Chapter 443: Mystic Realm Closure, A Visitor

Chapter 443: Mystic Realm Closure, A Visitor

December 31, 2024

"Quintessence Serpent, come and catch me!" Xiao Yan's laughter echoed by the river as she darted around several ancient trees, her feet creating a series of afterimages.

Behind her, the Multicolor Winged Snake, known as Quintessence Serpent, had shrunk its body to the size of an arm and was chasing her with surprising speed.

For a moment, the area around the ancient trees was filled with the figures of Xiao Yan and Quintessence Serpent, leaving onlookers dazzled.

If a martial arts expert were to witness this scene, they would likely be stunned speechless.

Such exquisite movement techniques were rarely seen, let alone on a young girl, making it almost unbelievable.

Compared to the lively scene on one side, Lu Qing's spot was much quieter.

He sat by the river, a fishing rod in front of him, enjoying a leisurely fishing session.

Xiao Li sat beside him with a serious expression, her eyes intently fixed on the float.

Seeing her concentration, Lu Qing couldn't help but smile, "Xiao Li, with your current cultivation, catching fish should be easy. Why do you insist on watching me fish?"

Xiao Li glanced at the shimmering river surface and showed a clear look of disdain, "Water, I hate it!"

Lu Qing shook his head with a chuckle.

Xiao Li was now a Foundation Establishment stage spirit beast, and in the past few days, she had also refined the spirit fruit he had given her earlier.

With her current cultivation at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, she was not far from achieving Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Indeed, the cultivation of spirit beasts was relatively simple; often, they could enhance their strength just by eating and drinking.

However, even though she had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and possessed powerful abilities, Xiao Li still refused to catch fish herself.

Her aversion to water had become deeply ingrained.

Therefore, whenever Lu Qing went fishing, Xiao Li was always delighted because she could enjoy the freshest fish.

Recently, he had been busy cultivating, leaving little time for fishing.

On this rare outing, Xiao Li naturally wanted to stay close, unwilling to move even an inch.

As they spoke, Lu Qing felt the float move, followed by a sudden downward tug.

The next moment, he lifted the rod, and a beautiful fish gracefully arced through the air, suspended in mid-air.

With Lu Qing's current strength, catching ordinary spirit fish was effortless, and he didn't need to bother with fancy fishing techniques.

When a fish took the bait, he simply lifted the rod.

Moreover, his fishing rod was no ordinary item.

Recently, while in the bamboo forest behind the mountain, he noticed that some bamboo, nourished by the rich essence qi, had begun to transform, exuding spiritual energy and showing signs of becoming spiritual objects.

He selected the finest bamboo and crafted it into a new fishing rod.

Then, he infused it with multiple layers of restrictions.

The rod in his hand was not merely a fishing tool; it was a genuine magical artifact of high quality, almost on par with supreme magical tools.

A supreme magical tool-grade fishing rod could withstand tremendous tension, far beyond ordinary means.

With full force, it could easily pull not only small spirit fish but even a small mountain.

Of course, Lu Qing was here to relax, and he wouldn't spoil the tranquility by overdoing it.

He refrained from using his divine soul power to scout the river for fish, leaving it to fate to determine his catch.

As he witnessed a red carp struggling on the hook, Lu Qing realized he hadn't caught this type of fish in some time, a delightful surprise, a feast for the senses.

Lu Qing felt the auras of the spirit fish swimming in the river, and a realization dawned on him.

With the transformation of the laws of heaven and earth, the revival of essence qi brought about all-encompassing changes to the world.

In the Ten Thousand Mountains, the venomous insects and snakes became even more venomous and ferocious.

However, the spirit fish in this small river, originating from the Ten Thousand Mountains, also increased in number.

"It seems that Xiao Li won't have to worry about running out of spirit fish to eat."

Lu Qing smiled and reeled in his fishing rod.

He had already caught enough spirit fish for the day.

Not only would Xiao Li be able to eat her fill, but their dinner was also taken care of.

"Xiao Yan, Wuheng, stop playing and let's head back!"

Lu Qing called out as he carried the fish bucket.

As for Xiao Li, she was already perched on his shoulder, licking her paws and cleaning her face.

