"HUMMM…"
Just as Lin Feng and the Swordsman had each filled one jar with spring water and were about to fill a second, the pool before them suddenly erupted with a blinding light! As if stimulated by something, it emitted a faint, resonant hum!
"What the…"
The intense glare forced Lin Feng to instinctively shut his eyes. Shock and confusion gripped him. Squinting through barely opened lids, his expression immediately changed!!
He saw that the pool full of spiritual spring water was visibly receding! It was as if a hole had suddenly opened at the bottom!!
Lin Feng's mind went blank for a split second before he cried out in alarm, "What's happening?!"
"MY GOD!! NO!! DON'T!!"
The Swordsman, spotting the phenomenon at almost the same instant, reacted even more violently. He jumped up like a scalded cat and frantically thrust his jar towards the diminishing water.
"SWOOSH!!"
However, as the Swordsman made his move, the rate of the water's disappearance drastically accelerated. In the blink of an eye, the remaining half of the spring vanished completely!!
The Swordsman's jar swept through empty air. He nearly toppled headfirst into the now-empty basin, easily over a meter deep. He caught himself on the rim, his jar-wielding right hand still dangling over the side, staring dumbfounded at the instantly 'dried-up' pool.
Lin Feng was equally bewildered, stunned by the abrupt turn of events. He wore an expression mirroring the Swordsman's disbelief, gazing blankly at the suddenly empty cavity.
"Just what in the… huh?! What's that?!"
Lin Feng was halfway through a muttered question when his eyes snapped into focus. He spotted tiny points of light faintly glimmering at the pool's very bottom.
"WHOOSH!!"
Before his words fully faded, the Swordsman beside him practically leapt into the empty pool, landing squarely in its center.
Lin Feng quickly followed, jumping down and moving to where the Swordsman had crouched. His gaze locked onto the object resting on the ground in the very center of the pool bottom…
At first glance, it resembled a three-petaled white flower. But a closer look revealed it wasn't a 'flower' at all. Instead, it was three palm-sized, vaguely rhombus-shaped white crystals clustered together. Two were about the size of a child's palm, while the third was slightly smaller. Each crystal emitted a soft, white luminescence, with tiny, starlike motes of light swirling around them. Strangely, they seemed to radiate an aura, as if they were the focal point of the surrounding world.
Moreover, there was no hole or crack in the pool bottom. Nothing but these three peculiar crystals.
So, where did all that spring water go? And what were these crystals?
—These two questions instantly surfaced in Lin Feng's mind.
"Wait!! Could these be…"
Suddenly, realization dawned on Lin Feng. His eyes widened with incredulity, and his heart began hammering uncontrollably against his ribs.
"Spirit… Spirit Crystals!! SPIRIT CRYSTALS!! Hahaha! They're actually Spirit Crystals!!"
The Swordsman reacted simultaneously, his shock even more profound. Brilliance flashed in his eyes as he breathed out the words with immense excitement.
"They really are Spirit Crystals?!"
Lin Feng's own eyes couldn't help but blaze with fervor. The helplessness and dismay he felt at the spring's disappearance vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming joy—far greater than when they'd first discovered the spring water!
Spiritual spring water was pure, liquid essence condensed from the heavens and earth. Spirit Crystals? They were that same essence, concentrated to its absolute limit and solidified into crystal!
In the cultivation world, spiritual spring water was already exorbitantly valuable, often beyond mere price. Spirit Crystals? They were genuinely priceless treasures!!
Even the tiniest Spirit Crystal contained an immeasurable amount of spiritual energy. Such treasures could aid even godlike, supreme cultivators in their practice. Furthermore, the immensely powerful grand protective arrays of super sects were often powered by Spirit Crystals. Their value was truly staggering.
And now, right before Lin Feng's eyes, lay three whole Spirit Crystals. No wonder he was beside himself.
"I understand now," the Swordsman said, slightly calmer, a look of comprehension spreading across his face. "The spring water didn't 'disappear'. It concentrated and solidified into a Spirit Crystal. When the accumulated spring water here reaches a certain point, it forms a Spirit Crystal. As the crystal nears completion, excess concentrated energy spills out, creating the strange phenomena we saw around this place." He shook his head in awe. "What kind of blessed land is this… Not only does it gather spiritual spring water… it even forms Spirit Crystals…"
"Chirp!!"
