Thankfully, the next section was a 'rest room' as these dungeon's were made by the world will to test cultivators and spirit beasts. Not specifically just kill them, so it was common for there to be a restroom every few sections.
This rest room took the form of a nice... Peaceful meadow that was filled with rich spiritual energy and the thick grass itself was a low-ranking famous herb that could help close wounds.
After I threw the Blood Thickening Grass into my farming space and looked into it a bit to learn what it was used for. I was just laid out on a blanket I had stuffed inside of my spatial ring.
And with the meadow's thick grass... Honestly it was pretty damn comfy all things told.
Then Dao Xuan, the kindest, yet the 'flattest' of the sisters, elegantly kneeled beside me and spoke softly and with actual closeness. "Brother... There is something I don't understand and I hope you could tell me?"
I raised an eyebrow at the affection in her voice. But then again I not only saved her own life but also her sister's life as well.
"Goooo ahead?" I said with a bit of a drawl as I folded my hands behind my head and looked up towards the beautiful 'clouds' that obscured the ceiling above us.
And I paused as Dao Xuan asked in confusion. "Brother, with your talent... Why hasn't an elder offered to take you as their disciple? Have you just refused to take a master or teacher?"
My face then twitched as I said helplessly. "If a wonderful and powerful Nascent Soul level Elder offered to take me as a disciple I would happily kneel and worship them as my master. I would be happily with just a Golden Core teacher as well if they had experience in Alchemy which is what I really want to get into."
But then I shrugged as I said in the same helpless tone. "But I have only been in the sect for not even a couple of months. No matter the fact that I have achieved a Heavenly Foundation. What's the chances such elder's have just been in seclusion and never heard about me?"
"Not only that... But how many elite elders even want to take a disciple right now, either is another issue." I finished with a sigh as getting Alchemy recipes was my major issue right now.
As I already had a powerful Beast Flame as well as a middle-grade tier three alchemy cauldron. I was just missing alchemy recipes at this point. Though I knew that trying to master alchemy with just a recipe was a good way to kill myself via an exploding cauldron.
From what I DID know about alchemy in a more concrete manner it was the equilvalent of saying.
'Sure, I did have the recipe to make nuclear fuel rods. But would you really trust some random dudes hand made fuel rods when you needed to take them and put them into the nuclear reactor inside of yourself?'
"Uhm... My mother Dao Zian is a golden core Elder of the Outer Court. I could ask if she could offer some guidance?" She said with a small flush as she fiddled with her fingers that were lying inside of her lap.
I was actually going to say something arrogant like she really couldn't help me. Me, that already set a Heavenly Foundation. But I realized that through her mother Dao Zian, I would have a chance to meet stronger elders as well.
Networking even in this world of punching people and concepts to death was still very much an important thing after all.
I took a breath before I said thoughtfully. "Sure, I would be interested in meeting your mother and asking for her guidance."
And a helpless chuckle rang out as Dao Mengdi who came over from where Dao Toubi was resting. Spoke with a rather pointed tone towards Dao Xuan.
"Be careful, little Xuan, mother will think you are trying to show off your future husband or something."
Ooooh yeah. That made Dao Xuan flush with her pale cheeks turning cherry red and then she hissed back.
"Yeah, well, at least I will have brought a suitable man back home! You are over thirty and still haven't even held hands with a boy yet!" Dao Xuan sniped back.
The youngest sister did seem to have claws from the looks of things. At least when it came to her sister's teasing her.
Still, Dao Mengdi just chuckled and gave me a thoughtful look... Unknowing that while she was standing a ways from me, as I lay out on the ground. I could see she was wearing white panties that matched her white and blue trim robes.
"In any case, our mother does have some alchemy recipes she has collected over the years as she serves in the Alchemy department that is in charge of rewarding Outer Disciples with pills for meritous actions."
I nodded thoughtfully and asked curiously. "Think we will get some pills for getting sucked into this mess?"
Dao Xuan and Dao Mengdi both snorted with helpless expressions crossing their faces, with Dao Mengdi saying rather bluntly.
