I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 83: Tracking
"Everyone, don't fly on swords. Conserve your spiritual energy, there may be a tough battle waiting when we arrive."
Huo Chuan gave the order, and the other nine Golden Core elders all agreed. Soon, the ten elders—normally accustomed to comfort—were running through the ash-covered secret realm in a dusty, disheveled state.
"It's been ages since I've run like this—my back is killing me!"
"Same here! I feel like my legs don't even belong to me anymore!"
As they ran, the elders complained one after another. Huo Chuan led the group at the front. Listening to them, he inwardly cursed his bad luck—his teammates were this incompetent.
"Elder Huo, why aren't you saying anything?" one tactless elder asked when he noticed Huo Chuan's silence.
Since they still had to fight together later, Huo Chuan didn't dare show too much dissatisfaction. He forced himself to respond, "Ahem… it's been too long since I've run like this—I'm a bit out of breath…"
This secret realm suppressed those with higher cultivation more severely. Although Huo Chuan could endure it, the doubled consumption made it feel as if he were carrying a mountain on his back. Sprinting with spiritual energy consumed more than three times what it would outside the realm, and once used, the energy was gone—there was no way to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings to replenish it.
Hmph. Even the ten of us are like this—Dongfang Bubai must be in an even worse state.
Cursing inwardly, Huo Chuan picked up his pace, subtly increasing the speed of the entire group.
. . .
Meanwhile, Lu You sat inside his cave and opened his eyes, a trace of disappointment in them.
"My talent is really this poor? I've taken dozens of Foundation Establishment Pills, and the bottleneck hasn't even cracked?"
Afraid of accumulating pill toxicity, Lu You activated over a hundred Healing Talismans and Detoxification Talismans before finally relaxing.
"No, I can't let pressure get to me. The more pressure there is, the harder it is to break through to Foundation Establishment."
Seeing that the hundred cubic meters of spirit stones in the cave had already been consumed, Lu You took advantage of the empty space. From his small cauldron, he brought out ingredients he had "borrowed" from Lu Xiao'e's kitchen. He cooked a large pot of spiritual rice and stir-fried several dishes. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, his lifespan would increase by two hundred years—he might as well celebrate in advance.
After comforting himself, Lu You took out two bottles of spiritual wine from the cauldron. With good food and drink, he leisurely enjoyed himself. Bitter, relentless cultivation wasn't helpful for breaking bottlenecks—a calm and steady mindset was the true Dao heart. After eating and drinking his fill, he refilled the cave with spirit stones, placed a Foundation Establishment Pill in his mouth, and returned to cultivation.
. . .
After running for two days and two nights, Huo Chuan and the others finally arrived at the location marked by the red dot on the tracking compass.
Looking at the towering black mountain and the strange, jagged stone forest, they fell silent for a long moment.
"This mountain… it's way too tall."
"Damn it, was Dongfang Bubai doing this on purpose? Why climb such a ridiculously high mountain?!"
Huo Chuan stared at the black mountain, veins bulging on his forehead. To maintain peak condition at all times and avoid being ambushed by Dongfang Bubai, they didn't dare skimp on pills. Combined with the complete lack of spiritual energy in the realm, they could only rely on the resources they carried. Even though they had prepared in advance, this level of consumption was unsustainable. The mountain stretched endlessly before them. Not only did they have to climb it, they also had to search it thoroughly. The resource expenditure was already far beyond their calculations.
Clearing his throat, Huo Chuan said, "Everyone, stay calm. Dongfang Bubai isn't a fool, why would she waste spiritual energy climbing a mountain for no reason?" Taking out the tracking compass, he pointed to Lu You's movement path. "You all saw it—she wasn't teleported onto the mountain directly. She deliberately climbed it. What does that imply?"
"I get it! It means the core of the secret realm's formation is on this mountain!" one Golden Core elder quickly answered.
"Exactly, exactly—that makes sense!"
The other elders came to a realization as well. "Elder Huo truly is brilliant. Why else would Dongfang Bubai head straight for the peak the moment she entered? It's obviously not because she has too many resources to waste. Clearly, Elder Huo is right—Dongfang Bubai must have information about the secret realm. She knows the formation's core, maybe even the method to break it, so she headed straight for the objective."
