Although there were quite a few spirit trees in this forest, most had only barely reached the threshold of first-rank spirit trees. They were still a very long way from becoming the second-rank spirit trees needed to nurture Jade Marrow Mushrooms.
Wei Zhong did find several decayed second-rank spirit trees, but there were no lingzhi growing on them, much less Jade Marrow Mushrooms.
Of course, they might have been harvested when the secret realm had last opened. After a year, not even a trace would have remained.
After searching for a while, he ultimately found nothing.
Still, this forest was truly enormous by the secret realm's standards. Wei Zhong had been in the secret realm for so long, yet this was the first time he had seen such a vast dense woodland spread across mountains and rivers. It was rather unbelievable.
Following the waterfall toward its source, Wei Zhong passed through countless trees before finally catching sight of a sliver of bright light.
"This..."
Emerging from the embrace of the spirit trees, Wei Zhong saw a jade-green lake.
So this lake was the source of the waterfall. No wonder the surrounding trees had grown so luxuriantly.
At the lakeshore, Wei Zhong scooped up a handful of water.
Dense spiritual energy nearly filled his entire palm.
The thick mist in the forest was likely due to this lake.
Watching the water vapor rising from the lake and becoming trapped among the surrounding trees, Wei Zhong reached his conclusion.
Second-rank spirit trees were hard to find in the forest. Could they be beneath this lake instead?
Wei Zhong speculated.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he caught a powerful flash of spiritual light breaking through the lake's surface, only to vanish again as the water shifted.
"That is..."
Since entering the secret realm, Wei Zhong had never seen such intense spiritual light. It had to be some extraordinary treasure.
But staring at the lake before him, Wei Zhong hesitated again.
This lake was not recorded in the intelligence at all. If there are demon beasts in it, I'm afraid I won't be a match for them.
After struggling for a moment, Wei Zhong finally made up his mind.
I'll go down and take a look, but I won't dive too deep on the first try. If anything goes wrong, I'll return immediately.
With my strength, ordinary first-rank demon beasts are no match for me. Even in this lake, if I cannot defeat one, escaping should not be difficult.
Having made up his mind, Wei Zhong no longer hesitated and plunged headfirst into the lake.
The water was not cold, but rather somewhat warm. It was also clear enough that, through the upper layers of the lake, he could faintly see the trees outside.
Yet below was somewhat dim, where light could not reach.
Wei Zhong began searching for that glimmer of spiritual light.
There were some tiny fish in the lake, but unfortunately, none were Spirit Fish. They were merely ordinary fish with a trace of spiritual energy in them.
Wei Zhong focused his senses and scanned his surroundings. At last, he spotted the spiritual light drifting with the current.
With a kick of his legs, he swam toward it.
Wei Zhong had never cultivated any water-breathing or water-escape spells. Otherwise, he would have been even faster.
Still, he was a cultivator, far stronger than an ordinary person.
Passing through a school of fish, Wei Zhong snatched the spiritual light in his hand. It was a stone emitting a white glow.
Mid-Grade Spirit Stone?
Wei Zhong was delighted. In the cultivation world, one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was worth at least a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Yet they were scarce commodities; one often had to pay an additional twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones to exchange for one.
This was Wei Zhong's first time obtaining such a spirit stone in reality.
Whether at the Yan family or Bright Moon Market of the Azurewood Sect, Low-Grade Spirit Stones had always served as the standard equivalent in trade.
He had not expected to gain such a harvest within this secret realm.
Sweeping his gaze around, Wei Zhong discovered several more patches of spiritual light.
He hurriedly circulated his spiritual power and swam about, gathering them one after another.
Unfortunately, not every glimmer was a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone. The dimmer ones were merely Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Even so, Wei Zhong was overjoyed. In the end, he obtained three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and eleven Low-Grade Spirit Stones. He had earned back the entry fee for this secret realm expedition.
Could there be a Spirit Stone Mine here, with so many spirit stones?
Wei Zhong could not help but speculate.
Suddenly, violent tremors arose from the lakebed, stirring the water into surging waves and sending the fish fleeing in all directions.
Countless streaks of spiritual light erupted from below. Wei Zhong finally understood where these spirit stones had come from.
He looked into the murky lakebed. The outside light could scarcely reach this deep, making it appear pitch-dark to the naked eye.
But under the enhancement of the Spirit Seeking Art, Wei Zhong saw spiritual light crashing about everywhere.
Among it, there was even a mass of spiritual light gathered together, forming some enormous entity.
"Demon beast!"
Wei Zhong's expression changed. He casually grabbed two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones pushed toward him by the water, then turned and rushed for the surface.
Fighting this sort of demon beast underwater was exceedingly unwise. Wei Zhong had to get out of the water at once.
Who would have thought that the surging spiritual energy around him would strike his body like shockwaves, throwing his form into disarray?
The demon beast behind him had already charged close.
Wei Zhong decisively cast the Golden Body Art and turned to face the underwater demon beast.
A golden carp, fully two zhang long, surged up from below. Its pale-gold whiskers were half as long as Wei Zhong's body, swaying in the current.
This fish does not seem hostile.
In the blink of an eye, the golden carp had darted past Wei Zhong without paying any attention to this strange creature in the water.
Though this demon beast bears me no hostility, the water is still churning violently. I'd better get out.
Wei Zhong swam toward the shore in the direction the golden carp had gone.
When he surfaced, he saw the fish swimming joyfully through the water. The splashing droplets made the scales upon its body gleam with golden light beneath the sun.
Yet the lake was not very large, and the fish-type demon beast swam swiftly. Before long, it had circled the entire lake and only then noticed Wei Zhong nearby.
It swam around Wei Zhong twice, curiosity appearing in its eyes, then wiggled its whiskers to tickle him.
Wei Zhong irritably slapped the whiskers away.
Could this fish be a little simple-minded?
A first-rank Spirit Fish. Judging from its aura, it seemed to be at the peak of the first rank and needed only a single opportunity to transform into the second rank.
A second-rank demon core?
A malicious smile appeared in Wei Zhong's eyes.
Yet the Spirit Fish seemed not to sense the danger at all. It circled Wei Zhong, carefully examining this strange creature it had never seen before.
"Sure enough, you're a fool."
Wei Zhong immediately had the idea of taking it as a spirit pet.
Whether he waited for it to advance before taking its core, or used it as his own helper, both would be excellent choices.
He cut his fingertip and let blood flow, then began drawing spirit patterns in the air.
Beast Driving Art · Proficient (69%)
His proficiency in this art was not particularly high. Wei Zhong only had Nine Colors, a spirit beast parrot, so he had never placed much importance on this technique.
Very soon, the spirit pattern was complete, hovering in midair.
Wei Zhong flicked his index finger.
"Go!"
It immediately sank into the Spirit Fish's body and vanished.
The casting of the Beast Driving Art met with barely any resistance from it, and the spell was completed with ease.
Wei Zhong sensed a faint connection between himself and the Spirit Fish.
"Truly a fool."
Wei Zhong patted the fish on the head. Now he had two foolish spirit beasts in his hands.
"I'll call you Big Gold!"
Before you continue