Myriad Spirit Fruit

"What legend?" Qin Sang pressed. Valley Master Mu chuckled. "Legend has it that spirit insects blessed with innate treasure-seeking abilities, like the Fire Jade Centipede, are uniquely favored by heaven and extraordinarily sensitive to targeted treasures. Even if a treasure is sealed by spirit formations or restrictions, their perception cannot be blocked. Having spent day and night with your Fire Jade Centipede, Fellow Daoist, you must have experienced this yourself, yes? I wonder if the legends have exaggerated." Qin Sang recalled his past experiences. The first time the Fire Jade Centipede had displayed its ability was when it located the Scarlet Gold Vine and Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold in the ancient cultivator's abode. The Scarlet Gold Vine had been concealed behind restrictions by the ancient cultivator, yet the Fire Jade Centipede had easily seen through them—and back then, it had only undergone its first metamorphosis! The second time was at the Xuling Sect, where it sensed the fire jade in their forbidden grounds. Such performances did indeed match the legend's description to an extent. However, it was certainly not as exaggerated as the stories claimed. Its ability to sense treasures had its limits, growing keener only as the Fire Jade Centipede advanced in realm. Unfortunately, the Fire Jade Centipede was only interested in special fire-attribute treasures; otherwise, he could have taken it anywhere to hunt for treasure. Seeing Qin Sang nod, Valley Master Mu looked even more pleased and finally explained the situation. "Have you heard of the Kongling Sea, Daoist Priest?... Opinions have always varied regarding its unique climate and phenomena. Some experts with idle time tried to explore it, but all returned empty-handed in the end. A while ago, Fellow Daoist Qi accidentally discovered some unusual signs and suspected it to be an ancient ruin, so he invited me over..." An accidental discovery. How shameless of him to spout such nonsense! Qin Sang scoffed inwardly, though he did not expose Valley Master Mu to his face. If his guess was correct, that ancient ruin was very likely connected to the Witch Clan! "I almost forgot to introduce them to you, Daoist Priest! Fellow Daoist Qi's ancestors had close ties with our founding master, and our successors have kept in touch ever since. There is also another Fellow Daoist Wang, who was likewise invited by Fellow Daoist Qi. They originally wanted to welcome you in person, but I persuaded them to stay behind in the Kongling Sea to keep watch," Valley Master Mu said, shifting the topic. Qin Sang asked in return, "From the sound of it, your exploration of the ruin hasn't gone smoothly?" Valley Master Mu gave a wry smile. "Far from smoothly! The three of us have been trapped at that place for an entire year and have yet to catch a glimpse of the entrance! We have been wandering around the outside the entire time!" "You haven't even gone inside yet?" Qin Sang was genuinely surprised. He had suspected that the founder of Hundred Flowers Valley obtained the Witch Clan heritage there, yet Valley Master Mu could not even get through the front door. Had he guessed wrong? Valley Master Mu nodded, looking sheepish. "Surrounding the ruin is a formation the likes of which none of us has ever seen, unimaginably profound. In fact, to this day, we still cannot tell what kind of formation it is—whether it was laid down by cultivators or formed naturally by heaven and earth!" Qin Sang was secretly startled and puzzled. Three Nascent Soul cultivators had spent a year scheming, yet they didn't even know what kind of formation it was. After listening to Valley Master Mu's description of the spirit formation, Qin Sang asked, "Could it be a hallucinatory formation?" Valley Master Mu recalled, "Perhaps. We entertained that suspicion as well. However, it shouldn't possess mind-confounding effects; none of the three of us has ever felt our souls influenced in the slightest. And precisely because everything seemed normal, it was all the more bizarre!" Qin Sang pondered silently. Whether it affected the soul, he would know once he tested it in person. "Fellow Daoist, are you hoping to use the Fire Jade Centipede's divine ability to break the formation?" Qin Sang could not imagine how that would work. If it were merely an illusion formation, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would be far more useful. Valley Master Mu nodded. "Indeed! We haven't been idling away this whole time. After racking our brains, we barely managed to devise an unconventional method..." Pausing for a moment, Valley Master Mu finally broached the real