"Of course not. We had no idea this Dungeon was overflowing because we didn't use a tier three dungeon scrying tool to check its spiritual density... It's technically our fault, as this dungeon was supposed to be a low-tier two dungeon for Foundation Establishment cultivators."
I gave Dao Mengdi a forlorn look before I coughed and said. "Fair enough... Anyway, I am going rest a bit to recover my qi."
I then closed my eyes and circulated my cultivation method. And with the dense wood energy surrounding us seeing as we were literally lying on a meadow of a low ranking spirit herb basically.
The speed of my cultivation and qi recovery was damned fast.
Meanwhile, even with my mind focused on my cultivation, I kept my senses open on the girls with Dao Mengdi walking back to Dao Xu who was letting Dao Toubi rest her head on her lap.
But Dao Xuan. She didn't move. She didn't leave, no after what seemed like five minutes of fidgeting and mental anguish, she made her move!
She slowly inched closer and one eye snapped open as she brought her knees next to my head and seeing my open eye she whispered with a flush. "You... Brother you can rest your head on my lap if you want?"
And you know what. When a big titty adorable junior sister type with silver hair and blue eye's offers you a lap pillow? The only answer was obviously yes!
But before I could actually agree, Dao Xuan giggled under her breath and scooted forward with her hands gently lifting up my head so it would slide over and then rest on her soft thighs.
"This is..." I drew off as Dao Xuan coughed to cut me off.
But I couldn't see her expression with Mt Milker's hanging above my head and giving me a nice set of shade.
"Shh, just rest Jake. I will keep a watch out while you rest." Dao Xuan said with a weak voice.
And hearing that adorable weak voice, I could only inwardly sigh as what could I do. Aggressively deny the lap pillow and roll away like she had a plague?
Yeah, I could already see the dozen young master's coming for me, assuming I survived this dungeon coming after me.
-
After a good rest that allowed my qi stores to fully restore. And Dao Toubi's broken bones to set and healed to some extent with the healing pills and elixers she had taken.
We got back into the swing of things. We became a much more polished machine in clearing out the next half dozen segments of the dungeon. And as we got deeper into the dungeon, we also came across dungeon chests that were filled with some resources.
Enchanted tools, weapons, talismans, and pills of high quality but low rank were gathered up. But even as Dao Xu was was more than willing to share the loot with me, especially the spirit stones.
I very firmly ONLY took the heavenly earth treasures and herbs that I could use for alchemy in the future.
But soon enough, we reached the 'boss' room of the dungeon and we came across the giant Gu Queen and their brood of armored diamond Gu.
"Those Diamond Gu are upper-middle second-tier spirit beasts with a defensive focus... Along with extreme regeneration, so fuck going into the boss room!" I said with an actually exasperated expression.
As the Gu Queen was literally twice as big as a giant bull elephant. And the Diamond Gu were only like thirty percent smaller. The door and tunnel leading into the boss room were only like a standard double door in width.
"But... We can't really fight in the width of this tunnel? If they use ranged attacks, we will have to block them or we will be hit hard." Dao Xu said with a heavy frown.
I gave Dao Xu a dull look before I said flatly. "What ranged attacks? The Gu Queen's method of attack is a mental attack we can't block anyway. And the Diamond Gu doesn't have one even if it reaches the Golden Core level, which they are very much not at the level of."
During the worst timeline before I saved the previous sister, Dao Xu and Dao Mengdi both went into the boss room and fought a heavy and draining fight against these tank-like oversized bugs.
And it was so draining, very specifically, because they could only slowly tear through the Gu Queen and the Diamond Gu over time while running around.
Basically, they were forcing themselves to play Dark Souls when right now we could just be playing a Tower Defense game. But the balloon couldn't fit on the path to begin with.
And my words hit Dao Mengdi the hardest as she said with a wry smile. "I didn't think about that either Jake. You are right, alright then. You start creating a killing floor with your root cannons, and we will draw them into the firing range."