Chapter 27 (continued)

Spiritual mist enveloped the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout, which slowly absorbed it.

Once the drop of spiritual liquid was spent, the bud emerged again, looking fresher and plumper.

The spiritual liquid worked on the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout too!

Shan Heyuan repeated the experiment.

The Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout needed more Spiritual Power. He fed it the rest of the spiritual liquid, but it showed no obvious change, much less unfurled into a leaf.

It seemed he would need to find an environment richer in Spiritual Power to grow the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout.

When the experiment was over, Shan Heyuan had less than half a bowl of spirit spring water left.

He carefully poured the precious water into a jade bottle for storage.

Until he obtained more spirit spring water, he had no intention of using what remained.

That evening, when Shen Duheng returned, he pushed open the courtyard gate and saw Shan Heyuan bent over the newly placed workbench. A Spirit Artifact lamp glowed beside him, its soft yellow light making his features look more distinct.

Shen Duheng walked over and held a hand between his eyes and the lamp. "Doesn't that hurt your eyes?"

Shan Heyuan turned and smiled. "It's fine."

"What are you writing?" Shen Duheng asked.

Shen Duheng saw the dense rows of numbers in the notebook and recognized them as characters from Shan Heyuan's original world. "Keeping accounts?"

"Not accounts," Shan Heyuan said. "I'm calculating how much Spiritual Power different spring waters can hold."

Shan Heyuan turned the notebook around to show him. "If we set the amount of Spiritual Power ordinary spring water can hold at one, then Qi Refining-grade spirit spring water can hold about 3.2, and Foundation Establishment-grade spirit spring water can hold 11.7."

Shen Duheng glanced at it and understood. "Are you mixing spiritual liquid?"

"Something like that," Shan Heyuan said.

Shan Heyuan told him about Wen Chengyi.

Qi Refining-grade spirit spring water was fairly easy to buy. Several general stores in town carried it, and it wasn't expensive. He always kept some in his storage ring.

Foundation Establishment-grade spirit spring water was much rarer. Only the Hidden Spirits General Store carried it in town. He had noticed the price when he shopped there before: over six thousand spirit beads a liter. He had never been willing to spend that much. Only when he was at the Supreme Harmony Sect had he tasted Foundation Establishment spirit spring water and used it to water valuable Spirit Plants.

As for Core Formation-grade spirit spring water, he had only learned there was some on Dinggao Mountain when Wen Chengyi mentioned it that day.

After hearing him out, Shen Duheng asked, "What do you think?"

Shan Heyuan said honestly, "I don't know what it's like on Dinggao Mountain. Would it be dangerous for you? If not, it would be nice to see Core Formation-grade spirit spring water."

Shen Duheng nodded slightly. "I see."

Shan Heyuan looked at him. "Does that mean you're agreeing?"

"I'll tell you after I talk to Wen Chengyi tomorrow," Shen Duheng said.

That meant there was hope. A smile appeared in Shan Heyuan's eyes.

Shen Duheng pulled him to his feet. "Stop calculating and get some rest first."

Shan Heyuan gathered his papers. "I'm done. Oh, right, let me show you the Illusionless Tree! I used spiritual liquid to coax its leaves out today."

Shan Heyuan eagerly pulled Shen Duheng over to show off his treasure. "Look, heart-shaped leaves!"

Shen Duheng took a look. "It's growing well. Can you put it in your Dantian now?"

Shan Heyuan gently stroked a leaf. "Let it grow a little more. It's still too small; I'm afraid I'll drain it dry."

After showing it to Shen Duheng, Shan Heyuan put the Illusionless Tree, jade tub and all, back inside the restriction.

If nothing went wrong, in two months, the Illusionless Tree would be able to play a major role in his cultivation.

The next day, Shen Duheng arranged to speak with Wen Chengyi in detail.

Shan Heyuan didn't know what the two had discussed. When Shen Duheng returned, he told him he had agreed to go to Dinggao Mountain for the spirit spring water.

"Are you going alone?" Shan Heyuan asked. "What do you need to prepare?"

"I'm taking you with me," Shen Duheng said.

Shan Heyuan grew nervous. "Can I go? Would I hold you back?"

