That glance left him utterly dumbfounded.
The other giant rat had been pierced through the chest by the throwing spear and nailed viciously to the ground. Zhou Xun was now pulling the spear free.
"I'm a demon-hunting cultivator forged in Hundred Savages Mountain, yet I can't even compare to a greenhorn fresh from the nest!"
Dan Xiong Hai shook his head hard. Just as he was about to speak, Zhou Xun cut him off.
"The three little ones got away. Hurry and chase them!"
Only then did Dan Xiong Hai come back to his senses. Shame welled up in his heart. He was a dignified demon-hunting cultivator, yet he had made such a mistake and needed a novice like Zhou Xun to remind him.
He hurriedly tried to save face.
"I'll chase the two on the left. The one on the right is yours!"
Zhou Xun had no objections. Without even bothering to deal with the prey, the two of them picked up their spears and gave chase.
The juvenile Goldspirit Rats were exceedingly nimble. Once they slipped into the thickets, they vanished without a trace.
But Zhou Xun was no ordinary person—he was a genuine cultivator.
He poured Spirit Energy into his eyes and swiftly caught sight of the little Goldspirit Rat several dozen zhang away.
"Found it!"
He immediately channeled Spirit Energy into his legs and exerted himself lightly. His body broke into a graceful run, his heartbeat perfectly matching the rhythm of his footsteps. His steps were light and measured, like a flickering ghost.
It was early morning. Sunlight began to pierce through the mist, scattering golden rays across the earth.
His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, remained fixed on that golden shadow ahead.
Even when it was blocked by shrubs and branches, he could quickly locate it again.
After chasing for several dozen breaths, Zhou Xun drew ever closer to the Goldspirit Rat.
Suddenly, they reached a valley. The Goldspirit Rat flashed out of sight, and Zhou Xun hurried after it.
By the time he arrived at the valley entrance, the Goldspirit Rat had already disappeared.
Yet Zhou Xun was not worried, because this valley was the Goldspirit Rat's lair.
The juvenile Goldspirit Rat had fled in blind panic and run straight back to its own home. Now, it was a turtle in a jar.
Zhou Xun began searching carefully. Before long, he discovered a cave in one of the cliff faces, two chi wide and five chi high—just large enough for one person to enter.
Vines concealed the cave. Without a careful inspection, it would have been impossible to discover.
Zhou Xun picked up a dry pine branch and cast a Fire Seed Art, instantly igniting it. Then he pushed aside the vines, held his breath, raised the torch, and slipped inside.
With his current cultivation, holding his breath for half an hour posed no problem at all.
Moss grew along both sides of the cave. As Zhou Xun ventured deeper, the passage gradually widened, until he could finally straighten up and walk.
After proceeding more than ten zhang inward, the stone walls on either side began to dry out, no longer bearing moss or similar vegetation.
Moreover, the deeper he went, the denser the Spiritual Qi inside the cave became.
Zhou Xun grew increasingly wary and held the throwing spear across his chest.
After walking another hundred zhang or so, the path suddenly opened up, revealing a great hall.
The hall spanned nearly ten zhang. At its center lay a pool roughly three zhang wide, with a raised platform in the middle. Four plants grew atop it.
"Spirit herbs!"
Those two words flashed through Zhou Xun's mind.
Unfortunately, he did not recognize them. The four plants looked remarkably like unopened orchids from his previous life.
On closer inspection, each one had exactly seven leaves.
The leaves were jade-green throughout, like emeralds. One glance was enough to tell that they were precious spirit herbs.
But Zhou Xun had no intention of harvesting them just yet.
He remained extremely vigilant. There was still no sign of the juvenile Goldspirit Rat.
Suddenly, he sensed a gust of wind above his head. Zhou Xun immediately darted aside.
A golden blade grazed past his forehead, carrying away a lock of hair.
Zhou Xun was greatly alarmed.
"I nearly fell for it!"
Anger rose in his heart. He raised the throwing spear in his hand and thrust it at the shadow before him.
With a squelch.
Like a string of candied hawthorns, the spear ran straight through the juvenile Goldspirit Rat's heart. It struggled a few times, then died.
"Next time I go out, I must prepare a Defense Talisman!" Recalling that golden blade, Zhou Xun still felt lingering fear.
He had nearly had his head sliced off.
After steadying himself, Zhou Xun lifted the throwing spear and turned toward the cave entrance.
