Not long after, the thunder spiritual ship arrived at Qingxuan Sect.
Li Mu bid farewell to Chief Manager Wan, who was full of apologies, and politely declined the enthusiastic invitations from several Golden Core fellow Disciples, then impatiently returned to Yue Qiong Peak on his Flying Sword.
If there were no accidents, Li Mu planned to thoroughly 'seclude' himself for a period of time, and would not easily go out unless necessary.
During this encounter, Li Mu suddenly realized that even Qingyun City, near the Qingxuan Sect Headquarters, was gradually becoming dangerous.
This time it was Golden Core Rogue Cultivators, what about next time!
If he encountered a Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivator, Li Mu really wasn't confident he could escape safely, so it was better to lie low!
In the following days, Li Mu completely lay low; besides needing to purchase some high-Rank Yao Beast meat and spiritual resources to sustain the growth of his Spiritual Plants, he never left Yue Qiong Peak.
When he first entered Qingxuan Sect, Li Mu had always adhered to a low-profile strategy, not easily making friends; within the Sect, the only ones he was familiar with were Yun Xiaozi and Elder Yin of Hundred Refinements Peak.
Yun Xiaozi had left the Sect urgently for business and it seemed he wouldn't return to the Sect anytime soon.
Elder Yin was busy with the affairs of Hundred Refinements Peak, and Li Mu had also told him that he would be going into seclusion for a period, so he naturally wouldn't come to disturb him.
Occasionally, some Disciples would come to knock on the door outside Yue Qiong Peak for Artifact Refining needs, but Li Mu consistently ignored them, and over time, fewer and fewer Disciples came to visit. Yue Qiong Peak was quite remote within Qingxuan Sect, and few Disciples passed by normally.
Li Mu got what he wished for, completely 'secluding' himself on Yue Qiong Peak.
Daily care of Spiritual Plants, in his leisure time, making talismans, drawing Spiritual Talismans, refining Puppets, brewing Spiritual Wine, occasionally sparring with Xiao Jin, researching Formations... Li Mu's days on Yue Qiong Peak were extremely fulfilling.
A month later, with the massive infusion of earth-elemental spiritual energy, the fourth-Rank Yao egg finally showed signs of hatching.
Li Mu immediately went to the incubation room, observing the hatching status of the Yao egg.
The gray-brown Yao egg's thick shell 'cracked' and split. Before long, a small claw stretched out forcefully, breaking through the eggshell in one go. With a strong pull, the entire head then emerged from within the shell.
The eggshell shattered all over the floor, and the little fellow's appearance was revealed.
Li Mu's eyes lit up, and the tension on his face eased.
The little fellow's physical characteristics inherited more of the Ink Jade Flood Dragon's traits and wasn't as ugly as the Iron Armor Rock Lizard.
It was about one foot five or six inches tall, with a pair of large hind legs that allowed it to stand upright, an armored back, and an overall greenish-gray body. It had a pair of chubby front legs and a pair of dark, round eyes. Overall, it looked a bit like a miniature Godzilla.
"Not bad, not bad! Not ugly at all!" Li Mu laughed heartily and casually struck a Spirit Control Contract Seal into the little fellow's body.
"Wah!" The little fellow looked up blankly at Li Mu. Having just been born from its shell, it had no ability to resist the Spirit Control Contract Seal embedding into its Divine Soul.
After the Spirit Control Contract Seal successfully condensed, the little fellow's gaze towards Li Mu couldn't help but carry a hint of intimacy.
"Wah wah!" The little fellow called out to Li Mu, as if greeting him.
After calling, the little fellow lowered its head and picked up the scattered eggshells with its small claws, stuffing them into its mouth and eating them with loud 'crunching' sounds.
"Are you hungry? I have something even more delicious here!" Li Mu smiled slightly, took out a clay jar from his nine storage spiritual pearl, placed it in front of the little fellow, and opened the lid.
As soon as the clay jar was opened, several first-Rank 'Iron Army Ants' eagerly rushed out of it.
