Holy shit!
The Land of Yin-Yang Harmony had existed since time immemorial. Obviously, it could not have produced its first Immortal Spirit Fungus only now.
After breaking through the soil, they would grow for just nine years before falling.
Where had the mature ones gone after falling?
Jiang Dongjun immediately looked down at the Cold Pool. Judging by the slope of the cliff, some must have rolled into it.
Had they sunk to the bottom? Or had they floated downstream on the surface?
What a shame!
Jiang Dongjun silently lamented the loss and shook his head.
He activated his Golden Eyes to check for any fish that had slipped through the net.
"Is that wisp of luminous white smoke marking the Immortal Spirit Fungus actually immortal spirit qi? I've heard the latter is a faint white current of air. Besides, the Star Dou Great Forest once produced immortal herb, creating that terrifying ferocious beast, the Myriad Demon King. It might be the same sort of heavenly treasure."
"Luminous white, luminous white..."
His golden eyes swept the area, and Jiang Dongjun actually spotted a target. Delight immediately surged through him.
The Immortal Spirit Fungus might have limited effects on him. His innate talent was already outrageously good; he was not some trash-tier underdog.
As an aside, for some reason, Tang San's children had rather poor cultivation talent. They had to steal outside power to surpass the geniuses of their generation, plucking that imbecile Dragon God completely bald over thirty thousand years.
Back to the point.
For his parents in this life, however, the Immortal Spirit Fungus was an immensely important tonic. After eating it, why would they need to pop pills? If the two of them cultivated steadily, they might even crawl their way into the Soul Douluo ranks before turning a hundred.
Besides, if there were enough of them, he could squeeze a hefty sum out of Shrek Academy.
Of course, Jiang Dongjun had another conjecture about the Immortal Spirit Fungus's effects.
-If an Immortal Spirit Fungus could grow for a hundred thousand years and become an unprecedented "immortal spirit fungus king," might the immortal spirit qi it produced help break through to the divine origin realm?
A little ledge lay diagonally above him, more than fifty feet away.
A faint, subdued ball of luminous white light was embedded in it, covered by dirt, stones, and dead branches. It could not be detected with true vision; only the special sight of his Golden Eyes revealed it.
Jiang Dongjun did not rush to dig it out.
His golden eyes blazed as he scanned his surroundings.
One, two, three...
In dirt ledges, in cracks between rocks, beneath boulders, among the stones beside the pool...
Some glowed brightly, while others were so faint they were on the verge of fading away. The Jiang father and son collected them one by one. They were dark brown or outright black, dry and hard as stone, and varied in size.
They harvested five in total.
Three were badly damaged, their luminous white glow extremely dim. There was no telling how much potency remained.
"What a shame. More fungal clumps must have fallen into the Cold Pool. They're very dense, so they definitely sank." Jiang Ming was filled with regret.
Jiang Dongjun nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Hey, my yin spirit really likes the dark, cold environment down there. Why don't I try fishing around in the pool?"
"Absolutely not!"
Without a moment's consideration, Jiang Ming rejected the idea outright, his expression leaving no room for argument.
"We've tested this. Your yin spirit merely has an innate affinity for negative energy with dark and cold attributes, and cultivation is gradually shifting it toward a masculine, yang nature. Your yin spirit isn't immune to that cold. If it's strong enough, it can still severely damage your mind. I'm afraid you'd feel perfectly comfortable at first after going down, only to end up like a frog being boiled in warm water. By the time you realized something was wrong, your yin spirit would no longer be able to retreat."
"Besides, Dongjun, you've examined these fungal clumps yourself. They aren't impervious to water and fire. After falling into the Cold Pool, they might not even last as long as they would exposed to wind and sun on shore. There's no need to take the risk."
His father's expression was utterly serious. It was the first time Jiang Dongjun had seen Jiang Ming look that way.
"Dongjun, we've already gained more than enough on this trip. Once we get back, we can sell the information about this place to Shrek Academy for a high price and make another tidy profit... don't be greedy!"
That was right. The father and son were full of crafty schemes and had no intention of holding on to the Land of Yin-Yang Harmony for the long term. They planned to wrangle a handsome reward out of Shrek Academy.
