Chapter 296: Turbulent Fish
Chapter 296: Turbulent Fish
In the courtyard, Lu Chen sat with his legs crossed, an ancient and simple sword sheath in his hands that was constantly vibrating.
A slender, deep black Spirit Seed slipped out smoothly from a crack in the sword sheath. It was a Sword Grass Spirit Seed that had been nurtured within the sheath for a long time.
The Spirit Seed was now surrounded by a faint black wind, and tiny arcs of electricity, barely visible to the naked eye, danced across its surface before disappearing into the air.
"Another third-grade Wind and Thunder Sword Grass Spirit Seed," Lu Chen said, holding the successfully mutated Spirit Seed with satisfaction.
He planted the seed in his Spirit Field, and thin strands of Spirit Rain seeped into the seed and the surrounding Spirit Soil with precision. Then, hundreds of fine, dark sword auras shot out from Lu Chen's dantian and entered the seed one after the other.
It had been over two months since the sea beasts attacked the waters of the Kongming Spirit Fish. During this time, the island had been calm, without any unusual incidents.
Not long after the attack, Song Yu brought Song Yun to give Lu Chen over a thousand spirit stones, even more than he had imagined.
Upon returning, Lu Chen stayed in the courtyard, cultivating his spirit plants. The Sword Grass Spirit Seed he had just planted was the third Wind and Thunder Sword Grass seed he had obtained recently.
The stimulation of the Xuntian Thunder Sword Aura, coupled with the nourishment of the mysterious Yang Xuan Sword Sheath, gave the second-grade Sword Grass Spirit Seeds a very high rate of successful mutation.
The only downside was that it consumed a significant amount of Xuntian Thunder Sword Aura and took a relatively long time to nurture. However, compared to obtaining a mutated Wind and Thunder Sword Grass Spirit Seed, these drawbacks were negligible.
As the sword sheath could only nurture one seed at a time, Lu Chen had already planted over ten Sword Grass seeds next to it, forming a small forest of sword-like plants, each pointing towards the sky. The entire Spirit Field was filled with rampant sword auras.
There were ten ordinary second-grade Sword Grass plants, primarily used for refining Sword Grass Spirit Seeds in the future. The first Wind and Thunder Sword Grass that had successfully mutated was also nearing full maturity.
There was also the third-grade Starlight Sword Grass and the fourth-grade Sword Qianxiao, both obtained from the Sword Hall.
Lu Chen had already learned the basics of the accompanying Starlight Sword Art, but he was still far from proficient. He had to be extremely cautious when cultivating the Starlight Sword Grass, as a single unrefined burst of starlight sword aura could easily sever the plant in its early stages of growth.
As for the fourth-grade Thousand Hawks Sword Art, after months of bitter cultivation on Kongming Island, he had finally reached the initial stage of comprehension and could now begin cultivating the Sword Qianxiao.
After planting the Wind and Thunder Sword Grass Spirit Seed, Lu Chen took out another new Sword Grass Spirit Seed from his storage bag.
Then, the deep black sword pill in his dantian slowly rotated, and hundreds or even thousands of Xuntian Thunder Sword Auras surged out, passing through the thin membrane of the sword sheath's opening and entering it.
The intangible sword aura, unlike the Purple Electric Sword or the Red Flame Sword, provided the nourishment of sword aura without the pain of piercing, making it highly favored by the Yang Xuan Sword Sheath.
After infusing numerous Xuntian Thunder Sword Auras, Lu Chen immediately shot the slender Sword Grass Spirit Seed into the sword sheath.
"Is that it?"
The slender Spirit Seed seemed insignificant compared to the sheath, and the sheath showed no reaction. Lu Chen focused his mind and could sense the sword sheath's subtle provocation, despite its seemingly inanimate nature.
"..."
Lu Chen fell silent.
"After I nurture a new Wind and Thunder Sword Grass Spirit Seed, I'll reward you with a giant flying sword," he gritted his teeth and said to the ancient sword sheath.
Then, he began to inspect the rest of the Spirit Field.
During these two months, the last remaining Ghost Face Stone Mushroom had also matured. From the white light sphere, another fourth-grade Profound Yin Pill emerged, which Lu Chen carefully stored in his storage bag.
On this day, as Lu Chen was diligently cultivating the Thousand Hawks Sword Art, Island Master Song Yu of Kongming Island suddenly paid him a visit.
"Uncle Lu, have you been doing well these days?
Life on Kongming Island is quite different from that in a sect. The spiritual energy is thinner here, and there aren't many secret realm treasures or opportunities to temper one's spells and sword intent. I hope you're adapting well."
Song Yu smiled as he spoke, a hint of veiled urgency in his refined features.
"It's manageable," Lu Chen replied with a nonchalant smile. "I'm not one for competing over opportunities and treasures, so the difference between being here on Kongming Island and being in the heavens is not that significant."
"That's good to hear," Song Yu said, rubbing his hands together. After a moment of hesitation, a determined look flashed in his eyes. "Uncle Lu, I have come to bother you today because I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Well, lately, for some unknown reason, the Kongming Spirit Fish we're raising have been acting strangely from time to time, and these incidents are becoming more frequent and intense. The Song family is at a loss, so we can only turn to you for help."
"What's the situation?" Lu Chen's expression turned serious. One of his primary tasks while stationed on Kongming Island was to ensure the safety of the Kongming Spirit Fish, and he would be held accountable if anything unexpected happened.
"At first, some Song family cultivators noticed that occasionally, a Kongming Spirit Fish would crash into the reef. They initially thought that something had gone wrong during the feeding process."
"But gradually, they realized that the number of Kongming Spirit Fish crashing into the reefs was increasing. Moreover, a large number of Kongming Spirit Fish were reluctant to return to their habitat and had to be forced to do so."
Song Yu explained anxiously. While they had managed to stop or treat the spirit fish that were crashing into the reefs, some fish persisted in their behavior, bashing themselves against the rocks until they were bloody.
The fish that were unwilling to return to their habitat presented an even more dire situation. After all, the reason a large number of Kongming Spirit Fish stayed in the area was due to the unique appeal of that particular sea region. If the area lost its allure, it could lead to a massive loss of spirit fish.
Having tried countless methods to no avail, Song Yu finally thought of Lu Chen.
As the only foundation establishment cultivator on Kongming Island, Lu Chen had a renowned background and extensive knowledge. During their interactions over the past two months, Song Yu had learned of Lu Chen's profound expertise in spirit plants and beasts, so in his desperation, he sought Lu Chen's help.
Although this might leave a less-than-capable impression of him in Lu Chen's mind, Song Yu couldn't afford to worry about that at the moment.
"Have the cultivators on the island who are in charge of raising the spirit fish noticed anything?" Lu Chen asked.
There were quite a few cultivators on Kongming Island dedicated to raising Kongming Spirit Fish. While they might not be experts in cultivating other spirit plants and beasts, the Song family cultivators had accumulated rich experience in dealing with the spirit fish. Thus, they were the first people Lu Chen thought to consult.
"The Song family cultivators haven't been entirely clueless," Song Yu replied. "They have deduced that there is likely some strange creature hiding within the bodies of the spirit fish or their habitat, disrupting their living environment and behavioral patterns, which leads to these abnormal reactions."
"Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they haven't been able to pinpoint the cause."
"There were even cultivators who specifically caught two Kongming Spirit Fish and dissected them carefully, but they still didn't find anything unusual."
Song Yu's expression was filled with worry.
"Take me to see them," Lu Chen said, and with those words, he instantly gave Song Yu a surge of hope.
(End of Chapter)
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