Both broke through

In the bamboo grove of Golden Pearl Ravine.

Whenever Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel grew tired, they sat down to meditate, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to recuperate. Once they recovered, they threw themselves back into logging.

After the senior brother guarding the grove came to inspect them, Lin Jing felt they had little time left. Both had a premonition that a great crisis might descend at any moment.

Sure enough, they had barely worked much longer when two rainbow streaks crossed the sky and descended into the bamboo grove, landing before them.

The arrivals... were an old man in blue robes with a dark expression and an old man in black robes with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

"Elder Yu... and Elder Mo? You're back?"

Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel looked surprised to see them.

At that moment, the sight of spirit bamboo strewn all over the ground made Elder Yu's teeth ache.

Was this... really something a disciple at the first layer of Qi Refining and a Pineleaf Squirrel at the third layer of Qi Refining could accomplish?

It really wasn't the spirit stones he begrudged. The main issue was... making a Bamboo Mechanical Dragon simply didn't require this much material!

"You two... cut all of this?" Elder Mo looked at the Red Flying Leaf in the Pineleaf Squirrel's arms and let out a sound of surprise, immediately noticing how extraordinary it was.

A special spirit plant!

Of an unknown species.

With this, the Pineleaf Squirrel was like a cultivator wielding a magical treasure; it could indeed enhance its magical power. But where had Lin Jing and the squirrel obtained this leaf?

Besides, throwing a flying leaf like this had to be enormously draining for a Pineleaf Squirrel with such low cultivation. This many bamboo stalks was still far too outrageous. Had they been logging day and night?

What perseverance.

Suddenly... something occurred to Elder Mo, and his heart raced!

"Yes, Elder," Lin Jing replied. "To avoid delaying the Rising Dragon Festival's activities, the Pineleaf Squirrel and I haven't dared slack off at all these past few days. We've only slept four hours a day."

"Hahahaha! Well done!" The next moment, Elder Mo burst out laughing, then patted Elder Yu on the shoulder. "Old Yu, look how hardworking the disciple I brought back is! I reckon this much spirit bamboo should be enough for you to make your mechanical dragons, so why not let him go back and get some rest?"

"Remember not to shortchange him on the mission reward..." With that, he stepped forward and summoned clouds and mist to sweep Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel away, leaving a bewildered Elder Yu behind.

"Damn it! That old bastard Mo Wuyou must have given this Longevity Body some special treatment too! Otherwise, how could a Pineleaf Squirrel at the third layer of Qi Refining possibly manage this?" Elder Yu cursed under his breath. "This much spirit bamboo would be enough to make bamboo dragons with Foundation Establishment cultivation."

"Nobody's getting off easy at this year's Rising Dragon Festival! I'll turn up the heat on you lot!"

In a private courtyard in the outer sect.

After bringing Lin Jing back, Elder Mo kept scrutinizing him and the Pineleaf Squirrel before asking tentatively, "Where did you get this Red Flying Leaf?"

"Elder Mo, this Red Flying Leaf... was made by the Pineleaf Squirrel itself using a divine ability," Lin Jing said. "Not long after I formed a contract with it, its species mutated! My guess is that it might have mutated toward the treasure beasts you told me about!"

"A treasure beast..." Elder Mo's breathing quickened, and his face flushed red. "So it really is."

"Yes." Lin Jing nodded. "We've been waiting for you to return, Elder Mo. Is its condition... normal?"

Elder Mo threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"Six pairs failed, and this time it finally worked! Hahahahaha..."

Holy shit!

Seeing Elder Mo's crazed behavior, Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel both took a step back.

A moment later, Elder Mo fixed his gaze on Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel again. "What is its innate divine ability?!"

"Glazed Immortal Eyes," Lin Jing replied. "It has the power to turn stone into gold. It can combine a certain quantity of low-grade resources into a higher-grade resource with different properties!"

"Glazed Immortal Eyes?" Elder Mo said. "This Red Flying Leaf must have been synthesized by those immortal eyes, then."

"Yes!"

"Could you demonstrate it for me?" Elder Mo looked at the Pineleaf Squirrel.

Upon hearing this, the Pineleaf Squirrel immediately began panting for breath, its body swaying as though it might topple over, its eyes full of exhaustion as it looked at Elder Mo.

"Of course. Cutting spirit bamboo must have taken a tremendous amount out of you two." As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle, poured out a white pill, and tossed it to the Pineleaf Squirrel.

"This medicinal pill is called a Spirit-Replenishing Pill. Eat it, and you'll return to peak condition!"

"Squeak?!" The Pineleaf Squirrel caught it delightedly and crunched down on the Spirit-Replenishing Pill. The next instant, the pill's power turned into streams of spiritual energy that flowed throughout its body. Unexpectedly, eating the pill did more than simply restore its spiritual power to its fullest. Green light swirled in its eyes, and its aura surged. In one fell swoop, it broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining!

Besides that, Lin Jing, who shared a bloodline contract with the Pineleaf Squirrel, finally experienced what beast-taming feedback felt like. As the squirrel broke through, his blood churned as well, and spiritual energy surged within him. His cultivation smashed straight through the barrier of the first layer of Qi Refining and reached the second layer!

Both had broken through!

Elder Mo wasn't particularly surprised by the Pineleaf Squirrel's breakthrough. Even setting aside its diligent "cultivation" in the bamboo grove and its innate talent, it was a treasure beast... Nothing that happened to a treasure beast would surprise him!

Having broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining, the Pineleaf Squirrel was brimming with energy again. It had intended to synthesize another Red Flying Leaf, but suddenly, it noticed with surprise that the spirit beans planted in the courtyard earlier were almost ripe.

Eager to find out what effect synthesized spirit beans would have, the Pineleaf Squirrel hurried over to harvest and shell them. Two beans, four beans, six beans... Soon, it had gathered more than a hundred spirit beans, covering the ground.

"Spirit beans are a basic spirit plant. Their effects are the same as spirit rice: eating them replenishes a small amount of spiritual energy." Elder Mo nodded at the sight.

The Pineleaf Squirrel began using its Glazed Immortal Eyes on the spirit beans!

It didn't know whether it would succeed, either.

Fortunately, luck was on its side. Immortal radiance shone from the Pineleaf Squirrel's Glazed Immortal Eyes, and the pile of brown, peanut-like spirit beans on the ground was immediately enveloped in jadeite light. Then... they were synthesized into a single green spirit bean, fragrant and brimming with spiritual energy!

"Elder Mo, these are the Glazed Immortal Eyes. But this is the Pineleaf Squirrel's first time synthesizing spirit beans, so we don't know yet... what effect this new spirit bean will have." Lin Jing studied the green spirit bean. It seemed... very fragrant, and surely immensely nourishing.

Its vibrant vitality suggested it might have healing effects, reminding Lin Jing of an "Immortal Bean."

"Mm." Elder Mo waved his sleeve, and a groggy black bear appeared in the courtyard.

"Master, what's up?" the Black Bear Monster asked. He seemed to have been sleeping just now.

"There's something good over there. Go have a taste." Elder Mo pointed at the green spirit bean on the ground.

"Huh? Lemme see!" The Black Bear Monster paused, his nose twitching, then immediately picked up the green spirit bean and put it into his mouth.

The next instant.

Boom!

The spirit bean exploded with considerable force. The mutated spirit bean actually functioned as a spiritual energy bomb. It wasn't edible.