topic. "Although we have not entered yet, through extensive investigation and verification—as well as some clues I found among our founder's relics—the ruins within the illusory formation are very likely a sect that once existed in the Kongling Sea: the Jinghai Sect! The Jinghai Sect was a rare Buddhist sect that lived in seclusion from the secular world. It was extraordinarily mysterious and known to very few. The Jinghai Sect possessed a Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree, which holds immense appeal for spirit insects. What's more, Myriad Spirit Fruits can be used to refine a supreme treasure known as Spirit-Calming Incense. Lighting it prior to a breakthrough or tribulation crossing possesses miraculous effects in suppressing inner demons and steadying the soul!" "Suppress inner demons?" Qin Sang cried out in surprise, a ripple in his eyes. Naturally, most of it was an act. No matter how precious a treasure like Spirit-Calming Incense was, it could not compare to the jade Buddha, so it wouldn't truly make him lose his composure. However, Qin Sang understood well what immense value such a treasure held for cultivators. Those with heavenly tribulations looming or on the verge of breakthroughs would gladly trade any treasure on them for a single stick of Spirit-Calming Incense! A slight smile touched the corner of Valley Master Mu's lips, having anticipated Qin Sang's reaction. The heavenly tribulation was a life-or-death pass that no Nascent Soul cultivator could ignore; hearing of a divine object like Spirit-Calming Incense, none could remain unmoved. He first doused Qin Sang with cold water. "The Myriad Spirit Fruit is only one ingredient in refining Spirit-Calming Incense, and the other materials are certainly hard to find in this age as well. Furthermore, whether the ruins of the Jinghai Sect remain intact, and whether the recipe for refining Spirit-Calming Incense is even there, are both unknown. My only hope is that the Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree still exists; if I can obtain a few Myriad Spirit Fruits, I will be well content. Our founder left behind an ancestral instruction: if spirit insects consume the Myriad Spirit Fruit, they will not only gain many hidden benefits, but it will also increase the success rate of the Spirit Ascension Rite!" So that was it! Qin Sang glanced at Valley Master Mu, quite tempted by the Myriad Spirit Fruit. His thoughts spun rapidly. "Fellow Daoist, you wish to use the Fire Jade Centipede's treasure-seeking ability to sense the Myriad Spirit Fruit, thereby locating the Jinghai Sect's entrance... But it surely can't be that simple, can it?" First, when the Fire Jade Centipede found the Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold in the past, it was hard to say whether it had been drawn by the spiritual medicine, or if it had sensed it only because the Scarlet Gold Vine had rooted itself in a flame vein and absorbed flame qi, making it a fire-attribute item. Second. Even if the Myriad Spirit Fruit held appeal for the Fire Jade Centipede, if the formation outside the Jinghai Sect was really as mysterious and profound as Valley Master Mu described, the centipede's realm was too low, and it would likely struggle to sense the Myriad Spirit Fruit across the formation. It would be better to rely on the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Valley Master Mu said, "I once raised a similar treasure-seeking insect, the Jade-Bearing Bee, but it was inferior to the Fire Jade Centipede, and once it reached its second metamorphosis, I could advance it no further. However, from what I understand, this kind of extraordinary fruit is an immense temptation to any spirit insect with keen perception. Besides, I have a method to temporarily boost a spirit insect's divine ability, enhancing the Fire Jade Centipede's perceptive capability to at least near the level of a fourth metamorphosis." "What method?" Qin Sang asked hurriedly, deeply astonished. He hadn't anticipated such an unexpected windfall. If it could be used on the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, temporarily elevating the Heavenly Eye divine ability straight to the fifth metamorphosis in the future, the sheer power of it was unimaginable! Below the Soul Formation stage, no one would be able to hide from Qin Sang. Most spirit formations and restrictions would be powerless to stop his steps. He grew increasingly intrigued by Hundred Flowers Valley. The founder of Hundred Flowers Valley was certainly no ordinary figure, and had very likely obtained a major legacy of the Witch Clan! "The Three Spirits Pan King Formation!" Valley Master Mu answered in a deep voice.