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Chapter 88: Dragon Whiskers Grass
Chapter 88: Dragon Whiskers Grass
High in the sky, mountains and rivers sped past beneath Lu Chen's feet as he sat atop a colossal black eagle.
The iron-feathered eagle had a body length of over ten zhang, and its wings spanned even wider, tipped with feathers as sharp as swords. It was a second-grade magical beast known as an Ironfeather Eagle, a creature reared by the Wang family. Lu Chen recalled seeing a third-grade Ironfeather Eagle in the market once, and it had been more than twice the size of this one.
A spiritual energy barrier surrounded the eagle, protecting it from the piercing gusts of wind at high altitudes.
Despite its immense size, the eagle flew with remarkable stability, and those riding it didn't feel even the slightest bump.
Including the two high-level Qi Refining cultivators from the Wang family, there were nearly twenty people perched on the eagle's back.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, what a surprise to meet you here," said a kindly-faced cultivator as he made his way over to Lu Chen.
"And Fellow Daoist He," Lu Chen replied with a smile.
The cultivator, He Ping, was a spiritual herbologist whom Lu Chen had met once at the Hundred Grass Hall. It was said that he was related to the pill concoctor and managed a medicinal herb garden for the Hall.
Among the group of cultivators that the Wang family had invited to tend to their spiritual plants in the secret realm, there were a total of fifteen spiritual herbologists, three of whom were closely associated with the Hundred Grass Hall, including Lu Chen.
Lu Chen briefly surveyed the group and noticed that most of the spiritual herbologists were at the intermediate level of Qi Refining, with only one elderly cultivator having reached the advanced stage.
At least, that was what it seemed on the surface.
"I saw you observing the others just now, Fellow Daoist Lu. I assume you aren't familiar with the spiritual herbologists present. Would you like me to make some introductions?" He Ping offered with a smile.
"That would be much appreciated, Fellow Daoist He," Lu Chen said, grateful for the offer.
"All of these people here possess exceptional skills in cultivating spiritual plants, which is why they were invited by the Wang family," He Ping began his introductions. "The elderly cultivator leading the group is directly under the employ of the Wang family and has reached the advanced stage of Qi Refining."
As He Ping introduced each person, Lu Chen realized that most of the spiritual herbologists indeed had impressive backgrounds, just as Wang Ruhai had mentioned earlier. This knowledge put Lu Chen's mind at ease.
"Fellow Daoist He, could you also brief me on the situation regarding the secret realm?" Lu Chen asked, taking the opportunity to gather more information.
A strange look appeared in He Ping's eyes, and he asked in a surprised tone, "Fellow Daoist Lu, are you telling me that you've never entered a secret realm before?"
"To be honest, I haven't," Lu Chen admitted candidly.
"Because of my ordinary cultivation, lack of skill in combat techniques, and my aversion to danger, I never ventured into secret realms in search of opportunities," Lu Chen explained. "Instead, I devoted myself fully to cultivating spiritual plants."
"Fellow Daoist Lu, your exceptional talent in cultivation must have come at the cost of forgoing those opportunities," He Ping said, his expression turning serious.
"Secret realms can be primarily attributed to two sources," He Ping continued. "The first type is left over from ancient times, and while they may offer great opportunities, they also carry immense risks."
"The second type is a product of serendipity, formed by chance and possessing their own unique worlds. If they are newly discovered, they usually contain abundant cultivation resources, but they also harbor numerous demonic beasts and evil influences, presenting a mix of opportunities and dangers."
"The secret realm we are about to enter belongs to the second type," He Ping concluded.
Half a day passed, and the Ironfeather Eagle slowly descended into a valley.
Several cultivators from the Wang family were already waiting nearby. As the eagle folded its wings, they approached with a large chunk of demonic beast meat.
"This is the edge of the secret realm," the elegant and cultured Wang Ruhai said with a smile. "From here on, Fellow Daoist Li and I will lead you to your destination."
