White Jade Ganoderma

In the lush forests of the Qingyun Mountain Range, five people, four men and one woman, were slowly making their way. The strong young man clearing the path ahead stopped and turned, asking, "There are fierce beasts appearing further ahead. Should we continue?"

Fierce beasts were nothing like ordinary wild animals. The weakest among them possessed the strength of a Beginner Martial Artist, while some powerful fierce beasts could even reach the level of an Innate Martial Artist.

After some discussion, the five decided to press on. Among them, Wang Hong had already reached the Houtian Realm, Hua Wenjue had been a beginner for many years, and the other three had also reached the Beginner Martial Artist level. They were confident that they could easily handle one or two fierce beasts if they joined forces.

Moreover, one of their objectives for this outing was to hone their combat skills and gain more fighting experience. Secondly, they intended to hunt fierce beasts and gather rare medicinal herbs to exchange for money.

Only Hua Wenjue came from a wealthy family and didn't lack money. Wang Hong had some money but dared not flaunt it. The other three usually had to find ways to earn money themselves to support their cultivation. Places where fierce beasts appeared also meant they were rarely visited by humans, promising better rewards.

The five continued their journey, and indeed, their rewards gradually increased. The collected herbs were temporarily kept by Li Xiaoya and would be distributed according to each person's contribution at the end. Wang Hong and Hua Wenjue, being stronger, were primarily responsible for vigilance, while the other three focused on gathering.

Suddenly, Li Xiaoya pointed towards the opposite cliff, exclaiming in surprise, "Look! There's a clump of white over there, it looks like White Jade Ganoderma."

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed. Indeed, under the vines on the rock face of the opposite cliff, a white clump was faintly visible. Wang Hong, who had a greater understanding of medicine, recognized it at a glance. That clump of white was indeed White Jade Ganoderma.

White Jade Ganoderma was known as a sacred medicine for healing injuries. White Jade Powder was primarily made from White Jade Ganoderma that was five to ten years old. It was said that a hundred-year-old White Jade Ganoderma could restore even a severely wounded person on the brink of death, as long as they could still breathe. Possessing a high-year White Jade Ganoderma was equivalent to having an extra life.

However, White Jade Ganoderma had extremely demanding environmental requirements for growth. Those under ten years old were still relatively common, but most White Jade Ganoderma would wither and die after ten years. Only a very small number, in special environments, could survive for over fifty years. Growing to a hundred years was even more difficult.

Ten years ago, an eighty-year-old White Jade Ganoderma had appeared, causing a sensation in the martial arts world. Heroes from all sides vied for it, and countless people lost their lives because of it.

The group approached the cliff and gazed upwards for a while. Lu Jingou was about to climb up along the vines when Wang Hong grabbed him. Wang Hong picked up a few stones and threw them towards the vines around the White Jade Ganoderma.

"Bang bang bang!" A barrage of stones sent leaves and vines flying.

Suddenly, the vines shook violently, and then a massive snake head emerged, flicking its tongue and fixing its cold gaze on the group.

The five looked tense and slowly retreated, stopping about thirty feet from the cliff. Lu Jingou felt a surge of fear, realizing that if he had charged forward without caution, he would likely have been devoured by the snake.

The giant python stared for a few moments. Seeing that the group had retreated and made no further moves, its head slowly retracted.

After a brief discussion, the group devised a strategy. They gathered a pile of stones and began throwing them at the cliff together.

After just a few stones were thrown, the snake's head reappeared. The group continued to pelt it with stones. Li Xiaoya even threw a small flying knife that hit the snake's neck, but the knife's force was too small, only penetrating about half an inch into the flesh. Although these attacks didn't cause significant damage, they were enough to enrage the giant python.

The giant python twisted its body, as thick as a bucket, and charged towards them with incredible speed, like a gust of wind. Before it even got close, a foul-smelling gust hit them. Seeing the python charging, Lu Jingou quickly circled around from the side and slipped towards the cliff.

The remaining four split into two groups, alternating defense and retreat, luring the snake to an open area. Two people would engage its attacks from the front, while the others would attack from the sides.