He had taken only a few steps when he saw Dan Xiong Hai entering.
"Da Hai, you finished that quickly?" Zhou Xun asked in surprise.
"Those two little ones didn't run. They even tried to hide and ambush me, so I skewered them one with each spear thrust!" Dan Xiong Hai laughed heartily, speaking as though it were nothing.
"What about their corpses?" Zhou Xun asked.
"I've already processed them! I collected the blood, whiskers, and Demon Beast Meat. Oh, and let me handle yours too. If we wait too long, their value will plummet!" Dan Xiong Hai said, patting the large bundle on his back.
Zhou Xun nodded. Dan Xiong Hai must have dealt with them while he was searching for the cave.
He handed the throwing spear to Dan Xiong Hai, then pointed at the four spirit herbs in the center of the hall and asked,
"Those four seem to be spirit herbs. Do you recognize them?"
"Spirit herbs?" Dan Xiong Hai took the spear, pulled the Goldspirit Rat's corpse from it, and looked in the direction Zhou Xun was pointing.
"Spirit Gathering Grass!" Dan Xiong Hai cried out.
His voice was filled with incredulous delight.
"Spirit Gathering Grass?" Upon hearing those words, Zhou Xun cried out as well.
"No wonder the Spiritual Qi grew denser and denser as we came in. By the time we reached this hall, it was even comparable to Red Leaf Square!"
One had to know that all of Red Leaf Square had been built atop a Tier 2 Low-Grade spirit vein.
Although most of Red Leaf Square's Spiritual Qi was usually bound by formations and supplied specifically to the ancestral grounds of the Four Great Clans, the Spiritual Qi density throughout the market itself still rivaled that of an ordinary Tier 1 High-Grade spirit vein.
Though he had not recognized it, Zhou Xun had certainly heard of the famed Spirit Gathering Grass.
Spirit Gathering Grass—its very name revealed its effect: gathering Spiritual Qi.
The high density of Spiritual Qi within this cave was all thanks to this Spirit Gathering Grass.
Because of this effect, many powerful cultivators liked to plant this spirit herb beside their cave dwellings to increase the density of Spiritual Qi.
But what made Spirit Gathering Grass so famous was not its ability to gather Spiritual Qi, but a type of pill—the Spirit Gathering Pill.
The renowned Spirit Gathering Pill of the Cultivation World, capable of helping Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators break through bottlenecks, was refined with this spirit herb as its primary ingredient.
As for Spirit Gathering Pills, even among the disciples of Red Leaf Square's Four Great Clans, only a tiny handful of those blessed with extraordinary talent or those who had rendered great merit could obtain them. Most people never had such an opportunity.
Each stalk of Spirit Gathering Grass could refine a batch of several Spirit Gathering Pills.
This showed just how precious these four stalks of Spirit Gathering Grass were—and how great a fortune they represented.
"With these, you, me, and Second Uncle all have a chance to become great Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators!" Dan Xiong Hai could not help grabbing Zhou Xun's wrist as he spoke excitedly.
Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators could be considered upper echelon even within Red Leaf Square's Four Great Clans.
Every one of them was a pivotal figure who could hold down an entire region.
After their burst of excitement passed, the two gradually calmed down.
Zhou Xun pointed at the Goldspirit Rat corpse lying on the ground.
"This Goldspirit Rat still hasn't been processed!"
"Ah, I nearly forgot." Dan Xiong Hai chuckled, grinning broadly.
"What's a Goldspirit Rat worth? With these stalks of Spirit Gathering Grass, we'll have enough resources to cultivate all the way to Late-Stage Qi Condensation!"
Dan Xiong Hai was not exaggerating. The price of a single Spirit Gathering Pill was enough to force even an ordinary Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivator to sell everything they owned.
Very soon, Dan Xiong Hai finished processing that Goldspirit Rat.
Then the two turned their attention to the four stalks of Spirit Gathering Grass.
"Good thing I brought jade boxes for preserving spirit herbs this time, or we'd have to make another trip!" As he spoke, Dan Xiong Hai took four jade boxes from his bundle.
He carefully harvested the four stalks of Spirit Gathering Grass and gently placed them into the jade boxes. Only then did he finally let out a relieved breath.
Gazing at the four jade boxes in Dan Xiong Hai's hands, Zhou Xun spoke.
"Da Hai, these four stalks..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted.
Before you continue