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Chapter 282: Weak and Helpless
Chapter 282: Weak and Helpless
In the Pavilion of Scriptures, Lu Chen emerged slowly. After deciding on the specific location for his guard duty, he headed to the pavilion to gather as much information as possible. He sought to learn about the island's location, the powers within and around it, nearby secret realms, and the frequency of appearances of demonic beasts, evil spirits, and the like.
The island where he would be stationed for the next three years was called Kongming Island, famed for its abundance of Kongming Spirit Fish. These fish were mostly of the second grade, with occasional appearances of third-grade ones. Their meat was exquisitely delicious and rich in spiritual energy, and their gallbladders were key ingredients in many pills, which was why the Tianjian Sect occupied the island, ensuring a stable supply for the sect.
Kongming Island was no less than ten thousand miles away from the Tianjian Sect, in a very remote location that lived up to the description of 'bitterly cold land' given by the middle-aged cultivator.
In the surrounding sea of islands, there were a few small sects, the strongest of which had cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level. There were also some small families and quite a few vagrant cultivators living there.
The spiritual energy on the island was rather thin compared to other guard duty locations, and with no secret realms to explore nearby and not many demonic beasts or evil cultivators to practice against, it was usually the last to be chosen.
The island was close to the Boundless Sea, known for producing all sorts of strange spiritual herbs and beasts. Moreover, records mentioned that fellow sect members had discovered several third and fourth-grade spirit liquids there, making it an ideal place for Lu Chen.
After familiarizing himself with the details of Kongming Island, Lu Chen returned to his cave abode to begin his preparations.
He took stock of his current strength.
His cultivation level was close to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, which was considered above average in the Tianjian Sect, and could even be considered that of an expert outside the sect.
Among the many vagrant cultivators in Linyang Bazaar, there were only a handful at the Foundation Establishment stage, and those were the ones who had exhausted their potential.
While his cultivation level was unremarkable, his actual combat power was quite formidable.
The most powerful among his arsenal were the four and a half fourth-grade sword talismans: a half-Howling Ocean sword talisman, two Great Sun sword talismans, and a Shooting Star sword talisman, each with its unique characteristics and possessing the power to inflict heavy damage or even kill cultivators in the middle to late stages of Foundation Establishment.
Additionally, after cultivating the Four Seasons Sword Technique day and night with the Four Seasons Sword Qi and gaining sword art experience from the light group, his control over the technique had reached a transcendental level, and he had already grasped the sword intent of all four types of sword techniques.
He also had the Xundlei Sword Pill in his dantian, over ten Burst Flame Beads that could instantly unleash tremendous destructive power, the Fanyuan Pill, which could burn his essence and greatly enhance his strength, and mid-level Five Element spells.
His possessions included third-grade magical artifacts like the Purple Electric Sword and the Seal of Enclosing Peaks, as well as third-grade talismans like the Water Dragon Talisman.
In terms of defense, after practicing the Liuli Tempering Bone Technique and the Taiji Transformation Dragon Technique, and continuously consuming the Yulin Fruit and Golden Marrow Jade Liquid, which enhanced his physical body, it had reached an extremely robust state where most third-grade magical artifacts couldn't inflict significant harm.
Moreover, he had a substitute evil infant that could take a fatal blow for him in critical moments.
He also possessed the Greenwood Source Qi condensed from the life essence of the fifth-grade Qingxuan Deer, which could not only hasten the maturation of spiritual plants but also had a strong healing ability.
To deal with the elusive evil spirits, Lu Chen had the third-grade treasure, the Spotless Jade, which could detect their presence, the fourth-grade Yunshan Jade Talisman, which could inflict severe damage on them, and the third-grade Spirit Cleansing Talisman, making it easy for him to handle most of the tricky evil spirits.
