Eternal Tale
chapter-148

In a certain cave, the lair of a wild beast had been ransacked, causing it and its family to flee in a panic.

Inside the cave, a dim light flickered, accompanied by creepy, sinister laughter that sent chills down the spine.

"Old Ox, this must be someone important from the Tianwu Sect," Chen Xun said, eyes gleaming with bloodlust as he tightly gripped a medium-grade spirit stone. "A legendary medium-grade spirit stone!"

"Moo!!"

The big black ox's eyes were filled with excitement. Its hooves had transformed into hands, holding two stones! The ground was neatly piled with over three thousand medium-grade spirit stones, glowing in various colors and filled with the essence of the five elements.

There were also over six hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. They felt as if they had looted the Tianwu Sect, instantly becoming rich.

Chen Xun took a deep breath, and the big black ox followed suit, inhaling the wonderful spiritual energy.

"Old Ox, I have checked the storage rings of these three individuals," Chen Xun said, his eyes glinting with a hint of light as he used the small spell 'Clarity Technique' enhanced by his cultivation, showing its endless utility.

"Moo moo~" The big black ox looked at the three silver rings on the ground. The intricate patterns indicated they were at least one size larger than the two storage rings they had bought.

"These storage rings are made from Xumi stones, which are said to be rarer than spirit stone mines." Chen Xun said softly, taking a small booklet from his storage pouch. "Old Ox, we should add a new goal to our plan: unclaimed Xumi mines!"

"Moo!" The big black ox snorted heavily, ready to follow its boss toward the future.

"These techniques are useless; they're not for five-element spiritual roots. Practicing them might even brand us with some sect's mark." Chen Xun pondered, looking at a few techniques on the ground. "There's no auxiliary technique either. Destroy them along with the magic tools."

"Moo~" The big black ox nodded; its hand waving as a five-colored magical light swept out.

A cold wind rose in the cave, slowly grinding the techniques and magic tools into dust, which Chen Xun then incinerated with a small fireball.

"Yuan Chen Ginseng, let me see."

"Moo?!"

They began sorting through the spiritual herbs again, cursing as they went. They had cultivated endless Yuan Chen Ginsengs, and now they found they could get it for free.

"Moo moo~" The big black ox suddenly shouted, holding a particularly strange herb.

It emitted no spiritual energy, and its roots were ghostly white, giving an ominous feeling.

"Well done, Qinghun Grass, Old Ox, sharp eyes." Chen Xun's eyes lit up as he patted the big black ox. "This thing isn't found in the Five Elements Sect; it's probably from the Wu Nation territory."

The big black ox grinned. It had read many books, especially about spiritual herbs.

Qinghun Grass didn't grow by absorbing spiritual energy but by absorbing various impurities from the environment, making it a highly unusual herb. However, it was harmless to cultivators and defied common logic. When used in alchemy, it could reduce the risk of going mad during seclusion.

Most importantly, after the great war between the two cultivation nations, the Top Ten Sects would use this herb to cleanse the battlefield before taking it away. It was a restricted herb in the cultivation world, difficult for ordinary people to obtain.

This herb wasn't sold in markets, and even if one found it, it was challenging to cultivate as it didn't rely on spiritual energy.

"Perfect!" Chen Xun shouted; his face flushed with excitement. "Old Ox, if we cultivate this, we'll be rich!"

"Moo~" The big black ox patted Chen Xun, eyes gleaming with pride. This was a minor task.

They had never seen a thousand-year-old Qinghun Grass in books; cultivating it might yield significant benefits.

"Silk Spirit Vine, Sun Blaze Flower, Cloud Glow Grass..."

Chen Xun muttered as he sorted through the herbs, shaking his head. These were useless and abundant.

The big black ox also sifted through the herbs, mooing softly in disappointment.

"What the heck!"

"Moo?"

Chen Xun suddenly shouted, startling the big black ox, causing it to drop the herbs it was holding.

"Old Ox, the Jade Source Fruit, hahaha..."

"Moo moo!"

The big black ox quickly got up and ran to Chen Xun, pressing its head closely against Chen Xun's.

In his hand was a Jade Source Fruit the size of a peach. It was entirely green with three purple stripes that looked as if they had been carved by a knife. It was emitting a pure fragrance and an extremely pure spiritual energy that made one's mouth water.

"Old Ox, the pictures in the books we read, it's this, right?" Chen Xun grinned, his eyes flashing with excitement. "A true heavenly treasure that can help a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator break through their bottleneck and further enhance a late-stage Golden Core cultivation."

"Moo moo~!!"

The big black ox nodded repeatedly. This was definitely it, most likely intended for a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator to use for a breakthrough.

"Old Ox, I'm truly impressed!" Chen Xun slammed his fist on the ground, then suddenly turned angry. "Where do these Golden Core cultivators get this stuff?! We don't have such things in the Five Elements Sect's herb garden."

"Moo!" The big black ox also snorted angrily. They were all Golden Core cultivators, yet they didn't even have a single medium-grade spirit stone.

"It's all the same cultivation world, but this is so unfair!" Chen Xun stood up with a roar, inadvertently revealing three low-tier, ungraded mountain-opening axes. "Old Ox, the plan to 'uproot the strong and support the weak' must be carried out!"

"Moo!!" The big black ox's eyes met Chen Xun's as it stood up. "Supporting the weak" certainly meant supporting themselves.

This encounter had truly opened a new world for them.

"Old Ox, keep checking the goods."

"Moo~"

They shouted, then sat back down, full of ambition. They began sorting through the loot, already dreaming of the future, their minds wandering.

"Old Ox, destroy the useless stuff later. Put the useful things in our storage rings."

"Moo~"

"We'll destroy those three storage rings afterward. What we have now is enough; let's not be greedy."

"Moo moo~"

"Huh? There's a 'Formation Atlas' here. Old Ox, get out the booklet and copy it with your spiritual energy." Chen Xun chuckled, holding a black book that was heavier than usual, made from crafting materials. "You can read it for fun when there's nothing to do."

"Moo~~" The big black ox happily nuzzled Chen Xun and took the book.

It then ran to the side, took out a few small booklets, and began copying. These booklets filled a storage bag, all bought by Chen Xun in the mortal world for this purpose.

"Old Ox, don't use the medium-grade spirit stones to recover spiritual energy. They're for cultivation." Chen Xun continued sorting, muttering, "They can also be used to activate formations or flying boats."

"Moo moo~"

The big black ox nodded absentmindedly, squatting, and engrossed in copying the atlas, absorbed in the new knowledge.

Chen Xun licked his lips, slightly dazed. Once they cultivated the Jade Source Fruit into a tree, their path to the Golden Core stage would be unobstructed.

Next was the Nascent Soul stage, but he had no idea how to achieve it and needed to plan early.

After years of struggling in the cultivation world, Chen Xun knew that great opportunities wouldn't just fall into their laps.

"Mm... We can't stay in Yuxu City either." Chen Xun glanced at the busy big black ox, smiling contentedly. "There are no opportunities for a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage there. After this, there's a risk of being found out if we stay in the city." He muttered to himself and continued sorting, neither hurried nor slow.

Half a day later, a barely audible explosion echoed in the cave. Two figures disappeared into the deep forest, leaving the cave as it was before they came.

The wild beast saw that the two bosses had left and rushed back with its family. Their lair was intact, even the smell unchanged, making them breathe a sigh of relief.