"Exactly!" Huo Chuan's face was full of pride. "The fact that Dongfang Bubai climbed the mountain at all costs only confirms my deduction. In that case, we simply need to climb up, hide ourselves, and wait patiently. We'll conserve our strength and wait until she breaks the formation core—then we strike suddenly and catch her off guard!"
He raised his head to look at the towering peak. "Even if Dongfang Bubai senses someone approaching, she'll have no choice but to keep trying to break the formation. There's no way she brought more resources than the ten of us combined. The longer this drags on, the closer she is to surrender. If her spiritual energy runs out and she can't replenish it, isn't that the same as waiting to die?"
"This is what you call an open scheme. She went to great lengths to enter the Deep Literary Pavilion, yet in the end, she's just working for us!" With a sweep of his sleeve, Huo Chuan strode forward toward the black mountain with imposing confidence.
The other nine Golden Core elders were fired up as well. If they captured Dongfang Bubai, at the very least they would obtain the ancient map from the inheritance tomb and the one from this secret realm. Combined with the map they already possessed, they would have three parts of the Jade Toad Swallows the Moon Technique. For those present, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm would no longer be a distant dream!
"Elder Huo, wait a moment. This mountain is so high—let's rest for a bit," one of the elders suggested. Though they were excited, the terrifying height still made their bodies feel weak.
Huo Chuan glanced at them and said helplessly, "Fine. We'll rest here for a while. Dongfang Bubai will likely need to rest after climbing as well, we don't need to rush."
At his words, the nine elders immediately plopped down on the ground. Most of them took out low-grade spirit stones to recover their energy. The elder who had earlier boasted about staying in the secret realm for one hundred years took out a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills in a showy manner.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, you're quite extravagant—already willing to use Qi-Nourishing Pills on the third day!"
Compared to low-grade spirit stones, Qi-Nourishing Pills were much easier for the body to absorb. Every elder had brought some, but they were meant for rapid recovery during battle. No one was willing to use them casually while traveling.
"Hehe~ I prepared a bit extra, so using a few doesn't matter. Besides, I also brought some spiritual rice. I calculated that each of us can eat once every thirty days—ten meals in total won't be a problem." Since the secret realm constantly drained spiritual energy, fasting pills were useless—they could suppress hunger but couldn't replenish strength or energy. At times like this, the value of spiritual rice became clear. A single bowl could both restore spiritual energy and fill the stomach.
"Indeed, indeed. I brought some spiritual rice as well—enough for everyone to eat a few times."
"I've stocked up on Qi-Nourishing Pills. I'll use them during battle—I refuse to believe we can't outlast Dongfang Bubai."
Watching the elders share their resources, Huo Chuan nodded in satisfaction. Though they were used to a life of comfort, their interests were tightly bound together, and they all knew their own limits. As a result, they were unusually united. They understood that only by standing together would Nascent Soul experts find them useful.
Seeing the abundance of resources they had collectively, Huo Chuan relaxed and laughed. "Everyone, rest well. This battle is ours for the taking. Dongfang Bubai is probably counting her remaining spirit stones right now."
After resting in place for an hour, Huo Chuan and the others began climbing the mountain with high spirits.
The black mountain was extremely strange. The higher they climbed, the stronger the secret realm's draining effect became. By the time the ten Golden Core elders reached the mountainside, the spiritual energy they had just recovered was completely exhausted again.
"Ha! This mountain really is unusual!"
The more extraordinary the mountain seemed, the more excited they became. Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it, they had already begun imagining Dongfang Bubai obtaining the ancient map—only for it to be snatched away by them.
"No need to rush. Let's rest again. Dongfang Bubai must be even more anxious than we are."
Huo Chuan, equally pleased with himself, sat cross-legged and extravagantly swallowed a Qi-Nourishing Pill.
On the other side of the mountain, a green figure silently hid behind a massive rock, secretly observing Huo Chuan and the ten elders. After entering the secret realm, she had been worrying about how to break it—until she saw Huo Chuan and the others running at full speed. She didn't even need to determine their direction; simply following the trail of black dust kicked up by their sprinting was enough to track them effortlessly.
"Those elders from the Deep Literary Pavilion have such a clear destination. It's obvious they already have information about this secret realm and know how to break it and obtain the ancient map. Heh~ I'll be the mantis stalking the cicada, with the oriole behind. After they go through all the trouble of breaking the formation, I'll snatch the map and run."