"It's not that easy to hold me back. Dinggao Mountain isn't particularly dangerous. It depends on your schedule. If you're free, we can make the trip after tending the Supreme Harmony Sect's Spirit Plants the day after tomorrow."

Shan Heyuan immediately nodded to say he was free.

His cultivation had improved, and so had his horizons. He was quite happy to go out.

Especially somewhere relatively far away like this. A trip was bound to bring rewards; it was only a question of how great they would be.

After settling on a date with Shen Duheng, Shan Heyuan began preparing in advance.

He wasn't short of spirit beads now, so he made a special trip to the Hidden Spirits General Store to buy a batch of materials and seeds, then commissioned a batch of talismans from Zhong Shuran.

When Zhong Shuran heard they were going to Dinggao Mountain, he looked envious. "Dinggao Mountain on the Pu River Spirit Vein? I hear it has an especially large number of high-grade Demon Beasts and Spirit Plants. If you're strong enough, one trip into those mountains can fill your pots and bowls to overflowing."

Shan Heyuan replied casually, "If you're strong enough, what mountain wouldn't fill your pots and bowls to overflowing?"

"True enough," Zhong Shuran said. "Once our cultivation improves, we should go take a look at Dinggao Mountain too."

"Sure. We'll scout it out this time and share the map with you all when we get back," Shan Heyuan said.

Seeing how readily he agreed, Zhong Shuran smiled. "In that case, I should give you a discount and count it as buying myself a share. How about it?"

Shan Heyuan said, "When it comes to discounts like that, the more the better."

As a cultivator specializing in everyday crafts, all Shan Heyuan could do was buy as many supplies as possible.

Dinggao Mountain was very famous in the nearby towns, not only because it sat atop a spirit vein, but also because of its size.

Unlike mountains such as Xinglan Mountain, which lay between towns, its size was not limited.

It was a vast range, one mountain rising behind another, as large as a country.

Most of Dinggao Mountain was covered in primeval forest, with an extraordinary number of high-grade Demon Beasts and Spirit Plants. That alone showed how dangerous a place it was.

Legend had it that a sect had once chosen to build its main hall on the Dinggao Mountain spirit vein. Before the hall was finished, however, its founding patriarch was hunted down and killed by a high-grade Demon Beast. The entire sect fell apart, and no sect had entertained a similar idea since.

They had a map for this trip into the mountains.

Wen Chengyi had provided it, though he hadn't made it himself. He had traded for it somewhere.

Judging by its markings, the map must have been drawn quite some time ago.

The spirit spring was still there after all these years, which showed that obtaining its water was no easy task.

Shan Heyuan prepared himself mentally and quietly cheered himself on.

It had been a long time since Shan Heyuan had gone hunting in the mountains with Shen Duheng.

When they stopped to rest that evening, he felt the Spiritual Power of the Dinggao Spirit Vein and breathed in the crisp, cool air unique to the mountains. "It's so comfortable up here. If we have time someday, it would be nice to spend a while cultivating in the mountains."

Shen Duheng built the campfire until it crackled. "If you like it, we can make arrangements when we get back and move here."

Shan Heyuan hastily waved his hands. "No, no, no! I can't give up the bustle of town!"

Once they had settled in for the time being, Shan Heyuan took out the Illusionless Tree and the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout he carried with him.

The two Spirit Plants were too precious. Even with the restriction in the courtyard, he couldn't rest easy leaving them there, so he had to carry them with him.

Afraid that his Dantian would harm the Spirit Plants by absorbing their Spiritual Power, Shan Heyuan didn't dare put them inside it for now. Instead, he kept them in a jade box engraved with an array and watered them with spiritual liquid.

Even so, he couldn't leave them shut inside all day. He had to take them out for some air every few hours, or they would easily wilt.

Dinggao Mountain was simply too vast.

They spent the night in the mountains and set off again early the next morning.

Shen Duheng had the map, and they followed it without exploring much.

Even so, there were so many Spirit Plants in the mountains that, in just two days, Shan Heyuan dug up more than ten at the Qi Refining Eighth Stage or higher.

Unfortunately, none were at Foundation Establishment or above.

Spirit Plants at Foundation Establishment or above could be considered treasures, and they weren't so easy to find in the wild.

They traveled for a full three and a half days before reaching the location marked on the map.