Lu Chen curiously glanced around at their surroundings—towering mountains, lush forests, and an unseen spiritual power that veiled the area.
This valley served as the Wang family's base within the secret realm, and any other cultivators who wished to enter would have to find their own way in.
In a trance-like state, Lu Chen found himself in a strange space. The land before him was desolate, with sparse, oddly shaped plants sprouting from the black and red soil. The sky was dark and gloomy.
"This is the outer perimeter of the secret realm. We'll speed up from here and head directly to our destination," said Li Jianfeng, his voice deep and silent until now. His figure shot forward like an arrow leaving its bow.
The ten or so spiritual herbologists either displayed their movement techniques or urged their artifacts forward, closely following Li Jianfeng.
Lu Chen also applied two haste talismans to his legs and took a position in the middle of the group, towards the back.
Along the way, the desolate land gradually came to life. As they ventured deeper into the secret realm, Lu Chen began to spot other cultivators.
However, upon seeing their large group and the high-level Qi Refining cultivators leading them, the loose cultivators they encountered scattered like startled birds, quickly fleeing the scene.
After half a period of time, Lu Chen and his companions arrived at a rugged mountain with bizarrely shaped rocks.
They wound their way through the strange rocks until they finally reached their destination.
"This is the place," Wang Ruhai said, pointing to the mountainside.
On the mountain slope, amidst the black and red strange rocks, grew unremarkable dark red grasses.
About two feet long, they hung limply from the surface of the rocks and the mountain wall, their shapes curved and their tips extremely fine. They grew densely together, resembling a bunch of bizarre tentacles.
"Dragon Whiskers Grass," Wang Ruhai introduced. "It's a second-rate spiritual herb, but the Dragon Whiskers Grass here in the secret realm has undergone a peculiar transformation due to the unique environment. Many of the dark red long whiskers have gained a certain degree of aggressiveness. Usually, they appear no different from normal Dragon Whiskers Grass, but they will suddenly attack cultivators during or after harvesting."
"The strength of their attacks isn't significant, roughly equivalent to a cultivator at the second or third layer of Qi Refining. However, since they mix with the harvested Dragon Whiskers Grass, they often end up damaging the normal spiritual herbs, which is quite bothersome."
"Moreover, the normal Dragon Whiskers Grass also contains some odd components that integrate with the plant, making them difficult to detect and separate. This makes it challenging for a second-rate spiritual herb to attain its corresponding value."
"That's why we need to rely on your expertise, fellow spiritual herbologists. We hope that with your experience in cultivating spiritual plants, you'll be able to distinguish the transformed Dragon Whiskers Grass and separate the impurities from the normal Dragon Whiskers Grass, ensuring a successful harvest for us."
"Here is a hundred spirit stones as an advance payment for your services. Once we leave the secret realm, you will receive a substantial amount of spirit stones and spirit herbs as a token of our gratitude."
"The spiritual herbologist who processes the most Dragon Whiskers Grass will also receive a generous additional reward."
Wang Ruhai took out a large number of spirit stones from his storage bag and divided them into fifteen small piles, which floated towards Lu Chen and the others.
"A hundred spirit stones is worth somewhere between a first-rate and second-rate artifact. Not bad at all," Lu Chen said with a smile as he accepted the payment and stored it away.
"But it's not worth risking my life over. I'll just slack off and follow the other spiritual herbologists," he thought to himself.
Several intermediate Qi Refining cultivators from the Wang family began setting up camp, while some of the spiritual herbologists approached the Dragon Whiskers Grass, shields at the ready, carefully observing the plants.
A few others gathered together, discussing in low voices how they should go about identifying the normal Dragon Whiskers Grass.
Lu Chen tagged along with this group, occasionally nodding in agreement. He glanced at the spiritual herbologists who had already ventured deep into the Dragon Whiskers Grass territory and smirked.
"A hundred spirit stones, and you're risking your life for it!"
(End of Chapter)
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