Chapter 215
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Chapter 215: Collecting Everything
“Done harvesting! Let’s go!”
Ye Yun clapped his hands, grinning widely.
Su Ling glared at him. “You took all these unusual flowers and herbs and killed the Water Cloud Mandala Beast. How will you explain this?”
“Hey, Ling’er! We gathered these together. That beast attacked first—if I hadn’t acted fast, it’d have killed us both!” Ye Yun retorted with a smirk.
Su Ling rolled her eyes. “Then split them with me.” She held out her palm, waving it before him.
He swatted her hand away. “Your cultivation level’s too low to carry them safely. After your trial ends, we’ll study them together.”
Su Ling’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Why not leave with me now? This trial’s pointless anyway,” Ye Yun said, patting her head.
She shook her head. “I must finish the trial. Otherwise, Elder Shi’s faction will use it against my father.”
Murderous intent flashed in Ye Yun’s eyes. That old man had meddled in Shadowless Peak’s affairs, targeted him, and now schemed against Su Hao. “I’ll kill him someday,” he growled.
Su Ling glanced around nervously and hit his arm. “Quiet! What if someone hears?”
Ye Yun laughed. “Let them! With Elder Shi around, the Heavenly Sword Sect’s doomed anyway.”
Su Ling sighed, her frown deepening.
Ye Yun’s heart softened. At fourteen, she’d lost the carefree spirit of youth, burdened by her father’s position as Shadowless Peak’s leader. He gently took her hand. “If you can’t leave, I’ll stay. Ten days will pass quickly.”
Her face lit up, then clouded. “No—disciples check daily at noon. If they find you…”
“Then I’ll stay tonight,” he interrupted. “Let’s sort these herbs. I barely recognize most.”
Su Ling nodded.
From the Water Cloud Mandala Beast’s stone chamber, they’d gathered 134 unusual plants. Twenty were Heavenly Convergence Herbs for the Ninth-level task—common for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators refining their souls.
“Mandala Flowers—key for healing salves. Not rare, but valuable.”
“Azure Crabapples—deadly poison. Non-practitioners die instantly.”
“Seven Star Grass for Spirit Fixation Pills. You need Qi refining pinnacle to use those soul-refining pills.”
“Gold Thread Silkqi… saw it in an old text once. No idea what it does.”
Su Ling sorted the herbs, naming what she knew. Most were useless at their current cultivation levels.
“Wait—this one!” She suddenly gasped, holding a red herb with a golden fruit.
Ye Yun leaned closer. “What is it?”
“Fire Dragon Gold Fruit!” she exclaimed. “Packed with fire spiritual energy. If it ripens fully…”
“Fire spirit energy?” Ye Yun froze briefly before his face lit up. “Does this mean the Fire Dragon Gold Fruit has ripened?”
Su Ling rolled her eyes. “Of course not. The Fire Dragon Gold Fruit only takes an hour to fully mature. During that time, it absorbs every bit of its roots and leaves until cracks appear on its surface. Once the hour passes, it explodes and all spiritual energy vanishes into thin air.”
Ye Yun’s brows furrowed. “Can this fruit still be replanted to grow further?”
Su Ling nodded. “That’s why I warned you not to pluck it carelessly. Fortunately, it was uprooted cleanly instead of being cut. With proper care, it might survive.”
Ye Yun stared at the golden fruit in her palm, a faint smile forming.
“I know you cultivate fire spirit energy,” Su Ling continued softly, pressing the fruit into his hand. “Though its current energy is weak, it’ll multiply millions of times upon ripening. Take it to my mother—she’ll know how to nurture it.”
Ye Yun stored the fruit in his ring. Most unusual flowers and herbs had been sorted, though some remained unidentified. Su Ling proposed consulting Shui Qingxuan, the true expert.
Ye Yun agreed. These plants from the Fire Dragon Cave would eventually be missed. Since Su Hao and Shui Qingxuan would learn of their disappearance anyway, early disclosure might help cover their tracks. After gathering the plants, he also collected the lightning-scorched Water Cloud Mandala Beast carcass for future use.
Returning to Su Ling’s mist-filled trial chamber, Ye Yun suddenly asked, “Ling’er, have you been cultivating here bare-skinned?”
Su Ling blinked before nodding.
“No more undressing to cultivate,” Ye Yun said sternly. “If someone barges in—”
“Who’d be as shameless as you?” she muttered, cheeks pink.
“What was that?”
“Fine, I’ll keep my robes on!” She huffed, though her lips twitched upward. “I only removed clothes to absorb the mist faster.”
Satisfied, Ye Yun studied the haze. “This mist boosts cultivation? I sense no spiritual energy here.”
“It’s Nine Yin Mist,” Su Ling explained. “Only women can channel its power.”
Nodding, Ye Yun sat cross-legged. Though reaching the second stage of Qi refining had amplified his strength, his foundation felt unsteady.
They leaned back-to-back, cultivating in silence through the night.
By dawn, Ye Yun’s cultivation had stabilized. His power now eclipsed his previous self tenfold—an astonishing leap.
Leaving Su Ling to her trial, Ye Yun exited the Fire Dragon Cave not via teleportation array, but through the original route. Passing the Ancestor of the Sword Path’s chamber, he located the hidden mechanism in the glassy wall and emerged outside.
“Junior Ye Yun!” A guard gaped. “You completed the ninth-level task in one day?”
“Barely, through luck.” Ye Yun bowed slightly before striding toward the Task Hall.
The ancient hall loomed ahead, disciples swarming its opulent entrance like ants.
“Ye Yun’s back!” someone shouted.
Dozens froze, whispers erupting:
“Finished already? Impossible!”
“Murong Wuqing needed three days for his ninth-level task!”
“He must’ve failed. Now he’s in trouble…”
“Hush! Here he comes!”
The crowd scattered like startled sparrows under Ye Yun’s icy glare.