His escape abilities were relatively weaker, relying on the third-grade magical artifact, the Invisible Spirit Robe, the Five Elements Escape Technique, and the Floating Light Body Technique. However, this weakness was only relative, as the Five Elements Escape Technique and the Floating Light Body Technique were already extremely difficult for outside vagrant cultivators to obtain, not to mention the Invisible Spirit Robe, which could be incredibly useful in certain specific situations.
By choosing to guard Kongming Island, he had already mitigated most potential risks, but he remained cautious to the core.
"When away from home, it's important to be kind to others. Don't let yourself be tempted by fleeting opportunities and end up in a dire situation. Caution is key; preserving your life is paramount."
"As long as my spirit fields remain, opportunities will come."
"Of course, being cautious doesn't mean tolerating insults. If I can't win a fight, I'll escape and send for help from the sect. If I can win, I'll finish it quickly and crush my opponent without mercy."
Lu Chen thoughtfully considered the guidelines for his conduct during his time on Kongming Island.
"I should also bring some of the spiritual plants from my spirit fields with me. If I don't, they might mature while I'm away, and I'll miss out on the light group rewards."
Lu Chen made his decision.
With a three-year assignment ahead of him on Kongming Island, his responsibilities weighed on his mind, especially given the vast distance of over ten thousand miles, which limited his opportunities to return to the sect.
Some of the spiritual plants in his fields had short growth cycles or were nearing maturity, and it wouldn't be ideal to leave them unattended or rely on fellow sect members to harvest them. Thus, Lu Chen decided to bring some along.
"The Water Glowgrass spirit plant is a must-have. Although I'm just a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the middle stage of foundation establishment, without these grasses, that goal might as well be a thousand miles away."
Lu Chen was acutely aware of his limitations. Even within the pure and rich spiritual energy environment of the Tianjian Sect's inner sect, his cultivation progress had been slow. On the harsher environment of Kongming Island, he might find himself stagnant over the next three years.
"I'll also bring the third-grade Wind Thunder Sword Grass and Moon Dew Grass, as well as the fourth-grade Dark Bug Vine and Earthfire Heart Lotus. They're all close to maturity, and I don't want to miss out on the light group rewards."
Lu Chen pondered his options as he inspected his spirit fields, finally deciding to bring along the Demon Ghost Vine, the Starlight Sword Grass, and the Sword Qixiao.
The Demon Ghost Vine was already a fifth-grade plant, and even though it was still in its growth stage, it possessed a certain amount of combat power. Lu Chen worried that if he left it on the mountain peak, it might run amok and devour all the other spiritual plants in his fields.
As for the two high-grade sword grasses, their cultivation requirements were unique, needing constant nourishment and stimulation from corresponding sword qi day and night, so it was best to keep them by his side.
The sooner he could cultivate them, the more cultivation resources he could obtain from the Sword Hall.
He hesitated briefly over the third-grade Mystical Immortal Peach but ultimately decided to leave it on the mountain peak, concealing it with an array formation.
While the Mystical Immortal Peach had entered its maturity stage, it was still some distance from full maturity, and due to its large size, he could only leave it behind as the living spirit bag had limited space.
Of the remaining spiritual plants, the Phoenix Wood was years away from maturity, so he left two Red Lotus Flames to sustain its growth for a while.
Additionally, the Hidden Essence Grass, Five Elements Fruit, Illusion Sound Bamboo, and the newly planted Sword-Nurturing Gourd were all in their early growth stages, and with the sufficient spiritual energy in the spirit fields, Lu Chen decided to leave them in the cave abode.
As for his spirit beasts, he brought along the Cloud-Walking Lynx and the Wind Falcon. The Fire Serpent was still too young, so he left it on the mountain peak with plenty of dried demon beast meat, asking the grass puppet to look after it.
The small lake was rich in spiritual energy, and if the demon beast meat ran out, the spirit spring would ensure its normal growth.
"I'll also drop by the Sword Town Manor before I leave."
Lu Chen decided to visit the manor to check on the growth of the underworld spiritual plants and determine if any were ready for harvest and which ones he should bring with him.
(End of Chapter)
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