After thinking for a moment, Lu Xiao'e took out a red cloak from her storage ring. "I'm really too clever. Not only will I steal your ancient map, I'll also shift the blame onto Dongfang Bubai. That way, everyone's attention will be focused on her, and I'll get the chance to sneak into the Heaven district and steal the map that the Deep Literary Pavilion already has."
Seeing Huo Chuan and the others resting, Lu Xiao'e concealed her aura and took out a spirit stone from her storage ring. But just as Huo Chuan and the others had calculated, her entry into the secret realm had been too sudden—she hadn't prepared many resources, and she only had a few bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills.
After absorbing the spirit stone, Lu Xiao'e only restored her spiritual energy to about half of her peak state. This way, her resources would last longer. "I wonder how Lu You is doing… does he have enough resources?"
After some thought, she glanced at the spirit stones and pills in her storage space and sighed. Fine, she would maintain herself at only a quarter of her peak condition. That would save more spirit stones, and she could help Lu You later if needed.
Curled up beneath a black stone, Lu Xiao'e secretly observed the ten Golden Core elders while letting her thoughts wander. She thought about the ancient map, then about Lu You, and somehow her mind drifted to the kitchen. Half-dazed, she muttered plaintively, "Ugh… I'm hungry… I want to eat sweet-and-sour pork…"
At the foot of the black mountain, a cold wind swept through the barren secret realm.
. . .
Wu Tong, holding a tracking compass, followed their prior agreement and found Han Tian.
"This place is truly strange. Senior Brother Han, you made preparations in advance, right?"
"Thanks to Senior Brother Wu's reminder, I brought some resources—I can last for a while," Han Tian replied.
After regrouping, the two were about to find a safe place to rest when they encountered several Foundation Establishment disciples. After exchanging greetings, however, the disciples showed no intention of traveling with Han Tian and Wu Tong. Instead, they made excuses and left.
"Wait, junior brothers. This secret realm is full of dangers. If you act rashly, forget unknown threats, even the consumption alone will be hard to sustain! I have here—" Han Tian was about to stop them when Wu Tong quietly pulled him aside.
"Senior Brother Han, don't worry about them. Let's find a safe place to rest first," Wu Tong said in a low voice. "Don't worry—those Foundation Establishment disciples were personally selected by the elders. They all have their own missions and won't run into trouble."
"Senior Brother Wu, don't mislead me. We're all disciples of the Verdant Cloud Sect. If we can help each other, we should," Han Tian replied calmly, making a gesture as if to raise his hand, revealing his storage ring.
Wu Tong quickly stopped him. "Don't worry. Those disciples were handpicked by Elder Huo and the others. They have their own methods to regroup. We don't need to concern ourselves with them."
Han Tian's pupils shrank slightly, then he smiled. "I see. Still, Senior Brother Wu, the secret realm is ever-changing. If we can lend a hand, we should."
With that, Han Tian walked over to the Foundation Establishment disciples and cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior Brothers, since you have missions to carry out, I won't disturb you. This is my communication talisman—if there's anything in your mission that I can help with, we are all disciples of the Verdant Cloud Sect. I will certainly not refuse."
As he spoke, Han Tian handed the communication talismans to them.
Wu Tong's eyelids twitched at the sight. Han Tian was good in every way—except that he was too upright and too stubborn. Still, it was precisely because of this nature that Wu Tong dared to bring him into the secret realm as protection.
"Senior Brother Han, let's go. We also have a mission—we still need to capture Dongfang Bubai," Wu Tong finally pulled him away.
"Then where are we heading?" Han Tian asked, looking at the endless expanse of black stones.
Wu Tong took out the tracking compass and glanced at it. The red dot marking Lu You's position shone brightly. After comparing directions, Wu Tong put the compass away and pointed in the opposite direction. "Senior Brother Han, we'll go that way. According to my information, Dongfang Bubai should be hiding over there."
Knowing full well that Huo Chuan and the others would eventually clash with Dongfang Bubai, Wu Tong deliberately chose the opposite direction to avoid them. With the tracking compass and Han Tian by his side, as long as he didn't get caught in a Golden Core battle, he would be safe. As for the ancient map and cultivation technique, he could simply wait until everything settled and then check the outcome.
This time, in addition to bringing a large amount of resources, Wu Tong had also brought a fully charged Mount Tai Talisman. It was a gift from his Nascent Soul realm grandfather. If Huo Chuan tried to monopolize the ancient map, this talisman was meant for him.
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