Deep in the dense forest of Great Green Mountain, Zhang Bin was diligently searching for the Mingqing Tree. He remembered seeing this magical herb in the forest before, but he couldn't recall where it grew, nor could he remember when he had seen it. So, even after searching for several hours, he still hadn't found it.
This isn't the right way to search; I need a better method. After all, Great Green Mountain is far too vast. Zhang Bin stopped and pondered for a moment. His eyes suddenly lit up as a good idea came to him. He immediately hurried to the place where he cultivated his ginseng.
SWOOSH...
The Little Fox transformed into a streak of red light, rushing over. In the blink of an eye, she leaped into Zhang Bin's arms and stuck out her little tongue to lick his face nonstop.
"Xiao Qian, you're a fox, not a puppy. You can't just go around licking people. If you're going to lick anyone, you can only lick me. Understand?" Zhang Bin said shamelessly.
The Little Fox actually seemed to understand, nodding her head with a shy expression.
My Xiao Qian is truly a Fox Spirit. I wonder when she'll be able to cultivate into a Fairy and become a beauty? Zhang Bin mused to himself as he took out his phone and displayed an image of the herb on the screen.
Then he asked expectantly, "Xiao Qian, this herb is called the Mingqing Tree. Have you seen it anywhere?"
The Little Fox looked closely, a thoughtful expression on her face, before she nodded her head rapidly.
This is great! Zhang Bin was secretly delighted and immediately had Xiao Qian lead the way.
SWOOSH...
Xiao Qian leaped from Zhang Bin's embrace and shot into the depths of the forest like an arrow.
Fortunately, Zhang Bin had cultivated to the Qi Refining Realm and had developed Longevity Qi in his dantian. His speed had already exceeded ten meters per second, and his stamina was also impressive. Thus, he could just barely keep up.
Xiao Qian ran for three hours straight without the slightest sign of stopping. Venturing this deep meant they were in a forbidden zone for humans; there were no traces of human activity to be seen. There was only the forest canopy blotting out the sky, and from time to time, they would spot pythons as thick as a bowl. They even saw several Green Wolves, all of them massive. Even an expert like Zhang Bin felt his scalp tingle and raised his guard.
However, Xiao Qian was no ordinary fox. Wherever she passed, all the animals—including the wolves—hurriedly scrambled out of her way.
Finally, a towering mountain appeared up ahead. Its base was shrouded in white mist, and its peak was wrapped in white clouds, creating a beautiful sight. Xiao Qian slowed down, leading Zhang Bin up the mountain to a cliff on the mountainside. She turned out to be an expert climber, deftly descending the cliff face.
A joyful look appeared on Zhang Bin's face, for he knew that the Mingqing Tree he was looking for was in the valley below. He found a vine as thick as his arm and used it to rappel down, quickly catching up with Xiao Qian.
The valley was terrifyingly deep; he descended for over ten minutes without reaching the bottom. Because the white mist sealed off everything, looking down from above revealed only a misty expanse that concealed the valley's true depth.
When Zhang Bin landed on the valley floor, he eagerly took in his surroundings. The valley was much larger than it had appeared from above. It was so vast that he couldn't see the end of it at a glance. Remarkably, there was even an ancient path made of stone slabs, clearly man-made.
How is this possible? Is a place like this actually inhabited?
A look of disbelief spread across Zhang Bin's face as he stepped onto the stone slab path. He set off down the path at a run, wanting to see for himself who on earth could live here. But he soon stopped in his tracks. Before him was an abyss, spanned by a Single-log Bridge that had almost completely rotted away. Its narrowest point was only as thick as a wrist. The bridge definitely couldn't support a person's weight.
He could only squint, trying to see the other side. Vaguely, he could make out what seemed to be a spacious area filled with many strange trees and plants. There was even a deep cave set into a cliff face. He looked down into the Abyss, but his view was completely obstructed by the thick mist. A dense chill emanated from its depths.
ROAR...
From within the Abyss came the roar of a large, ferocious beast; it sounded incredibly wild and fierce.
My god, don't tell me there are tigers down there? Zhang Bin exclaimed in shock to himself. He never knew such a place existed deep within the Great Green Mountain.
SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK...
Xiao Qian actually hopped onto the Single-log Bridge and bounced her way across. As she went, she kept looking back, as if telling Zhang Bin to follow her.
This is bad. Could the Mingqing Tree actually be on the other side? Zhang Bin muttered in dismay and immediately shouted, "Xiao Qian, I can't cross! We have to find the Mingqing Tree somewhere else!"
The Abyss was wide, at least twenty meters across, and the swirling mist made it impossible to see the other side clearly. If the Single-log Bridge was impassable, there was truly no way to get across.
WHOOSH...
Xiao Qian quickly ran back and leaped into Zhang Bin's arms, acting in a coquettish manner. Clearly, she wanted to breathe in some Spiritual Energy.
Zhang Bin wasn't stingy. He indulged the Little Fox's request, gathering some Spiritual Energy for her. The Little Fox breathed it in excitedly, her eyes watery and full of satisfaction.
Zhang Bin didn't immediately have Xiao Qian lead him elsewhere to look for the Mingqing Tree, because he was simply too curious about this place. He wanted to observe and study it closely.
"Huh..."
Zhang Bin suddenly let out a sound of surprise. He had just felt a faint wisp of Spiritual Energy drifting up from the Abyss, seemingly floating over from the other side of the Single-log Bridge.
Now that he had read the numerous materials sent by Gao Si, he had a new understanding of Spiritual Energy. Plants contained Spiritual Energy, but it varied between different types of plants. For instance, a Century-old Ginseng contained far more Spiritual Energy than an ordinary plant. Therefore, on Xuanwu Star, there were special medicinal materials that contained a great deal of Spiritual Energy, which cultivators could consume to rapidly break through to the next Realm. Such items were called Spiritual Medicines. As for Elixirs refined from Spiritual Medicines, their effects were even more potent.
Moreover, it wasn't just plants that contained Spiritual Energy; the earth itself did too. The Spiritual Energy within the earth was also unevenly distributed, with some places having more and others having less. In those places with abundant Spiritual Energy, there were Spirit Veins beneath the ground. A high-grade Spirit Vein could even nurture Spirit Stones—essentially, shiny stones that contained vast amounts of Spiritual Energy. Such places were perfect for cultivation, truly treasured lands.
Could there be a Spirit Vein at the bottom of the Abyss? Zhang Bin's heart began to pound rapidly.