Just as both men were reeling from the shock of the Spirit Crystals, an elated chirp rang out. A small figure shot out from Lin Feng and landed beside the crystals, immediately scooping up the smallest one and hugging it possessively to its chest.
It was Xiao Qiu.
Lin Feng froze for a second, then glared. "Xiao Qiu! What are you doing?!"
"Chirp chirp!!!"
Xiao Qiu hugged the crystal tighter, chittering defensively like a little miser guarding its hoard—as if to say: "This one's mine! Don't even think about taking it!"
"You…" Lin Feng was caught between laughter and helplessness. "No, absolutely not! That's a Spirit Crystal!! Are you planning to eat it?!"
That was preposterous! A priceless Spirit Crystal, not some common spirit stone! How could he possibly let Xiao Qiu gobble it up like a snack?
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Xiao Qiu protested indignantly, then deliberately jutted its chin towards the two larger crystals still on the ground. "I even took the smallest one! What more do you want? Look, there are two big ones left. You two can have one each!"
"This…" The Swordsman stared at Xiao Qiu with an utterly bizarre expression before turning to Lin Feng. "Lin Feng, your pet… it's really… wait, no… hold on… it… it's a spirit beast too?!"
Lin Feng felt a flush of awkwardness. "Uh… yeah, I suppose it qualifies as a spirit beast."
He shot Xiao Qiu a meaningful look, silently ordering it to hand over the crystal. Xiao Qiu, however, stubbornly refused. Hugging its prize, it turned its body away pointedly, presenting its backside to Lin Feng, radiating an unmistakable air of "If I can't keep this, I'm ignoring you!"
"..." Lin Feng sighed in resignation, offering the Swordsman an apologetic smile. "Stubborn little rascal, sorry about that…"
The Swordsman chuckled faintly. "Heh, your beast companion is certainly… unique. Still a juvenile, right? Remarkably intelligent. But… what breed is it? I've never seen nor heard of a spirit beast like this."
Lin Feng shrugged. "I stumbled upon it and took it in. I don't actually know what species it belongs to yet."
"Ah…" The Swordsman nodded slowly, then gestured towards the crystal clutched by Xiao Qiu. "Let it keep that one for now. Consider that crystal yours." He picked up the remaining two crystals. "There are two here. This one," he held up the smaller of the two, offering it to Lin Feng, "…is also yours. I'll take this biggest one. How does that sound, Lin Feng?"
"Me? Take two? That… that doesn't seem fair…"
Lin Feng immediately felt a pang of guilt. While the Swordsman was taking the largest single piece, giving Lin Feng one crystal plus the one Xiao Qiu had amounted to significantly more. He had been thinking of splitting the smallest crystal in half for each of them. He hadn't expected the Swordsman to offer him two outright.
The Swordsman waved dismissively, a genuine smile on his face. "Nonsense! This is fine! I claimed the Ice-Eyed Python. You risked everything with me and expended incredible effort. It's only right I take less this time. Besides, without you, I likely wouldn't have gotten any benefit from this… Don't argue. It's settled! Oh, and those two jars of spring water – we'll take one each."
Lin Feng hesitated for only a moment before nodding firmly. "Alright!! Then I won't stand on ceremony! Swordsman, meeting someone like you, becoming your friend… it's truly my fortune!!"
He swiftly accepted the crystal the Swordsman offered. Refusing further would seem hypocritical. And honestly… he really didn't want to refuse.
"Heh, the feeling is mutual," the Swordsman replied, satisfaction evident. "I also consider meeting you the greatest luck I've had since coming to Starfall City." He gestured upwards. "Right then, let's get out of here first."
Lin Feng agreed readily. "Yes, let's go."
...
Each man stored away their Spirit Crystal and their jar of spiritual spring water. Xiao Qiu flatly refused to relinquish its crystal. Lin Feng, powerless to stop it, could only let the little creature keep it for now.
Xiao Qiu, clutching the crystal tightly, burrowed back into Lin Feng's robe. The Swordsman then produced his Exquisite Pagoda, activated its earth-gliding power, and the two men sank directly into the cavern wall, ascending towards the surface.
This expedition had yielded a harvest exceeding their wildest expectations by untold magnitudes. Both men were utterly satisfied, their spirits soaring with delight.
Yet, immersed in the euphoria of their immense haul, they remained blissfully unaware that a colossal crisis awaited them just outside…