Nine days.
Nine points of Divine Power consumed.
Ten times of Rain Prayer.
As the tenth wisp of life-filled spiritual liquid merged into the soil, Lin Feng stood in the center of the spiritual field, his breathing almost stopping.
Before his eyes, the Azure Jade Spirit Peach Tree, which had once been just a tender sprout, now stood majestically like a canopy! Its trunk was gnarled like an ancient Dragon, displaying a warm, azure jade color, and mysterious patterns naturally flowed across its bark.
Its emerald-green, jade-like leaves layered thickly, shimmering with a faint spiritual light under the dim sky. But what was most eye-catching were the ten fruits hanging amidst its branches and leaves!
Each spiritual peach was the size of a baby's fist, perfectly round and plump, with a translucent, azure jade texture on its skin. Inside, a hazy Spiritual Qi seemed to flow, emitting a sweet, rich, and captivating exotic fragrance! Just standing under the tree and breathing, Lin Feng could feel the sparse Spiritual Qi in his Dantian subtly becoming active, as if long-parched seedlings had encountered a sweet rain.
First-Grade High Grade Spiritual Fruit—azure jade spiritual peach!
And there were ten of them!
Lin Feng carefully extended his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, and gently touched one of them. It felt warm and smooth like jade, and the surging Spiritual Qi within almost seemed to burst through the skin. He had no doubt that just by consuming one, the pure and gentle wood-elemental Spiritual Qi within would not only instantly restore his depleted magical power but also help him Break through the long-troubling Qi Refining fifth-layer barrier! Its effect was far superior to ordinary Medicinal Pills, and it had almost no pill toxins!
"It's done!" Lin Feng murmured to himself, a huge wave of joy, like a warm current, instantly washing away the fatigue accumulated over these nine days. He carefully and reverently picked the ten spiritual peaches one by one, wrapped them gently in soft Spiritual Plant leaves, and then placed them in a specially cleared corner of his Storage Pouch. These ten spiritual peaches were his biggest trump card and cultivation accelerator at the moment!
However, the joy lasted only a brief moment before being heavily suppressed by a more realistic, more immense problem.
He shifted his gaze from the spiritual peach tree to the surroundings of the spiritual field, and to the crude temporary warehouse built from reef rocks next to the stone house, his brows instantly furrowing into a knot.
The warehouse door could no longer be closed. Inside, golden, Spiritual Qi-rich spiritual rice stalks were piled up like a small mountain. Each bundle was full and heavy, emitting a rich, clean grain fragrance. This was merely the harvest from the most recent forced ripenings.
And his Storage Pouch was even more crammed, with various Yao Beast Materials occupying all the space except for the precious corner taken by the ten spiritual peaches—the thick armored edges of Ironclad Crabs, the tough spikes of Reefback Turtles' carapaces, the cold-shimmering scales and barbed bone spurs of demonic fish, and even a few thick beast tendons from unknown sea beasts…
These were all obtained over the past month by using the daily recovered Divine Power to cast Gather Beast to attract low-level Yao Beasts, and then using Demon Slayer's passive cooperation to hunt them down with refined spells.
The Qi Refining fourth-layer's "Qingfeng Slash" and "Treading Wave Step" had long shed their initial clumsiness through countless life-and-death battles and skirmishes with sea Yao Beasts of different habits.
His sword moves flowed smoothly and seamlessly, and his movement technique was like a ghost, though he had not officially achieved the Minor Achievement Realm, he had already entered the inner chambers, only a hair's breadth away from that final Breakthrough. The richness of his combat experience greatly increased his hunting efficiency, and his harvest naturally rose accordingly.
But the problem was precisely here!
Too much! So much that it couldn't fit, so much that there was nowhere to put it!
The Storage Pouch was already overloaded; every time he opened it, it felt like the contents were about to burst out. The warehouse was piled high like a mountain, with hardly any room to step. The air was filled with a mixed fragrance of Spiritual Plants and a faint scent of Yao Beasts; if not for the simple "Dust Repelling and Filth Avoiding Array" barely concealing it, this strong scent would probably have drifted far away long ago.
"I must deal with it! If I don't, these spiritual rice stalks will start losing Spiritual Qi, and the Yao Beast Materials will rot and spoil!" Lin Feng's heart was anxious as he paced restlessly at the warehouse entrance.
He was not without skill. When he was in his Family, to earn meager resources, he had learned many odd jobs.
One of them was to process Spiritual Plant fibers through a series of complex procedures—soaking, pounding, steaming, rinsing, and drying—to create blank Talisman paper for Talisman masters to draw Talismans on.
Talismans are one of the most commonly used consumables in the Cultivation world. Low-level Talismans like Fireball Talismans, Ice Spike Talismans, Light Body Talismans, Vajra Talismans, etc., are powerful and convenient to use, with huge market demand. And Talisman paper is the basic medium for drawing Talismans.
