Refined Seed

"Is that... an eagle?!"

As the black dots grew closer, Fang Yuan suddenly realized that the source of the cries was an incredibly majestic giant eagle. Its black feathers shimmered under the light, possessing a metallic sheen.

"A Spiritual Beast! It's definitely a Spiritual Beast!"

This black giant eagle was incredibly fast. It had barely reached the sky above Qingfeng Spiritual Land by the time Fang Yuan looked up.

"Strange... why didn't I notice this eagle before?"

Watching the Red-eyed White Bird flock begin to stir, Fang Yuan's eyes held a hint of confusion. "Did I just miss the timing, or is this an outsider Spiritual Beast?"

"Chirp chirp!"

At this moment, the entire Red-eyed White Bird flock on the cliff face was thoroughly alarmed. Under the command of a few Spiritual Beasts, they circled in mid-air, forming what looked like a military formation.

Whoosh!

Facing them, the black giant eagle showed no fear. It shot forward like an arrow, plunging into the white bird flock.

"Chirp chirp!!!"

Several mournful bird cries echoed, and large swathes of white feathers drifted down from mid-air.

The black giant eagle's claws were like iron hooks. With a few swipes, even the Spirit Birds had to evade its sharp talons. Then, with a peck of its beak, a Red-eyed White Bird's skull was crushed, and it plummeted straight down from the sky.

"Eagle Claws! This is what true Eagle Claws look like!"

Fang Yuan watched this battle of Spirit Birds, a thoughtful expression on his face. He felt his understanding of Eagle Claw Hand deepen by another layer.

"Chirp chirp!"

Finally, after the black eagle had wreaked havoc, a cry filled with rage sounded from the highest point of the cliff.

A giant white bird, entirely white and resembling a roc, appeared. It was none other than the White Bird King!

It flapped its wings and soared into the sky, engaging the black giant eagle in combat. Within a few exchanges, it gained the upper hand.

"Caw caw!"

The black giant eagle flapped its wings, evading the White Bird King. Its sharp claws tore through the defense of another Spirit Bird, directly disemboweling it. It then provocatively glanced at the White Bird King before charging out of the encirclement like a black arrow. A few black feathers drifted down as it fled into the distance.

"Chirp chirp!"

The loss of a Spirit Bird, even with Fang Yuan's countless sneak attacks and ambushes before, was an extremely rare occurrence.

Seeing the essence of its flock depleted, the White Bird King let out a mournful cry and led a large number of white birds in pursuit, showing a determination to fight to the death.

"Hmm?"

Fang Yuan observed coldly and noticed something different.

"This black giant eagle is deliberately slowing down, giving the Red-eyed White Birds the illusion that they can catch up... What a cunning eagle..."

Seeing the main flock of white birds leaving their nests, and even the White Bird King seemingly leading the charge, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Opportunity!"

"Chirp chirp!"

The numerous black dots flew further and further into the distance, eventually disappearing.

Fang Yuan, however, followed the mountain path, climbing upwards continuously. "There must be something good in the White Bird King's nest! Even if there isn't, I'll make these remaining white birds suffer a heavy loss this time!"

Before, he couldn't defeat the entire white bird flock because of the Bird King and a few Spirit Birds. But now?

"Chirp chirp!"

As soon as he appeared, the remaining white birds discovered the intruder and let out piercing cries.

"Get lost!"

Unfortunately, the remaining flock was weaker. Fang Yuan activated his Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt. His claws moved swiftly, and almost every strike resulted in the death of a white bird. Although his clothes were immediately torn to shreds, the Red-eyed White Bird flock suffered even heavier losses.

"Even ordinary bird nests have bird eggs, which are quite nourishing..."

Fang Yuan disdained those now. He directly went to the mountaintop, spotted a huge stone platform, and leaped onto it.

Thump!

His feet landed steadily on the platform. He placed his right hand in front of him, checking his surroundings.

This was a stone platform extending from the cliff face. Inside it was a massive cave, which was clearly the White Bird King's nest.

Seeing a stranger intruding here, the Red-eyed White Birds became even more frenzied, swarming him with little regard for their own lives.

"Get lost!"

Fang Yuan roared repeatedly, fighting and retreating as he moved deeper into the cave.

"Chirp chirp!"

Suddenly, amidst the many white birds, a slender Spirit Bird with brilliantly colored, shimmering feathers quietly appeared. It concealed itself among the other white birds and launched an attack on Fang Yuan.

Screech!

Fang Yuan couldn't dodge in time and had to channel more internal energy. The flesh on his shoulder bulged as if inflated.

The next moment, blood splattered!

Even with his internal energy defense, a deep claw mark appeared on his shoulder.

"So there's a Spiritual Beast guarding the place, and it even ambushed me! Good! Very good!"

His eyes narrowed slightly, and the next moment, he lunged forward like a leopard, ignoring the numerous white birds and heading straight for the Spiritual Beast.

"Behold my Black Sand Eagle Claw Hand!"

His palm turned as black as ink, especially his fingertips and nails, which took on a metallic sheen and emitted a strange, sweet, and fishy scent.

This was a small trick Fang Yuan had devised, using the system's functions and his own exploration to apply the power of the Black Sand Palm to his eagle claws.

Now, the fifth layer of the Black Sand Palm could be used to gather toxins onto his eagle claws, turning them into true poison claws!

"Chirp!"

This mutated white bird Spiritual Beast was incredibly fast. Missing its attack, it immediately tried to flee.

However, it was still a step too slow. Its wing was grazed by Fang Yuan's claw wind, shedding a large amount of white feathers.

"Heh heh!"

After one claw strike, Fang Yuan stopped pursuing and sneered.

"Chirp chirp!"

