Chapter 71
A white glowing mass immediately appeared where the Blood Jade Ginseng stood, shimmering faintly, seemingly signaling Lu Xuan to collect it.
With a single thought, Lu Xuan absorbed the glowing mass into countless points of light that surged into his body, a notion forming in his mind.
"Harvested one Blood Jade Ginseng, gained one Blood Essence Pill of second grade."
A crimson pill materialized in Lu Xuan's palm, the size of a thumb's tip, its surface adorned with faint red lines, exuding a rich blood essence.
"The Blood Essence Pill, a second-grade elixir, swiftly restores a cultivator's vitality and enhances the cultivation speed of body-refining techniques."
"A first-grade Blood Jade Ginseng rewards a second-grade elixir, not bad at all."
The Blood Jade Ginseng he unearthed varied in length, resembling blood-red jade, of excellent quality.
Lu Xuan continued inspecting the remaining nineteen. Soon, he found two more Blood Jade Ginsengs at their peak.
"Harvested one Blood Jade Ginseng, gained one Blood Essence Pill of second grade."
The second Ginseng was of equally good quality, yielding another second-grade Blood Essence Pill.
"Harvested one Blood Jade Ginseng, gained the second-grade secret technique Blood Ignition Arrow."
A thought flashed in Lu Xuan's mind, and immediately, a profound arcane method appeared in his consciousness.
The method of execution, precautions, cultivation techniques, and various detailed information inundated his mind.
"The Blood Ignition Arrow, a second-grade secret technique, nurtures a blood arrow within a cultivator's body using their own blood essence, shooting out from the mouth at incredible speed, with formidable killing power."
"The more ignited blood essence, the greater the arrow's might. However, frequent use is cautioned."
"A second-grade secret technique, rare indeed, seemingly akin to sacrificing oneself to harm the enemy severely. It's best to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary."
Lu Xuan contemplated. The Blood Ignition Arrow technique was immensely potent in attack but carried significant aftermath, requiring the combustion of the cultivator's blood essence.
"However, this second-grade Blood Essence Pill complements this technique quite well."
He decided against actively practicing this technique. Practicing it would deplete his blood essence. It would be better to acquire experience packs for Blood Ignition Arrow from the white glowing mass, automatically enhancing his proficiency in the technique.
As for the Blood Essence Pills, he chose to gather them for future needs.
Although seventeen Blood Jade Ginsengs were mostly ripe for plucking, Lu Xuan patiently left them in the spiritual soil.
Only by maximizing the enhancement of the plant's quality could he receive better rewards. The previously perfect-grade Crimson Cloud Pine's three flawless seeds were the best proof of this.
Two good-quality Blood Jade Ginsengs yielded two Blood Essence Pills, and a top-quality one yielded the Blood Ignition Arrow technique, confirming his hypothesis once more.
Three days later, Steward He's help in purchasing seven first-grade spirit plants had nearly ripened. Lu Xuan directly picked them, aiming to try his luck and obtain some mutated spirit plants.
The remaining second-grade spirit plant grew alongside the initially encountered second-grade White Vein Wood, still some time away from maturity.
Just as he finished preparing to leave, a slight weight on his left shoulder made him turn. There, Cloud-Stepping Lynx was perched on his shoulder, its four cloud-like paws firmly gripping his clothes.
"Come down, I need to go out for a bit. Guard the place well, and I'll bring you something tasty back."
Lu Xuan said.
The lynx remained still, its emerald eyes coldly fixed ahead.
Knowing the lynx cub was stubbornly sticking to him, Lu Xuan had no choice but to let it stay on his shoulder.
Thankfully, with the second-grade Mist Concealing Array guarding, he wasn't too concerned. After instructing the grass puppet in the spiritual field, he left with Cloud-Stepping Lynx.
In the Freelance Market, having been absent for a while, Lu Xuan sensed an increased liveliness among the cultivators. They didn't seem as on edge as they had been a while back.
Lu Xuan strolled with Cloud-Stepping Lynx.
Suddenly, a streak of red and yellow dashed toward him.
His expression unchanged, a Red Thread Needle within his sleeve faintly trembled, ready to strike.
The red and yellow figure halted just before reaching Lu Xuan.
Only then did Lu Xuan get a clear view of the figure.
A peculiar Four-eyed Crimson monkey.
Entirely covered in red and yellow fur, with extraordinarily elongated arms, ridges resembling spines flanking its bright red nose, and four eyes—two red, two white—creating an eerie pattern around the peculiar nose.
This peculiar monkey, at the moment, circled Lu Xuan, its pupils constantly moving, seemingly expressing desire.
While this odd beast appeared, the surrounding cultivators remained calm. Lu Xuan restrained the urge to act against the peculiar monkey, only his lynx cub on his shoulder growled, its back arched, ready to attack.
"Little Four, stop!"
A melodious female voice rang out. Even before the voice ceased, a girl in red swiftly arrived, resembling a flickering flame.
"Apologies, fellow cultivator, my spiritual beast may have disturbed you."
The girl stopped, her striking face directed at Lu Xuan, expressing some regret.
"No trouble."
Lu Xuan replied calmly. As his spiritual energy subtly circulated within, he sensed that the girl was likely at an advanced stage of Qi cultivation.
"This Four-eyed Crimson monkey is a spiritual beast I grew up with, adept at sensing and tracking malevolent forces. It seemed to have sensed something it likes on your person and came over."
The girl explained to Lu Xuan, then paused, somewhat inquisitively asking him.
"Have you recently come across any spiritual fruit that beasts might be interested in?"
Hearing that the Four-eyed Crimson monkey was skilled at detecting malevolent forces, Lu Xuan immediately recalled what a neighboring cultivator had said days ago, suspecting the girl likely represented the Wang family's invited sect practitioner.
With a subtle thought, he pretended to ponder.
"Spiritual fruit that beasts might favor? I don't recall. However, I'm a botanist at the Hundred Herbs Hall in the market, frequently dealing with various plants. It's possible I might have come across something during my interactions there."
Lu Xuan thought of the Crimson Cloud Pine seeds. If any of his possessions intrigued spiritual beasts, it was likely those.
While he thought so, he didn't plan to disclose the truth to the girl. Instead, he casually made up a reason, also name-dropping the Hundred Herbs Hall to bolster his image.
"I see."
The girl didn't doubt him. Drawing closer, she grabbed the Four-eyed Crimson monkey's arm, ready to leave. But before she departed, she noticed the Cloud-Stepping Lynx on Lu Xuan's shoulder.
"Fellow cultivator, the eyes of your lynx are rather unusual. With proper cultivation, it might develop some extraordinary abilities."
"Is that so? Thank you for pointing that out. I'll take good care of it."
Lu Xuan expressed surprise, thanking her. He had long
understood the lynx's peculiarities through his real-time status, but he still maintained a certain appearance.
Watching the girl leave with the Four-eyed Crimson monkey, Lu Xuan retracted the spiritual power within his sleeve, returning to calmness.
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