The little fellow's eyes lit up, and it immediately hugged the clay jar, quickly extending its sticky long tongue to lick the Iron Army Ants into its belly.
The little fellow held the clay jar with its claws, concentrating on eating.
Li Mu's gaze remained fixed on it, and the little fellow's specific information appeared in the character's virtual frame.
【Ink Rock Flood Lizard (Infant Stage)】
【Rank: Fourth-Rank Yao Beast】
【Characteristics: Earth Affinity, Earth escape, Giant Rock Shield Armor】
【Status: Enjoying food happily】
【A hybrid born from a sixth-Rank Ink Jade Flood Dragon and a fourth-Rank Iron Armor Rock Lizard under extremely low probability, its life form has undergone mutation, possessing some characteristics of both Rock Lizard and Flood Dragon, with special abilities such as Earth Affinity, Flood Dragon Physique, and Heavy Rock Body. Its Aptitude is extraordinary, and its potential for breaking through Realms is immense.】
Carefully examining the little fellow's attributes with his Divine Sense, Li Mu frowned, thinking about what name to give it.
Little Gray? No, that name doesn't roll off the tongue.
Little Fatty? That's not good either.
...
Li Mu was terrible at naming things and couldn't think of a suitable name for it for a while.
"Wah wah!" The little fellow finished eating the 'Iron Army Ants' and called out to Li Mu while holding the clay jar.
"You finished already? Not full yet?" Li Mu recovered his senses and asked the little fellow.
"Wah wah, wah wah!" The little fellow nodded, then turned to pick up the eggshells on the ground, gnawing on them with 'crunching' sounds.
"Hmm! I'll call you Xiao Wa!" Li Mu said with a smile, naming the little fellow.
"Wah wah!" The little fellow looked up at Li Mu, as if agreeing to the name.
"Haha! You agree? Eat then! I'll give you more good things to eat when you're done!" Li Mu laughed heartily, reaching out to gently stroke 'Xiao Wa's' head. The sensation wasn't very good; 'Xiao Wa' had thick rock armor on its body, like touching a stone.
With 'Xiao Wa' joining them, Yue Qiong Peak became much livelier.
It was often seen that Xiao Wa, Xiao Jin, and Crimson Wolf, the three fellows, would gather together to chase and play.
However, Xiao Wa was a hybrid of a fourth-Rank Rock Lizard and a sixth-Rank Flood Dragon, with excellent Aptitude and astonishing growth rate. Under Li Mu's unhesitating feeding, it changed daily, growing two inches a day, and seven feet in a month.
In three months, it grew to over a zhang tall, like a half-grown Godzilla.
Xiao Jin, who Cultivated the Spirit Devouring Body Nourishing Art, also entered a growth and development stage, its height and body size rapidly increasing, comparable to Xiao Wa. When the two fellows wrestled and played, they often made a mess of the courtyard.
The small garden was no longer suitable for them to live in.
For this, Li Mu chose another location on Yue Qiong Peak to build a Beast Taming Garden, where he kept Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa together.
Thus, while Li Mu was busy taking care of Spiritual Plants, he also had to feed two large-stomached fellows.
Li Mu's busy days passed very fulfilling and very quickly.
Time flowed day by day, and half a year passed in a flash.
After the twenty mu of first-Rank Emerald Spirit Fruit Spiritual Plants matured and were harvested, as expected, the Divine Soul value obtained from the Spiritual Plant light clusters was only one-tenth of what it was during the Qi Refinement Stage. However, a large quantity of Emerald Spirit Fruit was planted, so Li Mu still gained 500 points of Divine Soul enhancement, and his Divine Sense detection range increased by several tens of zhang accordingly.
Li Mu was very satisfied with gaining so much Divine Soul growth from a single harvest, and he continued to plant Emerald Spirit Fruit in the twenty mu of Medium Grade Spiritual Fields.
After harvesting the Emerald Spirit Fruit, another wave of second-Rank Spiritual Plants matured successively.
