"Hero Yan, you have only just broken through, and your foundation is not yet stable. Your most pressing matter right now is to find a quiet place for secluded cultivation," Lu Yang kindly advised.
"Daoist, your advice is wise." Hero Yan felt immense respect for Lu Yang. Ever since Lu Yang and his companions arrived, Fangshan Island had gained a fifth-grade spiritual vein, and Yan Chuan himself had successfully weathered the lightning tribulation to become a Soul Formation cultivator.
With the help of the fifth-grade spiritual vein, his two brothers now had a slight chance of cultivating up to the Soul Formation stage as well.
Who would have thought that merely doing a good deed—telling Lu Yang about True Monarch Ma hosting a banquet—could yield such a tremendous reward?
Wait... come to think of it, True Monarch Ma's banquet only took place this morning.
Hero Yan took a moment to sort through the day's events:
Morning: Attend True Monarch Ma's banquet.
Noon: Invite Lu Yang and his four companions to Fangshan Island.
Afternoon: Anomaly in the spiritual vein; immortal grass emerges into the world.
Night: Twelve Soul Formation cultivators attack; swallow a Spirit Concentration Pill and advance to the Soul Formation stage.
"What should we do with the Feathering Immortal Grass? Should we bring it back with us, or eat it right now?" Lu Yang and the other four gestured around the Feathering Immortal Grass, debating which option would be more worthwhile.
"Why not pluck a leaf and give it a taste to see how many years of cultivation it boosts?" Li Haoran had heard of the Feathering Immortal Grass before, but this was his first time seeing one in person, let alone eating it.
Lu Yang shook his head, rejecting Li Haoran's idea. "Immortal grass is precious. If we pluck a leaf without the proper sealing methods, its medicinal properties will leak away through the tear, doing more harm than good.
"And while consuming it whole would certainly boost our cultivation rapidly, we'd lack proper grounding and refinement, which would only harm our future cultivation."
Under normal circumstances, the Feathering Immortal Grass was meant for cultivators at the Body Integration stage or Tribulation Transcendence stage. Cultivating those realms to perfection did not depend so much on enlightenment, but on tedious, grinding effort—a process that devoured enormous amounts of time.
"In my view, we should bring it back to the sect and see what Eldest Senior Sister thinks."
The others nodded; that seemed like a sound approach.
Lu Yang placed the immortal grass into a wooden box and slapped several talismans over it.
...
Late at night, when all was still and silent, the wooden box began to shake continuously, as though an invisible hand were tugging at it.
The box opened, and the immortal grass shook its head-like top, clambering stealthily out of the container.
It looked up at Lu Yang, who was sitting cross-legged in cultivation, and sneered contemptuously.
"Want to eat me? In your dreams."
Even so, it remained on high alert, creeping cautiously down from the bed. Yet the instant it reached out to push open the window, an oil lamp flared to life, illuminating the entire room in bright light.
A chilling voice drifted from behind the grass.
"So it really is an immortal grass that gained sentience."
The Feathering Immortal Grass whipped its head around, only to see Lu Yang watching it with a half-smile.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures materialized in the room, surrounding the Feathering Immortal Grass on all sides.
"Senior Brother Lu guessed right after all—it really is a Little Medicine King." Tao Yaoye gazed at the Feathering Immortal Grass with sparkling eyes.
"To think we'd find a Little Medicine King in the East Sea." Li Haoran clicked his tongue in wonder. Immortal herbs were rare to begin with, let alone one of the Little Medicine King caliber. Even Tribulation Transcendence cultivators would probably fight tooth and nail for it.
"It's my first time seeing a Little Medicine King. Does it taste good?" Man Gu had never been to the Herb Garden.
Earlier, when they had openly discussed how to handle the grass, Lu Yang had sent them private voice transmissions, saying he suspected this was an immortal grass at the level of a Little Medicine King.
Chapter 806