Give up the long-term profits and reap a one-time payout!
That was the best choice.
The Jiang Family had only two Soul Kings, and unlike the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, this place had no natural defenses protecting it. They could not stop outsiders from exploring it. Who could the Jiang Family send to guard it?
A Soul King couldn't guard jack shit.
Besides, Evil Soul Masters had been active here. That was what Jiang Dongjun feared most.
What if a Titled Douluo from the Holy Spirit Cult heard the news and came over to recruit people?
For at least the next two years, the Jiang Family had better stay away and keep their heads down.
If they sold it to Shrek Academy instead, the academy would certainly station people here to monitor the Immortal Spirit Fungus's growth. Even a conservative estimate would put an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo in charge, wouldn't it?
Then, like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, Jiang Dongjun would still have opportunities to return here to cultivate and collect fortune.
Afraid he had not driven the point home, Jiang Ming offered another warning.
"Remember! When greed piles up too high, it brings destruction!"
"Dad, lesson learned. I'll remember it." Jiang Dongjun hurriedly made his stance clear.
Jiang Ming nodded in satisfaction, said no more, and changed the subject.
"I'll set things up here so it doesn't suffer a 'human calamity' and get wrecked the moment we leave. Once that's done, we'll head home."
Using the materials he carried and whatever he could find nearby, Jiang Ming made a camouflage cover for the Immortal Spirit Fungus, making it look like a prominently jutting ledge.
The vast quantities of morning mist that had surged out and filled Old Dragon Ravine dissipated after a little over an hour.
Carrying Jiang Dongjun, Jiang Ming had him sweep every inch of Old Dragon Ravine with his Golden Eyes. Only after confirming that no "fish had slipped through the net" did he use the Flying Soul Tool to rise high into the sky and begin their return journey.
Flying home was much faster.
The route was also more direct. They did not need to follow the Star Dou Empire's official roads, which took long detours around mountains and rivers. Starting at the southeastern corner of the Star Dou Great Forest, they skirted its southern edge toward the northwest, greatly shortening the journey.
Of course, there was an even shorter route-straight through the Star Dou Great Forest.
But not even a Titled Douluo would court death like that.
More than a thousand feet in the air, cold winds blew.
Jiang Dongjun nestled in his father's arms, gazing comfortably down at the boundless land.
Traveling this way had always been torture for both of them, but today was different. With Dusk Protection, they wrapped themselves in a gauzy layer of soul power and felt far more comfortable. It was much more efficient than using soul power to fend off the cold wind.
"Huh? There are some familiar faces down below. If they're out at this hour, they must be on an inspection mission. Judging by their direction, could they be heading for Old Dragon Ravine? I'd better stop them."
Jiang Ming suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Then a soul-power transmission reached Jiang Dongjun's ears. After explaining the reason, Jiang Ming plunged downward.
Looking up toward the direction of their rapid descent, Jiang Dongjun spotted the familiar faces his father had mentioned. They were actually two young women around twenty. Judging by their auras, one was composed as a forest, while the other was aggressive as fire.
The latter, in particular, actually made his Soul Ring stir as they drew closer.
Jiang Dongjun's mind worked quickly, and he immediately narrowed down her identity.
Anything capable of resonating with this bizarre Soul Ring of his had to be related to either an "elf" or the "sun."
Her clothes, hair color, and explosive, fire-like aggression all proclaimed her identity as a fire-attribute Soul Master, making it easy to rule out the "elf" option.
For the latter possibility, her gender also ruled out Xu He, He Caitou.
Evil Phoenix? Or Golden Crow?
It had to be the latter!
Having deduced the answer, Jiang Dongjun could not help sighing.
The Golden Crow really had rotten luck. In the myths of the myriad worlds, it was a top-tier creature, yet here in the Douluo Plane, it could not even measure up to a scorpion or a bunch of lizards and crawling reptiles.
Golden Crow true fire fell a hair short of ultimate fire. By a crude measure, its ceiling was on par with Ma Hongjun: the potential to become a Second-Level God.
How pathetic!
"See that blonde girl? She's my romantic rival's daughter."
Jiang Dongjun: Huh???
This is a new account. Don't screw with me!
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