Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Flint Fire, Spring Rain Like Oil
The entire sky suddenly blossomed with fireworks.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Those dazzling bursts of color bloomed like a garden of fireworks in the air, a variety of strange flowers blossomed in succession, illuminating the midnight sky, dispersing the heavy clouds, allowing the bright moonlight to shower the earth.
Li Ye saw very clearly.
Through the panel, he could discern the original form of those "flowers."
It was actually a Spirit Plant called the "Time-sharing Fireworks Tree," and its petals seemed to be activated by Spiritual Qi in the sky, forming this peculiar spectacle.
Of course, the grander gestures were the "gifts" that fell with the fireworks.
The stars that fell from the heavenly dome were clearly pills, surrounded by Spiritual Qi!
By chance, one was plummeting directly towards here. Upon seeing this, Li Ye quickly picked up the Array Plate controlling the array, creating an opening.
The pill immediately passed through the gap in the array, quietly falling to the ground.
The beavers working diligently at night sensed the Spiritual Qi and immediately dropped their tasks, gathering around.
Li Ye also stepped forward to pick up the pill.
Just holding it, the rich fragrance of the pill penetrated straight into his nostrils.
The scent made him feel vibrant, indescribably comfortable, even with a feeling of transcendence.
Along with the pill, a small Jade Scroll also descended.
"Second Tier Spirit Pill, Purifying Spirit Pill."
"The effect can continuously purify spiritual power impurities."
"Can be used to refine spiritual power to break through the Foundation Establishment Stage..."
His breath felt heavier for a moment, Second Tier Spirit Pill, effective for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, Four Seasons Sect just gave it away?
"Such wealth, truly generous."
He muttered a few words to himself, quickly placing the Spirit Pill into the pill bottle he had already emptied, fastening the stopper tightly, and calmed down after a few deep breaths.
After this harvest, he immediately decided not to go out.
Even though there were other good pills, outside there would undoubtedly be competition among cultivators, and while the Four Seasons Sect didn’t allow fighting within the marketplace, grudges could still form.
Who knows if something will be triggered in the future because of this matter.
Don’t be greedy, don’t desire too much.
This is enough.
Fireworks still bloomed in the heavenly dome, but Li Ye had already begun to busy himself, carefully relocating the Silver Moon Grass and Flint Fire Crystal Insect into a small plot of land inside the house, enclosed by an array.
During this process, he already felt the Silver Moon Grass’s weakness; clearly, it was still lively yesterday, yet seemingly within a day’s time, it began to weaken, its silver leaves drooping.
The Flint Fire Crystal Insect also started showing signs of agitation.
"Don’t worry, this is fine."
He reassured the Silver Moon Grass and Flint Fire Crystal Insect, carefully transplanting the former into soil dug from beside the Spiritual Spring, filling the surrounding area entirely with ice balls he had created.
But as he comfortably settled the Silver Moon Grass and Flint Fire Crystal Insect, they suddenly began releasing their own Pure Spiritual Qi, the quantity so immense it seemed to squeeze every essence out of them.
"You are..."
Li Ye noticed on the panel their status transformed into [Preparing to Hibernate in Ice and Snow].
After gifting this Spiritual Qi to Li Ye, the Flint Fire Crystal Insect began digging, burying itself.
The silver-white sprouts on their heads dropped one by one, and the long-awaited red Moon Liquid Pearl of Silver Moon Grass also began to gently drip down.
Seeing this, Li Ye hastily collected all these items.
Then watched them slowly topple over, curling into a ball, their aura extremely faint now, but the vitality was significantly better than the previous near-death state.
Even vaguely showed signs of an upgrade in spiritual power.
"Seems I worried too much."
Li Ye breathed a sigh of relief, finally at ease.
As to why it was hibernation; probably because of the icy environment he created, as only such an environment could let them sleep peacefully.
It was at this moment he surprisingly discovered his cultivation had reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.
All this time, while devouring various Spiritual Objects and benefiting from their emitted Spiritual Qi, he directly transcended one layer.
Just upon arrival he was at the Third Layer of Qi Refining.
Didn’t expect to ascend two layers so quickly.
Eating and drinking, farming, and nurturing Spirit Beasts could lead to advancement—there was no better life than this.
But only at low-tier could it progress so swiftly, it’s not feasible to stay stuck at Qi Refining for years on end even with good sustenance.
Holding both the red Moon Liquid Pearl and the sprouts fallen by the Flint Fire Crystal Insect, he returned to his room to examine them closely.
As he carefully observed, he was astonished to find a small flame burning within the former, while the latter was as hard as iron, cool to the touch, with threads of comfort entering his body.
"My heavens, a fire seed?"
Li Ye was startled.
Legend has it, there are various strange flames in the world, possessing a fire seed allows one to harness these flames, now in front of him were five Flint Fire Seeds!
These might merely be weak Flint Fire of the Flint Fire Crystal Insects, yet they were still Flint Fire!
If Li Ye now took these fire seeds out to sell, presumably he could trade them for several hundred Spirit Stones.
"But I don’t have a fire seed box."
He could only temporarily set these five fire seeds aside, planning to go to the Mo Family Mechanism Workshop tomorrow to buy a box specifically for storing fire seeds, without which the loss to the fire seeds would be too great.
After carefully preserving these fire seeds and silver sprouts, he suddenly heard a booming noise outside.
The clear moonlight that had filled the sky just now vanished, replaced by gloomy clouds locking the heavens.
Silver snakes slithered through the dark clouds, their thunderous movements as if shaking away every icy sealed stillness of winter.
"Ah? Is it going to rain?" Li Ye felt rather perplexed.
Was there perhaps a magical treasure or divine technique controlling the weather? The spring rain seemed too timely.
He had long prepared vats and jars in the yard, planning to collect the spring rain as a "gift" for the Spiritual Mechanism Vine.
After inspecting the situation outside briefly, he sat under the eaves, patiently waiting for the spring rain.
He didn’t wait long; after several claps of thunder, gentle spring rain began to fall from the sky, different somewhat from what he’d expected, carrying a faint glow.
Looking from the roof out into the distance—countless raindrops flickered with a soft purple light, descending from the heavenly dome, joining into a rain curtain, more spectacular than the earlier pill rain and fireworks from the Four Seasons Sect.
"Hmm?"
He instinctively felt something amiss, venturing out in the rain to the basin.
Only to discover the spring rain lacked the purple light brought by lightning, collecting only ordinary water with slight Spiritual Qi.
"No! That with purple light was the spring rain for the Spiritual Mechanism Vine, why don’t I have that kind of rain here?"
Li Ye was a bit anxious, glanced around his courtyard, and suddenly noticed near the beavers’ dam—or rather, the beavers’ nest bound with Hungry Bone—there was a gentle purple glow.
It floated on top of the rainwater, like oil, inside still veiled with strands of lightning glow.