https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-169-The-Elusive-Hidden-Scale-Fish/12544005/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-171-The-Tier-3-Poisonous-Shuttlecock-tree/12544007/
Chapter 170: Too Much to Spend, Simply Too Much
Chapter 170: Too Much to Spend, Simply Too Much
This was the most probable explanation in Lu Chen's opinion. Alternatively, there could have been traces of the Hidden-Scale Fish in the Thousand Dragon Lake all along, or it could have been introduced by humans.
"There must be Hidden-Scale Fish at the bottom of the lake that haven't yet parasitized the Flood Dragons, but as just a caretaker, my abilities are average at best, and I can't go to the bottom of the lake to solve this problem permanently," Huang Yuan said, sounding a little dejected.
"Reporting this to the Foundation Establishment Shishu so they can decide how to tackle this dilemma is the best course of action."
"This is indeed the best approach," Lu Chen nodded in agreement.
With so many Flood Dragons and Giant Pythons inhabiting the Thousand Dragon Lake, including some of the third and fourth grades, the bottom of the lake where the dragons dwell is undoubtedly extraordinary.
Furthermore, the entire lake is separated by an array that prevents both cultivators and Flood Dragons from trespassing into each other's territories. Even attempting to enter the lake is no simple task.
Although Lu Chen had gained a profound understanding of the Hidden-Scale Fish, he was still powerless against them in the depths of the lake, and he had no desire to get involved anyway.
After chatting idly for a while, Lu Chen returned to the edge of the lake, summoned a spiritual crane, and flew back to his cave abode.
After greeting the baby wind falcon and the cloud-walking lynx affectionately, Lu Chen eagerly returned indoors.
Closing the door behind him, he took out six or seven cloth bags from his storage bag and consolidated all the spirit stones into one pile.
Then came the delightful task of counting his earnings.
"I actually have over five hundred spirit stones... quite a bit more than I anticipated," Lu Chen said joyfully as he gazed at the small mountain of spirit stones piled up on the table.
During the blood testing process, if any traces of the Hidden-Scale Fish were discovered, the cultivators would tacitly increase Lu Chen's physical examination fee, resulting in him ultimately receiving a higher amount of spirit stones than the initial price they had offered.
"With over five hundred spirit stones, plus the remaining one thousand four hundred from selling the demon beast eyes and demon insect eggs, my net worth has once again reached the two-thousand-spirit-stone level," Lu Chen expressed his gratitude again to the cultivators who had paid him for drawing blood from the Flood Dragons.
He waved his right hand, and all the spirit stones on the table vanished instantly.
"Now, it's time for the Flood Dragon essence blood," Lu Chen murmured, having anticipated that the table wouldn't be big enough to hold all the bottles.
With over two hundred bottles of essence blood, plus several dozen from his own collection, he now had a total of more than three hundred bottles of Flood Dragon essence blood!
Additionally, considering that the number of Dragonvine plants had doubled, he had secretly added at least half the amount, after all, he had the final say during the blood extraction process.
There was also the essence blood from the mature Dragonvine plant to consider.
"Too much to spend, simply too much!" Lu Chen rejoiced inwardly.
To concoct the Tempering Liquid required for cultivating the Tai Xu Hua Long (Great Void Dragon Transformation)
scripture, he needed a few more ingredients, which Lu Chen planned to purchase the next time he visited Jianmen Town or trade for during the Qing Tan Small Conference.
He proceeded to his spirit fields, carefully inspecting each spiritual herb, tending to their most minute growth requirements according to their individual conditions.
In the area where the Xuan Chong Teng (Profound Insect Vine)
was planted, the fourth-grade herb had, over this period, nurtured three types of insects, and a new bud had emerged. The grayish-colored tender sprout trembled gently in the wind.
However, beneath the spirit soil, a hidden wonder was taking place.
On the uneven surface of the seeds, over ten insect cocoons of varying shapes and colors had formed.
Stimulated by the gestation of the Profound Insect Vine, the Hidden-Wing Cicada insect eggs, resembling white spirit rice, had quietly hatched.
Eight Hidden-Wing Cicada larvae lived independently within their respective cocoons.
The larvae were milk-white, with their wings tightly curled into their bodies, slowly wriggling within the protective cocoon.
As Lu Xuan's spiritual sense drew near, the two Silver Thread Mantises shot out of their cocoons like arrows, darting through the shallow spirit soil and instantly appearing on the ground.
The Insect Classic recorded several methods for controlling insects, and Lu Xuan was familiar with them. Following the instructions, he established a tentative connection with the Silver Thread Mantises, which allowed them to sense his proximity.
As for the remaining Black-Armored Beetle egg, it showed no signs of hatching yet, probably due to the time that had passed since it was laid. The egg was now fused with the Profound Insect Vine, making it difficult to separate.
After observing the growth of the fourth-grade Profound Insect Vine, Lu Xuan continued his inspection tour of the spirit fields, making sure that all the spirit herbs were in good condition. Finally, he arrived at the peak where the Foundation Establishment female cultivator, Wen Wan, resided.
He usually came here every day to tend to the ordinary and variant Burning Origin Trees, conduct tests, and record data. As a result, he was very familiar with the route and quickly made his way to the spirit fields.
Although he already knew which variant Burning Origin Trees had failed to transform, which were indistinguishable from ordinary Burning Origin Trees, which had entered the exotic stage, and which had successfully advanced to the third-grade, he still needed to do his best. At the very least, he didn't want Wen Wan to think that he was slacking off.
After completing the tests and recording the data, Lu Xuan arrived at Wen Wan's small abode.
"Senior Martial Sister Wen, here is the data from my experiments during this period."
"I've divided them into two groups: the ordinary group and the variant group. Both groups were kept under the same conditions, and then I performed various tests on them, measuring heat and cold resistance, spiritual energy absorption, and so on."
"Although the time has been short, I've made some interesting discoveries. Please take a look, Senior Martial Sister."
Lu Xuan reported on his recent experimental work to Wen Wan.
"Good work, Lu Xuan. You've put in a lot of effort," Wen Wan said with a smile as she opened Lu Xuan's experimental report.
The report presented two sets of data, with Lu Xuan's evaluation of each spirit herb's performance in various tests. His assessments varied, and for the ordinary Burning Origin Trees, he even calculated an average value.
The two groups were then compared, and the performance of each variant Burning Origin Tree was clearly recorded in each test.
The variant Burning Origin Trees showed significant differences in their values across the various tests. Some performed noticeably better than the average of the ordinary group, while others showed little difference or even fell short of the ordinary group's average.
Their respective performances aligned with Lu Xuan's previous findings. The successful variants or those that had broken through performed well, while the unsuccessful variants fell in the middle, and the reverse-engineered failures brought up the rear.
As Wen Wan slowly flipped through the report, her smile grew broader.
"I heard from Yao Qing that you have many innovative ideas when it comes to spirit herbs, and now I see it's true," she said.
"This experimental report of yours is quite interesting. It's simple, clear, and concise—something that all outer sect disciples should emulate."
Wen Wan was intrigued by the format of Lu Xuan's report, finding it novel and refreshing.
(End of Chapter)
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