After devouring three Red Moon Carps, she was finally satisfied.

"Big brother, did you catch any fish?"

Xiao Yan ran over, her face flushed.

Although she had already reached the Primordial Realm's small success stage, the consumption of her essence qi was still significant after repeatedly using her Primordial Realm movement technique.

The Multicolor Winged Snake followed behind her.

It looked at Xiao Li on Lu Qing's shoulder with a hint of envy.

It also wanted to be that close to its master.

However, it knew that Xiao Li was very fierce, and if it dared to get too close, it would definitely get beaten up.

Getting beaten up was fine; after all, its thick skin made it immune to pain from Xiao Li's strikes.

But it understood that if it ever fought with Xiao Li, its master would undoubtedly side with the little fox.

This was the lesson the Multicolor Winged Snake had learned after several painful experiences over the past period.

"Of course I did," Lu Qing said without noticing the Multicolor Winged Snake's subtle movements. He showed the fish bucket to Xiao Yan.

"So many spirit fish! There are Red Moon Carps and Golden Loaches!"

Xiao Yan's eyes widened when she saw the fish in the bucket.

"It's rare to catch so many spirit fish. How about we make fish soup for dinner tonight?" Lu Qing suggested with a smile.

"Great!" Xiao Yan nodded eagerly.

The fish soup made from Red Moon Carps was incredibly delicious.

Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

The siblings and their two spirit beasts happily headed back to the village.

As soon as they returned home, their neighbor, Zhang Grandpa, came to visit.

"Did you just come back from fishing, Qing?"

"Yeah, I caught quite a few spirit fish. I'm planning to cook them for dinner tonight. Zhang Grandpa, you should come too," Lu Qing said with a smile.

"Hehe, my old eyes aren't what they used to be. I can't pick out fish bones anymore, so you guys enjoy your meal," Zhang Grandpa chuckled.

"Don't worry, Zhang Grandpa. Xiao Yan can help you pick out the fish bones!" Xiao Yan immediately offered.

"Xiao Yan is such a good girl," Zhang Grandpa said as he patted her head.

Then, he seemed to hesitate, as if there was something else he wanted to say.

Lu Qing noticed this and asked, "Zhang Grandpa, is there something troubling you?"

Seeing that Lu Qing had guessed his intention, Zhang Grandpa hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak openly.

"Qing, yesterday, the village elders gathered and discussed something. They want to ask a favor of you."

"What is it?" Lu Qing asked.

"Some of the young folks in the village witnessed your divine might before, and they want to learn some skills from you. I'm not sure if it's possible."

Lu Qing was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Grandpa to bring up this matter.

For a moment, he fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Zhang Grandpa quickly added, "Qing, I know that you're now a celestial being. It's said in plays that celestial arts should not be passed on lightly. If it's inconvenient for you, don't worry about it. I'll go back and tell them."

"Zhang Grandpa, you've misunderstood," Lu Qing said, snapping out of his thoughts. "It's not that I'm unwilling, but cultivation is not just about having the heart for it. It also requires understanding and aptitude.

Without sufficient aptitude, even with true techniques, it's challenging to enter the path of cultivation."

Lu Qing understood the village folks' intentions and felt empathy for them.

After all, who wouldn't yearn for celestial abilities?

If he had witnessed celestial techniques, he would undoubtedly develop a desire to cultivate as well.

However, cultivation wasn't just about having the desire.

Aptitude, understanding, perseverance, and concentration were all essential. Lacking any one of these would make it nearly impossible to achieve significant progress in cultivation, and one might even fail to enter the path.

At least, in the realm of cultivation, based on his understanding of the village's youth, he hadn't discovered anyone with particularly good potential yet.

"I see..."

Zhang Grandpa seemed a little disappointed.

He could tell from Lu Qing's words that none of the village's young people seemed to have the potential to cultivate celestial techniques.

Looking at the disappointment on the old man's face, Lu Qing contemplated for a moment and said, "Nothing is absolute in this world. Every situation has a glimmer of hope within it."

"How about this, Grandpa Zhang, why don't you go back and discuss with everyone, and see who wants to cultivate?"

"Let them come to me tomorrow, and I'll give them a chance."

"Really? Can you do that?" Grandpa Zhang's face lit up with surprise.

