthly energy. It was filled with all kinds of spiritual plants and plenty of spiritual beasts. It is an excellent piece of fertile and sacred land, and a treasure trove!