The snake spat a stream of venom towards Hua Wenjue's head. Hua Wenjue quickly leaped backward. Wang Hong seized the opportunity and, from the side, used the "Three-Stage Wave" technique from the Thunderclap Spear style. The Three-Stage Wave involved thrusting three spears simultaneously at a single point, stacking their power, specifically designed to deal with opponents with strong defenses.

This thrust penetrated half a foot deep. The snake, in pain, turned to bite Wang Hong. At the same time, Li Xiaoya stabbed the snake's belly with her sword, opening a gash.

Simultaneously, the giant python whipped its tail towards her. Zhang Tiemao, standing nearby, quickly raised his heavy-backed saber and swung it at the attacking tail, cutting a few-inch-deep gash on its tail.

However, the force of the giant snake's tail whip was immense. Although Zhang Tiemao's saber slowed it down, it still sent both of them crashing to the ground.

At this moment, Lu Jingou, who had slipped away earlier, was watching from below the cliff. He threw a few more stones at the cliff, but there was no reaction. He then grabbed the vines and climbed up like a monkey with agile movements.

The giant python, having knocked the two down, raised its tail high again and smashed it towards them. Lying on the ground, if it struck them again, their bones would likely be broken.

Just then, a figure pulled them several feet away. The giant python's tail smashed violently onto the ground where they had been, sending dirt and stones flying.

It turned out that Lu Jingou had gone to steal the medicinal herbs and had returned successfully, pulling them away at the critical moment.

The original plan was for the four to tie up the snake while Lu Jingou slipped away to collect the herbs. After collecting the herbs, if they could defeat the giant snake, all five would join forces to kill it. If they were outmatched, they would all flee together. Now, it seemed that with the combined strength of the five, defeating it should be no problem.

Seeing that Li Xiaoya and Zhang Tiemao were unharmed, Lu Jingou joined the battle with his single saber. His fighting style was relatively agile. He slashed the snake's belly and quickly leaped away. By the time the snake's tail whipped over, he had already jumped to the side.

Hua Wenjue, seeing the snake's head attacking Wang Hong, also quickly returned to the fight. The five continued to attack in turns, their coordination becoming increasingly skilled. In less than fifteen minutes, the giant python was covered in wounds and lying on the ground, waiting to die. Wang Hong and the other four only sustained minor injuries.

The five had a bountiful harvest this time. The giant snake alone made Zhang Tiemao grin from ear to ear. Fierce beasts were valuable commodities. Their meat contained a large amount of vital energy and blood essence, making it a great tonic for martial artists. Their hides were also excellent materials for making armor. Although fierce beasts were valuable, they were not easy to kill. Especially snakes, which had extremely strong vitality. If not for the group's excellent coordination, killing this giant python would have come at a considerable cost.

Among the clump of White Jade Ganoderma that Lu Jingou collected, one plant was over ten years old, nearly twenty years old, while several others were three to five years old and seven to eight years old.

Hua Wenjue purchased the ten-plus-year-old White Jade Ganoderma for fifty taels of silver, distributing ten taels to each person. Wang Hong received a White Jade Ganoderma, a large portion of snake meat, and several other medicinal herbs.

The five returned to the academy with their full harvest, gathered together for a feast of snake dishes, and then dispersed.

Wang Hong returned to his small courtyard and immediately went into the Mysterious Space to plant the newly acquired herbs. The raspberry wine he had brewed a few days ago was ready. Wang Hong found some gauze to filter it, obtaining two jars of deep purple fruit wine. Wang Hong tasted a small cup; it was sweet and mellow, truly good wine. He sealed the wine jars for further aging, as wine naturally becomes more fragrant with age.

Wang Hong also tasted some of the ginseng wine and lingzhi wine he had prepared earlier. Perhaps due to the wine's dispersing properties, the medicinal wine spread rapidly throughout his body as soon as he drank it. If used for cultivation, the medicinal power dispersed too quickly, making it significantly less effective than medicinal meals. However, this type of medicinal wine was very effective for relieving fatigue and restoring stamina and internal energy.

After these two battles, Wang Hong's spear techniques had improved. Additionally, he wanted to cultivate another external martial art. External martial arts, put simply, were skills for taking hits, which could enhance one's defensive capabilities.