"Of course I can," Lu Qing nodded.

"Alright, then I'll go back and tell them right now!"

Watching Grandpa Zhang's hurried departure, Lu Qing's face revealed a hint of a smile.

As a member of the village, he naturally hoped for the well-being of Nine Li Village.

If the village could produce one or two individuals with innate talent for cultivation, it would be a good thing for the village.

Now that the spiritual energy had completely revived, the world would be dominated by the Immortal Dao for the next tens of thousands of years.

Nine Li Village, in order to continue its legacy in this new era, could not remain solely under Lu Qing's protection.

After all, he didn't know if he would stay in this world forever.

If Nine Li Village could have its own cultivators, then even if he had to leave this realm one day, there would still be someone to protect the village and ensure its survival.

With this thought, Lu Qing's heart already had a plan.

Just as he was pondering, suddenly, a ripple emerged from the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains, and then gradually faded away.

Lu Qing's body transformed into a stream of light, and he flew towards the mountains.

Soon, he arrived at the valley where the entrance to the mystic realm was located.

The black vortex leading to the Quintessence Mystic Realm was gradually shrinking.

"Is the entrance to the Quintessence Mystic Realm finally closing?"

Lu Qing watched the black vortex shrinking, but he did nothing.

The opening and closing of mystic realms were normal occurrences in this world.

Unless he was willing to sacrifice a spirit artifact and completely merge it with the mystic realm, like the Four Great Secret Realms, it would be impossible to stop the realm from closing.

However, the spirit artifacts Lu Qing currently possessed were all extremely useful to him.

He naturally wouldn't merge them with the mystic realm.

After all, the greatest opportunities within the Quintessence Mystic Realm had already been seized by him.

Most of the spirit plants and treasures had also been scavenged by the later martial artists who entered, leaving little behind.

These later cultivators had been slain by the white-robed youth, and the treasures they obtained were confiscated, eventually ending up in Lu Qing's hands.

It could be said that the Quintessence Mystic Realm, which had once held great value, was now greatly discounted, not worth wasting a spirit artifact on.

As the black vortex completely disappeared, the valley also returned to tranquility, and the spatial ripples that had filled the air dissipated.

Lu Qing sighed inwardly.

This Quintessence Mystic Realm had brought him immense opportunities.

Without the Quintessence Spirit Liquid obtained from the realm, it would have been impossible for him to cultivate to the Golden Core Realm so quickly.

Moreover, it was likely that without a solid foundation, he would have missed the opportunity to form a perfect Golden Core.

Additionally, he had acquired an exceptional spirit medicine and a spirit beast with astonishing potential from the realm.

It could be said that the Quintessence Mystic Realm was his greatest blessed land.

The only unknown was when the realm would reappear after this closure.

After a moment of reflection, Lu Qing smiled enigmatically and glanced at the depths of the valley, then his body transformed into a stream of light and left the place.

As his figure completely disappeared, several people emerged from a dark corner of the valley, trembling with fear.

Their eyes revealed their relief at surviving a calamity.

"Who is this youth? His aura is so terrifying, and he can even fly through the air!"

"No matter who he is, a delightful experience, and a celebration of the cultivation and the boundaries between the mundane and the extraordinary blurred.

"I was thinking that since there hadn't been any activity in the Ten Thousand Mountains recently, we could take the opportunity to enter the mystic realm again and find a spirit plant or two."

"I never expected that just as I arrived, the mystic realm closed, and there was such a terrifying existence within. What bad luck!"

"No, it's fortunate that we arrived a step too late. If we had come earlier, we might have been trapped in the mystic realm."

"Don't say another word, let's leave quickly. I feel like that person from earlier already noticed us. If they return, we might not even know how we'll die."

After hearing these words, the others' bodies trembled, and they dared not continue the conversation, quickly leaving the valley and fleeing in another direction.

Lu Qing had, of course, noticed the people hiding in the valley.

However, at this point, he no longer cared about several Primordial Realm cultivators.

Since they hadn't provoked him, he was too lazy to pay them any mind.

Flying back to the village, he had just landed at home when someone else visited.

This time, it was Lin Zhirui who had come, and he wasn't alone.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end