The first to mature were 90 mu of second-Rank Heavenly Wind Grass.
Li Mu condensed metal-elemental spiritual energy in his hand, brandishing golden light blades one after another.
With a 'whoosh', the golden light blades flew across the Spiritual Fields, and patches of Heavenly Wind Grass fell neatly into the Spiritual Fields.
As the Heavenly Wind Grass was harvested, green Spiritual Plant light clusters appeared densely in the Spiritual Fields.
Seeing this, Li Mu's Divine Sense covered them, absorbing the Spiritual Plant light clusters.
【Talent Divine Power - Plant Spirit Extraction takes effect. You extracted a Plant Spirit, Free Proficiency Points +2】
【Talent Divine Power - Plant Spirit Extraction takes effect. You extracted a Plant Spirit, Free Proficiency Points +1】
...
The next moment, dense new notifications appeared in the character log bar. Seeing this, Li Mu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Good, good, he hadn't misjudged. Heavenly Wind Grass and Wind Spirit Grass had the same attribute characteristics, and they also provided Free Attribute Points. Although the growth time was longer, they still provided Free Proficiency Points.
After harvesting 90 mu of Heavenly Wind Grass, Li Mu obtained over seven million Free Proficiency Points, averaging about 80,000 points per mu. This was not a low number!
Li Mu was overjoyed and began to allocate his Free Attribute Points.
The first skill Li Mu thought of adding points to was the Star Cloud Contemplation Method. He immediately focused his attention on the character panel to add points to Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter.
【Ding, you consumed one Free Proficiency Point, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter +1.】
...
【Ding, you consumed one Free Proficiency Point, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter Proficiency +1, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter Rank increased to: Level Five. Your Divine Soul has grown, Divine Sense detection range expanded by 22%, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter reached Minor Achievement Realm. You comprehended the Divine Sense Divine Ability: Star Concealment.】
...
【Ding, you consumed one Free Proficiency Point, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter +1.】
...
【Ding, you consumed one Free Proficiency Point, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter Proficiency +1, Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter Rank increased to: Level Six. Your Divine Soul has grown, Divine Sense detection range expanded by 28%. You comprehended a new Divine Ability: Gathering Spirit Condensing Star.】
...
Li Mu, in one go, added all the newly acquired 7 million-plus Free Attribute Points to the Star Cloud Contemplation Method, raising it to Level Eight, just short of being able to raise Nebula Meditation - Gathering Spirit Chapter to Perfection.
A large amount of Cultivation experience from the Star Cloud Contemplation Method surged into Li Mu's mind. Li Mu absorbed it one by one, and his Divine Soul not only felt no discomfort but was extremely comfortable instead.
As this 'mysterious power' surged in, Li Mu's Divine Soul in the 'Nebula' Sea of Consciousness suddenly grew four or five times taller, and his Divine Sense power exploded, increasing by dozens of times.
Confirming that the newly acquired Divine Sense Divine Ability 'Star Concealment' possessed extremely high Divine Sense concealment capabilities, Li Mu used this Divine Ability and fully unleashed his Divine Sense.
Immediately, the 'situation' of the entire Qingxuan Sect Headquarters was reflected in Li Mu's Sea of Consciousness, with his Divine Sense extending to three hundred li away.
Two hundred li away from the Qingxuan Sect Headquarters, in a certain mountain peak, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators wearing Qingxuan Sect Inner Sect Disciple robes were being pursued by a group of black-robed Demonic Cultivators.
"Quick, Junior Sister, quickly take the Spiritual Boat back to the Sect to report, we'll hold them off for you!"
"That's right! Junior Sister Ling, quickly release your Spiritual Boat and hurry up and leave!"
The two male Foundation Establishment Cultivators anxiously urged the female Cultivator in a pink skirt while controlling their Spiritual Artifacts to defend against the enemy.
"Senior Brother, if we go, we go together. The signal arrow has already been shot. This mountain is only a hundred li from the Sect, surely someone will come to save us!" The female Cultivator in a pink skirt said.