The Spiritual Bird hadn't flown far before it let out a mournful cry and fell from mid-air, instantly losing its life. Even a gentle breeze sent its feathers flying.

This was the venom of the mutated Pearl-tailed Snake, incredibly potent, capable of causing serious trouble even for masters of internal arts.

"Chirp chirp!"

Seeing their Spiritual Bird die, the other white birds immediately scattered, no longer daring to approach. Fang Yuan swaggered into the Bird King's nest.

"Hmm!"

The cave wasn't deep, and faint light filtered through the cracks in the rocks. Fang Yuan took a few steps, his expression changing as he sniffed the air, "Strange!"

Normally, a Spiritual Beast's nest would reek of a foul odor.

But now, he found the air here incredibly fresh, even carrying a clean scent, and the spiritual energy was denser than anything he had ever encountered.

At the end of the cave, there was a large bluestone, slightly sunken in the middle. Some branches and downy feathers formed a giant bird's nest.

"Is this the Red-eyed White Bird King's nest?"

Fang Yuan stepped forward a few paces. Seeing no Spiritual Beast eggs, he felt a slight regret.

Ever since he adopted the Flower Fox Ferret, he had developed a bit of an interest in taming Spiritual Beasts. However, truly intelligent Spiritual Beasts like the Flower Fox Ferret, ones willing to communicate with humans, were still too rare.

This Red-eyed White Bird King was a rare breed of Spiritual Beast, and it could fly, making Fang Yuan's eyes gleam with desire.

"Birds have their habits; they develop a sense of closeness to the first creature they see after hatching. If I could get my hands on a Spiritual Beast egg and raise it from a young age, there's a possibility of taming it..."

Unfortunately, this White Bird King hadn't laid any eggs, so Fang Yuan could only feel disappointed.

He stepped forward and carefully examined the bird's nest, his gaze immediately drawn to a patch of green.

Beside the nest, there was a spring, and mountain spring water trickled down, collecting into a small pool.

At the edge of the pool grew several strange, emerald bamboo stalks.

These stalks were as green as jade, as if carved from the finest emerald, constantly emitting a pure, spiritual energy that absorbed impurities and expelled stale air.

"It seems the secret to this cave's cleanliness lies with these bamboo plants..."

Fang Yuan stepped forward and examined the Spiritual Bamboo closely.

"Huh?"

Upon closer inspection, he noticed something else. At the bamboo joints, there were buds, like flower buds, seemingly about to bloom.

"Jade Bamboo is flowering?"

Fang Yuan's heart leaped, and he immediately recalled a passage he had read – 'Bamboo roots transform every sixty years, and the roots must flower, and after flowering, they must bear fruit, and after bearing fruit, they must wither and die. When the fruit falls, new life begins again.'

"When Jade Bamboo flowers, it must produce Bamboo Rice! Also known as Bamboo Seed!"

"In ancient times, the Phoenix would only perch on the Wutong tree, eat only Refined Seed, and drink only from the Sweet Spring... This Refined Seed refers to Bamboo Seed!"

"There was a scarcity of spiritual items in the Spiritual Land before, and I suspected something. Now it seems the White Bird King has been hoarding it all!"

Fang Yuan stepped forward, his eyes burning with desire. "Transferring Spiritual Plants requires great care. Fortunately, there are several stalks of this Spiritual Bamboo. I can take one directly, and even if it dies, I'll have a backup!"

The cave was filled with spiritual light, indicating the presence of more than just this one spiritual item.

However, some rare items would die immediately if transplanted carelessly. Without thorough preparation, even Fang Yuan wouldn't dare to act rashly.

But this Spiritual Bamboo was naturally easy to cultivate, and since it wasn't a single stalk, he had no such reservations.

Fang Yuan approached the Spiritual Bamboo. His hands formed claws, digging through the soil and stone with more speed than any shovel or spade. Before long, an entire Spiritual Bamboo stalk was unearthed, its root system largely intact.

"With this today, the trip is not in vain!"

Fang Yuan, carrying the Spiritual Bamboo, wore a joyful expression and was about to search for other spiritual items.

"Caw caw!"

Suddenly, the Flower Fox Ferret, which had been left to scout outside, let out an urgent shriek.

"Is that... a Black Giant Eagle?"

Fang Yuan arrived at the cave entrance and immediately saw the majestic eagle from before, leading many white birds, make a large circle and charge towards him again.

"Luring the snake out of its hole, creating a diversion?"

He watched with great amusement, "So your goal was the White Bird King's treasure too. Too bad I got here first..."

At this moment, behind the Giant Eagle, many white dots appeared. The Red-eyed White Bird King was the closest, but it still lagged behind the Giant Eagle, its distance gradually increasing.

Fang Yuan finally understood. The black eagle's earlier provocation, its act of luring away the White Bird King, and its use of speed to make them circle around, all had the same final objective as his own.

Unfortunately, the black eagle had no allies and suffered a great loss, with Fang Yuan getting there first instead.

"Sorry... I've taken a liking to the things here, so I can't give them to you!"

Seeing the black eagle charge towards him, Fang Yuan laughed heartily. His right hand enlarged and took on a claw-like shape as he struck out fiercely, "Eagle Claw Hand!"

Bang!

The black eagle's body jolted and it was sent flying backward.

Upon seeing this, the White Bird King in the distance became even more furious. It let out a sudden, long cry, the tips of its feathers turning slightly blood-red. Its speed surged, and it shot forward.

"Berserk? I'm not playing with you guys anymore!"

Fang Yuan laughed loudly, shouldered the spirit bamboo, leaped onto the mountaintop, and quickly retreated.

Behind him, the black eagle was surrounded and attacked by the enraged White Bird King, letting out a piercing shriek