https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-237-Senior-Brother-You-Know-Me-Well/12544196/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-239-Crimson-Lotus-Blaze-Blast-Flame-Pearl/12544198/
Chapter 238: Opportunities Come When You Least Expect Them
Chapter 238: Opportunities Come When You Least Expect Them
Lu Chen's keen instincts immediately picked up on the subtle change in expression on the bearded cultivator's face, and he became wary.
As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. This fellow sect member's visit could be genuinely motivated by Lu Chen's request, leading to an earnest invitation. However, it was also possible that it was a trap set by the trio from the blessed land.
After all, they were well aware of the ancient phoenix tree in his possession and his urgent need for a third-grade exotic flame. They might have devised a scheme to lure him in and reclaim that piece of ancient phoenix wood.
With this thought, he became even more resolute in his decision, refusing the bearded cultivator's persuasive words with a constant shake of his head.
"Since Junior Brother Lu is insistent on not going, I won't force you."
In the end, seeing that Lu Chen was impervious to his entreaties, the bearded cultivator said helplessly.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior Brother Fan. However, I've indeed spent too much time on spirit herbs and neglected my cultivation. I'm afraid I won't be of much help, and I don't want to hold you back."
Lu Chen shifted the topic.
"But if Senior Brother Fan manages to obtain the third-grade exotic flame in the secret realm, I'm willing to pay a slightly higher price to purchase it from you."
He said with a smile, not forgetting to leave an impression as he bid farewell.
"Well... I'll definitely keep an eye out for you, Junior Brother Lu."
The bearded cultivator was momentarily lost for words and didn't linger, taking his leave instead.
Lu Chen had only mentioned it casually and didn't pin all his hopes on this unexpected Senior Brother Fan for obtaining the third-grade exotic flame.
He activated the formation and arrived at the foot of the mountain. With a stimulation of his spiritual power on a small talismanic artifact given by the Beast Taming Hall, a tall spiritual crane soon flew into view from a distance.
The spiritual crane let out joyful cries when it spotted Lu Chen from afar, and its speed increased instantly. Within a few breaths, it landed in front of him.
The entire spiritual crane tribe remembered Lu Chen's silhouette, and even after a long time had passed, he still had the qualification to ride the spiritual cranes for free.
Lu Chen stroked the crane's head, caressing the pristine feathers, and took out a red spirit fruit, popping it into the crane's beak.
Then, he jumped onto the crane's back.
"General Affairs Hall."
In the spacious hall of the General Affairs Hall, there were always many outer sect disciples gathered to release and receive various types of tasks.
"Fellow Daoist, I'd like to post a task."
Lu Chen entered the inner hall of the General Affairs Hall and spoke to a middle-aged manager.
"Greetings, Uncle."
The manager, who had a cultivation base of the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, glanced at Lu Chen and noticed the inner sect disciple's specially tailored robe. A hint of panic flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his head respectfully.
He was surprised by the youthful appearance of Lu Chen's face.
"I wonder what kind of task Uncle wishes to post?"
He quickly composed himself and asked Lu Chen with an enthusiastic smile.
"The task is to collect third-grade and above exotic flames. The reward is at least a hundred Sword Seals, and the exact amount will depend on the grade and quantity of the flames."
"Third-grade and above exotic flames... Please forgive me, young master, but the conditions for this task are a bit high, and it may be challenging for outer sect disciples to complete."
"Oh? How so?"
"Firstly, third-grade exotic flames are not as commonly found as third-grade demonic beasts. The formation of such heavenly treasures is complex, making them extremely difficult to locate."
"Secondly, most of the task-takers are outer sect disciples, and it's nearly impossible for them to obtain third-grade exotic flames during the Qi Refinement stage.
As for inner sect disciples, they usually have ample spirit stones and Sword Seals, so they rarely come to the General Affairs Hall to take on tasks."
The middle-aged manager explained in detail to Lu Chen.
Lu Chen nodded and hesitated for a moment before saying,
As he passed by the light screen in the main hall on his way out of the inner hall, he glanced at it.
The types of tasks on the light screen remained largely unchanged, mostly involving exploring secret realms and tracking down evil beings, with some tasks related to pill refining and artifact crafting. Tasks concerning spirit herbs and spirit beasts were still scarce.
On the rare occasion that such a task appeared, only a handful of outer sect disciples showed any interest.
Seeing this familiar scene, Lu Chen couldn't help but smile as he recalled how he had once swept through all the spirit herb and spirit beast tasks on the light screen.
It was through those tasks that he had acquired a large number of spirit seeds and cultivation resources, befriended numerous powerful cultivators, and laid the foundation for his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage.
"It's a pity that I'm already an inner sect disciple now. It wouldn't be appropriate to compete with my outer sect junior fellows for tasks, or else I'd let them relive the fear of being dominated in the realm of spirit herbs and spirit beasts."
As he mused, Lu Chen silently left the General Affairs Hall.
High up in the sky, the wind howled as Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the back of the spiritual crane, deep in thought about how to obtain a third-grade exotic flame.
"Trying to obtain one by posting a task does seem rather far-fetched. Perhaps I can acquire an exotic flame by exchanging it for other treasures."
"What about personally venturing out to explore secret realms to obtain one?"
"I'll never explore secret realms in this lifetime. I'm no good at fighting other cultivators, so I'll just stick to cultivating spirit herbs and maintaining the appearance of cultivation."
After making his decision, Lu Chen returned to his cave abode, keeping an eye out for any upcoming treasure exchange gatherings among the inner sect disciples.
Time flew by, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
As usual, Lu Chen inspected his spirit fields, checking the growth of each spirit herb.
With meticulous cultivation, all the spirit herbs were thriving.
He made his way to the periphery of the earthfire vein and approached the second-grade Fiery Flame Fruit tree.
Among the pale red leaves, over a dozen Fiery Flame Fruits could be glimpsed, partially hidden and partially visible.
From below, they resembled clusters of burning flames, emanating an astonishing fire spiritual energy.
"Hehe, they've finally matured."
Lu Chen examined each fruit carefully and noticed that the progress bar below one of them was completely filled.
A thin layer of flames appeared on his palm, and his body floated up as he carefully plucked that particular fruit.
"Top-quality fruit, excellent. The environment for growing spirit herbs in the inner sect is far superior to that of the outer sect. It's much easier to obtain high-quality spirit fruits and plants when cultivating second-grade spirit herbs."
The Fiery Flame Fruit had a soft texture; with a gentle squeeze, the fruit's flesh transformed, becoming like a ball of flowing flame in his hand.
Lu Chen focused his mind, quickly obtaining detailed information about the spirit fruit.
[Fiery Flame Fruit, Second-Grade Spirit Fruit: Contains abundant fire spiritual power and has an exquisite taste. Eating it can increase a cultivator's spiritual power and can also be used as an ingredient for refining certain spirit wines.]
He digested the information that appeared in his mind and reached out to gently touch the white light ball that had appeared in place of the fruit.
The light ball transformed into countless tiny specks of light that instantly merged into Lu Chen's body.
[Harvested a second-grade Fiery Flame Fruit, obtained a third-grade exotic flame, Scarlet Lotus Flame.]
"Just as I was dozing off, a pillow was delivered to me?"
Lu Chen's heart was filled with delight as he carefully examined the strange flame that had appeared in his hand.
The flame had distinct layers, resembling a quietly burning lotus flower. The outermost petals of the flame were bright yellow, gradually transitioning to fiery red as they moved inward, occupying most of the lotus flame's area and enveloping the very center, a pure white flame.
(End of Chapter)
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