"Still thinking of leaving? None of you can escape! Just surrender and die, and I'll let you die a quick death!" The leading black-robed Cultivator arrogantly shouted, sure of victory.
After speaking, the black-robed Cultivator, with a group of his subordinates, swiftly tightened their encirclement like a hunt.
Having 'seen' it, Sect Disciples were in trouble, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
Li Mu sighed and waved his hand, sending a stream of True Qi into the spiritual pond below, where green lotuses were planted.
The next moment, four 'big fish' leaped out of the spiritual pond, transforming into four nimble white lights, flying rapidly towards the desolate mountain wilderness over a hundred li away from the Sect Headquarters.
The four fourth-Rank Spiritual Swords, possessing Artifact Spirits, had a certain degree of autonomous control. Under the enhancement of Li Mu's powerful Divine Sense, the four Spiritual Swords were like fish freed from a 'cage', transforming into spiritual fish, drawing extremely nimble and beautiful streaks of light through the air, disappearing into the sky in an instant.
However, at the Qingxuan Sect Headquarters, where there were many Cultivators, quite a few people witnessed this scene.
"Wow! What was that! Spiritual Fish soaring into the sky?"
"What Spiritual Fish! Is that a Spirit Treasure?"
"It's an ownerless Spirit Treasure escaping, quickly chase it!"
"What is it? Where is it? Are you guys playing a trick on me?"
"Can't catch up, at that speed, even a True Lord wouldn't be able to catch up!"
"Such a great Opportunity, just missed like that, sigh!"
"What was it! I didn't see anything, Senior Brothers, what did you just see?"
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators gazed into the sky, some exclaiming in surprise, some shaking their heads and sighing, some with faces full of frustration... They watched the fleeting Spiritual Swords disappear with regret, but more Cultivators were utterly bewildered, not knowing what had just happened.
There were also a few streaks of spiritual light from Flying Swords that pursued relentlessly, but they soon returned dejectedly.
The flying speed of Spiritual Artifacts carrying people and those not carrying people are two different concepts. Even a Nascent Soul True Lord would find it hard to catch up with such high-Rank Spiritual Artifacts that can fly autonomously.
The four Spiritual Swords arrived at the scene of the chase in the blink of an eye.
The black-robed Cultivators had surrounded the three Qingxuan Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators, completely unaware of the impending danger.
The next moment, the four Spiritual Swords descended like thunder, yet also like a school of fish, swiftly rushing into the crowd, silently and invisibly, passing through each black-robed Cultivator with incredible agility.
They came and went like the wind, circled through the crowd, then simultaneously turned a corner and flew back into the sky in a flash, disappearing without a trace.
The black-robed Cultivators who were besieging the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators froze, then 'thumped' to the ground, blood flowing out.
"What was that just now?" Mo Jingsheng looked at Lin Yifan beside him with uncertainty.
"I saw it too, that was a Flying Sword, right! Right!" Lin Yifan said uncertainly.
"Senior Brother Mo! Senior Brother Lin, we're saved, aren't we?" The female Cultivator in the pink skirt's eyes widened, looking at all the people who were chasing them fallen to the ground, asking in disbelief.
"Yes! I don't know which Elder from the Sect released the Flying Swords to save us!" Mo Jingsheng nodded, looking at the corpses of the rogue Cultivators all over the ground, his face filled with the relief of having escaped death.
"Senior Brother Mo, should we clean up the battlefield!" Lin Yifan swallowed, looking at the bodies all over the ground, his eyes gleaming as he spoke.
"Hmm! Clean up quickly, then return to the Sect!" Mo Jingsheng's spirits lifted, and he gestured.
Soon, the three swiftly moved into action, beginning to clean up the battlefield.
Upon 'seeing' this scene, Li Mu gave a wry smile and shook his head. If there was a next time, he should let the Flying Swords clean up those spoils of war too; he shouldn't exert himself for nothing!