Lin Feng looked at the mountain of spiritual rice stalks piled in the warehouse, and then at the tough Yao Beast hides in his Storage Pouch, like the soft skin from the underside of a Reefback Turtle; these were all excellent raw Materials for making blank Talisman paper! If he could process them, their value would definitely far exceed directly selling spiritual rice and raw Materials!
"It's a pity… I only know how to make paper, not draw Talismans!" Lin Feng sighed heavily, punching the cold reef wall, producing a dull thud. He had a treasure mountain in hand, but lacked the ability to turn stone into gold! Making blank Talisman paper was only the first step; the bulk of the profit lay in turning Talisman paper into actual Talismans! And he knew nothing about the Dao of Talismans.
"Go back to the Lin Family? Or go to a nearby small market?" This thought surfaced in his mind again. Only by exchanging these things for Spirit Stones or urgently needed supplies could he revitalize this dead game.
However, reality poured cold water on him.
Black Reef Island was isolated overseas, quite a distance from Bi Bo Island, the medium-sized island under the Lin Family's core control, and from Baisha Market, the nearest small Cultivator gathering place.
The vast ocean was treacherous, with countless dangerous sea Yao Beasts lurking underwater, and ill-intentioned rogue Cultivators potentially lurking in the air.
Lin Feng, a mere Peak Qi Refining fourth-layer Cultivator with sparse Spiritual Qi in his body, couldn't even sustain low-altitude flight with a Flying Sword for half an hour, let alone long-distance travel.
The flying boat allocated by the Family to island-stationed Cultivators? The Spirit Stones consumed to activate that thing once would be enough to make him ache for half a year, and it was too large a target, more likely to attract covetous eyes.
This sea area was nominally under the Lin Family's jurisdiction, but the Lin Family was only a Foundation Establishment Family, with limited power. In the vast ocean, there were countless fish that slipped through the net.
Lin Feng had no doubt that if he dared to sail out to sea in a dilapidated flying boat, laden with "wealth," nine times out of ten he would become a snack for some sea Yao Beast or a fat sheep for some rogue Cultivator.
"Strength! Still not enough strength!" Lin Feng clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Qi Refining fourth-layer was at the bottom tier of the Cultivation world. Without strength, he didn't even have the qualifications to go out and do business!
He stopped using the Rain Prayer Divine Ability. The spiritual field didn't need to be forced to ripen for now; the most urgent task was to digest this terrifying "inventory" while simultaneously raising his own cultivation.
The daily recovered Divine Power was once again invested into Gather Beast. The reef area became his fixed hunting ground. He controlled the strength of the attracted Yao Beasts to around Qi Refining second or third layer, which ensured safe hunting while also refining his spells, and most importantly, allowed him to continuously obtain that pure energy feedback!
"Slash!" The wooden sword (which had long been replaced by a sturdier bone blade polished from a Yao Beast's spine) with a faint golden glow, cut through the tough fish skin of a "Sawtooth Arrowfish," precisely piercing its heart. The pale green energy entered his glabella, and his Dantian Qi Sea churned and swelled.
Boom!
It was as if an invisible barrier was washed away by a surging torrent of Spiritual Qi! An aura nearly twice as powerful as before suddenly erupted from Lin Feng's body!
Qi Refining fifth-layer!
A natural Breakthrough!
The joy of the Breakthrough lasted only a moment before being diluted by the mountain of "troubles" piled before him. While the increase in strength was gratifying, it did not solve the fundamental problem.
Higher hunting efficiency meant more harvest… The warehouse was completely overflowing, and even a corner of the stone house was piled high with processed Yao Beast Materials. The strong scent, even with the deterrent of the Dust Repelling and Filth Avoiding Array and the "No Entry" stone tablet, subtly showed signs of being uncontrollable.
Lin Feng stood at the warehouse entrance, looking at the spiritual rice and Yao Beast Materials packed to the brim, almost overflowing, his face filled with worry. The joy of the Breakthrough was washed away by the immense pressure of reality.
"Could it be… I really have to risk going out to sea?" He looked at the turbulent, ink-colored ocean, his eyes filled with struggle and unwillingness. Just as he was about to be crushed by this sweet burden, a faint sound, distinctly different from the sound of the waves, drifted over with the wind.
That was… the flapping sound of sails billowing in the wind! And faint shouts of people!
Lin Feng's pupils suddenly constricted, and his body moved like lightning. In a few leaps, he climbed onto the highest black reef behind the stone house and gazed into the distance.
He saw the silhouette of a medium-sized wooden sailboat breaking through the waves at the hazy junction of sea and sky, slowly approaching Black Reef Island! The boat's style was ancient, and the flag hoisted on its mast was not the Lin Family's banner, but a strange flag with a pattern of golden copper coins intertwined with an anchor!
"Merchant ship?!" Lin Feng's heart leaped, and a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.